A daughter’s tribute: A Gandhian and a gentleman

He continued driving his car until the age of 80, but only if the car had all the people it could carry. Unless the car was fully ‘loaded’ he would prefer to walk or cycle or use the public transport. Petrol was not to be wasted. If the car had a vacant seat or two, he would stop at the nearest bus-stop to ask if anyone, the elderly or the children, needed a lift.

He drove well and maintained the car meticulously. There was not a single scratch ever and he would say that driving was an art and one had to be able to anticipate people coming the wrong way.

He passed away earlier this month at the age of 99. He was the last surviving secretary of Mahatma Gandhi. Born at Shimla on August 15, 1922, V. Kalyanam led a full and extraordinary life. He was my father.

A Gandhian, he was austere and frugal. He would cut his own hair and every day keep a record of expenses in an old diary. He hated wasting paper and would slit envelopes as he had seen the Mahatma do and use them for scribbling and writing.

He would wake up early, start the day with prayers and a glass of hot water, which he believed helped in relieving constipation. He would also fast once a week. A vegetarian, non-smoker and teetotaler, he continued with chants, Pranayama and Yoga. A stickler for managing time, he would often do the exercises together.

He called himself a ‘sweeper par excellence’ and would ensure that the railings and window sills remained spotless. Until the age of 97, he would himself sweep the staircase, apartment and the surroundings daily. He would also sweep a part of the K.B. Dasan Road and work for several hours in his garden of over 5000 plants. Not even a matchstick would be allowed to be thrown away as he insisted on using kitchen-waste as organic manure in the garden.

He never had a cook or a domestic help. And while he always had a steady stream of visitors from different parts of the country and abroad, he would not allow them to wash even their own plates after a meal. He would do everything himself. He economised on water, wiping the oil on plates and utensils with old sheets of calendars, so that the detergent is not wasted. And a special ritual was the ‘Shimla Tea’ that he would prepare and serve all his guests.

He would dress immaculately, wear only cotton and Khadi kurta–pajama. He would wash and iron them himself. He owned only two or three sets of clothes; one set he would wear while the other would be drying. He never celebrated Diwali with new clothes, buying a new set only when the old one became unusable. Millions of human beings went to bed without adequate clothes, he would say, adding that there was no need for new clothes on every occasion. Festivals should be celebrated by serving the poor, he insisted.

He had rubbed shoulders with stalwarts of the freedom struggle and had a host of anecdotes that he shared about Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Rajaji, Vallabhbhai Patel and Lord and Lady Mountbatten. He took pride in his culinary skills and recalled that he had surprised Lord and Lady Mountbatten by serving them South Indian, North Indian and Continental food.

His last public appearance was for a musical programme, 'Vande Mataram – an Ode to Mother India', where he was the Guest of Honour and which was attended among others by the then US Consul General in Chennai.