PR with her best friend in Singapore...

My mom with her best pal Ms. Suseela in Singapore...

PR as a Producer of Radio plays...

Mrs. Parvathi Ramanathan has produced a number of radio dramas in Singapore as well as in Madras (Chennai Vanoli). As a producer, she was very meticulous in choosing the background music, the title music, the actors, the sounds needed like the horn sound of a scooter or car or a telephone bell or that of a passing train or thunder, etc. The most important thing I had noticed as a listener of her plays was that the music used to be soft in the background when a conversation took place among the characters. The volume of music was increased when the scene changed or when the situation demanded. I have seen her working during the mixing, dubbing and editing of radio plays and used to be amazed with her skill of operating the dubbing machines, leaning from one to another, fading in and fading out the music, editing the length of the play by cutting and joining the tapes of the spools...all these with utmost sincerity and dedication. She used to work even till 11pm in the night even though her office timings were 10 am to 5 pm. On those days, she was dropped at home in the office jeep. I still remember those times when we used to be waiting for her to come home and then we used to have dinner. She was a workaholic and used to have her lunch very late in the evenings on some days.

Sharing a picture of my mom taken when she was working in Singapore...CLICK on the foto for larger image...

         

Poornam Viswanathan's Stage PlayThani Kudithanam

Shri Poornam Viswanathan's stage play Thani Kudithanam written by "Marina" was a hilarious popular drama. The play was released as an LP record in the year 1977. The role of Poornam's mother-in-law was enacted by my mother Smt. Parvathi Ramanathan in the LP Record. I still have the record with me and below are the photographs taken for the cover of the Record.

There is a link to the play by a Blogger THINK LOUD which has the whole play in the MP3 format. You can listen to it and enjoy.

http://arvindsdad.blogspot.in/2011/07/thani-kudithanam-drama.html

Poornam as Athimber in the extreme right, Mrs. Parvathi Ramanathan as his mother-in-law is on the extreme left, Mr. Gemini Mahalingam as her son Narayana & Mrs Vijayapriya as her daughter Kamu are in the centre. The actor who is sitting is enacting the role of Poornam's father-in-law.                        

A Group photo of the entire team of actors of the play.

Comments from our family friends...

HI  J and family,
That was lovely to read your mom's autobiography.TEARS ROLLED BY.I
couldn't forget the days when i eagerly waited for her plays. EEKKAL
was my favorite.You are very lucky that you had such a wonderful
parents.How can I forget MR.RAMANATHAN WHO WAS VERY CLOSE TO ME.His
story telling was great.30 years have passed by but still everything
is  fresh in my memory.Gems are born very rare and your mother was one
of them.HATS OFF TO YOU FOR BRINGING THIS BLOG AND ENRICHING THE
MEMORIES OF FANS LIKE ME WORLD OVER
Affectionately yours,
HARISHANKAR

(thru E Mail)

Thank you Harishankar for being with us when we needed friends like you to lessen our grief and for being in touch with me for more than 3 decades...
Jayashree Srikumar

Dear  Jay,

Only now we saw your  e-mail. We remembered your mother's anniversary

Surprised  to know that your mother has achieved  so much in her professional life. It is good that you have highlighted. Now the whole world knows about it.    

The whole of  22nd July  Padma was recollecting many memories of your parents.It is a blessing in our lives too that we came in close contact with them.Both of them  are very nice and simple human beings. Very rarely we come across such good people. The time we spent together are always fresh.

Our Namakarams to both of  them.

With love,

Padma and Raju

(thru E Mail)

Dear Padma & Raju(ji), Thank you for remembering my parents always and sharing cherished memories with me...

Thank you for being with our family at all times...throughout more than four decades...
Jayashree Srikumar

Parvathi Ramanathan as Judge and Chief Guest of honor...

Mrs. Parvathi Ramanathan used to be invited as Chief Guest or a judge in functions/plays held by schools, colleges or institutions. She had judged plays staged by the students of the dramatics clubs of colleges like Queen Marys and Ethiraj and gave away prizes to the winners of such competitions.

She used to be invited by "Maadhar Sangams" or "Ladies Clubs" formed by housewives to participate in their Annual Day functions and award the winners of competitions held by them.

 Following are the photos taken on two such occasions...These were held in two different years in Saidapet by the "Saidapet Ladies' Club". The Club was formed by Mrs. Shantha Ramanujam, an ardent fan of Mrs.Parvathi Ramanathan. She later also became a very good family friend of ours...

                                       FOR ENLARGED VERSIONS, CLICK ON FOTOS...
                               
                                          Somewhere in 1972/73...presenting a prize to a winner...

Being welcomed...This one was maybe in 1977. Am standing behind my mom in a dotted saree...

  

The translated version of My mother's autobiography...

The following was hand written in Tamil on a piece of paper by my mother on the 16th of July, 1985 - six days before she left us eternally... I have preserved the paper all these 30 years and thought of presenting this through a Blog. I do not know what she had in mind when she wrote this. I saw it only after her demise...

                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                            Dated : 16.07.85

In my school days, I have acted and sung in stage dramas. While learning Carnatic music from Shri Kannan, the disciple of Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, I dreamt of becoming a notable Carnatic singer. Opportunities may come to fulfill life’s ambitions but only when luck and favorable situations are present, they become achievements. I never even dreamt of acting in radio plays as my ambition was to become a singer.

From 1949 to 1956, I earned name and fame in Singapore Radio Malaysia as announcer, newsreader, playwright, actor, producer of weekly women’s programs, and presenter of listeners’ choice… During that period, in Singapore, my husband Shri S.Ramanathan

(http://shawbrosramanathan.blogspot.in/) was working as a Director under the famous producers, the Shaw Brothers. He had directed nearly thirty Malay films. 

Due to the encouragement, enthusiasm and co operation given by my husband, I not only took part in Radio Malaysia but had also sung on stage in Malaysia. The artistes of a Dance school named Bhasker’s Academy of Dance run by Shri Bhasker, performed a Dance Drama, “Sakunthala”. I had the privilege to write and sing the songs for this dance drama. My knowledge in Classical music helped me to make use of this opportunity thus adding fame and honor to me again, in a field I loved (music).

My husband and I were invited by Indian Fine Arts Society in Singapore to act in stage plays as they were impressed with our acting in the weekly Radio plays.

While we were in Singapore, thousands of fans from Java, Sumatra, Indonesia and Malaysia used to write letters to me. Their letters of appreciation and recognition deepened my involvement with radio programs.

On our return to Madras (Chennai) in 1956, I acted in several stage plays produced by my husband and by Shri Suki Subramaniam and his son Shri MS Perumal.

From 1956 to till date:

In All India Radio, I have been an Announcer, Regional Newsreader, played pivotal characters in plays,   produced radio newsreel(radio seithi malar) and several plays –these are a few of the many divisions I have worked in.

I have been working as a permanent Staff Artiste in the Tamil Drama Section of All India Radio, Chennai for the past twenty-five years. I have produced thousands of radio plays. I have also acted in thousands of plays as a small girl, a young teenager, and even as an old lady by showing the nava rasas in my performance.

I acted with Nadigayar Thilagam Savithri in a play called “Yayathi” which was produced by me. I produced another play “Thanimai” in which Nadigayar Thilagam Savithri   was the heroine. I can never forget the interest and co operation shown by her to act very emotionally in the final scene of the play. She was a great dedicated artiste.

I played the role of a rich business tycoon’s only daughter in the play “Kallaraiyum Thannmathiyum”. This was a National play and had one female and three male characters. I had acted as a hysterically affected girl and emoted by laughing, crying, singing and shouting. This role is still fresh in my mind. This play was produced brilliantly with echo effects by my professional guru, Shri Suki Subramaniam.

“Oru Geethathin Maraivu” is another memorable play produced by me. It depicted the affection and love of a small girl towards a deer brought up by her.

“Nambikkai” – I acted as a lady affected with leprosy and who gets completely cured in the end. I liked playing this character very much.

“Eekkal”, a play written by the famous writer Smt. Rajam Krishnan, was a one hour drama, broadcast about a decade ago, in which I played the role of a very old lady. This play was broadcast several times on request from the listeners. The playwright Smt Rajam Krishnan wrote a letter to me in appreciation of my acting. Several plays like these have been repeatedly broadcast on receiving requests from fans and radio listeners.

I am proud to say that I was the first to produce science fiction dramas in Chennai Vanoli Nilayam. Continuously, I produced 3 science fictional plays - in 1977, “Year 3977”, in 1978, “Vinnvelikkappaal” and in 1979, “Vinnilore Vinthai Manithan”. These three plays were written by my husband Shri S Ramanathan. 

“Vinnulaga Vichithrangal” which was broadcast in this year’s (1985) drama festival has also been written by him.

Apart from all these, I have also produced about twenty “oli chithram”. (Oli chithrams were abridged versions of movies, edited and broadcast for one hour in the radio).

In 1983 I underwent open heart surgery for mitral valve replacement and the renowned Dr. Solomon Victor performed the surgery. When I was in the hospital, I received vibuthi, kungumam, chandanam prasadams, from many places in our country as well as from all over the world like Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Srilanka, Malaysia from radio listeners and fans who prayed and sent to me pictures of Jesus, Velankanni, Kamakshi Amman, Mookambigai and Jagadguru Sankaracharya. I heard that several volunteers had come to donate blood for my surgery. All this love and affection touched me immensely that I became speechless.

My rebirth on 5^th July 1983 was due to Dr. Solomon Victor, Dr. A Sankaran,  my well wishers, my colleagues, my beloved fans and friends and I am thankful and indebted to all of them.

My eldest son Chandra Sekhar, is working as an officer in the State Bank of Mysore. He is married and has two sons.

My elder daughter Swarnalatha has a pleasant voice like mine and she lends her voice to radio advertisements and has sung a number of devotional and light songs in audio cassettes.

My youngest daughter Jayasree is working in a Bank. She is also a lover of all kinds of music.

So, Annai Abhirami has blessed me, my husband and our children in our professional as well as our family lives with abundant happiness.

Here I would like to voice a small suggestion from my heart…

Every year, the Tamilnadu State Government honors artistes from all professions with the title ‘Kalaimamani’ through ‘Iyal Isai Nadaga Manram”.  Artistes like us are also serving Thamizh Thai through radio for more than two decades. If our profession is also honored similarly, artistes like us will feel encouraged and enthusiastic. Why have they forgotten us?

I consider the thousands of letters of appreciation from my fans as great awards and rewards  for my acting in radio plays. Their appreciation and encouragement are the reasons for whatever little I have achieved in my life...   

In memory of my beloved mother...

I am creating this Blog to commemorate the 30th anniversary of my beloved mother
Mrs. PARVATHI RAMANATHAN who was born on the 16th of November, 1927 and left us eternally on the morning of 22nd July, 1985...

I am dedicating this Blog to my dear parents Mr. & Mrs. Ramanathan...

An Unpublished Autobiography...

 An Unpublished autobiography

This is an unpublished autobiography written by my beloved mother on 16^th July 1985, just 6 days before she left us eternally on the 22^nd July 1985. Before presenting it, let me write a few words about my mother…

Her voice was more familiar and popular than her face...

Those who had enjoyed listening to Tamil radio plays in the 1960s, 70, and early 80s, in All India Radio, (Madras) Chennai may still remember the inimitable, bold and crystal clear voice of Mrs. PARVATHI RAMANATHAN. “All India Radiovin Chennai Vanoli Nilayam” – She uttered this in a bold and commanding voice.  She had a unique voice and was able to play the roles of both a teenager and an old lady with ease, throughout her career. She was also popular as a newsreader in the 60s. Later she became more popular all over Tamilnadu as an artiste and a producer of hundreds of radio plays.

Mrs. Parvathi Ramanathan had also performed as an actor in stage plays, gave voice over to Newsreels produced by the Tamilnadu Government. (Newsreels were documentaries about social and political happenings and these were played in cinema theaters before the movie shows began).

Mrs. Parvathi Ramanathan endeared her fans by her acting talent not only through plays but also while reading short stories in the Women’s programs and Children’s programs popularly known as Paappa Malar and Siruvar Solai. She showed the difference between the narration and the conversations by emoting while delivering the dialogues of the characters in the stories. She was at ease while delivering the dialogues in both social as well as historical plays. Her diction and pronunciation was one to be emulated by those who were aspiring to partake in Tamil programs and plays.

My mother’s last notable feat was lending her voice to the grandmother character in the popular Telugu movie “MAYURI” dubbed into Tamil around June 1985. It was a true story of a young girl who lost her leg but became a famous Bharathanatyam dancer through sheer will. The young girl was none other than the popular actress of today, Sudha Chandran, who also played the role in that movie which was a box office hit.

I still remember the day when I went with my mother to see the movie at Anand Theatre, Mount Road. She was thrilled to see it and hear her dubbed voice which perfectly matched the character. She also enjoyed the chocolate ice cream we all had at the nearby Yamuna Restaurant. She wished to be more active in the film industry as a dubbing artiste in her post retirement years, but Destiny wished otherwise and took her away from us within a few days at the age of 57 years.

The following is my translation of my dear mother’s hand written autobiography written in Tamil…