This is an experience I must share with my friends, readers, aspiring researchers and everyone. During my doctoral work one of the most important places of work for me was the Saraswati Mahal library, tanjavur. I still go there at least once in two months for all my continued work. It is a haven for researchers. However, I always warn my friends and students that it's a place for precious primary sources and hence will be a tedious process. One must be familiar with the very elaborate cataloguing systems first. Learning to read through a catalogue is an art in itself. The TSSML has over 32000 manuscripts. That's right! The various subjects are catalogued and divided into languages, sections, type of manuscript, volumes etc. And then, there is the old catalogue and the newer eons that are in tandem with the GOML ( government oriental manuscript library) etc. So, if one needs to refer any work, they have to know where exactly it is, it's catalogue number etc to begin with. Then there is the issue of finding the right person to help you approach the section. I was lucky in the sense that as my initial work was a methodic understanding of my primary sources, the TSSML realised quite early that I was there as a serious scholar. I had to pour over several manuscript versions of even some published treatises in order to read the original of a reinterpretation, or the colophon.
Here is where my story begins. As I had written in one of my earlier blogs, TSSML became a home
away from home for me for over six years. Half a month there, every month meant I knew everyone by face and name. I would go in the morning at 9am and work till 5.30 when the clerk would ever so politely neck me out, only to return the next day. Many visitors to the gallery either presumed I had taken permanent employment with TSSML ir that there was a shooting going on there,
While everyone was always eager to find an opportunity to talk to me or converse with me, all I
wanted was to be left in peace as I wanted to work, un disturbed. But I could never avoid an occasional hi, an enquiry about my next film, the experience of having stood next to prabhudeva or something like that. I would usually give a very annotated answer and quickly return to the business
at hand. Thankfully, the pundits at TSSML were awesome, helpful and knew the gravity of my work and would give me the needed space.
While I began to believe all was going just fine as for my reference and notes taking at TSSML was
concerned, God decided to play a trick on me. Well that's the best reasonI can come up with for what am about to explain. All my references I would usually write down in a notebook, date wise. But
when I discovered an un copied, unnoticed most valuable Telugu manuscript of the dance repertoire that I was searching for, I was elated! Overwhelmed, I ran to Big temple that evening, sat in a corner and studied the colophon that I had copied down and read it a hundred times. I was stunned at what
destiny had dropped on my lap! The most treasured document that was the key to unlock my quest to find all the preciousness that I later found at THE ATTIC.
The next day, I sat at my desk at TSSML and realised that it was a large manuscript and I was going
to need every page of it. Therefore a Notes taking wouldn't help. I wanted to microfilm the manuscript and take a copy so that I can append it as pat of my work and will be useful for dance historians in the future, I thought. TSSML being a government library, has the posting of an AO (administrative officer). I had to submit to him a request letter asking for the micro filming. The Telugu pandit who was helping me told me that it would be best if I spoke to the AO and handed over the letter In person for speedy process. I remember vividly the first day I walked up to his desk. A stalky, dark man, in white and white pants and shirt, chewing paan he gave me a toothy smile (laugh, gurgle if you may) at and said "Good afternoon maadaaam ! Pluleesh sit down" the Telugu pandit who came along and was sitting beside me for courtesy was a very clever man, he excused himself and slipped away. I, being the protagonist of this whole story, of course had to sit through from lunch break till the day's bell rang at 5 announcing the closure of the library. From that day on, everyday I would make a special morning prayer to Brihadeeswara that I should escape the sight of this AO, lest my day would be spent at his desk answering questions that he would torrent at me. The torture of the experience is truly inexplicable but I am here going to give you a sample of a few question and answers. I urge you to imagine this with a generous interspersing of hearty, loud laughter ( something like heeeheeeeheee), completely tamizhaised English, a need to speak ONLY in English no matter how torturously hideous the grammar is, constant shaking of the legs, cups of lukewarm tea and mosquito bites.
AO: maaadaaam, good morning. What, research aaa? Sit down sot down. So, what is this Mozhi
movie story all about?
Me: ( looking at my watch) hmmm what do u mean story sir, please watch the film.
AO: oh hoo! I have no times to wa(r)tch all this movies and all. Tell me maaadaaam, how was you
working with Maniratnam ?
Me: it was good. So when will I get my requests for micro film approved sir?
AO: it's ok maaadaaam. What salary film stars get? I heard vijay gettings five crores. Ish it true aaa?!!!!!
Me: don't know sir. U have to ask vijay that.
AO: heheheheeh so how much do you get madam? At least say me that noooo!!!
Me: smiling and sipping the damn tea
AO: two years ago I arrange one dance program in Hyderabad, their dance super madam.
Me: ( relief that he is back to a subject) oh really! Whose dance sir?
AO: don't know name and all but they do spitting and all on stage and dance, very nice maaadaaam.
Me: spitting !!!
AO: yes yes bharadanatyam boring for me...but madam this is like that korattti dance nooo....like that and all...
Me: sir,.. My request
AO: of course madam tomorw itself I will try and do it.
2009,2010,2011 and 2012 came and went with hundreds of such dreadful encounters but the
microfilm request approval never did. May be it was that AO's ticket to stall me and have inane chatters, maybe it was his way of showing me that no matter if I was a known face, he was in power there. I would have submitted atleast seven request letters in those years. But not without spending
hours hand coping the manuscript. By the beginning of 2012, I had fully hand written the entire palm leaf manuscript by myself. No more micro film needed. I appended my own hand written copy along with my doctoral work.
Thanks to AO sivagyanam (yes, that was his name) I was able to hand write and therefore thoroughly assimilate every word of the valuable manuscript that I had discovered as my most important source.
Thank to sivagyanam, when I look back today I realise he was the much needed comic interlude amidst long, tedious hours of pouring over palm leaves and paper treatises( even without lunch
breaks).
So, researchers who visit MSS libraries must be prepared not only with catalogue sieving skills but also for the onslaught of sivagyanam -s.
God bless him and good news, he is no more the AO at TSSML. See I told you, God was playing a trick on me. It is truly SIVA GYANAM!
Dr.Swarnamalya Ganesh
Gyanam at THE ATTIC
www.fromtheattic.in
Here is where my story begins. As I had written in one of my earlier blogs, TSSML became a home
away from home for me for over six years. Half a month there, every month meant I knew everyone by face and name. I would go in the morning at 9am and work till 5.30 when the clerk would ever so politely neck me out, only to return the next day. Many visitors to the gallery either presumed I had taken permanent employment with TSSML ir that there was a shooting going on there,
While everyone was always eager to find an opportunity to talk to me or converse with me, all I
wanted was to be left in peace as I wanted to work, un disturbed. But I could never avoid an occasional hi, an enquiry about my next film, the experience of having stood next to prabhudeva or something like that. I would usually give a very annotated answer and quickly return to the business
at hand. Thankfully, the pundits at TSSML were awesome, helpful and knew the gravity of my work and would give me the needed space.
While I began to believe all was going just fine as for my reference and notes taking at TSSML was
concerned, God decided to play a trick on me. Well that's the best reasonI can come up with for what am about to explain. All my references I would usually write down in a notebook, date wise. But
when I discovered an un copied, unnoticed most valuable Telugu manuscript of the dance repertoire that I was searching for, I was elated! Overwhelmed, I ran to Big temple that evening, sat in a corner and studied the colophon that I had copied down and read it a hundred times. I was stunned at what
destiny had dropped on my lap! The most treasured document that was the key to unlock my quest to find all the preciousness that I later found at THE ATTIC.
The next day, I sat at my desk at TSSML and realised that it was a large manuscript and I was going
to need every page of it. Therefore a Notes taking wouldn't help. I wanted to microfilm the manuscript and take a copy so that I can append it as pat of my work and will be useful for dance historians in the future, I thought. TSSML being a government library, has the posting of an AO (administrative officer). I had to submit to him a request letter asking for the micro filming. The Telugu pandit who was helping me told me that it would be best if I spoke to the AO and handed over the letter In person for speedy process. I remember vividly the first day I walked up to his desk. A stalky, dark man, in white and white pants and shirt, chewing paan he gave me a toothy smile (laugh, gurgle if you may) at and said "Good afternoon maadaaam ! Pluleesh sit down" the Telugu pandit who came along and was sitting beside me for courtesy was a very clever man, he excused himself and slipped away. I, being the protagonist of this whole story, of course had to sit through from lunch break till the day's bell rang at 5 announcing the closure of the library. From that day on, everyday I would make a special morning prayer to Brihadeeswara that I should escape the sight of this AO, lest my day would be spent at his desk answering questions that he would torrent at me. The torture of the experience is truly inexplicable but I am here going to give you a sample of a few question and answers. I urge you to imagine this with a generous interspersing of hearty, loud laughter ( something like heeeheeeeheee), completely tamizhaised English, a need to speak ONLY in English no matter how torturously hideous the grammar is, constant shaking of the legs, cups of lukewarm tea and mosquito bites.
AO: maaadaaam, good morning. What, research aaa? Sit down sot down. So, what is this Mozhi
movie story all about?
Me: ( looking at my watch) hmmm what do u mean story sir, please watch the film.
AO: oh hoo! I have no times to wa(r)tch all this movies and all. Tell me maaadaaam, how was you
working with Maniratnam ?
Me: it was good. So when will I get my requests for micro film approved sir?
AO: it's ok maaadaaam. What salary film stars get? I heard vijay gettings five crores. Ish it true aaa?!!!!!
Me: don't know sir. U have to ask vijay that.
AO: heheheheeh so how much do you get madam? At least say me that noooo!!!
Me: smiling and sipping the damn tea
AO: two years ago I arrange one dance program in Hyderabad, their dance super madam.
Me: ( relief that he is back to a subject) oh really! Whose dance sir?
AO: don't know name and all but they do spitting and all on stage and dance, very nice maaadaaam.
Me: spitting !!!
AO: yes yes bharadanatyam boring for me...but madam this is like that korattti dance nooo....like that and all...
Me: sir,.. My request
AO: of course madam tomorw itself I will try and do it.
2009,2010,2011 and 2012 came and went with hundreds of such dreadful encounters but the
microfilm request approval never did. May be it was that AO's ticket to stall me and have inane chatters, maybe it was his way of showing me that no matter if I was a known face, he was in power there. I would have submitted atleast seven request letters in those years. But not without spending
hours hand coping the manuscript. By the beginning of 2012, I had fully hand written the entire palm leaf manuscript by myself. No more micro film needed. I appended my own hand written copy along with my doctoral work.
Thanks to AO sivagyanam (yes, that was his name) I was able to hand write and therefore thoroughly assimilate every word of the valuable manuscript that I had discovered as my most important source.
Thank to sivagyanam, when I look back today I realise he was the much needed comic interlude amidst long, tedious hours of pouring over palm leaves and paper treatises( even without lunch
breaks).
So, researchers who visit MSS libraries must be prepared not only with catalogue sieving skills but also for the onslaught of sivagyanam -s.
God bless him and good news, he is no more the AO at TSSML. See I told you, God was playing a trick on me. It is truly SIVA GYANAM!
Dr.Swarnamalya Ganesh
Gyanam at THE ATTIC
www.fromtheattic.in
ஹா..ஹா..ஹா.. அனுபவம் சிறிது கசப்பானதுதான் என்றாலும் எழுதிய விதம் அந்தக் கசப்பை அப்பொழுதே துடைத்து எறிந்துவிட்டதாகத்தான் தோன்றியது. குறிப்பாக அந்த தெலுங்கு ஸ்டைல் டயலாக் அருமை. அந்த மனிதர் கண் முன் வந்து சென்றார்.
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