Srirangam Railway Gateman Balakrishnan

For over a dozen years, this gateman has been manning the railway gate at Srirangam

Very soon, railway gates in Tamil Nadu could become automated taking away the manual process from the traditional gateman who have been manning the gates over the last several decades. 47year old R Balakrishnan has been at the Srirangam Kaattu Azhagiya Singar Koil railway gate for over a dozen years now. In addition to two 12 hour days, he is at the gate thrice a week during the night making it a 60 hour work week for him.

He began his railway career at the Ernakulam station and then moved to Tiruchirapalli division as a gateman at the north end of the Srirangam Railway Station.

On Wednesday (April 2) night, he signed in at 8pm for a 12 hour schedule. With the dramatic increase in train services over the last few years, there is very little rest for him through the night.

This section had featured a story in 2017 on Kaattu Azhagiya Singar Koil (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/10/kaattu-azhagiya-singar-srirangam.html), a couple of hundred yards away from this gate on how dangerous snakes made the temple their homes in the decades gone by. For Balakrishnan, it has been no different at this gate number 244 where he has seen any number of snakes making their way to the gate office in the night. He also has to make do with mosquitos through the night but cannot take his eyes and ears off even for a few minutes during the peak time between 9pm and 2am.

The Gateman's role

It is just past 11.15pm and Chennai Egmore bound Rockfort express makes its way past the gate after having stopped at the Srirangam station. He recounts the process for him to close the gate even as the train that left Tiruchirapalli Junction at 10.50pm has passed the Ariyamangalam gate after Ponmalai “The station master at Srirangam calls me on the traditional magnetic phone to inform me of the upcoming train and informs me that the alarm signal will go off now, an indication that I will have to close the gate within 2 minutes. Only after I close the gate will the signal clear for the train to cross Ariyamangalam on the South side and Valadi on the North side.”

The clock has ticked to 11.35pm and he is back on the magnetic phone with the Station Master who tells him that the Nagercoil bound express from Tambaram will be the next on the track and that he will have to close the gate after the red alarm alert goes off at the gate. He goes and operates the gate boom lock that results in the closure of the gate and it getting locked.

What does he look for in every train

With every passing train, he has to look at multiple aspects. He has to direct the white lit torch on himself (photo above) when the train passes. He has to see if the driver is showing the green light towards him and if the guard is doing the same. He has to look at the wheels of the coaches and has to immediately inform the station master if there are any shortcomings. Also, he has to see if the brake rod is functioning and the sound of the wheels is consistent in all the coaches

He has a whistle that he blows when he sees coach related issues including when passengers are hanging outside the train in any of the coaches. When the train has passed the gate, he has to see that the red light is flickering on the back of the last coach for night trains. 

In a matter of a few seconds, the gateman has to perform all of these actions and for each and every train that passes the gate.

Strikes the Gate Boom lever

It is 11.45pm and the call from the station master asks him to be ready for 22657 Nagercoil Super Fast to pass through the gate in the next 5 minutes. He pushes the lever that ensures that no one can lift the gate. And then pushes another lock that results no one being able to do anything with the action at the gate till the train passes. 

Once the train passes the Srirangam station, the danger light at the gate turns to orange and it is time for Balakrishnan to head back to the lever to open the gate. 

Abuses from the road users

After a dozen years, he is saddened that he continues to receive abuses from the road users “The question that is often thrown at me is the closing of the gate even when the train that is to stop at Srirangam has not even entered the station. The flower and milk vendors are always in a hurry as are the school and college going students. And there are the devotees going to the Singar Koil. Almost all of them are impatient and I have to bear the brunt of their fury.”

He explains the process to this writer but says he cannot engage in conversations and explanations every time with road travellers “This is an inter linked system. Only after I close the gate will the trains receive the green signal at Valadi (on the north side) and at Ariyamangalam/Town (on the south side).

Also, he says that the train can enter the Srirangam station only if 120 meters in front of him is free for train to pass “This is particularly significant because if the train’s brakes fail at any point of time, then the train has to have the freedom to keep moving past the station and for that reason the gate has to be closed much before a train arrives at the Srirangam station.”

It is now midnight and the magnetic phone rings again – this time for the Pandyan express towards Chennai Egmore. And he heads back to close the gate. In the next 20 minutes or so he goes back and forth closing and opening the gate in repeat processes for Ananthapuri, Pearl City and Pothigai Express.

In the decade gone by, there have been times when he has worked non stop for 48 hours at the gate when his colleagues have had to take off. As the clock ticks past 1am, Gateman Balakrishnan sees off Silambu Express and then both up and down of Nellai Express (first going towards Tirunelveli and soon after the one coming from Tirunelveli to Chennai Egmore).

Maintaining a record of every passing train

He also records the train number, the time of passing the gate in a note that serves as a daily record. Over 20 trains have passed since he joined duty at 8pm on Wednesday. He says that he has dinner at home at around 7pm and makes it to the gate from Malai Kottai where he lives. He does not eat anything through the night. Neither does he drink coffee or tea during his period of duty in the night.

Many Challenges

Not many know the severe challenges that those like Balakrishnan have to face at the gate. He shows a mark in his face that occurred when a passenger in a train threw a water bottle from inside the coach. The wind led it fast in the direction of the gateman and struck below his eye. Passengers also throw food packet from the window of the train after they have finished eating and these too have flown towards the gateman in the years gone by. While bio toilets in most trains are now helping, in the past the gateman had to encounter bad odour when passengers used the toilet while passing through the gate. 

It is now past 2am and time for Pearl City towards Chennai Egmore. Balakrishnan shows no signs of tiredness as he goes back to swing the gate boom lever to close the gate. While there are not many vehicles in sight after midnight, he has to go through the motion every time a train is to pass irrespective of the vehicles on the road. "I have to close and open the gate every time. I cannot keep the gate closed once the danger light near the gate has turned to orange. A complaint from even a single road traveller with a photo or video of a closed gate when the signal light is in orange can lead to suspension of the gateman for a few days” he tells this writer after the passing of Pearl City.

"Similarly if I do not repeatedly pick up the magnetic phone with two rings and do not close the gate within two minutes of the danger signal at the gate turning to red, the railway police and doctor will be at the gate to inspect and confirm that all is well with the gateman." 

He now awaits the Pandyan Express towards Madurai following which he gets a rest for around 45minutes before the arrival of the next train – Thiru Kural Express.

It has been an 'active-no rest' few hours for Gateman Balakrishnan with trains passing the gate at frequent intervals. But it is a job he has got used to and something he likes. Once in six months, he has to encounter a snake but this too he has got used to. He also has to push away the cattle, goat and horse that make their way on to the railway track. 

Balakrishnan is very confident about his role as a gateman and hence has remained here for over a dozen years at this same gate. It is quite lonely for he is all alone with his work with no teammates around unlike those working at railway stations but he thoroughly enjoys what he does as a gateman and it keeps his mind sharp for he has to focus on multiple aspects every time a train passes. Those like him usually get transferred after three years but Balakrishnan has been so passionate about his work that he has not requested for a transfer and the authorities have been happy with him that they have kept him at this gate number 244 for over a dozen years.

He heads back home at 8am on Thursday after a satisfying 12 hours at the gate for a well earned rest.

With ongoing discussions regarding the construction of a subway or an overbridge, this railway gate may become a part of history sometime in the future but for Balakrishnan the experience at this gate will remain etched in his memory.

Kapali Panguni Utsavam 2024 Nadaswaram artistes pending payment

With 2025's Panguni Utsavam just round the corner, will the Kapali temple authorities clear the pending payment of the Nadaswaram artistes from last year's Panguni Utsavam

Payment to over 50 artistes is still pending 12 months after they presented at the street procession in Panguni last year

The biggest utsavam of the year is just a couple of days away at the Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore. The official invitation of the Panguni Utsavam was out last week with details of the Nagaswaram artistes who will present over the ten days during the street procession on each evening. 

Unfortunately, for such a financially rich temple, the outstation artistes who performed at the festival last year have still not been paid putting the temple’s Asthana Vidwan Mohan Dass (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/07/sembanar-koil-nagaswaram-mohan-dass.html) in a totally embarrassing situation. It is Mohan Dass who for many years now has been roping in artistes from remote locations in Tamil Nadu to perform at the street procession for a pre fixed Sambhavanai amount. After having waited a while, these artistes began following up with Mohan Dass but despite his best efforts in securing the money for the artistes, the amount remains unpaid todate.

Well over 50 artistes presented during the street processions last year and they are to be paid a total of around Rs. 2 Lakhs but though almost 12 months have passed the miniscule amount has still not been paid to these artistes. A few of the artistes had spoken to this writer last year expressing displeasure at the way they were treated by the Kapali temple authorities.

While Mohan Dass is in such a state not able to provide a decent response to the 2024 Panguni Utsavam artistes, he has been asked to rope in artistes for this year's utsavam putting him in an awkward situation. When the artistes of the previous year have not been paid, how can an asthana vidwan of such a big temple pitch with artistes from other remote locations to come and perform in this year's utsavam. How would he convince them that the payment would be made to them this year. 

This section had featured a couple of stories on the pending amount to these artistes but the authorities remained unfazed and have thus far not paid the paid (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/10/kapali-panguni-utsavam-2024-nadaswaram.html).

While the list (attached below) for this year’s utsavam has been release in the official invitation, one wonders if these artistes will be paid or will they too face the same fate as the artistes of the Panguni Utsavam 2024.

                               2025 Panguni Utsavam artistes list

The Kapaleeswarar temple is one of the richest in the state and this utsavam pulls in devotees from all over but the authorities continue to disrespect the artistes who present during the street processions.

It is hoped that the temple authorities will clear the dues of the artistes of Panguni Utsavam 2024 before this year’s utsavam commences.

                         2024 Panguni Utsavam Nadaswaram artistes list

Will the CM and the HR & CE minister look into this serious lapse on the part of the Kapaleeswarar temple and initiate immediate action.

Thiruvanaikaval Chariot Festival Othuvar Silanthi Puranam

Late on Saturday night, Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan presented 18 verses from the Silanthi Puranam following the Rishabha Vahana procession and ahead of the Chariot Festival

It is 9pm on a high decibel Saturday (March 29) evening at Thiruvanaikaval. Jambukeswarar and Akiladeswari have just returned to the temple after providing darshan for 90minutes on the Rishabha Vahanam around the four Ul Veethis. Several hundreds pulled the chariot driven Rishabham that served as a prelude to the Chariot Festival that is set to take place on Sunday morning. Udal players had a great time playing the drums relentlessly through the procession while other youngsters were vocal walking ahead of the divine couple. 

Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan is sitting in a corner at the temple after having presented the sacred verses around the four streets during the procession. There is a big one of its kind event waiting to unfold later in the night and he is setting himself up for the sacred presentation.

Every year following the Rishabha Vahana procession and ahead of Jambukeswarar and Akilandeswari’s procession to the Chariot, the othuvar presents the ‘Silanthi Puranam’ of Sekkizhar. It is a one of its kind presentation in a Paadal Petra Sthalam and relates to the legend of this temple.

A great blessing to present the 'Silanthi Puranam'

It is past 10 pm and Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan has now moved to near the alankara mandapam. Visibly tired on this hot day and after a long street procession, he is nevertheless all excited ahead of his presentation and considers it a great blessing as he provides a preview to this writer on the greatness of the Silanthi Puranam “Jambukeswarar will be providing darshan as the Lord of the World atop the Chariot tomorrow morning. But before that, he is keen to listen to the great devotion displayed by the Spider and the enormous contribution of Ko Chenganan Chozhan in the rebirth of the Spider as the Chozha King. The Silanthi Puranam comprises of 18 verses wherein the legendary story of the Spider’s devotion, its destruction by the elephant and its rebirth as a Chozha King who would go on to build over 70 Mada temples, the first of which was here at Thiruvanaikaval.”

The priests carry out an Abhisekam following the Rishabha Vahana procession and Jambukeswarar is draped in a simple white cotton vastram for the procession around the first prakara.

The Silanthi Puranam in the first Prakara

It is 11.30pm and finally the Sripatham personnel are set to carry Jambukeswarar and Akilandeswari from the alankara mandapam to the first prakara. It is a memorable few minutes in the life of Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan. He is anointed with a silk Parivattam and begins his presentation of the Silanthi Puranam after the Sripatham gives a shout of “Pesaathey Saptham” asking everyone to be quiet.

ஆன செயலால் திருவானைக்கா என்று அதற்குப் பெயராக

ஞானம் உடைய ஒரு சிலந்தி நம்பர் செம் பொன் திருமுடிமேல்

கானல் விரவும் சருகு உதிரா வண்ணம் கலந்த வாய் நூலால்

மேல் நல்திரு மேற்கட்டி என விரிந்து செறியப் புரிந்து உளதால்

A handful of devotees including Shiva Adiyars listen to the presentation with great devotion. Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan has been presenting for well over 25 years but he finds it a  delightful experience each time.

Sekkizhar in the Periya Puranam refers to the greatness of the Spider who despite being tiny provides shade to the Lord but unfortunately the elephant tramples him to death. But delighted with the devotion of the Spider, the Lord blesses him to become a great king in the next birth. 

நன்றும் இழைத்த சிலம்பி வலைப் பரப்பை நாதன் அடி வணங்கச் 

சென்ற யானை அநுசிதம் என்று அதனைச் சிதைக்கச் சிலம்பிதான்

இன்று களிற்றின் கரம் சுலவிற்று என்று மீள இழைத்ததனை

அன்று கழித்த பிற்றைநாள் அடல் வெள்ளானை அழித்ததால்

Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan now turns his face towards Akilandeswari and narrates the greatness of Kamalavathi, Ko Chenganan’s amma. An astrologer tells her that the child, if born a ‘Naazhigai’ late would go on to become a king. The greatness in a mother leads her to turn herself upside down thus postponing the birth of the child and at the designated hour she gives birth to the child who is red eyed. She names him Ko Chenganan but soon passes away.

மக்கள் பேறு இன்மையினால் மாதேவி வரம் வேண்டச்

செக்கர் நெடுஞ் சடைக் கூத்தர் திரு உள்ளம் செய்தலினால்

மிக்க திருப்பணி செய்த சிலம்பிகுல வேந்து மகிழ்

அக் கமலவதி வயிற்றில் அணி மகவாய் வந்து அடைய

பிறவா ஒரு நாழிகை கழித்து என் பிள்ளை பிறக்கும் பரிசு என் கால்

உற ஆர்த்து எடுத்துத் தூக்கும் என உற்ற செயல் மற்று அது முற்றி

அறவாணர்கள் சொல்லிய காலம் அணையப் பிணிவிட்டு அருமணியை

இறவாது ஒழிவாள் பெற்று எடுத்து என் கோச்செங்கண்ணானோ என்றாள்

Turning himself towards Jambukeswarar, Ramani Othuvar continues his presentation of the Silanthi Puranam. Indeed Ko Chenganan becomes a great Chozha king and goes on to build over 70 Saivite temples ( and one Vishnu temple) with this very place at Thiruvanaikaval being the first temple. He remembers the events from his previous birth and in anger builds each the temple in such a way that the elephant would not be able to enter the sanctum.

It is almost mid night and just a couple of hours away from the trip to the Chariot. The Deeparathanai is presented following Othuvar’s presentation. Unlike the fast paced Rishabha Vahana procession amid the noisy devotees earlier in the evening, the divine couple make their way to the alankara mandapam after a quiet and peaceful slow procession around the first prakara.

It had been a most enjoyable evening for the set of devotees who were able to listen to the devotional presentation of the Silanthi Puranam. For Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/11/thiruvanaikaval-othuvar-srinivasan.html), Jambukeswarar and Akilandeswari have been everything to him in the last 25 years. Every time he presents the Silanthi Puranam, he is reminded of the greatness of this temples and its great history. 

He considers it a great blessing that every year for the last 25, Jambukeswarar and Akilandeswari having been making it to the Chariot Festival only after listening to his presentation of the Silanthi Puranam. 

ஆனைக் காவில் தாம் முன்னம் அருள் பெற்று அதனை அறிந்து அங்கு

மானைத் தரித்த திருக்கரத்தார் மகிழும் கோயில் செய்கின்றார்

ஞானச் சார்வாம் வெண்நாவல் உடனே கூட நலம் சிறக்க

பால் நல் களத்துத் தம்பெருமான் அமரும் கோயில் பணி சமைத்தார்

With the clock ticking to mid night he bids goodbye to this writer that this annual presentation is enough to make him forget all the external noise as he loses himself to the great sacred verses on the Lord of Thiruvanaikaval and says that he seeks nothing else in life than being the one destined to sing the verses on this Lord till his final breath.

The story of the Spider and the Elephant: https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2014/12/thiruvanaikaval-jambukeswarar.html

Thiru Pulingudi Panguni Garuda Sevai 2025

After 75 years

In a historic revival, Kallarpiran of Srivaikuntam and Vijayaasanar of Varagunamangai Divya Desam visited Thiru Pulingudi for a Joint Garuda Sevai procession on Wednesday 

49 year Gopalakrishnan Bhattar has been serving as an archaka at the Kaisina Venthar Perumal Divya Desam in Thiru Pulingudi for close to three decades. He also doubles up as the madapalli cook through the year. His joy knew no bounds and was in happy tears late on Wednesday evening when he was two nearby Divya Desam Perumal join his own Lord at Thiru Pulingudi on a three Garuda Sevai procession. He was particularly delighted for it was an unexpected turn of events that led to Kallarpiran and  Vijayaasana Perumal from Srivaikuntam and Natham Divya Desam make this trip on the fifth day of the Panguni Brahmotsavam at Thiru Pulingudi.

He recounted to this writer on Wednesday as to how he counted as his Perumal’s blessings for his over 25 years service at the Thiru Pulingudi Divya Desam, where his appa too had served for several decades “Earlier in March, when Gopalakrishnan Bhattar was exploring the possibility of a Theppotsavam, much to his delight, he came to know of the presence of the Lords of Srivaikuntam and Varagunamangai at Thiru Pulingudi. The historical register of records in the middle of the 20th century contained entries relating to expenses of the visit of the Perumal from these two Divya Desams to Thiru Pulingudi.”

And this led to a historic revival after over seven decades of the three Garuda Sevai on the fifth day of the Panguni Brahmotsavam at Thiru Pulingudi.

Nam Azhvaar's praise of these three temples

In the 2nd decad of the ninth canto of the Thiruvoimozhi, Nam Azhvaar refers to these three Perumals as being in Sayana Kolam at Pulingudi, a seated posture at Varagunamangai and providing darshan in a standing posture at Srivaikuntam.

புளிங்குடிக் கிடந்தது வரகுணமங்கையிருந்து வைகுந்தத்துள் நின்று 

தெளிந்த என் சிந்தை அகங்கழியாதே என்னயாழ்வாய் எனக்கருளி 

நலிந்த சீருலகம் மூன்றுடன் வியப்ப நாங்கள் கூத்தாடி நின்றார்ப்ப

பளிங்கு நீர் முகிலின் பவளம் போல் கனிவாய் சிவப்ப நீ காணவாராயே

In the week leading up to this revival, there were debates and discussions in the Nava Tirupathi region on this trip and the challenges around the procession. As has been his way over the last couple of decades, Gopalakrishnan Bhattar remained calm and unfazed “It has been a challenging fortnight for me especially given that I also had to make annual arrangements for the Brahmotsavam. In addition, since this was a revival for several decades, there were many questions raised but I have always looked to Kaisina Venthar Perumal for solution. And this time, I turned to him for his blessings”, he told this writer even as he moved on to get his Perumal ready for the fifth day utsavam.

Directional Programme Schedule

The Trust Board and the HR & CE at Srivaikuntam laid down the schedule for the day and communicated to all concerned. Kallarpiran was to start after 8am on Wednesday morning and along with Vijayaasana Perumal of  Varagunamangai (Natham), they were to reach Thiru Pulingudi before 10am.

While it would have been a quiet mid week morning at Srivaikuntam, this Wednesday morning was an action packed one. By 8.30am, everything was in order and Kallarpiran was ready for the procession in the pallakku to Varagunamangai, 2kms east of this Divya Desam.

Thaligai was carried afoot from Srivaikuntam for presentation at Thiru Pulingudi. Vijayasana Perumal was ready at the eastern entrance of the Varagunamangai Divya Desam to welcome Kallarpiran. Shortly after 9.15am following the mariyathai and deeparathanai, the two made their way to Thiru Pulingudi, a km east of Natham.

காய்சின பறவைஊர்ந்து பொன்மலையின் மீமிசைக் கார்முகில்போல் 

மாசினமாலி   மாலிமானென்று அங்கு அவர் படக்கனன்று முன்நின்ற 

காய்சின வேந்தே கதிர்முடியானே கலிவயல் திருப்புளிங்குடியாய் 

காய்சின வாழி சங்குவாள் வில்தண்டேந்தி எம்மிடர் கடிவானே

Inside the Kaisina Venthar Perumal temple, devotees had gathered in good numbers to have an early darshan of Kallarpiran and Vijayaasanar.  The nagaswaram and melam bands had begun performing even as Gopalakrishnan Bhattar made his way to the entrance of the temple to receive the Perumal from the two Divya Desam. 

After the welcoming event, Kaisina Venthar made his way around Mada Streets in a Pallakku as part of the fifth morning procession of the Panguni Brahmotsavam with two Prabhandham members reciting the sacred verses.

Around a 100devotees placed themselves in front of the three Lords ahead of the Thirumanjanam. Periyazhvaar’s decad on Krishnan’s oil bath was presented by the Prabhandham members while the respective temples presented the Thirumanjanam oil to the devotees. 

Following the Thirumanjanam, the prabhandham members of Kaisina Venthar temple presented the sacred verses on this fifth day of the Brahmotsavam after which Kadamba Saatham and Dhadhyonam was distributed to the devotees. It was well past 1pm when the events of the first half came to an end.

The word had spread among the residents of Nava Tirupathi on the revival of the three Garuda Sevai procession and shortly after 6pm, devotees thronged the Thiru Pulingudi Divya Desams coming by auto, car and van. Outstation devotees who were making a trip to the Nava Tirupathi Divya Desam on this Wednesday expressed surprised at this blessing they received with them being able to witness a three Garuda Sevai that was coming alive after a break of several decades.

Support archakas including from Varaha Perumal temple Kallidakurichi had arrived in the evening for the alankaram of each of the three Perumals and they began decoration of Garuda and Perumal even as devotees made their way to have a darshan of the Moolavar seen in a Sayana Kolam and then went around the Sannidhi to have a darshan of the feet of the Lord from the northern wall of the sanctum. 

By 8pm, the entire eastern entrance was packed with devotees waiting for the first glimpse of the Lords atop the Garuda Vahana.

The big door at the eastern entrance was shut for a few minutes while the Sripatham Personnel carried Kaisina Venthar on their shoulders and much to the delight of the devotees, the doors opened even as Gopalakrishnan Bhattar presented the deeparathanai. Soon, after the three Perumals provided joint Garuda Sevai in front of the Eastern Entrance.

For the next two hours, the three Lords made their way, first around the four Mada streets and then around the outer streets of Thiru Pulingudi with residents welcoming the Lords to their homes with fruits and garlands. The schedule had been for Kallarpiran and Perumal to return to their respective temples by 10pm but this was a historic occasion with the residents of Thiru Pulingudi bursting fire crackers and rocket shots along the procession and devotees turning out in good numbers at every street. It was past 10pm when the three Lords made their way back inside the Kaisina Venthar temple. 

எங்கள் கண்முகப்பே உலகர்களெல்லாம் இணையடி தொழுதெழுந் திறைஞ்சி 

தங்களன் பாரத் தமது சொல்வளத்தால் தலை தலைச் சிறந்து பூசிப்ப 

திங்கள் சேர் மாடத் திருப்புளிங்குடியாய் திருவைகுந்தத்துள்ளாய் தேவா 

இங்கண் மாஞாலத்திதனுளும் ஒருநாள் இருந்திடாய் வீற்றிடன்கொண்டே

After unmounting the Garuda Vahana, Kallarpiran and Vijayasana Perumal began their return trip to their respective temples after 11pm. 29 year old Ramanujam Bhattar has been at the Srivaikuntam temple for a decade and he too was happy taking this procession as the will of his Perumal. It was past midnight when a Thirumanjanam was performed for Kallarpiran at Srivaikuntam following the procession.

The happiest man on the night was Gopalakrishnan Bhattar. It had been a momentous day for him. He has been performing service all alone at the temple in the last many years and the joint Garuda Sevai darshan of his perumal alongside the other two Divya Desam Perumal was a high point in his almost three decades long Kainkaryam at the Kaisina venthar temple as he took a well earned rest after reaching home at 1.30am recalling the glorious Garuda Sevai procession of the evening.

Srirangam Temple New JC Sivaram Kumar

Rameswaram temple JC comes back to Srirangam after undertaking a number of positive initiatives at the Ramanathaswamy temple over the last 18 months

                    JC Sivaram Kumar - Making a Srgm Comeback

There is relief amongst the staffers of the HR & CE at the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam following the announcement of the transfer of JC Mariappan to the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai. The JC of the last 18 months had been a tough nut to crack and minced no words in getting his team to slog at the temple. He was ruthless on those who engaged in gossip and chit chat and assigned them to specific tasks and responsibilities. This was very different from the previous experiences the HR & CE staff had with the earlier JCs. Processes were streamlined so much so that it was not easy for anyone to get through to special darshan. During the Adyayana Utsavam and on the Panguni Uthiram day, he ensured that devotees could not cut through queues easily. He also questioned a lot of the requests from the media for special passes on the Vaikunta Ekadasi day this year and cleared only the genuine ones.

Last year, for the first time in a long time, he let go additional ticket income and closed the special ticket counter very early on the Panguni Uthiram evening in order to ensure that the Chariot Procession started on time the next morning . As per plan, the procession began at 8am around the Chitra Streets. This section had featured stories on the development steps initiated by JC Mariappan and his tireless work at the Srirangam temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/03/srirangam-panguni-uthiram-2024.html).

For a while he had been assigned additional charge of Pudukottai as well in 2024 and he would come to the Rangathaswamy temple in Srirangam late in the evening after visiting the Pudukottai temple and work well past 10pm each day. He was also clear that he would not interfere in the ‘Ul Thurai’ pooja and left those to the Kainkaryaparas.

His no nonsense approach did not always go well as the staffers had got used to a more leisurely working style in the time before him (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/12/srirangam-temple-jc-mariappan.html). 

                             Outgoing JC Mariappan

Very soon, Sivaram Kumar, who was the JC here for a brief period in 2023, will make a come back, this time from the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram and take charge. 

This section had in October 2023 featured a story on the developmental initiatives Sivaram Kumar had taken in Rameswaram, those that did not go well with the local agents there. But unmindful of the criticisms, he took some bold steps. The positive initiatives at the Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram included keeping away touts and agents misleading devotees and fleecing them for special darshan. He had also taken steps for the construction of bathrooms, toilets, chappal stands and lockers outside the temple complex, each of which were previously manned by private personnel who fleeced unwary devotees.

He managed to keep the fleecing agents away and streamlined the queue system with devotees having a new positive experience. Periodic announcements through a public address system alerted devotees from not falling prey to the agents. A 30000 litre purified water tank was installed to supply free water to the devotees. Across the temple complex, new fans were installed for those standing in the queue for darshan.  

The toilet block at the North Gate as well as the locker room were completed during his 18 months stint as the EO. 850 mobiles can now be kept for Rs.  5 each compared to the Rs. 20 that was being charged previously by the private shops. At the new free slipper facility, 1000 pairs can be kept at any point of time. 

A huge guest house measuring over 10000 sq ft has been reconstructed near the Rameswaram Railway station. Through this facility, the temple will be able to provide dormitory accommodation to 450 devotees and this will be of great utility value once the remodelled Railway Station is launched.

In May last, he anchored the removed of the unauthorised Shiva Lingam and Nandi in Dhanushkodi. He had told this writer then that local residents and guides had been misleading visiting devotees about this being the historical Shiva Lingam that Lord Rama performed Thiru Aradhana and collected money by fleecing unwary devotees.

It is unlikely that the staffers at the Srirangam temple will have any respite from hard work for Sivaram Kumar too is a tough task master and will not put up with any slack in work. For Sivaram Kumar, it will be a shift from one large highly crowded temple to another similar one where devotees throng the temple all through the year. He is all excited to be back for a longer term at the Ranganathaswamy temple and told this writer that he will ensure that a number of positive and devotee friendly initiatives will be undertaken at the Srirangam temple similar to the ones he took at the Rameswaram temple. To that extent, devotees can look forward to a peaceful and smooth darshan especially on high crowd days.

With the Panguni Uthiram festival set to take place in the second week of April, it will be interesting to see the positive initiatives the new JC takes at the Ranganathaswamy temple. 

Thiru Kurungudi Nambi Panguni Garuda Sevai

Five Utsava Nambi Deities provided through the night darshan atop the Garuda Vahana around the streets of Thiru Kurungudi on Wednesday

It was a once in a year night at the Azhvaars praised Vaishnava Nambi Divya Desam in Thiru Kurungudi on Wednesday (March 19). The occasion was the fifth day of the Panguni Brahmotsavam and devotees thronged the temple in large numbers to have darshan of the Five Nambi Garuda Sevai.

It was almost 2pm when Dhadhyonam and Puliyodarai Thaligai was presented to a couple of hundred devotees following the presentation of Periyazhvaar Thirumozhi and Thiruvoimozhi led by Sri Perarulala Ramanuja Jeer, who has been the Pontiff of the Thiru Kurungudi Mutt.

எங்கனேயோ அன்னைமீர்காள் என்னை முனிவது நீர் 

நங்கள் கோலத் திருக்குறுங்குடி நம்பியை நான் கண்ட பின் 

சங்கினோடும் நேமியோடும் தாமரைக் கண்களோடும் 

செங்கனிவாய் ஒன்றினோடும் செல்கின்றது என் நெஞ்சமே - Namazhvaar

Sripatham Thangis - The traditional way

A most distinguishing feature of this temple town has been that despite all the changes that have taken place over the last century, the traditional activities continue in rich vein unlike many other Divya Desams. The traditional Sri Patham Thangis, who were in large numbers in the early part of the previous century, continue to carry the Lord on their Shoulders on all the festive occasions. Commendable is the service of the Sri Patham Thangis who patiently and with a great deal of devotion carry the Lord through the night on that occasion. There were over a 100 of them on the night and each one of them showed great devotional energy despite having to stop in front of every house around the four Mada Streets and the Sannidhi street.

                Palli Konda Nambi

48 year old Murali Sthaneegam who was sacked from service about a decade ago by the Thiru Kurungudi Mutt, was bringing together Sripatham personnel to carry the five Garuda Vahanas from the vahana mandapam to the Purappadu mandapam. He continues to anchor the Sripatham service pooling in locals for the Panguni Brahmotsavam processions over the ten days. While he expressed sadness to this writer on being away from Sthaneegam service for such a long period of time, his face lit up talking about the Sripatham support he has been rendering for decades at this temple. He is at his dominant best as the clock ticks past 3pm getting his team members to get the vahanas to the eastern side of the temple.

From Thenthiruperai to support the five Garuda Sevai

There were quite a few interesting service personnel on this fifth day of the utsavam. The young Venkata Srinivasan (Rahul) Bhattar from Makara Kudai Kaathan Divya Desam in Thenthiruperai (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/10/thenthiruperai-rahul-bhattar.html) had arrived at Thiru Kurungudi on Tuesday night ahead of the fifth day festivities. Against the current trend, Maniyakarar of over two decades at the Thiru Kurungudi Divya Desam agree to present his graduate daughter to a Divya Desam Bhattar and thus Rahul Bhattar, despite performing archaka service in a remote perumal temple married a girl who spent all her life having darshan of Nambi at Thiru Kurungudi. With the severe shortage of service personnel at such remote divya desams, Rahul Bhattar provided the much needed support to the archakas of this temple through the day including during the alankaram.

Sudarshan has just been appointed as a Sannidhi Parichakar after he quit a high paying corporate job and moved back to his hereditary location on the North street in Thiru Kurungudi earlier this year. He was one of the most active on this day presenting huge quantities of Dhadhyonam to devotees after the Seva Kaalam Saatru Murai in the afternoon.  And then for an hour in the evening, he lit the ghee lamp at all the Sannidhis in the temple. Later in the night he doubled up as a Sripatham and also presented the sacred Theertham to the devotees during the street procession.

The devotee crowd gathered steam after 6pm with several hundreds of them visiting the Nambi Sannidhis inside the huge temple. There were groups presenting Bhajans at the eastern entrance while residents drew large sized kolams in front of the temple ahead of the procession. The temple and the surroundings have been largely undisturbed. The mada streets are still inhabited by Vaishnavites and remain largely clean, something that one does not find in most other Divya Desams. There is certain freshness in the air that is missing in the larger towns and cities. 

Meanwhile, inside the closed screen, the archakas were busy decorating the five Nambis on the respective Garuda Vahanas. Devotees also sought the blessings of the Jeer while the Lords were getting ready for the procession. By 8pm, the scheduled time of the start of the Garuda Vahana procession, the entire eastern entrance was packed with devotees with not an inch to move as they awaited the screen to open. 

Why is the Garland so long and till Garuda's feet?

The Jeer arrived at 9pm and on his very first look at Vaishnava Nambi spotted the huge colourful garland hanging well below Garuda’s hands, something that is not the norm during the Garuda Sevai. Visibly upset, he immediately brought this to the notice of Ramanujam, the Maniyakarar at the temple and enquired with the priests of the day on the size of the garland.

Prabhandham Ghoshti

The Ghoshti presentation of Thiruviruttam marked the start of the procession. The first big moment of the evening was the Padi Erakkam Sevai at the Eastern Entrance with the devotees having a first close look of Nambi. Vaishnava Nambi led the procession followed by Veetriruntha Nambi, Palli Konda Nambi, Thirupar Kadal Nambi and Thirumalai Nambi.

Thiru Mangai Azhvaar in his Periya Thirumozhi refers to Lord Shiva being present near Nambi at Thiru Kurungudi.

அக்கும் புலியின் அதளும்  உடையார்

அவர் ஒருவர் பக்கம் நிற்க  நின்ற 

பண்பர் ஊர்போலும்

தக்க மரத்தின் தாழ்சினையேறி 

தாய் ;வாயில் கொக்கின் பிள்ளை 

வெள்ளிர உண்ணும் குறுங்குடியே  -Thiru Mangai Azhvaar

For over four hours, the five Nambi Perumals provided darshan around the four Mada streets with devotees in every house presenting the Lord with huge garlands, coconuts and fruits. The Ghosti led the procession and completed the presentation of Thiruviruttam at the Eastern Entrance an hour into the procession with the five Lords still at the East Mada Street. 

In the century gone by, the Prabhandham Ghosti and the Veda Parayanam presented a devotional treat to the residents with the numbers crossing a 100 during the Brahmotsavam Procession. With the exit of the traditionalists from their hereditary location in Thiru Kurungudi, the number of Prabhandham Ghoshti members has dwindled to 10-15 during the Garuda Sevai with a few coming in from other Divya Desams for this specific occasion including from Nanguneri (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/03/nanguneri-vanamamalai-divya-desam.html) and Srirangam.

Ananthan (Mani) Bhattar who now performs archaka service at the Thirumalai Nambi Sannidhi (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/10/thiru-kurungudi-thirumalai-nambi.html) up the hill was also present for the recital of the sacred verses at the procession.

Araiyar at the Prabhandham Ghoshti

It was here at the Azhagiya Nambi temple that Araiyar Sevai was introduced just over a 1000 years ago by Natha Muni. The South Mada Street was exclusive to the Araiyars. But that's now a thing of the past. For the Prabhandham Ghoshti, the 27year old Saranga Araiyar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2025/02/appan-koil-sarangan-araiyar.html) made it from Azhvaar Tirunagari for the recital during the Street Procession

 Sarangan Araiyar seen next to Jeer

Ghee Lit lamp lights up the South Mada Street

With the moon in the backdrop, the entire South Mada Street wore a traditional festive look with Thee Pandham lighting up the Lord as he made his way stopping at each home on the street blessing each of the resident devotee. Through this streets, devotees including young girls sang and devotionally danced their way behind the five nambis at the procession. It was a coming together of different people in the society and on this night they forgot all their differences as they immersed themselves in devotion amidst the five Lords.

It was past 11pm when he made his way to the West Mada Street. Clock had ticked past midnight but devotees on the North Mada Street stayed awake and waited at the entrance of their homes to have darshan of this once in a year Five Garuda Sevai procession. Almost close to mid night, a set of devotees came in from Mannar Koil, Ambasamudram. For years, they said they have been making their way to Thiru Kurungudi for this Five Garuda Sevai procession and they walked along with Nambi to the Eastern entrance.

The service personnel at the Srinivasan Services Trust of Venu Srinivasan too kept the office open and presented garlands to the Nambis as did the disciples of the Andavan Ashram at the Eastern end of the North Street. 

Great burst of fire crackers

It was past 1am when Murali (ex Sthaneegam) ran in to ask the Sripatham Personnel, who had also  come in from Srirangam and Azhvaar Tirunagari, for a big round of fire crackers had been planned at the Eastern entrance of the temple.  For about ten minutes, it was a celebration outside the temple complex of the five Nambi Procession with fire crackers lighting up the sky much to the delight of the devotees.

Murali- Bringing together the Sripatham

The temporary road side stalls continued to make big business on the night with devotees taking a liking to the Sharbath and fruits.

The moon that was right above hid herself a bit under the clouds as Vaishnava Nambi turned on to the outer South Street with the clock ticking past 2am. Slight rain drops worried the service personnel as the five Nambis made their way on to the South Street.

Rain Drops past 2.30pm and Sripatham make a rapid run to Moksha Kaatchi

As Vaishnava Nambi made his way past the TVS Government School and the clock ticked to 2.30pm, harder rain drops led Murali to get the priests to skip the Thattu and directed the Sripatham personnel to make their way to West end of the South Street. The police personnel from the Police Station were waiting with the Thattu but they too were given a go by as in a fraction of a minute Vaishnava Nambi made a fast paced run to the middle of the Outer West Street where he was joined by the four other Nambis. 

Moksha Kaatchi- West Street towards Mahendra Giri

About a hundred devotees had already gathered there for the 2nd big moment of the night, something that every resident of Thiru Kurungudi looks forward to every year during the Panguni Brahmotsavam. The Moksham darshan provided by the five Nambis to the Devas and Gandharvas on the historic Mahendra Giri Parvatham is an enactment that delights the devotees but unfortunately with the sudden decision to skip the Thattu on the South Street and the rapid sprint on the West Street, many of the devotees missed the Moksha Kaatchi where the Five Nambis face the Western side towards the Mahendra Giri and a Deeparathanai is presented to all of them. 

         Moksha Kaatchi

The Thattu was skipped on the Outer North Street as well and Vaishnava Nambi made his way back to Theradi before the clock had touched 3am leaving many of the residents stunned at the sudden turn of the events on the night caused by the rain drops.

Five Nambis Darshan

All those who missed presenting the Thattu on South and North Streets made their way to the Theradi and for well over an hour the archakas received the Thattu from these residents.  The next moment of the procession came past 4.30am when the five Nambis presented themselves alongside each other facing the Eastern Entrance for a glorious darshan for the devotees who had stayed awake through the night. For an hour, he stayed put here on the Sannidhi street before Thiru Kurungudi Jeer arrived at 5.30am marking the return of the Five Nambis back to the temple.

After almost 9 1/2 hours on the streets of Thiru Kurungudi on this special fifth day Panguni Brahmotsavam procession, and following the Saatru Murai of the sacred verses by the Prabhandham Ghoshti members, Theertham, Shatari and prasadam was presented bringing to end the Five Nambi Garuda Sevai in Thiru Kurungudi.

Soon, it will be time for the next round of Thiruppani and devotees will not be able to have moolavar sevai for close to a year once the repair works begin.

Maasi Magam Kollidam Uthamar Koil Anbil

Purushottamar and Sundararaja Perumal provide joint darshan at the Kollidam banks in Srirangam on Wednesday on the occasion of Maasi Magam                          

Anbil Sundararaja Perumal

It is just 36 hours after the Bandha Katchi procession marking the end of the Maasi Theppotsavam in Srirangam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/02/srirangam-maasi-theppam.html). And devotees are back on Wednesday morning for the Maasi Magam utsavam when twin Divya Desam Lords made it to Kollidam banks in Srirangam.

Unseasonable rains did not deter devotees gathering in good numbers on the Kollidam river banks of Wednesday to have joint darshan of Purushottamar, Uthamar Koil Divya Desam and Sundararaja Perumal, Anbil Divya Desam on the occasion of Maasi Magam.

                                  Purushottamar - Uthamar Koil

Heavy rains led to a postponement on Tuesday evening of the start of the procession of Sundararaja Perumal from Anbil, near Lalgudi and left only on Wednesday morning.

By 10am, both Purushottamar and Sundararaja Perumal had reached almost a dry Kollidam for Theerthavari utsavam. Devotees trickled in through the day to have a darshan of the Divya Desam Lords even as heavy rains flooded the streets of Srirangam.

But devotees began to throng the Kollidam banks in the evening and by 7pm, they were in hundreds for this once in a year joint darshan.

Vararadaraja Bhattar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/06/uthamar-koil-varadaraja-bhattar.html) is past 80 but is as devotionally excited as he was decades ago as he welcomes devotees to have darshan of Purushottamar. 

பேராணை குறுங்குடி எம்பெருமானை

 திருத்தங்காள் ஊரானை

கரம்பணுர் உத்தமனை

முத்திலங்கு காரார் திண்கடலேழும் 

மலையேழ் இவ்வுலகேழுண்டும் 

ஆராதென்றிருந்தானை கண்டது 

தென்னரங்கத்தே -திரு மங்கை ஆழ்வார் 

Anbil Sundararaja Perumal

A few yards away, Bhattars from Thiruvellarai and Koviladi Divya Desam have arrived to support Aravamudhan Bhattar of Anbil who himself is excited at the finalisation of the date of the consecration of the temple, whose restoration has been carried out by TVS' Venu Srinivasan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/04/venu-srinivasan-anbil-nambi-temple.html).

நாகத்தனைக் குடந்தை வெஃகா திருஎவ்வுள் 

நாகத்தனை அரங்கம் பேரன்பில் 

நாகத்தனைப் பாற்கடல் கிடக்கும் ஆதி நெடுமால் 

அணைப்பார் கருத்தன் ஆவான் - நான்காம் திருவந்தாதி 

It is past 7pm and the entire South Banks of Kollidam is beautifully lit with colourful lights. The decoration inside the Anbil section is top notch while the Bhattars at the Uthamar Koil section are happy at the devotees who have lined up to have darshan of Purushottamar.

Chakkarai Pongal, Dhadhyonam and Puliyodarai is presented to devotees at the Anbil section while at the nearby Purushottam part, sambar rice is handed out to devotees on the traditional leaf. 

Soon after, Pilot ‘Bharath’ Araiyar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/01/barathwajan-araiyar-srirangam-goair.html) arrives happily announcing that for the 20th year in a row, he has been able to organise special and extra Thaligai from the Srirangam Madapalli for the Divya Desam Lords on the occasion of Maasi Magam. "Unlike Ranganathaswamy temple, the anbil temple may not have access to large quantities of Thaligai on this special occasion and hence I deemed fit to request the Srirangam temple to organise for additional varieties of Thaligai to be brought alongwith Ranganathaswamy's mariyathai for Sundararaja Perumal to Kollidam on this Maasi Magam evening" Araiyar Bharath told this writer on the Kollidam river banks on Wednesday evening even as he buys a toy for his son Aparajithan.

As is the case on such festive occasions, small entrepreneurs are busy selling their wares that range from toys to quick eats. Young boys immediately try out the toys while the elderly are tasting the Makkaa Cholam that has by now become a big hit with the visitors to the utsavam. 

Past 9pm, devotees continued to throng in after the presentation of Thaligai even as trains pass by along the Kollidam bridge and the Anbil temple EO Venkatesan arrives for a darshan. The Srirangam temple Sripatham personnel, who are to carry Sundararaja Perumal to the wheeled vehicle are engaged in a conversation with Aravamudhan Bhattar on the exact time of departure on this late evening and are told that the return procession can start by 9.45pm.

                                                              Purushottamar

After almost 12 hours on this rainy day at the Kollidam banks, Purushottamar began his procession back to Uthamar Koil with the next big utsavam being the Oonjal and Serthi Sevai in the 2nd week of April while Sundararaja Perumal started out on his long procession back to Anbil via Lalgudi on the tyred vehicle even as a happy Aravamudhan Bhattar's thoughts lay centered around the upcoming Samprokshanam in the first week of May.

Sriram Krishnamurthy CSK Academy Head Coach Two Years

This man coached Rachin Ravindra in Chennai to a set of series winning knocks late last year in the test series against India. He is now working on getting the next gen of Super Kings Academy cricketers to the highest level in cricket

Close to 25 centers, strong remote towns presence and an overseas expansion 

It is a Sunday afternoon and those he had coached during his long stint in New Zealand are to take the field in the Champions Trophy final against India. But 38 year old Sriram Krishamurthy makes time at short notice to talk to this writer on how his engagement with the Super Kings Academy has been. Rachin Ravindra has been in very good form of late and Sriram’s mind tells him that NZ will lift the trophy. In the not too distant past, Sriram Krishnamurthy made an impactful difference and played a major contributory role in New Zealand’s 3-0 demolition of India in the test series. 

Rachin Ravindra scored a century in the first test match and a 60 in the second. For a month prior, he had worked with Sriram at the Super Kings Academy on the finer aspects of playing in Indian conditions and taking on the Indian spinners and the results were there to see. He has just scored a couple of hundreds in one day cricket in the Champions Trophy to become an important all format player for the Kiwis. Sriram does not talk much about the players he has coached but a lot of the background work on Rachin being mentally and technially prepared for the India battle was done at the Super Kings Academy nets in Chennai by Sriram. 

Finally an association with cricket in TN

In New Zealand, Sriram Krishnamurthy had worked with the likes of Tim Southee, Kane Williamson and Wagner in addition to Rachin and Devon (Conway). While he enjoyed his overseas stints greats and continues to engage with those, he had always wanted to contribute to cricket in TN. And here he was in early 2023 making a move back to Chennai to fulfil that lifetime wish and to coach at the grass root level with young unknown kids who had not yet made a mark in cricket. “I clearly knew the challenges ahead of me when CSK approached me to take to the role of the head coach of the Academy. They spoke with passion on where they wanted to take the academy and that resonated in me in terms of contributing to TN cricket, something that I had been wanting to do ever since I decided to make cricket my professional career.”

Sriram is also happy that his two young sons will be growing up in a traditional environment in Chennai and that they will get to see our rich culture at an early stage in their life, something that he and his wife really value.

Wants to see his coaches in districts succeed

In the last 2 years, Sriram has hired over 125 coaches many of them aged below 30 to work with kids in the districts and says that his greatest joy has been in seeing his coaches succeed “My biggest happiness as I look back on these two years at the Academy has been the fact that the coaches here are in synch with my vision for the kids. If any of these kids are now beginning to make their way into the age group squads for TN, the credit for that goes to these coaches. From the outset, when we began hiring them, we knew that they have come here for a long term career and that they have to take care of the family. CSK has taken to this completely professionally and have provided the coaches with PF, Gratuity and other long term financial benefits. This is something unheard of in the past for a coaching academy. I believe that the coaches have taken a great step forward in the creating the next generation of cricketers who sometime in the future will play for the state and in other forms of cricket at the highest level.”

Sriram's success at Super Kings Academy

He is looking forward to the day when the entire coaching eco system at the Academy will function independently without his presence “I have always held that even without my presence the coaches should be able to hold their own in terms of the coaching vision. I think we have been able to make solid progress on this front in the time I have been here.”

Sriram is happy that the impact of this coaching eco system is positively impacting the district cricketers, and boys and girls from remote towns in TN are now making their way into the TN age group squads as can be seen from their contribution in the current season.

Great Exposure for teenaged cricketers

2000 cricketers in TN are now being coached all through the year in the Super Kings Academy at different locations and a number of them are now getting exposure in league cricket in Chennai. Sriram is happy that some of the CSK Academy students are being spotted and picked by non India Cements team in the first division, an indication of the real progress made by these players. He dispels the myth that the CSK Academy is only about grooming players for the CSK team. “I have often heard this comment that this Academy is all about getting players ready for CSK. But as the Head Coach, my role is to create top quality players who will be ready to take on any challenge on the field.  Once in the auction, any player could be picked by any franchise and hence it is a myth that only CSK will have access to our academy players. They could play for any team in the first division or for any franchise in the IPL but they should be at home anywhere in any team.”

Sriram himself has recently had exposure to the IPL auction with him being present in an internal mock auction of CSK, again something that surprised him as an opportunity.

Academy growing rapidly

When this section wrote a story on Sriram after he decided to move from the Kiwi land to Chennai in early 2023 (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/11/sriram-krishnamurthy-head-coach-super.html), Super Kings Academy had just two centers. But in these 24 months, it is touching on 25 and expanding rapidly including in overseas locations. The academy is focusing on Tier 2 and 3 towns in Tamil Nadu and very soon will expand into more smaller towns.

Sriram is delighted that the Academy management has given him opportunity to even engage in business conversations and that is something he had not expected. He feels that he has been greatly empowered by the CSK management “Kasi (Sir), George (Anna), Louis ( Anna) and the small sized leadership team have given me great exposure by allowing me to engage with prospective franchisees for our academy expansion. And that has been a great opportunity for me to enter into the business side in addition to the coaching aspect that is core to my job. It was yet another occasion when they made me feel that my opinion counts.” 

National Teams- opportunities come his way

During these two years, CSK has given him the freedom and flexibility to coach international teams like he had when he was in New Zealand earlier. In the recent past, Sriram Krishnamurthy has coached the NZ women’s team in Sri Lanka and the West Indian A team. He has also been the head coach of the NZ A team. He also put through a deal between CSK and NZ board that resulted in Black Cap players coming to the CSK Academy to train.

In December last, Sriram was invited by the West Indies board to coach their players at their national camp. Once again, Sriram says that CSK was kind enough to allow him to take up this opportunity and this has allowed him to enjoy the best of both worlds – engaging with international cricketers as well as coaching at the grass roots level in Tamil Nadu. 

Later this year, he will be engaging with the West Indies players during their tour to India.

 

World Class cricket infra in the TN Districts

The CEO of CSK KS Viswanathan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2015/02/ks-viswanathan-tnca-bcci-ipl.html) is pleased with the progress made by CSK Academy. "In a short period of time, we have been able to attract good coaches as well as students in thousands to our academy. Having come from a small town (Kallidaikuruchi) near Tirunelveli, the cricketing opportunities in South TN were very limited in the 1960s and 70s and I had to come to Chennai to get the much needed exposure. Today through our Super Kings academy we have been able to take cricket coaching to the interiors of the state and young boys in the districts now have access to the best of cricketing infrastructure and the results are there to see with district cricketers making their way into the state squad in age group cricket."

"Also, as a business opportunity, the CSK brand has been able to attract franchisees in small towns in TN and that has helped expand the Academy network quite rapidly in the last two years."

His Big Cricketing Wish

The India New Zealand final is just a few minutes away and this writer has long overshot his time. Sriram is eager to get to the match and leaves the conversation in a happy frame of mind looking back at what has been a glorious two years at the Academy with a big wish of one day coaching a national team to a World Cup victory. Despite all his achievements, Sriram Krishnamurthy likes to remain low profile focusing on the job at hand. This section will write a story when that big dream becomes a reality some day in the future but for the moment he has moved on to watch Rachin Ravindra in action in the Champions Trophy final.