K VENKATASUBRAMANIAN ATHIMBER
20 November 2008, Thursday.
It was about 1230 noon. Vijaya and I had just returned from Mylapore. Sugavanam called and broke the most shocking and stunning news that our KVS Athimber has passed away by 1130 at Ambattur. I could not believe my ears since Athimber was not suffering from any serious ailment. A rude jolt. Everyone of us was beyond consolation.
Vijaya and I started for Ambattur at 1-30PM; Saroja and Ramamurthy Athimber came here at 2-30PM in a taxi and we four left and reached Ambattur by 4-15. Sugavanam, Chandar's parents, Jayaraman, Kalyani, Poornima, Ramesh were already there.
Athimber was kept inside the Freezer box. We couldn't control ourselves on seeing his lifeless body. He just looked like he was sleeping, so calm and serene ! Padma akka was uncontrollably crying; so were Prakash and Rajeswari. Can mere words comfort them?
It looks KVS athimber had fever for the past 2 days and this morning he was about to be taken to the doctor at 11-15. But he could not proceed after a few steps; he wanted to take "rest" for a while and so he went back to his bed. However, he slumped and somehow Rajeswari managed to put him on bed. She then went to bring food. Athimber was "unconscious" when she returned and he was not responding to their revival actions. Suspecting the worst a doctor was summoned and he pronounced Athimber as dead. That was at 11-30 AM. KVS athimber was no more. So sudden so sad so unexpected.Then Mangalam, Gopi, Arun, Gayathri, Sowmya, Sriram, Sudha, Chandar, Dhanush, Kumar, Lalitha, Swarnam Akka, Athimber, Gopu came. Rajeswari's parents and KVS's cousin's son Natarajan and his wife came. Srividhya, Pasupati, Aishwarya, Akshya came by 9-15PM from Bangalore.
In the night, we shared our memories of Athimber since 1955.
Born on 27 June 1928 (Swathi Nakshatram) at Poona, he had his schooling at Poona. He joined the Defence Accounts Office at Poona.
He and Padma akka were married at Tirupappuliyur in our house 17 Babu Rao Street on 4 May 1955. After marriage, akka and athimber started their married life at 11 Rasta Peth, Poona. Later they went to various places like Wellington (Coonoor), Bhuj, Vishakhapattinam, and Madras and after serving for over 36 years, athimber retired on 30 Sep 1986 and settled at Ambattur, Madras.
21 November 2008, Friday
Savithri came from Hosur at 5AM.
Vathiyar came at 8-30AM and the last rites for Athimber began. He started his final journey from 55 Nirmal Street at 9-45 AM and we reached the Crematorium at Tiruvallikkeni by 11 AM. Besides Prakash, Pasupati, those who went were Gopi athimber, Rajeswari's father, Athimber's cousin's son Natarajan, Sugavanam, and me. After waiting for about an hour, the final rites resumed. And at 12-25 noon, KVS Athimber was cremated. The asthi was collected by 1-45 and immersed in the Bay of Bengal at Tiruvallikkeni beach.
After the mandatory bath back at the house and lunch, all of us left Ambattur by evening. Sugavanam and Savithri stayed back for one more night.
The end of KVS Athimber was so sudden that we can't believe even now that it has happened. May Athimber Rest in Peace.
Rajappa
6 PM on 22 Nov 2008
Comments
It was like a bolt from the blue and though inevitable, the only positive thing as I see that Prakash was there in India instead of his usual world tour. It was like a God send boon to Prakash else it would have been too difficult for him to reach from any point of the world.
we can only take solace from this but cannot replace the loss.