PADMANABHA SOMAYAJI - BROTHER

Thursday, 24th October 2019
BirthiMane, BhuvaneshwariNagara, Bengaluru.

PADMANABHA SOMAYAJI  -  My brother -As I was almost 20 years younger to him, he was my role model, mentor and guide during my school and college days.

He was born in 1929, as the second son of my father, coming from a village and lower middle class family. Brought up in a hard way, after school he had to find job for himself, without much support from the family. He did various errand jobs here and there, he was very creative, good in drawing.

OCT 1971, FIRST TIME GOING ABROAD

TRIP TO HUBBALLI

HARADY SCHOOL FUNCTION

He joined as Drawing Master in Ujre High School,sometime in 1950, when Sri Rama Bhide was Headmaster. He trained himself as School NCC Master. He joined S M S High School, Brahmavara, in 1956, when he got married to Leela, d/o Aroor Gundu Rao.

RAVI UPANAYANA

He continued working in the school as a very creative teacher,Drawing Master, participating and training in all the extra-curricular activities like Drama, NCC, music etc.

WITH PADAKANNAYAS

In 1963, he got an opportunity to join L I C of India as Development Officer and was posted to Hebri, near Udupi. He was a social person, good conversationist and hard working.

AT MURDESHWARA

He continued working for L I C of India, promoted as Asst.Branch Manager in 1975, posted to various places alike Palghat, Kundapura and Shimoga and promoted as Branch Manager in 1985 and posted in Brahmavara, native place. He completed his service in 1987 and retired and settled in Birthi, Salekeri, where my father also lived.

AT MY WEDDING IN SEPT.1980

He was blessed with a son Srikanth in 1957, daughter Shobha in 1966, and daughter Shyla in 1973.

AT DUBAI  OCT.1989

Post retirement, he was active, going to all social gathering, functions - social and cultural, good speaker and was also partner in Pragathi Finance in Udupi.

He had some health issues like  BP and had a serious brain haemorrhage in June 1997, admitted to Manipal Hospital, was in comma and passed away after 18 days.

Shobha describes her appa as follows (taken from Facebook post) (April 12, 2020)

ನನ್ನಪ್ಪ ಬಿ.ಪಿ. ಸೋಮಯಾಜಿ ಯವರು. LICಯಲ್ಲಿ branch manager ಆಗಿ retire ಆದವರು. ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾವರದ ಆಸುಪಾಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಚಿರಪರಿಚಿತ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ. ಜೀವನೋತ್ಸಾಹವನ್ನು ಅವರ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಕಲಿಯಬೇಕು. ಸಕಾರಾತ್ಮಕ ಮನೋಧರ್ಮಕ್ಕೆಅವರು ಒಂದು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಉದಾಹರಣೆಯಾಗಿದ್ದರು. ಸದಾ ಲವಲವಿಕೆಯಿಂದಿರುವ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ. ಯಾವತ್ತೂ ಕೂಡಾ ಯಾರಿಗೂ discourage ಮಾಡಿದವರಲ್ಲ. Very motivating person. ಯಾವತ್ತೂ ನಮಗ್ಯಾರಿಗೂ ಬೈದವರಲ್ಲ. "ತಣ್ಣೀರನ್ನಾದರೂ ತಣಿಸಿ ಕುಡಿಯಬೇಕು, ಮಗಳೇ" ಎಂದು ಯಾವಾಗಲೂ ತಾಳ್ಮೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಅವರ ಪ್ರವಚನ. ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಹಳ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿ ತಗೊಂಡು ನಿಭಾಯಿಸಿದವರು. ಎಂತಹ ಕ್ಲಿಷ್ಟಕರ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲೂ ಧೃತಿಗಡದವರು. ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡಲು ಸದಾ ಸಿಧ್ಧ. ಸಕಲ ಕಲಾ ವಲ್ಲಭ. ಅವರಿಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲದ ವಿದ್ಯೆಯೇ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಚಿತ್ರಕಾರ, ಮಾತುಗಾರ, ಭಾಷಣಕಾರ, ಸಂವಹನಕಾರ..... ಅವರ ಕಾರನ್ನು ಅವರೇ ರಿಪೇರಿ ಮಾಡುವಷ್ಟು ಪರಿಣತಿ ಅವರಿಗಿತ್ತು. ಮನೆಯ ಯಾವುದೇ gadgets ಹಾಳಾದಾಗ ಅವರೇ ರಿಪೇರಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ತನ್ನ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು, ತನ್ನ ಅಣ್ಣ ತಂಗಿಯರ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಒಂದೇ ತಕ್ಕಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತೂಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಈ inclusiveness ನಮಗೊಂದು ದೊಡ್ಡ ವರ. ಅವರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಬರೆದಷ್ಟೂ ವಿಷಯವಿದೆ.
ಅಪ್ಪ ಎಂದರೆ ನನಗೆ ಬಹಳ ಇಷ್ಟ.

Posted Wednesday, 30th Oct. 2019