MGR (Maruthur Gopala Ramachandran)
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. Additional information may please be sent as messages to the Facebook community, Indpaedia.com. All information used will be gratefully acknowledged in your name.
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Personal life
Wife Janaki and foster children, as in 2021
Jaya Menon, Dec 23, 2021: The Times of India
More than ‘amma’, it was ‘cheycha’ (uncle), who had a deeper influence on the five girls and the boy. Every second Sunday of the month, when there would be a break in film shootings, he would sit down with them at their Ramavaram Gardens home, eating out of a big silver platter with a gold flower etched in the centre. Maruthur Gopala Ramachandran would make small balls of rice, curry, vegetables and meat and hand it around to his children.
Many have memories of MGR — as an actor, benefactor and politician, who founded the AIADMK. Few, except wife Janaki and his foster children – Appu Appu (K Ravindran), Radha, Latha, Sudha, Geetha and Janaki — had a close-up view of the family man who instilled in them life’s values besides being a real-life hero to them. But 34 years after his death, MGR’s material legacy is still a bone of contention; and hovering like a shadow is V K Sasikala trying to stamp her claim on his political legacy.
On October 17, when Sasikala unveiled a plaque at the MGR memorial in Chennai to mark the AIADMK’s golden jubilee celebrations. Etched on it was her name as the ‘party general secretary’. It was greeted with mixed feelings at Ramavaram Garden. Memories tumbled out and so did political sentiments kept away from the MGR household.
“MGR ensured we had nothing to do with the film industry and he was not in favour of us joining politics either,” recalled Radha Gopalakrishnan, who lives in a portion of Ramavaram Garden with her husband and grandchildren. It’s an uneasy coexistence between the cousins and siblings, a forced geniality to conceal their discomfort. While Radha and Appu are children of Janaki’s cousin, the others are her brother P Narayanan’s children. Once, when Radha was 10 years old, she accompanied MGR to Brindavan Gardens for the shooting of a film with Saroja Devi. “I was upset that he was acting with another woman. So, he took me aside and said jocularly, ‘Unn ammave katti pidicha yaaru thuttu tharava (If I hug your mother, who will give me money)?’ I was mollified.” Radha has never gone to the MGR memorial. “I believe my father is still alive,” she said.
Appu’s wife Nirmala, who now lives in Palakkad in Kerala, has some fond memories of her father-in-law. “He loved my chicken curry and would often ask me to cook it,” said Nirmala. “MGR must have wanted all of us to live together, having bequeathed the house to all of us. But rest whatever he had, he gave it to the party and the people. That is why he is still revered as God,” she said. The once close-knit family is divided now. There are walls running across the Ramavaram bungalow, dividing it into five portions. Latha Rajendran, the oldest of the siblings, has assumed responsibility as the temporary trustee of MGR’s will after the death of her husband. She manages the MGR deaf and dumb School on the residential premises, the MGR memorial in T Nagar and a few other properties.
MGR was fond of jotting in his diaries, a habit which he inculcated in his children. “He taught us silambattam and swimming; he also helped us with our lessons,” said Sudha Vijayakumar, whose son Ramachandran is an AIADMK functionary. “He would give us diaries and ask us to write about our day’s happenings,” said Sudha.
In January 2017, after former chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s death, Sasikala visited the MGR Ramavaram residence to unveil a plaque that for the first time identified her as party general secretary. “This was MGR’s home. Anyone is welcome. When Sasikala came, I welcomed her with tender coconut water,” said Sudha.
But her siblings chose to distance themselves from the AIADMK and Sasikala. In 2015, Geetha Madhu Mohan and Appu’s wife Nirmala opted to join the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit. “I was nine years old when the AIADMK was launched. My sister Janaki, who now lives in the US, and I danced to the song ‘Namadhu vettriye naalai sarithram sollum’ (from the MGR film ‘Ulagam Suttrum Valiban’) to mark the inauguration of the party flag,” said Geetha. That’s as close as the children got to AIADMK politics.
MGR's last will and testament
I don’t have children. My legal heir is my wife VN Janaki. So, I am preparing this will, on January 18, 1987, to ensure there is no dispute.
After my time, my wife Janaki can enjoy all my properties, but she cannot sell, pledge or donate them. After my wife, Madhu Mohan’s wife Geetha, Appu’s wife Nirmala, Gopalakrishnan’s wife Radha, Sivaraman’s wife Janu and Vijayakumar’s wife Sudha can enjoy some of my properties. They too have no right to donate, sell, lease or encumber any of them.
After their time, their children will inherit the buildings. As for the Garden, the executor will set up the MGR deaf and dumb school and house. Free boarding will be provided to poor people, who are deaf and mute. They will be provided food, clothing, medical care, education and vocational training. For this purpose, they can build in the vacant area.
After my time, the building at No 27, Arcot Road, should be converted to a memorial and maintained by the executor. For security and maintenance cost, revenue from Alandur market buildings will be used. For Anna and Kamaraj, memorials were created at the Tamil Nadu government’s expense. I have made my own arrangements to convert my house into a memorial. Satya Studio should not be sold, pledged or leased. The building will bear my mother’s name and will be named Sathyabhama MGR Maligai. My shares in Satya Film studio will go to the AIADMK. In case the party splits or is dissolved, then my shares will be used for the MGR deaf & dumb school.
As his children quietly prepare for MGR’s 34th death anniversary on December 24, it’s far from the togetherness their ‘cheycha’ would have hoped for. “He wanted us to be friends forever,” said Geetha. Every death anniversary, the siblings would visit the MGR memorial on the Marina beach to pay their respects at dawn. But property disputes and political affiliations have soured the bonds. Now, not even MGR’s memory can bring them together.
