(B-!025)-THE EBULLIENT COUSIN SISTERS OF KOLLAM-A FLASH BACK

When one talks about Badettu family, the role of Vasudeva Doddappa, the eldest son of Narnappaya, in steering his younger brothers through the early formative years in Kerala cannot be forgotten. He was the major help for Narnappaya in starting hotel business in Kollam and Alleppey and nurturing them for a number of years, assuring adequate fund generation for the sustenance of the families and households in Padubidri, Kollam and Alleppey. While he was engaged in looking after the welfare of the whole of Badettu family as an able aide of Narnappaya, he did not neglect his own family. His first wife had a premature death leaving behind a son who became over the years a well recognized chartered accountant commanding wide respect. Subsequently after a few years, he married Tulsi Akkaya and raised family consisting of six female and one male off springs.

As Kollam house was the focal point during early days of Badettu family's venture in Kerala, all children from the second generation members used to congregate there often, especially during school holidays. Besides, the family of Vasudeva there were children from Padmanabha family and Gopalakrishna family at Kollam. With the Ashramam ground nearby, which was an abandoned World War II air port, offering a vast area for playing, Kollam was the epicenter of activities as far as third generation children were concerned. All said the Ashramam area was one of the most beautiful areas in Kollam, serene, quiet, cool, scenic thoroughly enjoyable. The Krishna Bhavan was located about 2.5 km from Ashramam and  walking to the hotel was exciting because of the thought of preparations like Poori-masala, Masala Dosa, Sugiyan, Valsan, Alu Bonda, sweets, Badam Kheer etc, though getting into the hotel was a tough task.  Vasudeva Doddappa, being a strict disciplinarian, did not want children to eat hotel foods, insisting that they should eat only home cooked foods so that their health is not affected! Of course walking back was some what burdensome with a full stomach after eating at the hotel!

Vasudeva Doddappa  had a nice house near Ashramam and it was a pleasure for the kids to sit on the veranda outside the kitchen and chat with Tulsi Akka. Those days there was no gas stove but wood fired hearths which generated lot of smoke necessitating frequent blowing of air through a small pipe piece. That means who ever was cooking had to stay in front of the hearth to ensure food is cooked rightly without getting burned! Her six daughters, Vasanthi, Radha, Jayalakshmi ( Bangaru), Haripriya (Apri), Saraswathi (Chachu) and Sunita were always available to help her out with various day to day chores. These six daughters rightly known as "Kollam sisters" were always considered more mature with leadership qualities and they established their own equation with more aggressive cousins in the other two households. Boys always respected Vasanthi and Radha, the two elder ones and used to obey them without any question asked! One of the memories which still linger around is the sweet "Bublimas" fruit tree near the well in the front of the house which used to give plenty of fruits red juicy vescicles and to lay one's hands on a fruit during the visit was indeed a pleasure. Sethuram, the eldest among the children was very senior and no one took any liberty with him.

If the adult phase of the lives of Kollam sisters is recalled, it evokes only good sentiments and pride as every one of them were married off in a manner befitting the status of Badettu family. Vasanthi is presently in Kollam with her versatile husband L. N . Potty who is a teacher, social wizard, musician, politician, religious, community service expert all rolled into one. Their children are all well off settled in UAE and Bangalore. Radha is in Kottarakara (lost her husband the amiable Sundar Bhava recently), living with her wise son while daughters and grand daughters are settled well in different places. Bangaru lives in Malankuli near Uchila and her husband is a pioneering teacher with lot of reputation for his unusual talents in motivating his students. Apri is in Attingal, Kerala situated between Kollam and Trivandrum and her husband is another highly talented and versatile personality, known for his special ability for building up institutions. His Pittman Institute at Attingal managed by him produced many skilled office executives while he himself once even served as a Syndicate member of Kerala University. As for Chachu she married Narayanan of Kottarakara, a bank officer and is living in Trivandrum. Sunita, the last daughter, was married to Krishnamurthy, then working in Reserve Bank of India ( since diseased some time back and is currently settled down in Trivandrum. One of the common features of these sisters is that their children and grand children have all done extremely well, spread around the world. 

Vasudeva Doddappa got a son after the birth of six girls in a row and was named Narayana, to commemorate the name of Badettu Narnappaya and is currently living in the ancestral house in Kollam happily with his son and daughter, both engineers by profession. Incidentally the name Vasudeva was given to him to commemorate his grand father by the same name. Tulsi Akka passed away in her own house after a brief illness looked after well by her son. Those who were familiar with Vasudeva Doddappa can reminiscence old days when visiting his old house, which of course has been renovated. Seeing Narayan and watching his mannerism one will be reminded of the old charm of Vasudeva Doddappa.but will be missing is the laughter, giggles and shrill voices of the Kollam sisters!

Imagine how lucky were those living in Kollam being able to interact with their cousins frequently (about 15 in number) , almost on a daily basis and only such constant contacts and joint participation in ceremonies, poojas and other family functions can create kinship and bonding. In contrast many members of Badettu family to day whether belonging to 3rd, 4th or 5th generation do not have any idea about those living far and wide and participation in the functions of different members at different times is becoming more and more infrequent and rare. The March 20, 2012 meeting at Udipi was supposed to have generated a feeling of oneness among the diverse members separated by long distances. Unless a couple of youngsters take lead in setting a platform for constant future interaction, the 6th and later generations may never be able to trace their origin to that stalwart Narnappaya who started this family building project long long back! Some of us might be wondering who were our great grandfathers, from where they hailed, the relatives of grandfathers and grand mothers etc as there are no proper documents regarding these details. At least let us in the third generation do some thing to record our history in a proper way. 

Answer to Quiz of last issue

Sreepathi Rao, the spouse of Chummi (Seemanthini or Seema)), (daughter of Subbraya Doddappa), now settled down in Bailur in Udipi retired as Income Tax Commissioner, his last posting being at Bangalore. An upright officer (unlike many of the present breed of officers of doubtful integrity, he earned great reputation for his integrity and transparency during his tenure with income tax agency.

Quiz for the next issue

What is the Mumbai connection of Badettu family?

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

(B-1019) LATE BADETTU GOVINDA RAO IMMORTALIZED-THE FIRST DEATH ANNIVERSARY

Who in the Badettu family did not know late Govinda Rao, the doyen of the Tripunithara branch of Badettu family, who single handedly built the Bharath Hotel chain in Ernakulam which to day is one of the most admired hotel ventures in Kerala? But many of the 4th and subsequent generation descendants may not be knowing him or might not have met him during his life time. He passed away last year peacefully after satisfying himself that he had done what ever is to be done for the family as well as the society at large. The first death anniversary functions were organized on October 17th at his house by his noble children befitting the stature of their father but without any ostentatious events. 

Late Govinda Rao chose to establish his hotel business in Ernakulam, possibly during nineteen forties, having seen his cousins in Narnappaya family doing well in Kollam and Alappuzha. He not only made name for himself but also set up separate hotel units for his brothers also in Ernakulam. Though Govinda Rao was one of the five male children of Badettu Srinivasappaya who was the brother of Badettu Narnappaya, his extra ordinary vision and hard work helped the families of all brothers to live comfortably. With limited exposure to them during their heady days, I had seen from close quarters the bon homie among the three brothers viz Govinda Rao, Narayana Rao and Vasudeva Rao who behaved as if they were friends rather than brothers! Unfortunately Vasudeva Rao also passed away within two weeks after the death of Govinda Rao. Badettu family groups are indebted to Govinda Rao for his benevolence in rejuvenating the Padubidri Temple and involving himself with Brahmasthana activities.

At least for one of the branches in Badettu family of Padubidri ( of Venkatarao), Govinda Rao is literally a savior when he liberally helped to buy the Krishna Bhavan Hotel property in Alappuzha in 1980-81 and the 10 children of Venkatrao literally adore him for his help, affection and benevolent attitude through out his life. I have faint memories of yesteryear when, as a youngster of about 16 years of age, I used to take a night boat from Alappuzha to Ernakulam, reaching the destination during early morning around 5 am. The hotel near the Boat Jetty would open only at 6 am and since I did not want to disturb the sleep of Govinda Rao, I would sit on the steps of the Boat Jetty hotel till it opened. Only after a sumptuous breakfast did I go to his house. He was kindness personified unlike my own father who was always serious with strict disposition. It was a pleasure to go along with Govinda Rao to all the hotel units he had and I used to admire his meticulous practices watching from close quarters. His house was a transit point later in life as and when I go through Ernakulam to Alappuzha. Good old days indeed they were!  

It was only during his first death anniversary I got enlightened more about this remarkable personality when during the dedication ceremony at the Sarovaram Hotel his son Gopinath narrated a few sweet episodes involving his father. The facts that he was close to Kochin Royal family, he served as a cook in Bombay, he was close to many Kerala leaders, present and the past, his hotel was the first choice for many famous Indian leaders were all news to many of us who attended the function. His well educated sons with engineering and chartered accountancy degrees are able to live up to the standards set by their father is itself the best tribute to the soul of Govinda Rao! Probably Govinda Rao would not have imagined that two of his grand children would become catering specialists involved in close management of the hotel chain, lending it a technical edge over other hotels. He was responsible for changing the image of Udipi hotels. often dingy places with just functional facilities.

While the Tripunithra branch of Badettu family can be rightly proud of the achievements of their pioneering "son" we in the Padubidri branch can also be happy through the reflected aura from this great man. May the Gods in Padubidri Temple and Brahmasthana  shower happiness and prosperity to all members of Badettu family.

Answer to the last quiz

Ms Lakshmi, daughter of Nandini and grand daughter of Vankatrao family graduated from IIM Kolkatta after getting her engineering degree and is presently employed by a reputed bank at Mumbai. Part of the credit should go to Ms Archana, daughter of Jayanti and grand daughter of Venkatrao family who graduated from BITS, Pilani with a combination of Science and management (integrated course], presently in the US with her family working as a consultant.

Quiz for the current issue

Who is the first person in Badettu family group with a flying licence?

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

(B-1016) BADETTU FAMILY-YESTERDAY, TO DAY AND TOMORROW

One question that bothers many of us is whether Badettu Narnappaya lived up to his real potential to become a giant among the community and this becomes all the more relevant when we compare the lives of Madhwa/Shivalli stalwarts of his contemporary time, like Seetharam Achar of Dasaprakash fame or Krishna Bhattar of Woodlands fame. The answer could be yes and no! Yes because he did build a small empire single handedly which was not nurtured by his sons to the extent possible. It could be no if the vast opportunities available in places like Madras, Hyderabad or Mumbai were not recognized by him for real growth. Probably the place he chose, Kerala could be the culprit in his under performance. It must be remembered that the royalty in Kerala (Travancore) was more fascinated (obsessed) with Tamil priests and local Nambudiris than Udipi Brahmins who were at the lowest rung in the ladder of heirarchy. Over all he was able to amass sufficient fortunes for a generation and it should have been the onus on the next generation to build up on the foundation which unfortunately did not happen. But it is a consolation that the 2nd generation members to follow him, at least did not destroy what was earned by the founder.

What really prevented the 2nd gen members to let go many opportunities for building up more assets? Probably there was a paradigm shift in the environment for business in Kerala with communists gaining ground and the labor movements becoming more and more aggressive. One has to recall how many strikes were witnessed in Kerala against capitalists (hoteliers were capitalists) blaming the latter for the exploitation of the labor class. Another factor was the limited ambition that drove the minds of the 2nd gen members which naturally inhibited their asset making instincts. Late Vasudeva, with the Sri Krishna Bhavan Hotel at the center of Quilon could not hold on to it in spite of the help from his two brothers Padmanabha and Gopalakrishna. Similarly Sri Krishna Bhavan at Alleppey remained a one-hotel wonder without any appreciable growth for almost 70 years though some efforts were made by the brothers headed by Subbraya to start a Bus Stand canteen and a hotel in Kayamkulam. Unfortunately both had to be wound up in course of time due to reasons not very clear. When this is viewed against the growth of other Madhwa/Shivalli families in Alleppey, it is just heart breaking! If Bhima family of Jewellers own half the Alleppey to day and have more than 18 jewellery shops in the South worth billions of rupees value, probably it speaks well about the visions of Bhima Bhattar and his sons. What the 2nd gen members of Badettu family could buy, in contrast, was just peanuts compared to this.

Why is that the two flag masts, Sri Krishna Bhavan hotels in Quilon and Alleppey had to be closed for ever when there were at least a dozen 3rd gen male members available to carry the torch forward? Whether one should fault the policy of the 2nd gen members in giving high education to their sons or declining entrepreneurship in the family, the fact still remains that there was not even a single 3rd gen member who could run the restaurant business even half as efficiently as their fathers. While the Quilon venture folded up very early due to crippling labor strike, the Alleppey venture was closed 6 years after the death of the last of the 2nd gen member Venkataramana in the year 2000, solely due to the incompetence, mismanagement, financial irregularities and ignoring family interests by some of the 3rd gen members who had their fingers on the levers of power. The hotel enterprise became "famous" in Alleppey for all wrong reasons, becoming a butt of ridicule in the town, forfeiting all the good name earned during 7 decades of its existence and sooner it is forgotten better it will be for all present Badettu family members.

Considering the present situation, many members of 4th Gen are atoning for the past under performance and it is really a matter of pride for all that about 10% of the descendants of late Narnappaya belonging to 4th gen and 5th gen are keeping the flag of Badettu family flying across the world engaged in high quality professional jobs. Compare this with the latter generation members of Bhima family, where almost all of them are successful business entrepreneurs achieving laurels in their own chosen field of endeavor. In other words if Badettu family members failed to click in business, this lacuna is more than compensated by their high academic and professional achievements in contemporary time. As for future the 6th gen members may even surpass the achievements of their predecessors in the coming years. Probably the old saying that education is ever lasting in life while business fortunes can be wildly with no lasting effect! Hail Narnappaya for spawning a great family with far reaching visions in educating youngsters to achieve excellence in preference to dragging them into hotel business.          

Answer to the last Quiz

Mr and Mrs Radhakrishnan ( 3rd Gen member of Venkataramana branch) along with Nagin (4th Gen member of Venkataramana branch) undertook Kailash Yatra in the year 2011. His experiences have been pictorially presented in the Facebook of Vani Radhakrishnan.

Quiz for the present issue

Who is the first Badettu family member who joined Indian Air Force?   

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

( B-1014)-THE MARCH 20 MEETING-A REFRESHING ENDEAVOR

It is almost a month since the successful conclusion of the 3rd generation meeting of Badettu family descendants at Udupi on March 20, 2012. Those who attended the meeting has had sufficient time to brood over its implications and impact. It may be time to dwell upon what future holds for this group in the coming years and what needs to be done to carry forward the dialogue and interaction. One good thing is that it is almost two decades since one had the opportunity to see many fellow relatives and their images are likely to remain at least for some time. What the participants missed was the presence of two elderly 2nd generation "bahus" of Narnappaya viz Paddakkaya and Lakshmakka, both unable to come due to health reasons but every one remembered them on the occasion. Probably every member of 3rd generation and their descendants must visit Admar whenever they come to Udupi side for seeking the blessings of Paddakkaya who gets animated and thrilled by reciting past stories of the Badettu family. Similarly periodic visit to Lakshmakka who stays now at Chintamani will also be of an humbling experience.

Looking back the event was an eye opener for many participants with almost 85% of the male members present and most of them savored the moments to mingle with their relatives from six branches of 2nd generation stalwarts. What caused some disappointment was the fact that most female descendants among the 3rd generation did not respond to the invitation even though many of them were staying nearby. Probably lack of warmth in the past or some internal misunderstanding within their families must have caused this distortion. In future these members also should be roped in for getting real representation. One female member from Vasudev family, one member from Subbraya family two members from Venkatramana family and one member from Padmanabha family deserve special praise for attending the meeting. Of special significance was the presence of two 4th generation members of Vasudev family, one 4th generation member of Padmanabh family, one 4th generation member of Venkatramana family and one fifth generation member each from Venkatramana family and Padmanabha family. Special kudos to them.

While the meeting itself went off well with Sri Madhava Bhat, an octogenarian and son in law in Padmanabh family being the chief guest and Vedavyas, the senior most 3rd generation member presiding over the function. It was gratifying to see all participants united on the issue of cementing the ties among the members through concrete measures and found an urgent need to opt for involving 4th generation youngsters as nodal points for keeping the network active and vibrant. Kicha who took the initiative deserves full praise for arranging the event and one can be sure that he will keep the "fire" burning. The feasibility of organizing a convention of all members and descendants of Badettu family, numbering over 700 must be explored though such a mammoth event will pose logistical and financial challenges. Probably some clarity can be expected in the coming weeks on this issue.

Many members savored the opportunity to witness the Vajralankara seva of Lord Krishna on the same day morning and the Suvarna Rathotsava in the evening which were unique experiences one gets in life. Blessings of Lord Krishna will always be available to them for generations and helping others in need must be the motto of the Family. Each member must take pride in being a part of the great Badettu Family which had once dominated the landscape in and around Padubidri. Some took time off to visit the newly consecrated  Indrani temple where Panchadurga Parameshwari, the Kula Devaru of Badettu family is the presiding deity. Next day some were able to participate in the famous Padubidri Temple Rasthotsava which was an experience to remember. It is gratifying to see the Panaka service, started by late Narnappaya for cooling the soul and body of hundreds of devotees attending the event, is being continued even to day by the family of Ananthrarama, now being headed by Seena. 

While there is an immediate need to bring out a directory of all members both in hard and soft format as an immediate measure it is suggested that each family create a Skype set up so that there can be periodic "face to face" meeting to keep the relationship going strong. Already there is hectic activity in the social network Facebook with a 4th generation member in the US setting up a page in the name of Badettufamily. It is gratifying that already 70 members are participating in the network and it is certain that others will also follow the cue in the coming days. One must give full credit to Govinda of Padmanabh family for devoting considerable time in providing valuable inputs about his relatives. Satish the 4th generation member from Ananthrarama family took the initiative to publish beautiful and graphic details of Badettu House,  its "Devarakone", Nagabhana and "Bhoothagudi". Every member must see these photographs and save them to pass on to future generations.

Quiz of the issue

The first mixed caste marriage in Badettu family?

Answer to Quiz from the previous issue

The only person in Badettu Family following the hotel business of the forefathers is Giridhara, son of late Venkatramana who is running a small restaurant in Alappuzha, Kerala. Besides Appukuttan, son of late Gopalakrishna is running a successful catering business near Kasargod, Kerala. 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

(B-1004)-BADETTU FAMILY CONVENTION AT UDIPI

Considering that there are over 700 descendants of Badettu Family of Padubidri, some senior members thought of the idea of organizing a convention some time in Oct-December 2012 to provide an opportunity for getting to know more about their co-members and create a permanent net work for interaction and mutual benefit. Preliminary to this Convention a smaller get together of the grand children of Narnappaya has been planned at Udipi on March 20, 2012. Further details are given below: 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONVENTION OF BADETTU FAMILY MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES

PROLOGUE

During the recent obsequies ceremony of Late Govinda Rao of BTH at Ernakulam, it was a sight to see all the members of the family based in Thripunithara congregate and carry out the function in great plomb and decorum. All the second generation members of his family and a few third generation families were there rubbing shoulder with each other to complete the formalities as per Madhwa tradition. Though the family branch of Late Govinda Rao is a parallel branch in the Badettu Group, descending from late Srinivasapaya, the one based in Padubidri established by late Narnappaya has more roots in South Canara region with intimate association/ linkages to Padubidri temple and Brahmasthana and several second generation members have settled down here. It was the desire expressed by several members of Narnappaya family that it is desirable to have a convention of all members of this group to renew old connections and establish bridges to new third and fourth  generation members. An attempt is therefore being made now to organize a preliminary get together of the second generation members with the blessings and guidance of Dr P Vedavyasa Rao, the senior most member of the family on March 20, 2012 at Udipi. The Venue, Time and Agenda for the meeting will be intimated later after getting response from senior members of Badettu family.  

PREFACE

Badettu Family is said to have established its roots in 1861 at Padubidri with Vasudevappaya as the head. After him the mantle fell on Venkatappayava, folowed by Narayanappayy. It was during Narayanappa the Badettu family got the nick name "Kudukka" or Fox. Narayanappa had 6 sons -Vasudeva, Subbraya, Venkata, Ananthrama, Padmanabha and Gopalakrishna and 3 daughters Yamuna, ---, -- . Narayanappa died at the ripe old age of 100 years. his sons were settled in Alleppey and Kollam though their families later shifted to other places. One of the most memorable events at Badettu House was the Shatabisheka celebrations of Narayanappa in 1950 though many other functions like marriages were conducted there till the year 1980. Narayanappa was one of the "Pathris" at Brahmasthana for a number of years and had considerable influence in Padubidri. His role in establishing and renovating Padubidri Temple has been well recognized. Presently descendants of Ananthrama stay in  Badettu House while the families of others stay in different parts of the country. No first generation members are alive to day. The family has transformed from a predominantly temple priest oriented one to a hotelier family through 5 decades but to day it is dominated more by educated professionals, with important positions in many corporate organizations. A congregation of all members of the Badettu family is expected to  give an opportunity for evolving pride and satisfaction amongst the family members for being blessed to be part of this illustrious family.

CONVENTION OBJECTIVES

The objectives are:

-to renew the contacts and relationship amongst the second generation family mambers 
-to get acquainted with all the families of 3rd and fourth generation members
-to create an exclusive Geni data base containing all the details of family members
-to inculcate a feeling of "oneness" and create bon homies amongst the members
-to establish communication linkages for future communication and exchange of ideas
-to share the rich life experience of many senior members with new generation mambers
-to honour achievers and senior family members and inculcate a feeling of pride, besides setting them as model citizens
-to evolve, if found feasible,, a mechanism to channelize ideas and experience of elders to younger members on a regular basis
-to examine the feasibility of holding such a convention periodically, say once 5 years to update the relationship
-to discuss modality for setting up a revolving fund for organizing regularly festivals or religious functions in Padubidri Temple, Brahmasthana, Indrali and Kodangala.
-to set up a mechanism for disseminating news regularly once in 3 months to keep members informed about developments in Badettu family.
-to evolve an institutional mechanism for facilitating alliances and marriages for boy and girls of marriageable age

PREPARATORY MEETING

As a preliminary exercise it is propose to convene a one day meeting of second generation families at Udipi as stated earlier.  An event will be organized for all the interested members to attend. Probably a ratha yatra in Udipi, a special event in Udipi temple, or any other temple with maximum acceptability. Further planning of the entire family gathering can be done at this meeting. Incidentally the famous Padubidri Ratha Yatra falls on March 21 followed by the "chendu" festival the following day.

VITAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF

It will be greatly appreciated if you can furnish brief details about yourself and your family, your off springs and their families and your grand children and their families. Information useful include: Name, full address, age, education, profession, alliance families, etc that will be useful to compile a directory for distribution at the meeting if possible or later.  

SECRETARIAT

A temporary Secretariat has been set up under the coordination of Mr P Krishnan, also known to many as Kichen in Udipi in the following address:
P Krishnan
S.No 154/2,Badagabettu Ashwni
Tapande Cross Rd
Near Hanuman Garrage
Chitpadi, UDIPI 576 101-Tel-0820 2528842; (mob) 09448610973

Mr Krishnan popularly known as Kichen will contact you for any information you want to pass on and all corresponce may be made with him.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com