by Sashi, L.V.Ramanathan, K.Mohan, T.S.Ramanujam, K.Ramchander, Ashok Sathianathan & Lionel Paul
Dear Nalini, Thryambak and Sharanya
I am sending you all this message on behalf of the IITM 1969 group.
Ever since we got the news of Subrahmanyam's passing away on 1st Jan., we have all been in a state of shock. It is a really sad news for all of us.
Most of us were aware of the health problems he had over the last 2 years ever since that Kashmir trip and subsequent food poisoning. This was made infinitely worse with the brain tumour condition and subsequent surgeries. As you know, many of us have been visiting him on and off , but sadly not often as we should have. While he was under the best possible medical treatment under his brother Dr Chandrasekhar, we were all hoping and expecting that he would pull thro. But it was not to be. We know that he wanted to get back into circulation as soon as possible.Our group is poorer without him.
Ever since this unfortunate news has spread to us, our yahoo group mail box has been flooded with individual mails expressing their shock, anguish and sadness on the ultimate turn of events.
Subrahmanyam was such a lovable and pleasant guy and endeared himself to each one of us, without exception. His ever smiling face and willingness to engage and talk with everybody made him an excellent friend to one and all. His helpful attitude and willingness to get involved with our group was really noteworthy. We all recall the several occasions when he and you Nalini have hosted the 1969 group.Those will all now be memories.
While we have all lost a dear friend, we cannot even imagine or fathom the grievous loss that you have, lost in a loving husband and doting father. We can only pray to the Almighty to give you all the courage and strength to bear this irreparable loss. May his kind soul rest in peace.
Please accept our heartfelt condolences to you all, from all his batch mates. In case we can be of any help to you all, please don't hesitate to contact us. We are with you all in this time of grief and always.
Best regards and wishes to you all.
Sashi Rao
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A celebration of life – Subramanya Chandilya.
The year was 2011 and I was in Chennai prior to our batchmates Coorg reunion. Gopi and I wanted to visit Chandilya who, after his brain surgery, was under strict doctors orders to remain in isolation for awhile so as not to catch any infection. We telephoned - and Chandilya overruled everything. He would be delighted to see us. Decisive, unafraid, optimistic and ready to face the future. That was always Chandilya! The one who would say “Bring it on – I’m ready!”
We go back a long way. Fifth grade at Vidya Mandir was where we met and, as our lives unfolded, our paths crossed regularly. In middle school our acting talent was mediocre, but both of us were in The Merchant of Venice. When we spoke of it in later years Chandilya would joke that he was part of a group scene where all he had to do was stand on stage and just be present.
On the stage of life however Chandilya was a winner. He had a brilliant career at Audco, Chennai, retiring as its CEO.
All IIT graduates have a head start in life. The very nature of our IIT education prepares us for that. As we move through the decades we keep a casual eye on how our batchmates fare, wish them well, and stay in touch when possible. Sometimes the brightest and the best trail blazers have “no time” for their batchmates. Chandilya was the opposite. He remained “one of us”. He welcomed his former classmates and, as head of Audco, if requested to do something on the professional front, never turned down a request.
Those of us who visited Chennai have fond memories of delicious dinners and teas in the loving home created by Nalini and Chandilya. Family values were precious to him.
We celebrate a life well lived on all fronts and we all have many happy moments with Chandilya to treasure. We mourn his passing and share the devastation and grief felt by Nalini and their children, Triumbhak and Sharanya. A light has gone out and all we have left is memories of how brightly it burned.
Chandilya would be the last one to want any eulogy to end on a sober note. In his usual upbeat way he would quote this well know poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there I do not sleep
I am the thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
As you awake with the morning’s hush
I am the swift up-flinging rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there – I did not die.
By L.V. Ramanathan
Brazil.
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I knew Subrahmanyam Chandilya and the entire family very well, from about 1976, when I was staying in Mandavelipakkam.
A little known fact about him and his wife Nalini is that they met and fell in love in the Kapaleeshwarar temple. Truly a romance blessed by the Great Shiva and Parvathy!
I don't know whether at that time he was a deeply religious guy or not but he persisted in his quest with 'devotion' every day till the families 'arranged' the wedding!
I am sad that he suffered so much in the last few years.
Truly a gentle guy and a good friend, I am deeply saddened by his early departure but probably grateful that his suffering has ended. My condolences to Nalini and to Triumbhak and Sharanya
K.Mohan
IITM 69/3
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Chandilya was a good friend of mine and he used to fondly call me "Naaladiyar". He was always very friendly and calm and composed. We used to enjoy each other's jokes and could converse for long. We have also seen a lot of movies together during the IIT days.
He was present in the very first 69 get together at my house in 1975 at Secunderabad where he was visiting for a short term course at ASCI (Administrative Staff College of India).
After that we were in touch regularly and spent some time at his house near St. Johns School.
His family members are also a friendly lot and I sincerely pray that they will have the courage to bear this terrible loss.
There goes one more of my dear friends and may his soul rest in peace.
T.S.Ramanujam
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At IITM Chandilya as we all called him was
not in my class, was not in the same branch of engineering nor did we even share
rooms in the same wing in Godavari Hostel. I am intrigued now as to how we
bonded as good friends back in 1964. He was a member of my core group of buddies. May be I
looked up to him as he was tall dark and handsome :-)
Soon after graduation my family moved to a house
in Edward Elliots Rd with attorney General Parasaran as my neighbour and Ex
Prez Radha Krishnan living round the corner. In other words my home was a
central point for classmates in Chennai like N.Subramanyam, Seshadri, Ramanujam, MS
Mathew, Santhakumar, Chandilya and Philipsamy etc..to drop by unannounced. Chandilya was there to give me a send off to Australia, after that I lost touch with every
one not just Chandilya until year 2000, when IITMAA created Yahoo groups for each and every Batch
reconnecting most of us.
Since 2001, I have made sure I saw
Chandilya whenever I was in Chennai. In 2006 Chandilya wrote “Ramchander my son is
getting married and I want you to attend. There is one more reason for you to
come. He is marrying Deva’s niece" an invitation I could not refuse. After the
wedding I met Chandilya at Deva's sisters place and also at the IITM Reunion at Reliance organised by Dalton.
Chandilya was a great sport and always made
it a point to attend all reunions. No fuss sort of guy who was happy to bring an additional bottle of Chivas for the party.
In 2009 after PanIIT meet I was knocked out
by dengue fever and Chandilya, Sashi, Dalton and Shyam Sunder dropped by at
Purasawalkam to see how I was faring and to cheer me up. Chandilya cared for friends.
I did not return to Chennai until July 2011
as I was paranoid about being bitten by mosquitoes. In 2010 I phoned Chandilya from Sydney,as he had gone all silent in our yahoo groups, to see how he was and he
complained about spondylosis of the cervical spine and having to wear a collar.
After retirement Chandilya’s health took a
nose dive as we all know, one leading to another and he never recovered.
On our return to Chennai from Back Water Ripples Reunion 2013 and after Mithu took the flight to Sydney, Ramanujam asked me "Dai what do you
want to do tomorrow?" and I said the first thing on my list is to visit
Chandilya. Ramanujam and I went to Chandilyas house on 14th Dec
2013. While I was saddened to see Chandilya the way he was, I am glad we went
and cheered him up at least for an hour. He was truly Happy to meet us. We
could not meet Nalini as she had just left for Puttabarthi but Sharanya was
there to welcome us and to raise her dads spirits..
In life we are forced to part
with close friends who leave a big void in our hearts yet leave our minds with glowing memories that keep the friend alive in our hearts.
My heartfelt condolences to Nalini, Thryambak & Sharanya. We have to console ourselves with the thought that he will not suffer pain & anguish any more.
K. Ramchander
Sydney, Australia.
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" He was affectionately called Chandy by all who came to know him & so were we, the Class of 1971 - MTech ( management ).
Even though it has been more than 40+years since we parted company to follow our own career pursuits, I shall always remember Chandy fondly.
Chandy, the tall & handsome guy he was, had a gentle demeanour filled with genuine sense of fairness & correctness in all his dealings at all times. He was usually at his best during the numerous rigorous case study sessions where, though his voice was soft, his sharp critical intellect won over the class with incisive, persuasive presentations. A trait that must have stood him in good stead in the years that followed. It therefore comes as no surprise that Chandy who joined AUDCO after his Master's, perhaps at management entry level, rose to become AUDCO's chief. In short, he was born to be a LEADER.
I met Chandy in Chennai early 2011 when we had breakfast. We chatted over an hour, reminiscing---unlike the Chandy I knew, he was unusually talkative about life in general but sometimes philosophical. Sadly, little did i realise it was to be our last get-together.
Upon reflection, I now wonder if he was trying to tell me something more profound - regrettably I will never know.
In the ultimate reckoning, it was a good, purpose - filled life.
Chandy, you were a classy guy,my buddy. Our thoughts & prayers are with Chandy's loved ones at this time of grief.
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN ETERNAL PEACE
Sathy (Ashok Sathianathan)
M.Tech Classmate
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It was a shock to hear that Chandy had passed away. To me, he was always so full of life and was always seen with a smile on his face. To fully comprehend that he is no more is a very sad and sobering thought.
M.Tech Classmate
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It was a shock to hear that Chandy had passed away. To me, he was always so full of life and was always seen with a smile on his face. To fully comprehend that he is no more is a very sad and sobering thought.
Chandy and I had been accepted in 1969, along with many others, into the M Tech program in Management in IIT Madras. This gave me the opportunity of getting to know Chandy on a much closer basis than previously. What struck me during our friendship was that he was always polite, unruffled, considerate of the other person’s feelings - in short, every inch a gentleman. Since another buddy of ours, KP Bhaskar also worked in the same organization as Chandy, the three of us tried to get together any time I passed through Chennai. I was also invited to their Chennai office for a visit combined with lunch with the Management Team. I was quite impressed with the quiet, yet authoritative way that Chandy ran his business unit.
On the social side, our focus during our time together, would invariably turn towards all the crazy things we were up to during our IIT days. In 2005, Chandy had promised to attend our son’s wedding in Bangalore. Unfortunately, a few days before the wedding, we were disappointed to get the news that he could not come due to an urgent work-related issue that needed his presence in Chennai.
It has been a privilege for me to have known Chandy and to have been able to call myself his friend. I pray that his family will experience the peace and the fortitude to be able to move forward, using his wonderful legacy as a positive influence in their own lives.
Lionel Paul
M.Tech Classmate
