Genealogical and Socio-Historical Analysis of Shri Neela Megha Shyamala Naidu of Srivilliputtur (c. 1875–1930)

 

This expert report provides a detailed reconstruction of the ancestral profile, social standing, and geographical context of Shri Neela Megha Shyamala Naidu (NMS Naidu), a patriarch of the Telugu-speaking Balija Naidu community rooted in Srivilliputtur, Madras Presidency, around the turn of the 20th century. The analysis focuses on establishing his lineage structure, inferring the likely occupational background of his parents based on nomenclature and devotional patterns, and specifying the probable location of the family residence near the ancient Andal Temple.

 

I. Confirmation and Establishment of the Primary Lineage

I.A. Documentary Confirmation of NMS Naidu and Rukmini Devi

 

Shri Neela Megha Shyamala Naidu is confirmed as the paternal great-grandfather of the primary family chronicler, a distinction that places his birth tentatively between 1875 and 1879 in Srivilliputtur, then part of British India’s Madras Presidency. His spouse was Rukmini Devi (also referred to as Rukmini Naidu), who was also a native of Srivilliputtur.

Their cultural identity is definitively established as belonging to the Telugu-speaking Balija Naidu community, specifically noted as Gajula Balija Naidu, a community historically known for trade and located widely across the cities and mofussil towns of the Madras Presidency, extending from Srivilliputtur in the deep South to Srikakulam in the North. The family’s deep roots in South India were characterized by an intense devotion to the regional deity, Goddess Andal, enshrined in the iconic Srivilliputtur Temple.

The essential timeline anchor for NMS Naidu’s early adulthood and subsequent marriage is the birth of his eldest son, Shri Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam Naidu (SRB), who was born on 9 July 1899. This date confirms NMS Naidu was married and established in Srivilliputtur by the late 1890s, placing his formative years within the dynamic political and economic period of the 1870s and 1880s.

 

I.B. Mapping the Descendants and the Madras Connection

 

The lineage produced by NMS Naidu and Rukmini Devi included three confirmed children who survived and migrated professionally outside the ancestral home: Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam (SRB, male), Balamma (female), and Shanmughavalli (female).

The career trajectory of the son, SRB, provides context for the family’s socioeconomic status. Born in 1899, SRB served briefly in the army before transferring to the colonial government’s Railway Protection Force (RPF), which necessitated multiple transfers but ultimately resulted in the family establishing permanent roots in Chennai (Madras), particularly near the Nungambakkam area.

 

The Strategic Consolidation of Status through Marriage Alliances

 

The marriages arranged for the two daughters, Balamma and Shanmughavalli, illustrate a crucial strategy employed by established regional elites to consolidate influence and secure status in the rapidly modernizing colonial capital of Madras. Both daughters entered into a marital alliance with the same extended house, known by the Intiperu (House Name) Adumala (possibly pronounced Yedumala). Balamma married Vakalabharanam Naidu, a resident and native of Madras, who later fathered Adumala Chinna Krishna Naidu (ACK Naidu), a Head Typist at the Railway Office in Madras. Shanmughavalli married Vakalabharanam Naidu’s cousin, Alagiri Singhari Naidu, and settled in Triplicane, Chennai.

The fact that the house of NMS Naidu (a regional center of power in Srivilliputtur) successfully secured two inter-generational, reciprocal alliances with a prominent, established urban family like Adumala (centered in Madras, a hub of professional government employment) demonstrates NMS Naidu's powerful social standing and wealth. Such an arrangement ensures that the traditional status and cultural capital of the regional homeland (Srivilliputtur) were financially and professionally linked to the rising opportunities and networks available in the colonial capital (Madras). This level of strategic maneuvering confirms that NMS Naidu’s family must have been considered socially and economically equivalent, or even superior, to the allied Adumala house to facilitate this crucial double marriage.

 

Table 1 provides the foundational structural data, clearly outlining the Srivilliputtur origins and the subsequent professional migration of the next generation to Madras.

II. The Historical Context of Srivilliputtur and the Balija Naidus (c. 1850–1930)

II.A. Srivilliputtur as a Regional Nexus and Naidu Stronghold

 

Srivilliputtur holds profound historical and religious importance as a Divya Desam (one of the 108 sacred temples of Vishnu) and the birthplace of the revered poet-saint Andal. By the late 19th century, the town served as a significant administrative and cultural nexus in the southern Madras Presidency. Demographic records confirm that by 1901, the region's inhabitants were characterized by strong geographical stability, with over 900 per 1,000 persons enumerated in the district being born there, confirming Srivilliputtur as a deeply rooted community center.

The town was a known stronghold for the Naidu community. Historical records from the mid-20th century indicate that a considerable number of the Balija community were concentrated in the Srivilliputtur and Sattur taluks of the Ramanathapuram District, reaffirming its status as a vital local power base for the community.

 

II.B. Differentiating the Balija Naidu Elite

 

The Balija Naidu community was historically highly stratified, spanning immense socio-economic diversity within the Madras Presidency. This included the historical royalty—the Nayak kings and their generals and governors of Madura, Tanjore, and Vijayanagar—as well as the second major group of traders (often referred to as Gajula Balija or Oppanakkaran).

In Srivilliputtur during the period 1850 to 1920s, the most powerful and prominent Naidu families were often the large Zamindars, such as the Pemmasani of the Kurivikulam Estate and the Ravella of the Illavarasanandanal Estate. While NMS Naidu's family clearly held elite status (evidenced by their nomenclature and marriage alliances), the source documentation identifies them specifically as Gajula Balija Naidu. The absence of a specific Zamindari title associated with NMS Naidu suggests that the family's wealth and influence stemmed from high-volume mercantile trade, high-ranking administrative positions, or powerful temple roles (mirasidari), rather than from being one of the major land-locked agrarian Zamindari estates. This distinction suggests a professional background that provided greater capital mobility and urban connectivity, directly explaining why the subsequent generation (SRB) was so quickly able to leverage their family’s financial status to enter professional colonial service in Madras.

 

II.C. The Centrality of Vaishnavite Devotion and the Panduranga Context

 

The family’s religious life centered on the local tradition, worshipping Andal and Ranganatha (the deity of Srirangam, near the ancestral town of SRB's wife). However, a specific and unique devotional detail—the family’s devotion to the deity Panduranga (Vittala)—offers a substantial clue regarding their ancestral migratory or mercantile history.

Panduranga worship is culturally associated with the Maratha and Karnataka regions, centered prominently at Pandharpur. The widespread inclusion of this deity in household worship in deep South India is historically connected to the extensive trade routes and southward migrations maintained by communities that moved from the Vijayanagara heartland, where many Balija Naidus originated. The presence of Panduranga devotion in Srivilliputtur strongly implies that NMS Naidu's ancestral line, even if settled in the South for generations, retained a critical cultural or commercial connection to the Deccan plateau and the northern trade network. This subtle cultural differentiator often marks families whose wealth was derived from expansive trade rather than purely local agrarian or administrative roots, providing an alternative, powerful source of status that explains their affluence and high standing in Srivilliputtur society.

 

III. Inferred Ancestral Profile and Search for Neela Megha Shyamala Naidu’s Parents

 

The most critical missing piece of data is the name of NMS Naidu's father and mother. Due to the high probability of the father being the head of the household during the 1899 birth of SRB, a detailed examination of NMS Naidu’s nomenclature and inferred status is necessary to narrow the archival search.

 

III.A. The Significance of Naming: Neela Megha Shyamala and Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam

 

The name Neela Megha Shyamala (meaning the "Blue Cloud, the Dark One," an epithet for Vishnu) is a highly devout, poetic Vaishnavite name, underscoring the family's deep piety. More significant is the son's name, Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam. Ranga refers to Ranganatha, the primary deity of Srirangam and Srivilliputtur. The component Bhashyam refers to a scholarly commentary, a learned treatise, or a dissertation.

The inclusion of Bhashyam suggests that the unnamed father of NMS Naidu (the ancestral patriarch sought in the query) may have held a formal title indicating his function as a Vaishnavite scholar, intellectual authority, or a high-ranking temple administrator (Achar Purusha). This function would tie the family directly to the spiritual and administrative structure of the Andal Temple, reinforcing the historical role of Naidu chieftains as Dharmakartas or wealthy temple patrons in Srivilliputtur.

This dedication to scholarship and piety aligns the family with prominent contemporaries, such as Salem Pagadala Narasimhalu Naidu (born 1854), who was also named Balakrishna at birth, mirroring the high-status tradition of devotional names, and who utilized his wealth derived from industrial ventures to publish devotional travelogues and establish institutions. The use of names incorporating scholastic or devotional titles suggests a lineage that was not only wealthy but also intellectually prominent within the Vaishnavite religious establishment.

 

III.B. Locating the Ancestral Paternal House Name (Intiperu)

 

While NMS Naidu’s daughters married into the Adumala Intiperu , NMS Naidu’s own house name is not specified in the primary documents. Identifying this paternal Intiperu is the single most important genealogical key for tracing his parents. Given the high status derived from temple connections and professional attainment, NMS Naidu’s ancestral house name would have been recognized regionally.

For future archival work, the search must be focused on prominent Srivilliputtur-based Gajula Balija Intiperus (surnames) known for their wealth and strong Vaishnavite affiliation during the late 19th century. Examples of common Balija Intiperus include Pagadala, Pakanati, Nemilli, and Ralla, among others. Researching the collateral family history of the Adumala house in Madras might also provide a crucial entry point, as their documents relating to the double marriage may contain the full ancestral lineage (including the Intiperu) of both Rukmini Devi’s and NMS Naidu's parents.

 

The analysis of the family's specific characteristics allows for a targeted assessment of their likely standing in the region:

 

IV. The Srivilliputtur Residence and Locational Analysis

IV.A. Defining "Near the Ancient Temple"

 

The request specifically seeks information about the family house in Srivilliputtur, located "near the ancient temple to Andal" [User Query]. In traditional South Indian temple towns, particularly one as sacred as Srivilliputtur, location is a direct indicator of status and function.

For an elite family exhibiting strong, dedicated Vaishnavite devotion and probable administrative ties (as suggested by the Bhashyam name and the historical role of Naidus as temple Dharmakartas ), a house "near the temple" invariably signifies a highly privileged location. This generally means the residence was situated within the Mada Veedhis (the four streets immediately surrounding the main temple complex, traditionally reserved for high-caste spiritual and administrative elites) or on one of the primary commercial streets leading directly to the immense Rajagopuram. This proximity would have been essential for daily temple access and administrative duties, strongly supporting the hypothesis that NMS Naidu’s father derived his status, at least in part, from direct involvement with the Srivilliputtur Devasthanam.

 

IV.B. Architectural and Ownership Clues

 

Given the family’s wealth, high community status, and deep regional roots established before 1879, the ancestral residence would have been a substantial, multi-generational structure. Such homes in the Mada Veedhis were typically traditional thotti or courtyard houses, designed to accommodate large extended families and reflect their social standing.

While NMS Naidu’s children subsequently migrated to Madras for professional reasons, the documented maintenance of their roots in Srivilliputtur and their family’s devotional intensity imply that the ancestral property was not simply sold off. This suggests that the house was retained either for ceremonial purposes, managed by a branch of the extended family, or held as a tangible symbol of their lineage's historical and emotional connection to the core spiritual identity of Srivilliputtur. The continued value placed on this property, even after the professional diaspora of the younger generation, speaks to its significance as a legal and emotional asset to the entire lineage.

 

V. Conclusion, Summary, and Recommendations for Archival Research

V.A. Synthesis of the Lineage Profile

 

Shri Neela Megha Shyamala Naidu (b. c. 1875-1879) of Srivilliputtur was the head of a highly successful, influential family belonging to the Gajula Balija Naidu community. He represented a transitional generation of regional elites who utilized traditional wealth—likely derived from a combination of high-status mercantile trade (indicated by the Panduranga devotion) and high-level temple administration (indicated by the Bhashyam nomenclature)—to ensure the success of his descendants in the emerging colonial service economy. His success is codified by the powerful, reciprocal marriage alliance with the Adumala family of Madras, which secured the professional future of his children in the capital. The family’s ancestral house was almost certainly situated in the elite Mada Veedhis surrounding the Andal Temple, affirming their connection to the religious establishment.

The critical genealogical gap remains the positive identification of NMS Naidu's parents. The absence of this specific detail in the family history necessitates targeted archival retrieval based on the highly detailed contextual profile established herein.

 

V.B. Targeted Recommendations for Future Archival Traceability

 

The investigation recommends a focused, three-pronged strategy to bridge the genealogical gap and locate the name of NMS Naidu's father, who would have been the family patriarch between 1870 and 1900.

 

Recommendation 1: Revenue and Demographic Records

 

The most direct and highest-probability path to identifying the father's name is through colonial demographic records. Research efforts must concentrate on the official Census of India, Madras Presidency, specifically for the Srivilliputtur taluk, focusing on the 1901 and 1911 enumerations. The goal is to locate a head-of-household Naidu family residing in the temple area, whose household roster includes a son (NMS Naidu, aged approximately 22 to 26 in 1901) and a grandson (Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam Naidu, born 1899). This record, if located, would definitively yield the father's name, as he would be listed as the head of the household during that period.

 

Recommendation 2: Temple Trust Documentation

 

Given the strong devotional focus on the Andal Temple and the inference drawn from the Bhashyam name, records of the Srivilliputtur Devasthanam (temple trust) or the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department for the period 1870–1910 should be consulted. The research should search for documents related to Dharmakartas (trustees), wealthy Mirasidars (hereditary administrators), or individuals bearing Vaishnavite scholarly titles like Bhashyam who were affluent donors or administrators during this time. Confirming an administrative role for the grandfather would provide both his name and a functional explanation for the family’s prominence.

 

Recommendation 3: Collateral Family Records Search

 

A collateral genealogical search should be conducted by investigating the ancestral House Name (Intiperu) associated with the allied Adumala family in Madras. Marriage registration documents or family papers relating to the double marriage of Balamma and Shanmughavalli (occurring after 1899) may contain the explicit, full ancestral lineage of both Rukmini Devi and Neela Megha Shyamala Naidu, providing the missing names of their parents and potentially NMS Naidu's specific Intiperu.

Table 3: Recommendations for Archival Traceability

Works cited

 

1. My father's family - alipiri, the beginning, http://alipiri.blogspot.com/2013/02/my-fathers-family.html

2. Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam's family [my paternal grandfather] - Alipiri, http://alipiri.blogspot.com/2013/02/shyamala-ranga-bhashyams-family-my.html

3. February 2013 - alipiri, the beginning, http://alipiri.blogspot.com/2013/02/

4. Pramila Naidu, my paternal aunt with Jairam Naidu and his mother, Shanmughavalli, and their daughters. Possibly 1955 - alipiri, the beginning, http://alipiri.blogspot.com/2017/02/pramila-naidu-my-paternal-aunt-with.html

5. MADRAS., http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/files/ideologie/data/CensusIndia/CensusIndia1911/1911%20-%20Madras%20-%20Vol%20I.pdf

6. Census of India, 1901. Vol. XV B: Madras. Part III: Provincial Tables - DSpace@GIPE, https://dspace.gipe.ac.in/xmlui/handle/10973/18833

7. Full text of "Tamil Nadu District Gazetteers: Ramanathapuram" - Internet Archive, https://archive.org/stream/dli.csl.3390/3390_djvu.txt

8. Naidu Genealogy, Naidu Family History - Geni, https://www.geni.com/surnames/naidu

9. Naidus of Srivilliputhur area during 1850 to 1925 - some notes - alipiri, the beginning, http://alipiri.blogspot.com/2013/02/naidus-of-srivilliputhur-area-during.html

10. Salem Pagadala Narasimhalu Naidu - 12 April 1854 - 22 January 1922 - leading Balija Naidus during pre-1890 in South Tamil Nadu - alipiri, the beginning, http://alipiri.blogspot.com/2014/05/salem-pagadala-narasimhalu-naidu-12.html

11. May 2014 - alipiri, the beginning, http://alipiri.blogspot.com/2014/05/

12. Census of India 1901 : Madras, imperial tables, volume XV-A, part II - Resource Repository, https://resourcerepository.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/items/17f5f1d0-da7e-483e-aa11-cb83e8e8b314/full

 

 

Research Report – Not for publication

Documented for personal reasons, to be disseminated within family only for memory

If you want to read, remember and appreciate – you are certainly family

 

Bharat Bhushan

8 October 2025

 

Gajula Balija Naidu - Related surnames and family names in Tamil Nadu of 1860 to 1950

Balija Naidus were usually a trading community, found in all cities and mofussil towns of the Madras Presidency, from Srivilliputhur to Srikakulam. There were two major groups. The royalty - the Balija Nayaks, the Kings of Madura, Tanjore and Vijayanagar - were from the same community. As were their generals, ministers and governors. The second group were the traders - and of these, there were two major groups - Gajulu or Gazulu Balijas (bangle sellers) and the Perike Balijas (salt sellers).

In the current Tamil districts of Madras Presidency, the Balijas came to be known as Vaduga and Kavarai. To distinguish between the glass-bangle sellers and the gold jewellery traders, the Gajula Balijas involved in the richer trade got the titles "Chetti" and this was usually preferred. Commonly different surnames are - Naidu, Nayakkan, Chetti, Setti, Nayak, Kavarai, and Valaiyal Chetti among others.

[Valaiyal = Bangles in Tamil... i.e. Gajulu]

The Gazula Balijas in Nellore areas - 

from "The Vizagapatnam District Gazetteer" edited by W. Francis - 1907

The Balija Chettis or Setti, and sometimes, Shetty Balijas, and Sugavansi Balija controlled trading guilds. These communities became powerful and had tremendous impact on the trade of Vijayanagar. These guild-master families were given the title "Desai" by the Vijayanagar Kings. The Chetty families in Srirangam, Kumbakonam and Thanjavur were closely related to many Gajula Balija Naidus.

I remember my parents and grandfather being close friends of the Chetty families who were jewellers in Matunga, Mumbai, because they knew each other from back in Srirangam and were probably related, or close enough. The Chetty families, as I was told by my paternal grandfather, were actually Gajula Balijas, but on research, I learn that they were preferential to the community title - Kavarai Gajula Bangaru Naidu. This is the crucial distinction from glass bangles to gold jewellery traders.

There are variations in the surnames or family names. These include - Balija, Banajiga, Balanja, Bananja, Bananju, Banijiga, Balijiga, Valanjiyar, Balanji, Bananji, Baliga - derived from the Sanskrit term for Vanik or Vanii - a trader. It was the Banajigas who comprised trade guilds, and were famously known during the pre-medieval and medieval period as the five hundred lords of Ayyavolu. The name - Balija - also came to include Boya, Golla, Gavara and others during the rule of Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar.

The largest groups were Kapu, and these extended to Vakkaligas. In Kannada, some of these groups and communities came to be known by other names, including Pusala. There are communities named after their nativity - such as Gonuguntla Desayi Chetti - named after Gonuguntla Village. Yet another community was Gandavarapu, who were Gonuguntla Balijas, and migrated to Cuddapah. Other names included Mulaka, Miriyala, Vyasa, Tota, Kondeti, Gopathi and Perike among others.

The official status for Gajula Balija Naidus or Gazula Balija Naidus are -

Srivilliputhur Sri Andal temple and Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy temple - age-old relationship

The Sri Andal temple at Srivilliputhur and Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam have age-old links between them. Annually, temple honours from the Sri Andal temple are received at the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. These honours are brought by representatives including the sthalastar of the temple and are received with respect by the temple priests and the administrators. These honours include holy clothes for Sri Ranganathar and Sri Thaayar, along with garlands and fruits. This is usually brought over to coincide with the occasion of the Chithrai Car Festival at Srirangam.

Similarly, sacred gifts and temple honours from Sri Ranganathaswamy temple are sent annually to the Sri Andal temple to coincide with the occasion of the Adi Pooram festival.

Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam's family [my paternal grandfather]

Neela Meghala Shyamala Naidu - spouse - Rukmini Devi, Residents at Srivilliputtur, Tamil Nadu
[My paternal paternal great grandfather and great grandmother]
Children: Balamma (f), Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam (m), Shanmughavalli (f)

Balamma - spouse - Vakalabharanam Naidu 
Residents of Mambalam in Madras. Vakalabharanam Naidu - resident and native of Madras.
Children: 1 son. Known usually as ACK Naidu - was Head Typist at the Railway Office in Madras. 
Name = Adumala Chinna Krishna Naidu. Adumala = House Name of Vakalabharanam Naidu.

Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam - spouse - Rambai / Kodai / Kodamma
Children: Balapila Naga Bhushan, Pramila Jairam Naidu, Shantaram Naidu
(House Name was probably - Balapilavar)

Shanmughavalli, Resident at Triplicane, Chennai (Madras) - spouse - Alagiri Singhari Naidu 
Children: Devaki Amma (f) [passed away at 18 years of age] - Jairam Naidu - spouse - Pramila Jairam Naidu

Note = Vakalabharanam Naidu's father was elder brother of Alagari Singhari Naidu's father. The two cousins married the two sisters - Balamma and Shanmughavalli. Their house name was = Adumala. Could also be pronounced as Yedumala, but perhaps it was Adumala - because ACK Naidu was never known as YCK Naidu.


Narayanaswamy Naidu - spouse - Thayamma, Residents at Srirangam / Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu
[My paternal maternal great grandfather and great grandmother]
Children: Alamelu (f), Nagamma (f), Radhamma (f), Rambai (Kodai - Kodamma) (f), Laxmibai (Laxmamma) (f), Govindaswamy Naidu (m), Rangaramanujula Naidu (m) - aka Naamala Naidu aka Rangarajulu Naidu, Narayanaswamy Naidu (m)

Narayanaswamy Naidu and Thayamma (second wife) - mother of all eight children - stayed at 12 Mannar Pillai Street, Tiruchirapalli. had property at Taranoor and Manikund near Tiruchi. Main income was probably from rental properties. First wife - deceased. Thayamma was reported to be a trusting and generous person. It is said that the lawyer who used to fight their legal battles on their properties became so rich that he purchased their horse carriage (victoria) that belonged to Narayanaswamy Naidu. They handed over different properties to each of their children while they continued to stay at 12 Mannar Pillai Street. 

Narayanaswamy Naidu had an unfortunate passing to the higher temple. He was accompanying the sacred chariot of Ranganathaswamy, the deity of Srirangam, through the town, and was smashing coconuts with his bare hands. A coconut chip pierced his hand, poisoned it, and the hand had to be sliced off. Later, the poison spread within and he passed away. At that time, Rambai and Laxmibai were 3 years old while Chinna Thayamma was only 25-26 years old.  

My paternal maternal great grandmother, Chinna Thayamma, as she was called (for, the first wife was also named Thayamma, and she was usually referred to as Pedda Thayamma), would go to Solanur, to take care of the cultivation and agricultural plots. She would usually go accompanied by Rangarajulu Naidu or Govindaswamy Naidu. 

Chinna Thayamma was adventurous, and she traveled around in India. She came up to Ooty and Nashik on tour and pilgrimage, with a group of friends and returned after visiting several places. She passed on to the higher temple when she was 60 years old, and a grandmother through all her children. 

(1) Alamelu - married Kodandarama Naidu. 
Son: Doranna

(2) Nagamma - married Subbaiah Naidu.

(3) Radhamma - married Chinnaraju aka Chinnaiah Naidu.

Daughter: Susheela

(4) Rambai - Kodai - Kodamma married Shyama Ranga Bhashyam Naidu
Her house address was - 
Shyamala Rambai (Kodai) Naidu, 12, Mannar Pillai Street, Tiruchirapalli 
[Opp. Gandhi Market, Mamkonda, Subramaniam Temple]

(5) Laxmibai aka Laxmamma - married Chinnaswamy Naidu aka VPC (?). Settled in Hyderabad.

Children: Sarojini, Shanta, Vasanta, Lalita and Sucharita

It is said that Laxmamma looked like her mother, Thayamma, who was exceedingly beautiful. 

Sucharita, Shanta, Vasantha and Lalitha

Four of Laxmamma's daughters. Priceless photograph.

With acknowledgement to my sister, Anita Pushpala - Anu.

Laxmibai was also known as - Laxmi Vadi. Her daughter, Sucharita (born February 28, 1939 in Tiruchirapalli, passed on to the higher temple on 11 February, 2013 at Zionsville, USA) married Subbarayulu Naidu and was known as Sucharita Kakanur Naidu. Sucharita's children - Biswajeet Naidu and Anita (Anu). 

Santha Devi, daughter of Shri Vadi P. Chinnaswamy Naidu and 

Laxmi Vadi (nee Laxmibai, twin sister of my paternal 

grandmother, Rambai) and her husband, 

Capt. G. D. Krishnan, IAMC. This is a 

commemorative photograph about their wedding, 

published in the local newspaper, The Hindu, in the 

Madras edition of those times. This photograph was in the 

collection of my paternal aunt, Pramila Jairam Naidu, 

my father's younger sister and daughtr of Rambai.

(6) Govindaswamy Naidu - 

Shaved his head bald, washed his own clothes, walked with an alsatian and rajapalayam hound, and tiger cub to the river, daily for his bath. 

Son: Vasu

(7) Rangaramanujula Naidu aka Naamala Naidu aka Rangarajulu Naidu - settled inside the Srirangam Temple Area, near Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu.
Children: Alavandar Naidu (m), Kannan aka Kannaiya (m), Suguna (f)  

Alavandar Naidu - married Susheela, daughter of Radhamma. Settled outside the precincts of the Srirangam Temple. Visited him in 1987, and he had visited us in Wadala, Mumbai on some occasions. Radhamma passed way. Alavandar Naidu remarried. One son. I have met him when he was in Primary School. 

Kannan aka Kannaiya - continued to stay inside the Srirangam Temple area. I visited his house and met the family and his daughter, with my parents in 1987. 

(8) Narayanaswamy Naidu. Good singer, diamond merchant.
Son: Gopal - good carnatic singer. [died in slipping down from a bus.]

My father's family

My paternal great grandfather, Neela Meghala Shyamala Naidu, was born in Srivilliputtur. My paternal great grandmother, Rukmini Devi, was also born in Srivilliputtur, in Tamil Nadu. They were a Telugu-speaking Balija Naidu family in deep South India, devoted to the Goddess Andal of the Srivilliputtur Temple. They were closely associated with the temple and yet, somehow became devoted to the deity Panduranga, Vittala. I am not aware of how that happened, so far south, in Srivilliputtur.

Sri Andal of Srivilliputtur

Deity at the prayer place of my family

since my great grandfather...

Srivilliputtur temple mahagopuram

the beginning....

From Srivilliputtur, my grandfather's marriage took place with Kodai, a lady from Tiruchirapalli, near Srirangam, in Central Tamil Nadu. Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam, my paternal grandfather, was true to his name. The family was extremely devoted to Ranganatha, the deity at Srirangam. Having come from Srivilliputtur, the deities at the prayer place were mainly Andal, Ranganatha and Panduranga. Kodai, my grandmother, or Kodamma, as we knew her, was a twin. Her sister, Lakshmibai / Lakshmamma, was married at Hyderabad in the Nizam State of those times.

Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam

My paternal grandfather

Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam and Kodamma

My paternal grandfather and grandmother

My paternal grandfather, Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam and

My paternal grandmother, Rambai (a.k.a. Kodai - Kodamma) - c. 1958, Mumbai

My grandfather, born on 9 July 1899, served in the army for a brief while, and later moved to the Railway Protection Force, which was an armed force of those times. He kept getting transferred to many places, but kept roots in Chennai, near Nungambakkam. His brother-in-law's family was settled at Nungambakkam and they were attached to the temple of Ranganatha at Tiruvallur. On alternate transfers, the family stayed in Chennai, and kept visiting the Tirumala temple of Sri Venkateswara frequently. Soon, the prayer place was now dedicated to Sri Venkateswara, and was accompanied by Andal, Ranganatha and Panduranga.

My paternal grandmother, Kodai, came from a very respectable family, full of good traditions, devotion and family values. My father was born in Belgaum and his brothers and sisters were born in different places, as the family kept moving.

My paternal paternal great grandfather, Shri Neela Meghala Shyamala Naidu, was an expert at civil construction and much sought after, as a valued contractor for works. He was invited for construction works and was involved in projects in Rajapalayam, Srirangam-Trichy, Kumbakonam, Chennai and nearabouts. In his later years, he was called to Mumbai and was involved in construction projects in the emerging metropolis, sometime in 1920s. Later, he returned to Madras, settled down with his daughters, Balamma and Shanmughavalli, who were married and staying at Triplicane and Mambalam areas. He passed on to the greater temple above in Madras.

My paternal paternal great grandmother, Rukmini Devi, was born in Srivilliputhur and married in the same city. She passed on to the greater temple above while at Srivilliputhur when my paternal grandfather was 12 years old, therefore, 1911. She would have been about 35 years old at that time, so, possibly born 1875 or thereabouts.

Shri Neela Meghala Shyamala Naidu and Smt Rukmini Devi would have probably been residents of Renganathapuram or Perumalpatti at Srivilliputhur, or nearabouts.

My paternal grandfather, Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam and paternal grandmother, Rambai, a.k.a Kodamma, a.k.a. Kodai, had eight children. Three survived to be elders and managed their families. Five children died due to various causes. Their names were -

(1) Daya Krishna - aka Damu
(2) Navneetha Krishna - aka Babu aka Nagabhushan aka Balapila Naga Bhushan (my father)
(3) Pramila Jairam Naidu
(4) Venkata Krishna - aka Venkappa (passed on due to illness)
(5) Sarala
(6) Murali Krishna
(7) Kaushala Ram
(8) Shanta Ram - aka Shantaram Naidu

Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam (Centre) with B. N. Bhushan (Left) 

and Shantaram Naidu (Right) - sometime in the late sixties. 

Photographer - myself, at age 8 or 9 years old, 

with a b&w photosmart camera that cost Rs. 18