S.KRISHNASWAMY

Unlikely Chemistry by S.Krishnaswamy ; Published by Rupa ; Pages 356 ; Price Rs 395/-

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How many of you have heard of the four hour Documentary “ From Indus Valley Civilisation to Indira Gandhi”?. It is an outstanding  film on Indian history, heritage and culture, noted for its authenticity,  prepared by Dr.S.Krishnaswamy. Unfortunately it  got mired in controversy since Indira Gandhi’s name was tied with it—quite innocuously.

A little about the author’s father Subrahmanyam who was a key figure behind the establishment of the Tamil film industry. He started Meenakshi Cinetone with R. M. Alagappa Chettiar, directing his first film Pavalakkodi, in which the Tamil film star M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar debuted. He made a remarkable shift with the politically emphatic  Balayogini, criticising the caste system prevalent then. His best-known work is the strident nationalistic reformist film  Thyagabhoomi based on a novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy, which was banned by the British government. Subrahmanyam’s daughter is the famous dancer  Dr. Padma Subramanyam.

Dr S. Krishnaswamy  acquired name and fame as  a  documentary and television filmmaker. He has annexed several  awards, including ,inter-alia, the Padma Shri ; Life Time Achievement Award from the US International Film & Video Festival, Los Angeles; Honor Summus Award from the Watumull Foundation, Hawaii. 

Krishnaswamy is the  co-author of an iconic   book “Indian Film” along with  the highly respected film historian Erik Barnouw. Working for the book with a professor of repute in visual communication gave Krishnaswamy all the confidence he needed. During his travel to India with Barnouw for research, he met stalwarts like V Shantaram and Satayjit Ray.

  The present book  is the life story of a couple—one a scientist and the other a filmmaker—who face extraordinary challenges both on the personal front and in their respective careers. They are successful in creating a life wholly as decided by them.  A tough question that has been answered eloquently is “How can two people survive in a marriage when one of them sees it as an impediment to personal growth? “

The aim and ambition of the scientist wife  Mohana   is to discover an Ayurvedic drug for cancer.She has to  fight an odious  system. While she was on the threshold of global recognition biases of a system plagued by caste-based reservations made her give up her research.

 Krishnaswamy is deeply disturbed by a distorted American documentary on India, vows to make an authentic film on Indian history, heritage and culture. This he achieves  with the release of his four-hour film,  “Indus Valley to Indira Gandhi”.

 On his return to India, he began making small films like ‘Brown Diamond’ (on Neyveli lignite corporation) until he had the funds to launch his magnum opus  “From Indus Valley to Indira Gandhi “, a historical documentary, whose title was inspired by Siegfried Kracauer’s ‘Caligary to Hitler’ .He and his wife travelled 60,000km within the country to shoot in 120 locations. Acclaimed music Salil Chowdhury composed the background score while M S Subbulakshmi lent her voice to the film. After crossing the hurdles of certification board, he ran into major difficulties in distributing the documentary. It was then that renowned industrialist T.T. Vasu  arranged for a screening of the film in Bombay. Shri.Nadkarni, then head of Warner Brothers in India also arranged for a meeting of Krishnaswamy with the company’s vice president, who after watching the film bought its global distribution rights. In no time, Indians started flocking for distribution rights. When the film was screened, it ran for more than 100 days. Krishnaswamy says BJP leader L K Advani after attending a special show remarked, "It is a great film with a very bad title."

Krishnaswamy and Mohana combined their efforts and produced over two hundred non-fiction films and a dozen television serials. Quite expectedly , their progress was hindered by  controversies, legal battles and societal prejudices.  The couple were locked up with several law suits against a TV Serial. The Judiciary fully supported their interpretation of history. Their strong foundation in righteousness  and spirituality ensured their  success.

 What is unusual about this book is that it provides  a graceful analysis of the prevailing social and cultural picture of the past half a century which is at once  pleasurable and meaningful. How the ‘chemistry’ of the couple has been established traversing tough terrains  with  an earthquake thrown in has been deftly captured.

Dr Krishnaswamy and Dr Mohana  are undoubtedly a paradigm worth pursuing—exemplifying the success of a Hindu wedding. Highlights of the volume are the  analytical essays on mass media and politics, a profound philosophical analysis of the Indian psyche; in addition a delightful piece on  love and relationships. The couple  are rightly acclaimed for their half a century of contributions to the nation as documentary and television filmmakers .

 One cannot but agree with the eminent agricultural scientist Dr.M.S.Swaminathan who in his eloquent Foreword declares that this book  is “ a magic box from which the author pulls out a rainbow of emotions, patriotism, world view, history and humour—all based on life, wedded to truth.”

Krishnaswamy calls this book Mohana’s biography, while it is also his autobiography. It is a biography of his wife, whose progress as a scientist was hindered by political policies, when she was on the threshold of international acclaim. After she won the Hari Om Ashram’s National Award for research in Ayurveda; after her visit to China as a guest of the Institute of Medicinal Plant Development in Beijing her interests migrated to media and she colloborated with her husband ,giving up her passionate pursuit of research in Ayurveda.

Krishnaswamy narrates his inter action with eminent Heads of States and icons of religion and he gives accounts of dramatic events.

Their dedication and devotion to the cause of making films is impressive.The book reveals Krishnaswamy’s reverence for his mother. He admired his Father who swam against the colonial current.About a hundred photographs add to the kaleidoscopic nature of the bok

The last chapters are political in nature and Krishnaswamy does not hide his interests and commitment.

The Annexure to the book gives the text of Krishnaswamy’s Essay which highlights the writer’s political attainments. Mohan has also contributed valuable articles on Ayurveda.

The book is admirably well written and can be enjoyed by students of Film and Social Life in our country.

P.P.Ramachandran.

03/06/2018.