Gandhi’s Secretary becomes a Patron of Child Haven International

V. Kalyanam, a very spry and energetic octogenarian, has agreed to serve as a Patron of Child Haven International and board member of Child haven International / India. Among his previous responsibilities was acting as Gandhi’s personal secretary from 1944 till his death in 1948.

An avid gardener, his home in Chennai is circled by hundreds of potted plants that he attends daily. Kalyanam joined Gandhi’s Sevagram Ashram in 1944, hoping to help with gardening and other community chores. Upon his arrival he discovered that Gandhi, and most of his personal staff were locked up in prison. Shortly thereafter, Gandhi was released, earlier than the others, due to illness and weakness resulting from fasting. Upon learning that Kalyanum could speak a few languages and type with one finger, Gandhi quickly recruited him as a secretary to help reply to the hundreds of letters he received every day.

During a recent visit with Child Haven volunteers and staff, Kalyanam laughingly referred to Gandhi “abusing” him in this way by making him into a secretary when he could just barely type at all.

Over tea he made and served in his Chennai flat he regaled Child Haven International Director, Bonnie Cappuccino, Kaliyampoondi Child Haven Home Chief Administrator Batthu, and several Child Haven interns with recollections of his time working with Gandhi. He recalled how especially in the beginning, it was very difficult to understand what Gandhi was saying when he spoke without his dentures – all he could make out was a kind of “Whush whush whush”. However it was on a day when Gandhi didn’t speak at all that he received his first scolding from the Mahatma. It was Gandhi’s custom to spend Mondays as a day of silence between sunrise and sunset. One such Monday, Gandhi and company were traveling on a long journey by train. Gandhi passed a note to Kalyanam that he needed to reply to a letter from the British Viceroy as soon as possible, and handed him the hand written text to be typed and sent. Kalyanam took the letter, but not having a typewriter with him, resolved to send it the next day when he would have a typewriter available. That sunset, the first thing Gandhi asked was where the letter was as it had to be sent immediately. When Kalyanam protested that he didn’t have his typewriter, Gandhi replied, “When I go to see a barber, I expect him to have his scissors!” A chagrined Kalyanam borrowed a barely functional typewriter from someone else on the train and the letter was sent in the nick of time. Needless to say he kept a typewriter close at hand at all times from then on.

Kalyanam has chosen a simple life with no servants or staff, and until recent knee problems began, swept the street in front of his apartment as part of a daily ritual and community service. He is a frequent letter to the editor writer, admonishing others to remember Gandhi’s lessons, most especially governmental officials with whom he is sometimes quite disappointed. Often asked to speak about his time with Gandhi, Kalyanam also sponsors periodic displays of Gandhi memorabilia in his care. He shared with his Child Haven visitors several of these items. One was the yellowing police post-mortem written following Gandhi’s assassination. It describes the fatal bullet-wounds, made by a pistol, “a very dangerous weapon”.

Kalyanam has made several visits to Child Haven’s Kaliyampoondi home and promises to make many more. On his visits he not only shares the inspiration of his life and experiences, but also has brought several specimens of the plants from his garden. Indeed as his Child Haven visitors prepared to return to Kaliyampoondi, he insisted on sending along part of a delicate and quickly spreading ground-cover which a friend had just given him. Child Haven is very pleased and appreciative to have Kalyanam’s advice and involvement with our homes. We look forward to his thoughts, ideas and memories spreading as quickly and well as the ground cover and other plants he so generously shares with us.

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