Letters of Balamani Amma from 1980

The letters are in two distict periods.The 60,s and the 80’s.You may wonder why?
In 60’s I was in Punnnayurkulam and she in Calicut.
Then I became a Medical student in 1965 in Calicut (the letters from that period slowly decreases)and was visiting her regularly in weekends.I remained in Calicut till 1995.And we were having regular communication,directly and there was no need for letters.Just a phone call.I will be by her side and we spent weekends in her house.
When Valiyachan was no more (in 1977)there was a dislocation for her.She was living with either of her daughters,or with the grandson Bawa etc.Then ,starts a second spurt of letters appearing in 80,s.The 20 years interval were oral(sruthi)or vaamozhi only.No recorded varamozhi for that relationship exists.(I am just pointing this out to show how our concept of only written documents are history ,is totally foolish/and unscientific.)


1980 Onwards

1.
I.A.Harbour heights
Sassoon docks
Bombay 5
23.3.1980
Dear Suvarna,
Yesterday I received your “Puzhayude Katha”.Amy,Das and me read it .As you said the other day,I could not see any contradictions at the end of the novel.But to understand ,that the last part is through the eyes of the son,it may take some time and some difficulty for a reader,who reads casually.

The “Origin”and the “End”are both highly poetical.Congratulations.I had already ordered two copies.Let them send it.Dont write to them that it is not needed.I hope this will be a success.Next year you should publish one more.What is happeningto your novel “Yudha”?It would be better if you come out of the autobiographical novels and make the hospital and the medical college ,the background of your next novel.Now,the time available for you must be very very short and you will be very busy.Is Abhilash’s school closed?Did you go to Punnayurkulam?As promised the other day,did warrier sent your horoscope to you?Ifhe has sent,copy that chart and sent it to me.I am planning to come there in May.Love and blessings for Bhanu and the little son.
With love
Swantham valiamma
(P.S.Amy also is writing below)

My dear Suvarna,
I have finished reading your book with wonder.I need not say that it is good.The ending words in the 95th page (9),I had been reading again and again .I would love to read your poems.
Namaskaaram to Bhanu and Abhilash.
With love
Amyoppu

2.
Pannnimedu estate
P.O.Pannimedu
642131 Tamil Nad
29.9.1980
Dear Suvarna,The reply was delayed ,because I was waiting to hear your discussion on the A.I.R.On Monday there was no Mahilaavedi.Yesterday there was a vanithaarangham.I tried that.Today also I was trying.Could not hear it.Even at calicut we get it in a faint voice.I feel a little bit sad,since I have missed it.
I too do not think that women are less courageous.In both men and women there are people with and without mental strength.Which periodical is publishing your discussion?
Is Achan’s surgery over?I didn’t write to Ammini .Tell her when you see.I hope Lakshmi and Janardhanan Nair has not gone to Iraq.Now,it is better to cancel it.
Asokan informed me that Nambeesan is no more.I have written to his son.Nambeesan was our teacher,from infancy.
We are all okay.I don’t know when I can come home.Unni doesn’t have leave.Even after the rainy season ,here there is rain at night.Daytime is hot.No cold weather.I will go to Bombay only after at least a month.Amy’s letters come.
Are you going home for Navarathri?To Bhanu and Mon ,love from me and Sulu.
With love
Swantham valiamma.
P.S.In the jathakam you sent,I cannot find the navaamsaka of Ravi.Can you inform that also?Just write in which Bhaava.You need not send another jaathakakuripp.

The Jaathaka reading she has done on me is given below:-

Lagnam Cancer.Persons born under cancer have middlesized body ,face full and complexion white.They are intelligent bright frugal and industrious.They are much attached to their children and family.Sensitiveness renders them nervous and queer.They often meet with disappointments in marriage and love affairs.They are talkative,selfreliant ,honest and understanding .(Valiyamma shares lagna Cancer with me)

Mars in Cancer,Lagna:-Intelligent ,rich ,love agriculture ,medical and surgical proficiency ,bold ,dashing ,speculative,egoistic.
Sun in 10th In Aries ,exalted .Courageous ,famous ,aquires wealth ,learned,adventurous,quick decisions,Fond of music,high positions,dutiful sons,much personal influence,success in either military or political career.
Mercury in 10th .Determined,fortunate,enjoy life,active.
Aditya and Budha together in 10th house,in Aries,Famous and kiglike according to Saaraavali.
Moon in Gemini .Wellread,creative,clever,a powerful speaker,Thoughtreader,Long life.
Moon in 12th house.Obstructed career.Unhappy .Powerless.Easily deceived.Solitary life.Lagnadhipa moon with Saturn in 12th house also denotes that the health will be poor.

Jupiter in Third house.Famous .Many brothers .Devoted to family.Polite ,thrifty and bold.Taste for arts and literature.Good successful.Agriculturalist.
Venus in 11th Influential,learned ,wealthy,popular’
Raahu in 11th.Humourous.Intelligent ,wealthy.

For cancer lagna ,Jupiter and Mars are good yogakaaraka.Venus and mercury are not.
In upachaya(3,10,11)Jupiter,Mercury,Venus.Aiswaryam is the result.
Yogaas:\Dhurdhurayogam .Enjoyment of all pleasures.Generous and commanding .Have faithful children.
Sunabha yogam.Selfmade intelligent and reputed
Vesi yogam Good conversationalist .Courageous and charitable.


3
Pannimedu estate
P.O pannimedu
642131 Tamil nad
24.4.1982
Dear Suvarna,
Letters and horoscopes were brought by vasanthi.Sulu has given them all the writings about their horoscopes.When I enquired about the error in it,the date of birth is given .It is 3.6.1941.
Vasanthi and Venu came on Monday and left for TVM.May be Abhilash’s school is closed.Are you going to Punnayurkulam?Even if you go,Bhanu will safely deliver my letter to you there,I hope.Have you shifted your house?
I do not think that we would be able to participate in the marriage functions.There is no time at all for Unni.Sulu is also very busy.
Arun will go to complete his tuition ,to Calicut,next month beginning.All are okay here.
I have been reading all your articles in Kshethradarsanam carefully.I have sent a short translation from a Hindi book for their April issue.
Love and blessings for Bhanu and the little son.
Love
Swantham valiamma.

4.
Devivilas
Kuravankonam
Thiruvananthapuram
15.12.1987
Dear suvarna
Received letter.Heard that you are shifting house and moving to the quarters shortly.And that there is more space in the new house.I will come there every Sunday when I come to Calicut.I haven’t decided the date yet.Now I can walk with the support of a walking stick.But there is slight pain in the knee .The journey is postponed because of that.
Yesterday the Rotary club has written that they want to give a reception to me.Probably I may give the date as end of January.Hoping that my leg will be okay by that time.
Happy to hear that Indyaye kandethal is to be published shortly.People who can read and grasp the meaning of that book will be very few.But it is a visishtagrantha.Your great effort has been fulfilled .Blessings for the complete success of the venture.
Shodu and wife are here.Being the chairman of the forestry board Amy has gone to Delhi to receive an award.Will be back tomorrow.
I will be happy to stay with you for one or two days when I come to Kozhikode.Love and blessings to Bhanu and Abhilash.
With love
Swantham valiamma

5. c/o K.Madhavachandran
Aishwarya
No 40
Nethajinagar H colony
Po kottooli
Calicut
26.4.8?(may be 89)
Dear Suvarna,
If possible can you come here on Sunday?To select books and authors for an award ,I am entrusted.You have a book with details of authors and their books.Take that book when you come.We will discuss it and think about it together.If you are not free on Sunday,I will try to come there.
For the evening reception of Vani’s marriage I didn’t see you.
Love and blessings to Bhanu and son.
Love
Swantham valiamma

6. Aiswarya
D 17 H.N 40
Nethaji nagar colony
Kottooli po
2.1.90
Dear Suvarna,
Loving new year wishes for all three of you.I have received your letter last week.You must be back from Punnayurkulam by now?Did all the three go?In which class is your son now?
I will definitely listen to your programme on “One day-one book”in A I R. If Amy comes I may go to TVM.Even then I can hear it from there.I will write to you after hearing it.
At Punnayurkulam hope Ammini ,Appunniettan and Asokan are all okay.I could not go and see Preetha after her marriage.I have decided to go there one day.
Love
Swantham valiamma

(PTO)Sulu had come with Unni and children.With them I stayed 3 days in Krishnan Nair’s house.Bawas child is smart.Most of the time I am with her.
I am sending a poem to you.(Maravi-Loss of memory)written recently.It was published in Chilla.

7. c/oK.Madhavachandran
A 142 Aiswarya
D 17 H N 40
Nethajinagar colony
Kottooli po
Calicut16
18.Dec 1989
Dear Suvarna,
In a recent edition of the “Gurukulam”magazine I saw what Guru Nityachaithanyayati had written about you.I was very happy to read it.Among the great geniuses of todays world,he is one of the foremost.It is a real blessing for your literary efforts.
Amy will come on 21st.May be I will go with her to Thiruvananthapuram or on my way ,to Ernakulam.No decision yet.We are all okay.Little girl of Bhawa is smart.Does not make trouble.I sometimes go to Lynwood also.
Love to Bhanu and mon.
Best wishes
With love
Swantham valiamma

8. Pannimedu
8.10.1981
Dear Suvarna,
I am writing this letter just after taking the ‘pooja “.I had received your letter a few days back.A little late in replying.You are one person who has never hurt me,let me say first.
Kshethradarsanam comes here regularly.Maaraar sends them to me free of cost.Saw your article in Onam special.Hope more about jyothisha will be seen in the next issues.Such studies are essential for students who are learning jyothisha.
Did you do any more research on medical astrologyas planned the other day?The only problem is that we can do it only on our near and dear ones.It is really difficult.
Did you go home for Navarathri vacation?Hope Bhanu and Abhilash are happy.We will be coming over there in November or December.Sundaran is coming next month.I saw the birthchart of Sreekrishna in a Hindi magazine.Have you seen it?Anyway I am sending it to you.
Jupiter in Meenam
Ascendant,moon and kethu in Rishabham
Sun in Simha
Mercury in Kanni
Saturn and venus in Thulaam
Rahu in Vrischika
Mars in Makaram.

Uchasthah sasibhoumachandrisanayo
Lagnam vrisho Laabhago jeeva
Simha thulaachishu kramavasaath
Pooshaa sani raahava
Naiseedha samayeshtamee
Budhadine brahmaksha athrakshane.
He had Harshananityayogam.
I think in this Kundalini it is not like that.
(In fact 4 planets are in ucha and Jupiter in swakshethra for Krishna as shown in kundalini also)
I saw two different types of birthcharts of Mussolini.Why is it that such differences are seen?In the first one I saw Jupiter ,venus and kethu were in Kanni .And the sun was not seen in it.
But in the second one,
Ascendent Vrischika
Kethu in meena
Saturn,mars and moon in Rishabha,
Jupiter and venus in Gemini
Mercury and sun in cancer
Rahu in kanni.
With love
Swantham Valiamma.

(Note that the horoscope of Krishna and Mussolini are having no common features at all)

Valiamma had sent her own horoscope and that of Ammaman with these two horoscopes for me to make a study of them.

9. Lynwood
Nadakkav
Calicut 673001
9.8.1980
Dear Suvarna,
Received letter.You can keep the books with you.May be useful for your research.I have read them.It is very good that you are planning to do a combined research.There is a book on medical astrology.Ancient wisdom publications.Sind Ayurvedic pharmacy.375,kalbadevi road,Bombay 400002.This is the address.The author is chandrasekhara.G.Thakur.I will enquire when I go to Bombay.
I have copied down several points from medical astrology.I will send it to you.Eventhough you cannot base your treatment on that alone ,you can consult that too.Write an article on it anyway.

The path of sanyasa is very very ancient.We are traveling through that ancient path.And should travel through it.But we forget that sometimes.This forgetfulness is the reason for all problems and sorrows.Even in the midst of all activities ,through your mindscape ,let that ancient path always shine.
Inkan is well.He tok a bath.No one else got infected luckily.Now he is taking some food.He has not come downstairs.Let him rest for one more week.I have not decided the date of my departure.May be just before onam.Before that I will come there.Are you going home for onam?
Love to Bhanu and Abhilash.
With love
Swantham valiamma

10.
Pannimedu
Tamil nadu
10.6.1983
Dear Suvarna,
Yesterday I received a letter .It is from a woman who had been admitted in ward 23 ,sideroom,in the Medical college hospital,calicut,for breast cancer treatment.Her name is Chinthaamani.She had come to my house in 1975 ,to see me.She is the daughter of a Budhist monk and had a little daughter too.She had written the letter with address c/o Mathrubhoomi .So I got it late.Otherwise I would have gone and seen her,while I came to Calicut.She has written that she wants to see me once again.I am so sad to hear that.Probably now she is discharged from hospital.What happened?Where is she now?Can you enquire in the hospital and tell me about it.I am unable to write to her even,without any such details.She was the patient of dr .V.J.Nair and after his retirement of Mohan kumar.One of her breasts was removed.
I reached here on 25th with Sundaran.Went to Punnayurkulam also.Sundaran went back on 27th.We are all okay.All the three children are here.Arun has sent applications to a few colleges for admission.Marklist is not known.
How is your health?Now it is vacation for Abhilash.Isnt it?Will he have to change school next year?My regards to Bhanu.Also of Sulu.Amy is in Ceylon.She had sent letter.
With love
Swantham valiamma
P.S.Send your home address to me.I saw the address of a Bdhist ashram in Chinthamani’s letter.Today I am writing in that address.Enquire in the hospital also.
11. Munnar
28.6.1988
Dear Suvarna,
I am writing this for a particular purpose.I have got a form asking me to nominate two poets for an award.I thought I should nominate Sugatha and O.N.V.I have got some details from a book.Their place of birth,Sugatha’s parents and works ,and address.I know only the birthplace and the work Uppu of O.N.V.Also that he was a professor in University college.Is he retired?Do you have any other information?The years in which he got awards etc.May be in the book which I gave you the other day the details may be given.Copy them and send it to me.Next month ,first we are going to EKM.Send the letter there.Sundaran’s address is below.
Dr .N.S.Nair
H.N.L/2119
Keerthinagar
PO Elamakkara
Deshabhimani Road
Cochin 682026
Love and blessings to Mon and Bhanu.
I read the article suvana wrote about Ammaman in Bhashaposhini.Very good.What happened to Aurobindo’s works.Did the other book of yours come out?
With love
Swantham valiamma


12. House no L/2119
Keerthinagar
Po Elamakkara
Cochin
10.7.1988
Dear Suvarna,
Received letter.And the information about O.N.V.When I wrote information about Sugatha in the form there was no more space for O.N.V.Moreover they should get it before 20th in Bhopal .Therefore I could not include the information on O.N.V.I have kept it safe .When another chance comes ,I will send it.
I am happy to hear that your book is published.The translation of Aurobindo poems are seen in Gurusannidhi.Is it not?Is it necessary to have separate permission for that ?
I am not sure whether I will come to Punnayurkulam ,this onam.I have started to climb steps.But with some difficulty.Ammini hadselected sanathanadharma magazines.Mr Chandrasekharan who had asked for them ,came and took them.May be I will be at Thiruvananthapuram,this onam.
Vasantha and sundaran are okay.Vsantha’s elder sister and daughter ,husband and children have come.Sulu,Unni and children are also here.Today or tomorrow they will return.
My love and blessings to Bhanu and Mon.Bawa writes news from Calicut.One day he had come.
With love
Swantham valiamma

13.
Aiswarya A 12
D 17 H No 40
Nethajinagar colony
Kottooli po
Calicut 16
28.2.88
Dear Suvarna,
I am reading your book very carefully.These books I love very much.Moreover it is your translation.So that I love them more.Your preface is excellent.And I am happy to see such beautiful translation .I thought some portions may be better with slight changes.

Since it is translated into prose,usages like POL instead of POLE ,ALAVATHU for ALAYUNNATHU etc are not needed.These usages are only for songs(music)and poetry to avoid alterations in the rhythmic beauty.Is it not better to use Kairaatha instead of Barbara faces?We will sit together one day ,and read it together.Just like you came the other day,can you come once again with the original work?
Parents of K.P.Unnikrishnan are known at Aurobindo ashram.So ,he may have someone there familiar with.After making corrections ,make one more copy .And consult Unnikrishnan to get the copyright for this.
With love
Swantham valiamma

14
Akasagangha
H/no L /2119
Elamakkara
Deshabhimani road
Cochin 682026
12.1.1989
Several days after having any news.Though we met at Punnayurkulam ,I didn’t get enough time to talk about the books.It was such a rush there.
Did Panchasidhanthika come out?I didn’t see any advertisements anywhere.What about Aravindahridayam?If I happen to see any literary persons ,which is very rare here,I will tell about your book.Somehow that book should come out.
When I come to Calicut next,we will sit together and read it.We will sort out all your writings,articles,short stories and other works.I am sure ,publishers will be there fr stories.
I am not going out anywhere.Spends time reading something .Bawa’s letter came.He has a daughter .Usha and child are going to Kannur to her mother for sometime
Hope all of you are okay.I hope I can come there for a few days prior to Baby’s marriage.
Love and blessings to Bhanu and son.
With love
Swantham valiamma

15 Lynwood
12.8.89
Dear Suvarna,
I didn’t reply to your letter sent earlier to Munnar.Day before yesterday ,I came here from Bawa’s house.Usha and Bawa have gone to Kannur for two days.May be they will come today or tomorrow.Then I will return to them.
I came here with Mohandas ,on the evening of birthday.Next day went to Bawa’s house.
I didn’t see the kalakoumudi article.I want to see your sopaanasangheetham.
Somehow you have to bring out Aravindahridayam .In today’s newspaper I saw that this Tuesday at 8 PM ,in sahityarangha ,Vishnunarayanan Namboothiri is speaking about Aurobindo’s poetry.If you are free listen to it.
Come to Bawa’s house when you get free time.
Love and blessings for Bhanu and mon.
With love
Swantham valiamma

16. c/o Madhavchandran
D/17Aiswarya
H no 40
Nethaji nagarcolony
P.O.Kottooli
Calicut 16
2.5.1990
Dear suvarna,
Received your letter.I would have tried to write for your magazine .But I cannot concentrate on an article at present.The time is not suitable.Inken(Mohandas)is in hospital after an operation .He is getting well.
I am not trying to write article because if I write ,I have to be careful ,and it should be perfect.
I haven’t seen Leelavathy for a long time.Once from Ernakulam she did come home to see me.
Come here,whenever you are free.Love and blessings for Bhanu and Mon.
Love
Swantham valiamma.