*Mistaken Identity*
Dear MS Srinivasan ji, Delighted to read your mail and the outpour of gratitude - doesn’t matter mistaking me for 'Cleveland' Sundaram. I am not Cleveland V.V. Sundaram. In fact I am yet to visit Cleveland in life. I am just V.V. Sundaram - with no prefix or suffix. And if you insist I might at best be hailed Vadakkanthara Sundaram. Even when on phone with bank or airlines, to help them get my initials correct I avoid the customary prompting, V for Victory, again V for Victory, lest it mistakenly boosts my ego that it has been victory all the way. This is not the first occasion that I have been mistaken for Cleveland V.V. Sundaram. When I was looking for a bride for my second son, I got a call during my post-retirement stint in Geneva, and the girl's father spoke to me somewhat like intimate friends - just short of *vaada, poda.* I just couldn't figure out. I even wondered if any of my friends were playing pranks with me. Sensing a lack of enthusiasm in my response, he ultimately enquired if he was not speaking to Cleveland Sundaram. I told him I was WHO Sundaram. I hesitated even this prefix, because I ran the risk of being mistaken for a popular and Geneva-born-and-raised Sundaram in WHO. On the brighter side, and in strict confidence, naming myself as WHO Sundaram did pay dividends. When my wife was looking for a job to last my temporary assignment in Geneva, she got a call from another UN agency. The Personnel Officer interviewed her along with a host of others, and offered her the job at a higher grade than advertised. I was very sure he had mistaken my wife, Lalitha Sundaram, for someone from the *other* Sundaram family. Yes, life does offer favours occasionally, mistakenly though. The other occasion when I benefitted by mistaken identify was when I was constructing my house in Delhi. It was numbered 8/13, in a co-operative house building society. The Society president's daughter's house was numbered 13/8 - just the reverse. The President, it would seem, had kept all the housing department officials in good humour, and in return got all the favours for his relatives. So when I went to get Certificate for having completed the job up to the door level, the official saw the house number, got up from his seat, and ordered tea for me. He asked his assistant to issue the certificate on the spot telling him that he had already inspected the site the previous day. And I walked out with the certificate, feeling on top of the world. But every dog has it day. He realized his mistake, though it was late. So, when I went for the Completion Certificate - the final contact with them. he ripped me off pointing out mistakes after mistakes at every nook and corner of my house. I was in a fix. Fortunately, one of the resourceful house owners came to my rescue. He knew of a house with similar deviations having been given the completion certificate. "You just quote it, and see how they refuse it." So did I, and got the certificate in a week's time. Sorry for this divergence, MS ji. Nice hearing from you thanks to Cleveland Sundaram. Just to refresh your memory, I am the same Sundaram who spoke to you a couple of years ago when you were in Chicago, all set to take off for Pune the next day. Rings a bell? Best regards. V.V. Sundaram http://vvsundaram.blogspot.com 03 January 2012 On Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 6:57 AM, Srinivasan MS <[email protected]>wrote: > ** > > > [Attachment(s)<#134a6e8032cfc281_134a6ba523496cff_134a58aca83a5373_134a3dcd2fd3220d_TopText>from > Srinivasan MS included below] > > respected vvsundaram ji > In retrospect ,so near yet so far,so close, as the distance between cup > and lip, three times I saw you on the stage in cleveland and was a great > fan but never came to hand shaking distance. A mountain praising a mole > means i am fortunate.This year again coming to cleveland for my grand kids > anushka and arjun nageswaran participation there. > > > [image: vv sundaram lighting a lamp.jpg] > > > [image: shri vv sundaram copy.jpg] > > my memory in retrspect > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukq3Lin5uE4 > > http://nivedita.wordpress.com/tag/cleveland-v-v-sundaram/ > > eagerly waiting to have a glimpse from a close, > > > ** > * > * <http://sig.graphicsfactory.com/>* > > நல்லதுசெய் நல்லதே நடக்கும் > *जन सेवा ईश्वर सेवा * > *cnu.pne* > > > > On Mon, Jan 2, 2012 at 11:15 AM, sundaram v.v. <[email protected]>wrote: > >> ** >> >> >> Stocktaking, evaluation, post-mortem, peep, or looking back - call it by >> any name - is desirable in any venture. Here is an aerial view of the 2011 >> activities of this group, as well as a few other allied ones, written in a >> lighter vein, bearing malice to none. I am clubbing deliberately the events >> of all groups as I find many of us are members in most of the groups. >> >> >> Many have earned the distinction of being hailed by their abbreviation – >> MS (or, globe trotter if you insist), GV (G. Viswanath for those who are >> averse to exerting themselves and want everything on a platter), Siva >> (don’t ask me to elaborate his name, unless you spare only a cursory glance >> to the incoming mail), AVMV (sorry, he has recently rechristened himself as >> VVR), MGK (yes, the one who fires entertaining salvos from Trivandrum >> launch pad), Gopa (or, Mr Know All if you want to rename him), and not to >> leave out Hyderabad Cheenu, in whose case the word ‘abbreviation’ doesn’t >> fit in when compared with his earlier connotation: Cheenu-Cbe. Well the >> list is endless. >> >> >> MS continued unabated with daily dose of religious messages. Hyderabad >> Cheenu released sterling thoughts for the day. Raman covered almost >> everything – 2012 calendar, old-age quotes, Mullaperiyar dam, key to Indian >> Railways’ grievance redressal, etc. >> >> >> GV waged a single-handed battle for more original contributions. Those >> opposed felt that beg, borrow, or steal, the name of the game should be >> infotainment. If I say that a particular member’s forwards took the cake, >> then a host of others will revolt against me, and justifiably. Simply put, >> everybody gave something, and nobody everything. Siva was in a world of his >> own with his Amalu, airhostess, and Hyderabad connection - whenever he was >> not on his spiritual trip, that is. >> >> >> VVR, aside his unique ability to target generation-next, had an uncanny >> knack to make inroads into Siva’s observations and give additional >> dimensions. Cris’s language was worthy of emulation, if at all possible. >> Gopa had the courage of conviction to cover anything under the sun, but not >> all of them without attracting comments for amendments. That only showed >> that he was being read - he could argue, and rightly so. >> >> >> Vanakkam Subbu served best those who were still entangled in tax >> liabilities, or were looking for benefits accruing to senior citizens. Sai >> Baba, an ex banker, covered a variety of relevant subjects. Then there were >> others who had a knack of taking the opposite view of everything written >> about. That should be construed as the other side of the coin. >> >> >> The subject, ‘Are Brahmin girls less keen to marry Brahmin boys’ >> attracted maximum hoo-ha. With what findings? I am still groping. Anna >> Hazare’s uproar on Lokpal, Subramaniam Swamy’s crusade to bring to book the >> corrupt, were close second and third. >> >> >> Against this backdrop of activities with gay abandon, there remained a >> solitary septuagenarian writer of a sort who struggled through the year to >> hammer out a piece of substance. >> >> >> V.V. Sundaram >> >> http://vvsundaram.blogspot.com >> >> 01 January 2012 >> >> > __._,_.___ > > Attachment(s) from Srinivasan MS > > 2 of 2 Photo(s) > [image: vv sundaram lighting a > lamp.jpg]<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thatha_Patty/attachments/folder/664822700/item/1744698006/view> > vv sundaram lighting a > lamp.jpg<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thatha_Patty/attachments/folder/664822700/item/1744698006/view> > [image: shri vv sundaram > copy.jpg]<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thatha_Patty/attachments/folder/664822700/item/963635162/view> > shri vv sundaram > copy.jpg<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thatha_Patty/attachments/folder/664822700/item/963635162/view> > Reply to sender <?subject=> | Reply to > group<[email protected]?subject=>| Reply > via web post | Start a New Topic > Messages in this topic () > Recent Activity: > > > Visit Your Group > > > **************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** > > > Visit following to see uploaded files related to religious and informative > files uploaded. > > http://groups.google.co.in/group/thatha_patty?hl=en > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thatha_Patty/ > > _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________- > > MARKETPLACE > > Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - > Get the Yahoo! 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