The Iyers are recreating history and making sure future generations have no reason to regret that they do not have a past to fall back on. In their house in Bengaluru, there are precious family-owned items which have survived the ravages of time. Life and lifestyles have changed over the course of four centuries but the family has clung to these little possessions and made sure an unknown inheritor in another time would gaze at them with awe and thank his ancestors for making him aware of his lineage.
There are museums and museums, there are some which display priceless artifacts and relics of ages bygone, there are others tracing the roots of mankind from time immemorial telling us our own story from the days man started walking the earth. But a museum tracing the lineage of a family? Now, that’s unique. It’s also what 'Regret' Iyer has set up at his residence in the city.
This is no mean achievement in times when most of us hardly remember or care to find out who our forefathers are beyond our grandparents. The family line stops at three past generations but that's not the case with the Iyers, who have done their painstaking research to compile and present their story dating back to a full 400 years!
Sixty-four year old 'Regret Iyer' has a history of his own and is a familiar name in the media industry. Some might wonder about the name 'Regret Iyer'. As he escorts us inside his family museum, Regret Iyer alias Sathyanarayana Iyer explains the story behind a name.
"As a freelance contributor, I used to send my writings and photos to various newspapers and magazines to be published. All I received in return were 375 'regret' letters from editors for not publishing my work."
For wise men, even grass is a weapon and Mr Iyer decided to turn the letters to his advantage. He sent his unique collection of 'regret letters' to the Limca Book of Records and ensured he earned a place in the famous record book. He even officially changed his name to Regret Iyer from Sathyanarayana Iyer and now holds 10 national records and one Guinness record.
As he takes us through the museum, Mr Regret Iyer tells us what inspired him to set up the museum. "Since my childhood, I have been hearing great tales about my forefathers from my grandfather, the late Mr Narasimha Iyer and my father, late Mr S.N. Iyer. They were able to retain personal items left behind by our forefathers with much care, in the limited space at the house."
Curiosity got the better of him and over the years, Iyer began exploring the roots of his ancestors. “I accessed old dairies, visited places, and learned so much about their history and their lifestyle. It was a revelation finding out that they had migrated via Palar River from Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu to Kothamangala village in Kolar district. Our ancestors belonged to the Shanuboga family (of Ashtagrama Iyers) and were residents of Kothamangala.
From my father, I learned that we belonged to the 'Kandadi' lineage and using this, I traced my family tree from 1600 AD all the way to my forefather, Srinivasa Iyengar. I am the 10th generation of the family and my son, Shravan Regret Iyer is the 11th."
There are objects dating back to 1600 AD, in the house, carefully preserved for the unborn Iyers. From manuscripts written on palm leaves to age-old diaries, wooden articles to traditional instruments, coins, family photographs, musical instruments, jewel box, copies of panchangas (almanacs), brass food carriers, decorative lamps, vintage radios, old coconut cutters, pen stands and various writing materials — the list goes on and on. Every of these items were exclusively used by Mr Regret Iyer's forefathers.
A unique attraction in the museum is the wooden swing (joola) brought from present-Pakistan which was used by his father Late S.N. Iyer, when he worked as an officer in Imperial Bank (SBI) in Hyderabad-Sindh which went to Pakistan after partition. Lending a helping hand to Mr Iyer is wife Vijayalakshmi Regret Iyer who shares his passion for conserving family relics.
"The museum will be taken care of by my son, Shravan Regret Iyer and daughter Shruthi Iyer in future," smiles Mr Regret Iyer. It's a private museum no doubt but the Iyers are ready to open the doors of the museum to the public. They have a point to prove-that history is not only about great conquerors and mindless battles or the toil of millions and gigantic monuments for that matter but also about love and compassion holding families together, of familial ties and genes which bind a thousand generations across a millennium.
