Coimbatore: Fans, family celebrate Padma Swaminathan's hundred and first birthday

Coimbatore: The legend is a hundred years old. Celebrated Gandhian-musician-naturalist Padma Swaminathan had a special pooja at the temple and a ‘grand’ feast with the co-residents of the Brindavan Hill View on Thondamuthur Road here last Friday to celebrate her 101st birthday. Needless to say that her large family of children and grandchildren—each of them a celebrity in his/her own way—were there to take the blessings from the grand old lady, who radiated like she was 20 years younger. The two-day celebration at the Senior Citizens Home at Brindavan Hill.

View, where Padma lived with son Subramaniyan, featured her famous musician daughter-in-law Dr N Rajam, her daughter Sangeetha Shankar, and her grandchildren Ragini Shankar and Nandini Shankar giving a brilliant violin concert accompanied by Kedar Kharaton on table. That was followed by another world famous musician Vani Jairam, another daughter-in-law, rendering two compositions.

A staunch follower of Ramana Maharishi, Gandhiji and Laxman Sharma (nature cure), Padma had “never used the services of doctors except for some fractures, dental and eye problems and that too in her late years”, said son Subramaniyan, adding, “She attributes this achievement to her adherence to natural food and strict disciplined life. Whatever illnesses she suffered, she cured herself by eating green vegetables, having cold and warm water applications, and fasting and other natural methods. Because of this she always looked much younger than her age”.

Padma’s husband T.S.Swaminathan was a firebrand freedom fighter who was in Multan Jail in 1931with B.K.Dutt and Krishnan Nair for four months, when he witnessed the sad sight of Bhagat Singh and others being taken out for being hanged at midnight. Inspired by her husband, Padma too joined the freedom movement. She won Gandhiji’s appreciation by singing Hindi bhajan for him when he visited Chennai.

Though her education got affected by family circumstances, Padma made up for it by appearing for the Banaras Matric in her 35th year and getting a B.A. from SNDT University, Mumbai. She also got a diploma in journalism. Training in Carnatic music from childhood, Padma trained under great gurus including Musiri SuramaniyaIyer, T.N.Swaminatha Pillai, Brinda and Chithoor Subramania Pillai. She was close to M.S. Subbulakshmi and D K Pattammal. DKP had sung on the stage a few rare krithis she learnt from her, according to son Subramaniyan.