To: "Min Nuul"  
From: "Kannan"  
Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 10:51:42 +0530 
Subject: [e-suvadi] Travel Diary 21.02.02 
Reply-to: [email protected] 

         
 
The legacy continues....

Temptations bring trouble!  Dr.Prema gave me several articles on Tamil
medicine. She has hands-on experience on tamil suvadis. In one of her articles 
she mentions about critical editions. She compares suvadis on toxicology from
Saraswati Mahal and Tamil University. I was tempted to see that Suvadi in Saraswati mahal.
Dr.Rangarajan, took me to the scholar in-charge. She was a nice lady and brought a
suvadi kattu that contained the work I wanted (Dr.Rangarajan edited and published few
books with her).
It was on 'nanju muRivu' - an antidote for poison. A single leaf of
information with a poem explaining the medicine.

We approached the Administrative Officer. An officer at Deputy 
Collector level. He talks willingly everything other than books and scholarship :-) So 
he asked me how much I earn in Germany !! Quite embarrassing, is it not? Once that
curiosity was satisfied he started talking about Hitler :-) After all this un-
pleasantries, I asked him whether I could scan that single leaf for reference.

The officers deal such requests differently. He refused straight away !
He told me that there was no preceding of that sort and if someone sees me
scanning, they would ask as well. I thought where was the problem? Instead, he asked 
me to write a request for micro filming that work! I told him that scanning is much
simpler, faster.
Officers never listen to logic and are used to refuse requests rather
than granting one!

Well, I had no other choice. I met the Officer in-charge of
microfilming. The Suvadi was handed over to technicians. The handling was very poor. would
have given the respect the suvadi deserves. The officer told me that
microfilm stock was exhausted and he was waiting for a shipment from Germany. I
told him that a German expert was in front of him and a German scanner is ready
to shoot  the image. Where was the problem?  He thought for a moment and
realized the sense in my statement. He asked me to wait while he would persuade
the AO for the scan. AOs are hard nuts to crack. He miserably failed. He asked
his assistant to come out with a cost estimate for micro filming a single palm leaf!
They took some time, as it was an unusual request. Most scholars microfilm 
an entire work of several leaves. Finally, they derived a sum of Rs.65
towards that and told me that they would send me the microfilm by registered
post within a week - which I didn't believe !

I lost all my enthusiasm by then and I paid him the money...wait, I had
to go to
another place for paying the bill. I was allowed to keep the receipt 
and
asked
to write my address in a note book. Having lost my hope with Saraswati
mahal
I wanted to see the other version in Tamil University. Since I was
introduced to
the Department by the VC there was no problem in tracing the palm leaf
for me.
I was permitted to scan the leaf. Prof.Paramasivam explained me the
textual
variation one finds in that work!

River flows from top to bottom and so function most Institutions in
India :-))

Kannan

ps. I thank Re.Ka and Anandasayanam for inspiration  :-)