MY SEARCH...........

    There was a Siddhar called MuthuVadugaNathar who lived in Singampunari, Sivagangai District in the 18th and 19th centuries. He voluntarily descended into a samadhi pit and attained samadhi in 1833 AD. A temple was built over his samadhi. He was born a prince. His father who was a chieftain of Sembi Nadu, was murdered. So his mother had to take him and flee to safety and leave his inheritance because of danger to his life when he was five years old.  He was a Siddha and a poet who taught Tamil. He was also well-versed in Manthra Sastra. He was a Shakthi Worsipper who performed upasanai to Bala and Varahi.

    He had written a text called 'Varahi Malai' on a sheaf of palm leaves. Varahi Malai is a potent Manthra book of verses. The manuscript was kept in the Pujai room of the Siddhar's house. The direct descendant of the Siddhar goes inside the pujai room and takes out the manuscript and reads the text from it during pujai on Friday nights.

    I was searching for the book of 'Varahi Malai'.

    The search started from 1973.

    I went to India in 1982, and 1984. But could not get the book.
    I went again in September, 1986.

    During my search, I told a book publisher called Vijaya Velayutham about Varahi Malai. He told me about Roja Muthiah of KOttaiyUr and asked me to see him. He would have the book, Velayutham said.

    In September, 1986.I went to see Roja Muthiah together with my elder brother and a friend.

    I went to his house in his native place called KOttaiyUr. At that time, he had a big house and had two more rented houses. These houses were all full of books. Wherever you turn or step, there were books lying around. Although the house was full of almaris and shelves upto the ceiling, there was no place and the books were lying on the ground.

    I told him about my collection. I also told him about the places where I have been working - all the places which were populated predominantly by other races. And also about what types of books I had bought and collected. About my profession and my very busy schedule. About my reading and writing and lecturing. And my researches. And my social service and commitment to Tamil culture and religion.

    Roja Muthaiya used to astound visitors who came to see him and his collection.

    But he was astounded at my schedule, my life style, livelihood and collection. He remarked, "Others stay in Tamilnadu and buy books and collect them. There is nothing surprising in that. It is also easy here. But the type of places that you have been living and the type of work that you have been doing! Inspite of that you have been collecting books. And the special point to be noted is the types of books that you have selectively collected".

    He told me about why he had to have three houses. He lamented about the fact that he had to destroy ten thousand books which had been attacked by termites. He described how he collected so many books many of which had been bought from old book and paper stores.

    At that time, I used to write for the Sunday Special Edition of a Malaysian Tamil daily paper called Dinamani.

    I took an interview of Roja Muthiah for that paper.........

GO TO PART 2

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