Undeterred by age

Courage to face the unknown and confidence in herself have brought Mukta Venkatesh to where she is today. V. R. DEVIKA writes on the 100-year-old painter, poet and literature enthusiast.

"COME for my 101st birthday," says Mukta Venkatesh cheerfully as I take leave of her in Mysore. The 100-year-old painter, poet and English literature buff is full of cheer. "I do not know why old age is respected as noble," she says with a twinkle in her eye. "A person should be respected for achievements and nobility not just for getting old."

Mukta Venkatesh's achievements are not small. A painter of merit, she still paints flowers with a steady hand. She loves English poetry and knows "The Golden Treasury" by heart. "I recite poetry to myself when I can't sleep. I don't count sheep," says Mukta.

Humour is a distinguishing feature. Mukta's grinder tooth which caused her uneasiness could not be removed due to a fibrosis problem. One day while eating keerai masiyal (a preparation with several varieties of mashed greens), a fibre from a leaf got caught in the problem tooth. While attempting to remove the fibre, the tooth fell out. "I was overjoyed," says Mukta, "I wrote a sonnet on it, titled 'To a Fallen Grinder'."

"Do you want to see my needlework?" she asks suddenly. She gets up and walks carefully to her room and brings a bundle of clothes. The needlework is sheer poetry. Invisible stitches in applique work, shading and neat handling. There is a copy of Jaimini Roy's painting of "Gopika Vastrapaharana" (Krishna stealing the clothes of gopis).

Mukta Venkatesh paints flowers every morning. She shows her new collection and mentions the botanical and the common names of each flower. "I cannot do without painting every morning," Mukta says. "When I paint I am very happy. I am lost in the effort of how to produce on paper my impression of what I see. So the household problems are kept at bay."

Reading is her favourite hobby; William Butler Yeats, her favourite poet. Her bungalow in Mysore, where she has been residing since 1948 is full of books. The walls are full of pictures of flowers in deep colours.

Mukta Venkatesh was born in a family known for its love for literature. Her father A. Madhaviah, an officer in the Excise department at the turn of the century and a teacher to his children at home, was also a pioneer in modern Tamil literature. He wrote the first realistic novel in Tamil, Padmavathi Charithram in 1892, which saw five reprints in his lifetime. He also wrote short stories, plays, poems and edited a monthly, Panchamritham. His English novels stressed on the need for social legislation and won him acclaim.

Madhaviah was a good friend of poet Subramania Bharathi who was a frequent visitor to his house.

Madhaviah started the Author's Guild and Printer's Press in Madras after retirement. Young Mukta helped in drawing the Colophon for |Panchamritham. She also proofread many books and illustrated them. For Francis Kingsbury's work, Jesus of Nazareth published by her father, Mukta drew a map depicting the path taken by Jesus in his journey. Mukta did the background research for Clarinda, a novel based on the real life story of a Brahmin widow rescued from imminent Sati by a Christian. Marriage at 18 took Mukta from Madras to Mysore. "Then it was the princely State and things were very different. All the officials were like personal servants of the Royal family. Mysore is now independent and a profound change has come over the people. People are aware of their rights. I welcome the change."

Mukta had shown an interest in painting while young and her father had bought her colours and encouraged her. When she was visiting London with her husband, she learnt of painter Xavier Willis, who took groups of people on outdoor picnics to sketch landscapes and worked with him. From landscapes, Mukta began to focus on flowers and with age giving her less freedom to travel, flowers became her passion.

Her daughter Girija, also a painter, and her son-in-law A. Madhavan, former Ambassador to India live near her, encouraging her in her painting, literature and helping her in her daily chores. Madhavan and Mukta never tire of quoting from English literature to each other and never stint in searching for a book to elaborate a point. "I am very happy to teach young children who want to learn English," says Mukta. "From class I to B.A., anyone interested in English can come and learn from me. I am free between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.," she says assuringly.

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