"Silver Tongued" Srinivasa Sastri

Today is the death anniversary of “Silver Tongued” Srinivasa Sastri. 

He was born in Valangaiman near Kumbakonam in Tamilnadu on September 22, 1869 and passed away on April 17, 1946.  He was born to a poor gurukkal (temple priest).  After graduation he became a school teacher. 

Mr. Sastri joined the Indian National Congress but resigned protesting against the non-cooperation movement. Even though policywise he was against Mr. M. K. Gandhi, they both were personal friends.   Mr. Gandhi addressed him as his elder brother.

He participated in many international conferences on behalf of India. Mr. Sastri became world famous because of his command over English language and oratorical skills. Whenever he visited U.K., many people consulted him on English spellings and pronunciations. 

His mastery over English language was recognized by King George V and and Winston Churchill. Lord Balfour remarked that listening to Srinivasa Sastri made him realize the heights to which the English language could rise. 

The British conferred upon Sastri the appellation "Silver Tongued Orator of the British Empire".

Mr. Gandhi sent him the first copy of his newspaper “Harijan” for review. Mr. Sastri sent that back after correcting 27 mistakes. It is said that the British Prime Minister Lloyd George postponed his cabinet meeting for a few hours so he could listen Mr. Sastri speak.  Prime Minister George said he was shy to speak his own mother tongue after listening to the chaste delivery of Sastri.

The best tribute for him came from “I forgot his name now”. It is: 

Ranjit Singh showed the British how to play cricket and Srinivasa Sastri showed the British how to speak English.

Puerto Vallarta

We stayed in Puerto Vallarta only for 4 days. Two days were spent on functions related to the marriage. That left us only 2 days for sightseeing. There were so many things to see but short of time. So we looked up the website and found the “top 10 things to do” in Puerto Vallarta. We decided on the first 3 and visited them. They are: 

The Malecon (Board Walk) 

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish 

The Romantic Zone 

The Malecon (Board Walk) is a 2 mile walk along the beach. Only pedestrians are allowed. No car No bike. Beautiful scenery. It is the most popular and fun place to visit. We enjoyed the ocean, the beautiful statues along the way. Lots and lots of shops for drinking and eating. 

Here are a few photos:

                                                          Puerto Vallarta's Finest

                                                           

We then visited Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. We went there at noon time and there was a mid day mass going on. It was all in Spanish and we did not understand a thing. Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Parish is the symbol of the city. It is a very popular church in Mexico. Since there are too many tourists visiting, the brochure says “don’t forget to be respectful”. While there, we were very respectful. Did not even click our camera during the mass. Donated some money when the plates were passed. 

Here are a few photos: 

Romantic Zone is the Old Puerto Vallarta City (ala Old Delhi and New Delhi).This is the busiest part of town. The streets are smaller, there are more shops, cafes, bars and restaurants per square foot than anywhere else in town. 

Here are a few photos.

                                                                Sign in a Restaurant       

Puerto Vallarta - The Wedding

Last weekend was the wedding. We left San Francisco on Friday for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and returned on Tuesday. Saturday evening was Mehandi. Sunday was wedding and reception.  (There was Mehandi for men also.  Until that day, I thought Mehandi was only for ladies/girls.  No, I did not have Mehandi on me.)

Here, I have to praise the Bride and the Groom. They both paid for the room charges at the Westin Hotel for us. (May be they paid for all the guests. I don’t know).  Paying for one couple at a 5 star hotel for 4 nights will cost an arm and a leg.  The marriage function was only for 2 days. But we wanted to stay for extra 2 days for sightseeing purpose. It is very nice of them to pay for all 4 days

This was a pleasant surprise for us.  We never expected this.  We were prepared to pay for all 4 days.

These two made all the physical arrangements themselves and paid all the expenses for their wedding.

Here are some photos from the marriage. I purposely did not show any face.

                             Sunday Brunch (between breakfast and lunch) served here

                     Wedding Mandapam (near the water) - photo taken during day time

                          Wedding Mandapam at night - photo taken during dinner time

Dinnner Buffet

                               Several make shift arrangements for dinner at the beach

Dance Dance Dance