• Madurai Messenger
• Printed version
• 2011
• December
• People

 

A Teacher, A Friend,An Inpiration

Being a teacher does not mean dealing only with the subject: A teacher should teach the pupils to become good human beings with good morals, advocates Ambai Manivannan, a teacher, researcher and writer, who is also a good friend, philosopher and guide. Having authored many books on Madurai, especially the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, he continues his journey to guide and enlighten visitors to this temple city

Clara Hill Fors
Sweden

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teacher, writer and a research guide for PhD scholars, Madurai-based Ambai Manivannan, (45), with his passion for temple art and architecture of Tamil Nadu, is a multi-faceted person. Author of seven books on religious customs and temple art and architecture in the state, Ambai Manivannan’s latest is Potramarai, a guidebook in Tamil on the Meenakshi Amman Temple for tourists and locals.

The Inspirational role of Teachers

“Being a teacher should not mean only dealing with the subject, it should also be to teach them, (the pupils), to be good human beings and inculcate in them good morals and ethics, in order to lead a good life. He, (the teacher), must be able to inspire them,” explains Ambai, about his vision of a perfect teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ambai Manivannan believes that education is the key to a progressive society. Good teachers are the only solution. That is exactly what Ambai has been doing all along: devoting his life to teaching and in turn inspiring other people.

Ambai Manivannan’s success and the path he has taken, is because of his inspirational teachers at school and college. One of the main reasons for Ambai pursuing his Bachelor’s and Masters Degree in Tamil Literature at the Melur Government Arts College and Madurai Kamaraj University respectively, was his Tamil teacher, Mr.Lakshmanan, who handled classes for him in his 9th and 10th grade at Sri.V.V.Hr.Sec.School, Venkatachalapuram (Theni). “He taught in a humorous and light hearted manner, that made all students adore the subject,” he comments.
“You can’t resist liking the subject,” says Ambai with pride. Lakshmanan was a mentor who continues to influence him even today.

Education and Career

In 2000, Ambai joined Thiagarajar College of Arts as a professor of Tamil. It was then that he started to realize that hard work, dedication, and the ability to capture the interest of the students are those that make teaching a most challenging profession.

Before joining Thiagarajar College, Ambai did his PhD in Temple Arts at the Madurai Kamaraj University, with Dr.Sethuraman, (58), as his research supervisor, who has written ten books on history, art and architecture. With a beaming smile, Ambai recalls that Dr Sethuraman motivated him and taught him everything that he needed to know on this topic. Like Dr.Sethuraman, a prolific author, and the best critic, Ambai too wanted to author books.

Ambai also talks about Dr.Venkatraman, who has been his main source of inspiration for wanting to enter the field of Temple Arts. He has authored eight books on Archaelogy and Tsemple Arts.“When you take out any book from the library, you can see notes written by Dr.Venkatraman on almost every page and he has read almost all the books in the main library of Madurai Kamaraj University,” says Ambai, a voracious reader.

These are a few titles authored by Ambai: Art and Architecture of the Vaishnava Temples in the Pandya region (1999), Temple Research Methodology (2000), History of Temple Art in Tamil Nadu (2005). Ambai has authored a lot of books on art and architecture. His most recent book, ‘Potramarai’, published in 2010, has been written with the view of educating the general public and tourists. Ambai wants to make people interested and educate them in what he considers as the historic nucleus of Madurai, the Meenakshi Amman Temple. The book contains directions to the visitors to the temple from the entrance to the exit and it aims at guiding them through the temple, so that they don’t lose their way. It also talks about the history of the temple. Dr.M.Srinivasan (M.D.), the founder of A.R.publications has been instrumental in the success of this book.

When asked why he chose this name, Ambai said that ‘Potramarai’ refers to the big golden Lotus tank in the middle of the Meenakshi Amman Temple, and it is considered to be one of the most important and mystified parts of it. According to legends and stories, the water in the lotus tank is magical. The petals of a lotus are considered to have medicinal qualities like helping in the treatment of skin diseases.

Ambai plans to distribute the Tamil version of the book all over South Tamil Nadu, and he also has future plans of translating it in English and distributing it in the whole of India. He thinks it is important for the common people to know about ancient sculptures and temples, because one has to always be aware of their religious customs and traditions. He also says it is useful for children, as they can learn a lot of moral values from it.

Future Dreams!

Ambai seems to be very pleased and proud about his job. He voices out that would always like to remain a teacher. In the future, he hopes to work in colleges as a Tamil Professor, and if he gets the opportunity, he also would like to work at the university. He has a lot of future projects in mind. But one such idea that he shares with us is that he would like to author a novel about the past four generations of his family.

Apart from that, he aims to do research concerning agricultural engineering technology, the way it developed and its use to the farmers. He is doing a major research project titled, “Temples of South Tamil Nadu - An Intertextual approach”. Ambai still has within him, the thirst for knowledge and explains that there is so much about architecture, which has not yet been explored. His teachers and guides have been his role models and have taught him to be an inspiration to others.

Ambai’s Grandfather- A Founder and visionary

It seems historically interesting as well, since Ambai’s grandfather was the founder of his native village, Ambasamudram, which is also Ambai’s native place. That was where all his family members were till he was twenty three years. Then, their family moved to Manapparai in Karur District. But one can still see the love Ambai exhibits towards his native place. He is still in touch with the locals there and makes it a point to be present at all the festivals and functions there. He says that even now, people in the village respect him and treat him as one among them.

It all started when his great grandfather and his family migrated from Sattur and Kovilpatti to this village, which was then not known to people. The village was founded approximately 200 years ago. Govindanagaram, a nearby village, was the only place the villagers were aware of. But he says that it is believed that Ambasamudram came into existence five years prior to that of Govinda Nagaram. When asked about his thoughts on why they would have moved here, Ambai said, “I believe and was told that they were forced to migrate to Ambasamudram because of drought and famine in the previously settled areas. This was a place comprising of fertile lands and hence, maybe they felt that it would be best to move here. Later, more people started their lives in this village and now it has become a very important village and all the people are aware of the village’s existence.”

Interview with Ambai's student,Sheela Devi Good guides lead to good people / The Perfect Student I met one of Ambai's students, R.Sheela Devi, (42), who is a teacher in the Corporation School in Madurai for the past fifteen years. Devi pursued her Bachelor's and Master's in Tamil too, similar to Ambai. Ambai is her guide for PhD. Devi is as passionate about studying and learning as much as Ambai and she also seems to share the idea that a teacher should do more than just teach. Ambai, she says, plays a very important role in her life. "He is a very good friend and philosopher. He is a very straight forward person who really puts his heart and soul into whatever he does and he is not a money-minded guide. He doesn't give up easily and all he asks for is good, hard-working students. I am really grateful that Mr. Ambai Manivannan is my guide. He introduces me to the right people and whatever I am today, is because of him, my Guide," says Sheela with pride.