Author Girija Madhavan’s mother Mukta Venkatesh, painter and writer, who lived in Mysuru from the 1920s till her death in 2003 at the age of over 101, was the fourth daughter of A. Madhaviah, a social reformer-cum-writer. She was deeply influenced by his love of literature, both English and Tamil, and also his liberal views. Here we publish the reminiscences of Mukta's early years (as narrated to Girija) on the Coromandel Coast — of a way of life now lost. In her long life, she saw the transition from bullock cart to jet and space travel; reading books by the light of hurricane lamps to the wonders of e-books and the internet. Now read on. —Ed
By Girija and A. Madhavan
