It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you all about the passing away of Sankalak (PC Jayaraman) at Coimbatore on 14 Feb. May Almighty God grant his family the strength to bear this irreparable loss.
I for one was honoured when he visited me a couple of years ago. Unfortunately I could never return the visit during my trips to Coimbatore. He was most humble and soft spoken.
Sankalak we will miss you.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely shocked to hear of Sankalak’s passing. I had occasion to meet him when he visited Deepak. A genial and knowledgeable person. Another of my favourite persons has been taken away on St. Valentine’s Day. My condolences to the family.
I fondly cherish the regular email exchanges I had with him over the last few months. Never for a moment did he make me feel his end was so near.
DeleteSo sad to hear about Sankalak's sad demise. RIP
ReplyDeleteBesides his crossies, I always liked his nom de plume, Sankalak.
Sankalak means compiler.
DeleteThis is the most shocking news about Sankalak! May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteI just can't believe we'll not have any more smooth crosswords from this setter.
DeleteDoes anyone have mailing address or email ID of any of Sankalak's family members?
DeleteI only have his id, though I am not sure it may be accessed.
Deleterevati32@gmail.com
I only have his home contact. 0422 2617292. The final rites will be at noon today in Maha Shanti Cremation Centre, Perur.
DeleteIt's amazing that at 80+ even, he could churn out such lovely stuff.
Thanks Kishore 8:47.
DeleteI wished the obit ad had had an email ID to which we could have written our condolences.
DeleteI generally don't use the phone number in any obit ad as on a day like this the family members will be very busy.
For the past several months, he used to send me his puzzles in advance for drawing cartoons. If I noticed anything amiss with any of his clues (and it was indeed rare that such a thing happened), he would admit it immediately and send a revision asking me if it was fine. I have made it a practice to share the cartoon with the setters as far as I can, but he was the only one who responded by appreciating every one of them.
DeleteAgree with CV about difficulty in using the phone, especially today.
DeleteAbsolutely devastated and at a complete loss for words to express my sorrow.
ReplyDeleteI'll just count myself lucky to have met and interacted with him in person even if it was just the one time. My favourite setter is no more, but this somehow feels like one of my dear friends is no more. The loss feels much more personal. Sad day indeed.
Shocked to hear about Mr. Jayaraman's passing away. His simplicity masked an erudite and keen mind. My condolences to the family. RIP
ReplyDeleteVery sad news. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteSad and shocking indeed! RIP Sankalak.
ReplyDeleteI suggest that DG send a condolence card to his family on behalf of all of us, with names included. That will convince them that we are with them in their grief. Perhaps an email too should do.
ReplyDeleteMaybe all those whose names are to be included can make a request here. Sorry, Deepak, if it involves a bit of effort on your part. If given the mailing address I would have done that.
I did send an email today morning, but am uncertain if the account will be accessed. I am with you in the suggestion of sending a condolence card, preferably through a person residing in Coimbatore.
DeleteRaju, are you back in CBE?
How can someone's email ID be accessed by others in the family?
DeleteIt is not in the fitness of things to send an email to the ID that we have. We can use an email ID only if any is given in an obit ad.
Only if the password is known. Sometimes both husband and wife share the same id.
DeleteThe last crossie set by him to appear in TH so far was perhaps No 10995, Thursday 30 Jan 2014.
DeleteIf some of his submitted stock has remained to be published, we may be lucky. enough to have a few more.
In fact, it is always advisable for a person to share his/her id with the spouse as there could be important mails which may still come to a person's id after death. Maybe a forward can then be set up to another regularly used id. Though I and my wife use separate email ids, the same password is used for both. This is one of the estate planning devices for electronic inheritance and will ensure that the spouse can continue to get important mails.
DeleteEven so, it is infelicitous to use that ID after an event such as this has happened.
DeleteIf an email ID is formed by telescoping the names of a husband and wife, it can't be assumed that the email is shared by both.
I have spoken to Raju in Coimbatore and have requested him to attend the cremation today if he is free and also convey the condolences on behalf of all members of this blog with a condolence card.
ReplyDeleteI called Elgi Equipments, Coimbatore, where his eldest son Jayashankar Jayaraman works as HR Manager. The purpose was to get his mobile number and email ID.
DeleteThey are closed for two days, being on a 5-day-a-week work schedule. Only the security man answered my call.
It was kind of DG having requested Raju to attend the funeral and hand over a card.
What a shock :( words don't help during such times. His puzzles were probably a reflection of him from what I read here. Simple smooth and extremely pleasing leaving all of us with a smile in our faces. Can't say the same thing now though. RIP Sankalak. You singularly had been an inspiration for many solvers and setters like us .
ReplyDeleteVery sad indeed. May his soul rest in peace .
ReplyDeleteVery sad news. One of my favourite setters of The Hindu. I used to be in touch with Sankalak via email occasionally and he came across as a very pleasant, down-to-earth person. I was impressed with his openness to critical feedback, a quality not easily found in one so experienced in any domain. He would sometimes email to me about my blog posts with thoughtful, encouraging words.
ReplyDeleteI'm also reminded today of an amusing incident when Sankalak mixed up email ids and I received messages meant for his grand-daughter with a name similar to mine.
Will miss you, Sankalak.
While sending emails, if we select an ID from a dropdown list, there is a possibility of the cursor moving one step down all too quickly and lodging itself in the To field.
DeleteWoe unto us if we don't examine the To field before we hit the Send button.
Once I received a highly erotic joke from a nearly 90-year-old American woman with whom I was in correspondence.
Obviously she had intended to send it to an intimate friend of hers but it landed in my Inbox.
Guess what could have been my reaction.
His grandaughter's name as per the obituary is mentioned as Shruti. So CV's surmise is probably correct.
DeleteVery sad. Loved by all here.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad day. Words cannot express our grief. He was such a simple man, totally unassuming. I shall always cherish the few lucky minutes I had with him at our S&B meet in Chennai. He put everyone at ease with his simple manner. May his soul rest in peace and I pray to God to give the strength to his family to bear the loss.
ReplyDeleteVery sad to hear the news. Had never met him personally, but he was an all time favourite setter and always look forward to his offerings. Condolences and sympathies to the family. A loss to the crossword community
ReplyDeleteAs a beginner, I could solve many clues of Sankalak's grid only and he gave so much of confidence to me to attempt others' grid. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteVery sad to hear the passing away of Sankalak Shri Jayaraman. His setting even today was very much the same as I learnt to solve crosswords in the 70's which endeared me to his offering. My heartfelt condolences to the family.
ReplyDeleteMy heart feels heavy! A nonpareil setter with superb, smooth style!
ReplyDeletevery sad for all of us bloggers and CW lovers. My condolences to the family. My his soul RIP
ReplyDeleteThe passing of Sankalak, Mr. Jayaraman, came as such a shock. What a wonderful setter - I always looked forward to his cws. He will be sorely missed.
ReplyDeletePlease include my name, if possible, in the condolence card to his family.
Rest in peace, Sankalak, we will remember you for a long, long time.
Very sad news. He was one of my favorite setters. Will miss him very much. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteI will never forget his vastly entertaining puzzles. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteHe was one of my favorites. His puzzles were the best for newbies, and pros, alike. I don't believe there won't be a Sankalak run anymore ;-( .
ReplyDeleteI am really shocked. Even my wife remembers him. We were fortunate that he happened to attend the S & B meet, which we attended. It is in fitness of things to say that i learnt most of the things in Crossword fro him. It is a great loss to Hindu Crossword solvers. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteJust had a call from Raju on his return from the crematorium. Unfortunately he could not pay his last respects to the mortal remains of Sankalak as the cremation got over at 11 and he reached at 12 as per the time given in the Obituary. Notwithstanding that he met the family members of Sankalak and conveyed our condolence to them, he also handed over a written condolence message to them on behalf of all members of the blog.
ReplyDeleteMy gratitude to Raju for the same.
I'm glad Raju was able to meet the family and pass on our condolences.
DeleteThanks, Raju
DeleteOur sincere thanks to Col. & Raju for the efforts put in and the condolence message conveyed on all our behalf. A big void extremely difficult to fill in for all CW lovers.
ReplyDeleteArden's CW for today shifted to another post which is below this post
ReplyDeleteOur gratitude to Raju for his great gesture and pains taken. As a mark of respect to the departed soul, we will post messages only about him for a day.
DeleteThanks , all ye- fellow bloggers. The moment I got a call from the Col, I swung into action and arranged for a call taxi to go to the crematorium, as I do not drive around Coimbatore even since my arrival here. I got the details from the Times obit-col and having grabbed the cab, it too all of an hour to reach the location to be there by noon. The dirver had overshot to Perur, as given , but the location had to be reached back-tracking four miles to a place called Selvapuram. I'm a total stranger to the CBE roads. When I reached the center, I saw only three men and a lady sitting , looking so forlorn. After introducing myself,(sorrow makes good friends soon !) I expressed my feelings to every one of them on all our behalf and gave the message handwritten, as I didn't have the time or knowledge as to where I could get a sympathy card. They were very grateful and proud that we have remembered Sankalak.
ReplyDeleteThough I had invited Mr Jayaraman twice to my home to be with the Col and CV, when they visited me, he expressed his inability to travel. To me, he came out as a most humble person and soft-spoken- an image of a thorough gentleman-- which image shall remain etched in my mind. RIP, Sankalak- strange are the ways of God who makes kind souls like him to cross our lives with his inimitable crossies.
Richard : Got your email I have to trace his son's email ID and phone number and when done on Monday, I shall post it here for all others to send in their personal messages to the family.
The THCC that prays together, stays together !!
Thanks, Raju. Your narrative was so touching. Felt as if I was there.
DeleteAlthough I did not have a chance to meet him, the way he has been described here says it all.
For one who once held the post of Joint Secretary, Union Finance Ministry, to be so humble, simple and accessible, he sure was a remarkable person.
Once again, I join everyone in saying - may his soul rest in peace. May God give all strength to his dear family to bear the loss.
Extremely distressed at the loss of a much loved setter . May his soul rest in peace. May I suggest that his older puzzles be published when it his turn? It would be a fitting tribute for a veteran.
ReplyDeleteShocked to hear the sudden demise of our beloved setter. May his soul rest in peace. For the first and last time I met Mr PC Jayaraman at our THC setters and bloggers meet at Chennai on 21.02.11. That day he wanted us to write a cryptic clue for MIOCENE. When I sent him a clue for the same, his reply was
ReplyDelete"Dear Mr Rengaswamy,
Thanks for the mail and apologies for the delay. I have been travelling and am now back in Coimbatore. For 'miocene', 'economise' is good anagram fodder. Of course you have to add an anagram indicator and a deletion indicator for the letters to be omitted. In my puzzle I have settled for "Come in any how, packing energy, to see a time millions of years ago".
What do you think?
Regards.
Jayaraman
His Phone No. and email id given by him at the time of S&B meet was
Mr. P.C.Jayaraman 9444004330 revati32@gmail.com
An irreparable loss to the crossword community and I was amazed by his simplicity .His clues were uniformly, smooth, simple and always brought joy.May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteOur heartfelt condolences to Smt Vimala and other members of the family on this untimely loss of a beloved elder.
ReplyDeleteShri Jayaraman was a thorough gentleman who never let his accomplishments go to his head.
The crossword community has lost its stellar setter.
We pray to the Lord of Seven Hills to give the family the strength and courage to bear this bereavement.
Attention everyone:
ReplyDeleteIn response to my message, Sankalak's elder son Jayashankar just called me up to thank all of us. They were so touched by Raju's personal visit on our behalf.
His mobile no. is +91 97900 39115. e-mail: jjayaraman@gmail.com
There are a few people whom you have never met but feel as if you knew them very intimately through their work. Sankalak was one of them.His crosswords were gentle & smooth, encouraging & guiding.
ReplyDeleteQuite devastated.
May his soul rest in peace.
As I penned my mail to Sankalak's son, I realised that whenever I miss his puzzles, this is one place I can come to and solve them all over again and again. My special thanks to Col.Deepak Gopinath for having made this possible.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a bit strange not to have a set of Sankalak grids open the setter cycle in THC. Coincidentally, just last evening I was thinking about how his crosswords serve as a good introduction to new solvers. In fact my first completed grid was a Sankalak. I even cut the grid out from the main paper for keepsake. Like a few others here, I too had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jayaraman at an S&B a couple of years ago and I concur with everything that has been said about his self-effacing personality. Sankalak will be sorely missed. My condolences go out to his family and friends.
ReplyDeleteStunned to hear this news and really at a loss of words. Like everyone else here thoroughly enjoyed his puzzles. May his soul rest in peace. Condolences to his family and pray God to give them the strength in these difficult moments.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Raju, for taking the trouble, and conveying our condolences, in person, to Sankalak's family.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you, Richard, for his son's email and mobile number.
To the man who gave me the confidence to foray into the mysterious world of cryptics, the man who effortlessly illustrated that the most interesting presentation is the simplest one and to the one who often relieved our frustrations with the 'Aaha' moments. I have not been fortunate enough to correspond with you, but I shall always treasure the fact that your works would be next to mine, as a relief for frustrated solvers. Sankalak, Sir, We shall miss you.
ReplyDeleteExceptional, earnest, epic - Our message to you (4,2,5)
Dear friends of my father,
ReplyDeleteI am Jayashankar Jayaraman, Sankalak's first son. We are deeply moved at the sentiments expressed by all of you, by Raju personally calling on us at the crematorium. I realise many of you haven't met each other...despite this, the love for cross words brings you all together. Especially at this time of grief for us, your coming together and reaching out means so much to us. Again, thank you all.
Had my father drafted his obit, he would have ensured mentioning my mail id, an alternate telephone number...he was so meticulous. I am afraid I goofed.
To tell you a little more about my father...
He was a Central Secretariat Service officer, served mostly in the Ministry of Foreign Trade at Delhi. This ministry was renamed Ministry of Commerce later. He was a diplomat...served in Geneva, Switzerland in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN. He came back after four years and was inexplicably transferred to the Ministry of Finance. He loved cross word solving even then. He retired a few years prematurely, systematic as ever, after both his sons got employed. He then learned how to use the computer...he could teach me very soon! He was honorary Editor of Sruthi, a music and dance magazine. He was a connoisseur of music...the entire family enjoys all forms of music. He started compiling cross words...and all of you got to know him.
I am Director HR at Elgi Equipments Ltd. My brother Ramesh is Managing Director of Perfetti van Melle. My mother retired as Tamil news reader with AIR ...she was popularly known as "Vaasippadu Vimala Jayaraman".
My father had two grand children, my children. Prashanth works with Trafigura at Singapore. My daughter Shruti is in Std XI in Bala Vidya Mandir, Chennai.
Again, thank you all for being with us at this time.
Life has to go on. C'est la vie.
My mobile number is 97900 39115. My mail id is jjayaraman@gmail.com
With best personal regards,
Jayashankar
PCJ was my uncle (my Dad's elder brother). Despite being an avid crossworder I did not realize that Sankalak was actually him for a long long time. In addition to his puzzles, enjoyed his sense of humour, love for music, simplicity and outlook to life. All of us in the family will miss him badly and it is overwhelming to find that it is not just the family that is going to do so. Thank you all.
ReplyDeleteSundar
Will miss you Sankalak!
ReplyDeleteRIP Sankalak. You made us better than we were, with your brilliantly simple clues.
ReplyDeleteFor me personally this loss of Sankalak is irreparable. It is just not possible to replace his sense of cluing. I used to wait for Sankslak's spell after getting frustrated with a variety of setters, who may be considered good by most others. Many of my mornings will not be the
ReplyDeletesame any more. My lament appears so self centered even as I read that he has been a good husband, an affectionate father and a very likeable friend. May the family and numerous friends many of whom he may not have met, like my self, have the strength to bear this loss.
good by professional standards.
'
Sankalak will be missed. His clues were probing but gentle and gave you a fair chance. Got hooked into the world of cross words by him. Dr.Frank Kiruba Salem
ReplyDeleteVery saddened to hear about Sankalak's passing. Belated Condolences. Always looked forward to his crosswords. Abraham Mathew
ReplyDelete