"When you educate a girl, you empower a nation" - Queen Rania of Jordan
Inspiration
Shrimathi Thangamma Aiyangar, our beloved Mother was fondly known as “ThangManni" or "ThangChitty” in her family circle, and “Ammavare” in Kollegal, lived a pious life following all conservative rules of orthodoxy.
Born in Sagara, a city of Karnataka, Located in the western ghats range of India, she grew up in Gorur, located in Hassan, Karnataka, where her father Krishnaswamy Iyengar and mother Shallamma raised their family. She was one of the 5 siblings and loved her sisters and brother immensely. She was a darling golden “Thanga” for her parents, siblings and cousins. Married at the age of 14, she managed a big household with strength and courage! She quickly adjusted to her married life at the young age and fondly became “Manni” to all the youngsters in her new family. She became a mother at the age of 20 and brought 8 of us to this world and taught us how to be fine individuals and strive for knowledge, do service to the society and to have total devotion to the almighty. All that we are and ever will be, we owe to our mother. That was our mother!
Smt Thangamma, our mother, had one regret and it was that she did not get to study beyond 3rd grade while her brother, whom she loved the most was allowed to study further. At that time, education of girls in schools was a taboo in Indian households, where she grew up. Her passion was to learn English as an adult and she took it as a challenge and was drawn to learn English by herself after she got married. When we were in school, she would take our books and ask for our assistance to read and understand. She immigrated to America in 1978 and a few years later she joined an adult English learning school in USA and completed the courses. She was able to answer all questions in English when she took the US citizenship interview. She continued to surprise us all with her passion to learn and hence became a role model for all of us. She encouraged her daughters, sons and grand children to continue their education as long as they could. She facilitated learning, growth, and creativity with her granddaughters too. Being a traditional woman, she had a modern and open thinking that she wanted a woman president in US and she followed American politics closely ever since Reagan won Presidential Election. Our mother was a democrat and would have been very involved if she were alive during 2016 Presidential Election in US. She was also fascinated by the Queen Elizabeth and her British Royalty. She followed all TV coverings of the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana with great excitement. That was our mother!
Smt Thangamma, our mother, was our guru of compassion, love and fearlessness. Her heart was a deep abyss, at the bottom of which we always found forgiveness. She never harbored a grudge against anyone in her entire life. She took the place of all others for us, but whose place no one else could take. Our mother was without a doubt the most important person in our lives and the most complete individual we know. We have always taken pride in the appearance of our mother as she was a very beautiful lady and very knowledgeable too, made a variety of home remedies to help take care of any illness we would have as children. Her motherly love also extended to the animals and the trees at our home in Kollegal, especially the Dogs, the Cows. the Jackfruit Tree, the Mango Trees and The Coconut Trees. Our mother was a great cook who always left us looking forward to the next meal. She knew how to mix the right ingredients to end up with a very delicious meal that often left us licking our fingers. Just the memory of the foods that she prepared for us makes us salivate to this present day, especially variety of pickles and crispy Sajjappas. She always made time to connect with her extended family from both her side and her husband's side. And of course all her uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews. She was the glue who kept us all together. She blessed her grandchildren by becoming their “Pati” and ‘Thanga Pati.’ When she became a Great Grand Mother, her Great Grand Children would call her “Cow Pati” for "Koll Pati”.She was actually, “What You See is What You Get” type of a straight shooter! That was our mother!
Smt Thangamma’s perseverance in learning continued until her last breadth on April 29th of 2013. Her last wish was to help young girls achieve their goals through higher education. She had instilled in us the values of pursuing equal access to education for girls and boys. She wanted us to take an active role in empowering girls and women to achieve their dreams in her hometown of Kollegal. We are thrilled to be her ambassadors to empower needy girls to pursue their educational dreams.
Shree Vrittamani Srinivsa Aiyangar, our beloved father was fondly known as “Nanjangud Vakilru”, in Kollegal, lived a life of principles and Orthodoxy. He excelled in the defense of his clients charged in the criminal and civil courts and pleaded effectively to achieve the intended results "Not Guilty". For brevity in address he was known as V S. Aiyangar in Kollegal. Born in Mavattur a village of Shivamogga District, grew up in Nanjangud where his father, Shree Venkatakrishna Iyengar, had achieved fame as a Pleader. He was a sibling of 9 children.
Several generations before the lifetime of Sri V. S. Aiyangar, a branch of the family is understood to have migrated from Dodda Maluru in Channapatna Taluk to Haradana Halli in Chamarajanagar Taluk. This migration appears to have been connected with the acquisition, through marriage, of approximately eighty acres of agricultural land from a family long established in Haradana Halli, near the ancient Sri Venugopala Swamy temple. During the reign of Mummadi Krishna Raja Wodeyar, sometime between 1840 and 1880, a distinguished forefather of the family is said to have been conferred the honorific title “Vrittamani” in recognition of his service. The title, derived from Sanskrit, may be interpreted as “jewel of news,” “chronicle-gem,” or “jewel of learned record,” and is associated with the early development of printing, record-keeping, journalism, and administrative communication in the Kingdom of Mysore.
The historical context of this title is significant. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Wodeyar court encouraged the growth of the printing press and supported the preparation of official newsletters, legal proclamations, administrative records, and cultural chronicles.
The word “Vritta” denotes news, events, or chronicle, while “Mani” signifies a jewel. Taken together, the title conveys the idea of a person entrusted with the preservation or communication of important events and records.
According to family tradition, the Maharaja bestowed this title upon a scholar-administrator attached to the court, an ancestor of the later Nanjangud-based legal and scholarly family. His duties are believed to have included the supervision of official chronicles, records, or early forms of news publication.
In due course, as was often the case with marks of royal distinction in Mysore State, the title passed from being a personal honor to a hereditary family prefix. Later descendants, including the scholar, legal advocate, and community leader Sri Vrittamani Sreenivasa Aiyangar—widely remembered in the Nanjangud and Kollegal regions as the “Nanjangud Vakil”—continued to bear the name as a memorial to their ancestor’s intellectual and administrative service to the Wodeyar crown.
The family’s agricultural holdings were situated in Dollipura village, approximately five miles west of Haradana Halli, on the route passing through Dodda Mole village. Following the death of Venkata Krishna Iyengar, his eldest son, Sri V. S. Aiyangar, assumed responsibility as karta of the Hindu Undivided Family. In 1933, he obtained a loan of Rs. 19,000 from the Bangalore Central Co-operative Bank. The loan was taken in support of the publication activities of his elder sister, Tirumalamba, affectionately known within the family as Ammanyakka, who was associated with the Sati Hitaishini Grantha Mala Publications at Nanjangud in Mysore District. Sri V. S. Aiyangar later also undertook the publication of “Bhadra Geetavali” from Kollegal during the 1960s or 1970s.
Sri V. S. Aiyangar received his high school education at Marimallappa’s High School in Mysore. During this period, his maternal uncle, Sri T. S. Raghava Char, was serving as a government official. The family then resided in a spacious bungalow in Lakshmipuram, near Chamarajapuram Railway Station, a locality associated with educated and professional families of Mysore.
After completing his schooling, Sri V. S. Aiyangar proceeded to Mangalore for further studies and subsequently pursued higher education in Pune, Banaras, and Bombay. He earned the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in August of 1924 from University of Madras and Bachelor of Laws in January of 1927 from University of Bombay. He was also a Freemason (a member of the United Grand Lodge of England).
While studying at Banaras Hindu University, he was advised to adopt a surname rather than continue using only his father’s name while he was studying for LLB degree. It was at this stage that he revived the ancestral title “Vrittamani,” originally conferred upon one of his forefathers by the Maharaja of Mysore, thereby linking his own educational and professional identity with the family’s earlier tradition of scholarly and administrative service.
Shree V.S. Aiyangar began his legal practice in Nanjangud, where he worked alongside his father. When his younger brother, Shree V.K. Narayana Iyengar, also registered as a Pleader in Nanjangud, Shree V.S. Aiyangar moved his practice to Kollegal, where he had already established a growing clientele. His legal work required frequent travel to Coimbatore and Madras to argue appeals before the District Courts and the High Courts. Following the reorganization of states in 1956, his professional travels shifted to Mysore and Bangalore.
His day began before dawn and continued well into the night, often beyond 10:00 p.m. He maintained this disciplined routine seven days a week. His daily schedule included prayers three times a day, approximately three hours in his office each morning, six hours at the Magistrate's Court in Kollegal, and an additional three to four hours in his office during the evening.
Despite his demanding professional commitments, he dedicated considerable time to public service. He played a leading role in a local cooperative society and guided the local chapter of a political organization during both the pre-independence and post-independence periods. He was a staunch admirer of Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and many other national leaders who shaped India's destiny.
Shree V.S. Aiyangar was instrumental in drafting the framework for the formation of the Kollegal Municipality. He served as legal counsel to the municipality as well as several banks in the town. Deeply devoted to Hindu philosophy and inspired by the teachings of Sri Ramanujacharya, he played a significant role in establishing the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society and actively supported the temples of the region.
As a respected pillar of the community, he worked closely with civic leaders and government officials to improve educational opportunities in Kollegal. His efforts contributed to strengthening educational facilities from the elementary level through high school. He was particularly committed to expanding educational opportunities for girls and women, as well as for residents of Kollegal and the surrounding areas.
Throughout his life, he worked tirelessly to unite people across all sections of society. As an advocate and community leader, he rejected discrimination based on caste, social status, or background. He firmly believed in the equality and dignity of all individuals and dedicated himself to the welfare of the entire community. His guiding principle was the timeless Sanskrit prayer: "Sarve Janah Sukhino Bhavantu" — "May all people be happy."
He dreamed of a future in which the people of Kollegal would earn recognition throughout India and across the world in every field of endeavor. That dream continues to unfold today. May his vision continue to inspire future generations and guide the people of the Kollegal region toward greater achievements and lasting prosperity.
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