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Prof. N. Subrahmanyam, M.A., L.T., F.R.G.S.,
(14.01.1885 – 29.01.1943)
Continued...(4)
IV. The Dedicated Life.
Upon the founding of the Association, he consecrated his life to Modern Geography. Even in his last mortal hours while in agonising struggles with death, his thoughts lay with the Indian Geographical Society and for its future. His eager earnest emotional nature found its mission of life and it transfigured him into a Zealot and Enthusiast. He lived, moved and had his being in Geography. He thrust the importance of Geography upon all and sundry, who-ever he came across, unmindful of derision, ridicule or boredom. He lost no opportunity of spreading geography whenever and wherever an occasion was found or made. Accepting invitations, he would travel at his own cost near and far and seize the occasion of any meetings) school or college societies, Teachers' Guild, Primary or Secondary School Teachers' gatherings, Indian Science Congress, All-India Educational Conference. It may be as stop-gap or a specially arranged course; he would accept it all. No call too high, none too low, none for which he would not make time. Geography Subrahmanyam was a sobriquet that clung to him and he received with smiles the epithet of 'Enemy of Geography' conferred by some candid friends of his. It gave him pleasure that his name was associated with geography even in such arresting manner.
A prophet is not honoured in his own country; and it is a tribute to his earnest and hard work that even in Madras also he succeeded in carrying with him a good part of Madras opinion. It took years of spade-work to build up a reputation there second to none and it was too firmly set for his detractors to injure it, so long as he was alive.
Outside the dust and heat of Madras, his work and worth were seen in true light and correct perspective. His influence extended in ever-widening circles; from Travancore to Kashmir, he spread the gospel of Modern Geography with missionary Zeal and found his reward in the quickened life that followed in the places he visited which stand out in bold relief against the life where his influence did not reach. At Lahore, for example, he made a strong plea for the establishment of a Punjab Geographical Society; he was delighted beyond measure when two years later he received a letter from its Secretary that it was his exhortation and the reconciliation he effected there, between rivals that led to the formation of that society with a record of work already (1941) to its credit. In Indore, only three weeks before his death (January, 1943), he capti-vated the men of light and leading and shaped their attitude to Modern Geography, interesting them in the Indian Geographical Society.
Above all his other services, there stands his inauguration of the Modern Geographical Movement in India and his advancement of it by and through his dedicated life as leader, path-finder and road-builder. To have inspired and led a great educative and educational movement, which is also a part of the creative evolution at work in India, is his enduring fame and entitles him to rank with the great educationists of India of our times.
Recognition came slowly but surely. At the Silver Jubilee Session of the Indian Science Congress (Calcutta, 1938) Dr. H. J. Fleure F.R.S., the doyen of British Geographers, in proposing his name for Presidentship of the Geography Section at the next session at Lahore (1939) declared that his work was meritorious and, that he had done everything a man could do for Geography in India. Similar tributes of recognition came from other eminent British Geographers such as Professors Fawcett, Ogilvie and Dudley Stamp. Recognition coming from such quarters, from men whose names are so well-known in the world of Geography, gave him the proudest moments of his life.
His Lahore Address (1939) on the Geographical Personality of India also met with appreciation at their hands. Prof. Fawcett, among others, wrote that he read over again that "brilliant" address, which seemed rather like notes of Human Geography and desired its expansion.
V. Last Years.
After retirement with pension from Government service on completing 55 years of age (Jan. 1940), his hands were as full of work as ever. He gave to Geography all the hours thus released from official duties.
He had now a more crowded programme of work for the Association than ever before and gave himself no rest. Nor could he spare time for the books be had been contemplating to write and for which he had taken copious notes for long years - Historical Geography of South India, Tour in Europe, Teaching of Geo-graphy, etc. He laid them all aside - absorbed in the greater task of creating full opportunities for the men to come.
In 1941 the old Madras Geographical Journal was renamed the Indian Geographical Journal. From now on, his ambition was to re-create the Madras Geographical Association into an India wide body and to it he gave his time and thoughts. He had the strong support of men like Mr. Rowland Bowen of N.W.F. Province who gave the first stimulus, and from Lahore to Dharwar he received encouraging approval. He was able to carry his colleagues with him and he got transformed the old Association into the Indian Geographical Society with a constitution like that of the Royal Geographical Society of London. He intended it to be much more than a change of name. He travelled at his own cost to Kashmir, Baroda, Bombay and Indore and persuaded several to interest themselves in the Society. The last three years (1940-42) were devoted to this work. It is pathetic reading to note this in a letter addressed to him (dated 7-3-43 and received here on 2-4-43) which Mr. Yates wrote, "I can't tell you how delighted I was to hear from you again with your family news and news of your dream fulfilled - an All India Geographical Society".
It was the last scene of all when in the midst of these labours and activities, on his return from Indore and Trivandrum, the curtain dropped on him with tragical suddenness (Jan. 29, 1943). Dr. Heron said how deeply he felt the loss of a man who was a Geographer every inch of him, who learnt Geography and taught Geography, and in short, was Geography itself. Other feeling tributes are still coming in, from far and wide showing the appreciation as well as the extent of his service to Geography.
