Close to the heels of our former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s demise, the nation has lost yet another loved personality — noted political satirist, theatre personality, comedy actor and journalist Cho Ramaswamy, on Wednesday.
Talking to DC, popular actor, orator and artist Sivakumar, and well-known theatre personality AR Srinivasan (ARS) recall their association and memories with Cho.
Sivakumar
Without holding any post and power, Cho Ramaswamy was able to command respect and enjoyed goodwill from all the national leaders for more than 50 years. He would shun away when anyone praised him or wanted to
felicitate him!” starts Sivakumar.
Recalling an incident when he went along with Cho to buy books, Sivakumar says, “We bought books from Landmark stores and hailed an auto rickshaw to go home. When the auto driver saw Cho sir, being a fan of his writings, he said, ‘Oh it’s you, sir?’ and fell at his feet. What Cho did soon after shocked me. Cho also went, ‘Oh! You sir!’ and fell at the driver’s feet!”
“Even as a young boy, Cho was naughty. Because he was straightforward, he could give his opinions boldly without bothering about anyone in power,” Sivakumar adds. To substantiate his words, he narrates another incident — “Cho wrote a play titled, ‘Quo Vadis’, during Kamarajar’s period, which mainly spoke about bribery and corruption in politics. The police did not permit him to stage the drama because of its controversial theme. Cho, however, filed a writ petition and obtained permission from the court. The day it was to be staged at a sabha, Kamarajar was to attend the show. When he arrived, he asked Cho, ‘Just because you got permission, you think you can stage the drama. Can you go and hit someone, just because you have driving license?’ Pat replied Cho — ‘If I drive safely following the rules, no one can touch me!’ Angered with Cho’s reply, Kamarajar left the place in a jiffy. Cho was the legal adviser to finance minister TT Krishnamachari and his affiliated companies at that time. TTK rushed there, and asked him to apologise to Kamarajar for what he has said. But Cho stood by what he said and refused to say sorry, despite the possible repercussions,” he says.
“Morarji Desai and Indira Gandhi had persuaded him several times to enter politics and stand for elections as the Chief Ministerial candidate of TN, as they wanted an educated youth to helm the state. But he refused saying ‘I don’t have patience for that. I am like a thermometer who can reflect the health condition of a person and not a doctor to cure him,’” recalls Sivakumar.
“In the 60s, no one could beat him in stage plays. He was supremely reigning and as a young boy, I used to watch his plays. Years later, when I became an actor, I got the opportunity to share screen space with him. I used to wonder why he always chose some buffoon characters in films. He gave an explanation for that. He said, ‘I am working really hard day and night to bring out an issue of my magazine Tughlak. But, I am able to earn '40,000 for a day for my buffoonery comic act!’ But then, he felt it was not correct and stopped acting in films all of a sudden,” he says.
Sivakumar also recalls Cho being a staunch vegetarian — “When all his colleagues would eat non-vegetarian food when they got their payment after the show, Cho never would. When I questioned him about this, he said, ‘I don’t blame them. But I don’t relish non-veg. The protein you get from a leg piece of a chicken is equal to half a kilo of mallakottai (peanuts). That’s enough for me.’”
Sivakumar says his most memorable day was when Cho recently watched the literary rendition of Mahabharatam, which was telecast on a TV channel even as he was sick — “It was the proudest and biggest moment in my life, as Cho was my guru when it came to literature. His works on Mahabharatha were the referral point for me before I made my version. When a channel telecast my speech on Mahabharata last Pongal, Cho sir was in the hospital. He asked for a television set in his room and watched the entire speech and congratulated me.”
Cho releasing Sivakumar’s book.
AR Srinivasan
Cho was my classmate in Law College before we got associated in stage plays,” ARS starts his conversation, adding, “There was a famous troupe called United Amateur Artists run by Y.G. Parthasarathy sir, who used to stage modern-day social dramas. Impressed by them, Cho always talked about their plays in college. I used to ask him ‘What do you do there?’ and he would say, ‘I help them set up the arrangements, and sit and enjoy the plays.’ Cho’s guru was Pattu in UAA and his writings used to be hilarious. I was not very keen on stage plays then. Very few know that madam Jayalalithaa’s first on-stage hero was Cho! The play was called Undersecretary. Later, he started his own troupe called Viveka Fine Arts Club — with his college mates from Vivekanandha College where he
studied.”
Recalling an amusing anectode, ARS says, “There’s an interesting flashback. Once they tried an experimental theatre production in English, called Teahouse. Cho and Jayalalithaa were the lead artistes. It was an American comedy movie called The Teahouse of the August Moon, and Marlon Brando was the hero. An English professor Macleod from Illinois had come down to help with rehearsals for the chosen actors in Teahouse. After the show, when Macleod was asked about the performances, he said, ‘Everyone did well. But only Jayalalithaa spoke flawless English. Cho’s was bit rough-edged!”
“Cho disbanded his own troupe, Viveka Fine Arts Club, through which he staged several popular plays a decade ago since he felt no one could replace his loyal team who excelled in their work,” ARS reveals.
“His spontaneity and improvisation on stage cannot be matched by anyone and so people get a bit hesitant to share stage space with him,” he adds.
He never fell prey to money, Srinivasan tells us — “Once a member belonging to a big party came to his Tughlak office and offered to let out the inside secrets of his party. A man of principles, Cho refused outright, and asked that person to leave.”
“His political dramas were a huge draw with all the politicians like Annadurai, Karunanidhi, Sivaji, and MGR, because he would never abuse or hurt anyone in his plays. He would only criticise in his own satirical style. Rajinikanth also was a great fan of Cho,” ARS concludes.
ARS, Cho and MGR.
