N Kamakodi City Union Bank Tippirajapuram

While CUB has been in the top bracket on many of the key profit metrics over the last decade, Kamakodi has quietly been playing a transformational role restoring many dilapidated temples 

The 60s and 70s saw a mass exodus of original inhabitants from the hereditary locations that led to a dark couple of decades for temples in Tamil Nadu. Tippirajapuram that is home to two historical temples was also part of this wave of movement into cities. The succeeding decades too saw the continuing of this move of traditionalists away from their hereditary locations into larger towns in search of greener pastures. It was likely that N Kamakodi, current MD of City Union Bank, too would have been part of that wave. Having spent his entire childhood in the agraharam in Tippirajapuram, he had developed a close devotional association with the twin temples as well as those in and around Kumbakonam but like most others, he too made his way out of Tippi. But, Kumbeswarar, to whom his grandfather had begun an anna abhisekam during World War II, had other plans for him. Having been away from Kumbakonam for many years, his appa, V Narayanan, the then Chairman and  CEO of the bank directed him to come back and take charge of the bank. It was clear that Kumbeswarar had nominated  him to continue the noble activities that his forefathers had carried out through the 20th century. In the last 15years, Kamakodi has quietly been creating a transformation in remote temples in the Chozha region restoring many a temple to its historic glory while also ensuring that the century old banking brand is protected and grown. Here is the story.

The agraharam remained vibrant despite the next gen of residents leaving the temple town in the 1970s/80s. Kamakodi remembers waking up every day to the vedic recital of the students next door where several students graduated out of the well run Patshala. Vedas was always in his ear during his childhood. It created an ever lasting positive impact in the then young boy on the need to protect our traditions and culture. Marudanallur, a nearby village, was home to Naama Sankeerthanam and thus exposure to music and bhajans was high for Kamakodi at a very young age. During the holidays, for two hours every afternoon, he learned the stotrams. It got imbibed in his mind and became a normal way of life. 

It was his grandfather Venkatrama Iyer who rebuilt the Varadaraja Perumal temple at the West end of the North Agraharam in early part of the previous century (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/10/thippirajapuram-vikrama-choleswarar.html). When Kanchi Periyava created a Mudra Adhikari Scheme appointing a representative of the Mutt to ensure the vibrancy in historic locations, Tippirajapuram became the first of those villages to be assigned "A system was created to collect Re.1 from each of the residents and pool the collections and present to the Mutt. It was on the Thinnai of our house that this Sambhavanai was presented by the residents of Tippirajapuram. To this day, we go and hand over the Sambhavanai to the Mutt office in Kumbakonam. Rice too was presented for Mantra during Chaturmasya pooja” says Kamakodi.

Kamakodi's forefathers have been the trustee of the temple for close to a century ensuring that all the utsavams are conducted in a grand way, despite the challenges that they had to face during different phases. As the trustee, Venkatrama Iyer anchored three consecrations of the Tippi Perumal temple in the 20th century. While the coming together of the agraharam residents ensured that the two temples had been well managed and protected through the 20th century including during the 2nd half, many other larger temples in and around Kumbakonam did not find survival easy in that phase. Kamakoti has an interesting reason for the survival of the Tippi temples “The entire ecosystem was established in such a way that everyone respected one and another. There was no battle for supremacy. The relationship was cordial with the lessees of the farming land. It is no surprise that all dues from the lessees of the temple lands here have been paid till this year.”

Venkatrama Iyer, who lived till the age of 95, was active right till the end. “He made it a devotional practice to visit both the temples every day of the year. He kept a close watch on the activities at the two temples in Tippirajapuram. He was a stickler for time. He would address any issue immediately” says Kamakodi of the devotionally active life led by his grandfather.

In those early decades, when transport facilities to Kumbakonam were not readily available, Venkatrama Iyer would prepare a list of all the basic tablets medicines and keep stock at home. “When anyone in the agraharam fell ill, they would walk into our house to check the relevant medicine for that particular health issue. All the residents cared for each other in the agraharam” recalls Kamakoti

As early as the 1940s, when there was shortage of rice at the Kumbeswarar temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/02/kumbeswarar-temple-maha-magam.html) arising out of World War II, it was Venkatrama Iyer who committed to the annual Anna Abhisekam at the temple.“We have continued that tradition for almost eight decades” recounts Kamakodi of the devotional engagement with Kumbeswarar temple.

In the 1970s and 80s, the now popular Thiru Nageswaram, Oppiliappan and Sarangapani temples saw a devotional decline arising out of the exodus of traditionalists of these historical temple locations. Kamokadi remembers the pitiful state at Thiru Nageswaram(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2015/02/thiru-nageswaram-naganathaswamy-temple.html) that he witnessed as a school boy “When we went to the Thiru Nageswara temple (it was a period when it not yet marketed as a Rahu Sthalam), my aunt had missed taking the Thiri along with the Oil that we usually carried. The scenario was so bad that there was no Thiri at the temple and the priest actually tore a part of his veshti and converted it into a Thiri.”

It is difficult for those in the current generation to visualize that a temple where devotees now throng in several thousands everyday was in a neglected state in the not too distant past. 

Narayanan, who took over as the Chairman and CEO of City Union Bank in 1980, carried forward the deep temple association of his appa. He played an active part in the consecration of these historical temples in the 1980s/90s. In most cases, it was the first big restoration for decades that also marked the revival of these temples. For the people in Kumbakonam and around, Narayanan had become the focal point of contact on temple related issues. He brought together like minded people in the society and through public involvement restored temples in the region.

Throughout his schooling days, the annual vacation was spent at his grandfather’s (amma’s appa) place at Mudikondan, famous for the Kothandaramar temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/12/mudikondan-jawahar-bhattar.html). Kamakoti remembers the vibrancy at the temple “Devotees congregated in good numbers for the Rama Navami and Navarathri utsavams. There were scores of cows in each house in the agraharam.”

Even as a young school boy, Kamakodi went to Kurnool (AP) for Chaturmasya. When he was 13, he went to Kanchipuram to seek the blessings of Periyava. His grandfather’s uncle had taken Sanyasa after taking blessings from Periyava. 

As part of the devotional upbringing, the family went on regular trips to temple destinations with his appa educating him on the historical aspects of the Paadal Petra Sthalams and Divya Desams. “Alangudi and Thiru Karugavur were two other temples that I visited regularly through my childhood.  We would take Kozhakattai on Aadi Friday and present it to Pillayar at the Alangudi temple. However, what struck me in those times was that there very few devotees in any of these temples and most remained deserted in that phase.”

While the Thyagaraja Utsavam in Thiruvayaru (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2014/11/thiruvaiyaru-pancha-natheeswarar-temple.html) has become hugely popular in recent decades, it was not so in the century gone by. It was Narayanan who was keen to protect this annual festival and contributed significantly that led to the popularity of the festival. So too the Maha Maham festival in Kumbakonam that now attracts lakhs of devotees. It was Narayanan who contributed financially in challenging times in the second half of the previous century.

After graduating in Chemical Engineering from REC Trichy, Kamakodi did his Masters in Hongkong. At that time, Vikrama Choleswarar and Sarangapani temple seemed way off the radar for him and it did not seem likely that he would head back to his hereditary location anytime in the near future. He had worked for a brief period in Surat. However, God carved a different path for him and a highly devotional one at that. One day in 2002, his appa called on him and asked him to take charge of the bank, a call that took him by surprise. A nod would have meant a move to the headquarters on TSR Big Street in Kumbakonam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/06/tsr-co-legendary-enterpreneur_19.html). He had married just a year earlier. In line with the trend of the time, it was unlikely that a move back to Kumbakonam would have been acceptable for an overseas Masters Grad. “My wife too was from Kumbakonam.  The bond with this historical temple town was too strong for both of us. That made for an easy call. In any case, we were brought up in a way to respect our parents’ words and I could not have said No to my appa.”

And thus Kamakodi, aged 26, returned to Kumbakonam to join City Union Bank in 2003, something that he had not visualized anytime during his growing up years. His grandfather, with whom he had been very close right from his childhood, died in that phase. And his appa too passed soon after in 2004. It was a double setback for Kamakodi who had not yet turned 30. But he has faced life bravely ever since and in the last decade and a half expanded the bank’s presence. In 2011, he took charge as the MD of the bank. Despite its strong performance, he is not too buoyed by this constant talk of ‘aggressive growth’. “A century old bank was handed to me. It had enjoyed a great reputation among the depositors and customers. My task was to protect the brand that my appa had built in the previous decades. While it is fanciful to talk about fast paced aggressive growth, it may not always be the right thing to do for a bank that should see itself as a custodian of customer’s hard earned money.”

He is happy that the bank, that had been set up in 1904 as part of the Swadeshi Movement to fight the British Banks, has been in the top bracket on many of the key metrics over the last decade but his feet are grounded and he considers it a blessing to be handed the reigns of the bank that has seen sustained growth over the last century.

While he has been anchoring the growth of the bank over the last two decades, returning to Kumbakonam also gave him an opportunity to participate in activities that have been closer to his heart right from his childhood. “When we grew up, devotion and temples were a way of life. When my grandfather and appa found a requirement at a temple, they organised it without a buzz. They saw it as a blessing to be able to be associated with temples through their lifetime. I am blessed that God has given me an opportunity to be participating in temple activities.”

Just under a decade ago, this writer had written a story in The Hindu Friday Review on the dilapidated state of Parthanpalli Divya Desam in Thiru Nangur (https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/shrine-dedicated-to-arjuna/article4558178.ece) and the deplorable condition of the huge tank south of the temple. It was Kamakodi who single handedly restored the tank that has now led to the revival of the historical theppotsavam. He has also been closely involved in the restoration of water management system in Vaitheeswaran Koil, Thiru Kadayur and Chidambaram. The Viraja Theertham at the Narayana Perumal temple in Thiru Nangur too was restored by him. 

His elder N Sriraman, Head of Diesel Finance at Sundaram Finance, is his guiding force on all his temple endeavours.

While TVS' Venu Srinivasan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/07/venu-srinivasan-historical-temples.html) has restored several temples South of Pandya Capital over the last 25years, Kamakodi and his forefathers have played a stellar role in transformation of remote temples in the Chozha region. He considers it a blessing to have been part of a thriving agraharam in Tippirajapuram with Patshalas around that instilled in him a lifetime commitment to protect our rich heritage and culture.