PERUMAL BENNY REDDY – THE GRAND-SON OF INDENTURED LABOURERS WHO MADE A CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROMOTION OF SOUTH INDIAN MUSIC AND SPIRITUALITY

The life of a descendant of indentured labourers who made a contribution to the promotion of South Indian music and spirituality was recalled when he was laid to rest in the South African city of Durban at the age of 84. Mr Perumal Benny Reddy, whose ancestors arrived in the former Natal Colony in South Africa from the district of Vijaywada in the former Madras Presidency in south India in the 1860s, passed away in hospital in Durban on Thursday, July 11 (2019). His funeral was held at the Greenbury Saiva Sithantha Sungum hall in the area of Phoenix in Durban on Saturday, July 13. Mr Reddy, in the last five decades or so, made an enormous contribution to the promotion of South Indian music and spirituality. This was highlighted when he joined and became a committed member of the Woodview Saiva Sithantha Sungam in the district of Phoenix in Durban. He played the violin, wrote music, and taught the younger generation all the tenets of music. He was also a regular at the prayer services of the Saiva Sithantha Sungum and at various spiritual events and functions. His fellow colleagues at the Woodview Saiva Sithantha Sungum bestowed him with the title of “Guru” for his services to the community and the organisation.

(Benny Reddy with his wife, Lutchmee Naidoo, a few years after their marriage) Who was this “Guru” who made a contribution to the promotion of South Indian music behind the scenes and away from the headlines? Mr Reddy, who was number two in a family of three brothers and four sisters, was born on July 24 in 1935 at the Congella Barracks in Umbilo Road, situated near the King Edward V111 Hospital in the south of Durban. His father’s name was Rangasamy “Tommy” Reddy and his mother was called Sesamma. According to Mr Reddy’s sister, Amoy Soobramoney, their maternal grand-parents came from a village called Vijaywada in the former Madras Presidency, which is now part of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Both Tamil and Telegu speaking people inhabited this area. His grand-parents worked as indentured labourers on a sugar estate near Durban. As a young boy, Mr Reddy attended the Stellawood Primary School in Durban and later when the family moved to Jooma Road in Isipingo, also south of Durban, he went to the local Isipingo Primary Indian School where he completed his standard six. At the age of 16 he started his working life as a health worker at the Wentworth Hospital in Happy Valley in an area south of Durban. He, thereafter, changed jobs and worked at Tilley Doors in Jacobs in Durban for nearly 30 years. In 1957 he married Lutchmee Naidoo in a “love marriage”. He met Miss Naidoo when she used to visit her mother’s sister, Salatchie, at their family home in Jooma Road in Isipingo. At this time in the 1950s, Mr Reddy, his two brothers, four sisters and father and mother were also staying in a home near the Hindu temple in Jooma Road, Isipingo. Life for the young couple was not a bed of roses. They moved to Merebank where they stayed in two wood and iron houses, before finally moving to a municipal house in Nagpur Place in Merebank. Here their three children – Elvis, Aster and Alvin were born.

After he retired from Tilly Doors, Mr Reddy also worked at a local pharmacy in Merebank as a driver for five years. From his early childhood, he and his brothers – Willy and Reggy - were deeply passionate about Tamil and Telegu music. He played the violin, harmonium and flute. This love for South Indian music captured his life when he moved to Forest Haven in Phoenix more than 20 years ago to join his daughter, Aster. He spent a great deal of his time playing music at prayer services at the local Woodview Saiva Sithantha Sungam and at other events and functions. He also taught music to the younger generation.

According to fellow spiritual colleagues, he was a passionate member of the Saiva Sithantha Sungum and he was always punctual and disciplined. These attributes made him a respected member of the Sungum. Over the past decade or so Mr Reddy also assisted his daughter, Aster, in their family business. Mr Reddy was also very close to his wife’s extended family and was a regular guest at the family Muniamma Social Club’s gatherings and functions. He always made his presence felt at various resorts on the south coast of the KwaZulu-Natal province. He was also a chief guest when the family launched the Muniamma Family History Book at a cultural function at the old Louis Botha Airport convention centre in April 2018. Mr Reddy is survived by two children – Aster and Alvin; six grand-children; four great-grand-children; his three sisters – Amoy, Lilly and Lizzy; sister-in-law Sivagami – who is the widow of his eldest brother, Willy; and daughter-in-laws - Triza Reddy and Keshnee Reddy. He is also survived by a number of nephews and nieces. Mr Reddy leaves behind a deep legacy of love for family and his love for spirituality and south Indian music. Many family members described him as a special person not only to his close family but also to the extended family and friends. Mr Reddy is best remembered for being a special person in the lives of his personal family, extended family and colleagues in the musical and spiritual world.

(Benny Reddy with his wife Lutchmee) An anonymous American author describes this special personality as follows: “It takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, and a day to love them, but it takes an entire lifetime to forget them.” For his dedication to family and friends, he would never be forgotten. American author, Helen Keller, describes this aptly as follows: “It’s said that our loved ones will always be part of us even when they depart to the world above. “What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us’. In closing this tribute, I want to say on behalf of all family and friends: Benny Mamha: You lived your life to the full and we firmly believe that you will be enjoying peace wherever you are now in. We greatly appreciate you sharing your wonderful and compassionate life with all of us for more than 50 years. Ends – subrygovender@gmail.com July 15 2019