Biography of Smt. Poornambal - Part 1

Smt. Poornambal (July 21, 1903, शुभकृत , Margashīrsha/Mrigashira (म्रृगशीर्षा, மிருகசீரிடம்) was born as the only daughter to Smt. அலமேலு அம்மாள் (Alamelu Ammal) and Shri பெரியசாமி அய்யர் (Periasvaami Iyer) of Kothangudi village, Tanjavur District, (old) Madras State (modern day TamilNadu). She did not have any formal schooling, but understood the meaning of service. She put into practice the motto of service in her life and made no distinction between the elite and the masses. Her magnanimity is unparalleled in the modern (materialistic) world. She was simple to the core and purity of heart was appropriate (பூர்ணம்) to her name.

Paati exemplified the adage "Behind every great man, there is a great woman". Shakuntala Akka echoes this same sentiment when she writes in the souvenir that

Paati was an ideal companion to Taatha in executing all his magnanimous acts. If Paati did not extend the necessary support, Taatha would not have been in a position to practice his ideals

I conclude this post with some photos of  Paati (I have tried scanning at the best resolution I could, but the original print quality is not perfect, so the scans might be unclear, sorry :-().