Interesting - small story

[R V Rao]

*Nair’s Titanic, 1912*

By Somalatha

At first, I laughed. A Malayali on the Titanic? It sounded like one of those WhatsApp family legends where someone’s “great-uncle met Gandhi at a railway station.”

But my mother looked up from her crossword and said, “Ah yes, he was on that ship.” Just like that as if she were talking about a bus to Ernakulam.

Then she told me the story.

Raman Nair was from Kozhikode, born in 1886, when the British Raj was still painting maps red. He grew up near the Beypore shipyard, where the Uru boats were built by hand. He started as a dock boy and learned his English from Irish engineers who cursed more than they spoke.

In 1911, he signed a Lascar Agreement in Bombay — a colonial labour contract that shipped Indian seamen to work on British liners. The pay was twelve shillings a month. The recruiter had promised, “Plenty of food, no storms.”

By January 1912, Raman had been assigned to the RMS Olympic as a greaser — one of the men who kept the ship’s engines oiled and running. His name still appears faintly in the Board of Trade Register No. 104993 (Southampton) under “R. Nair,” nationality: Indian (Malabar).

When Titanic prepared for her maiden voyage that April, crew shortages were common. Several Olympic hands were transferred — Raman among them. That’s how a man who barely spoke English found himself below deck in the grandest ship ever built.

He probably never saw the chandeliers or the grand staircase. His world was the engine room, seventy feet below the surface a hellish cathedral of noise, heat, and iron. His duty was simple and endless: to oil the crankshafts and keep the pistons cool.

On the night of April 14, 1912, at 11:40 p.m., when the ship brushed the iceberg, Raman was off-shift, drinking weak tea in the stoker’s mess. The collision sounded, he would later say, “like a coconut breaking.” The alarm bells rang, and within minutes the lower decks began to flood.

He helped his mates open watertight doors, guided women up the companion ladders, and even lifted a crying Irish child into a lifeboat. He remembered the number — Boat No. 13, lowered on the starboard side. He never knew her name. He only said, years later, “She had red hair and white hands.”

At 2:20 a.m., the ship broke apart. Raman and a few others jumped into the sea. He was pulled aboard Collapsible Boat D by a fireman named Barrett one of the last survivors rescued by the Carpathia. His name, misspelled as “R. Nayar,” appears among the Foreign Crew – Recovered Survivors in the Carpathia’s landing log in New York.

He stayed in England for two months, working briefly at the White Star Line dock in Liverpool. The company refused to renew his Lascar contract, saying his “English was insufficient.” He took the long way home ,Liverpool to Port Said, then Aden, then Cochin.

Back in Calicut, he married a quiet girl named Devaki and never spoke much about the Atlantic again. When people asked, he would say, “That was a ship that would not float.”

He kept a small glass vial of seawater in a tin trunk — labelled April 1912, North Atlantic.

When my grandmother once asked what it was, he said, “A reminder that even oceans can freeze.”

He died in 1957, on a humid June evening, still smelling faintly of oil and salt.

And here I am — typing this on a glowing laptop, sipping masala tea, alive because one Malayali greaser from Calicut didn’t drown in the North Atlantic. If he hadn’t survived, there would be no Amma, no me, no one to tell this story.

It’s strange, the arithmetic of life — how one man’s breath in icy water can ripple through generations.

When I look at that photograph now, I don’t see a hero. I see a tired man in a wool cap who did his job, helped strangers, and made it home. Perhaps that’s heroism enough.

And if he could see me today writing his story in English, on a machine powered by the same science that sank his ship he would probably chuckle and say,

“Too much pride, too little prayer.”

Nair and his Titanic!

[Seshadri Vellimedu]

Interesting Write Up

Thanks to R V Rao for the Fwd..

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[Rajaram Krishnamurthy]

It is not confirmed that there was a Malayali Nair on the Titanic, but there were at least 10 passengers of Indian origin on board when it sank in 1912.

The misconception about a "Malayali Nair" on the Titanic may come from the story of the MV Kairali, a ship from Kerala that disappeared in 1979. The MV Kairali is often referred to as the "Titanic of Kerala," which could be the source of the confusion.

Titanic Survivors - Names of all passengers and crew that survived

A comprehensive list of the 712 people to survive the Titanic disaster in 1912 with links to their personal life story.

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivors/  shows list of 712 mwembers who survived list which has 12 indians based in England but does not have any Malayali or Nayar name. KR IRS 261025

On Sun, 26 Oct 2025 at 14:17, R V Rao <rvra...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[R V Rao]

Most of the stories I read and forward the same to our group.

My intention is only for the pleasure of group member's benefit of avoiding boredom . I don't know verifying fact check not the patience..

I have two options.

To avoid postings 

To post and get it verified by members and thank them for their efforts to bring out the truth.

I will follow the second option.

I will accept any comment on the content of my post.

I also observe the reduced forwards by many in comparison with past

I urge my esteemed group members to participate with their contributions.

I find decline in active members and we have to do introspection.

On Mon, 27 Oct, 2025, 8:04 am srinivasan mani, <manik...@hotmail.com> wrote:

There is Prison cell in Robin island, just off of Capetown South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years. Along with him there was another prisoner named Billy Nair, who also was arrested and imprisoned for many years .

We visited South Africa last year and spent some time in Capetown and visited the Robin island. It was a real moving experience to visit those Prison cell.

Srinivasan S Mani MD

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From: sanathana-dhar...@googlegroups.com <sanathana-dhar...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Rajaram Krishnamurthy <keyar...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2025 10:31:24 AM
To: R V Rao <rvra...@gmail.com>; Chittanandam V R <chittan...@gmail.com>; YM <markande...@gmail.com>; Dr Sundar <drs...@gmail.com>; Venkat Raman <venka...@gmail.com>; Ravi mahajan <ravikan...@gmail.com>; Venkat Giri <venka...@yahoo.co.in>; SRIRAMAJAYAM <vaba...@gmail.com>; Mani APS <ma...@manijpn.in>; Rangarajan T.N.C. <tncran...@yahoo.com>; Srinivasan Sridharan <sridhsr...@gmail.com>; Mathangi K. Kumar <mathang...@gmail.com>; Rama <kavir...@gmail.com>; Kerala Iyer <Keral...@googlegroups.com>; Sanathana group <sanathana-dhar...@googlegroups.com>; thatha patty <thatha...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: societyforservingseniors <society4ser...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [society4servingseniors] Interesting - small story

 

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[R V Rao]

[Rajaram Krishnamurthy]

Your intention must still have the facts behind or else it is the message like that of Rahul spreading rumours as false information spoils the society. When 712 survivors from titanic is available on record spreading some nair because someone in FB posted it is  incorrect sir KR IRS 271025

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[R V Rao]

I agree with you 

This practice of forwarding unverified messages have been happening from the the time I joined.

I am thankful to you to verify my post and say it is not correct to post unverified post. In difference to this comment by you to desist any post hence forth for the simple reason that i cannot verify due to health and age constraints.

I sincerely thank Sri Rajaram Krishna Murthy to hasten my decision earlier than when I wanted to do.

[Dr Sundar]

shri rao sir

please don't worry much about posting here rather than feeling ease with your health

whatever you post in my experience so far i have liked them much and found the materials enjoyable.

more than this i do not know what to tell.

kindly do whatever ;stay active and contribute in your own pattern

we love you 

namaskaram

"KNOW THYSELF .

SELF KNOWLEDGE IS REAL KNOWLEDGE.

ALL OTHER KNOWLEDGE IS IGNORANCE AND THEY ARE NO  KNOWLEDGE  "   

~~~ Bhagavan Ramana

     

[Surendra Varma]

This group offers a platform for informal exchange of information and
experience. We are not the editorial board of a scientific journal
where every bit of information needs to be refereed and verified
before it is published. Instead of playing a Maharishi, browbeating
others, we should appreciate and encourage those members who volunteer
their time to contribute to this forum regularly.

Data published in non-refereed publications can be different on the
same subject. Claiming that the source one knows is authentic and all
other sources are untrustworthy is nothing short of false pride.

We can always cite another source of data on the same subject without
pulling down a member.

Suren

> To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/society4servingseniors/CAF%3D8Bw0m2CFbOWZFOqiLvHy2jUbWEns9RAT8vjHCv8a5DG8yKw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Suryanarayana Ambadipudi]

/// Claiming that the source one knows is authentic and all
other sources are untrustworthy is nothing short of false pride. /// 

Well said 👏. Thanks 

Crab culture …?

     

A.SURYANARAYANA

The less you speak,the more you are listened to

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[Dr Sundar]

I fully tally with Suryanarayana Ji.

 Some times few elderly instead of being more mature ,balanced and composed  in their outlook throw out tantrums,  one of  typical clinical manifestation of a  geriatric disorder. Needs to be addressed if possible.

Namaskaram 

[Rajaram Krishnamurthy]

People who write that INDIANS DO NOT HAVE A BACKBONE ASSERTED THAT ERRONEOUS INFORMATIONS MUST BE ENJOYED AND TOLERATED; PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE TIME TO VERIFY ONLY ALLOWED ALL THE RULERS TO RULE THIS NATION. SUPPOSE YOU WERE TO TEACH THE WARDS THESE MISINFORMATIONS WELL YOU KNOW THE OUTCOME. ALSO WHERE THE SCHOOL TEACHES WRONGLY YOU PEOPLE RAISE YOUR SWORDS. WRITING IS NOT HUMOR UNLESS DECLARED AS JOKES. THERE ARE ILLITERATES WHO SCRIBBLE IN QUORA AND FB AND WE SHALL NOT FALL PREY TO VICTIMISATION AND CIRCULATE IT ALSO. eVEN THE MAJAOR GEN EPISODE HAS NO BACK UP THOUGH I DID NOT WRITE ABOUT IT.  AS ELDERS WE MUST LEAD KINDLY LIGHT; THAMASOMA JYOTHIRGA MAYA; IF EVEN AT 80 DO NOT WISH TO BE A RISHI LEAVE ALONE MAHARISHI THE PATH OF DARKNESS IS A LONG ROAD  kr irs 281025

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[R V Rao]

Dear Sri Rajaram Krishna Murthy,

I appreciate your detailed message and the concern expressed. However, in our senior group, most topics are shared in a spirit of goodwill and companionship, not for formal scrutiny or fact-checking. None of the messages posted here go through any verification process — they are simply shared to inform, inspire, or entertain members and avoid monotony in our retired lives.

We are all aware that not every message on social media is verified or authentic. Each of us has the maturity to read, reflect, and decide what to believe or ignore. My intention has never been to mislead anyone but only to keep the group active and lively.

Let us, as elders, continue to share responsibly but also with understanding and mutual respect — remembering that our group thrives on warmth, not warnings.

Warm regards,

R V RAO.

[Dr Sundar]

Excellant Shri Rao 

 Namaskaram 

We are not here to write an exam or strive for perfection to score high marks. All of us are mature individuals who simply wish to share, speak, and laugh together — and that, truly, is the essence of our interactions.

Of course, we all understand that none of us would ever intentionally share anything incorrect or misleading. Even so, inadvertent occasional slips are only natural — and perfectly all right. Let us be overly   sensitive about it . Sensibility is reqd. 

Let us continue to remain calm, cheerful, and understanding towards one another, keeping our exchanges light and joyful.

Warm regards,

Sundaram

"KNOW THYSELF .

SELF KNOWLEDGE of IS REAL KNOWLEDGE.

[Rajaram Krishnamurthy]

1 vide quote below by Dr who said "We are not here to write an exam or strive for perfection to score high marks."  Real knowledge seeker will not attempt falsified informations I do hope  PUBLIC REPORTING LEGALLY MUST BE VERIFIABLE WHETHER BY GOOGLE OR dr OR KR  LETS NOT BYPASS OUR MISTAKES THANK YOU ALL KR IRS 281025  for example the same net speaks as: 

*Nair’s Titanic, 1912*  By Somalatha

KR:         "Nair's Titanic, 1912" by Somalatha is not a historically factual book or a documented historical event, but rather a family legend or piece of creative fiction.

Details about the story:

The origin of the story A social media post describes the user's initial disbelief upon hearing about a Malayali (a person from Kerala, India) being on the Titanic.

The mother's confirmation The post's author mentions their mother casually confirming the story, stating, "Ah yes, he was on that ship," as if it were a well-known family anecdote.

A family legend The tale is compared to a common type of family legend, like claiming a relative met a famous historical figure, suggesting it is a story passed down rather than a verifiable fact.

If you are interested in historical accounts of Indian passengers on the Titanic, some records indicate that a few Indian men, mostly working as coal trimmers, were on board when it sank. However, no source indicates any titled "Nair's Titanic, 1912 by Somalatha" as a factual history of the event.

AND IF THIS IS CREATING A KNOWHOW IT IS ERRONEOUS; IT IS CONSIDERED TIME PASS THEN, FIGMENT OF IMAGINATION IS PRESENTED AS IF REAL WHICH IS MISLEADING THROUGH INFORMATION SIR.