A wooden bench that carries a piece of history

An otherwise unremarkable piece of antique furniture has a special place in the household of former Congress MLA N.R. Rangarajan. The unusually long bench carries a slice of history. Former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj used to occupy the bench whenever he visited the house of R. Ramasamy Thevar, a senior Congress leader from Thambikottai, near Pattukottai, and Mr. Rangarajan’s father. “Its length perfectly suited the tall leader. The name ‘Kamaraj’ became inseparable from it and everyone called it the ‘Kamaraj’ bench. If he stayed at our house, he would spread his towel and sleep on the bench placed on the veranda. He would refuse to sleep inside,” recalled Mr. Rangarajan, who is now part of the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) led by G.K. Vasan and aspires to enter the fray from the Pattukottai Assembly constituency.