ABSTRACT
“Avadhanam”, or the ability to commit things to memory, is a retentive skill. People who can retain in their minds eight avadhanams are known as ashtavadhanis. Those who can remember ten things are called dasavadhanis. Sodasadhavadhanis are persons are persons who can retain 16 things, and shathavadhanis 100 things. In Tamilnadu, I have heard of experts in this skill, such as Kadirvel Pillai, Thanjai Subramania Iyer, Sankara Narayana Annavi, and Shathavadhani Seigu Thambi Pavalar, among several others. I have known some avadhanis who could recite any verse from the Tirukkural, if you gave them just the verse number. However, until I met Pannalal, I had no great impression about this skill.
