My Math tutor, Dr. S. R. Narayana Sastri was an amazing person. He was good with Mathematics, Operations Research, and Bridge. I still remember my school days and used to be amazed with his mathematical skills. Dr. Sastri would use small pieces of chalk and do a problem in his blackboard at home. His communication was crisp. He would ensure that each one of us got it into our heads. Dr. Sastri appeared to be thrifty while doing problems. He would just erase a few numbers and alphabets and fill the gaps with newer things. And Lo! A new problem/sum would present itself. All of us were delighted to learn that our math master was a veritable genius. 

My tutor had been serving as the head of the department – Mathematics at the prestigious, Coimbatore Institute of Technology. I got to see his Operations Research skills during my college days. My friend, Santossh and myself underwent entrance exam training under him during our undergraduate days. Dr. Sastri would ask us to do five words and five problems a day. It did help and both of us were able to enter a business school of our choice successfully. The Bridge playing skills of Narayan Sastri came out a few years later. Newly married – Sujatha and I went to him in order to learn bridge (a card game). I was enthralled to observe and understand that. His skills had only increased with age. Here was a teacher whom I would never forget. 

Brahmashri Sengalipuram Anantharama Deekshitar was a great Pravachana Karta. His lectures/Pravachanams were well attended those days. Deekshitar used to travel the lengths and breadths of our country in order to  share Spiritual wisdom to the seekers. His favorite deity was Lord Krishna of Guruvayur. Anantharama Deekshitar was an eminent Sanskrit scholar and had presented the ‘Narayaneeyam’ in Tamil. Long ago, Narayana Bhattadri had committed the text ‘Narayaneeyam’ at Guruvayur. The ‘Narayaneeyam’ was a shorter version of the ‘Bhagavata Puranam’. However, the story of Jatabharata was left out by Bhattadri. Anantharama Deekshitar wrote the Jatabharata Charitram and appended it with the ‘Narayaneeyam’ of Bhattadri. 

He presented his work in front of Lord Krishna at Guruvayur. It was at this time that Deekshitar and his disciples experienced horripilation! They understood that Lord Krishna had accepted the work of Deekshitar. The great scholar-cum-composer came out with two volumes named as ‘Jayamangala Stotram’. These books contain several Sanskrit compositions and were to be used at times of need. One sloka was for good health while another was for ensuring progeny. More than a hundred slokas are listed and categorized in this compilation. 

Deekshitar was also known to give solutions for a number of issues. Quite many people got relief due to his advice. My grandfather, Krishnan, was suffering from severe stomach pain at the time of the World War II. The doctors found it difficult to cure him. My young grandmother, Lalithabhai sought the help of her spiritual master, Sengalipuram Anantarama Deekshitar. I still remember my grandmother telling me that Deekshitar shut his eyes for a minute and prayed to God before offering her Solace. He advised her to place a portrait of Goddess Baalatripura Sundari and offer a single ghee lamp in front of Her. My grandmother did so, and my grandfather was cured instantly. The stomach pain did  not recur, and he lived well into his ripe old age.

Deekshitar was of great help for my father, K. Govindarajulu. He had been a slow learner and was ridiculed often by his teachers at school. A teacher had artistically drawn a zero on my father’s slate and sent it home. My worried Grandmother hastened to Salem and sought the help of Deekshitar. The great Pravachana Karta suggested that my grandmother or my father should read or listen to ‘Skanda Puranam’ and also fast on Tuesdays. My father would listen to the Puranam and also fast on Tuesdays. He began to read the ‘Skanda Puranam’ everyday thereafter. Eventually my father grew up to be a mechanical engineer. He was very good with several musical instruments and was also a good public speaker. The blessings of Anantarama Deekshitar made my father a great personality in the jewelry trade circles. Miracles from Anantarama Deeskshitar never ended and the results are continuing to shower the faithful with the positive results even today. 

Swarnaambaal Chinnikrishna Chetty hailed from Edapaadi near Salem. She was married off pretty early and became a grandmother at the age of 30. I remember her sporting – Thiruman / Namam (Vaishnavaite Religious Symbol) all over her person. The tools and the ingredients for the same were stored in a container made of Palm leaves. She had purchased it at the Thirupullani Adi Jaganatha Perumal Temple near Ramanathapuram. Great grandmother, Swarnaambaal was my mother’s paternal grandmother. I used to spend a lot of time with her during my summer holidays. She used to sit on a mat at the backyard of the house and read the ‘Naalaiyira Divya Prabandam’ throughout the day. Her books would be placed in an x-shaped stand called the Madhanakol. Great grandmother was deeply devoted to Lord Vishnu and would not visit temples which did not have a shrine for her favorite God. She would often talk about getting initiations from a preceptor. 

Initiation known as ‘Mudraadaaranam’ was a great event for her. I was an inquisitive child during those days and wanted to understand the logic behind this act of hers. My alert great grandmother asked me to fetch one of the letters received by my grandfather, K. Sampath Kumar (her son). She took the envelope and asked me to tell her about the details found on it. I told her that it had the from address, to address, postage stamp, and the seal from the postal department. Of course, the letter was inside the envelope. My smart and intelligent great grandmother told me that the ‘letter’ was the soul, ‘the envelope’ was the human body’, ‘the from address’ was the identity, ‘the to address’ was Lord Narayana, ‘the stamp’ was the Namam, and ‘the seal’ of the postal department happened to be the initiation received from a noble Vaishnavite Aacharya. Her simple but lucid explanation dispelled the darkness in me, and I understood the need for good preceptor/mentor in order to see the holy feet of the Lord almighty.