Sri:
Mambalam Samskrita Vidyalaya, a
free Sanskrit School, established by Kulapati Sri U.Ve. Rajagopalachariar, in
the year 1955, has been rendering yeomen service these 60 years in the
dissemination of Sanskrit education to all, from school students to retired
persons irrespective of age, sex, caste or religion. Classes are held regularly in the evenings on
all working days between 6.30 pm and 9 pm. Students are coached for the
examinations conducted by Chittoor Samskrita Bhasha Pracharini Sabha. The growth and progress of the institution is
entirely due to the unstinting dedication of the founder, Kulapati Sri U.Ve.
Rajagopalachariar. Dr. O.R. Devanathan,
Head of the Post Graduate and Research Dept. of Sanskrit, Presidency College,
Chennai, is presently conducting classes, with the assistance of Mrs. Jayanthi
Sankar. Dr. K. Srinivasan, Principal,
Sri RKM Vivekananda College, Dr. L. Kumaraswamy, Head of Sanskrit Department, D
G Vaishnav College, Dr. Balasubramaniam, Curator, Govt. Museum, Chennai, Dr. V.
Abhiramasundaram, Lecturer, Department of Sanskrit, Sri RKM Vivekananda
College, Dr. K. Rama, Sanskrit teacher, Sri RKM Sarada School, Burkit Road, T.
Nagar, Dr. O.R. Devanathan, Head of the Post Graduate and Research Dept. of
Sanskrit, Presidency College, Chennai, Dr. V. Charumati, Former Sanskrit
Teacher, Sri Ahobila Math Oriental Higher Secondary School, Dr. M. V.
Anantapadmanabhan, are some of the many who have studied here and are following
their career through Sanskrit knowledge.
The Silver Jubilee of the
Vidyalaya, was celebrated under the esteemed presence of His Excellency, Sri
Prabhudoss Patwari, the then Governor of Tamil Nadu. The tri decennial anniversary celebration was
held under the kind presence of Sri V. Sethuraman, retired Judge, High Court,
Madras. The 36th anniversary
was celebrated under the esteemed presence of Sri C. L. Ramakrishna, IPS, Director
General of Police, Vigilance and Anti corruption, Govt. of Tamil Nadu. The founder’s 80th birthday
celebrations were conducted in a grand scale as a year-long function during
1999-2000. This included, inter school,
inter collegiate sloka recitation competitions, lectures on various topics
which included, a lecture by Sri Sundarkumar on ‘Gurubhakti’, lecture on
Samskara by Dr. S. Ramaratnam etc. Year-long golden jubilee celebrations were
conducted during the period 2004-2005 which included an inter school and inter
collegiate competition and a one-day seminar on Samskaras by various eminent
scholars, the response to which was overwhelming. In May 2008, the “Abhinandanotsava”
felicitating, Dr. O.R. Devanathan, for his completion of 20 years in the Vidyalaya
was celebrated under the presence of Dr. K. Srinivasan. Since the year 2007, monthly lectures are
being conducted on Chitra nakshatram, the birth star of our Periya Master. Around 50 lectures have been conducted so
far.
The 55th Anniversary celebrations
were conducted in 2011. As part of this
celebration, an inter school and inter collegiate sloka recitation competition
was conducted on 26th January, 2011. An inter-collegiate (Post
Graduate level) Sanskrit Quiz competition was held on the same day which was
attended by seven teams representing various colleges and Universities of Tamil
Nadu and Pondicherry. On 5th
February, 2011, a commemorative souvenir named “Jnanadhara”, containing about
65 articles of various stalwarts of the country is being released.
Having the Vidyalaya students
themselves as the cast, the Vidyalaya has staged the following dramas: Parvati
Parinayam in 1991, Bali Niyamanam in 1993, Pancaraatram in 1994, Sri Vedanta
Desika Vijayam in 1995, and Kalidasa Vilasam in 2002.
The Samskrita Vaagvardhini Sabha
formed for the benefit of the students to increase their power of speech in
Sanskrit has been meeting every Saturday.
The sabha’s activities have been uniformly satisfactory and the cause of
the students is better served.
The 60th Anniversary
celebrations are to be conducted as a year-long function, the inauguration
function of which is to be held on 12th May, 2014. It is proposed that a workshop on various
sastras like Vaastu Sastra, Jyotisha Sastra, Ayurveda Sastra and Yoga Sastra, a
one-day Seminar on Science and Sanskrit where eminent speakers will give
lectures, a Sanskrit Exhibition where students from various schools will
exhibit their exhibits, an inter school and inter collegiate sloka reciting
competition, oratorical competition and inter collegiate quiz competition, a
Sanskrit drama and a debate are to be held during the course of the year and in
May 2015, a grand Valedictory function is to be held where a souvenir release
and a book release are planned, when various eminent Sanskrit scholars will be
honoured.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER OZHAPAKKAM KULAPATI
SRI U. VE. RAJAGOPALACHARIAR
-
Fondly known to his students as Periya Master
-
Born on 1st May 1920, Saturday,
Chitra Nakshatram, Chitrai month
-
Studied in Madhurantakam Pathashala.
- Kaalakshepam under Kothimangalam U.Ve. Sri
Veeraraghavarya Mahadesikan and later under his father in law Madhurantakam Sri
U.Ve. Veeraraghavacharyar.
-
Came to Chennai in 1947 and was married in 1949.
- First worked as a copyist in Adayar Library,
then took up a job as a Sanskrit teacher in Anjugam school. Later he joined
Wesley High School as a Sanskrit teacher where he worked till his retirement.
-
Three sons and a daughter
- His works: Acarya Saptati Ratnamalika in 1972,
Navaratna Malika in 1972, Acarya Mangalam in 1972, Acarya Namavaliyukta
Nakshatra in 1980, Vatsya Veeraraghavacharya Mangalam in 1986 and Sundararya
Padya Malika in 1992.
- Titles Conferred upon him: Sahitya Ratna in
1965, Samskrita Prachara catura in 1987, Kulapati in 1993, Nyaya Veda Vedanta
Ratnam in 1993, Ubhaya Vedanta Desikan in 1995, Vidwan Mani in 2003, Yogakshema
Ratna, Sastra Ratnakara in 2004, and Sri Vaishnava Simham in 04.
-
Started Mambalam Samskrita Vidyalaya in 1955 and
conducted FREE Sanskrit classes for nearly 50 years with a dedication which is
unparalleled.
-
On 17th November 2005, he left us all to
reach the Lotus Feet of Sriman Narayana.
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