For the love of a language

A former professor of English, P.S. Ramamurti teaches Sanskrit. Over the last 50 years, his classes have been filled to capacity. Liffy Thomas reports

November 03, 2013 09:10 am | Updated May 24, 2016 05:47 pm IST - Chennai:

CHENNAI, 28/10/2013: P.S. Ramamurthi and his wife Lalitha run Egmore Sanskrit School at their house for free of cost. 
Photo: V. Ganesan

CHENNAI, 28/10/2013: P.S. Ramamurthi and his wife Lalitha run Egmore Sanskrit School at their house for free of cost. Photo: V. Ganesan

Egmore Samskrt School propagates various facets of Sanskrit, including its contribution to religion and literature. But the bulk of phone calls received by the school suggest a great fascination for the language among laymen.

P.S. Ramamurti, a former lecturer of English who runs the School at his residence, is amazed at the number of people still eager to learn the classical language.

This year, for Vijayadashmi he received 32 students. “The number of people wanting to learn Sanskrit is only increasing.

We have many adults coming to the class to understand slokas and mantras before reciting,” says Ramamurti, who has been teaching Sanskrit for 50 years.

The Egmore Samskrt School, which Ramamurti serves as secretary, is not a regular institution but a banner under which various activities are conducted to propagate Sanskrit language and literature.

It was started in 1948 by his father P.A. Subrahmanya Ayyar, who retired as professor of English from Annamalai University. Mr. Ramamurti himself quit his job as a lecturer of English from Vivekananda College to pursue his love for the language.

“In fact, I did not take up a full-time job after that as it would not have allowed me to pursue the language,” says the 76-year-old, who has also had stints at an advertisement agency and a few publications.

As both English and Sanskrit belong to the family of Indo-European languages, he straddled the two with the ease and proficiency. He takes free classes, with his wife Lalitha assisting him.

“No other job gave me as much satisfaction as teaching Sanskrit. It brings me mental peace,” he says.

Mr. Ramamurthi, who has a doctorate in the language, does not agree that the interest in Sanskrit has dwindled. At least, his school, which has always been a free institution, has not seen a dull moment since its inception. “We do not insist that one should write an exam and classes are flexible,” says Lalitha, who retired as mathematics teacher from CSI Ewarts Matriculation Higher Secondary School.

The teaching methods have also evolved over the years. “When I started teaching, I taught what I had learnt. Today, it is more a need-based learning,” he says.

The school has been taking the language forward through various activities. The Surabharati Samiti, a wing of the school, has met over 500 times without a break, providing Sanskrit lovers a forum to express themselves in the language. The annual Gita recitation competitions is in its 56th year, with over 2,000 candidates participating every year.

Egmore Samskrt Schoolis at 75/15 Vellala Street, Purasawalkam. Ph: 4202 7151/2642 4721.

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