T.S. Viswanathan is now doing what he’s always enjoyed doing: writing about the Vedas and the Upanishads. He is working on two books — The Divine Entrepreneur and Do We Really Die — based on the religious texts and there are indications that they will see the light soon. He has already authored a book on the subject — A Search In Secret (Sacred) Hinduism .
As in his first book, Viswanathan argues in the upcoming books that these religious texts have a scientific basis. Viswanathan has been a versatile personality, wearing many a colourful hat, right from his teens. As a teenager, he acquired proficiency in Sanskrit. So well-versed was he in the ancient language that he could hold forth on any topic. Delivering speeches in Sanskrit, he won many oratorical competitions at college. He went to St Bede’s High School in Santhome and Vivekananda College, where he majored in commerce. True to the Wordsworth-ian saying ‘the child is the father of the man’, Viswanathan took up Sanskrit as second language and philosophy as an elective, at college.
After gaining a masters in commerce from University of Madras, Viswanathan went to the University of Missouri, Columbia, where he studied MBA.
Returning from the United States, he entered his family’s printing business. He was 23 then. His interest in philosophy and Sanskrit received wider and swifter wings when his son stepped into his shoes and took over the reins of his printing business.
He could teach Sanskrit and write on Hindu philosophy with ease, because he had been doing a lot of reading on these subjects even when he was a businessman.
He conducts Sanskrit classes under the auspices of the Kalyan Nagar Association. He gets invitations from various quarters to conduct Vedic lectures and teach spoken Sanskrit. After releasing the two books, he would go on a lecturing and teaching tour of Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. His friends living in these countries have organised this global assignment.
“I was taught that Vedas and Upanishads is a treasure trove for the welfare of humanity. I used to read a lot of Vedic texts. It may be on any topic say astronomy, physics, mind and meditation, death and so on. And I compare those theories with the postulates of Western thinkers Being a scholar in Vedas, I want people to understand its essence and I believe it is my bit for the society,” says Viswanathan, a resident of Mandaveli.
As part of his research, Viswanathan visited a village in Shimoga in Karnataka where Sanskrit is the day-to-day medium of communication for the population.
Besides English and his mother tongue Tamil, he is also fluent in Telugu, Kannada, Malyalam, Hindi, French and German. “I found it easy to pick up other languages as I knew Sanskrit,” says Viswanathan.
Viswanathan’s has plans to start an institution for the benefit of youngsters. “The institution will aim to make one realise his inherent potential and also to enhance it. Also, the institution will have programmes on meditation, culture and heritage of India and lectures on Hinduism. These programmes will be extended to children in slums, villages and in tribal regions,” he says. His book is available at Giri Trading Agency and Vidya Book Centre in Mylapore and at Higginbothams on Anna Salai. He delivers lectures at Mylapore Club. Viswanathan can be contacted at 98401 77092.
