Nataraja Guru

Nataraja Guru (1895-1973)

Nataraja Guru was born on 18th February 1895 in Bengaluru as the second son of Dr. P. Padmanabhan, popularly known as Dr. Palpu, and Mrs. Bhagavathi. Even though Dr. Palpu graduated at the top of his class to become highly qualified as a physician, due to extreme practices of casteism in his home state of Kerala, he had to seek employment in the neighbouring state of Mysuru, where he was court physician to the king of Mysuru and headed the state department of health.

Dr. Palpu's work in different parts of the state meant young Nataraja shuttled throughout his school years between Bengaluru and Trivandrum, the paternal home city in Kerala. He also attended Trinity College in Kandy, Ceylon. During his adolescent years he was drawn to Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent resistance to gain India's freedom from the British, to Rabindranath Tagore's poetry, and to Swami Vivekananda's teachings. In 1915 young Natarajan completed his matriculation and joined Presidency College at Madras, finishing more than six years later with a first-rank master's degree in zoology and geology, and passing the licentiate in teaching (L.T.) from Teachers College at Saidapet, Madras.

In the early days of 1899, when Natarajan was four years old, his parents took him to the riverside hermitage of Narayana Guru. The Guru recognized his independent spirit, and the two developed a lasting relationship. After college, Nataraja settled in the Nilgiris and attempted to found an educational institution, receiving the Guru's full sanction and approval; financial hardship and an attack of smallpox ended this first effort within a year. On 8 June 1924, the foundation stone of a new building for Narayana Gurukula was laid on the new site at Fernhill, near Ooty.

With Narayana Guru's support, he went on to study in Europe, earning a Doctorate in Literature with triple honours on the topic "The Personal Factor in the Educative Process." Learning of his Guru's passing in 1928, he returned to India in 1933 and reestablished the Gurukula. On his fiftieth birthday he adopted five resolutions, including writing about his Guru and founding centers in the West. He was invited to a World Conference of Religions held in New York in 1948, where he gave a speech titled "The World's Religion for Peace."

Upon his return to Varkala in 1951, Nataraja Guru was publicly recognized as the successor of Narayana Guru and as a Guru in his own right. He established annual conventions and magazines while the institution expanded significantly. On 1st January 1956, Nataraja Guru registered a will and testament to further ensure the legal status of Narayana Gurukula, which was by then growing to include over twenty centres in South India. His numerous written works continue to address fundamental questions of life and spiritual wisdom.