My Gurukula Journeys

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After my M. Phil, Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati and his writings became the focus of my PhD pursued further at Madras University in 1998 and completed in the year 2000. The research topic was “A Study of Sri Narayana Guru Movement in the Literature of Nitya Chaitanya Yati.” It was during this phase that a deeper knowledge of the ways of Narayana Gurukula and its uniqueness in a wisdom tradition dawned on me. During this period I had the opportunity to stay several times with Nitya Chaitanya Yati at Fernhill Narayana Gurukula. Staying and interacting with him has been a strong personal influence in my life. I still possess the recorded copy (audio cassette) of his lecture given to me at my first meeting. After these 25 years, here I am, sitting in Lambasa, Vanua Levu, in Fiji, returning on account of the incomplete task of the first visit which was flagged off by his blessings. The way his life evolved as a result of daring to face the truth of what he was called upon to do, and after exploring and experimenting with the varied opportunities that came his way, how he settled in Fernhill, Ooty, to take on the mantle of Nataraja Guru, inspired me. I was also intrigued by the differences between the Malayalee and Foreign disciples of Nataraja Guru and wanted to trace the veracity of the lineage. In this project not only my research but my continued journeys, as opportunities offered themselves during my sabbaticals, and yet to be completed, is how Nitya Chaitanya Yati and my encounter with him and his affectionate gaze (which I can still recall) have influenced my life.