Dr.Sarada Natarajan

Dr.Sarada Natarajan, President – Doctor of Philosophy from Bangalore University. A triple gold medalist, she edits the Centre’s monthly journal ‘The Ramana Way’. She is writer and a poet who has authored 3 books, co-authored 3 books, penned 120 dance dramas, and scores of songs in Kannada, Tamil and Hindi. She is trained in Carnatic Music and Bharatanatyam. She has conceptualized and executed three television serials on the life and teachings of Ramana Maharshi. An eminent speaker, she has presented papers and given talks in more than 30 National Seminars and several workshops.

Dr. Sarada and her younger sister, Ambika Kameshwar, were born into the legacy of Ramana as it were. Their paternal great-grandfather Sri Krishnaswamy Iyer was the interpreter for F.H.Humphreys during his visit to Ramana Maharshi at the Virupaksha Cave in 1911. Later, both their maternal and paternal grandparents have had the darshan of Bhagavan and so also their mother Smt.Sulochana Natarajan. If their father, A.R.Natarajan, passed on to them his overflowing joy in serving Ramana, the mother has shared abundantly the vast treasure of Ramananjali music.

Sri S.Chandrasekhar

Sri S.Chandrasekhar, Secretary – Recently retired from his post as Managing Director of Bhoruka Power Corporation Limited, a leading Renewable Energy Developer in India. An Electrical Engineer and Alumnus of London Business School, he has been associated with the Power Sector in India for over 40 years and has worked in several reputed Companies both Public & Private Sector. He has hands on experience starting as a First Level Executive in Power Projects, to leading a green field company for development of Green Energy, as its CEO for the last twenty years.

He was a short-term consultant to World Bank and Member of Reuters Insight Community of Experts (Renewable Energy). He is the Past Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – Karnataka. He was past President of Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce, Board Member of State Vocational & Skill Development Corporation and Former Board Member of the State Renewable Development Agency. He was the Chairman of National Accreditation Board for Education & Training (NABET).

More than two decades ago while travelling on a train somewhere in Madhya Pradesh, as the train rolled into the station he was literally captivated by a face on a book in a Higginbothams book depot. Even from the train window the power of the eyes was irresistible. He got down and purchased the book, ‘Conscious Immortality’ and was thrilled beyond thought to have it in his possession. His tryst with Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi began at that moment and has been the bedrock of his life ever since. His major contribution to the Ramana Maharshi Centre has been coordinating the constructions both of the Ramana Maharshi Heritage Auditorium and the Archives Block.

Sri Dileep Simha N

Sri Dileep Simha N, Treasurer - He is also the Assistant Editor of the Centre’s monthly journal ‘The Ramana Way’. CEO of DHI Investigation Services, he was formerly a savvy technology industry executive with a history of working on award winning products like Corel DRAW. He has experience in working Nationally, Internationally and in MNC’s. His vision for building companies from ground up and spearheading profitable growth has made him successful in propelling small companies to thenext level of expansion and growth. He adopts the inspiring life and teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in company policy making and execution.

Dileep was drawn to Ramana through Brahmananda ji’s lectures on ‘Upadesa Saram’. Later, he had several interactions on Ramana’s teachings with Sri A.R.Natarajan who told him that he was not meant for the ordinary run of the mill life. At that time, he wondered how it would be possible to accommodate full time practice of Ramana’s teachings and at the same time take care of his family and work. Ramana brought several twists and turns to his life making him so rooted in the essence of the teachings that everything else spontaneously flows from that awareness. He is currently serving as Assistant Editor in ‘The Ramana Way’ and conducts weekly online Satsangs on the Centre’s YouTube channel.

Sri K.S.Bhanu

Sri K.S.Bhanu, Vice President – He held the position of a senior executive in an MNC. He is one of the Founder Members of RMCL and currently the Vice President. He is a silent and very unassuming follower of Ramana’s life and teachings. He and his wife, Smt.Lakshmi Bhanu, have been associated with the Ramana Movement in Bangalore ever since its inception. She has had the privilege of having darshan of Bhagavan, is a vainika and has participated in the early recordings and programs of Ramananjali both on the veena and as a singer.

Coming in the lineage of Dewan Seshadri Iyer who is known as the ‘Maker of Bangalore’, Sri Bhanu, through his association with the Centre, has surely been an active part of adding a significant landmark to Bangalore in the Ramana Maharshi Meditation Hall and Shrine near Mekhri Circle.

Dewan Seshadri Iyer also served under Sri Krishnaraja Wodeyar who had the unique opportunity for a special darshan of Bhagavan Ramana who described him as a ripe fruit. In all probability, the Dewan must also have been blessed by the gracious glance of Ramana at that time.

N.G. Subramanyam

Sri N.G.Subramaniam, Honorary Member - Mr. N Ganapathy Subramaniam is the Chairman and Non-Executive Director of the Board at Tata Elxsi Limited, Tejas Networks Limited and Tata Communications Limited. He is also a Director at TCS Foundation and part of the Governance Board/Institute Body at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology and The Society for the Rehabilitation of Crippled Children, Mumbai. He has been a part of Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) and the Indian IT Industry for over 40 years. He retired from TCS in May 2024 as the Chief Operating Officer & Executive Director. Presently, he is associated with India’s indigenous telecom initiative working closely with Bharat 6G Alliance and TSDSI. Mr. Subramaniam has played a strategic role in several landmark initiatives across banking, telecom and public services globally. He has in-depth knowledge on technology, operations, product development, business transformation and change management and has contributed significantly to large-scale technology transformations. As a thought leader, he participates in global conferences and actively interacts to shape opinion across industry and the government. The ‘Ramana connect’ for NGS began, unknown to him, with his father.

He recalls, “I hail from Mohanur village near Namakkal where I was born and brought up by my parents, who were pious, honest and people of high integrity. Even though he was a lawyer by education, circumstances made him an agriculturist in 1959, at a very young age. I must say that he embraced agriculture and farming wholeheartedly and he was very good at it. He had a balanced life and was spiritually inclined. We have a beautiful and spacious Pujai room at our home in which he used to spend a good amount of time. He was a voracious reader of many books notably the sayings of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Bhagavan Ramana, Sri Aurobindo among others and an ardent devotee of HH of Kanchi Sri Paramacharya.

Time to time, he used to write articles in Bhavan’s Journal and The Call Divine on spiritual topics lucidly and often the essence of it through stories. In those days, it was largely handwritten and later someone helped him with a typewriter. Our house door would normally be kept open through the day. People from different paths and places used to come - sometimes for quenching their thirst, sometimes to rest a bit and invariably depending on the time of the day, my mother always used to offer them something to fill their stomach. They would be engaged in a meaningful conversation including their antecedents, what they were doing then, purpose of their visit to Mohanur etc. Invariably, my father used to connect with someone in their family tree through the course of this conversation and in turn got to know more about their origin, thala-puranam if any etc.

He taught us the values of being a good citizen, importance of character, respecting people for what they are and above all to keep our feet on the ground and head on our shoulders, no matter what.” Sri Ganapathy Subramaniam also recalled his father saying to him that Ramana’s teachings would enter his life when the time was ripe.

Ms. Geetha K Nair

Ms.Geetha Nair, Honorary Member – An eminent architect, Geetha Nair is currently associated as Executive Vice President-Design & Engineering with SOBHA Ltd. Bengaluru - India’s premier real estate group. Business houses across the country entrust SOBHA with the responsibility of creating iconic landmarks that add value to the way they conduct business.

With over 20 years work experience in the building and construction industry, Ms. Nair’s main strengths lie in providing design solutions for architecture and coordinating complete engineering requirements for residential, institutional and commercial projects. Her remarkable leadership qualities and motivating spirit have always been a guiding force to her team of 150 young professionals in meeting their relentless challenges.

Geetha has from a very young age been an ardent devotee of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi

She has participated in many cultural and spiritual activities conducted by RMCL and she is fondly called ‘Ramana Bala’ at the Centre. She considers herself privileged for being able to visit Ramanasramam at Tiruvannamalai and also circumambulate the sacred hill Arunachala numerous times with fellow devotees, family and friends.

She believes whole heartedly that throughout her education as well as career, she has been guided by Bhagavan. Many times, while faced with difficulties she has been guided through dreams by the most compassionate Master Ramana! She has also been fortunate to find a life partner who is equally interested and drawn to Bhagavan Ramana, His philosophy and teachings.

Sri Muralidhara Hegde

Sri M.Muralidhara Hegde, Honorary Member – Founder and CEO of Smart Works Group. He held office as President of Bunts’ Sangha Bangalore from 2022 to 2024. He holds a BFA in Applied Art and a PG Diploma in PR, Marketing and Sales Management. He worked in a creative capacity for agencies such as JWT and Lowe Worldwide (Lintas), Bangalore, for over a decade before starting Smart Works. He was an esteemed visiting faculty member at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Advanced Studies and was a member, Board of Studies, Bangalore University. He recently served as the President of the Bunt Sangha, Bangalore, giving a fillip to the Sangha’s policies and projects.

Muralidhara Hegde got introduced to RMCL to prepare the invite for the 50th Ramananjali program in 1981.

He then designed the first children’s book on Ramana ‘Ramana Thatha’. Thereafter he became closely associated with all the Centre’s publications, contributing to the cover and page design. With A.R. Natarajan bringing out several hundred books from the Centre, and the monthly magazine ‘Ramana Way’ being published, Murali’s book designs made him a household name among the members of RMCL. He has also been active in the Theatre wing of the Centre based on his extensive experience in amateur theatre and Hindustani music.

At a momentous juncture in his life, he chose to stay on at Bangalore rather than pursue a lucrative career option at Mumbai, because it meant greater opportunities of service to the Centre. There has been no looking back in the achievements he has made in his career and artistic life.

Dr.Rajkumar Bharathi

Dr.Rajkumar Bharathi, Honorary Member – Great-grandson of Mahakavi Subrahmanya Bharathi, eminent Carnatic Classical vocalist, musicologist and music director. He has been awarded the Sangeeth Natak Akademy Award for the year 2015 under the 'Music for Dance' category. A qualified engineer, he gave up his career to become a full-time musician. Rajkumar has performed all over India, USA, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Gulf countries and the Orient as a part of concert tours and teaching assignments. He has collaborated with many leading dancers as a sought-after music composer for his innovative and challenging Varnams, Padams, Thillanas and creative pieces. He is the recipient of many prestigious awards and titles including "Acharya Choodamani" title from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha. He has been conferred honorary doctorate from Sathyabhama University, Chennai.

He has contributed immensely to Ramananjali music by his inimitable rendering of songs, music direction and composing music for several of the Centre’s dance dramas. He has translated into Tamil Sri A.R.Natarajan’s ‘Timeless in Time’. He has also composed a dance drama on the life and teachings of Ramana Maharshi entitled ‘Ananya Ramana’.

Dr.Kalarani Rengasamy

Dr.Kalarani Rengasamy, Honorary Member - Lecturer and Speaker, Dr. Kala Rani Rengasamy is a B.A. Hons, Delhi University and PhD from Mother Theresa Women’s University. She has served asa lecturer in Sri Meenakshi Government College for Women, Madurai. Her oratorial talents found recognition even in her childhood at Delhi when she received an award from the then President of India for winning a contest. She gives philosophical lecturers especially on the Life and Teachings of Ramana Maharshi. She was awarded the title ‘Variar Viruthu’ by Bharati Yuva Kendra in Madurai for giving philosophical lectures. She is the Director of the school for Bharatanatyam ‘Sri Ramana Natyalaya’.

Dr.Kala Rani is blessed to be exposed to the life and teachings of Ramana Maharshi from her childhood as her parents were active members of Ramana Kendra, Delhi. Later, her father Sri S. Guruswamy was the Vice President of Madurai Ramana Kendram and now her husband Rengasamy is serving as President of the Kendram. She is herself an active part of the Madurai Kendram.

S.Varadachari

Sri S.Varadachari, Honorary Member - S. Varadachari is a former Executive Director and State Head for Indian Oil in Karnataka, where he held positions like General Manager In-Charge. He was involved in strategic initiatives, such as the partnership with StoreKing for rural e-commerce. In 2015, he signed an agreement with StoreKing to enable customers in Tier 3 and 4 towns in Karnataka to do online shopping through Indian Oil retail outlets. He inaugurated an in-house plant for testing and repainting LPG cylinders, aiming to improve efficiency and ensure statutory compliance. He expressed Indian Oil's commitment to improving lives in its operating communities, particularly highlighting the 100% LPG penetration in villages as a proud moment.

He comes from a family of devout philanthropists. He recalled that his uncle was one of the surgeons who operated on Ramana Maharshi during the time when the dreadful sarcoma racked his body. Now, he has been called to serve on the Governing Body of Ramana Maharshi Centre. Ramana says that Arunachala’s net of grace can never miss its mark.

Sri N.Nandakumar,

Director, South Bangalore Centre

Nandakumarji has been associated with RMCL for more than a decade now as the Director of our South Bangalore Centre. RMCL has been holding special two-day workshops on self-enquiry for the past more than 25 years in Bangalore, Madurai, Chennai and other cities in India. Nandakumarji has been the senior faculty in all the workshops of RMCL for the past decade as he has dedicated his life to sharing the glory of self-enquiry having richly experienced for himself the immeasurable benefits of the path of Sri Ramana.

Here at RMCL, we have found his inputs and sharings on self-enquiry of great value in giving us deeper clarity and steadfastness in our practice of self-enquiry. His sadhana has led him through in- depth study and practise of other philosophies as a culmination of which he has been led to self- enquiry. He also has a wide knowledge about the relationship of present-day experiments and findings in the field of science that have a bearing on our understanding of Self-knowledge and self-enquiry. An interaction with Nandakumarji would be of great value to any seeker of truth and in particular to those wishing to get a greater understanding of the essential teachings of Ramana Maharshi.He is a core faculty in all of the Centre’s weekly and daily online Satsangs and discussions.

Advisory Board Members

Dr.Ambika Kameshwar

Founder-Director RASA - Ramana Sunritya Aalaya. Kalaimamani Dr.Ambika Kameshwar is a noted danseuse, choreographer, vocalist, composer, scholar and teacher of international acclaim who has travelled the world sharing her art with all. She has choreographed over 50 dance dramas and more than 10 complete Bharatanatyam Margams. She has composed music for over 50 dance dramas and several devotional albums as well. She is a loved and respected teacher of classical dance and music.

Dr.Ambika is held by all in high regard as the Pioneer of Applying Theatre Arts as a tool of Holistic Development for people with multiple challenges. Has research and application in the field for three decades has taken the shape of a methodology now renowned as TAHD. Her PhD was on Natyabhinaya and she did her Post Doctoral Fellowship on the Application of Natya as a holistic developmental tool, as a Senior Fellow of the Govt. of India. She has guided PhD Scholars as a registered Guide of scholars pursuing their Doctorate degree at University of Kancheepuram, Department of Indian Culture Studies. She is currently a Guide in the Vels University, Chennai.

She served as a Member of the Advisory Board of PRASAR BHARTI & of SOUTH ZONE CULTURAL CENTRE till 2010, and as a Board Member of The KALAKSHETRA Foundation till December 2013.

She has been honored with several Awards, including the highest award of the Rotary – namely the ‘For the Sake of Honour’ Award, the Bharata Kala Ratna, Stree Ratna, Acharya Choodamani and the prestigious Kalaimamani Award for the year 2004 by the Tamil Nadu State Government, to mention a few. She was further awarded the Sirappu Kalaimamani Award by the Tamil Nadu State Government in 2020.

She has been soaked in the Ramana Movement from her infancy, is a core singer in Ramananjali from its inception and has composed the music for several dance dramas of the Centre. She has also choreographed practically all the dance dramas of RMCL playing the lead role in these productions as well.

Sri.Venkatesh N Deshpande

Venkatesh is an Electronics and Communication Engineer with an Executive MBA from IIM, Bangalore. He has worked for 3 decades in the IT and Engineering industries such as Wipro, ABB, Oracle, e4e. He has held Senior Management positions and managed Global operations of companies.

Venkatesh actively participated in social projects in Rotary and Round Table. He received Mantra Diksha from Swami Chidananda of Sivananda Ashram (Divine Life Society), Rishikesh. He attended a residential course at the Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy, Sivanada Ashram, Rishikesh. His parents have been blessed in marriage by Gurudev – Swami Sivananda.

He has been practising meditation for over 4 decades. He joined RMCL in 2010 and is currently an Advisory Board Member of RMCL. Additionally, he is the President of Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi Research Centre. He regularly gives lectures in the Seminars and Workshops conducted by the Centre on the Life and Teachings of Ramana Maharshi and in the daily online Satsangs.