CHENNAI: The LIFCO Publishers Group conferred Sri Ramanuja Sevasri Award 2019 on U Ve Krishnamachariar, U Ve Dr Karunakarachariar and U Ve Gomadam Sampathkumarachariar. at RR Sabha, Mylapore on Thursday.
The award was instituted to recognise yeomen services in spreading virtues, principles and the philosophy of Jagadacharyan Bhagavad Ramanujar through seminars, upanyasams, literary works, publications, social awareness, restoration of temples and any other means that propagate his greatness.
The Governor of Kerala, P Sathasivam, the Additional Solicitor General of India, G Rajagopalan, and Madras High Court judge, Justice PN Prakash were the dignitaries who shared space with the recipients of the awards on the dais.
Governor Sathasivam spoke at length about the booming scope for publishing in India while also highlighting the need for publishing houses such as LIFCO to thrive as a means to provide great books at affordable rates, that can be bought and enjoyed by the common man.
The recipients thanked the publishing house for the honour while also singing praises of the Swami Ramanujar, as someone who was not only a philosopher but also a social reformer.
They said his writings and teachings were words to live by and also complimented his attention to detail, especially when it came to painstakingly penning down how temples should be administered effectively by defining the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders.
LIFCO on its part called him “a visionary par excellence” who possessed all the virtues and characteristics of a yathi and hence was called Yathirajan. “He brought even his opponents in his fold just by his modesty and simplicity,” a representative of the publishing house said. “Kings, sadhus of other beliefs, children, women, people from all the sections of society embraced Vaishnavism/ Vishistadvaitham just because they saw a real acharyan in Swami Ramanujar.”