Tamil Nadu

Lost a visionary educator: AR Rahman, Ashwin Ravichandran, others remember Mrs YGP

Mrs YG Parthasarathy, the founder of the PSBB schools in Chennai, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93.

Written by : TNM Staff

A doyen in the field of education, the passing away of 93-year-old Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy, has been hailed as the end of era by her students and admirers. As news of her death on Tuesday, began to do the rounds on social media, alumni of the Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan group of schools in Chennai, including music composer AR Rahman and Indian cricketer Ashwin Ravichandran expressed their condolences. 

Alumni recalled the encouragement she gave to students who studied in her prestigious schools and the emphasis she placed on extra-curricular activities. Kollywood Music director Anirudh Ravichander is also an alumnus of the school. 

Mrs.YGP, as she was fondly called, founded PSBB in 1958. When it first began, she had merely 13 students who were taught under a thatched roof. The school placed emphasis on hollistic learning and included yoga, meditation and reciting Vedas as part of its daily activities. 

Music and dance classes were part of the PSBB culture and classes began with a traditional greeting of Shri Gurubyo Namaha as opposed to the usually practiced 'Good Morning'. 

In an interview, Mrs. YGP had once said that she was initially ridiculed for what was thought to be an unconventional system. However, word-of-mouth reportedly brought more students and fame to the school. 

“People were yearning for a platform that would give them the ‘Indian touch’ they needed. They first said it would become more of a cultural centre than school. The parents were so used to the Anglicised method of teaching and it took a while to grab their attention. But, once it did, we emerged successful,” she told TNIE

Many former students praised for not merely the education provided by the school, but also for the 'values' it insitlled in them. 

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