KS_Venkataraman

K S Venkataraman (Kumbakonam Sambasiva Venkataraman)

I hail from Kumbakonam, Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, India.

Kumbakonam is famous for religious and academic excellence. My childhood atmosphere was conducive to learning, as there used to be several meetings of scholars, seminars and lectures in the nearby temples. There were regular discussions among the Tamil, Saivite scholars in the temples; these were great opportunities for me to learn about our religion and culture.

I lost my father very early in life, i.e. in 1954.

Then in 1960 I joined the Revenue department, Tiruchirappalli district. I was influenced greatly by Sri S Parthasarathy I.A.S and Sri D Gangappa I.A.S while serving in Tiruchirappalli district. In 1970 I was absorbed by the Board of revenue, Madras. In 1974 I was appointed Superintendent in the Tamil Nadu Council of Historical Research by the then Commissioner of Historical Research Sri Badrinath I.A.S. Soon I was selected as Research Assistant by Sri Gopal Krishna Gandhi I.A.S. the then Editor, Gazetteers, and was absorbed by the Gazetteer project, a centrally sponsored scheme as Assistant Editor. This turned out to be an excellent opportunity for me to become involved in research and publishing work in association with a number of great scholars in various fields. As gazetteers are detailed books on given local areas, covering all the walks of life, this proved to be a boon. The professional and personal contact with many experts and scholars widened my outlook and deepened my interest in content development and editing.

In 1991 I obtained voluntary retirement and started freelance editing and publishing. I have authored several religious works in Tamil. Ganapati Kavacham, Chengacheri Amman Antaadi, Chengacheri Amman Naanmanimaalai, Akatteesan Antaadi, Chengacheri Amman Alankaara Panchakam, and Sabarimalai Iyyappan Antaadi deserve special mention. I have also edited and published a number of religious and general books. I had the privilege of working with many dedicated authors like Prof. C G Vasudevan (later Swami Suvijnanananda), R Sundar Rajan of Pune, and Yogisri Balakrishnan of Singapore. During 2004-2007, I was the Editor and publisher of Nitya Kalyan, a religious magazine under the auspices of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.

From August 2007 I have been working as Associate Editor for Dynamic Youth online magazine, dedicated to Global Youth Development.

My E-mail: venkataramanks7@yahoo.com

My blog: www.prosperous-world.com