Sushmitha Ramakrishnan By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Renowned educationist and founder of Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan group of schools, Rajalakshmi YG Parthasarathy passed away at a city hospital on Tuesday. She was 93. She was admitted to the hospital on Monday after she complained of breathlessness. She received Padma Shri in 2010 for her contributions to education and literature. Hundreds of students, teachers, friends and family members gathered to pay homage at the PSBB campus on Thirumalai Pillai Road, T Nagar, where her remains were kept.

Parthasarathy, along with a few friends, established the first branch of PSBB School way back in 1958, in Nungambakkam. What started from a thatched shed on the terrace of her residence with 13 students, as a venture to teach music and Hindu shlokas to children, soon expanded into a group of schools with six branches across India. In recent years, the total capacity crossed 10,000 students.

Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy, founder and dean of the PSBB Group of institutions, passed away aged 93.

“We weren’t happy how most schools were imitating the Anglo-Indian system,” Parthasarathy had told Express in 2017. “They were doing so without questioning or tweaking it to suit our context. So we wanted to establish a school that would guide children on our culture and tradition without compromising on contemporary aspects.”

An indicator to this, many say, is that the school’s students still wish teachers with “Shri Gurubhyo Namaha” instead of a conventional good morning.

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Married to dramatist YG Parthasarathy, she had two sons – actor YG Mahendra and YG Rajendra. She often said at public events that it was her husband who encouraged her to start an educational institute.

Speaking to Express, Girija Jayakumar, a physical education trainer at the school said: “We never felt like her employees. We worked for her like she was our mother. We wanted to treat students with the same love and affection,” she said.

Many celebrities, who are alumnus of the school expressed their grief as well.

Music director Anirudh Ravichander tweeted, “Mrs YGP - The epitome of positivity, self confidence, courage and kindness. An example for many generations to come. You will be missed dearly by me and every single student in every part of this world. Love you and RIP”

Cricketer Ashwin Ravichandran tweeted, “RIP Mrs YGP.. The lady has managed to produce some unbelievable human beings to serve this world with the help of her #psbb family. May her legacy go on and on... Sri gurubhyo namaha.”

Her remains are expected to be cremated on Wednesday.