Yecha Gunja Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy (27 November 1925 – 6 August 2019), better known as Mrs YGP, was an Indian journalist, educationist and social worker. She was the founder and dean of the
Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan
Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan (PSBB) is a group of schools located in Chennai, India. The school was founded by educationalist Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy (1925–2019), also known as Mrs. YGP.
History
The PSBB School in Chennai was established ...
.
Rajalakshmi was awarded the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
in 2010, India's fourth highest civil honour for her contribution to literature and education.
Personal life
Rajalakshmi was born in Madras on 27 November 1925 into an affluent and educated family, the daughter of
Burmah Shell
The Burmah Oil Company was a leading British oil company which was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In 1966, Castrol was acquired by Burmah, which was renamed "Burmah-Castrol". BP Amoco (now BP) purchased the company in 2000.
Histor ...
employee R. Parthasarathy and his wife Alamelu Amma. Her father was the son of
Indian independence activist,
Dewan Bahadur T. Rangachari
Diwan Bahadur T. Rangachari Order of the Indian Empire, CIE (1865–1945) was an Indian lawyer, politician, journalist, legislator.
Early life
Rangachari was born in 1865 in a prominent land-owning Iyengar family of the Madras Presidency. He ...
and her mother was a homemaker. Her cousin
K. Balaji
Krishnamachari Balaji (24 June 19342 May 2009) was an Indian film producer and actor. He was a prominent actor in the 1960s and 70s, playing lead, supporting and antagonist roles. He appeared in many Sivaji Ganesan films.
Early life
Balaji was ...
was an actor and director in the Tamil film industry.
Rajalakshmi studied at St. John's School and Holy Cross College, Madras and received a graduate degree in
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...
from the
University of Madras in 1947, at a time when few women in India undertook higher studies. She was the only woman in her class and the first woman in her family to graduate.
Later, she completed her M. Ed. and acquired a master's degree in
History
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
from the University of Madras also.
She was married to playwright
Y. G. Parthasarathy
Yecha Gunja Parthasarathy (born Y G Parthasarathy; 30 September 1917https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-samsung&biw=412&bih=652&tbm=bks&ei=7cf-XPSLFrPAmwW9lZ34BQ&q=Y.+G.+Parthasarathy+30th+September+1917&oq=Y.+G.+Parthasarathy+30th+Sep ...
, and they had two sons, Y. G. Rajendran and
Y. G. Mahendran
Y G Mahendran (born 9 January 1950) is an Indian Actor, dramatist, actor, singer, playwright and comedian from the state of Tamil Nadu. He has acted in a number of plays and films. He is the son of Y. G. Parthasarathy, one of the pioneers of mo ...
, a Tamil film and stage actor.
Rajalakshmi died in Chennai on 6 August 2019 at age 93 due to a cardiac arrest. She was replaced by Mrs. Sheela Rajendran, her daughter-in-law.
Career
On completion of her graduation, Rajalakshmi worked as a journalist with ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' and the Tamil weekly, ''
Kumudam''.
She however quit her job after marriage and started the
Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan
Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan (PSBB) is a group of schools located in Chennai, India. The school was founded by educationalist Rajalakshmi Parthasarathy (1925–2019), also known as Mrs. YGP.
History
The PSBB School in Chennai was established ...
in 1958.
Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan
In 1958, Rajalakshmi started a school with 13 students along with members of the Nungambakkam Ladies Recreation Club in a shed in the terrace of her house in
Nungambakkam and named it Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan in deference to the wishes of one of its benefactors, R. M. Seshadri, who expressed his wish for the school to be named after his wife.
The next year, the school acquired its own building. In 1971, the school established its first branch, in Nungambakkam (which is also known as the main school). Since then, the school has grown manifold and in 2009, comprised five branches with over 8,000 students and 500 staff members. Rajalakshmi served as the Dean and Director of the school since its inception in 1958, until her death. In 2010, it was reported to have more than 10,000 students.
Awards
*On 26 January 2010, Rajalakshmi was awarded the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
, India's fourth highest civil honour for her contribution to literature and education.
*'Achievement Medal for Leadership and Commitment to Excellence in Education' by the U.S-based
Center for Excellence in Education
The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) is an American private nonprofit organization that seeks to help academically outstanding high school and college students achieve successful careers in science and technology and fulfill leadership ro ...
.
*'Vayoshreshtha Samman' award from the Government of India.
*'Paul Harris Fellow Award' by the Rotary Club of Madras.
Works
*
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Literature & Education
1925 births
2019 deaths
Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education
Indian women educational theorists
Indian social workers
Indian women journalists
Writers from Chennai
Journalists from Tamil Nadu
Women writers from Tamil Nadu
Social workers from Tamil Nadu
Women educators from Tamil Nadu
Educators from Tamil Nadu
20th-century Indian educational theorists
20th-century Indian women writers
20th-century Indian journalists
20th-century women educators