Born
in the Deekshithar community, an ancient priestly family, I grew up learning and
playing in the halls of the
Shri Shiva Nataraja temple of Chidambaram, in south
India. As a youth I gained traditional knowledge from various masters in many
fields. I followed a western academic education at one of India’s renowned
universities. My ambition and longing was and is to convey and share ancient
traditional knowledge with the world. I have always strongly felt I belong both
in the East and in the West. I have written books and published articles. One of
my most significant research projects is the discovery of the Sphinx of India.
For some I have been a healer, for others a counsellor or coach. Always I would
like to be a friend. I feel it is my mission to be a bridge between East and
West. For more than twenty years I have been travelling between India and the
West. To meet people and share with them the ancient treasures and wisdom from
my culture and tradition. The wisdom and knowledge I learned from my masters I
have shaped in various forms for today's world. I apply my traditional knowledge
with a modern approach and method. As a teacher, consultant, trainer, and coach.
Curriculum Vitae
B.A. in English Literature
Annamalai University, Chidambaram, India.
Ordained as a priest and high priest. Studies in temple
ritual,
Sutra (doctrine), and Sanskrit chants.
Acting priest in the temple of Tillai-Ambal and Tillai Kali in
Chidambaram , one of the prominent and ancient goddess shrines in South India.
Acting priest in the temple of Shri Shiva
Nataraja, the temple of the
Dancing Shiva, Chidambaram, south India. Performer of many special
rituals and yajnas, Chief priest for the Mid-summer Chariot Festival.
Extensive studies and research in many of the traditional Vedic
traditions, under masters.
* Yoga and its various branches: yantra, mantra and asana.
* Vedic astrology.
* Siddha medicine and alchemy.
* Vastu Shastra, the traditional science of temple construction.
* Shilpa Shastra, iconography and iconology.
* Indian classical dance
Secretary and
managing director of the Shri Shiva Nataraja temple.
Consultant and resource person for astro-physicist and astro-
archaeologist Professor John McKim Malville University of Colorado,
Boulder, for his research project on Sun worship in Tamil Nadu.
Consultant for two documentary films on the Shri Nataraja temple.
Consultant for Indian television documentary on the Shri
Nataraja
temple.
Consultant for the French feature film,
“Dance of Shiva’.
Consultant and resource person
for Dr.Paul Younger's "The Home of Dancing Sivan".
Consultant and participant in television documentary, "Darshan"
presented by Michael Wood and produced by Maya Vision
International
M.A. in Sociology
Annamalai University, Chidambaram, India.
Consultant
and participant in “Mark Tully’s
Faces of India”, a series
of short documentaries presented by renowned journalist Mark Tully
on the occasion of the celebrations for the 50 years of independence
of India.
Published “The Hidden Treasure in
the City of Ether”. A study on
the symbolism and meaning hidden in of the architecture and ritual
of
the temple of Shri Shiva Nataraja.
Published
“The Dance of Tillai Chidambaram”.
An introduction to
the history and doctrine of the Shri Shiva Nataraja temple, written for
the interested traveler and visitor.
Guest lecturer at the NOHG, Nederlandse Opleiding voor Hindu
Geestelijken. (Dutch College for Hindu Spiritual Coaches)
Occasional guest speaker and lecturer at the Faculty of
Theology University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Contributed the article "Discovering the Anthropomorphic
Lion in Indian Art",
to Marg Magazine, Volume 55,
Number 4, June 2004, on
his discovery of sphinxes in Indian art and
culture.
Series of Cultural
Training Session for the Transaction Banking Group of the
ABNAmro Bank, Amsterdam, The
Netherlands.
Series of workshops on the theme " Spirituality and
Management" for
The Hogeschool Utrecht, The Netherlands.
The Archaeology Channel
features his videos "The Sphinx of India"
and "Shri Shiva Nataraja, His Temple in Chidambaram"
Published "A Stream of Thoughts", a collection of monographs on
Quantum Mechanics and an ancient temple; Super-Symmetry and the
Dancing Shiva; The Theory of Everything and the Vision of the Rishis.
Published the cooking book "Tasty Plate" a collection of
traditional
and modern south Indian vegetarian recipes.
Yearly visits to the Netherlands, Germany, France and
Belgium.
Giving lectures, workshops and consultations.
Acted in the past 35 years as consultant and resource person for
many researchers, journalists and authors.
SPIRITUAL
VISION