S. Subramania Iyer - Cultural Interests

Cultural Interests

He was the President of the Dharma Rakshana Sabha, which he founded in 1908, and which sought to prevent the mismanagement of the funds of Hindu Religious Endowment and Charitable Trusts. He also worked for the promotion of Sanskritic study, and established two schools for Vedic Studies in Madura and Thiruparankundram. As the President of the Suddha Dharma Mandala, which he founded, he was instrumental in publishing several important Hindu religious works.

Having been greatly interested in spirituality and the study of religion he became interested in the Theosophical Society which he formally joined soon after his retirement. He was also the Vice-President of the Theosophical Society between 1907 and 1911.

As one of the prominent members his literary contributions were a regular feature of the Theosophical Society's publication The Theosophist right up to the 1920s. His participation in the activities of the Theosophical Society gradually drew him closer to Annie Besant and the Indian independence movement.

The Suddha Dharma Mandala or 'Pure Religion Society' resulted in a rift between himself and the Theosophical Society, since he desired to provide a rival world leader to Jiddu Krishnamurthi, the favoured champion of the Society.

Read more about this topic:  S. Subramania Iyer

Famous quotes containing the words cultural and/or interests:

    Barbarisation may be defined as a cultural process whereby an attained condition of high value is gradually overrun and superseded by elements of lower quality.
    Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)

    What a country calls its vital economic interests are not the things which enable its citizens to live, but the things which enable it to make war. Petrol is more likely than wheat to be a cause of international conflict.
    Simone Weil (1909–1943)