Mathur "MRK" Ramaswamy Krishnan

From Anandan with Love I first met Krishna Mama long before the 1980s, during many family gatherings and casual visits. But it was in the 1980s that I had some really memorable talks with him, which made a big impact on me. These conversations helped me see Krishna Mama as a true mentor and guide. I remember one time when Krishna Mama taught me about choosing stocks. He explained things in a clear, simple way and gave me easy-to-use advice that helped me understand the world of finance. His lessons made even difficult ideas easy for me to follow. In another meeting, Krishna Mama spoke about Sandhyavandhanam, a daily prayer. He told me that giving Arghyam during the ritual is like aiming and throwing arrows at demons, which means fighting our bad habits. He also showed how standing on your toes for Arghyam is as important as being ready to shoot arrows—always alert and prepared for challenges. Krishna Mama loved telling stories, and his stories always taught something useful. Once, at Ram Mama’s grandson’s wedding, he talked about different types of bananas, especially Nendrapayam, and how they became popular. He made even simple topics fun by tying in facts and jokes. Besides being spiritual, Krishna Mama was smart in business matters too. He wrote a few valuable books about management and finance. When I was in Mumbai, I helped make sure these books were available in management institute libraries for students to read and learn. Krishna Mama liked hearing about the problems between workers and managers in my workplace. He listened closely, asked questions, and gave new ideas that always helped me think differently about handling such issues. Visiting Krishna Mama in Ashok Nagar was always exciting. There was never a dull moment with him—each visit was filled with friendly talks, great stories, and wise advice. For me, Krishna Mama is truly *a complete man*—kind, knowledgeable, and always ready to share what he knows. His influence remains strong in my life even now.