By Prof. A.V. Narasimha Murthy, former Head, Department of Ancient History & Archaeology, University of Mysore

Palghat is an anglicised name of a town in Kerala. Its original name was Palakkad which meant forest of milk (palu=halu). That it is an ancient town is attested to by the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta of fourth century AD. Actually Samudragupta ruled between 335 and 375 AD. Ugrasena of Palakka was one of the kings defeated by Samudragupta and this Palakka (Palakkad) has been identified as Palghat.

Palakkad Iyers are intelligent and hardworking and are prepared to leave their homes in search of newer pastures. That is how they have spread themselves in different parts of South India. They were famous as good cooks and people used to get them to prepare luxurious and tasty food, particularly in marriages.

I remember my father inviting a famous cook by name Viswanatha Iyer for the marriage of my sister almost half a century ago. I distinctly remember the tasty chiroti he prepared which was in great demand and many of my relatives packed off the remaining chirotis.

All these thoughts came to my mind when I was writing about Palghat Ramakrishna Hariharan, popularly known as P.R. Hariharan. He was born on July 27, 1912 and passed away peacefully on June 9, 1998 in Mysore. When he passed away, Karnataka lost an eminent auditor-accountant and an ardent devotee of Sharada Peetham at Sringeri. Actually he was the Dharmadhikari of Sringeri Mahasamsthanam till his death and served Abhinava Shankaralaya (Shankara Mutt) in Mysore.

Hariharan’s father was R.S. Ramakrishna Iyer and his mother Gomathi. Actually his house is named after his mother Gomathi in N.R. Mohalla. He was a well-known person in that locality and nobody would find it difficult to trace his house.

I do not know when I first met Hariharan. In those days, the Sringeri Jagadgurus used to visit houses of devotees for Padapuja and I was one of them when my grandfather and father were alive. Usually Hariharan used to visit these houses earlier and made sure of the locality and the access to the house. Thus he used to visit the houses in advance. As we were from Sringeri, we always had that privilege of a visit or Padapuja at our house. And this was due to Hariharan.

Hariharan had his education in Sarada Vilas School, Hardwicke High School and Intermediate College in Mysore. Subsequently, he took up the profession of auditor in 1935. He received F.C.A. in 1949 when the profession was formally organised and became one of the first Chartered Accountants not merely in Karnataka but in India. He pursued this profession for over sixty years. He was honest and would not succumb to pressure of individuals or companies by showing wrong figures to avoid making payments to the government. He was admired for his commitment and honesty and such ethical auditors are rare.

Observing that there were no temples in the area he lived, he developed the Prasanna Mahaganapathi temple which was actually a gift from his father. He expanded the temple assets by adding income-providing facilities. Thus people of the locality owe a debt of gratitude to Hariharan.

In spite of his professional work, he followed rituals. He used to get up before sunrise and after bath, he would engage himself in the puja room. After all this, he would go to his office room located in the same house and did the professional work. Though he was a Karmayogi, he was able to match it with Bhakti yoga. Thus Karma and Bhakti were two steps to reach the goal of life. That is how he was able to be a devotee of Sringeri Mutt and a successful Chartered Accountant. To him, both were two branches that lead to spirituality.

In spite of his commitment to religion and spirituality, he had developed interest in other areas of social service. This is simply amazing. He was the Chairman of the Mysore Branch of Southern India Regional Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in India, President and Hon. Treasurer of Mysore Chartered Accountants Education Trust, Shankara Samithi, Sharada Dhanvanthri Hospital, Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal Scientific Research Academy, Shankara Krupa (Kannada Journal), Editorial Consultant of Tattvaloka – Splendour of Truth, senior active member of Rotary Club of Mysore, past Master of Freemason, President of Anathalaya, Mysore, President of Vidyaranya Education Society, Trustee of Elder Citizens Council, Trustee of Prasad Memorial Medical Centre, Mysore, etc.

It is difficult to list all his positions and his family should think of compiling a book including his life sketch and his contributions to spirituality and auditing. Sringeri Jagadguru of Sharada Peetham gave him the title ‘Gurubhaktatilaka’, considering his services and commitment to Sringeri Sharada Peetham.

Hariharan was a generous person and helped many individuals and organisations by giving donations. Many poor students who could not pay college fees have been amply rewarded by him. Many householders who were not that rich to perform upanayanam and marriage have had the benefit of his generosity. He would make sure that the cause is genuine before parting with money.

His audit office had many assistants and they all remember him with gratitude. Once a rich company gave double the audit charges to Hariharan and he immediately told his colleagues that this was due to their hard work and they were the legitimate people to take it. Keeping a small portion, he distributed the amount to his assistants.

Hariharan’s illustrious son Ramachandra inherited his father’s profession both in auditing and as the Dharmadhikari of Sringeri Mutt. All the spiritual activities are held without any omission there under his guidance. His wife Kalpana takes great interest in all the activities of Shankara Mutt. The entire family, starting from Hariharan, has been doing great service to the cause of spirituality in general and Sringeri Sharada Peetham in particular. Whenever I go to Mysore Shankara Mutt, I bow to the photograph of late Hariharan hung on one of its walls and I pay my homage to his soul.