Though for them it is a merciful release from the travails of old age, I hate it when senior teachers of Vidya Mandir’s early decades pass away. To me, it is like losing a parent all over again. Just the assurance of their being around meant security. Farewell Prema Raghavan Miss
– This was a Facebook post by historian V Sriram who also studied at Vidya Mandir.
He is one of the many of her former students who is mourning her loss.
Prema Raghavan, was the maths teacher and vice principal of Vidya Mandir. She passed away recently. She was 87.
Prema Raghavan was born in 1937 to Krishnamurthy and Amruthavalli. Her grandfather, C Ramanujachariar was instrumental in developing Ramakrishna Students Home on P S Sivaswamy Salai, Mylapore.
Prema was the first woman graduate from her family in her generation. She did B. A. in Maths from Stella Maris College and got married to Raghavan, a finance professional in 1959. She did her bachelor’s degree in teachers training from Stella Matutina College, Chennai and subsequently joined Vidya Mandir.
“My mother has been in Vidya Mandir throughout her career except for a brief stint when she went to Vijayawada after my father’s transfer. When she came back to Chennai, she rejoined Vidya Mandir,” says Balaji, her son who runs his own business. Her other son, Ramji, is working in the USA.
“My mom was a fine lady, always smiling and ready to help everyone. The tributes that are pouring in speak volumes of her great work. She never hesitated to go the extra mile to teach students. She would work with them after school hours. She lived a good life except for the last two years when her health took a setback,” adds Balaji.
Prema studied at St Ebba’s School and her family members say that Mylapore was her lifeline as she was born and brought up in this area. She was deeply interested in music and had trained under K V Krishnan.
“She was extremely talented, could sing well and could also identify ragas. She, along with her cousins, were called Kolathur sisters, unofficially. Till before the pandemic, she would go every Sunday to Ramakrishna Students Home and teach music to inmates,” said Balaji.
The family resides in R. A. Puram.
