We sat at last with Thathacharya in his Saram house for some three hours this afternoon, hearing him tell stories, quote insightful lines, and generally guide us through both temple history, practice, and the Sri Vaishnava world of ideas.
He asked about us, and couldn’t place either of our “Tamil-ness.” I couldn’t tell if I was devastated by that or not. He and his wife run a strict Iyengar household. Sipped coffee cups were kept on the dining table, not brought into kitchen. Thathacharya has a meditation hall upstairs, and is a great admirer of Srisri Ravi Shankar. Thathacharya started chanting prabandham in the temple past 50. He’s one daughter in Chennai, with a grandchild who’s 4 (whom we will meet on Aavani Avittam day).