Divinity’s dividend sets BRK apart

BY PRAKASH M SWAMY

B Ramakrishnan founded BRK SOFT (School of Financial

Techniques) ™ (www.brk-soft.com) in Nandanam, Chennai in

partnership with National Skill Development Council (NSDC)

Government of India has launched job-oriented skill

development programs for freshers – final year undergraduate

students such as B Com and BBA and first and second year post

graduate students like M Com and MBA, working professionals

and technocrats.

The 20-hour, one-month course will help the participants in

getting placements in Banks, Non-Banking Finance Companies

(NBFCs), Private Equity, Venture Capital and Mutual Fund

companies, corporate finance, consulting and equity research

Assignments

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

Government of India has approved the program under non-

funded partnership scheme. The certificates will be jointly

issued with NSDC.

After completing the program, the trained freshers are

expected to possess good analytical skills and will be able to

identify the fundamental financial strength and weakness of

the organization and also raise suitable financial products at

optimum costs.

Ramakrishnan started BRK Academy in Chennai to impart

financial skill-based training programs in 2013. He had started

this as the first Financial Lab™ in the world. B. Ramakrishnan,

well known in the financial circles as BRK, holds a Post

Graduate Diploma in Management with specialization In

Finance.

After his studies he joined H C Kothari Group of companies in

1989 as an Executive and went on to head the finance function

of the company in 1996-97. He was part of the team that

floated the first private sector Mutual fund in India.

He is also a trained CFO from Indian Institute of Management,

Calcutta. After almost a decade with H C Kothari group, BRK

started his own consulting firm and floated Corporate Clinic™

(www.corporateclinic.com) during 2003 in Chennai that

specializes in raising various kinds of financial products.

BRK is a devout Hindu and practices Sanatana Dharma (way of

human life) in his day-to-day activities like five hour pooja every

morning, renovation of temples and donations besides helping

the poor and the needy.

His family is closely associated with the Sri Matam, the

headquarters of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in Kanchipuram

headed by His Holiness Shankaracharya for generations. BRK,

from his birth itself, had some special blessings of

Mahaperiyava

BRK’s vidyabhyasam was performed by Brahma Sri Musiri

Ananthanarayana Wajpayee. Sri Wajpayee had the credential

of performing most number of Wajpayee Yagam during recent

times and was also acclaimed as a real Brahmin in the words of

Maha Periyava.

Maha Periyava used to clarify his thoughts with Wajpayee on

Dharma and Sastra. Maha Periyava blessed BRK with a rare

rudraksha beed mala which he preserves like his eye lids and

wears during the daily pooja. His Upanayanam was performed

with some special instructions from Maha Periyava

BRK’s great grandfather Brahmasri Kashi Vaidhyanatha

Ganapadigal was an authority on Sanskrit and had some

eminent disciple like Dr K M Munshi and Dr Madan Mohan

Malaviya who initiated Benares Hindu University in Varanasi.

When Maha Periyava visited Varanasi for the first time as a

young sanyasin after coming to the throne, the learned Sanskrit

scholars of Varanasi had underestimated the knowledge of

Maha Periyava and that had hurt Vaidhyanatha Ganapadigal.

He immediately arranged for a sadas where His Holiness Maha

Periyava exhibited his rare acumen on divinity. His speech was

considered a masterpiece and silenced the non-believers. They

fell at the feet of Maha Periyava and considered him as an

avatar of Lord Dakshinamurthy.

Maha Periyava blessed Vaidhyanatha Ganapadigal and thus the

ties between BRK family and the Math began. When Dewan

Bahadur Sir C P Ramaswami Aiyar of Travancore Devasthanam

approached Maha Periyava for a learned Vedic Pandit in

Mylapore Mahaperiyava advised BRK’s grandfather the late

Koothur Brahmasri Ramanadha Sastrigal to settle down in

Mylapore and help Brahmins in conducting Vedic rituals

After settling down in Mylapore, Brahmasri Ramanadha

Sastrigal constructed a house in Venkatesa Agraharam with

statue of Adhi Sankaracharya consecrated at a small shed

within the premises

Once when Maha Periyava visited the house he called Sastrigal

and asked him to construct a Sankara Math in Mylapore. Upon

His instructions, Brahmasri Sastrigal founded Kanchi Sankara

Math in Mylapore at Chitra Kulam and became its founder

secretary. The Adhi Sankara statue was moved from his house

to the Math.

BRK’s father, Late Shri Balachandran Ganapadigal had served as

an officer in State Bank of India and retired from service. He

was also a learned person in Sanskrit and adhered to dharmic

philosophies. He and his wife Srimathi Alamelu brought up their

Children in the most spiritual way imbibing devotion and bakthi

in their blood

BRK also learned Vedas from his father. Ramakrishnan performs

Rudra Ekadasi and Sahasra Gayathri (1008 times) every day as

per the instructions of Maha Periyava. He had donated golden

crown and golden oddiyanam to Lord Nataraja at Chidambaram

and also performed ten million vilva archana (kodi archana),

laksha Rudra Parayanam and yagams and also honored all the

Podu Diskshithars who offer worship daily to Lord Nataraja

He also performed ten-day Dasa Maha Vidya in 2014 at Kanchi

Kamakshi Amman temple praying that Narendra Modi should

become the Prime Minister and when his dream was full filled,

he was permitted to present the first bouquet to the Prime

Minister Narendra Modi who admired BRK

The Kanchi Sankaracharya His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Sri

Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal had appointed him

to the advisory committee of Sri Kamakshi Amman temple.

BRK also had a credential of the late Chief Minister J

Jayalalithaa admiring his contributions to Global Investors Meet

held during Sept 2015 by featuring him in the headlines of the

party Daily Dr Namadhu MGR and taking his advice on

attracting investments.

BRK is presently the Director of COMESA region as endorsed by

Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. BRK is also

senior vice chairman of Divyang Cricket Control Board of India

BRK has been recently appointed as Attaché for St. Vincent and

the Grenadines

BRK proudly says that he owes his growth to his parents,

siblings, the late Bhadrashyam. H. Kothari (Son-in- law of the

late Dirubhai Ambani)

BRK’s wife Gayathri and his adopted daughter Shruthi and

above all Maha Periyava of Kanchi’s divine blessings is always

required for success in everybody’s life, he says.