Hindu of the Year; Sri Sri Tiruchi Mahaswamigal, trainer and guide of monastics and priests

Starting in 1990, HINDUISM TODAY has honored one eminent Hindu each year who has most impacted the faith and spread its values, compassion and profundity across the globe. Past renaissance winners are: Swami Paramananda Bharati ('90), Swami Chidananda Saraswati, "Muniji" of Parmath Niketan ('91), Swami Chinmayananda ('92), Mata Amritanandamayi Ma ('93), Swami Satchidananda ('94), Pramukhswami Maharaj ('95), Sri Satya Sai Baba ('96), Sri Chinmoy ('97), Swami Bua ('98), Swami Chidananda Saraswati of Divine Life Society ('99), Ma Yoga Shakti ('00), priest Sri T. S. Sambamurthy Sivachariar ('01) and Dada Vaswani ('02). One ashram devotee, a jeweler, told me, "I've been visiting the ashram for the last 28 years. A lot of good things have come to us with the blessings of Swamiji. On many occasions we have escaped dangers, and we realized that Swamiji would have forewarned us. Once, I was on my way to Maddur (60 miles from Bangalore) and, en route, I stopped to seek Swamiji's blessings. He warned me to drive carefully. Within an hour, a bus came menacingly from behind me, and there was a major accident. I survived only because of His blessings." Kailasa Ashrama runs a pathasala school that provides thorough religious training. A steady stream of proficient priests who graduated from here have become renunciate monks, noted for their training and dedication. Some have stayed back to serve Kailasa Ashrama, and some have joined other ashrams. Prominent among these are Jagadguru Sri Sri Sri Balagangadharanatha Swami of Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt in Belur, Swami Sivananda Bharati, head of Siddharudanatha Math, and Kumaraswamy, head of the Thiruchi Swami Math. Kailasa Ashrama, staffed by Swamiji's monks and administrated by Sri Jayendra Puri Swami, has spawned a number of subsidiary spiritual centers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states.