Essay on The Uses of Adversity

Publisher's Note

It gives me great joy to write this note on the occasion of the 320d Anniversary of Dr. V. Raghavan, which is marked with the release of his original Prose-writing titled “Uses of Adversity" penned by him in the year 1929, as a IV year Hons. student in the Presidency College, Madras. He had won the "Narasimhachariar Sanskrit Prize" for this essay. Mahamahopadhyaya S. Kuppuswami Sastrigal (who was also his Guru), who had judged this essay, says in his own handwriting on the title page of the hand-written copy of this work, " this should be selected as the best and first, in respect of its language, matter and method" and adds further that this student should be given the first prize; he marks 60 out of 100 for this essay, thus recommending it strongly for the prize. The hand -written copy of this work has stood the test of times, with its paper and the ink still remaining intact, even after "Eighty two" long years!

In his list of publications, Dr. Raghavan, has included this as one among his many pending works to be published. This is now being published with English translation, to make it beneficial for students and Sanskrit lovers.

Dr. Raghavan who came up in life the very hard way, had a mind full of positive outlook and approaches. Having lost his parents at a very early age, he met life with different types of challenges from which he learnt many a lesson and never ever lost his spirit, zeal and enthusiasm to work at any point of time throughout his life and career; he always looked ahead and never worried about the surrounding obstacles; his goal was towards the path of success; even when he rose to be a world-renowned scholar, his faith in divine guidance and his Guru remained firm and he always looked up to elders to learn from their wise experiences. Whatever be his scholarly attainments, he always believed in hard work.

In this work, one can feel the thought process of Dr. Raghavan, who as a young student, aspiring for higher goals of life, has analysed the sources of strength and the forces of swaying emotions that challenge the individual with pain and pleasure. As his children, my elder brothers Kalidas, Charudattan, elder sister Priyamvada and myself can fully understand the impact of his experiences in his early life that have, in a way prompted him to write such a deep, thoughtful essay.

"Adversity is the prosperity of the great' is a quotation of Ercin which he had copied in his own hand and used it as book mark in his daily diary. I found this after his passing away; I preserve this still in my almirah and look at it everyday to remind myself of the struggles that our father went through to give us the best in life, art and many more, in addition to his 'unspoken word of deep love and care' that he gave the four of us in plenty; whatever we are today, we owe it to him and our mother who followed him like a shadow and stood by him in all that he did, not only for us, but for so many in the larger circles.

The Centre which functions to perpetuate Dr. Raghavan' s memory, is very happy to bring out this publication on this occasion of his 32nd Remembrance day. I am sure this work will be as much interesting to all those who wish to dwell deeper into the philosophy of life as to students and researchers in the field of Sanskrit.