1978 raju mudaliar maternal grandfather

1981 was also the year of the blossoming of devotion in HDH towards deities, decoration and worship, greatly inspired by His maternal grandfather Raju Mudaliar thatha (thatha in Tamil meaning grandfather).

Raju Mudaliar thatha ('Thatha' in Tamil meaning grandfather) - maternal grandfather of The Avatar.

The Avatar summarises His days with His grandfather thus, "I was fortunate enough to have such an amazing person as My grandfather. When I saw My grandfather, My great grandmother, all of them, I saw that the concept of ‘settling down’ never existed for them. It is good that I was brought up by them. Now, these modern-day, IT (Information Technology) people think, “I will work till forty and then retire. I will make money, buy a flat and a car, and settle down by forty.” It means that even while they are studying, acquiring knowledge, the goal is just to acquire some comforts and luxury and drop out!"

South-facing temple tower of the Arunācaleśvara temple in Tiruvannamalai, the most used temple entry gateway by The Avatar during His childhood days, of all the four gateways for the four cardinal directions.

The Avatar says, "This is the road we would take to enter the temple going from My grandfather’s house. He would take Me to the temple, sometimes carrying Me on his hip and sometimes carrying Me on his shoulders. Every day we would go and he would tell me stories (of Hindu Gods). When we came back I would tell the same story back to him.

A pillar in the Arunachaleshwara temple in Tiruvannamalai.

The Avatar, while reminiscing His maternal grandfather Raju Mudaliar, says, "He would take Me to every pillar in the Tiruvannamalai Temple and explain the stories of the figures carved on them. Some of the great stories I heard from his own mouth are: Mārkaṇḍeya, the great Saint Kannappa, Nāciketa and Bhakta Prahlāda." — in Tiruvannamalai.

Raju Mudaliar, The Avatar's maternal grandfather's grain shop on Mandi street in Tiruvannamalai. On the right is his very table and chair maintained till date and on the left is his cashier's working desk. Across the latter's desk, The young Avatar would impatiently wait for endless minutes to collect the coins sanctioned by His grandfather for His humble requests. The only items The young Avatar ever wanted were puja related items or dakshina (traditional offering to one's Guru) to give His Guru Arunagiri Yogishwara (embodiment of ParamaShiva, the primordial Hindu Divinity), during a rare and formal traditional spiritual initiation.

The Avatar fondly says of His grandfather, "He was the 'funder' usually for all My rituals and expenses!"