Prof. Yamunachari Thirumalai Thathachari was born in 1930 in Srirangam in Tamil Nadu. He was a distinguished Scientist and a renowned scholar who hailed from an illustrious family of Vaishnava Acharyas.

Prof. Thathachari had a brilliant academic carrer. He graduated with distinction in his B.Sc. (Honors) in Physics from St. Joseph's College, Thiruchi and proceeded to the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore for his graduate studies. He served on the research faculty of Madras University, Massachussettes Institute of technology, cambridge, MASS, USA, Stanford University, California, USA and University of California Medical Center San Francisco, California. He was a visiting professor at the Indian Institue of Science Bangalore and the Indian Institute ofTechnology Madras. The research he did on X-ray Microscopy as a graduate student in I.I.Sc. and his work on Kirlian Photography at I.I.T Madras received world wide attention. On every single project he undertook he left the imprint of his genius.

Prof. Thathachari also taught advanced courses in Sanskrit at the Center for languages, Stanford University. Following Sri Satya Sai Baba's command he gave discourses on Isa, Kena, Katopanishads in Mountain View, California. He had a fascinating combination of interests - Eastern and Western Philosophy, Classical Western and Indian Music, Film and Folk Music, Painting, Photography, Calligraphy and Dance. Science and Art intermingled in-him so harmoniously.

Prof. Thathachari was a loving, compassionate and loyal person whose humility was as striking as his commitment to perfection.

In 1962, while at Stanford, USA, he was diagnosed with Metastasised Ewings Sarcoma and was given hardly a week to live. By the grace of Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba he won the battle against cancer and lived for over 30 years and reached Bhagwan's Lotus feet on 23rd November 1993, Satya Sai Baba's birthday. His last words to the doctors were "Thank You" with a smile on his lips. He had conquered fear of death.