Board of Trustees

Mrs. Sheela Balaji, Chairperson and Managing Trustee

Ms. Sheela Balaji’s mission is to drive societal transformation at the grassroots through education. An ardent student of Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Ms. Balaji has worked to create opportunities in education, employment and sustainable living for rural communities. She was awarded the ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar (2017)’ by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, India, for her contribution to education, community development and sustainable living. Ms. Balaji has been with SDET since 2003.

Swami Sakshatkrtananda Saraswati, Trustee

Swami Sakshatkrtananda Saraswati is a senior disciple of Pujya Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati. He is the Chairman and Managing Trustee of Sri Gangadharesvar Trust which manages Swami Dayananda Ashram in Rishikesh. Swami Sakshatkrtananda Saraswati ji is also the Chief Acharya of the Ashram.

Swamiji underwent a long-term course study in Vedanta and Sanskrit in Sandeepany Sadhanalaya between 1980-1982 under the tutelage of Svarupa Caitanya (now Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati). Swamiji served Pujya Swamiji and the ashram for many years between 1984 and 2000. He was initiated into the order of sannyasa by Pujya Swamiji in 1992. Swamiji successfully conducted a three-year course at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Anaikatti, Coimbatore (India) between 2010 and 2013.

Mr. M.G. Srinivasan, Trustee

Mr. M.G. Srinivasan, a native of Manjakkudi, has served in the state Electricity Board, Mettur Dam and the Indian Railways. He was with the Materials Management Branch of the Indian Railways for 36 years. Post retirement, he took interest in building and renovating village temples in the Tiruvarur District. Mr. Srinivasan has been with SDET since 2010. He is the Correspondent of the Swami Dayananda College of Arts & Science.

Mr. Arvind Balaji , Trustee

Mr. Arvind Balaji is the Managing Director of Lucas-TVS and Managing Director of India Nippon Electricals. He is also Director of Lucas Indian Service, Delphi-TVS Technologies Limited, TVS Training & Services Limited and Schaeffler India Limited. Mr. Balaji has an MBA in finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a Masters degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University. Mr. Balaji is Member of Board of Trustees, AIM for Seva (sister organisation of SDET), and has been with SDET since 2007.

Mrs. Priyamvada Balaji, Trustee

Ms. Priyamvada Balaji is a full-time Director at Lucas Indian Service (LIS) Ltd, Chennai. She is also on the board of Lucas TVS Ltd. She is a member of Tamil Nadu State Council of Confederation of Indian Industry. She has experience in international bond ratings as well. During her eight years of experience in credit ratings, she covered a wide range of sectors including autos, metals and mining and manufacturing. Prior to this, she had around three years of experience in commercial and investment banking. Ms. Balaji has a post-graduate diploma in management from IIM Ahmedabad (2000), and has a Bachelors. degree in economics from Stella Maris, Chennai, where she was an academic silver medallist.

Mr. S. Natarajan, Trustee

Mr. Natarajan, a native of Manjakkudi, was a student of Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati and attended Pujya Swamiji’s courses at the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Anaikkatti, Tamil Nadu. Mr. Natarajan managed ancestral agricultural lands and ran an engineering fabrication industry in Kumbakonam for more than four decades. Mr. Natarajan has been with SDET since 2003.

Mr. G. Dharmarajan, Trustee

Mr. Dharmarajan, a native of Manjakkudi, has had over 20 years of experience in operations with well-known organisations, including Travencor Rayons Ltd. and National Petroleum Company. Mr. Dharmarajan was instrumental in establishing Swami Dayananda Krupa Care (a unit of AIM for Seva), a residential support facility for adult men with developmental disabilities in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.

Mr. R. Ramamurthy, Trustee

Mr. Ramamurthy, a native of Manjakkudi, served as the Secondary Grade Teaching Assistant at the Swami Dayananda Higher Secondary School (1951 to 1992). He attended the Madras English Language Teaching Campaign – Special Training and a special training in New maths conducted by Education Department, Chennai. Mr. Ramamurthy has been with SDET since 2010.