Vadhula Nataraja Srinivasan was born on July 3rd, 1928 in the town of Chittoor, near the border of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. His parents were Vellur Padmavathi and V. R. Natarajan. He was the first of nine children to his parents, and the first great-grandson on his mother’s side. As a child V. N. Srinivasan was cherished by the elders of the family, for which he felt deeply grateful, and as he matured he took on significant familial responsibilities.

V. N. Srinivasan was admitted to Loyola College to pursue an undergraduate degree in English literature, and enjoyed every moment of his education there, including studies in Shakespeare, English poetry, and Sanskrit. Subsequently he got a job with the Office of the Accountant General in Rajkot, Gujarat, and spent a few years there. In 1953 he married Shrimathi Kalpagam – a very talented person, most notably in music – and in 1955 they were blessed with a son, Chi. Jayaraman. Tragically, the family lost Shrimathi Kalpagam in 1957.

To raise his young son, V. N. Srinivasan sought the aid of his family as well as the spiritual guidance of Sadguru Sri Gnanananda Swami of Tapovanam. On Gnanananda Swami’s recommendation, he married N. Lakshmi of Thirukovilur. Now based in Nagpur, Maharashtra, she worked as an elementary school teacher as he progressed in his accounting career. They raised Chi. Jayaraman together and were blessed with three other children: Gowri Ganesh, Kalpakam Shastri, and Rajgopal Srinivasan.

In order to support his parents and two youngest siblings, V. N. Srinivasan relocated them to Nagpur, where his father passed away at the young age of 62. Despite multiple such tragic losses, and periods of intense financial hardship, V. N. Srinivasan’s sense of love and duty toward his family – as well as his strong partnership with N. Lakshmi – helped him to accomplish anything he set his mind to. He was an enthusiastic supporter of his children’s (and later grandchildren’s) career ambitions, and he prayed ardently for the positive outcome of any occasion, whether big or small, on behalf of close friends and distant relations alike.

In retirement, V. N. Srinivasan continued his lifelong pursuit of good health, and sustained his habit of reading; aside from his daily newspaper, he read and translated Adi Shankara’s Vivekachudamani. Even in later years as he suffered the effects of kidney disease, V. N. Srinivasan made an effort to stay mentally and physically active, contribute around the house, and attend important functions across India and the US. Throughout his life, he read several scriptures and upanishads and found joy in memorizing and reciting Shlokas. He will be remembered for his hard work, determination, and enterprise on behalf of others, through which he showed his profound gratitude and affection for us all. He had many admirable qualities: the two most striking ones are persistence and devotion.

V. N. Srinivasan was predeceased by Shrimathi Kalpagam (1957) and N. Lakshmi (2025). He is survived by his children and their spouses; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Of his eight younger siblings – V. N. Ramachandran, V. N. Janakiraman, Champaka Lakshmi, Subbulakshmi, Saraswati, Lalitha, V. N. Ramakrishnan, and Vijaya – he is survived by V. N. Ramachandran, V. N. Janakiraman, Saraswati, and Vijaya.