Most educated people in South India and almost everyone in Chennai might well be aware of a popular figure, Dr (Mrs) Y G Parthasarathy, generally known as YGP. A committed educationist and a cultured lady, she was the first to bring about a revolutionary change in the system of education in Chennai. She has received the Sthree Sakthi Puraskar Award from the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for her outstanding service to the cause of education. The Padma Seshadri Schools of which she is the Dean and Director, have an enviable reputation for excellence and are consistently successful in achieving good results year after year.

In the 1950’s, there were only few schools that taught Indian values. A vibrant young lady with nationalistic fervour and a passion for Indian cultural heritage, Mrs YGP wanted the children to be taught to take pride in Indian culture, besides attaining high educational standards. To achieve this goal, she along with the members of the Nungambakkam Ladies Club, started Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan in 1958 under a thatched roof with just 13 children. The school, thanks to its founder's dedication and singleness of purpose, has now grown to enormous proportions with three branches and a strength of over 7000 students.

Dr YGP’s academic qualifications, besides filling us with awe, reveal her to be a person with varied interests. She has taken degrees in Mathematics, Journalism, Education and History. Her Ph.D is based on the teachings of Ramanuja, a Vaishnavite saint. It is no wonder that tradition and technology are in perfect harmony in her schools. The highly educated lady is always open to new ideas. Her schools introduce many new innovations which have benefited the students a lot.

Mere academic growth, according to YGP, is meaningless. She feels the atmosphere in the school should be conducive to the overall development of the child. Her schools inculcate in students a respect for Indian cultural heritage. The Bharath Kalachar, the cultural wing of Padma Seshadri Schools, invites some of the best dancers and musicians of the country on a regular basis so that students can get sufficient exposure to the cultural richness of the country. Through this cultural wing, Dr YGP has encouraged many young artistes and given impetus to their professional growth.

Dr YGP asserts that three qualities—accountability, integrity and responsibility (AIR), are as essential to the nation as AIR is to every living being. She always appeals to parents, teachers and students to make these qualities the very breath of their lives.