‘This is a very special prayer, our Swami has to return to us’

What they know is something has happened to the Shankaracharya that has disturbed their serene daily routine.

Divided into three groups in a large hall, under the watchful gaze of their teacher, they repeat the shlokas, a little louder every time. And the sound of the prayer—it’s been on for over five days now with the boys taking a 15-minute break every three hours—reverberates across their cocooned world.

‘‘This is a very special prayer, and it has to be said one lakh times. Our Swami has to return to us,’’ says one of the teachers at the Pathashala. The rest of the palatial building is enclosed in darkness.

The Vedic Pathashala is one among the many run by the mutt, which is located a few kilometres away from the school.

According to the brochure printed by the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, the pathashalas, which have been set up across the country, are for ‘‘sustaining traditional Veda adhyayam (learning of Vedas).’’

At the Kancheepuram school, there is no police presence and no inquisitive eyes—even the teachers only know that their Shankaracharya has been arrested. There are no newspapers and television channels to keep them in touch with the latest developments.

The students know even less.

Swaminathan, a 19-year-old training to be a priest, looks confused when asked about the special prayer. He simply rattles off details of his daily life instead that never changes much—except for now.

Another student, 14-year-old Ramakrishnan, the son of a postman, says all he knows is there is a special prayer on and nothing more.

In stark contrast is the scene at the mutt, which is under heavy media scrutiny, surrounded by policemen.

There, Balaji, a devotee and chartered accountant by profession, says he has come here to help out in this difficult times.

‘‘We are transparent. This mutt doesn’t belong to the Swamiji alone. Everything is going on in a normal manner. The pujas are going on. And the Mutt is involved in many other activities,’’ he says.