Vempaty Kutumba Sastry
A Sanskrit scholar who led three Sanskrit universities and whose self-study course has drawn two million learners, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
Vempaty Kutumba Sastry has spent his life studying Sanskrit and making it easier for others to learn. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of literature and education, from Andhra Pradesh [1].
Training
Sastry was born on 12 August 1950 in Gudlavalleru, Andhra Pradesh [2]. He studied the Rigveda at the S. V. Vedapathasala in Tirumala, then earned two traditional Sanskrit titles: Siromani from the University of Madras, and Vidyapravina from Andhra University [2]. He took his PhD (Vidyavaridhi) at the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan and an MA in philosophy at Sri Venkateswara University [2].
Vice-chancellor
He was vice-chancellor of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi and of Shree Somnath Sanskrit University in Gujarat, and the first vice-chancellor of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan as a university, now the Central Sanskrit University [2]. He is now chancellor of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya in Kanchipuram [2]. He served two terms as president of the International Association of Sanskrit Studies [2].
Teaching Sanskrit
He has written or edited fifteen books, including a study of Tatparya published by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute [2]. Under his leadership, the self-study course Samskrita-Svadhyayah was developed, and according to his citation nearly two million people have used it to learn Sanskrit [2].
He received the President’s Certificate of Honour in 2014 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Vempaty Kutumba Sastry — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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