Balasankar Srinivasa

Balasankar Srinivasa

Inquisitive, Selfless and Indomitable Spirit –

Balasankar Srinivasa of Mechanicsburg was born to Srinivasa Kandaswamy and Meenakshi Kandaswamy on May 17, 1917 in Bezawada, India. An avatar of the lost vestiges of early 20th century life, he enjoyed a simple childhood in India, replete with family, boyish pranks, and even a pet monkey named Sita. Equipped with only a high school education from Thirupathi Devasthanam Hindu High School, Balasankar worked at the Tinplate Company in Jamshedpur, until 1976. During this period, he forged a large family of his own, ceaselessly striving to provide his wife, Parvati, with love and support and to bestow upon his eight children opportunities that he never had himself. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment in his long 94 years has been providing his five daughters and three sons with the education, strength, and unwavering support needed in order to build better lives for themselves.

“It is easy enough to be pleasant, when life flows by like a song. But the man worthwhile is the one who can smile, when everything goes dead wrong.” This is how Balasankar measured his life. He smiled through strife and persevered against odds. He lived his life with unnerving passion, unadulterated curiosity, and a resolute dedication to his faith. He was too stubborn not to live this way. He believed that every life has something to contribute, and Life Universal benefits from the experiences of individuals, however small they may be. Even in his later years, he could be seen taking meticulous care of his ailing wife, practicing yoga religiously in the mornings, swimming at the age of 93 on a lazy summer day, learning software programming languages, creating websites, engaging in heated debates on any range of issues with family members, Facebooking, and forwarding chain-mail to whomever is unlucky enough to be in his Hotmail address book. He was testament to the joys life can bring and to the unending adventure that is life. To the end, Balasankar approached each day as an opportunity to learn, a chance for a new journey.

Balasankar embarked on his final journey on March 3, 2012. He is survived by seven devoted children: Padmini Atri of Richmond, VA; Diwakar Balasankar of India; Sarojini Chellam of India; Hemamalini Ranganathan of Houston, TX; Subhashini Srinivasan of San Fransisco, CA; Anna Teague of Durham, NC; Sudhakar Balasankar of Mechanicsburg; 13 grandchildren who are in awe of him and 11 great-grandchildren who are lucky to have met him, along with countless friends and family whose lives he has touched over the past 94 years. He is beloved and will be sorely missed.

All are welcome to join Balasankar’s family at his Indian Funeral Ceremony at 2:00 Monday March 5, 2012 with Priest Sitaramaswamy officiating followed by his viewing from 2:45 until time of Remembrance and Sharing at 3:30 with cremation to immediately follow all at Myers–Buhrig Funeral Home and Crematory , 37 East Main Street, Mechanicsburg, PA, 17055, (717) 766-3421, www.Myers-Buhrig.com .

The family suggests memorial contributions to: Salvation Army, PO Box 61798 , Harrisburg, PA 17106.

Balasankar’s family has entrusted his care to Myers–Buhrig Funeral Home and Crematory , (717) 766-3421, www.Myers-Buhrig.com . Please share your memories and photos of Balasankar and offer your condolences at www.SharingSpecialMemories.com or www.Myers-Buhrig.com .