At the regional campus of the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in Panmana, Kollam, Ratheesh E R, a first-year MA Hindi student, gently cradles his one-year-old daughter to sleep. In the classroom next door is his wife, Aryamol Sudharshan (28), a guest lecturer, teaching Sanskrit.

When Arya gets a short break, she rushes in. As soon as her next class begins, Ratheesh's role resumes. For the past three months, this has been the couple’s routine—one that has drawn the support of both students and teachers on the campus. Soon, Ratheesh will don an additional role - of a student, and his wife Arya will be his teacher. His elective subject for the course is Sanskrit.

An MPhil graduate, Ratheesh recently joined the MA Hindi programme at Panmana, leaving behind his job as a temple priest in Thrissur. His decision was driven by two reasons: a desire to accompany his wife and children - Aadithejas (3), Aadyapanchaaksari (1) - and his enduring passion for studies.

“Arya was earlier posted at the university’s Payyannur campus while I was in Thrissur. With our children still very young, we didn’t want to live apart anymore. When she got transferred to Panmana, I decided to relocate with her,” Ratheesh recalls. Around the same time, his former professor at Kalady, Ibrahimkutty, mentioned a vacant seat in the MA Hindi course and encouraged him to apply. “I didn’t think twice. I have always loved the language, which has a close association with Sanskrit, and even hope to explore opportunities in Hindi journalism,” Ratheesh says. He cleared the entrance test and also enrolled in a diploma programme in Hindi translation under the university.

The couple’s elder son spends his day at a nearby anganwadi, while Aadipanchakshari accompanies them to college. “It is possible only because of the support we get here,” Arya says. “When Arya is free, she looks after the baby. Otherwise, the girl stays with me in class—quiet, attentive, and often asleep in my lap. The students and teachers also help us, playing with her, feeding her, or letting her nap on their shoulders. If both of us are occupied, they step in without hesitation,” says Ratheesh.

Originally from Mala, Chalakkudy, Ratheesh met Arya, a native of Kalady, during their graduation days at the university’s main campus in 2014. Both were students of the Sanskrit Vedanta, with Ratheesh a year senior. Their friendship blossomed into love and eventually marriage in 2019, just before Arya’s final PG semester examinations. Arya went on to secure first rank in both BA and MA, earned the title of university Kalathilakam, and began her academic career soon after. Ratheesh completed his MPhil at the same campus after the marriage.

Over the years, the couple’s journey has taken them to different campuses. Arya briefly worked at Payyannur, then at Sree Krishna College, Guruvayur, before returning closer to home. During the pandemic, the two collaborated as content writers for the Sanskrit department at Sreenarayanaguru Open University. All the while, Ratheesh continued working as a priest—a role he had taken up back in 2009—until he finally resigned to join Arya in Panmana.

For him, the prospect of now being Arya’s student is both amusing and exciting. “I was her senior once, and now she’s my teacher. My classmates are curious to see how it plays out, especially since I’ll be attending her classes with our child. She’s strict in the classroom, even with me—but then again, she’s been teaching me lessons since the day we met,” Ratheesh laughs.

Every afternoon, he rides to the anganwadi to bring home their elder son to the college, and by evening, the family leaves the campus together. 

“What makes it even more special is that many of the teachers here were our seniors in college. They know our story, and now they see us continuing it together,” he says.

He credits Arya for being the driving force behind his return to studies. “When Ibrahimkutty sir told me about the vacancy, I first asked Arya. She immediately encouraged me, took care of all the registration formalities, and assured me she would manage expenses. That’s how I became a student again.”

“People often say it’s hard to study after marriage. But if you keep it simple and work as a team, it becomes effortless. That’s what we’re doing now,” Ratheesh says. “And yes, whenever I get the chance, I still take up priestly duties,” he adds.

Arya is also currently pursuing her PhD at Kalady and hopes to go on to postdoctoral research. “We decided long back that we must pursue our academic pursuits together like we raise our children as a couple. It takes compromises on both sides, but that is the only way. We’re happy with that choice,” says Ratheesh.