According to Indian tradition Vedas have to be learnt orally from a Guru. What applies to Vedas is equally true of the Vedangas, one of which happens to be Jyothisha or Astrology.
E S Neelakantan became a student of Prof K V Seshadrinatha Sastrigal in 1990, when he was Principal, Madras Sanskrit college and under the guidance of his Guru learnt not only Astrology but also Sanskrit,Literature,Ayurveda ,Adwaita,Vedas and allied subjects.
It was Prof Seshadrinatha Sastrigal who discovered the inherent flair for Astrology in Neelakantan and persuaded him to pursue Astrology not just as a hobby but as a serious subject of study. Under the guidance of his Guru, Neelakantan studied in Madras Sanskrit College for two years between 1991 to 1993.
Prof Seshadrinathan, through his knowledge of Astrology was able to foresee that Neelakantan would become well known in the field of Astrology. This was another reason for him to train Neelakantan in this field. On many occasions Neelakantan used to be present when Prof Seshadrinathan was consulting a client and this gave him practical knowledge about the nuances of Astrology.
Prof Seshadrinathan used to interpret Astrology in the same way as the Rishis who lived in ancient times did and never allowed his thinking to be distracted by Modern scholars who do not have the wisdom of the Rishis.His approach towards Astrology was totally orthodox and completely in tune with the textbooks on Astrology written by Rishis as well as the great Masters of the science such as Varahamihira and Mantreswara.
Whenever Prof Seshadrinathan used to teach he used to quote the rule from the original text and then explain it in a lucid manner that could be comprehended easily by scholars as well as students.It is the perspective of Prof Seshadrinathan on Astrology that is largely reflected in the articles presented in this website and therefore would be a boon to all students of Astrology who did not have the good fortune of being taught by Prof Seshadrinathan.