About us
Shobhanam was initiated on June 13, 2021 by Sowbhagyavathi. Divya D (Srivatsa gotram) and Sriman. Shivashankar N (Garga gotram), as a private collaborative project publishing articles on spirituality and translations of spiritual texts.
With its apolitical nature and non-affiliation, Shobhanam purely reflects the disposition and inclination of Divya and Shivashankar. The contents that feature on Shobhanam are chosen independently, and do not indicate partnership with any individual/group/organization unless specifically mentioned.
Sowbhagyavathi Srimathi Divya Shivashankar (née Dinesh) (Vadama, Garga gotram) traces her paternal origins to Palakkad/Koduvayur/Peruvemba/Chandrasekharapuram on her grandfather's side (Vadama, Srivatsa gotram, ancestors migrated from Sirkazhi and Chidambaram several centuries ago), and to Ponnani/Sekharipuram on her grandmother's side (ancestors migrated from Sirkazhi, Vaitheeswaran Koil, Kumbakonam, the Kaveri delta several centuries ago).
Her maternal origins are traced to Varagur/Kandamangalam/Kumbakonam (Brhatcharanam, Bharadwaja gotram) on her grandfather's side, and to Kumbakonam/Mullaivasal/Madras City on her grandmother's side.
Several of her ancestors were ardent upAsakAs and scholars, and many later ventured into Governmental and Industrial leadership.
Chiranjeevi SrimAn Shivashankar Nagarajan (Vadama, Garga gotram) traces his paternal origins to Ramanathapuram/Paramakkudi/Nainar Koil/Madurai City on his grandfather's side, and to Pattamadai, Tirunelveli on his grandmother's side. His maternal origins are traced to Cheyyar/North Arcaud, Tamil Nadu (Vadama, Bharadwaja gotram) on his grandfather's side, and to Madras City on his grandmother's side. His father was instrumental in helping renovate Sri Balakuchambikai sametha Sri Vedapureesvarar Temple in Thiruvothur.
A website that reflects her interests since childhood in world literature, writing, art, culture, and other finer aspects of life, is currently being developed.
Shivashankar is a Leader in Product Management having worked in multiple countries and writes a tech blog. Like his wife Divya, he nurtures a healthy respect for tradition and tries his best to perform trikAla sandhyAvandanam as per the advise and blessings of Chaturvedi Ganesa Parameswara Deekshitar of Chidambaram. An interest in tamizh pathigams and prabhandams were inculcated in him at an early age by his father and grandmother, and he hopes to document his learnings through his writings for Shobhanam.
True to their personal ethos and their healthy respect for tradition, their wedding was consecrated on June 13, 2022, the Jayanti day of Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati VIII, one of Divya's paramagurus in ShrIvidhyOpasana through her maternal grandmother Matriarch Nagalakshmi Rajaraman (1924-2024), whose warm consent and blessings along with those of Chaturvedi Ganesa Parameswara Dikshitar of Chidambaram further sanctified the marital union.
Divya and Shiva live in London, UK, and are both students and professionals, who enjoy gardening, reading, writing, and other intellectual activities that make their intertwined lives meaningful, and are delighted to embrace parenthood and have a family of their own in the near future.