Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar went to Chennai for doing his Ph.D. in the science of fishery. All the while his father had desired that Madhav should become a "Doctor".

It was a hard life in Chennai. He did all the daily chores by himself in his room. The local language was totally unfamiliar to him; and he had no acquaintances. He utilized this opportunity; in a way this served to help him to brush up his English further, as he had to rely on it most of the time. He made full use of the enforced solitude for his contemplative pursuits. The patriotic instinct, which had sprouted in his heart at Varanasi, blossomed forth during his stay in Chennai, and reinforced his resolve to do anything for the sake of the country. He had clarity in his thought, purposiveness in action, firm faith in mental and physical powers, and a fearless disposition developed through his intellectual integrity.

As the source of income for the family suddenly dried up, Madhavrao`s pursuit of his studies at Chennai became impossible. With a heavy heart, he returned to Nagpur. He then came into contact with Ramakrishna Ashram at Dhantoli in Nagpur. This contact gradually became more and more intimate. It was as if the timeless voice of Vivekananda had begun to beckon him.

Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar as Professor
In May 1930 he was officially appointed as professor of zoology in Varanasi Hindu Vidyapeeth. The parents were overjoyed that their ambition had been fulfilled. Madhavrao left for Varanasi. As far as his profession was concerned, Prof. Golwalkar was a strict disciplinarian. With his sharp intellect and clarity of thought, he was a class apart from other professors there. His activities now were different from those of his student life. Every single activity in his routine had an assigned place and schedule. Sandhya vandana, then Yogasanas and Pranayama immediately followed the bath.Theduration of meditation and reflection had doubled.

Having himself experienced poverty in boyhood, he was ever eager to help the poor and needy students in all possible ways. Although he was professor of zoology, he taught subjects like English, mathematics, economics, philosophy, etc., outside the class-hours without expectation of any return. Because of this habit of engaging himself in extra studies only with a view to helping others, Professor Golwalkar came to be endearingly called as `Madhav`. That epithet stuck to him and became popular not only among the youth in the University but, later, throughout the country.