We
all know Super star Rajnikant, Don’t we? But did you know about his adopted father
Paalam Kalyanasundaram? Did you know he is richest man on the earth? Do you know
he is awarded as the “Man of Millennium” by an organization of America? Here is
all answer of these question.
Yes,
He is the father of Super Star Ranikant, who had adopted him because of his
unmatchable work in the society by helping the needy one. He is the first
person in the world to spend the entire earnings for a social cause. He worked
as a Librarian for 30 years and was acclaimed as top 10 Librarian in the world.
He got the pension amount of around 10 Lakh, that he donated to help the needy
one. He worked as a server in a hotel to meet his needs. At
the age of 14 he started donating till date he continues to do that, he owns
nothing but an unconditional love that makes him the richest Man on the Earth.
In recognition to his service, the American government honored him with the
‘Man of the Millennium’ award. He received a sum of Rupees 30 crores as part of
this award which he distributed entirely for the needy as usual.
He
was born in 10 may 1940 in Melakaruvelangulam village, of Nangunari taluk in
Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. “There were only 30 houses then. No roads,
no buses, no school, no electricity, not even a petty shop. I studied in the
light of a kerosene lamp or by candlelight till I was about ten years old,” he
says. He had lost his father at the tender age of one. His mother taught him
three lesson which he follows by heart, first lesson is never be greedy, second
lesson is whatever you earn donate 1/10 to the needy, third lesson is if you do
an act of goodness to one living soul every day you can be happy for lifetime.
In
spite of having such strong and kind motives, Kalyanasundaram was so depressed
and once tried to kill himself due to his high pitched female voice. Meeting Tamilvaanan,
writer of self-improvement books changed his life and he remembered his advice,
“Don’t bother about how you speak. Strive to make others speak
well about you” all his life. And he never looked back
after that.
The
turning point in his life came when he was doing library science at the Madras
University. That was when the Indo-China War was on peak. "I was listening
to Nehru on the radio requesting us to contribute to the defense fund.
Immediately, I went to Chief Minister Kamaraj and gave him my gold chain. I was
probably the first student to have done such a thing," he says with pride
in his eyes. Kamaraj was so impressed by the gesture that he organized a
special function for him on May Day that year (1963). This gesture propelled
him into limelight due to numerous news reports of his donation.
Another
incident that Kalyanasundaram remembers vividly is his encounter with the then
sub-editor of Ananda Vikatan. He thought that an article in Ananda
Vikatan, a popular Tamil magazine, would encourage more people to pitch in but
when he met the editor S. Balasubramanian, his gesture was dismissed as a
publicity stunt. Undaunted, he threw himself into social work. "It was he
who told me that he would write about me the day I donated something I had
earned myself, as the gold chain he donated was of his father mother earning
not his. In Madras University, he started the International Children’s Welfare Organization
to help slum children. He has slept on pavements and railway platforms to find
out what it is like to be poor, without a roof over your head.
He
later joined Kumarkarupa Arts College in Tuticorin as librarian and spent 35
years there, even while doing his social work. He donated the money he got from
the sale of his ancestral property to the poor. An amount of Rupees one lakh
that Kalyansundaram received as salary arrears, he promptly gave to the
district collector to be used for orphans. Tirunelveli Collector felicitated
him, despite his protests.
After
45 years of helping orphans and impoverished children, Kalyansundaram decided
to broaden his work of services by starting Paalam. Paalam was meant to be a
bridge between donors and beneficiaries. It collects money and materials from
those willing to donate and distribute them among the weaker
sections. Kalyanasundaram poured his retirement fund into Paalam and it
proved its mettle when people needed help the most, during earthquakes and
cyclones all over India. They also help out by providing higher education to
poor children, medical assistance to those in need, blood donation camps are organized
and blood samples are reached to hospitals, the unemployed, elderly, sick and
handicapped are rehabilitated and free counselling is available.
Mr.
Kalyanasundaram feels that one must achieve something in his chosen field. His
contribution to library science is immense. A thesis he submitted as part of
his post-graduate course to the Madurai Kamaraj University fetched him
distinction. He has also hit upon an easy way of tracing and accessing books in
libraries.
His ability to strike a
rapport even with youngsters is remarkable. He cites the instance when he
started wearing khadi. At college, he was required to take classes on
Gandhianism. "I had to speak about simplicity and everything Gandhi stood
for, but I was clad in expensive clothes. That was when I decided to switch
over to khadi," he relates. Since then he had always practiced what he
stood for, making himself a role model for many youths.
He was popular among
college and school students, and many of them have joined his organization.
He has long-term plans
for his organization. One is the setting up of a nationalized digital library with
modern equipment, which could be accessed by people from all walks of life.
He also wants to set up
an international children's university in Tamil Nadu, with foreign aid.
However, he says, a mission has a meaning only when the right people are involved
in it. The Directorate of Public Libraries should recruit people with a library
science background to be librarians, he says. "And good librarians should
have a broad knowledge of everything."
The Union Government
has acclaimed him as `The Best Librarian in India'. He has also been chosen as
`one of the top ten librarians of the world'. The International Biographical
Centre, Cambridge, has honored him as `one of the noblest of the world', while
the United Nations Organization adjudged him as one of the Outstanding People
of the 20th Century'. An American organization has also selected him as the
`Man of the Millennium.'
