N. Mahalingam
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Nachimuthu Mahalingam (April 9, 1923 – October 2, 2014) was an Indian educationist, industrialist, philanthropist and prominent person in Tamil Nadu. He was the Chairman of the
Sakthi Group The Sakthi Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate with operational areas in India, China, Europe, Middle East and United States. The group has operations in Sugar, Dairy, Industrial Alcohol, Automobile distribution and components, Transp ...
and Chairman of
Ethiraj College for Women Ethiraj College for Women is an arts and science college for women in Chennai, India, managed by the Ethiraj College Trust. It was founded in 1948 by the barrister V. L. Ethiraj of Vellore. History Ethiraj College for Women is an autonomous col ...
between 1972 and 1980.


Early life and education

Mahalingam was born in Somanthurai Chittoor, Pollachi, in the family of Nachimuthu Palani Gounder and Rukmani. Nachimuthu Gounder was a business man, who founded ABT - "The Anamallais Bus Transport Limited", a passenger transport company on 28.8.1931 at Pollachi, in Tamilnadu. The company had grown with 150 buses in 110 routes around Coimbatore region which laid the foundation for Sakthi group. Mahalingam was married to his cousin, Mariyammal in the year 1945. The couple had 3 sons- Manickam, Balasubramaniam, Srinivaasan and 1 daughter - Karunambal Vanavarayar. He had his school education at Pollachi. He obtained his B.Sc Degree in Physics at
Loyola College, Chennai Loyola College is a private Catholic higher education institution run by the Society of Jesus in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded in 1925 by the French Jesuit priest, Francis Bertram, along with other European Jesuits. It is an auto ...
, in 1943. He joined the
College of Engineering, Guindy The College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG) is a public engineering college in Chennai, India and is Asia's oldest technical institution, founded in 1794. It is also the oldest technical institution to be established outside Europe. History Due ...
,
Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and received his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering in 1945. Became an AMIE in 1951, MIE in 1975 and FIE in 1981 of the Institution of Engineers.


Politics

Since his father Thiru P. Nachimuthu was a municipal chairman, Mahalingam showed interest into politics at very early in life. He was elected as the member of the
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
Legislative Assembly in 1952 as an
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
candidate for the first time at the age of 29. Then he was elected as a member for the same constituency in the consecutive elections 1956 and 1962. During his tenure, he provided Parambikulam-Aliyar project and various schemes for the welfare of Pollachi Constituency. He served as the Board of Directors for several public sector undertakings and the State Planning Commission in two terms.


Career

Mahalingam joined the Sakthi Group business in 1943 and helped grew the business and counts himself lucky to have started business during the planning era in post-Independence India. After the banks were nationalised by the then Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
, this entrepreneur found it a big boon to start businesses and expand as more and more banks were ready to lend money easily. Today, the
Sakthi Group The Sakthi Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate with operational areas in India, China, Europe, Middle East and United States. The group has operations in Sugar, Dairy, Industrial Alcohol, Automobile distribution and components, Transp ...
is a name to reckon with as it has forayed into sugar, distilling, automobiles, finance, etc. A well-known philanthropist who donate his wealth towards the development of culture, sports and education. He is the founder of many educational institutions. Some of them are
Kumaraguru College of Technology Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT), Coimbatore is a private Engineering College started in 1984 as a part of the vision of Ramanandha Adigalar Foundation, a charitable educational trust of Sakthi Group. It is situated in a campus of 150 ...
, Nachimuthu Polytechnic College, and
Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology (MCET) is a self – financing educational institution situated in Pollachi, Coimbatore District. MCET was established in 1998 to commemorate the 75th Birthday of Dr. N. Mahalingam. Referenc ...
and involved in the establishment of Institute of Asian Studies in
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
in the year 1981.


Honours and titles


Spiritual life

Mahalingam had an important association with Sri Swami Satchidananda, the Indian swamiji who emigrated to the United States of America and founded the
Integral Yoga Integral yoga, sometimes also called supramental yoga, is the yoga-based philosophy and practice of Sri Aurobindo and ''The Mother'' (Mirra Alfassa). Central to ''Integral yoga'' is the idea that Spirit manifests itself in a process of involu ...
Institutes. Mahalingham was a devoted follower of the Swamiji and contributed to the moral and financial causes of the Swamiji's works in the USA, especially to the Light Of Truth Universal Shrine (LOTUS) ecumenical temple in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. Mahalingam was also greatly associated with Vethathiri Maharishi and his teachings. He generously donated land for Temple of consciousness -
Aliyar Aliyar is one of the tributaries of the river Kannadipuzha. ''Kannadipuzha'' is one of the main tributaries of the river Bharathapuzha, the second-longest river in Kerala, south India. Its source is the Aliyar dam in Aliyar near Pollachi in Tam ...
. Mahalingam was an ardent follower of
Ramalinga Swamigal Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalār Chidambaram Ramalingam (5 October 1823 – 30 January 1874), commonly known in India and across the world as Vallalār, Ramalinga Swamigal and Ramalinga Adigal, was one of the most famous Tamil Saints and also one of t ...
alias Vallalar.


Death

He died of a heart attack in 2014 while speaking at a celebration in Chennai.


References


External links


Short biography on Om Sakthi Publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahalingam, N. 1923 births Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in trade and industry 2014 deaths