Palam Kalyanasundaram, a TN activist, chose to remain single in order to devote his life to helping the underprivileged.
Palam Kalyanasundaram appears to be the elderly, loving grandfather of your next-door neighbor. He is thin, feeble, malnourished, and wears a modest grin. He shows passion and commitment in conversation, which comes through in his words. Everyone will be amazed by the great good he has done for humanity even if he speaks in a juvenile manner and has a high-pitched voice. He has won multiple awards and given away the Rs 30 crore in prize money that came with them.
Kalyanasundaram was born in the Tamil Nadu district of Thirunelveli, Melakarivelamkulam. He lost his father when he was very little. His mother served as his inspiration to help the underprivileged.
The 73-year-old Kalyanasundaram’s lifelong philosophy has been his desire to help humanity. He has a master’s degree in literature and history and a gold medal in library science. He performed odd jobs to support himself during his 35-year tenure at Kumarkurupara Arts College in Srivaikuntam, and he voluntarily and assiduously donated his pay to charity each month. He continued to support children’s education funds and orphanages by working as a waiter in a hotel even after he retired, earning a pitiful wage and two meals a day.
He received a great reward for his contributions to humanity. He was named India’s top librarian by the Union government. He has been named among the “noblest of the world” by the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, and he has been named among the most remarkable individuals of the 20th century by the United Nations. In 2011, the Rotary Club of India additionally gave him the Man of the Millenium Award and the Life Time of Service Award.
Others often assume that because I was young and helped others study and donated clothes, I began doing charitable work for a public reason; nevertheless, I maintain that it was for a private one. The small community where I was raised lacked power, roads, buses, schools, and even a store where one could purchase a matchbox. I had to go 10 miles to and from school, and it may be somewhat isolating to walk that far by yourself. I therefore reasoned that it would be a lot of fun if I could get the majority of the kids to accompany me to school.
Says Kalyanasundaram, a gleam in his eye. “Back then, students couldn’t afford the roughly Rs. 5 in school fees. I offered to buy their books and clothes and to cover their school costs.
Money, according to Kalyanasundaram, does not impress him at all. “There are three methods in which one can obtain money. First, through income; second, through the income of one’s parents; and third, through a donation of funds. However, nothing is more satisfying than using your personal income to support charitable causes.
In Saidapet, Chennai, Palam Kalyanasundaram leads a modest existence by himself in a modest home. For the only reason that he did not want to donate all of his earnings to charity, he never got married. Even now, he consistently shows up to work in Adyar and makes every effort to improve the lot of the poor.
