Sakthi group Chairman passes away

City-based industrialist and Chairman of Sakthi group of companies Pollachi N Mahalingam passed away in Chennai on Thursday. He was 91.

He is survived by wife Mariammal, three sons – Manickam, Balasubramanian and Srinivasan and a daughter – Karunambal.

A staunch Gandhian, known for his philanthropic outlook and spiritual dimension, NM, as he was fondly called, was instrumental in transforming individuals into better persons, say those close to him. “I have never come across such a person in my life and never will,” said N Shanmugasundaram, Chief Executive of ABT X Travels, reminiscing NM’s contributions to society.

“Even last week, he had invited representatives from various associations here and impressed upon them the need for developing a “Coimbatore Brand”. We have lost a visionary in him,” he said.

As a Member of the Legislative Assembly for 15 years, NM had the privilege to voice the concerns of the people and suggest plans and strategies for implementation. He worked tirelessly to get the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) implemented during his tenure.

His contributions to modern Tamil literature and his concern to popularise ancient Tamil Classical at a global level earned him a unique place in the history of Tamil Nadu.

His interest in various disciplines of knowledge made him a keen reader and prolific writer.

NM will be remembered for many things — from building the Sakthi empire and economic upliftment of this region to his relationship with saints, sages and religious scholars.

He was a close associate of former Chief Minister K Kamaraj and former Union Minister C Subramaniam. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2007.

A product of the freedom movement of India, NM’s life and work is a great gift for the generations to come, writes M Ibrahim Alladin, in a book titled ‘‘Nachimuthu Mahalingam – A Living Legend”.

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