“ Let there be charity, so that others can share my family’s prosperity ”
PSG Sons' and charities
Charities Trust
On 25th January 1926, a Trust under the name of ‘P.S.GOVINDASWAMY NAIDU & SONS’; came into being to cater to the growing needs of education and industry. Coimbatore opened a new chapter in its history.
Illiteracy and poverty afflicted the people, while lack of resources and organized services imposed constraints on the government. The city of Coimbatore, as it exists today with all its industrial and educational houses of excellence, could not even have been dreamt of. The entrepreneurs were yet to arrive while education was meant only for an exclusive few,With these being the circumstances, the trust was established and it became the harbinger of education and industrialization in the Coimbatore region.
It needed a benign and active mix of sympathy, daringness, generosity and selflessness to even think of bringing in changes in such a setting. The four sons of Shri PS Govindaswamy Naidu whose initials the trust bears, had all this in themselves and through their tireless efforts brought forth the trust. They, Shri PSG Venkataswamy Naidu, Shri PSG Rangaswamy Naidu, Shri PSG Ganga Naidu, Shri PSG Narayanaswamy Naidu, the four sons of Shri PS Govindaswamy Naidu, went about setting up the trust in a unique and inimitable fashion. They adopted Charity as their fifth brother and divided their ancestral wealth into, not 4 equal portions, but 5, the fifth one earmarked exclusively for Charity.
They realized that illiteracy caused stagnation, insulating the people from the progressive changes taking place all around and left them poor and uninformed; and hence it was at the root of all the ills of society. Their generous and leadership qualities surged ahead to the fore with this clear sense of understanding of the prevailing malady and its cause. And so, they struck back at illiteracy with a missionary zeal and made education as their primary trust area. The zeal of idealism continued and many institutions were born in succession in various disciplines.
1914 – 1986
Prof.G. R. Damodaran
Prof. Damodaran was born to Divan Bahadur P S G Rangaswamy Naidu and Krishnammal on 20 February 1914. His schooling began in an elementary school in Peelamedu; he continued his education at Sarvajana High School, established by the PSG Charity Trust. His intermediate studies were at Government Arts College, Coimbatore in Mathematics. He completed B.Sc (Electrical Engineering) and B.Sc (Mechanical Engineering) in King's College, New Castle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. Although not gregarious, Damodaran found it easy to make friends and took to the English way of life – especially its delicately flavored cuisine.
In Knowing that the world revels in the joy of learning, the learned will seek more learning themselvesThiruvalluvar, Chapter 40, Kural 399
Mahatma Gandhi once remarked: ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world.’
The said quotes best befits none other than G R Damodaran fondly known as GRD, who devoted his entire life to the cause of education. Unlike his immediate relatives who ventured into successful businesses, GRD dared to look beyond the horizon and toiled single-heartedly to convert his vision into reality--he set out to create institutions of excellence, mentor faculty and students and sculpt policies and guidelines for imparting quality education, which transformed generations to come.
The dramatic changes that he wished to bring about in the social milieu through modern education grounded in the science and technology have not only become reality, but have also transformed the very face of Coimbatore. The Single- minded efforts and dedication of this son of soil have helped the city transform from a backward district in India into an entrepreneurial city and an emerging metropolis, with its diverse industries and educational institutions. It was the educational innovations that he initially experimented with at PSG Institutions that found both acceptance and emulation at the state and national levels.
Contributions
GRD was known for his strict observance of quality and entertained no compromise on that front. This stalwart stood for excellence in all that he ventured into – be its education, industry, social service or administration. His contribution to education was not limited just to the collegiate level of engineering, technology, management and sciences, but also to school education right from primary to secondary levels. Today, the colleges he established have grown from strength to strength and stand tall as nationally acclaimed institutions, providing quality and affordable education to thousands of students year after year.
Founder Principal
Prof. G.R.Damodaran, the Founder Principal of PSG College of Arts & Science (Estd. 1947) and PSG College of Technology (Estd 1951), contributed significantly to the development of higher education in the country.
Kalichol Agarathi
An ardent proponent of imparting education in the mother tongue, it is also important to recall GRD;s significant contribution to the development of technical Tamil. In fact, he encouraged his colleagues to write scientific articles in Tamil. He established Kalaikathir, perhaps the first scientific publication in Tamil, out of his own funds. His foray into politics, though short, proved to be a remarkable one and resulted in benefits for the public in several ways.
Founder of Alumni
GRD was not just a builder of institutions – he was an institution by himself. The thousands of alumni who graduated from the portals of PSG Institutions still remember him with affection, respect and gratitude, and carry forward the baton of GRD
Service to the nation
His dedication and contribution to technical education received the deserved recognition from the Government of India as well as the Government of Tamil Nadu and he served on various committees related to technical education both at Central and State Level. He served at different times as a member of the Syndicate, Senate and Academic Council of the University of Madras and was elevated to the position of Vice-Chancellor in the year 1978. Annamalai University conferred honorary Doctorate on him in recognition of his outstanding service to technical education and educational administration.
Family
Handling over charge also meant marriage, and in December 1943 was wedded to Rukmaniammal from a well-known family in Vellore. He was blessed with two sons. The beacon of light that had illuminated countless lives passed away on 10th January 1986.