R.TChari ( 86 ) is considered
a crusader in the music and heritage circle of Chennai. He built TAG center, an
auditorium on TTK Road in the heart of Chennai. not to make money. but to primarily
conduct programmes of his choice and to derive great joy in throwing it open to
friends and well-wishers as well? Always preceded by a sumptuous South Indian
tiffin.
Chari is a hands-on philanthropist,
who never believed in cheque book charity. He has been sharing his wealth with the society,
long before Corporate Social Responsibility became a buzz word in the corporate
world!
*
* * * *
Chari was born in a middle class family of nine children at Mundakanni Amman Koil Street in the heart of Mylapore, His father, could only assure his children three square meals a day and decent education. Chari was mildly dyslexic as a student making his brothers tease him about it. This made him an angry young man who was determined to prove to the world what he was capable of
The family`s move to
Tambaram where he joined a School run by Christian missionaries, became the
first turning point in Chari`s life.. The headmaster of the school discovered
that not only was Chari a good student but the tall young man was also good in
sports.
“My success in sports
and the recognition I got because of it changed the attitude of my family
towards me.They stopped teasing me” Chari recounts.
*
* * * *
Chari`s
second break in life came when he got the admission to the
prestigious College of Engineering, Guindy, because of a timely help provided by a distant relative
who was the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu at that time,.After successfully
completing his degree in Engineering,Chari joined Seshasayee Group as an
Apprentice Engineer in 1961.
Chari’s reputation as an
engineer who was also a super salesman brought him quick recognition in the
company. By1972 he had become the Chief
Technical Commercial Manager.
Chari was married to
Rangi, a multitalented girl from Bangalore, chosen by his parents, in 1971.Within
two weeks of his starting his married life, fate again intervened to change the
course of his life.
Chari was selected by his
company to attend a ‘Foundry Exhibition’ in West Germany and also explore a
possible collaboration in Europe.During his trip Chari managed to strike a deal
with an Italian company, leading maker of the particular product his company wanted to produce. However, on his
return to India, he found to his dismay that the Management, had decided to
drop their expansion plans.
Not one to accept
defeat, when Chari requested the management to allow him to try his luck with
the new project, they agreed. They allowed him to continue as a Commercial
Manager with the company until he proved himself in his business. Chari could
have his cake and eat it too! This turned out to be the ultimate break in his
life
Xxxxxxxxx
Along with his brother
Gopal who had also come out successfully as an Engineer from the College of
Engineering, Guindy, Chari launched TAG Corporation with its factory located in
Chrompet.
TAG Corporation had developed
an import substitute item for 4R Dampers, with half the weight and price, which
were in great demand by all the Electricity Boards in the country. Chari became
the uncrowned king in the manufacture of 4R Dampers, By now he had also cut his
umbilical cord with Seshasayee group.
Chari started seeing big
money and instead of just hoarding the money, he decided, at the young age of 40, to share
his prosperity with society. From being a successful businessman,
Chari was on the road to becoming a generous philanthropist.
For Chari, ‘charity
began at home”. He decided to persuade, cajole and if necessary help
every one of his siblings to acquire a house of their own.
At this stage Chari also
realized the immense joy he was getting by the act of giving and sharing. He started supporting deserving health related projects in Chennai.
While Chari was
continuing with his generosity, an incident in his personal life completely
changed the direction of his philanthropic activities.
Sharing wealth with
music
In his college days Chari was fond of hearing
only Tamil, Hindi and English film songs .He would get peeved when he was not allowed to listen to his
favourite `Binaca Geethmala` programme, as his brothers used to listen to
Carnatic music on the only radio available in the house. This resulted in his
developing an aversion towards Carnatic music.
One evening when he was
hosting a dinner for some of his family members, he found that the entire
conversation was revolving around Carnatic music. He felt terribly left out. Looking
at his displeasure his brothers-in-law challenged
him to listen to 500 hours of Carnatic music to realise its magic. Chari
accepted the challenge.
He started listening to
the tapes of famous Vidwans for a couple of hours every night. His
brothers-in-law was proved right. Chari was hooked to Carnatic music in a big
way. Soon he became a donor member of Music Academy, attending concerts
regularly. Chari realized that Carnatic music was not only giving him great joy
but also helped him to become a calmer and a focused person.
Just as he had decided
to share his wealth with the deserving in the society, he also decided to share
the joy of listening to Carnatic music with his close friends and relatives.
His first initiative in
this direction was to hold Chamber music at his remodeled flat in Poes Garden.
For 10 years, Chari organized nearly 50 chamber concerts lasting for about 150
minutes each, always followed by a sumptuous dinner for all the invitees.
*
* * * *
This abiding interest in
Carnatic music led Chari to collect more than 6000 hours of carnatic music. Chari
realized the need for chronicling and preserving the treasure trove of music he
had collected for posterity.
The idea for a Digital
Listening Library was born. Chari persuaded the Music Academy in which he was
already an executive committee member to house the proposed TAG Music Academy Digital
Listening Archives which was launched at the Music Academy on 13th December
2008.
Chari says, “The user
can in 10 seconds listen to a song of his choice, categorized under a raga, name of the song, singer or composer”
Chari sponsored similar archives in Bangalore, Mysore,
Hyderabad, and Pallakad, apart from the one in Madras University`s Music Department
besides Singapore and Sri Lanka.
Chari decided to
also extend his help in archiving Indian classical dance. The TAG
Viewing Gallery was launched at the Music Academy adding one more dimension to
the Academy`s efforts in promoting classical music and dance.
His passion for music
and how it should be received by the audience extended beyond TAG Centre, which
he owns. TAG Corporation has already sponsored state-of-the-art auditoriums in
many schools and colleges in Chennai. He constructed the Super Tech 400 seater
auditorium at the Guindy Engineering College, his alma mater, which he
considers as one of his best contribution
The next big project that
Chari launched in February 2002 was
the TAG South India Heritage Programme. Held on the last Sunday of every month,
these lectures focused on specific aspects of South Indian Heritage, by eminent
speakers
Under the auspices of
South India Heritage programme, in the last 25 years he has arranged over 650 lectures, lec-dems, music concerts, plays,
religious discourses, Tamil book reviews and many more.. Both Tag Centre and the South
India Heritage Programme have become synonymous with cultural excellence. The
South India Heritage Programme also recognized exceptional music talent with the
Ramabadhran Centenary Music Award, instituted in 2004, named after his father
and outstanding performances in Heritage
promotion by young achievers were recognized through the Vedavalli Memorial
Heritage Award, named after his mother.
Chari has also published a 600 page book titled
`South India heritage-an Introduction` which has contributions from 40 eminent
scholars. This book is given free to any one going abroad for further studies.
Among the recognitions
he has got is the S Rajam Award of Excellence for his exemplary work in
preserving and promoting fine arts, performing arts and cultural heritage of
South India by Sunanda Trust,. On the professional front Chari has been a
recipient of the Udyog Patra Award from Government of India. The other
recognitions include the Best Alumni Award from Guindy Engineering College.
Chari credits his wife for playing a big role in bringing up his children with right values, while he was very busy with his business and other activities. He also would like to recognize the role of his brother Gopal who was a pillar of strength to
him in his business.
Chari`s sons have now taken
over the day to day running of his highly successful business Age and health issues have slowed down Chari’s
saga of service to society in the area of health, education, music and heritage
and other social causes. But he continues to have a monthly get together of
chosen friends, all in the age group of 70 plus, on the last Sunday of every
month at Tag Centre, where he arranges a programme which entertains and educates them. Always preceded by a
sumptuous breakfast of South Indian
delicacies! A visionary with an indomitable spirit, indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment