When I got the news of the sudden demise of Srirangam Raja, my mind went back 45 years, when he joined my company as a driver. He was more than a driver. He was a part of my family. A school dropout, he had realised most of his dreams in life by sheer perseverance and hard work. I thought I would share his inspiring life story as a tribute to the departed soul.
Born in a well-to-do family in Rajapalayam, Srirangam was a problem child for his parents. When he was 12 years old, he decided to run away from home. He landed in Chennai, seeking refugefrom a distant relative, who was running a successful business. Since Srirangam was not interested in studies, the family agreed to keep him as a helping hand to run around doing errands.
When he grew up to be a handsome youngster of 18, they decided to teach him to drive, so that he could pursue a vocation in case he was interested. Srirangam took to driving like a duck to water and became the favourite driver in the family. They even found a girl from a decent family from their native place and got him married. He was settled in a small LIG flat, which they bought for him so that he could lead an independent family life. He was blessed with two sons, who grew up to be as handsome as he was.
When everything seemed to be going well, Srirangam realised that the next generation in his employer’s family was not treating him well. One morning, he quit his job and decided to try his luck elsewhere. He joined my good friend Pandu Chintamani, who was then the Manager of HTA in Chennai, as a company driver. Within the next two years, when Pandu got transferred to another city, he recommended Srirangam to me, as I was looking for a reliable driver. I readily agreed to take him, least realising that it was going to be a lifelong tryst with Srirangam and his family.
It had been almost six years since Sriranagam had been with us. He was not only sincere in his job but was extremely loyal to my family. He was the embodiment of what a good driver should be. He would go beyond the call of duty to give a helping hand to any member of the family. A friendly and very loyal soul, he knew all my relatives and would be respectful to anyone who visited us. He was very fond of my aged mother, whom he adored and respected. On his payday, after visiting a temple near our house, he would invariably visit our home seeking blessings from her before taking his pay packet home. Obviously, my mother’s blessings worked. He got a job with a Sheik`s family in Saudi Arabia, with a fancy salary which I could never match. He left for Saudi Arabia at the age of 32, leaving behind his family, with dreams of earning big money to give a good education to his two sons and raise the standard of living of his family.
Srirangam continued to be in touch with me. Every new year, he would send a greeting card to my family, with a special message for my mother. His love and loyalty to our family were unbelievable!
During the fourteen years he was in Saudi Arabia, he not only managed to send his two sons to a good school, but also saved sufficient money which he wisely invested in real estate both in his native place and in Chennai. He owned more properties than I.
Every two years, when he visited us on his holiday, we could see his growing prosperity reflected in his growing tummy. He was putting on weight and was having a blood pressure problem. He was acquiring health problems associated with wealth. During his seventh trip to India, after 14 years in Saudi Arabia, he had a massive heart attack. He had to undergo a bypass surgery to get rid of the four blocks in his heart. He was only 46. Under pressure from his family, he decided to quit his job in Saudi Arabia and stay back in Chennai.
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Six months after his return to India and after fully recovering from his health problem, Srirangam visited me. He said that he had decided to work again as a driver. He would look for a job elsewhere, only if I did not want him. When I told him that I could not afford the kind of salary he was used to, he said he would accept whatever salary I offered him, He was talking based on the strength of the adequate savings he had in his bank account. I promptly hired him back, and the whole family was delighted. Soon I realised that I was not only his employer but also a consultant in sorting out his family issues, which he encountered frequently.
Years rolled on. Both his sons became graduates and found decent jobs. A dream come true for Srirangam, who had studied only upto 4th standard. Both sons were married off to girls from good families. His elder son married a girl from Rajapalayam, while his second son got married to a girl from Salem. Srirangam was delighted when his first son presented him with two grandchildren - a granddaughter and a grandson. The second son also caught up and presented his parents with a grandson. Srirangam was street smart with a lot of common sense. He had already built separate houses for each of his sons in the land he had invested in to avoid problems faced by joint families. He lived in his own house with his wife close to his children`s homes.
Within a couple of years, tragedy struck the family. His second son, who was doing very well in a nationalised bank and had risen to become a manager of a branch, died of cancer when he was in his early thirties, leaving behind a young wife and a son. Srirangam was devastated. Soon, he recovered from the tragedy and made arrangements to ensure that his second son`s family was well looked after,
In the meantime, when I retired from my job, he also retired. Having fulfilled all his responsibilities in life, he became busy travelling across the country, going on pilgrimages and visiting foreign countries with his family groups and generally having a good time. During his sojourns, he would not forget to call me and enquire about my health. When in Chennai, he would visit my home often with his wife to pay his respects. He lived a full life, always valuing relationships. I began to treat him like a younger brother, a part of my family.
Just a few weeks ago, he had called and promised to visit me in my new home at Nana Nani. But it was not to be. He passed away suddenly from cardiac arrest while recovering from a surgery for Hernia. He was 74. I will miss him, because it is very difficult to get such fiercely loyal souls these days. I pray god that his soul attains Satgati and gives strength to his family for bearing this irreparable loss!
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