Beacon Light of Pensioners movement and Centenarian Sri V.S. Devasundaram passed away in the early morning of 10th December 2013. He was 104
PENSIONERS’ MESSIAH DEVASUNDARAM IS NO
MORE
Beacon Light of Pensioners movement and Centenarian Sri
V.S. Devasundaram passed away in the early morning of 10th December
2013. He was 104 and survived by 4 sons, 4 da The ughters and a horde of 60+
grand and great-grand children.
He
was founder Organizing Secretary of the All India Federation of Pensioners’
Association which initially functioned from his residence. He was also one of
the visionaries who felt the need for an exclusive journal on pensioners needs
and services and helped in bringing out the handy journal “Pensioners”
Advocate”. He then rose to be it President too. His untiring efforts and
bargaining tactics fetched us the entitlement of Dearness Relief. Commencing his
service as a staunch Trade Union leader working with doyens like T.V. Anandan, V.V. Giri,
S. Guruswamy, K. Anandan Nambiar, M.
Kalyanasundaram, and other veterans, he dedicated his entire service to the
cause of Railway employees and after retirement to the cause of pensioners. Though
small in stature, his ability and competence was so immense and immeasurable he
was admired by none other than Periar E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker who sought for an
appointment with him through the late C.N. Annadurai, later on Chief Minister
of Tamilnadu and the testimony was a report published in the News Paper
“Revolt” of those days. He retired as Chargeman in the Carriage Works of
Southern Railway at the age of 55 with a meager pension of ` 40. He was awarded the Life Time Achievement Award by the
PROBUS CLUB of Chennai and the Gururswamy Forum presented and honoured him with
a Purse. Admiring his exemplary lead of the pensioners’ movement the Central
Railway Pensioners Associations called him very rightly as “Pensioners Messiah”.
His
slogan was “My pay should be my pension and my pension should be my wife’s
family pension” which he achieved, though not as envisaged, on his attaining
the age of 100 when his pension doubled. His era ends but his legacy will
continue. We pray that his soul be at peace.
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