Smt. Sethu Ramammal Vidya Mandir CBSE School –

Founder's Message

1894
Birth of a Visionary

On April 24, 1894, when a son was born to Pusapati Chinniah Raja, there was great jubilation in the family. Chinnaiah Raja believed that the child was born with the blessings of the Lord of Rameswaram, and named the child Ramasamy Raja. Little did anyone imagine that the infant was to one day change the face of Rajapalayam, a panoramic town on the foothills of the Western Ghats in South Tamil Nadu. Ramasamy Raja, known as PACR, was only 27 years old when his father died and all the onerous responsibilities of the family were thrust upon his young shoulders.

1920
Businessman turned into Industrialist

Ramasamy Raja was looking for something more enterprising than the family business. He therefore became an agent for Harvey Mills of Madurai. This move changed Ramasamy Raja’s life. He realized the potential of his own lands. Instead of sending the cotton to Madurai to be converted into yarn, he realized that the same could be done in Rajapalayam itself. He concluded that Rajapalayam, which was otherwise a very backward area with very little job opportunities, would be vastly benefited by setting up a mill.

1936
Birth of the first Ramco Venture

His visited Britain and other European countries to see first hand the working of the mills. There, he had the chance to meet many business magnates. He returned to India full of ideas. After returning to Rajapalayam, he put his plans into action. To start the yarn mill, he found that he needed Rs.5 lakhs, which in 1936 was a huge sum. It was considered a Herculean task to raise such a big capital. But the determined Raja was not deterred. He decided to make the people “Shareholders”.

1938
Rajapalayam Mills Ltd

Thanks to his illustrious background and his own reputation, he got the required capital ready, in next to no time. On September 05, 1938, the then State Minister for Labour, V.V.Giri, inaugurated the mill and Rajapalayam Mills Ltd commenced operations. There was no looking back for Ramasamy Raja after this. The Mill was a grand success. He followed this up with other successful ventures. He started The Ramaraju Surgical Cotton Mills Ltd along with his son-in-law Rama Raju.

1941
Selfless Service to People

He carried out his responsibilities very efficiently and soon the people of Rajapalayam put him on a pedestal and respected him for his selfless service to the people. He was Chairman of Rajapalayam Municipality from 1941 to 1947. It was he who made Rajapalayam what it is today. Ramasamy Raja wanted to try his hand at business. He started off with a chain of provision shops and hardware shops. Along with his nephew, he started a transport corporation with five buses.

1961
The Ramco Cements Limited

At that time, Cement was not considered as a favorable venture due to price controls. Shri. Manubai Shah, Central Minister for Industries, called upon Ramasamy Raja and appealed to him to start a cement factory. This was how The Ramco Cements Limited came into being in 1961. Ramasamy Raja needed Rs.1 crore as capital. The State Government for the first time in the history of India invested Rs.10 lakhs, an indication of the total trust and implicit faith the Government had in him.

1963
Concern for Shareholders and Workers

Ramasamy Raja had the well-being of the people upper-most in his mind. He was very particular that the funds of his shareholders be utilized usefully. He showed high concern for his workers. The famous trade unionist G Ramanujam once said, “In the case of Ramasamy Raja’s companies, the workers are always thinking of the growth of the company, the Raja always has the well being of the workers and their families uppermost in his mind.”

1970
Service to Humanity

For Ramasamy Raja, religion and charity were part and parcel of his life. He realized that it was only education which could erase poverty and the pitiable condition of the people. He formed a trust and started various schools, colleges and polytechnics which today educate over 7000 students. He also started hospitals for the benefit of the people.

1975
Realizing the dream of PACR

The Ramco Empire continued to expand under the leadership of PACR’s son, the former Group Chairman, Shri P R Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, who fulfilled the vision of PACR. Crossing the frontiers of Rajapalayam in PACR’s time, the Ramco Group assumed national prominence. With the young guard now involved in the Group’s activities, the process of globalization is on and the Group is taking the big leap onto the international horizon.

Shri. P.R.Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha

Former Chairman – Ramco Group

Under his dynamic leadership the Group grew multi-fold. His creative skills and quest for quality made Ramco Group one of the most admired business groups in India.

He achieved this through an intrinsic faith in adapting new technologies and management methods in every sector that the Group invested in. He complemented this with innovative and efficient management practices, with the result that the Ramco Group Companies have consistently outperformed the industry in every sector. His visionary zeal was behind the setting up of modern manufacturing plants, spinning mills and educational and charitable institutions all over India.

The legacy that Shri Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha leaves behind is not just the very tangible financial achievements of the Group, spanning Cement, Textiles, Building Materials, Software, Thermal Power and Wind Farms. His true legacy is the robust value system, commitment to ethics and manifold community development programmes.

                                                                                                                                  

 Mr. P.R.Venketrama Raja

Chairman – Ramco Group

Mr. P.R.Venketrama Raja succeeded Shri. P.R.Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha as Chairman of the Group and he is taking it to greater heights. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Madras, India and a Master’s Degree in Business Management from

the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.

With his steadfast focus on R&D and innovation, Mr. P. R. Venketrama Raja has played a pivotal role in steering the Ramco Group to global recognition for its quality products and services. His rich and diverse experience in various industries has been one of the driving forces behind the group evolving

into a USD 1 billion industrial conglomerate.

P. R. Venketrama Raja established Ramco Systems with a mission to create a world-class information technology company that is focused on enterprise management applications and emerging technologies. His basic philosophy of “Technology keeps you ahead”, reflects in his consistent efforts to upgrade Ramco Systems to the best available technology. He has made Ramco Systems one of the Top 100 enterprise solution providers in the world.

Message from the school correspondent:

"The foundation of every state is the education of its youth" -DIOGENES

Educating children hailing from remote villages with very little literacy background is a very challenging objective.Common attributes of a teacher like dedication,patience and passion are stretched to the full extent when a school functions in this milieu .Still our school,defying all odds,excels academically and growing in strength year on year.

In the present technologically advanced world,if subject learning is the only objective,anyone can acquire academic knowledge sitting at home.Still, only formal school education is recognized and given due credit for the  reason that a school is an institution where the children not only get to learn the subjects but also gain societal values like discipline, friendship, good habits, co-curricular activities and much more. In short,a school shapes one’s present and forms the future as well as the nation.The teachers, keeping in mind the importance of their role in this noble transformation process,should dedicate themselves for the cause of educational service.

I wish the children and the faculty of Smt.Sethu Ramammal Vidya Mandir all the very best forever.

 

FAROOQ MOHAMMED
Correspondent

 

 

 

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