A legendary Gandhian by principle, a patriotic and proud son of the soil, Dr.N.Mahalingam is a man of pious living. His exemplary social contributions in numerous fields within the socio-economic spectrum have benefitted scores of institutions and individuals inspired by him during his long career. The Government of India duly recognized his meritorious deeds and honored him with the prestigious Civilian Award - PADMA BHUSHAN in 2007. Dr.N.Mahalingam is also the recipient of many awards and titles conferred upon him by various educational, social and cultural institutions.
An agriculturist by birth, he graduated to being an Engineer and Technologist. Through his persistent endeavors he rose to become a genius in planning and execution, eventually hailed as an Industrialist and Pioneer of the modern sugar industry.
As an Industrialist he has held several important positions and has played major roles fostering the development of agricultural, industrial, human resource, and institutional development at the State and National levels.
As a passionate author and scholar he has rendered notable literary contributions. He has written many books in English and Tamil on the development of industries, education, agriculture, infrastructure, and culture, often promoting communal harmony and poising these subjects for enhancing people's standard of living.
These accolades are mere prelude to the philanthropist he is. His social and humanitarian considerations took his journey beyond the boundaries of industry and the scholarly tenets he nurtured. Right from his young age, N.M, as he is affectionately known to all, has been inspired by the life and aspirations of Mahatma Gandhiji and the Gandhian Movement and has been reflecting the ideals of Gandhian Philosophy by thought, word and action.
His work as a politician started in the 1950s, where he gave all his energy to the Congress Party. He worked hard and his ascension as a Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly was remarkable. He served 3 terms as an MLA and served the society with sincerity and is remembered with great adulation by the people.
One of his greatest achievements as an ardent Gandhian has been the re-publication of the most celebrated works of the Father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhiji, in Tamil. Originally published by Dr.T.S.Avinashilingam, an associate of Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Azad, the first Education Minister of Independent Madras Province, about 50 years ago, these works ran into 17 volumes. Dr.N.M assigned this noble task to his associate Gandhians and with their dedicated contributions brought out the book in 20 volumes, adding three more volumes to the original publication and arranged for its distribution among schools and colleges in Tamilnadu.
Dr.N.Mahalingam's socio-economic and literary contributions are numerous. His way of life, approach and execution are still inspiring our people, our institutions and the lives of many.
Dr.M.Manickam, the eldest son of Arutchelvar Dr.N.Mahalingam, has been instrumental in the extensive growth of the Group. After graduating with his Masters in Statistics with distinction from Madras University, he pursued his Management Studies at the University of Michigan following which he joined his family business alongside his father, in the year 1983.
His contribution towards the consistent performance of the Group and its foray into multifarious fields are significant. Today, Sakthi Sugars Limited is a major producer and exporter of sugar in the country. It has four plants with a combined crushing capacity of 19,000 TCD. The integrated sugar complex at Sakthinagar also produces Co-Generated Power, Industrial Alcohol and Ethanol.
He has to his credit the institution of a world class Foundry at Pallagoundenpalayam Augmenting successive growth, today the foundry division has three units with an aggregate annual capacity of 60,000 MT.
Current Positions:
Dr.M.Manickam currently holds many key positions in esteemed organizations. He is serving as the Vice President of South Indian Sugar Mills Association (Tamilnadu) for the year 2010 & 2011. He is also Member of State Level information and Communication Technology Task Force, Government of Tamilnadu and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi.
He served as the President of the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), New Delhi for 1996 – 97, President of South Indian Sugar Mills Association (SISMA) Tamilnadu for 1993-94, 1994-95, and 2006 -07, and President of Sugar Technologists' of India (STAI) for 2000-01 and 2001-02.
He is also the Chairman of the Governing Council of Dr. Mahalingam College of Engineering and Technology, and Nachimuthu Polytechnic College, Pollachi; Executive Chairman of the Governing council of Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore; and Correspondent for five other Educational Institutions. He evinces keen interest in the development of good infrastructure in technical institutions and the implementation of computer based training programmes for the workforce.
Sri.M.Balasubramaniam, the second son of Arutchelvar Dr.N.Mahalingam, is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Sakthi Finance Ltd. He holds a Masters in Commerce from Loyola College, Chennai and a Masters in Finance from the University of Notre Dame, USA.
He has under his able leadership ABT Industries Ltd, which has two major divisions - Dairy and Auto. Holding Directorship in most of the Sakthi Group of Companies, he also serves as the Correspondent of Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore and Secretary of Nachimuthu Gounder Mahalingam College, Pollachi. He has to his credit the successful operation of the Sakthi Finance, Diary and Auto divisions and the distinction of running the biggest Tata Dealership in Tamil Nadu. He was Vice Chairman and Chairman of CII during 1997-98 & 1998-99. He is also a member in the Indian Chamber of Commerce.
Mr.M.Srinivaasan, the third son of Padmabushan Dr.N.Mahalingam, is a Managing Director of Sri Chamundeswari Sugars Limited. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mysore University. He pursued his Masters Degree in Management at Smeal College of Business, Pennsylvania State University and subsequently returned to India in the year 1993 and joined Sri Chamundeswari Sugars Limited as its Executive Director managing the General Administration, Purchase and Sales Activities of the Company. He then took charge as the Managing Director of the company in the year 1998.
He has contributed enormously to the growth and expansion of Sri Chamundeswari Sugars Limited and to the inception of its Co-generation Power Plant in the year 2008.
Under his able leadership the unit increased its production from 2500 TCD to 3500 TCD in the year 1996 and 4000 TCD in the year 2000. He also pioneered the institution of Unit - 2 of Sri Chamundeswari Sugars Limited in the year 2008-09, which boasts a production capacity of 1250 TCD.
He has served as the President of the South Indian Sugar Mills Association (SISMA), Karnataka, for the period 1997-1999 and 2005-2008 and is presently on the Committee of ISMA, New Delhi and SISMA (Karnataka).
