V.K.Palaniswamy Gounder(VKP), the father of the Parambikulam Aliyar Scheme was a true visionary. He was known for his practical approach. VKP came from an agrarian background. His father Karuppa Gounder was a farmer who understood the nuances of a changing world. Therefore he decided to get his kids educated. Modern primary education was yet to spread its wings and it became necessary to send VKP to a school in Srirangam. Karuppa Gounder had come to know about this facility through an ardent Vaishnavaite. VKP completed his school education and was hoping to do his higher studies. Unfortunately his father passed away and VKP was saddled with the responsibility of looking after his family interests.
V.K.Palaniswamy Gounder(VKP), the father of the Parambikulam Aliyar Scheme was a true visionary. He was known for his practical approach. VKP came from an agrarian background. His father Karuppa Gounder was a farmer who understood the nuances of a changing world. Therefore he decided to get his kids educated. Modern primary education was yet to spread its wings and it became necessary to send VKP to a school in Srirangam. Karuppa Gounder had come to know about this facility through an ardent Vaishnavaite. VKP completed his school education and was hoping to do his higher studies. Unfortunately his father passed away and VKP was saddled with the responsibility of looking after his family interests.
The visionary was blessed with a big family and they included - Nalliappa Gounder, Amaravathi Gounder, Rangaraj Gounder, Karuppuswamy Gounder and sisters Amirthavalli Ammal, Senbagavalli Ammal. His family had participated in all his activities. VKP was married to Kaliammal and was blessed with Sabapathy, Janakiram and Sarojini (wife of V.C.P.Kittu). The son in law happened to be the son of former minister V.C.Palaniswamy Gounder.
Chronicler C.R.Elangovan lists a number of famous personalities who had worked with V.K.Palaniswamy Gounder - V.K.Ramaswamy Mudaliar, Sattur Krishnaswamy Naidu, T.S.Avinashilingam Chettiar, Kanjampatti Shanmughasundara Gounder, Periyapodhu Palaniswamy Gounder, Singarampalayam S.M.Palaniswamy Gounder, Kondampatti Sambanda Gounder, Sencherimalai Venkatachala Gounder, Sundarapuri Sellamuthu Gounder, Erode Ramalinga Gounder, T.T.S. Thippiah, S.V.Lakshmanan, Veerabadra Gowder, K.Kuppanna Gounder, Muhamadhukhan and R.M.Kumaraswamy Gounder to name a few.
India was over run by the British. The once prosperous country got impoverished. Indian wealth and skills were working for foreign masters. People were suffering and the honour of the country was at stake. The great freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai (1865 - 1928) has chronicled the plunder in his seminal work ' England's Debt to India '. This book was published in 1917 and it is interesting to see the author's note in the book.
' As a mark of the author's deep respect and India's gratitude, this book is dedicated to those brave, high minded and honest Englishmen and Englishwomen who have not hesitated to speak the truth about the effects of British rule in India though by doing so they earned the dislike of their countrymen and on whose testimony, principally this book is based ' - Lajpat Rai.
Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Dadabhai Naoroji and several other leaders had worked hard in order to ensure that India was heard in England.
Those were the times when Indians suffered and the Pollachi, Udumalpet regions were no exception. People just managed to use the few wells which aided their rain fed lands for agriculture. They subsisted on the available produce. VKP became a member of the Taluk Board and he understood the plight of the Indian farmer quite well. This understanding made him think in the interest of the farmers. He was deeply anguished to see their sufferings. Circa 1933, VKP became the Chairman of a Bank which was founded in the interest of the farmers and he stayed in the same position for a number of years.
A number of farmers wanted to develop their lands. They wanted to dig wells and were in need of money. However they were hesitant to borrow from others. It was a time when borrowing was considered to be an act which compromised self respect. VKP understood this and he ensured that this taboo was broken. The farmers began to borrow money thereafter. He became a Member of the National Oil Seeds Committee later (1955). The visionary worked to ensure that the farmers got the right seedlings and facilities required. He played an important role in trying to develop the basic institutions that were required for developing the farmers and their lot in the Pollachi region.
VKP was a simple and forth right person. He did not believe in being a ' yesman ' or carrying on with an entourage of yesmen. Many of the politicians of that era had a similar trait. "Grandfather was not in politics to gain popularity. He was there to ensure that things were accomplished. He was frugal in his ways. In fact his family members were banned from approaching the District Board from seeking bus routes and contracts. He used to attend the District Board Meetings in Coimbatore and then go to RHR (Royal Hindu Restaurant) for lunch. He was economical with his words and was the opposite of the gregarious personality we associate with politicians of today. He was organized to the core, always focused and punctual. Well, he would not surprise our cook in Coimbatore. He would make sure that the cook was informed well in advance, via trunk call on the time of his arrival and the number of guests he was expecting for the next meal. He was totally dedicated to the cause of the PAP (Parambikulam Aliyar Project). My mother has told me that he used to peruse the project plans even when he was in the hospital bed while recovering from a surgery," stated Arvindh Sabapathy, the youngest grandson of V.K.Palaniswamy Gounder. Arvindh's mother Shantha Sabapathy happens to be the daughter of Modakurichi S.P.Subbaraya Gounder and her maternal grandfather was V.C.Palaniswamy Gounder.
VKP was elected to the legislature and he spent about 3 decades of his life in the service of the people. He participated in the ' Individual Satyagraha ' under the advice of Gandhi and was incarcerated. India attained freedom and VKP was elected to the legislature in 1952 from Kovilpalayam constituency. He had already served as the Chairman of the District Board for several years. VKP had also been the Head of the ' Chamber of District Boards ' and it was a time when Madras Presidency comprised of most of the south. The district had comprised of a much larger area too.
The visionary people's representative was the first to speak about the Parambikulam Aliyar Scheme in the legislature. His speeches and perseverance were responsible for it to become a reality. He used to speak about education, agriculture, food production, local body governance and creation of employment in the legislature. VKP had served as the Vice Chairman of the Upper House for many years.
VKP was known to speak about the empowerment of the farmer and education in every single village meeting. He liked touring the villages in his region. Palaniswamy Gounder would sort out every complicated issue and toiled very hard at a time when the basic infrastructure was poor. He never compromised on the quality of his work and was a field work person. None were expected to help but things happened. He was conversant with all the rules and regulations.
It was a hot summer and this pushed VKP to the hills. He began to enjoy a cool breeze during his lunch. It was due to the lovely river water that was flowing alongside the lunch spot. VKP was shocked on learning that the river was just emptying itself into the sea. He began wondering if the west flowing water could be harnessed in order to redirect it into the dry parts on the eastern side. He wanted to club water and land in order to provide succor to the people of his region. This was the time when VKP had entered the legislature in 1937 and his appeal just got registered on the records. He kept talking about the Parambikulam Project on every given oppourtunity. Once the feasibility of the project was established, C.Subramaniam and N.Mahalingam played a significant role in bringing the project to fruition. This took place much later in the fifties of the twentieth century. It was the time when a number of dams were being constructed in Tamilnadu under the sage leadership of Chief Minister K.Kamaraj. The project was the need of the hour and a number of people rallied behind VKP those days. Industrialist V.Vidyasagar, Former Chairman of the Udumalpet Municipality had been an avid supporter of this project during the early years after the attainment of freedom.
VKP emphasized that the water resources of Tamilnadu had gone down after the division of states on the basis of language. Food production was at risk during these times and VKP pointed out that about 200,000 acres of lands would benefit under his proposed scheme. He kept on requesting the Chief Minister K.Kamaraj and Water Resources Minister Kakkan on every given occasion. It was thanks to his persistence that K.Kamaraj ordered for a survey and the top class engineer Anand Rao was appointed for the purpose.
The survey was set to begin and Anand Rao reached Pollachi. VKP accompanied him on the survey and they had move on elephants. Roads were absent and the weather had been hostile. Persistence pays and the engineer visited the spot and did his survey. He told VKP that there did not exist an impossible task but this project was a very big challenge. VKP told the engineer that the difficulties connected with the execution of the project would be much lesser than the problems faced by the water starved populace. This point of his and his request ensured that the engineer gave a recommendation in favour of the scheme. The work began in 1956 and VKP was overjoyed. He did not stop with the beginning and he worked at every stage connected with the scheme. The support of C.Subramaniam and N.Mahalingam had been extremely valuable. The first stage of the project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. VKP has become immortal due to this scheme.
The Ambaram family of this region used to own about 2000 acres of lands. Elli Chettiar was the head of the family long ago. A. V. Ramakrishnan from this family was in charge of the Kadambarai Project. In fact the land for building the residential colony for the PAP Project belonged to this family.
V.K.Palaniswamy Gounder spoke on a number of issues during his long tenure in the legislature. He wanted freedom for the farmers. They had to be permitted to move their produce from one region to another. His speeches in the assembly were interesting. He suggested that unemployment could be reduced if the villagers could be gainfully employed. They could be made to do other activities during the non agrarian periods. He suggested that the hydro electric power from the scheme suggested could be used for improving the infrastructure of the region. VKP suggested that we could complete projects by following the path of least resistance. If there were instances wherein there were difficulties or practical issues with the neighbouring state, he suggested that the non contentious parts be completed first. His practical thinking became very useful. Here was a leader who was just straight. He did not rely on charisma and never did he use flowery language. However his approach and commitment ensured that he was popular. He was heard and things happened.
The District Boards of the yonder era were great institutions. They made sure that the democratically elected leaders worked out a district self sufficiency plan. These plans ensured that people were safe and content. Trials and tribulations were reduced. This helped the people to live in hope and their wishes started getting fulfilled one by one. Leaders were keen to serve the people and used a simple cum frugal approach as their tool. VKP passed away in 1971 but his work with regard of the Parambikulam Aliyar Project has made life better for lakhs of people. His name and fame will stay on for eternity.
V.K.Palaniswamy Gounder was a follower of the marvelous leader V.C.Vellingiri Gounder (1880 - 1948). His household had been endowed with lands, goats, cows, horses and elephants. Elephants were used for transporting logs of wood. In addition to his public interests, he was responsible for many temples in Vettaikaranpudur. VKP was known to travel along with the elephants into the hills in connection with his work. He used to look around the place during the time of leisure. The keen power of observation and setting of goals encouraged him to envisage a huge project. His consistent and straight forward approach ensured that the Parambikulam - Aliyar Project became a reality. Leaders of his kind are the need of the hour.