He has seen 14 Vice-Chancellors during his 52 years of service. The research scholars of his time joined as professors and are even retired today, but his tryst with Sri Venkateswara University library continues.
V. Shanmugam Nainar, who joined the varsity as office boy in 1960 and retired as Junior Library Assistant in June 2002, has been working without a salary for close to 13 years. This bachelor did not even wish to relish the ‘honeymoon period’ as he arrived at the stroke of 10 a.m. on 1st July 2002, a day after he attained superannuation.
Shanmugam’s stay away from the library was only for a brief period of 10 months in the seventies when he was transferred to the SVU P.G. Centre at Anantapur, which is now Sri Krishnadevaraya University.
‘First guide’
At the age of 72, he is still reckoned as the ‘first guide’, as he has read all the theses and project reports submitted to the library. The professors first send their prospective scholars to Mr. Shanmugam to get acclimatised with their chosen topics. He has been sincerely compiling copies of The Hindu from 1960.
He also recalls his friendly relationship with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and former Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, the student leaders who then lead rival groups.
Shanmugam does not believe in sticking to his seat. “I accompanied a Canadian scholar to a remote village in Kadapa for research on puppetry and a US scholar to Srikalahasti for study on Kalamkari,” he says. The fact that 500 of the 2,000 Ph.D. theses the varsity has produced so far has his name personally mentioned in the acknowledgements column is evident to his helpful nature.
His never-say-die attitude won him laurels. As many as three Vice-Chancellors, dozens of academics and writers have penned articles on him. Yesteryear actress Jamuna Ramana Rao, then a regular visitor to the library, also recalled Shanmugam’s friendly nature in an article.
Telugu Bhashodyama Samiti brought out a compilation of articles as commemorative souvenir, with writer Nayuni Krishnamurthy and the Samiti’s founder president Sakam Nagaraja as editors. He was felicitated on Sunday. Shanmugam is in no mood to call it a day. “I will continue as long as my health permits,” he signs off thus.
V. Shanmugam Nainar, who joined Sri Venkateswara University as office boy in 1960 and retired as Junior Library Assistant in June 2002, has been working without a salary for close to 13 years
