D. Jayavarthanavelu, chairman and managing director of Lakshmi Machine Works Limited, Coimbatore, died in a Chennai hospital on Friday afternoon.
He was 70 and is survived by his wife, son Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu, wholetime director, and two daughters.
After his schooling in Coimbatore, Mr. Jayavarthanavelu studied B.S. Textiles at Philadelphia University, U.S.
He has been conferred with Doctor of Letters ( honoris causa ) by various universities. He was also selected for the “Vivekananda National Award for Excellence” by the Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya on the occasion of its platinum jubilee celebrations in February 2006.
Mr. Jayavarthanavelu was a member of the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India and of the Development Council for the Textile Machinery industry constituted by the Government of India.
He was honorary vice-consul of Italy with jurisdiction over Tamil Nadu. He was chairman of the Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association, India. He was granted the Status of Companion of the Textile Institute, Manchester, in May 1995, and was world president of the Textile Institute for 1998-2000, the first Asian to hold this high office. He was also the past chairman of the Indian National Office of the Textile Institute.
Mr. Jayavarthanavelu was the former president of the Kuppuswamy Naidu Charity Trust, which runs a 600-bed multispeciality hospital, a higher secondary school and a feeder school in Coimbatore, a high school at Palladam and an arts college at Kovilpatti.
He was a trustee of the Coimbatore Masonic Charity Trust, which runs a children's hospital and a working women's hostel. He was vice-president of the Coimbatore Zoological Park and Conservation Centre.
He showed a keen interest in photography as well.
