When Ravi Sam, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Coimbatore Zone chairperson, speaks about the city that defines him, there's a glow on his face. He's brimming with energy and ideas to develop the city and wants to leave behind a legacy to show future generations why Coimbatore is special.
Ravi says that is why he took up the assignment again. He is the only person to have held the post twice. At the top of his to-do list is an entertainment space for the middle income group. “Right now, all they have is VOC Park, and Race Course,” he says. “They have the right to a better, larger, lung space.”
Another top priority is a museum that will showcase heritage buildings (the city has Chera, Chola and Pallava influences), spinning machinery, wet grinders and even pump sets!
“I've been working towards getting us a museum for 27 years now,” says Ravi, who is 55. “But it's been hanging fire. What do we do with our treasures? We leave them lying on Nanjundapuram road, unloved and undocumented. And, to think we in Coimbatore were once at the crossroads of culture,” he fumes.
“We have to introduce people to what the city has to offer and get them to take a stake in its well-being. We need to make ourselves heard.”
Uninformed conservation efforts irk Ravi, the Chairman of A.A.S.A.I (The Academy Wing of Rural Education and Conservation of Heritage Foundation — REACH). He points out, for example, that the granite pillars in the ancient Perur Patteeshwarar temple have been varnished. “Why varnish granite? No one knows what chemical reactions happen inside. The pillars look yellow now,” says Ravi, whose own office perfectly showcases his aesthetics.
Tasteful interiors
Sculptures, murmuring water bodies, lilies floating in a pond, and colourful cushions welcome you. This is the space from which Ravi runs his various businesses — steel (Adwaith Lakshmi Industries), paints (Titan Paints and Chemicals, Titan HMG Paints India), spinning mill (Adwaith Textiles), manufacturing (terry towels and tablecloths under the Naman brand) — and his educational institutions (Sri Gopal Naidu HSS and Adwaith G.N.S. MHSS). Ravi is also interested in heritage conservation, philanthropy and environment (he's part of Siruthuli).
Through CII, he hopes to set up an NGO that would, in times of strife, come forward and help people handle trauma. Also, counselling centres to help people handle stress. “If a counselling centre can save even one life, it will all be worth it,” says Ravi, who is deeply rooted in spirituality.
Spiritual calling
“As a kid, though I was brought up in a home that respected tradition, I was rather wild,” he laughs. Till the time he met the Kanchi Paramacharya when he was in high school. Life was never the same again. “They say that when you go through certain experiences, you meet like-minded people. That's what happened to me. I met many such people and learned,” he says.
Business and spirituality? “Why not?” asks Ravi. “It is important for business to do well, very well in fact, so that you can finance these other interests.”
And he draws from his privileged lineage (he hails from “an old textile family” and was married into the LMW family) to help sustain his varied activities. “What good is family influence if you can't use it for others' benefit?” he asks.
He says spirituality keeps him grounded and energised. “Production meetings, across industries, demand a different side of me. I switch from one mindset to another in minutes. Spirituality keeps me stress-free, but also extremely content. Not really good for a businessman, but that's okay,” he smiles. “And, it has taught me that no problem is big enough. No matter what, I can smile.”
Ravi, who champions the cause of Coimbatore in many spheres, confesses he has often wanted to move out. But he could never do that. “However, now, I can afford to take longish breaks,” he says.
His heart's desire? “To stay in one of the traditional houses in the agraharam in Srirangam, walk around the quaint temple streets, eat satvik food, and visit Ranganatha every day.”
Vedic bliss
Promoting culture
Ravi Sam runs the Vedapatashala attached to the Sree Annapoorneswari Temple, R.S. Puram. It looks after 50 children between the ages of seven and 15. “Some of my kids recently wrote their class eight exams under the National Institute of Open Schooling,” says a happy Ravi. Proceeds from his store, ‘Offerings', (in R.S. Puram) are channelled to the patashala. The children are also taught computer science, math and English.
Heritage calling
Conservation
Teams from REACH visit villages and educate them on built heritage. A focus area is mural conservation. “We have 43 sites in Tamil Nadu with murals, and it is said we are losing two every year to indifference,” rues Ravi, who has helped in the renovation of various temples.
Calm balm
Lake View
Among Ravi Sam's ideas to make life more liveable are more spaces for people to walk in, surrounded by Nature. “How about cleaning up Muthannan Kulam (also called Kumarasamy tank, near R.S. Puram) and Vaalankulam (in Ukkadam), greening them up and creating walking tracks? It will attract bird life and you'll have a wonderful lung space right in the heart of the city. And, philanthropic citizens can chip in with their maintenance.”
