V.G. Jagadeesh, a differently abled social activist and motivational speaker, died due to cardiac arrest here on Thursday. He was 27.
He was hospitalised for over a week and was suffering from complications resulting from pneumonia and multiple heart attacks. He passed away at 12.11 p.m., sources close to the family said.
Known as ‘Jaggu’ among friends and admirers, Jagadeesh was a tetraplegic and was unable to use his limbs and was using a wheelchair. Yet, he had been involved in various social works concerning Coimbatore, recalled C.G.S. Manion, director of Lead India 2020 Foundation, who had known Jagadeesh for a decade.
During the relief works organised by C4TN (Coimbatore for Tamil Nadu) initiative for the 2015 Chennai floods, when trucks to send the relief materials from Coimbatore were unavailable, Jagadeesh arranged for nearly 70 trucks using social media, Mr. Manion said. “He was a highly positive person,” he said regarding his role as a motivational speaker. He was also involved in social activities related to eye donation, environment and rights of the differently abled. He also ran a blog and a YouTube channel.
Former President late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam came down to Coimbatore to visit Jagadeesh after he heard about his activities, Mr. Manion said. In a condolence message, Collector K. Rajamani said that Jagadeesh’s passing was a “loss of invaluable asset to the district.”
Mr. Jagadeesh is survived by his parents, Girija and Venkataraman. The funeral will take place on Friday.
