The members of Gandhi Memorial Museum Madurai have appealed to the Railway Minister to consider naming Madurai Railway Station as ‘Madurai Gandhi NMR Subbaraman Railway Station'.
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In a letter addressed to the Union Minister, the Museum president T R Dinakaran said here on Monday that it would be apt to name the Railway Station after NMR Subbaraman as it would be a fitting tribute for his yeomen services rendered to the ancient city, especially to the Dalits.
From his student days, Subbaraman had always believed in the Swadeshi movement and was a close follower of Mahatma Gandhi in fighting the Britishers.
Though born in an affluent family, Subbaraman gave everything to the needy people and during the visit of Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave here, the family gave their many valuables including land to the landless through the Vinoba Bhave Movement.
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Museum secretary K.M. Natarajan said that Subbaraman, who was a Member of Parliament from Madurai and chairman of Madurai Municipality, had established a number of institutions for girls education and health care for women from weaker sections. Many of them had celebrated 75 years recently since inception and were useful to the masses.
Subbaraman had formed a trust in memory of his wife in 1978 and through the revenue, it was intended for spending on higher education to poor girl children. In fact, the sprawling building in which he lived in Madurai, was given on a monthly rent of ₹1 to the Madurai Kamaraj University for a 25 year period.
Considering the services of the late leader, Madurai Railway Junction can be named after Subbaraman, they appealed.