N. Mahalingam
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Dr.N.Mahalingam is the chairman of Sakthi group of companies and a notable philanthropist. He is well known as Pollachi Mahalingam.
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[edit] Early life
Mahalingam was born on 21st March 1923 into an agricultural family at Pollachi. After finishing schooling at the Pollachi High School, he joined the Loyola College in Madras and secured a mechanical engineering degree.
[edit] Career
Since his father Nachimuthu Gounder was a municipal chairman, Mahalingam got initiated into politics very early in life. He was a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly for 15 years — from 1952 to 1967— and played a key role in bringing about a number of development projects, including the Parambikulam- Aliyar Project that helps irrigate the agriculture lands in the Pollachi region. He counts himself lucky to have started business during the planning Era in post-Independence India. After the banks were nationalised by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, this entrepreneur found it a big boon to start businesses and expand as more and more banks were ready to lend money easily.
Today, the Sakthi Group of Companies is a name to reckon with as it has forayed into sugar, distilling, automobiles, finance, etc.
[edit] Honours and Titles
The 83-year-old industrialist has served on the Board of Directors of several public sector undertakings and the State Planning Commission in two terms. A well-known philanthropist who donates towards the development of culture and sports, Mr. Mahalingam was involved in the establishment of the Institute of Asian Studies in Madras (now Chennai) in 1981.
He received the Padma Bhushan from the President of India in 2007
Other honours include: Honorary Consul : 1989-92 from the Government of Mauritius Indira Gandhi National Integration Award : 1989 at the All India National Unity Conference, New Delhi Aram Valarkkum Annal : 1983 from His Holiness Sri Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakodi Peedam Doctor of Laws : 1984 from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore Doctor of Science : 1988 from Anna University, Madras Doctor of Science : 2000 from Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
