An octogenarian’s bond with Chromepet for over 50 years

V. Santhanam (third from left) cleaning the Chromepet railway station under the Swachhta Hi Seva mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Octogenarian V. Santhanam has been a social activist for more than 50 years now. He settled down at Chromepet in the 1970s and started his journey by highlighting civic issues of residents of Chromepet, Pallavaram, and Hasthinapuram. These areas were once villages but became prominent residential localities in the 2000s.

Following the path of Tamil poet Subramania Bharathi, whose statue he installed on his street at Chromepet’s New Colony in 2014, Mr. Santhanam highlighted the poor amenities in the Pallavaram Municipality — bad roads, irregular water supply, and encroachments on waterbodies, including Pallavaram Eri — by forming the Chromepet New Colony Residents’ Welfare Association and the Federation of Chromepet Residents’ Welfare Associations. These bodies also campaigned for creation of parks and establishment of a government hospital.

Heading the federation

He also led the Federation for more than four decades, a time when the MIT Flyover was constructed, the Chromepet Government Hospital was inaugurated, and Pallavaram Eri was rejuvenated. Through the People’s Awareness Association, which was launched in 2005, Mr. Santhanam turned more into a welfare activist. He collected and distributed funds and relief materials to flood-affected families, campaigned for lake restoration, felicitated police and government officials for their commendable work in times of cyclones and rain, donated wheelchairs and stretchers, and launched cleaning of railway stations and roads under the Swachhta Hi Seva mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He says that cleaning waterbodies, celebrating Samathuva Pongal, and felicitating sportspersons and freedom-fighters gave him more satisfaction than complaining about civic amenities.

Letters of appreciation

Mr. Santhanam has received letters of appreciation from the Medical Officers of the Chromepet Government Hospital for his welfare work, and from the Sanatorium Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine for his unwavering support to the hospital that thousands of patients visit daily. He says social activism was needed in those days to bring all amenities to the municipality.

Mr. Santhanam, who was part of the delegation to the All India Mayors and Residents Welfare Associations Summit, has received awards for his social service and environment protection. He was recommended twice for the Governor’s Award for Social Services and Environmental Protection, the second time by Chengalpattu Collector A.R. Rahul Nadh in 2022.