The man who worked till his last breathA Tribute to our dear Swami Sir
(02-04-1923 - 19-05-2008)
The Management, the Staff, the Social Ambassadors and the Volunteers of Indian Development Foundation (formerly India Leprosy Foundation) are shocked to inform about the sad and sudden demise of Mr. K. Ramaswami on the evening of Buddha Poornima - Monday the 19th of May 2008.
The voluntary young man of 85 and the man full of inspiration and life for the youth, Mr. Ramaswami left his team for heavenly abode. The golden moments and his ever-memorable thoughts are left behind for all of us 
to be cherished. Affectionately known as `Swami Sir' to many in the IDF circle was blessed with a rich voice blended with perfect diction. His voice still rings in our ears as sage advice of righteousness.
A flashback
Mr. Krishna Ramaswami hailed from a small village called Chamravattam in Malapuram District of Kerala. Chamravattam village became the first fully computer-literate village in the world in 2003.
Born on 2nd April 1924 to Mr. Krishna Iyer and Mrs. Parvathi Ammal, young Ramaswami had his education at the AV 
High School at Ponnani. He passed his SSLC exam in 1939. As was the general practice in those days, he learnt typing and shorthand and moved to Mumbai in 1942 in quest of a job. On the 25th day of his landing in Mumbai he got a job in Reserve Bank of India.
He changed his jobs as opportunities presented themselves. After short stints at Mafatlals and Burmah Shell, he joined Associated Cement Company (ACC) and spent 39 long years there. He climbed the ladder of success with years of dedication and loyal work and retired as Manager in HRD Division in 1984.
Social work was uppermost in Mr. Ramaswami's mind from early times. After retirement, Mr. Ramaswami joined Indian Leprosy Foundation in Sept 1988 and continued to be a part of the senior management. He has been instrumental in rechristening Indi
an Leprosy Foundation to Indian Development Foundation with broader perspective in national interest.
Mr. Ramaswami maintained a disciplined life routine. Frugal food, regular walking exercise and punctual office routine kept him fit and cheerful. Cricket was an obsession with him.
Mr. Ramaswami found happiness in sublimating his life by doing social and humanitarian work. He was happy that he coul
d share thoughts with the youngsters and counsel them towards better enrichment. He was proficient in English and contributed regularly to Joint Action magazine.
His concern, respect, humility, self-discipline and above all goodness for others endeared him to everyone and marked him out as a person of excellence. IDF team venerated Mr. Ramaswami for his excellent qualities.
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Mr. Ramaswami is survived by his wife (Mrs. Ranganayaki), two sons and a daughter.
Indian Development Foundation team condoles the sudden death of Mr. Ramaswami. We pray for the eternal rest of the departed soul.
An irreparable loss for IDF
10 comments:
We are shocked & saddened to hear about the passing away of our dear colleague, Swami sir. He was a source of eternal strength to the IDF team. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Accept our deep sympathies and condolences.
Swami Sir was a humble human being with lot of love and compassion for others. We deeply mourn his departure and pray fervently for the eternal rest of his soul.
Dr. S. Franklin
Dear Pillai / Prakash,
It is shocking. A man who I thought will never, never ever die but will continue to spread sweetness and light for ever. A true karmayogi and a repository of every thing good in life, personification of all virtues, a source of inspiration, ehhorting every one to do good things in life, a picture of humility and transprent simplicity. a grievious loss not only to IDF but to every one who came in contact with this self-effacing Gandhian. The example of simple livng and high thinking is the legacy which the late Ramaswamy Iyer has left will inspire us all.
R Ganapati
Master Karan Dravid from Bangalore said, "This was a real shock to us when my father told about the incident of Ramaswami grandpa, he was such a great man. I loved every moment with him during my visit to Mumbai. May his soul rest in peace."
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Mr. Cecil O. Joseph and family from Chicago said, "Sorry to hear the sudden demise of Mr. Ramaswami which came as a shock to all of us in the family. We pray God Almighty gives enough strength to all the family members to face during this difficult times."
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Sr. Sisily from Vimala Centre said, "We were shocked to know about the sudden demise of Mr. K. Ramaswami. Our hearty condolences to all of you. May his soul rest in peace. So far he was contributing for the good of the people through IDF. Now we have one more powerful intercessor above."
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Mr. R. Girish from Botswana said,
"This is convey our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. Mr Ramaswami was a great human being endowed with wonderful qualities, something we all look forward to emulating. His life style was simple and that personified the individual too. I have known him since the days when he used to come to Jogeshwari. He has been a great wellwisher of IDF and we bow our head in respect to the departed soul."
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Mr. S. Karthick from Mumbai said, "Today IDF is facing a great loss. The loss of a silent worker, an energetic soul, anon-stop machine and a humble being. We all mourn the sudden loss of our beloved. God has a plan & we all are mute spectators. May God bless the noble soul. It is a journey to heaven."
MrK.Ramaswamy(KRS)85- was a Titan among social thinkers and workers. He had a simple life, pursued good things for others and was humility personified. Retiring from a senior position from a leading commercial house, he applied his mind to serve others and did everything to help IDF to come to this stature. He was a master in English and he was helping us with his expertise whenever we wanted. KRS is no more,but his contributions will stand out to mark him as a great Karmayogi.What a pity that cruel fate snatched away KRS from all of us. We salute his memory for all time to come.
Let his soul remain in peace.
Dr.A.R.K.Pillai
It is really a sad ocassion for all of us.Am sure it is not only a great grief to Swami Sir's family but an equal loss to IDF. You cannot manage to lose an wellwisher and volunterr of his age and experience.I would like to share the few moments i could spend with Swami Sir during my visit to IDF Mumbai.
One would definitely fail to make out his age.At 85 he stands tall akin a mountain evoking the truth that with sheer determination one could even defy age. The air of respect he carried at IDF was immediately evident.It is uncommon to see a grand old man moving hand in hand with youngsters in any office.I got introduced to him as i first entered into IDF Mumbai office.Later i could see the regard with which the President of IDF, Dr. Pillai held him.
As part of my personal interview with important people of IDF, Dr. Pillai introduced me to Swami Sir.Dr.Pillai was very relieved and glad to note that "This is the one man who is senior then me and i can look upto whenever in need.". After a brief introduction i was left alone with him in Dr.Pillai's cabin.I could with initial difficulties, adjust my tone to suit his ears.He indicated that his full name is Krishna Ramaswamy.He held Dr.Pillai in high regards and informed that Dr.Pillai never lets his staff down, motivates always and nurtures an open atmosphere to aire views.He also appreciated IDF for what it is.
I also noted that Swami Sir acted as an editor and moderator in IDF.Most articles moving out of office went for his "English and Grammar Check". My book also came back after his review and then i noted that how much i need to improve in terms of grammar.It also dawned on me that nowadays you don't find much people who refer to the dictionary loaded in their mind rather then "Thesarus or others" in MS word.
I silently appreciated and got inspiration from Swami Sir.My last day at office was Saturday last week i.e 17/5/2008.I took leave from him and told him i would meet him soon.I never realised that is the last time i would see him.
I solaced myself by saying that "God has reason for everything which happens".Let us all pray for the peaceful journey of Swami Sir's soul to the God beloved and for all those near and dear ones.
I appeal that "Road Safety" as a definite mission should be adopted by IDF to remember him.
Hari
It is a great loss to hear the sad dimises of the Mr. Ramasawmy a wonderful soldier of the IDF to fight the evils of the society.
God Bless his Soul and let his soul rest in peace
N Kothari
We are shocked to learn that Swami Sir passed away in a road accident. He was a down to earth person and the simiplicity, he practiced in life is very commendable. we pray God Almighty that his soul rest in peace.
C.Chidambaram
Chennai
Mr. J. Ravichandran, Dy. Director (Finance), GLRA/ALES, Chennai said, "We are equally shocked to learn the sad demise of Shri K. Ramaswami. It is quite long since I met him but his memories are quite fresh in my mind. Despite his age, he was always polite and a man for paying details for attention. IDF will certainly miss this senior citizen.
Kindly convey my heart felt condolence to Professor and the family of Shri K. Ramaswami."
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Mr. Kaushik Das, Project Co-ordinator, Atma Nirbhar Ek Challenge, Guwahati, Assam, said, "I was sorry to learn of the sad news of the passing away of Sri. K Ramaswami of Indian Development Foundation. I remember meeting him on my first visit to your office in 2006. Although I did not get much time to get acquainted with him, he appeared to be a fine gentleman.
It speaks very highly of him that he decided to keep himself busy by devoting his time to a social welfare organization after his retirement. I was also happy to learn that it was he who selected the name Indian Development Foundation.
May the Almighty give strength to all members of the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss. Kindly convey my sincere condolences to all the family members. I also share your and IDF’s sorrow at this loss."
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Mr. Suresh Kaul, President, Sarthak Manav Kushthashram, Jaipur, said "We all in Sarthak Manav Kushthashram pray to God for his soul’s peace and give courage to you and his family members to bear this irreparable loss. We also pray for his eternal peace in the Heaven. Please convey our message to his family."
Mr. N. R. Parashuraman, Trustee-Treasurer of IDF expressed his grief by saying, "When I learnt that Sri Ramaswami passed away on Buddha Poornima day evening I was very upset. With the passing away of Sri Ramaswami, INDIAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION has lost an oldest and very dedicated Officer. He worked with IDF till he breathed his last. At the ripe old age of 85, he continued to work tirelessly to help IDF in various ways. Whenever I visited IDF Office I used to have chat with Mr. Ramaswami and I always cherished those moments. I have read his inspiring articles which he regularly contributed to Joint Action. We would certainly miss his smiling face at IDF Office. May his soul rest in peace. May God give enough strength tothe family of Sri Ramaswami to meet the unfortunate and sudden departure . I do not know why God gives such an end to a noble person who has spent almost all his retired life on social work. I think IDF should do something in Sri Ramaswami's memory by conducting some special drive on 19th May every year, educating motorists to drive carefully .The reckless driving which takes away innumerable number of innocent lives year after year must be reduced at any cost."
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