Kandaswami Kandar's College

Man with a mission

A nation's history can be summed up in the lives of its great men. Nanjai Edayar, where Sri Sankara Kandaswami Kandar was born, and all of the surrounding area were profoundly impacted by the man's life principles and service. On May 23, 1880, he entered the world in that picturesque village on the banks of the Cauvery, where his family farmed hundreds of acres of land. He gave money to restore and construct new temples so that believers would have easier access to places of worship. He felt a strong pull to help his village thrive, and he recognised that education was the key to its success. He devised a strategy to help the poor over the entire Cauvery belt and Namakkal.

His parents, Sri Sankara Kandar and Smt Veerayi Ammal, were revered figures in the community thanks to their place in the long line of Chola rulers. His family had frequent contact with the locals because his father served as Munsiff. Sri. Sankara Kandaswami Kandar took over for his father as village Munsiff, and although having only a primary education, he proved to be an effective administrator thanks to his natural intelligence altruism and generosity. He became wealthy as a result of the success of his agricultural businesses. He planned to donate his money to charity.

He convened a gathering of respected citizens and government officials as well as community activists and other people he knew to be on his side. The conference, which involved delegates from across the state, was held at Nanjai Edayar in 1914 and had far-reaching consequences. Sri Sankara Kandaswami Kandar invited prominent leaders and personalities from all over the world to hear his intentions for improving the lives of the locals using his own money and the event was a huge success. After extensive discussion, he was named Sambu Kulasekarar in recognition of his visionary proposals for societal change. Sri Sankara Kandaswami Kandar did not have the luxury of growing up in a typical family. He, his younger brother Sri Muthuveera Kandar and his sister Smt. Muthammal were all childless. The unexpected death of his younger brother was yet another blow to his already fragile psyche. But these setbacks did not deter him from his noble mission. The fruit of his magnanimity is number of educational institutions and tireless service of Kandaswami Kandar Educational and Charitable Trust.