User:Karthik Shivaswamy/sandbox

P. Kalyanasundaram known for is charitable work.

Personal Life
Kalyanasundaram was born and brought up in Melakaruvelangulam village, of Nangunari taluk in Tirunelveli district.

Kalyanasundaram lost his father when he was only one year old. After completing school, he was determined to pursue a B.A degree with Tamil as the main subject. As he was the only student for the course at St. Xavier's College, Tirunelveli, the college management persuaded him to take up another subject, but he refused. Impressed by the youngster's determination to study Tamil, Karumuttu Thygaraja Chettiar, the founder of MTT Hindu College, had no hesitation admitting him to the course he wanted. Karumuttu Chettiar also bore the youngster's study expenses He studied library science at University of Madras and later joined Kumarkarupa Arts College in Tuticorin as librarian and spent 35 years there, even while doing his social work.

Charitable Work
Turning point in his life came when he was doing library science at the Madras University. That was when the Indo-China War was on. He went to Chief Minister Kamaraj and gave him his gold chain.

Kamaraj was so impressed by the gesture that he felicitated the youngster at a special function on May Day that year (1963).

He donated the money he got from the sale of his ancestral property to the poor. An amount of Rs. one lakh that Kalyansundaram received as salary arrears, he promptly gave to the district collector to be used for orphans.

For 45 years, Kalyanasundaram's social work focussed on children. However, in 1998, after retirement, he decided to expand his service and, thus, Paalam was born. One of the first things he did was to direct the money he received as retirement benefit to social cause. Paalam serves as the link between donors and beneficiaries. Assistance is not only monetary. Children are helped in pursuing education, medical attention is provided to the needy, blood donation camps are organised and blood samples are reached to hospitals during emergencies, the unemployed, elderly, sick and handicapped are rehabilitated, and free counselling is provided.

Accordng to him his happiest moments was when, after being chosen as the `Man of the Millennium' by an American organisation, He donated the entire amount of INR 30 crores he received towards charity.