Youth dumps plum job in Germany to contest in Kovai

Coimbatore: Every quest starts with a question. For 31-year-old S. Kalyanasundaram, employed in Germany, the question was: “Do I build a cosy home for my daughter?  Or, contribute to building a better nation for my daughter?”

He got his answer right and has  set out on a political journey in Singanallur Assembly constituency Kalyanasundaram has quit his job as an administrator in an apparel firm in Germany to contest on behalf of ‘Naam Tamilar Katchi’ to turn Kovai into a better place to live

“If I had continued my job in Germany, I could have built a house for my little daughter. But before building a house for her, I want to build a better nation for her to live. Growing up in Singanallur, I experienced a host of problems like poor roads, traffic menace, water woes and bad sanitation. Three decades have passed by, but still these problems continue to exist in plenty,” he says.  “It was this anger in me that took me on a political path.”  

Kalyanasundaram, who had toured around 15 nations like France, Belgium, Switzerland and United Nations, finally decided to take a political plunge, appalled by the poor infrastructure in his home town. His students when he was a lecturer in a college here are his key campaign organisers.

“They were all my students and are a pillar of support to me,” said Kalyanasundaram, who had worked as a college lecturer for six years before moving to Germany.  

This young candidate, who has a deep rooted passion for Tamil nationalism, joined the ‘Naam Tamilar Iyakkam’ (the movement was later converted into a political party) to express his solidarity at the time of Sri Lankan genocide.
A remarkable orator, Kalayanasundaram had represented India in the Penang international Tamils conference in Malaysia. A crusader for rights of Sri Lankan Tamils, he had addressed the Tamil diaspora in Geneva and had represented their plight in UN Human Rights Council.

Though he does not represent the mainstream Dravidian party, Kalayasundaram is confident of his prospects. He says that a pre-poll survey by NDTV has predicted Singanallur as one among the winnable constituencies for ‘Naam Tamilar Katchi’ across Tamil Nadu.

“I find a wave against both the Dravidian parties, which have done nothing for the development of the constituency. During a campaign, a group of DMK men came to create ruckus, but finally pledged their support  in our mission, having been impressed with our promises. Such instances really give us the confidence of winning,” he said.