Coimbatore: Book on ‘maverick’ textile man throws light on 1970s’

Coimbatore: As a fitting tribute to his late father V. Sivaraman who has left an indelible mark in history of textile industry, his son Venkatesh Sivaraman has penned his late father’s biography titled ‘A Memoir of a Maverick’ that was recently launched in the textile city.

In the book his son brings to light the life of a man who was known for his association with the renowned brand Bombay Dyeing. First copy of the book was received by K.R. Nagarajan founder chairman of Ramraj Cotton, Tiruppur. On the occasion, Mr. N.R. Swamy retired zonal sales manager of Bombay Dyeing Manufacturing Co. Ltd offered his felicitations.

A born leader, V. Sivaraman joined his family business ‘Venkatesh Vastralaya’ in 1956 before starting Shivrams Associates, a marketing organisation in the year 1974. The company went on to become the number one distributor of Bombay Dyeing in 1981. Better known as a ‘people’s friendly leader’, Sivaraman focusing on employee welfare, the same prompted him to introduce Employee Share Ownership (ESOP) and profit-sharing which was unique concepts in those days.

On the sidelines of launch of the book, a nostalgic Venkatesh Sivaraman, said “I was a very mischievous young boy and my feelings towards Appa were mixed with awe and fear. He’d always say ‘Think Big with simple Living’ and encouraged me to think big.”

It may be recalled that Shivrams Associates as well his other ventures were awarded the ‘Rashtriya Samman’ by the Income Tax Department of Tamil Nadu region and Central Board of Direct Taxes for being one of the highest tax payers consequently for five years. Its founder followed ethical values and principles business strategies easily making him role model for the generations of entrepreneurs.