Mysore :

A R Ramalingam, activist and former botany professor of UoM and Karnatak University (Dharwad), died on Friday morning. The 78-year-old veteran was ailing for some time. Being the voice of the oppressed class, Ramalingam had inspired many people to fight for their rights.

He leaves behind his wife Kusuma and daughter Vijaya Narasimhan. His doctor-son Ajay, who ran an NGO providing safe drinking water to the villagers of Mysore taluk, died long ago.

Born in a rich zamindar’s family from a village in Vishakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh, he arrived here in the late 60s and joined UoM as a botany teacher. While discharging his duties at the university, he took up various public issues and fought for them, becoming a rebel of sorts.

While being in the forefront of various pro-people movements and agitations in the city, Ramalingam joined Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) and worked for the cause of consumers and the general public.

His long-drawn battle against the government on the issue of establishing Rare Metal Plant (RMP) at Ratnahalli village near here made him to face the wrath of the government. The fight also made him move out of Mysore city — he was transferred to Karnatak University. But the undeterred activist kept fighting on the issue. His agitation, backed by some progressive organizations in the city, was so intense that it forced the central government to constitute an expert team which ordered that the plant should not harm the people. But Ramalingam, who had tasted the crops and many horticultural produces grown in the vicinity of the plant, found them to have been affected by the radioactive emissions from the plant. He had contended that the tamarind fruits grown near the plant were small in size due to radiation. He also got the fruits tasted in a private lab in Mumbai and Hyderabad to substantiate his claim.

The agitations and movements carried out by him posed danger to his teaching profession, and the rebel in him deprived him of retirement benefits. On occasions, he led a miserable life having almost nothing to sustain. He lived in a small rented house in the city. The activist was made to run from pillar to post to meet his medical expenses.

Green crusader

Ramalingam had a lot of love for the environment, particularly trees. By identifying the species of trees, he branding some of them as Heritage Trees, so as to prevent their felling. After his retirement in 1997, he settled down in Mysore and fought for several public issues, particularly the contamination of drinking water and water sources, by associating himself with MGP.

He used to give lectures to rural and urban groups and students on safe drinking water. His booklet in Kannada explains the importance of safe drinking water, complete with details on how water gets contaminated. It also narrates simple and inexpensive methods to make water potable. Consumers from across the district have been benefitted from his work on water issues.

His detection of a cause of pollution of the water source of Mysore city prompted the city corporation to take remedial action. Similarly, he had made the corporation repair a dilapidated structure of a water reservoir.

To make bacteriologically contaminated water potable, he developed a simple copper-plate method and inexpensive chlorination kits. He had also developed an easy method to estimate the amount of dissolved solids in water. He propagated simple and inexpensive rainwater harvesting methods.

In 2008, he unearthed a tea powder adulteration scandal in Mysore. His campaign for burning several hundred kgs of adulterated tea powder forced the civic authorities to raid shops and confiscate adulterated tea. Most of his public-interest activities were financed by himself.

As per wishes, his family members donated his body to JSS Medical College.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mysore / by M B Maramkal, TNN / June 06th, 2014