We were waiting in the lobby of Si properties, Appartments, Vazhuthacaud, along with our cousin Mr Venu gopal the Director of Ashraya, a home for Blessed girl children in Kollam, with great apprehension to meet one of the Management Gurus of India. We saw a man with flowing white beard, walking stick in hand, woolen cap on the head, wearing a kurta and pyjama, walking towards us as if taking a walk on the street. He could be any of those scores of senior citizens taking an evening walk. But a movement on my side suddenly caught my attention, I could feel a movement of reverence in the gesture of my cousin who was a close associate of Dr Ramaswamy. When the man came near us, this feeling of reverence unknowingly caught us like a fever and we then genuinely experienced the charisma of this seemingly simple man Prof.Ramaswamy even before he talked to us.

His smile, the way he talked , the way he looked in to your eyes , the way he asked about your interests and the things you do with child like curiosity and amusement, the way he encouraged your simple endeavourers, the aura of warmth and affection you felt around him…let aside the much spoken about management and humanitarian works he undertakes …are things which one could experience only if one meet the great personality in person. When he talked we felt that his each sentence was packed with information and he owned an unbelievable memory power.A vibrant personality  he could eminate the vibrance and positive energy to others without making any loud claims of doing so, which made him stand apart from the crowd.

His thoughts became his words.
His words became his actions.

His actions became his habits.
His habits became his character.
His character became his destiny.

Prof Ramaswamy’s demise is a great loss to those who are not just management wizards but also are simple goodhearted humans who takes the strides of life with apprehension and who needs a guru, who can guide them to take life as it comes.

We should really thank Mr Venugoplan and Ashraya, his dream come true project for giving us the opportunity to meet this great personality, an enigma wrapped in charishma.