Values to vision: Biography sheds light on SNN Sankaralinga Iyer

CHENNAI: “Every generation inherits businesses and institutions. More importantly, it inherits values.” Sanmar Group chairman Vijay Sankar’s tribute to his great-grandfather SNN Sankaralinga Iyer served as a reminder that some of Tamil Nadu’s biggest industrial institutions were built not merely on capital, but on conviction.

The launch of Cementing Legacies: The Life of SNN Sankaralinga Iyer – A Pioneering Polymath, here on Saturday, revisits the life of one of south India’s earliest industrialists, whose entrepreneurial vision laid the foundation for institutions such as The India Cements and Indo-Commercial Bank in the pre-Independence period.

Calling integrity, humility and humaneness the hallmarks of Sankaralinga Iyer’s legacy, Vijay Sankar said the biography reveals not just an entrepreneur and institution builder, but also a family man whose values continue to inspire succeeding generations.

At a time when industrial entrepreneurship in India was still in its infancy, Sankaralinga Iyer ventured beyond banking to establish businesses in salt, rubber, ink, cement and chemicals, driven by the idea of self-reliance. One of his defining achievements came when The India Cements launched what became the first oversubscribed public issue in independent India.

The biography paints an equally compelling portrait of the man behind the enterprises. A Gandhian in outlook, he remained devoted to simplicity, preferring his trademark white veshti and shirt, while believing languages should unite rather than divide. His fascination with Hindi led him to master the language in his thirties before writing a primer and even authoring novels in Hindi.

N Kumar, grandson of Sankaralinga Iyer and chairman, The Sanmar Group Corporate Board, notes: “For our family, thaatha was a deeply reassuring anchor. His lifestyle effortlessly bridged the unyielding standards of a hard taskmaster with the profound simplicity of a devoted family man.”

Paying tribute, former Tamil Nadu Health Minister HV Hande described him as a “polymath” and called for greater encouragement for Indian entrepreneurs alongside foreign investment.

Textile veteran Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti recalled how Indo-Commercial Bank’s extended banking hours catered to traders decades before customer convenience became a banking buzzword.

Facilitated by Sanmar veteran SB Prabhakar Rao and written by veteran journalist K Balakumar, the biography is available in both English and Tamil.