Kalam’s ‘commander’ wanted to plant one crore saplings
Actor Vivekh’s time with former President APJ Abdul Kalam instilled a passion and enthusiasm for a green environment. It’s in 2010 Vivekh got an opportunity to meet Dr Kalam at Raj Bhavan, where the actor was motivated by the former President’s talk to take up tree sapling plantation programme, APJMJ Sheik Saleem, grand nephew of Dr Kalam said on Saturday while recalling.
The sudden demise of Vivekh is a great loss to society. The artist and green campaigner launched the ‘Green Kalam Project’ in 2010 under the guidance of the former President.
Vivekh met Dr Kalam twice in his house at Rameswaram in 2013 when the former stepped up his mission to plant 5,000 saplings in the Ramanathapuram district. Under the project, Vivekh planned to plant one crore saplings across Tamil Nadu and to accomplish the mission, over 30 lakh saplings have been planted so far.
Further, Saleem said that under Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation (AKIF), which was launched in 2015, over 20,000 saplings have been planted so far. It’s aimed to plant one crore saplings across the state. When Umaru Pulavar Sangam celebrated the 373rd birth anniversary of the ancient Tamil poet Umaru Pulavar at Ettayapuram in Thoothukudi district in 2015, Vivekh distributed 50,000 saplings to people under the project, U Kaja Mydheen, a descendant of the late poet and president of the Sangam said.
Tearful tributes to the late actor at his native village in Tenkasi district
Tributes were paid to Vivekh at his native village Perunkottur in Sankarankoil of Tenkasi district. His close relatives and scores of local people mourned his untimely death. Expressing sorrow over his death, wall posters and banners were put up in parts of the village and also in Kovilpatti, Thoothukudi. Though Perunkottur was Vivekh’s birthplace, many felt that the popular actor was a native of Kovilpatti, sources said.
M Paramasivam, a native and resident of Kovilpatti and a family friend of Vivekh, while recalling the actor’s old acquaintance with Kovilpatti, said the actor used to visit his family’s ancestral temple deity Angala Easwari Amman Kovil at Kurumalai, which’s nearby Kovilpatti. Twenty days ago, Vivekh took stock of the newly-built manimandapam for Lord Karuppasamy at his own cost inside the temple premises and offered money on the occasion. It was in 2012 when the Thoothukudi district witnessed silver jubilee celebrations for months together to commemorate the bifurcation of Thoothukudi from neighbouring Tirunelveli, Vivekh chaired a programme at Kovilpatti, where he urged the need among students for planting saplings to promote greenery for clean and fresh air, Paramasivam recalled.
In Madurai, floral tributes were offered to the late actor by a group of his alumni, staff and non-teaching staff members at The American College, where he studied in the 1970s.
The alumni while recounting those days said that Vivekh used to keep the classroom alive by cracking jokes often. However, his early demise is unfortunate.
Principal M Davamani Christober along with the faculty members observed a two-minute silence to condole the sad demise of Vivekh after paying homage before his portrait. Vivekh studied PUC during 1977-78 and was an undergraduate student of Commerce from 1978 to 81 and completed the course in a stipulated time.
During his heyday at the college, Vivekh kept himself active in NSS and discharged various duties. He’s also a multifaceted personality as he organised several stage dramas on festive occasions. Vivekh was also honoured as the chief guest on the occasion of annual day in 2017 and also at the inauguration of the audio-video room at Visual Communication Lab, the Principal said.