COIMBATORE: Cutouts of 20 visionaries, whose talent and entrepreneurial ventures built the industrial and economic backbone of the city, dot the walking track at Race Course . They were put up by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) as part of the ongoing Kovai Vizha celebrations to commemorate them for their role in making Coimbatore an industrial city.Curated by noted historian Rajesh Govindarajulu, on display are cutouts of Swamikannu Vincent, Textool Balasundaram, L G Varadaraj, G D Naidu, R K Venkatsamy Naidu and R K Shanmugha Chettiar, among others. The cutouts come with small anecdotes about their contribution to the city’s development.The event was inaugurated at That’s Y On The Go on Friday evening in the presence of the family members of all the 20 visionaries.Speaking at the event, TiE president Hemalatha Annamalai said they had worked with many entrepreneurs, who always wanted to know how the city’s ecosystem of family businesses came about. “Lots of them wanted to know how the city was carved out or developed by these men, who were all self-made . So, we wanted to showcase how these visionaries created their ventures and overcame troubles with meagre resources.”The event organizer, Ranjana Singhal, said many people were not aware about the rich history of the city and how it got its reputation of being an industrial and entrepreneurial city. “Many of us are inspired by the hard work these visionaries. So, we thought we could create awareness on the city’s rich industrial history.”N M Manickam, son of N Mahalingam, who’s also featured among the visionaries, spoke about how different communities in the city work as a family and help each other without feeling “jealousy”. “There is a goodwill here that cannot be seen elsewhere. It is the water and the earth.”Govindarajulu also took people down the city’s history, providing anecdotes that many history books also do not have. “Not many people know that G K Devarajulu went on an year-long industrial tour of the world after the World War II with Sir Vishweshwaraiyya, the diwan and architect of Mysuru. People also don’t know that L G Varadarajulu was the first one who came out with a corporate set-up including shareholders, board members and employees, etc.,” he said.

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