Faridabad:  V. Krishnamoorthy, known as VK Anna, is one person who has spread his glory on solid bricks that went into the construction of Gandhigram Rural Institute (GRI). It is one of the very few deemed universities in the country dedicated for rural reconstruction. When Gandhigram Rural Institute of Higher Education was started in 1956, the founders of Gandhigram, T.S. Soundaram and G. Ramachandran, naturally chose their associate VK as its Executive Secretary. Later, VK became its Principal. Krishnamoorthy was born as the eldest son of Venkataraman and Thailammal on March 15, 1917, in Thiruvannamalai. He was brought up by his uncle Seshachalam, a freedom fighter, after losing his mother at a young age. He came out with distinction in his graduation from Annamalai University and got his postgraduate degree in Michigan University. Soon after, he joined the Department of Education of Madras State, a job he relinquished in response to the call by Mahatma Gandhi to join the freedom movement. He started working in the refugee camps of Faridabad and at Sevagram. While working at the Wardha refugee camp, he met T.S. Soundaram, which turned out to be the turning point of his life, recalls K.M. Natarajan, chairman, Tamil Nadu Gandhi Smarak Nidhi. When Gandhigram was started by Dr. Soundaram and G. Ramachandran in 1947, ‘VK Anna’ joined them as an educationist and later the GRI, an experiment of the “dream of Tagore and Gandhi.” “His hands touched every stone and plant of the GRI in the founding years. He constructed most of the buildings with the labour of students and staff,” says V. Ragupathy, Professor, Department of Political Science and Development Administration, GRI. When higher education was beyond the reach of rural students, he visited villages to enrol them in the GRI. Besides offering financial support to students, he monitored their progress. He also helped in settling conflicts in villages. “Even today, one can find a VK Colony, Anna Nagar or VK Anna building in neighbouring villages,” says Prof. Ragupathy. Prof. Ragupathy looks at VK Anna as one of the chief architects of voluntarism in the State. “He promoted secular Gandhian and liberal philosophy in the non-governmental movement in Tamil Nadu and gave values and ethics to it,” he says. “He lived for rural people, rural education and holistic rural development throughout his life,” says K. Shivakumar, secretary, Gandhigram Trust. As consultant for Action of World Solidarity, VK Anna adopted many villages and started balwadis for poor children. He started a khadi weaving facility at Gandhigram in 1981 for weavers of T. Subbulapuram in Theni district after they lost their jobs. In 1983, he constructed about 30 houses for Adi Dravidar weavers under Weavers Rehabilitation Scheme. He died on January 13, 1992.

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