A Tribute To Mr. V.M.Chandran-The Man With A Golden Heart

 Madam Yasotha Selvarajah and her soulmate Mr.V.M.Chandran 

My friend, Mr.V.M.Chandran, was not born on a bed of roses but he turned his life into a beautiful rose. The fragrance from this rose pervaded and touched many lives during his lifetime. A simple man that is shy of power, position, title, and fame but a great man in his own way.

Chandran's life journey began in darkness. When he was barely two years old and not aware of the world around him, his father passed away, leaving him and his three-year-old sister, Malar in the hands of his mother. Life was challenging and there was a time the family stayed in a room on the first floor of a shop lot in Seremban. His mom a woman of strong will power brought up the family single-handedly.

His mother was an inspiration for Chandran to succeed in his life. With perseverance and determination to achieve his academic dreams, he completed his tertiary education at King George V(KGV), Seremban and went on to become a qualified Chartered Accountant and Lawyer. 

From an early age, Chandran's household name among family and friends was "Gandhi."He was truly a "Gandhian" in spirit. With open arms he will lend a hand, to encourage someone and even counsel them in the time of need. He never made a fuss about meeting and helping anyone.

He was a man with extensive knowledge and wisdom in a large number of fields. Walter Lippman the American writer once spoke of men who plant trees that other men will sit under. My friend was such a man.

Chandran went on to tie the knot with his beautiful sweetheart, Yasotha Selvarajah and the couple were blessed with five handsome boys-Vishven, Srishti, Rahulan, Govind, and Jairaj. Together, with love, care, and attention the couple educated their children to become leaders in their individual fields.

Education is a topic close to Chandran. He shared with me that education alone is not enough and emphasized that virtues are equally important to shape a person. His philosophy was knowledge gain from education is to benefit mankind and not to exploit mankind.

Despite his busy schedule, he always found the time to call or visit his friends and former teachers from KGV in Seremban. And since I had moved to Seremban from KL we will meet occasionally for lunch and then proceed for tea. I cherished this get-together and always looked forward to our next meeting. 

In fact, we were supposed to catch up on Jan 22, which sadly didn't materialize with the passing of Chandran on the 20th of Jan.

During the many years I knew this beautiful man, he never once placed his family second and made it clear that family mattered most. He will apprise me of the academic progress of his sons when they were in the UK with his wife and later when they began their career.

And without fail every year when Jan 25 arrived, my friend will murmur to me; "Enbaraj, today is Yasotha's birthday." Chandran's love for Yasotha is immeasurable." Truly both of them were born to be soulmates.

The last 18 months of his life, I must say, was the most challenging time indeed. He was undergoing treatments at the hospital. But this didn't deter him from living his life to the fullest. He did what he always love to do: visiting family, friends, teachers from KGV, and his yearly pilgrimage to Sri Venkateswara Temple in Thirupati.

His greatest joy was in spending time with his beloved grandson Jayce chandran, Srishti's son. Whenever I spoke to him on the phone I can hear the sound of Jay playing in the background.

Recently when I met Chandran at his home, he was playing with his grandson with his eyes gleaming with joy. There is a saying that eyes are the windows to the soul and what I saw in my friend's eyes is like a sort of freedom that is best described by our very own poet in her Whatsapp status, that is, There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask, "what if I fall?"Oh but darling, what if you fly! This beautiful poet is none other than Chandran's soulmate, Yasotha Selvarajah.

When I saw my friend for the last time resting in peace, my heart quivered for a second as if a part of me had left me. I was trembling for a moment. Then after regaining my composure, I thanked the Great Lord for giving us this man with the golden heart, and please take good care of him.

The beautiful Rose might have left us but its fragrance will live eternally in our memories.

I will truly miss you, my beloved friend and brother.

Thank You.

Edited by my niece Sasmiita Segar.