1. February 1, 2012
Jack of all trades
SOMA BASU
The Hindu YOUTHFUL ENERGY: Selvaraj Suthagar. Photo: S.James
Selvaraj Suthagar on how Abdul Kalam fired his imagination
His visiting card does not carry his name. It simply says: ‘F@YS – What service
demands’ and lists two numbers. The moment he flashes the small black visiting card
with fluorescent blue prints on it, something tells me he is the typical restless youth
wanting to do too many things in one go. He confirms it: “My head is bursting with ideas,
but I don’t have the matching time, money or resources.”
Thirty-one-year-old Selvaraj Suthagar compels you to wonder how after failing Class X
Board exams, he has become a multi-tasker racing against time. F@YS stands for “Friend
at Your Service” and he means and stands by these words. “You just have to tell us what
you want and we will be at your doorstep,” he asserts.
And his work can mean anything – from de-silting a clogged drain to painting your home,
from arranging eco-treks into forests and hills to growing organic crops in your backyard,
from painting vehicles to repairing electrical gadgets, from plumbing to rolling steel
sheets at construction sites, from coaching youngsters in different games to setting up
cricket bowling machines in malls, from teaching traffic rules and signals to reading road

2. maps to students, from helping tribal people with basic amenities to adding to his
collection of old bikes, gramophone and other antique items.
It is this veritable assortment of odd jobs that he chooses, gets to do and also delivers,
that take away some sadness from his life. It keeps him excited and happy as he looks
forward to his next mission, which could be either in the adjacent lane in his
neighbourhood or in the picturesque hill range of Theni or Sirumalai.
“Born into poverty and having suffered all along, I am a self-motivated man today. I have
understood that to achieve something in life is nothing but to have the interest and the
drive to accomplish it,” he says.
For him, the journey began when he flunked Class X exam. “From Class V, I have been
helping my mother to boost family income. She would do odd jobs in the Church and get
Rs.150 a month and I would do things like fetching water for residents in apartment
buildings or running some errands for them and earning few extra bucks. As a result, I
could never focus on studies.”
At 15, he shifted to Chennai and did a short course in operating cranes. But he joined as a
cleaner boy in a Cottage Industries Emporium showroom. With a penchant for languages,
he soon picked up a smattering of French, German and Spanish while interacting with
tourists. Impressed with his determination and flair, the Branch manager posted him as
caretaker of a showroom in a star hotel. From there, he moved on to IDBI Bank as a
document verifier.
“On my weekly off, I would go to the beach and play with the children around. Many
days I would make some models with all thrown away cigarette boxes and other waste.”
He was spotted by an employee of Satyam Computers and taken in as a Floor Supervisor
for the office. Three months into joining, the then President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam came to inaugurate a new building for the R&D wing.
“It remains one of my most memorable days as he ignited our minds and told the young
employees to keep firing their imagination with new ideas and innovative thoughts.”
Suthagar’s appointment letter was due to come when the Satyam fiasco happened. A
colleague, who used to accompany him on some occasional treks during holidays,
introduced him to Eco-Login, an initiative of some students of IIT-Madras, that
incorporates social dimension to trekkers’ schedule.
Their work matched his passion and he is now back in Madurai as the marketing manager
of Eco-login tying up customized and theme-based experience trips with 40 exotic
locations to choose from that range from adventure, wildlife, nature hotspots, rural and
city circuits.

3. “Travel is an uncompromising part of anybody’s learning. But I don’t find many
enthusiastic people in Madurai,” rues Suthagar, who is now busy visiting schools and
colleges to help them plan their field trips and excursions.
Last time he undertook a trip with 63 members of a family who were re-uniting from all
over the world. “It was one week trekking and staying with tribal families in the forest
areas of Periyakulam. This experience will remain with me,” he says.
Suthagar has now identified 30 tribal locations and formed a core team with each of the
groups to coordinate such treks. “It is a fantastic opportunity to learn and also help them,”
he says. Right now, he is working with Paliyar tribe in a small village called Malaiyur, 18
kms off Madurai, helping them with medicines, clothes and coaching the tribal children.
“I collect old and new clothes from people who want to donate. My mother and I wash
and iron them before distributing them among the tribals,” Suthagar shares. He has
dabbled in so many things that it becomes difficult to keep track. In between, he also
finished a diploma course in film technology from University of Madras and few other
polytechnic courses. “I have a burning desire to keep on learning something new. You
can trust me with any job,” he smiles.
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article2850618.ece