| S VENKATESHWARAN |
A true son of the soil, Mr. R.S. Bharathi, a respected DMK leader, former Rajya Sabha MP and four-time elected chairman, has played a key role in the development of Nanganallur over the decades.
“I have seen Nanganallur change completely,” he smiled. “Earlier, it was a small place with very few people. I used to know every resident by name. But now, it’s a bustling locality with lakhs of residents,” he elaborates.
He proudly recalled, “One of the first things I focused on was providing house-level water supply. Back then, even Chennai city mostly depended on water tankers. But I wanted Nanganallur to be different — to have 24-hour direct water supply to every home. Under our government, we laid 54 km of water pipelines. That was enough for only 20% of Nanganallur. The remaining areas were left out.”
Around that time, people from different government departments and companies were settling down in the area and started their own colonies like Hindu working staff forming Hindu Colony, AGS office staff forming AGS Colony, etc. But there were no associations. I encouraged residents to form their own associations and later brought them together under the federation. This helped me reach people directly.”
Once the associations were in place, Mr. Bharathi approached them with a bold idea. “I asked each association to contribute funds for extending the pipeline in their area. I told them — ‘If you support me, I’ll bring water to your homes.’ Even though the water tax was Rs. 25, which was high compared to the city, people trusted me. They agreed, and with public contribution, we laid pipelines in the remaining areas.”
He expanded the network to every corner, even Kannan Nagar and it was all done with people’s support — not government funds, he says.
Once water needs were met, the next big demand was underground drainage. “Till then, people used only septic tanks. But with so many families moving in, we needed a drainage system,” he said. “I met the then Reserve Bank Governor Mr. Rangarajan — who was also a Nanganallur resident — and he helped me meet two financial advisors. With their guidance and the support of the Chief Secretary, Ms. Malathi, we created a Rs. 34 crore project. I again approached every association and convinced them to contribute. Every home had to pay Rs. 5,000. To encourage payment, we listed names of contributors on notice boards. That triggered ego and competition — and within three months, we collected from over 11,000 homes, more than what we expected!”
The project became a massive success. Nanganallur became the only locality with a 100% underground drainage system at the time. “For this achievement, I received several awards and was even invited to Mussoorie to speak at the IAS Training Academy,” he proudly shared.
Once water and drainage were handled, traffic became the next concern and through various efforts and even a protest, they got the Pazhavanthangal subway, Meenambakkam subway and Thillaiganga Nagar subway. “All this became possible only because people stood with me,” he says generously.
Another important achievement was land acquisition for major roads. “I played a major role in bringing Radial Road and Thillaiganga Main Road. With the help of Dr. V. Irai Anbu, IAS, who was then Collector of Kanchipuram, we managed to give 300 times compensation to landowners — much more than the usual 150 times. Because of that, people agreed to give their land. That’s how we made road widening and connected Nanganallur to Velachery and beyond.”
Apart from infrastructure, he took keen interest in public spaces. “There was no park here. I removed encroachments and built Independence Day Park. On August 15, 1997, the 50th year of Indian Independence, I hoisted the flag there with great pride.”
Mr. Bharathi also supported many temple developments and explained his role as a Rajya Sabha MP.
About his name, he said, “I was born on August 15, just an hour after India got Independence. Our family are Sai devotees, so my real name is Sai Bharath — that’s how I became R.S. Bharathi.”
He studied at St. Joseph’s in Vepery, then Madras Christian College for PUC, New College for his degree, and later completed law at Law College. His wife Dr. Sampoornam is a doctor and he has two married sons.
When asked about hobbies, he simply said, “I joined the party at age 15. Public service has been my only motto.”
With his inspiring journey and unmatched contributions to Nanganallur, Mr. Bharathi remains a name of pride and respect for every resident of the Temple Town.
Mr. R.S. Bharathi, a son of the soil, a respected DMK leader, former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, and four-time elected Chairman, played in the development of Nanganallur over the decades.
Once water and drainage were handled, traffic became the next concern. “We demanded and got the Pazhavanthangal subway built. But, suddenly, in the 1990s, the Airports Authority of India closed the Meenambakkam railway gate without any notice. Nanganallur was completely cut off. I went and broke the gate in protest and led an agitation. It became a national issue when radar operations were stopped due to airport strikes. Even though my party was in power, I was arrested due to pressure. People supported me and observed a bandh. Later, I went to Delhi, got Defence Ministry approval, and started work on the Meenambakkam subway. By then, we also completed the Thillaiganga Nagar subway. All this became possible only because people stood with me,” he elaborated.
Another important achievement was land acquisition for major roads. “I played a major role in bringing Radial Road and Thillaiganga Main Road. With the help of Dr. V. Irai Anbu, IAS, who was then Collector of Kanchipuram, we managed to give 300 times compensation to landowners — much more than the usual 150 times. Because of that, people agreed to give their land. That’s how we made road widening and connected Nanganallur to Velachery and beyond.”
Apart from infrastructure, he took keen interest in public spaces. “There was no park here. I removed encroachments and built Independence Day Park. On August 15, 1997, the 50th year of Indian independence, I hoisted the flag there with great pride,” recalls Mr. Bharathi.
He also supported many temple developments. “I was there for the bhoomi pooja of Ayyappan Temple, Karumariyamman Temple in Thillaiganga Nagar, Gubera Vinayagar Temple, and Ardhanareeswarar Temple. There was a land dispute in 1995 regarding Ardhanareeswarar Temple. I filed a case, stopped encroachments, passed a Councillor resolution, and with the help of Collector Irai Anbu, the patta was cancelled. Today, that temple has 4.5 acres including the temple tank.”
He smiled as he remembered his connection with Nanganallur and said, “I was born on August 15, just an hour after India got Independence. Our family are Sai devotees, so my real name is Sai Bharath — that’s how I became R.S. Bharathi.” He studied at St. Joseph’s in Vepery, then Madras Christian College for PUC, New College for his degree, and later completed law at Law College. His wife, Dr. Sampoornam, is a doctor. His two sons, Dr. Sai Lakshmikanth and engineer Sai Jaikanth, are also settled well, and both daughters-in-law are doctors too.
When asked about hobbies, he simply said, “I joined the party at age 15. Public service has been my only motto.”
Mr. Bharathi also explained his role as a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament. “I had the honour of representing Tamil Nadu in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Parliament. Through this position, I was able to raise key issues concerning the state and work towards several developmental initiatives for our region,” he said.
With his inspiring journey and unmatched contributions to Nanganallur, Mr. Bharathi remains a name of pride and respect for every resident.
