S. Ramakrishnan (born 6 May 1954) is the founder president of Amar Seva Sangam, Ayikudi,

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He is known for his contributions to the field of rehabilitation for persons with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physica ...

. Ramakrishnan was awarded the civilian honour,

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, by Government of India for the year 2020.

Early years and injury

Ramakrishnan was born in Salem. He has three brothers and one sister. He started his schooling at

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of southern Indian religion, art ...

and later moved to Ayikudi. In early 1970s, he joined the

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

course at the

Government College of Technology, Coimbatore Government College of Technology, Coimbatore (GCT) is an autonomous state-funded engineering college located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. It is affiliated to Anna University. History Government College of Technology, Coimbatore was fou ...

. On 10 January 1975, while he was in his fourth year of engineering, he attended a selection interview for naval officers held in Bangalore. During a physical test, he injured his neck following a fall and incurred

cervical spine injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. It is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. Symptoms of ...

that resulted in complete loss of sensations and muscle power below his neck, along with impaired

bladder The bladder () is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys. In placental mammals, urine enters the bladder via the ureters and exits via the urethra during urination. In humans, the bladder is a distens ...

and

bowel The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. T ...

control. He was initially managed at the airforce command hospital,

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, for about three months. He was then shifted to the Military Hospital,

Khadki Khadki is a cantonment in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India. It has now flourished as a quasi-metropolis & centered in the northern region of the city. Description Khadki could be considered an Indian Army base, along with an ordnance facto ...

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

Rehabilitation and later years

Ramakrishnan underwent a course of rehabilitation over the next 10 months in Pune. It was here that he was motivated by his orthopedic physician and mentor Air Marshall Dr. Amarjit Singh Chahal, after whom Ramakrishnan named the organization he founded six years later.

Amar Seva Sangam

In 1981, Ramakrishnan started a school for children with disabilities at Ayikudi. The institute was registered as Amar Seva Sangam and was situated in a small piece of land donated by Ramakrishnan's parents. Sankara Raman, an

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

, who has

muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...

, joined the Sangam in 1992. He is the honorary secretary of the Sangam. It started with a handful of children and involved in a few activities related to

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

prevention and rehabilitation, and is now spread over 30 acres of land and houses diverse activities including: * Daycare center for children with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...

and

mental retardation Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability (in the United Kingdom), and formerly mental retardation (in the United States), Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010).Archive is a generalized neurodevelopmental ...

* Siva Saraswathi Vidyala, an integrated high school named after the parents of Ramakrishnan * Rehabilitation center for persons with physical disabilities * Vocational training center * Special study center for

Indira Gandhi National Open University Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is a National university, public Open university (concept), open & Distance education, distance learning university located in Delhi, India. Named after the former Prime Minister of India, prime ...

* Hostel for trainees * Early Intervention Centre for the toddlers between 0–5 years * Medical Testing Unit Schooling for children with disabilities and vocational training for persons with disabilities are being provided free of cost. https://www.amarseva.org/index.php

Personal life

Ramakrishnan lives in Ayikudi with his wife Chitra whom he married in 1994.

Awards

* IBN7 Super Idols, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2007. * Dr. Mary Verghese Award for excellence in empowering ability, 2012. *Rotary Club of Madras, Life Time Achiever Award 2015 *

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

Amazing Indians award in the category 'Unstoppable Indians', 2016 *

(2020)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramakrishnan, S. 1954 births Living people Indian Tamil people People from Salem district People with tetraplegia Indian disability rights activists Activists from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian educational theorists Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work Indian activists with disabilities