CHENNAI: Many years ago, R Desikan, a journalist, bought a brand new Ambassador car, which had a year’s warranty, but after three months, it began having problems. When he took his car to the dealer, he laughed at him and said he would have to adjust or leave it there for someone else to buy. Offended, Desikan decided that he wouldn’t let any consumer suffer the same fate. Chairman of Anuraj Rural Marketing Academy, R V Rajan, who knew Desikan for 45 years, delivered a lecture ‘The journalist who became a consumer activist’, as part of the Madras Week celebrations at Roja Muthiah Research library on Thursday.
The lecture began with a 10-minute presentation on Desikan’s life as narrated by his friends, colleagues and family. After which, Rajan shared more details about the consumer activist and also a few interesting incidents from Desikan’s life.
“In 1977, his passion for activism was working its magic. Using South Madras News magazine, he began to represent the problems of the South Madras community to the government in power. He also started SMN Consumer Council in 1986 and that was the beginning of Desikan’s avatar as an aggressive consumer activist,” said Rajan. Desikan shut all his business establishments and publishing houses except for a small printing press. He got into consumer activism full-time and used his fighting spirit to fight for the cause of consumers.
From where did he acquire his fighting skills that never seemed to give up? Rajan shared another episode in Desikan’s life. This time, going back to his school days. “Desikan was challenged by a school bully. He always accepted challenges and during the fight, he quickly identified the boy’s weak spot. He managed to get hold of the part in his vice like grip. The boy begged Desikan to leave him and finally surrendered. Desikan used the same strategy to fight the corporate people, later in his life,” he said. Desikan helped consumers in many ways. To mention a few, he established publishing houses, magazine outlets, started a women’s magazine, founded Consumer Association of India (CAI), he helped SLBT to open book outlet in different cities, brought distribution centres, fuel testing laboratory, adulteration kits and more. “In 1977, when the Consumer Act was being discussed, he wrote a long letter to Indira Gandhi, highlighting the importance of passing the Consumer Protection Act. Gandhi not only gave him an interview, but also met him personally to understand his views, said Rajan.
Once when Desikan fell gravely ill and doctors had given up hope, his family and distant relatives surrounded his hospital bed. Suddenly he opened his eyes and asked what everyone was doing there? Obviously God didn’t want him to die just yet.
June 27, 2015, he got a very good news about something that he had been fighting for several years. The Tamil Nadu government had signed an MoU with CAI, under which it would be owned by the government, but run by CAI. He was ecstatic and shared the news with everyone. “Only after this dream was fulfilled did he let himself go to the grave,” said Rajan.
“Don’t live with the problems, fight it, he used to say. Nothing would have been possible without Desikan’s visions. He was a printer, publisher, a pioneer of bubbling ideas, writer, fighter, mentor and a friend,” said Rajan.
साभार : Express News Service
