Com. K.Selvaraj , Senior Accounts Officer O/o the General Manager
( Postal Accounts and Finanace ) Karnataka Circle , Bangalore who is fondly called as Comrade K.S in the Trade union Circles of NFPE
( National Federation of Postal Employees) bids farewell to Government Service .
Com K.Selvaraj is retiring today (31.07.2019) from Government service. He is multi talented personality. He involves himself in various activities to serve the society in general and postal staff in particular.
His father – His inspiration
He was born on 06. 07.1959 in a small village Kambanur near Karaikudi of Sivaganga District , Tamilnadu. His father Shri Karmegam was serving in Health Department in the rural area .Since his childhood days he saw his father working day and night to serve the rural mass with complete dedication. For Com K S, his father was a source of first inspiration. He completed his Bachelor Degree in Alagappa College, Karaikudi ( Sivaganga district). During his college days he evinced more interests in Tamil literary forums and honed his oratory skill.
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| Wedding Photo |
He is the disciple of D.Gnaniah and his mentor is Com. K.Ramachandran
He joined the Postal Department on 15.10.1980. Since his joining he showed much interest in the trade union activities. He got Com K.Ramachandran (selfless , veteran trade union leader of erstwhile combined Ramanathapuram Postal division ) as his mentor to serve in the union for the welfare of his fellow employees without any bias . He believed in left-ideology that it will alone be helpful to solve the problems of the workers by rousing up their class consciousness. He is a ardent follower of D Gnaniah Ex-Secretary General NFPTE who recently passed away at the age of 97 . Com. K.S learnt a lot from him how to see issues and problems in Marxian light.
His Leadership in the Divisional union
Within a few years of his joining in the department, he became the Divisional Secretary of erstwhile Manamadurai Postal Division ( Now Sivaganga Division) in his young age . It was a turbulent time when he took over the post. He waged many a glorious struggle against the administration and protected the interests of the employees from all type of onslaughts unleashed against them. He has many stories to tell to the younger generations about such struggles. Even now he is in touch with many of the staff in Sivaganga in all cadres especially with the youth. He remains a guiding light for the staff of this Division
Beyond the realm of normal trade union activities
He was instrumental in uniting all the trade union forums of Central Government and state Government Employees and Public Sector undertakings of State/ Central Governments of Sivaganga District under an umbrella organization named as CSPUC ( Central ,State and Public Sector Unions Confederation) . He guided it to arrange many programs concerning social issues ie beyond the realm of normal trade union activities . With his active participation, the CSPUC arranged a seminar on Indo- US Civil Nuclear Agreement and celebrated religious harmony Pongal festival etc .Indeed it has helped break the normal public perception that the trade unions of central/ staff will always agitate and organize struggles clamoring only for monetary benefits and earned a good name for the Trade unions in that District among the general public.
State level leader in the Trade union
Then he was first elected as Organizing Secretary of Tamilnadu Circle union in Mayiladuthurai. He served in the post for many years under the militant leadership of com. N. Balasubramanian who breathed his last some two years back . Though he belonged to one particular political grouping, he is more affable and friendlier to the leaders and cadres of all other groups. He has had no grouse against any of them. He has had impartial approach to the organizational issues aiming to uphold the prestige of the union. It earned goodwill of Com N.B who took him into confidence at all times. Thus he upheld the principles of NFPE at all times.
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| Com K. Selvaraj with Comrade Mahadevvaiah GDS union General Secretary |
Leader in the Confederation of Central Government Employees and workers
His dedicated service to the welfare of the employees has raised him up in the trade union field. He was elected as All India Organizing secretary of the Confederation of Central Government Employees and workers in its national conference held at New Delhi. He served the Confederation for nearly 6 years in a dedicated manner and attended and addressed as many meetings at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Trivandrum and Chennai as he could during his tenure and good name from its Ex-Secretary General com S.K Vyas.
Promotion to officer cadre no hindrance to serve postal staff
He qualified in the JAO (Postal) Exam held in the year 1992. But only in the year 2010, he got promotion as Assistant Accounts Officer after waiting nearly for 18 years. He was posted as AAO in Postal Accounts Office (PAO) Nagpur. Wherever he went for inspection to head Post offices in Maharashtra circle , he met the local leaders of the unions federated with NFPE and guided and helped them to resolve pay related issues of staff. He held the post of Circle Vice President of Officers Association in Maharashtra Circle and worked for merger of two factions and achieved complete enrollment of all the officers as members of the Association.
Circle secretary for Officers association
Then he came on transfer to PAO( postal Accounts Office ) Chennai where he was selected as the Circle secretary of the Indian P&T Accounts and Finance officers Association and serve for the cause of his colleagues.
Exceptionally Outstanding officer
On his promotion to the cadre of Accounts Officer he was posted in the DOT Head Quarters (Sanchar Bhawan). He worked in a tough section which deals with the financial governance of the Public Sector undertakings under the DOT. He was awarded the exceptional and outstanding grading for his sincere and perfect work. Thus he earned good name from the high-level officers for his best performance of official work. Then he got his promotion as Senior Accounts Officer in the P&T Accounts cadre.
Retirement after 39 years of eventful service
During May 2019, he got transfer to PAO Bangalore. In his brief stint there at Bangalore he won the affection of all the employees working under him with his easily social nature that he acquired while his heydays of union activities. He retired today ( 31.07.2019) on superannuation after serving the department for nearly 39 years brimming with unflinching faith to serve the staff and officers through unions/ associations besides serving the interests of the Postal Department for 35 years and the telecom department for 3 years .
Powerful oratory skills
Com K several is a powerful orator both in Tamil and English . He used to attend all the State/ all India conferences of the unions. He kept the audience captivated with his own unique style of addressing from the dais of conferences. Usually his speech veered around and touched upon all the global / national / state / divisional issues that affected the postal employees and common man. His speech got up during strike periods mainly aimed to rouse up the class consciousness of the postal workers to participate in all India Strikes called upon by the Federations. While he was working in Delhi, he has had close association with Delhi Tamil Sangam . He used to deliver speech on a chosen subject from Tamil Literature. His speech on Kalaiyarkoil and freedom struggle was broadcasted in the World Tamil service of All India Radio New Delhi.
His is paradigm of ideal friendship
It is amazing to see how well he maintained his friendship with his friends. He is having his own set of school / college days friends with whom he used to meet and chat at certain regular intervals till now. He is having special kind of friendship with the staff working in Sivaganga Postal Division. Even while he worked in Nagpur , Chennai, Delhi or Bangalore , he earmarked at least one or two days to visit his friends and staff of the office he worked earlier whenever he came on leave to see his family in his home Town Karaikudi .He felt more comfortable and happy while he is in the company of his friends. Further he is having close association with all the staff / officers of the PAOs Nagpur, Chennai and Bangalore and also of DOT HQ New Delhi.
Humble personality
Despite all his achievements in the trade union field as well in the career life as an outstanding officer, he remained a humble person. He never owns up his achievements as his own. He attributes his success in the trade union only to the teamwork of comrades around him.
He will have ample time to serve as a social activist
He is dedicated in his work and well versed in Rulings and procedures. Hence with his retirement, the postal and telecom department will indeed lose its sheen in accounts cadre. During his service in the Departments he served for the welfare of the staff. Now retirement from service means a lot to him. It will be a beginning of new life for him to serve the public at large as he will have ample time to spare for such a social service. The experience he gained and accumulated in the long span of four decades of his service will be much helpful for his future actions
Best wishes for a happy retired life . Long live Com K.SHe has three sons . All are married and well settled .Com K .S is blessed with grandchildren. One of his son is s a Doctor serving in a rural area in the home District. Other two sons settled down in Bangalore and Chennai . His wife has all along been supportive of his union and other activities. On his retirement date, she needs to be appreciated for all her husband’s success in the trade union field and official career. Best wishes to Comrade K Selvaraj for a happy, healthy and active retired life. Long live Com K.S to serve the society
….. P.Sermuga Pandian, Senior Accounts Officer (Retired)
Ex- Divisional Secretary NFPE-P3, Sivagangai Postal Division
Ex-All India Organizing Secretary, IP&TAFOA-New Delhi
