by Dr Lazar Mathew
Prof. K. P. M. Sundharam had been a friend, philosopher and guide for me during the early part of my Vincentian days. Both of us remained friends throughout his life. I met him for the first time during a Particular Council (PC) Meeting at Maria Bhavan, when he was the Vice-President, and Bro. C J Thomas (father of Fr. Joe Thomas), was the President. As the youngest president of a newly formed conference, it was an amazing experience for me. Bro. Sundharam expressed his views very firmly, without ever losing his cool, even when he disagreed with Bro. Thomas on certain points. It was an eye-opener for me. I learnt a lot from his solid expressions, especially to agree or disagree in a firm and friendly manner.
Later Bro. Sundharam became President of the Particular Council; and he appointed me as the Vice-President. During his tenure the PC meetings used to be held in the forenoon. At the end of the meeting, he used to take all the members for a sumptuous lunch at the Sreedharan Restaurant, Gole Market. He always spent his personal money for the work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVP). We were together in several activities of the society. In hind-sight, I realize that he was preparing me to take over the reins of the Society at a later date. I really learnt a lot from him about the functioning of SVP, which was very useful for me when I became President of PC, Central Council and later the National Vice-President. The Ozanam Home Society was streamlined by him and it became rather easy for me to function as its President in later years.
A particular incident is green in my memory. While he was President, he asked me to accompany him to Jaipur for a special meeting. We were to take the Pink City Express from Old Delhi Station at 11 pm. We went to the station in his car. On the way, the car’s engine developed a problem. Bro. Sundharam quickly decided to leave the car on the road-side; we got into an auto-rickshaw and managed to reach the station in time. After spending a productive day at Jaipur, we returned the next day by the same train back to the Old Delhi Station at 10.30 pm. I was quite certain that the car would have been towed away. To my surprise, it was exactly where we left it! Bro. Sundharam was very sure that the car would still be there. He left it as it was and returned home; and took the car only the next day. I was wonder-struck by his composure and the firm trust in Divine Providence. I witnessed this over and over again during our long association.
Bro. Sundharam was specially concerned about the education of poor children. He believed that the family can be uplifted by providing education to the children from the deprived and marginalized sections of society. With this intention he initiated the Diocesan Education Scheme after his official tenure at SVP. As president of the society, I was too happy to entrust this responsibility to him. This scheme grew from strength to strength and became an important entity during his days. Many have benefited from his years of service to the poor.
I vividly remember our last meeting, wherein we discussed his work on the orphanage that he was running in his own home. As always, I was wonderstruck by his passion for reaching out to the poor. Thinking of him, the Gospel words echo in my mind – “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren….”
[The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVP) is an international Christian lay voluntary organization dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing practical assistance to those in need – irrespective of ideology, faith, ethnicity, age or gender. Prof K P M Sundharam and Dr Lazar Mathew worked together at SVP, Delhi devoting their time and effort to help the poor and aged]