In memory of MGR

SINGAPORE- Every Dec 24 for the past 26 years, a group of Dr M.G. Ramachandran's fans in Singapore dedicate an obituary to him.

Dr Ramachandran, popularly known by his initials MGR, a former Indian film actor, director, producer, and chief minister of Tamil Nadu for three terms, died on that day in 1987.

And that's not all.

Every year since then, in order to honour his legacy, this group of fans, who are mainly close friends and relatives, come together to do volunteer work and donate provisions to the needy on Dec 24.

They also organise special prayers for MGR at the Sri Sivan Temple in Geylang.

The late star was dearly loved by the people of India, especially Tamil Nadu, for his principles on life and also his acting skills.

The group of fans in Singapore, led by Mr M.G. Selvam, are no different. They are all ardent fans, who follow MGR's principles in life, which is to help the needy in whatever way they can.

Mr Selvam, 52, a shredder and safe box technician, says they volunteer at old age homes, children's homes, as well as homes for the disabled.

"We do not show religious or cultural partiality when volunteering at these homes, because we are all humans and we should not let our beliefs or ideologies hold us back from helping people in need," he said.

What motivated him to come up with this idea? He replied: "When we do something in remembrance of a person, we should make it meaningful in such a way that a goodwill message can be spread to the public. By doing this, we are spreading MGR's messages on humanity and helping people in need, thus enabling his memories and life principles to live on through us."

During the initial years after MGR's demise,Mr Selvam's wife used to prepare special dishes to distribute to the homes where they were volunteering.

After a few years, they decided that it would be better for the residents at these homes if the food were prepared by their resident cooks, who were more familiar with the diet requirements and restrictions.

Since then, the group of fans would buy provisions like dry goods and donate them to the home they volunteered at every year. This year, they volunteered at the Sree Narayana Mission in Yishun.

For the past three years they have also been screening movies, starring MGR, for free at various locations around Singapore.

This year they decided to add entertainment programmes such as karaoke of MGR melodies and video snippets from his hit movies.

Mr Selvam, who boasts a large collection of books, articles, photographs and movies of MGR, added: "I request those who earn money from imitating MGR on stage to come forward to donate and participate in this good cause. There is no harm in mimicking MGR's style and speech, but one must also have a goal in life to help the needy in whatever way they can. MGR set many examples for this."

One such performer, Mr Soundarajan Sadayan, a 55-year-old driver who is a part of this group, said: "I joined Mr Selvam for this good cause because it gives me happiness when helping the needy."

He added: "In the 24 years that I have been a part of this, the fact that we are helping everyone and not just one group of people, regardless of race or language, has given me the most satisfaction."

Another volunteer, Mr Alakiri Samy, 53, an admin assistant, said the prospect of donating food to the needy was what inspired him to join Mr Selvam's group six years ago.

"If all MGR fans would come together for this one day, we can help more people. Right now our group has limitations because we are mostly using our own money," he added.

His views were supported by Mr Thevan Somasanma, 62, a security officer.

"If more people joined in to help us, we would be able to help more people in need, and it will make Singapore a better nation," he said.

Mr Thevan has been actively participating in the group since 1997.

"We receive donations from all around the world from other MGR fans that we use for our visits to the homes, but mostly we fork out the money for our programmes from our own pockets.

"We spend a lot of money on many things. Why not donate just a bit once a year for the needy?" said Mr Selvam, who is also planning to organise a charity event on MGR's date of birth - Jan 17.

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