Kochi: SCMS group vice-chairman Pradeep P.Thevanoor, 46, died on the spot when the Range Rover he was driving rammed a lorry from behind and turned turtle at Kaveripatnam in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, around 2 am on Monday.
Pradeep, elder son of the SCMS founder, Dr GPC Nayar, was on way to Bengaluru in connection with setting up the SCMS Institute of Technology and Management there.
Fond of driving, Pradeep had left for Thiruvananthapuram by road with his driver Ramesh on Sunday morning. He returned in the evening, dropped the driver and drove straight to Bengaluru for the official meeting.
He leaves behind wife Dr Radha Thevannoor and children Prateek Nair, a class X11 student of Choice School, and Parvathy Nair, a class five student. The last rites will be performed at 3 pm on Tuesday.
A pall of gloom descended on the SCMS Group of institutions, which has nearly 4,000 students. Pioneered by Dr Nayar, the SCMS group has a management school in Kalamassery and an Institute of Biotechnology.
Affable, disciplinarian and man of few words, Pradeep is remembered for his commitment to work. The staff and students had found in Pradeep a diligent listener to their needs, said Sanal Potty, communications manager of the group.
He was also engaged in starting a management school in London and was the brain behind the project for making potable water from brackish water through electro-dialysis and had signed up a project with Kochi Corporation. He was the main force behind the recent World Water Summit at Kalamassery.
Mayor Tony Chammany said “his death is a loss for the city. Pradeep was keen on the success of the water purification project”.
Pradeep was also behind SCMS’ successful Neera processing project. He had taken the initiative for the bio-fuel project (fuel from coconut oil) of the group recently.
