‘Nel’ Jayaraman, the Tamil Nadu agriculturalist who followed the footsteps of acclaimed agricultural scientist Nammalvar and fought to save native paddy varieties while reviving more than150 native seeds, passed away in the city on Thursday after prolonged treatment for cancer. He was a pioneer in the field of agriculture known for achievements in increasing the yield of paddy and rice.
Many actors including Karthi , Sivakarthikeyan, Kamal Haasan and Vishal paid their last respects to Nel Jayaraman. Karthi, who recently essayed a farmer in the film Kadaikutty Singam and honored Nel Jayaraman at the success meet of the film, said, “Jayaraman sir was talking about a few more varieties of rice that he wanted to conserve. He wanted to address farmers and students on farming, that’s the only way he gained energy but his health didn’t permit. We were discussing video conferencing so he won’t feel hospitalised. I think it’s important to show respect; in fact we need to celebrate people who have gone out of the way to serve the society. They should be our heroes. I am sure there are more people who he has trained and people trained by Nammalvar ayya to take the message forward. We all need to support their practices.”
Karthi had also visited Jayaraman at the hospital while he was taking treatment and assisted him financially too. When Jayaraman was in need of medical and financial assistance, another actor - Sivakarthikeyan - had visited him and helped him to get assistance at the hospital. Actors Soori and Sathyaraj had also offered financial help.
Sivakarthikeyan has gone one step ahead in agreeing to take care of Jayaraman’s son’s educational expenses. The actor helped with financial assistance needed to transfer Jayaraman’s mortal remains from Chennai to his native Thiruthuraipoondi. Siva’s noble gesture has come in for praise from many quarters.
Actor-turned-politican Kamal Hassan tweeted, “Nel Jayaraman’s demise is an irreparable loss for all of us. He was the one who preserved and revived our grains after recognising that our culture and traditions are interwoven with food. Like how he conserved our grains, we all should join hands to preserve his thoughts and vision.”
Actor and TFPC president Vishal, in his condolence message, said, “Deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Nel Jayaraman Ayya....His contributions towards agriculture & farming is immense. He led many youngsters towards agriculture. May his soul RIP & my condolences to his Friends & Family.... #NelJayaraman #RIPNelJayaraman”.
