A new biography on SNN Sankaralinga Iyer, one of South India’s pioneering industrialists, seeks to restore public attention to a visionary entrepreneur who built institutions decades before India entered its phase of rapid industrialisation.
Titled Cementing Legacies: The Life of SNN Sankaralinga Iyer – A Pioneering Polymath, the book, authored by veteran journalist K Balakumar, traces the life and achievements of the businessman who founded ventures such as Indo-Commercial Bank and The India Cements in pre-Independence India.
Early industrial visionary
Drawing on his experience in banking, Sankaralinga Iyer ventured into manufacturing sectors that reflected India’s aspirations for self-reliance, setting up businesses in salt, rubber, ink, chemicals and cement. Among his landmark achievements was leading The India Cements to launch what is regarded as the first public issue in independent India, with the offering receiving an overwhelming response from investors.
Beyond business
The biography presents Sankaralinga Iyer as more than an entrepreneur. It portrays him as a nationalist, philanthropist and Gandhian who believed language should unite rather than divide. Although he learnt Hindi only in his thirties, he went on to author a Hindi language primer and several novels in the language.
The book also highlights his disciplined lifestyle. An early riser, he began each day at 4 a.m. reading both the Kamba Ramayanam and the Valmiki Ramayanam, reflecting his deep interest in literature and Indian traditions.
Building India Cements
One of the book’s key narratives is Sankaralinga Iyer’s relentless search for limestone deposits in Tirunelveli before establishing The India Cements plant at Thalaiyuthu, where production began in August 1949.
The biography notes that even after commissioning the factory, he immediately shifted his attention to marketing Sankar Cement and envisioned developing Thalaiyuthu into a modern industrial township on the lines of Jamshedpur.
A leader with compassion
The book recounts that a near-fatal car accident in 1958 severely affected Sankaralinga Iyer’s mobility. Yet, on regaining consciousness, his first concern was not his own health but whether his driver had survived, an incident that reflects his compassion and humility.
The biography was inspired by Chandra Sankar, Sankaralinga Iyer’s granddaughter-in-law, who wanted to preserve the entrepreneur’s vision and values for future generations.
Family remembers the patriarch
N Kumar, Chairman of The Sanmar Group Corporate Board and Sankaralinga Iyer’s grandson, describes him as a disciplined yet reassuring family patriarch whose authority stemmed from integrity, simplicity and self-discipline.
His great-grandson Vijay Sankar, Chairman of The Sanmar Group, says the biography captures not only an institution builder but also a family man whose values of integrity, humility and humaneness continue to inspire successive generations.
Book published in two languages
The project was coordinated by SB Prabhakar Rao, a former Sanmar executive who worked closely with Sankaralinga Iyer during his later years, helping ensure the authenticity of the narrative.
Published by Kalamkriya, part of The Sanmar Group, the biography has been released simultaneously in English and Tamil, with the Tamil edition translated by V Ramesh, a former senior executive of the group