MMS honours R Chockalingam with Lifetime Achievement Award

In the business of print for over five decades now, Chockalingam and his company Srinivas Fine Arts have received a slew of awards and citations for producing highest quality products for its clients and undertaking social causes. Besides being an ISO 9001:2000, the company has full-fledged, state-of-the-art in-house facilities for producing printed products. SFA caters to varied industries including banking, insurance, cement, textile, pharmaceutical, publishing, IT, education, FMCG and petroleum.

“There are number of things that struck me, when Srinivas Fine Art’s scroll of honour was being read out, but I was really touched by two things about the man,” said Dr Narendra Jadhav, a renowned economist; a member of Planning commission (Government of India)  and the chief guest for the programme, who presented the award to Chockalingam. “One was the modest beginning he has had. To have begun with Rs 60 and by coming this far in the last 50 years, Chockalingam has created a standard for excellence, which in itself is wonderful and admirable.” Jadhav added, “Often we see people trying to get success at any cost. The other thing that impressed me is that Chockalingam has achieved success without compromising on moral values.”

Dr Jadhav continued, “These qualities have convinced me more than ever that here is a man who rightly deserves the Life-time Achievement Award that has been bestowed by the Mumbai Mudrak Sangh.”

After receiving the Award, Chockalingam in his address said that he was extremely honoured to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award so graciously bestowed upon him by the MMS. “This Award makes my learning and contribution to the industry really worthwhile.”

Among Chockalingam’s contribution to the Indian print industry has been his vision for building a printing institute in Sivakasi and establishing a natural cluster of printing community. “I am pleased to say that my vision of a print institute in Sivakasi has come true. Now more than 850 students are studying in the Institute and have successfully achieved 100% placement,” Chockalingam said. He expressed hope that the president of AIFMP, Govind Bhargava, who was present as the guest of honour, would take the long pending matter of establishing a natural cluster of printing community with the concerned Ministry and help make the mission a success.

Chockalingam also lamented the fact that in spite of playing an important role on the global scene; and the dependence of packaging and book publishing on printing, printing is still considered as a service sector. “Printing needs to be recognised as an industry in India if it has to compete at the global level,” he said.

Mumbai Mudrak Sangh’s president D G Ambekar said that the brief SFA scroll of honour does not really capture Chockalingam’s enormous contributions to the Indian print industry leadership, education and social causes over a lifetime. “He has done a lot more. It is our privilege to honour Chockalingam with the MMS Lifetime Achievement Award,” he concluded.