By K. Gopalakrishnan
Born on 25th May 1945, Kalidasan joined Motorindia in 1968 after passing out of Madras law College.
The initial days were always a struggle, particularly in the 60s and 70s, when the industry was going through very tough times. He travelled extensively to the remote locations of India and established very strong relationships with the automotive industry and trade. The relationships which he established decades back still holds Motorindia in good stead.
He had very close interaction with auto component manufacturers and had the rare opportunity of working with the Founding Members of various automotive groups including Amalgamations, TVS, Rane, Talbros, GNA, Minda, Shriram, Roots and several others.
He was aggressive, hard working, enterprising and believed “Nothing is impossible”. His commitment to work and to the Indian automotive industry was unparalleled. In the career spanning 42 years, he has not missed bringing out even one single edition of Motorindia, irrespective of the business conditions. For him, Motorindia was an opportunity to serve the Indian automotive industry and he delivered it with a lot of passion and dedication.
In 1994, after the demise of his Father M. Rajagopalan, Founder Editor and Publisher of Motorindia, Kalidasan took over as the Editor and Publisher of the magazine. He assumed the responsibility at an important stage and under his leadership took the magazine to greater heights. He participated in many international shows, back in the 80s and 90s, with the intention of providing global exposure to the Indian automotive industry. There was a sense of joy and satisfaction in him when he saw Indian companies make it big in the global arena.
The launch of the Hindi edition of Motorindia in 1999, the only automobile magazine in the National language till date, was a sincere attempt to provide quality information, to thousands of people in the North, North-West and North-East part of India, in a language which they understand better.
He always kept pace with technology and in 2006, paved way for the digital revolution by starting the online edition of Motorindia. Today, the online edition of Motorindia is read in over 181 countries worldwide.
To honor the Doyens of the Indian automotive industry, Kalidasan instituted the Motorindia Automan Award. He had the opportunity to honor Mr. T. S. Santhanam of the TVS Group, Mr. A. Sivasailam of the Amalgamtions Group and Mr. Keshub Mahindra of Mahindra & Mahindra.
Recognising his contribution to the automotive industry, he was conferred the Best Editor Award by United Writers’ Association and Lifetime Achievement Award by CGTA.
He has ensured smooth transition of his responsibilities. In 2009, he appointed his Brother R. Natarajan as the Editor of the magazine.
In the last 42 years, Kalidasan has given his best. He has been a source of inspiration for many. He worked till the very last day of his life. Kalidasan will always be remembered for his commitment, dedication and priceless contribution to the growth of automotive industry in India.
