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K R Somasundram (Tamil: கே. ஆர். சோமசுந்திரம்) (born 13 March 1930) is aMalaysian Indian.[1] Born inTeluk Intan, Malaysia in 1930, he was the son of a grocer who gained prominence by heading the National Land Finance Co-Operative for the last two and a half decades.
Somasundram attained basic education but this was interrupted with the advent of World War II. He joined theIndian National Army at the age of 14 and later after World War II trained at the Tanjung Rambutan Training Camp where he gained Executive rank by the age of 20. He was then posted to the Azad School in Singapore for Combatant Training.
After his stint in the armed forces, Somasundram worked at Bukit Sidim Estate inKedah and by 1962 became the Estate Manager, one of the first non-British to be in such a position. He became Vice Chairman of theMalaysian Indian Congress, Kedah Branch and a member of the National Central Working Committee. In 1967 he was elected as aSenator for Kedah. Part of his role was to represent the Malaysian Government in the 1968UN General Assembly.
In 1960TunV.T. Sambanthan, leader of the Malaysian Indian Congress touted the idea of a social co-operative to help plantation workers during the British land sell-off. Tun Sambanthan and Somasundram worked closely to purchase their first estate at Bukit Sidim in that same year. The co-operative was later called National Land and Finance Co-operative Society (NLFCS). Somasundram took over the Chairmanship of the company upon the death of Tun Sambanthan and still actively manages the co-operative.He is also a strong advocate forTamil rights in Malaysia. He has been generous with the money of the co-operative he heads.
Today NLFCS has 19 estates totalling 35,000 acres (140 km2), as well as investments inpalm oil, property and banking at present the society has 9 subsidiaries along with 2 associate companies . Somasundram is currently Chairman of NLFCS and has been for the last two decades. The total active membership of the Society as at 31 December 2011 stood at 57,757 Shareholders.
Subsidiaries
Associate Companies
Due to his contribution to society through the co-operative he manages, Somasundram has been honoured on numerous occasions. In 1965 he received theAMN (equivalent to the BritishMBE), aJustice of the Peace (JP) in 1971, aDatoship in 1988 as well as being conferred aPSM, bearing the title 'Tan Sri' in 1996. He is also an honorary Indian citizen as well as being conferred a Doctorate by theUniversity of Newcastle, Australia.Somasundram is also the first Indian Chairman of a floated firm in Malaysia (Premium Nutrients,Bursa Malaysia)
In 2007 he was awarded the prestigiousPravasi Bharatiya Samman[1] by the president of India, Dr.A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. The award carries title ofPadma Shree.[citation needed]
Somasundram has also been honored with a Malaysian Business Awards (MBA) Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kuala Lumpur Malay Chamber of Commerce (KLMCC)
Malaysia : Member of theOrder of the Defender of the Realm (A.M.N.) (1965)[2] Malaysia : Commander of theOrder of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (P.S.M.) (1996)[3]