The popular Chinese proverb states, “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.” This sums up the entire philosophy of the time and life of Dr. K. C. G. Verghese, a visionary, who built the entire edifice of the Hindustan Group of Institutions, Chennai. His profound qualities of enthusiasm, perseverance, vision and live networking created a springboard for many aspirants to mould their careers.
Dr. K. C. G. Verghese, though born in an ordinary middle class family in Kerala, by dint of his hard work, rose to one of the top-ranking educationists.
He held on to his dreams and converted them into reality. His relentless work drove him to success. He was the pioneer to promote technical education in our country. He helped the students explore their own potential. He made them realize that education, hard work and commitment to the nation are the only means to get themselves employable and overcome poverty.
He firmly believed, “Every human being has infinite potential. The role of an educator is to bring out the best in every individual and that of an educational institution to provide the best facilities and the right ambience.” The Hindustan Group of Institutions caters to the educational needs of more than over 5000 students. It has amazing staff strength of around 1000 plus and has scintillating alumni of 50,000 plus. These are the testimonies of his deep-rooted desire to fulfill his aspirations. He was a true patriot and he always advised the youngsters to serve their own country.
His penchant for “Wheels and Wings” made him adventurous all through his life and his indomitable spirit always rose to the occasion and facilitated him to lead from the front. His personality had all the nuances of a great human being. He valued friendship and showed great respect, love and concern to his teachers, his family members and parents in equal measure.
The best tribute we can ever offer this architect of the Hindustan Group of Institutions could be to emulate his ideals and work toward realizing his dreams. Let his vision, “TO MAKE EVERY MAN A SUCCESS AND NO MAN A FAILURE,” inspire us to follow in his footsteps. God chose his company on Valentine’s Day. This adorable and affable human being will be remembered by all of us on this day, year after year as V-day, the Verghese Day.