RTN. S. RAJMOHAN NAIR

District Governor - 2022-23

Rotary Club of Cochin Central

As the saying goes, there is incredible value in serving others and those who serve beyond themselves are truly the happiest people. To be truly successful and live a blessed life; one must find a balance with all aspects of life, of which being in service plays a substantial role. The life of Sadasivan Nair Rajmohan Nair, better known as Rajmohan, is an excellent example of a tale of service above self; of how this hugely popular personality traversed untrodden paths to script a legacy for himself.

Rajmohan Nair was born as the fourth child to Late R. Sadasivan Nair, a school teacher, and Smt. Sarojini Amma at Mylode (മൈലോട്) in Kottarakkara taluk of Kollam district. He spent his childhood with his 3 brothers and 3 sisters. After completing his lower primary education in a Government Primary School near his house; he joined TEM-Temple Entry Memorial High School, one of the oldest schools in his locality. Even during his high school, he was keenly involved in school politics, which encouraged his elder brother Adv. Chandramohan Nair to take him to Palakkad, where he joined Government Victoria College during the Emergency. The two years which he spent there, helped him to strike up friendships, which paved the way for many significant changes in him.

After his graduation in Commerce from Kerala University, Rajmohan Nair obtained a government contract licence for infrastructure development, while simultaneously running an LIC agency. In 1985, he was appointed as a development officer in the Life Insurance Corporation of India, which compelled him to relocate to Ernakulam. His first year with LIC proved to be a success with him recruiting efficient agents and the business taking off effectively. During his thirty-five years with the esteemed institution, he proved himself to be a man of metal. His passion for meeting people, which could be fulfilled only through a marketing career, encouraged him to successfully continue as a development officer, not opting for any other designation. Winning accolades, awards and appreciation has become a habit and Life Insurance Corporation of India later appointed him as Senior Business Associate, as an acknowledgement of his dedication and commitment to the institution.

It was this passion to serve people that brought him closer to Rotary. Rajmohan Nair joined the Rotary Cochin Central in 1996 influenced by his long-time friend and classmate from Victoria, Rtn. Dinesh Warrior. He considers Rtn. K. N. Shastri, the then President of the Club, as his guide and mentor. Among the many reasons to join Rotary, Rtn. Rajmohan Nair lists newer opportunities to serve others, grow friendships, personal and professional growth and forming leadership values as the top few. His association with Rotary helped him realise these goals. He was the Secretary of the Club during 1999-2000, the millennium year, while Rtn. Architect Lalichan Zacharias was the President. He vividly remembers organizing an artificial limb camp, Jaipur Foot, which was a huge success as a community event. Through this, many amputees were provided artificial limbs and polio affected persons were given callipers. Rtn. Rajmohan Nair sees his association with Rotary as an opportunity to serve the society, rather than the individual. He sees opportunities to serve, interpersonal growth, skill development and crisis management as some of the qualities acquired through his service in Rotary. The services rendered by him and his fellow Rotarians during the time of Kerala flood are commendable.

This extraordinary man transformed every obstacle into opportunity with his exceptional flair to overcome obstacles, to win over his adversaries and turn foes into friends. In 2003, he became the President of Cochin Central and was awarded the Outstanding President of the District 3200. The experiences which he gained with the club equipped him to walk new paths and become the stalwart of the Rotary district. No Rotary District cabinet would be complete without him.

He was the General Secretary of the district conference during District Governor Babu Joseph’s term in 2006-07, and the District General Secretary of our district 3201 during Dr. Ajay Kumar’s governorship in 2013-14. He has successfully held various positions including the chairmanship of the district conference, Uthsav, in 2017, and the district assembly in 2018. He was bestowed the Best Rotarian award in 2016 when he was the Assistant Governor of District 3201. His journey continues even now.

Beyond Rotary, Rtn. Rajmohan Nair has moved onto a much larger domain of professional management. The largest and the oldest professional management body in the state, the Kerala Management Association, elevated him to Presidentship in 2013-14. He excelled in that position as well. Under his Presidentship, KMA instituted several innovative projects. He was instrumental in organising the First KMA Annual Awards in the year 2016-17.

People are his passion. Rotarians are his partners. Rtn. Rajmohan has travelled widely, especially for attending Rotary International conventions. His presence is felt from Birmingham to Bangkok, Sydney to Seoul and Atlanta to Hamburg. He is a man of action and was instrumental in bringing forth two Arch Klumph society members from Cochin – Rtn. Kochouseph Chittilappilly, his club mate; and Rtn. Nawaz Meeran, each of whom has contributed more than 250000 U.S. dollars to the Rotary Foundation. He himself is a regular contributor to the foundation and a major donor. He is also a Paul Harris Society member contributing 1000 U.S. dollars every year.

A perfect team player and a team leader, Rtn. Rajmohan has developed an outstanding team of committed and equally passionate office bearers for his year in office. The invigorating series of training events so effectively curated for this team, hand-in-hand with his District Trainer former District Governor Madhav Chandran are hallmarks of a dream start to a great year.

A great Rotarian and an inspiring leader, Rtn. Rajmohan is also a wonderful family man - a loving husband to Meera R. Nair from Ottappalam. He is a doting father to his son Arun Mohan, who is working as a Programme Manager in Google-California and married to Gautami Nair and his daughter Dr. Gowri R. Nair, a Dental Surgeon who is married to Sandeep Menon, a Programme Lead at Infosys Head Quarters, Bengaluru and a loving grandfather to Samhitha Menon.

Compassion to fellow human beings, commitment to the causes and concern for the needy are the hallmarks of Rtn. Rajmohan Nair’s character. He definitely deserves a salute for his impeccable persistence, determination and hard work. His success, indisputably, is the result of endless opportunities turned into selfless actions through persistent service to the community.