Down memory lane - Tribute to MS

Shri M Subramaniam, (MS) who passed away in Chennai last Saturday retired from the RBI as the Chief Officer, DCM Central Office Mumbai. He had joined the Bank as a Probationary Assistant (as direct recruits were then known) in 1957 after completing his  Masters in Mathematics from Calcutta University, He was associated with the Exchange Control Department for a number of years and was considered  to be an expert in Exchange Control matters. He was a member of the first Committee appointed by the Central Government to set up two Bank Note Printing Presses which, in mid nineties, came to be taken over by the RBI and christened as BRBNMPL presses in Mysore and Salboni. MS was a nominee director on the Board of Bank of Baroda and was later on appointed as its Adviser on retirement. MS was proficient in many Indian languages -Bengali being his forte."
- Kishore Savkur

Shri K.D.Savkur has written about the early days of Shri M.Subramaniam (MS) in RBI, Calcutta, and later on the important role played by MS in the setting up of the Currency Note Presses about which I was not familiar. Even though I had not worked in the calcutta Office, I have heard from many from that office that he was revered, nay, worshipped in that Office for his intellectual prowess. Those were the days for which an officer was admired for his caliber. I came to know about Shri Subramaniam when we were together for a brief period in the Central ECD though I had not directly worked under him in the Department. I had, however, the opportunity to work as a Currency Officer, Bangalore, when he was the Chief Officer, DCM, and cannot forget his inspiring leadership which not only facilitated but also encouraged me to undertake some tasks in Bangalore Currency Department which gave me great job satisfaction. I have heard that MS asked for being posted to head DCM even though the Department was new to him (a rare request indeed when many officers moved heaven and earth to steer clear of the Currency wings of RBI!!) as a challenge and then proved to be one of the chiefs of that department who had left an indelible mark. There is, therefore, not the slightest exaggeration in what Shri V.K.Sharma, E.D, had to say of MS. MS was truly a role model for the officers in terms of his significant contribution to the Bank. Is it not then strange that he did not receive from the RBI the recognition which he richly deserved? On the last day of his service, he left office for his home without any one accompanying him out of the building like on any other day. He had declined a farewell from the Bank as he did not want to be hypocritical!! He was denied the recognition which plagiarists received from the Bank. The Bank did not also use his expertise in any capacity after retirement. MS was one of the two officers of the Bank from whom I had learnt a lot the other one being Shri T.K.Padmanabhan who, to the grievous loss of RBI, had retired prematurely many years before the age of superannuation. I met MS on a few occasions in his home in Anna Nagar in Chennai along with two of my retired colleagues and his brain was as razor sharp as it was while in service even though he was regretting that he was forgetting many things. May his noble soul rest in peace. 
- A. Chandramouliswaran 

I am extremely sorry to read today in VITALINFO about the sad demise of M Subramaniam. We were quite close till he retired and I always admired him for his knowledge and integrity. We were together for banking training in Germany for more than a year in 1959-60. If possible, please convey to his bereaved family my heartfelt condolences. I pray that his soul rests in peace.
- P B Kulkarni [Pune]