Who was Atlas Ramachandran?

M. Ramachandran popularly known as Atlas Ramachandran left for his heavenly abode on Sunday morning. The famous NRI businessman and film producer Atlas Ramchandran was admitted to the hospital in Dubai after complaints of chest pain on Saturday. Report says, that he was struggling with age-related ailments for a long. 

Get an insight into his personal and professional life with this piece of flair writing.

Who was Atlas Ramachandran?

M. Ramachandran was born on 31 July 1942 in Thrissur. He was born into a family of rich culture and a love for art. His father late V.Kamalakara Menon was a poet. After completing his graduation from Thrissur, Ramachandran left his home to try his luck.

In Delhi, he joined Canara Bank and completed a post-graduate degree in economics from the Delhi School of Economics. Later he turned to be a probationary officer, field officer, accountant, and manager, and by the time he left the bank, he was the superintendent of over 100 branches.

In 1974, Ramachandran moved to Kuwait City to work for the Commercial Bank of Kuwait, as the Administration Manager of the International Division. And here he took his first step toward establishing the gold industry. He opened the first ATLAS showroom in Souk Al Watya in Kuwait. 

The various noteworthy posts he handled:

• First Chairman of the Gold Promotion Committee of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).
• Secretary of Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group for its first six years.
• Key founding member of the Abu Dhabi Gold & Jewellery Group.
• Editor of the film magazine Chalachithram.
• Vice President of Malayalam Film Producers Association

However, Gulf War left Ramachandran with great loss, after which he started all over in the United Arab Emirates. On a note to establish and expand his business, he introduced various concepts and marketing techniques including mega-offers in the regional gold trade. From gold bars to luxurious cars, shoppers won generous prizes. ATLAS served well over a million happy customers who won gold bars, luxurious cars, and other generous prizes. This led to the coining of the now famous slogan, “Janakodikalude Vishwasta Sthapanam” which means "ATLAS jewellery-Trusted by Millions".Ramachandran himself served as the brand ambassador and used his face and voice for the advertisements.

Cinema

M Ramachandran resigned from the Commercial Bank to focus solely on the jewelry business and motion pictures. One of the most highly respected and highly paid bank managers in Kuwait, Ramachandran produced and distributed films under the banner "Chandrakanth Films".Including major films like Vaisali (1988) and Sukrutham (1994), he produced around 23 films. Also, he acted as the lead in a few movies. He was also known as Vaisai Ramachandran due to the unmatched fame of his debut film production ‘Vaisali’, an episode from Mahabharata. 

Some of the movies, he either produced or distributed are Sukurtham, Dhanam, Kauravar, Chakoram, Vasthuhara, Innale, and Venkalam. Also, many of these visual delights bagged prestigious awards.

Atlas Ramachandran made a place in the heart of people because of his good deeds. He contributed to society through their welfare, education, film, literature, and music. He provided scholarships to students in Kerala and also added appreciation and applause to students in UAE Schools. His demise has left millions across the world sorrow-ridden.