Chief Guest Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, gave away Scholarships to 70 Students. Sumangala commits Rs. 2.8 Crores for their engineering education.

Chennai, 24th October 2026: Prof. Kamakoti gave away the scholarships and felicitated the newly selected 20 Sumangala Scholars while recognizing and awarding the 50 Sumangala Scholars of the past three editions. The first batch will be graduating in the current year and Prof. Kamakoti wished them all success in their future endeavors. Mr.N.Ravi Director, Kasturi & Sons Ltd, graced the event and participated with Prof. V. Kamakoti in awarding the Sumangala Scholars to these 70 students. 

In his comments, IIT Madras Director Prof. V. Kamakoti said, “ Core disciplines like Civil or Mechanical Engineering reward experience with expertise that cannot be substituted. If your foundation is strong, you can build as many floors as you want; if it is weak, the building will fall when you reach the fourth or fifth floor.”
Sumangala in its own way intends to build this strong foundation by carefully selecting & nurturing young engineers for over four years and ensuring they give back to the society. It is also significant to note that Mr. Rajendran Sabanayagam the founder of Sumangala Steel, is also an alumnus of IIT Madras.”
Mr. N. Ravi, Director, Kasturi & Sons Ltd noted, “Long serving companies do not just create dependable products, they become institutions that a society can depend on. This scholarship from Sumangala is a wonderful display of such commitment.” 

Mr. Rajendran Sabanayagam, founder of Sumangala Steel, stated, Today is a proud day as we hand over 20 more engineering scholarships to this year’s selected awardees and their proud parents. This year is even more special as we hand over these scholarships to the 4th batch and therefore support students in all 4 years of their engineering education for the first time. By doing so, we have reached the full potential of the ‘’Ungal Kuzhandayum Aagalaam Engineer ” program that we set out in 2023. We are committed to being a pillar of support for both structures in TN and for the people behind these structures.

Mr. Rajendran Sabanayagam said that while the Government subsidizes the Tuition Fees, many students of the under privileged community find it difficult to meet the day to day student living expenses. The purpose of this scholarship is not only to cover the Tuition Fees but to cover the most important element which many students are finding it difficult which is to pay for the living expenses which has become a major burden on the families.

The Sumangala CSR Scholarship Initiative, launched in 2023, has completed its full 4-year cycle and now has its scholarship awardees in all 4 batches across engineering colleges in Tamilnadu and Puducherry.

The Thought Behind the Initiative:
Sumangala Steel, with its excellent understanding of steel, has consistently delivered high-quality TMT, making construction worker’s lives easier. These workers, in turn, rewarded Sumangala with their trust for over 40 years. 4 years back Sumangala decided it was time to do more. Every worker in the construction industry has been working under qualified engineers for years. Naturally, they aspire for their children to become like the engineers they have worked with. Ashwin Sabanayagam, President of Sumangala Steel, sees construction workers as the company’s extended family.

Scholarship Highlights:
Supports children of construction workers and steel dealership employees to become engineers.

Available for both degree and diploma courses in engineering in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
Eligible candidates are selected based on Plus Two marks with a minimum 70% cut-off.
The Income criteria is, the combined annual income of both parents should not exceed Rs.6 lakhs per annum.

Awardees are chosen through a lucky draw beyond the basic eligibility.
Sumangala Scholarship covers education costs up to a maximum of Rs. 1 lakh per year.
On joining the scholarship program, Sumangala also provides free laptops to aid these students in their engineering studies.
Duration:

The scholarship will continue to be awarded to these students for the entire duration of their course (4 years), subject to them fulfilling essential benchmarks on grades, discipline, and attendance. Sumangala aims to establish these scholarships as an ongoing activity, supporting the children of construction workers and employees of steel dealerships for years to come.

Ashwin Sabanayagam, the president of Sumangala summarised it nicely. “We don’t just say Sumangala, thamizh naattin ul shakti. We will continue to do our best to show it through our steel and our deeds”.