It is no exaggeration to say that the passing away of Com. S.S. Rajagopalan (95) marks the end of an era in the field of education in the country, but more so, in Tamil Nadu.  SSR, as he was affectionately known, got an appointment in the State Bank of India but preferred to become a teacher in a Government School, following in the footsteps of his eminent father, Sri Srinivasan who was a pioneer in starting education in Tamil medium in a school at Papanasam in Thanjavur district.  After becoming a headmaster, SSR contributed a great deal in founding the union for Headmasters in Tamil Nadu and was an integral part of the glorious struggles of teachers and joint movements of government employees in the late 1970s.  He made unmatched contributions to ensure a progressive and scientific learning process.

SSR hailed from an illustrious family of freedom fighters, social reformers and Marxist thinkers. His father worked tirelessly to educate the wards of oppressed sections of society. Padma, the elder sister of SSR, helped multitudes of visually challenged students in their pursuit for higher studies. SS Vijayaraghavan, the younger brother of SSR, compiled extensive material exposing the plunder of public money by private insurance companies, leading to the Nehru Government's nationalising the insurance sector in 1956. SSR’s elder brother SS Kannan, an engineer in the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), was one among the noted triad of rebellious students (the other two being the veteran communist leader P Ramamoorthi and the musical genius M B Srinivasan) in Banaras Hindu University in colonial India when Dr Sarvapalle Radhakrishnan was the vice chancellor. Kannan dedicated his life to the cause of visually challenged people along with his sister, and built a big book collection, named Karl Marx Library, in the service of visually challenged and others who pursued research.  

This inspiring lineage propelled SSR to continue to do wonders in his own field. As the headmaster, SSR convinced the teaching staff to hold students body elections regularly in the school and proved the scintillating performance of the elected team in making learning more enjoyable.

From the Government's Textbook Committee to the Senate of University, he recorded his indelible stamp of excellence and high integrity.  Senior educationist SS Rajagopalan was a member of Sri Muthukumaran panel formed in the State by the late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's cabinet to introduce Samacheer Kalvi (univorm system of school education). His sharp acumen and leadership qualities were pivotal in the massive agitation of teachers and government employees under the platform of JACTEA. 

SSR had the privilege to meet successive Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu on various occasions to take up the problems of teaching community and academic issues. Along with Dr S Madasamy and the late Dr Vasanthi Devi, former VC, he contributed a great deal in offering significant suggestions in improving learning among students. He wrote copiously on education and shared his reflections on various subjects to a host of readers in his mailing list. He was a great source of inspiration for the frontline activists of SFI.

He had great respect for the CPI(M) and its leaders. He continued to read Theekkathir till his last. He cherished interacting with the representatives of Tamil Nadu Science Forum, Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artists Association and the mass organisations of the CPI(M).

He along with his spouse Seetha continued to help poorer sections. Seetha passed away in September 2024 and SSR could never recover from that shock. His end came close to midnight on February 3, in Chennai. His body was donated for medical research sans any religious rituals, in line with his desire as was done in the case of his beloved wife.