Memory down the lane...24 & counting...Star 14

Gururajan

What can you say about this person? He is a stand - up comedian affectionately known as “Kaal Paatu” and “Ganmani” (for the famous song of “oorai therijukitten ulagam purinjukitten Kanmani”) and this sobriquet he earned on Day one. Can you imagine a person who becomes famous among 500 on day one? He is one such person. 

Though after initial days he was in a different branch, we never felt that we missed him. He used to come all the way from Shastri lines just to be with us from evening till night. This again was not for a day or two and spanned across entire training period. Such is the affinity that he has displayed towards his friends.

My memory goes back to Shillong, where I had an opportunity to stay with him for 4 days. I have gone specifically on leave to be with him and he showed me the paradise. A very jovial guy and you will never feel one moment boring when he is around..

A computer whiz kid these days, which many of us may not be aware and came to know of this talent, when we visited Pathankot on a holiday with family from Chandigarh. He is a father of two lovely and adorable daughters also visited us in Chandigarh on holidays with his family and as you can presume that we had a gala time. Vishnu became very close to Guru just to learn the computer games and some related programs. See his address goes like this Karunkaradu roadu, Vaaikal medu, Erodu… Nice, rhyming and unforgettable one…..


To be continued....

Memory down the lane...24 & counting...Star 13

Thirumalai Selvam

He is a very studious, smart, bright chap. He was also the first one to finish his AMIE in our group, second being Kannan B and finally yours truly.  His grasp for the subject was amazing right from Jesudas (he was our tutor for AMIE during conversion) days. It was no surprise that when he came to conversion he has completed his Sec A.

Even in Service he was no less, earning himself a direct LAC. He is a true all rounder to the core. Though he was put up in Ashoka he participated in all the fanfare with us. His dimples are very famous, even today… I have been lucky to have him with me at Kanpur post conversion. More luckily we were in the same project at work as well. Right from going to section for work or to mess for lunch or dinner or out to Lal Bungalow or watching a movie or match it was always together with him and B Kannan.

Many of us do not know that he is fan of Nadhiya and Vijaykant!!! We (B Kannan & me) used to tease him whenever we happened to watch a Nadhiya movie. When I get an opportunity to watch any Nadhiya movie Selvam comes to my mind first.  He is an artist as well who did some beautiful sketches. When he was in Kanpur, he was God father to many of his billet mates.

I cannot forget to appreciate his beautiful handwriting with stylish strokes. He was so talented and since he finshed his AMIE faster than anyone else, he came out of service exactly after 8 years in Sep 1995. He earned two opportunities one in SAIL and other in DRDO at the same time and decided to go in SAIL. He is also one person who got married after leaving the service, which itself is a unique feature in his life. Though, I was very happy for him, but was also sad at the thought of losing his company.

We have been in touch through emails all those days whenever it was possible. After all these years, having him again amidst us on 14 Jun 2009 was fructifying. The icing on the cake happened on 22 May 2011 when he attended with his family. Last but not the least, we (Kumar & me) received an email from Mrs Selvam very recently in his absence and on his behalf. That showed the affection on all of us and I feel Selvam is the chief contributor who must have told all those beautiful memories to her, which would have prompted her to reply….

To be continued....

Memory down the lane...24 & counting...Star 12

Sriram

He is affectionately “Lambu” or “Perisu” to all of us. He is very meticulous, perfect, dignified personality. He is voluntary participant in all the activities that we all undertook. A very good leg spin bowler in our days. He is a very learned person during our days and he was one of the few graduates to have entered in service. Being from Coimbatore, we have always travelled together the way I have explained in Kannan’s portrait. His way of smashing the volleyball is one scene that I would go anywhere to watch him. Be it cricket or volleyball he did his best and has entertained all of us.

I remember that famous bunk out with him along with Kannan, Nithya, Anbu and Kumar (?) to have jumped the fence and went to Tirupati. Though we knew it was wrong in principle, yet we managed to stage that episode successfully. Walking all the way from Lower Tirupati by steps to have early morning darshan.. It seems it has happened today only.

He was only one guy from our group to have benefitted by the new promotion scheme and reaped its benefits. I was happy that we could see one among us go one step higher in service. Another interesting thing about Sriram is his dress sense. He would always go out immaculately dressed and for his tall built it suited him like a glove in hand.

To be Continued...

Memory down the lane.... 24 & counting...Star 11

Seshadri YK

He is “Kamal Hasan” of our group. One must watch him when we call him like that. His big eyes will gleam and a smart smile on his lips. He is a style icon in a way. Whatever he did was style. Being another local hero of our days, having him in our midst was always difficult, obviously because of local commitments.

Being in “Flight1” he had this privilege of running (should I say dashed down) to mess first and grab his grub quickly and go for rest before others could even attempt having food!!! Unfortunately, since he was not even located in our premises, we could not have much of him. We could imagine only his past things.

Then there was a rare occasion when he came to Chandigarh on official duty. I was supposed to go on leave but had been forced to cancel the leave on national emergency. Sesha(YK) came and met “magudi” Thomas on the way. When they talked for few minutes, Thomas had informed him that I am there. Immediately Sesha requested him to take him to my house at Mohali. I also reached home only then for lunch and I was not even aware of this. While I was having lunch (all alone as Vaishali and Vishnu went to Chennai), he turned up at my entrance. I was surprised and happy to see him. He had lunch with me, specifically the curd rice he liked it and commented “Dhadhiyonnam besha irukku”. Really he was hungry and I offered him to take him out for lunch, which he refused and said that whatever is available in home is sufficient. Such simplicity and openness was amazing to me…

To be Continued...

Memory down the lane.....24 & counting....Star 10

Nithyanandam

He is the fastest man on earth.. (Can I say this??). Whatever, he does he would do it quickly, be it taking a bath or eating a meal or finishing some work, ahead of all of us always. I would say when we get up for getting ready for training session; he would be already ready after his breakfast. A man of words and perfection personified.  He is almost aggressive, but for a good cause always. When he gives commitment,  he will not listen to himself later (Am I sounding like Salman Khan or Vijay??). He was our real hero much before all these filmy guys.

Though he was not there with me for a major portion of life, but God has given me the opportunity to spend some 2, 3 years of life together with him and in that more than a year in the same house with him. He was everything for me. I need to highlight here and show my gratitude to him. There is no other way, I will be able to do justice for what he had done to me.

My stay in own quarters has come to an end and I have already stayed in 2 houses for brief periods. Nithya was not willing to take over a quarter considering the last 18 months of service and his family has been positioned at Chennai, though he has registered for. When I was facing the difficulties of frequent shifting, I approached him once and asked him knowing fully that he was not willing. But what a surprise, he just taken over the quarter for me to stay and in that sense, he offered me a shelter. I was not allowed to enter the house to share the initial works and he flatly refused that I should not step in the house citing that my health would deteriorate if I am present during white washing of house. He did it everything on his own, including the additional wiring that the house required and asked us to move in almost after a week. It was like a furnished house made ready exclusively for us. Such was the care and attention that he took in doing everything.

Nithya’s wife with Avinash came from Chennai during vacation and she has fed us with so many delicacies. What a nice and tasty way she prepares food. During final days, when we finished all formalities like visiting Delhi for final clearance and job fair etc, time has come for packing things. I am a novice in doing such things and in every posting one or other had helped me in doing such things.

This time it is quite different. Nithya was scheduling my packing as to how to pack, when to pack etc. He did packing single handedly for me with very minimal support from me. One should have seen the packing to see how he has taken maximum care to ensure things go in proper condition. The things have been dispatched to Pune to my parents and since I was searching for the job, we decided not to open the packing.

Finally the packing was opened at Mumbai after almost 4 months from the date of packing and I was surprised to see that everything was intact. The truck people who came at Chandigarh for taking the consignment and the people at Pune who delivered it and again the TCI packers & movers who came to reload it at Pune and deliver it to Mumbai have been surprised at the professional packing!!. They could not believe it…. The times that we spent with him at Chandigarh will remain evergreen. The association with him at the very beginning and at the end of career was a sheer coincidence….

To be continued....

Memory down the lane....24 & counting....Star 9

Manikandan

He was an original local hero of our group in training days. Apart from the very initial period, he used to go and mingle with local friends in every available opportunity. He was one guy along with others like Anbu, Kumar who arranged money to go on our first posting for all the East gang. He is famous for his local chennai language and when he spoke that kind of language, I was amused to listen to him.

Because of his local commitments he was not taking interest in exams. But what I heard of him later in other units that without his technical advice, a servicing would not progress a inch further. Such was his domination, knowledge and technical expertise. Even before he could reach Chandigarh on his posting, his fame reached before.. 

There was lot of demand and pressure for him to secure in their respective areas. He came to Chandigarh at the twilight of our career and he had a plan for extension. Most of the days he was very busy in his works and very rarely we met. However, I could meet him on 14 Jun 2009. Thereafter, meeting him remained elusive.

To be continued...

Memory down the lane.... 24 & counting.... Star 8

Kannan S

He is another person who earned a sobriquet in few days of training. He was nick named as “Discharge” Kannan to avoid confusion among four Kannans. He was very soft initially, and always talked about how to go out of service during those training days. Though we were all like that, did not like the atmosphere, the food and the treatment meted out to us, he was relatively the much affected person.

Once the six months period was over, one could see the slow transformation in him. He joined Guru and both used to come and join us for play, party or for going out together. The moment he was posted to Dinjan (Even today, I do not know if this exists in map), he was again frustrated to find that no one was accompanying him. The east bound guys starting from NJP and Bongaigaon, started alighting from the train.

At Guwahati the remaining entire gang alighted from Train. Guru left for Shillong, Mani to Guwahati (local), Kumar to Kumbhigram. Anbu, me and S Kannan were for waiting for our trains. It was his train first. When me and Anbu went along with him to bid him farewell, he was emotional on two counts that he is leaving us behind and the other that he is going to a strange place. See how the time flies.

Exactly after one and half year when we met again in Jun 1990, I could not believe my eyes. What a phenomenal transformation. On Sep 23, 1990, we had a party and this guy danced like Michael Jackson and showed the world that he is not the same person.. he danced, swayed and sung all the way and obviously he was the master of our ceremony that day. I was very happy for him. He is another supreme athlete of our group, who excelled in every event along with Johny and Sreeprasad. 

He also visited us in Kanpur for three days. Even today, he is transforming himself as India trotter if not globe trotter and a very good organiser. He is the same person for you, 24 years back who felt bad about going to Dinjan and today he is scaling the country across its length and breadth….

To be continued....