Anything Big Starts as a Small Spark - 791

 ANYTHING BIG INITIALLY STARTS AS 

   A SMALL SPARK IN THE BEGINNING 

The Saying a small spark is enough to ignite a big fire was proved right by the happenings in my Native Village RAVANASAMUDRAM .

For the uninformed it must be mentioned that RAVANASAMUDRAM is a beautiful little Village in Tenkasi District ; it is nestled close to the Western Ghats and is a Picture Perfect Scenic Village .

The Agraharam here with close to a 100 Houses with the Chockanather Temple in the Middle has seen many eminent personalities over the years and Generations from this place . 

This is a Village which breathes life throughout the year . Festivals right through the year culminating with the Annual Village Festival is the highlight . 

Lakshmi Ramanathan / Radhika hit upon the idea of conducting a talk show on the lines of 

  ‘ YETHU NADANTHALLUM ATHU 

                    NALLATHUKAY ‘ 

As can be visualised , though this was the first time such an event was conceptualised , the response seems to have been very good . 

I for my part had sent in my own story from Toronto in Canada . It felt very nice to hear it being retold in my Birthplace at  far away Ravanasamudaram. 

    WISHING THE TEAM ALL THE SUCCESS IN                    THEIR FUTURE VENTURES 

                  MY STORY RETOLD 

MISSING THE TRAIN DOES HELP SOMETIMES 

Tirunelveli  : Year 2002 ,13 th May  : My son Haarish and I were on the Nellai Express Train Bound for Chennai . The counselling Session for Admission to the Tamil Nadu Engineering Colleges was Scheduled on May 15 th at 9.00 AM at the Anna University Campus to be precise .

As can only be imagined , we were tense , hoping and praying that Haarish would be able to get Admission in the Course that he had in mind and that too at an Engineering College of good repute . Other parents as co passengers with their wards and with anxiety written all over their faces only added more fear and concern on us . My good old friend Dr Bhagirathan a Dental Surgeon of repute  was also there on a similar errand accompanying his Daughter but I think for a Medical Seat in his case  . This poor Doctor has to this day the dubious distinction of extracting quite a number of my  Tooth , of course at my request and a painful one at that !!

We lodged ourselves in my BIL s House at Vadapalani and with more than 24 hrs on our hand , we went through the permutation and combinations of matching the Colleges and Courses for the Umpteenth Time .

Agasthiarpatty : 14 th May 2002 : My Wife and Daughter Anoobala had planned a visit to Tirunelveli to make some purchases for my daughter who was then Studying at The National Engineering College at  Kovilpatty . They had planned to catch the 8.00 AM Passenger Train at Ambasamudram for Tirunelveli . Call it fate , destiny  , sheer luck or Gods Will or by any other name , they were both late in getting up that  morning and had to postpone their departure to the next train scheduled in the afternoon .

Agasthiarpatty : 14 th May 2002 - 10 AM : Our Home Landline Phone Rings ( Mobile Phones were  yet to make their presence  in this part of the World) . My Wife picks up the phone . It is a call from the Admission Centre of the PSG COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY - COIMBATORE . They informed her  that my Son had been successful at the Examination and Interview for the 5 Year MS SOFTWARE ENGINEERING Course and that he should present himself with the Fees of Rs 35000 on the 16 th of May 2002 for the Admission Process .

My Wife called us up at Chennai and informed us of the Super Good News . PSG COLLEGE WAS RECOGNISED AS ONE OF THE PREMIUM ENGINEERING COLLEGES IN THE COUNTRY . After much deliberation , the following sequence of action were discussed and  agreed .

A } Self and Haarish after attending the Counselling and Securing a seat in some college as a fall back option proceed to Coimbatore by Bus . 

B } My Wife after doing the necessary Bank Operations , proceed to Coimbatore by the Morning Passenger Train from Tirunelveli .

C } Whoever arrived first should wait for the other  by sitting below the Huge  Clock at Coimbatore Junction Railway Station on Platform No 1,

D } All three of us  stay in a Lodge near Coimbatore Junction Railway Station and proceed to The PSG Tech Premises  the next Morning and Secure the Admission .

Everything went as planned and even as I pen this Blog from Canada , my Son too is Happily settled with a Handsome Job in Canada .

THERE WERE NO MOBILE PHONES THEN .NOT EVEN THE BUTTON TYPE HAD AS YET MADE ITS DEBUT . THE  ONLY MODE OF CONTACT WAS BY THE NOT SO RELIABLE LANDLINE  . MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER BEING LATE IN GETTING UP AND NOT BEING ABLE TO CATCH THE MORNING PASSENGER TRAIN FROM AMBASAMUDRAM TO TIRUNELVELI ON 14 TH MAY 2002 DID GO A LONG WAY IN MAKING THIS HAPPEN AND MY SON GETTING ADMISSION IN ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER COLLEGES IN THE COUNTRY .