1986 was a very special year for me. That was the year when I could see some of the best brains in the world from very close quarters. Prof. E.C.G Sudarshan the world renowned physicist and the greatest alumnus of our college was in the CMS campus. He had with him two physicists - Prof K. Babu Joseph (CUSAT, Cochin) and Prof. K. Sreenivasa Rao (IMSc, Chennai)- whom he had entrusted with the task of establishing the "George Sudarshan Centre for Physics and Computer Science" in CMS college. A week long all India seminar on "Recent Developments in Theoretical Physics" was organised and the list of speakers read like the who-is-who of theoretical Physics in India. The proceedings of the seminar were edited by Prof. Rao and was published by Springer. Yes, such things were initiated in CMS college but tragically nothing happened thereafter. The George Sudarshan Centre was a great concept. But the baton of a wonderfully begun programme was handed over to the weak hands of unimaginative persons who later became very self seeking too. All that in another post.
The then principal Prof P.T Abraham had deputed me to be with Rao Sir wherever he went. And here starts the story.
I introduced myself to Rao Sir as a Physics teacher in CMS college. Without losing a moment came the question: "Have you read Resnick and Halliday"?
"No Sir". I replied politely.
"Then you are not a Physics teacher"!
That was the first salvo fired. Right on my temple. After all these years I believe that with that merciless bullet Rao Sir did me a great service. Not only that I read the book but I made hundreds of my students read it too. Again it was from him that I first heard of "Schaum series" books. And hundreds of my students read these books and benefited. Particularly two books one on Mechanics by Murray R Spiegel and another book on Electromagnetism by Edminister were greatly useful to the students.
A day of Shoot at Sight
I will not ever forget the next day with Rao Sir. The above title could well be replaced with "Rao on the Rampage"! I had mentioned about the national seminar. It was to be inaugurated by the then vice-chancellor of CUSAT, Dr. Gopalan. Rao Sir wanted some changes in the programme and went to Cochin (now Kochi) and I accompanied him (that was the best I could). He suggested the change in the programme and the vice-chancellor retorted:
"Too many cooks spoil the broth"
Even before I could say unto myself "Oh God what will happen now", the firing had already started:
"See Mr vice-chancellor, I am not a cook, I am a serious scientist. And wherever I am a cook, I am the chief cook".
The guns became silent and the vice-chancellor become wiser!
The scene now shifts to the regional office of HCL computers in Cochin city. They were the only suppliers of computers in India and their office had a very posh interior. The officers there were even more elegant in their looks. Though Rao Sir had crashed into the "wonderland", I was standing there on trembling feet. Those were the days when people in their thousands would have queued up battling all odds to just see the miracle machine called computer. Rao Sir had placed an order with the HCL for the supply of two computers. But the delivery date had passed without delivery. I told myself, " here I am to witness another blood bath". A top HCL official started like this:
"Sir, what has happened is that..."
The answer was interrupted and the firing started:
"What has happened is that nothing has happened"!!
The top official with an exotic look started perspiring inside the super cooled room.
In the evening we were back in Kottayam and Adv: Ninan took us to a restaurant called Jewel Box run by some elderly educated ladies. Adv. Ninan introduced Rao Sir to one lady and she very politely asked:
"where are you working Sir"?
Adv Ninan and I were bewildered to hear the answer:
"I can work anywhere in the world"!
I turned through "365 degrees" to find at least the mortal remains of the lady, but couldn't find any. All through the day I was with Rao Sir like R.K Lakshman's "common man" without ever opening my mouth.
People say that well begun is half done. The vice-chancellor had begun it all very well in the morning.
Very Witty Too
I conclude this story with two incidents (non-violent this time). Rao Sir was writing the names of the speakers for the inaugural function of the National seminar. I was beside him. He had to accommodate a particular person in the list, let us call him Mr X. I heard Rao Sir murmuring while writing " Now three minutes for Mr X's bla bla bla"!!!
Years later we were discussing the bye-law for a certain organization and I asked him "Sir, what do you mean by ex-officio member"?
Pat came the answer:
"That means whoever comes to that position has to be invited. For instance, if a monkey comes to that position you will have to invite it"!!
Only natural that I had no more doubts left!!!
NOTE: I have touched upon only the lighter aspects of the "phenomenon" I came across in 1986. The real Prof K Sreenivasa Rao is the Physicist or Physicist turned Mathematician. I am not the least competent to talk on this Prof KSR.
The then principal Prof P.T Abraham had deputed me to be with Rao Sir wherever he went. And here starts the story.
I introduced myself to Rao Sir as a Physics teacher in CMS college. Without losing a moment came the question: "Have you read Resnick and Halliday"?
"No Sir". I replied politely.
"Then you are not a Physics teacher"!
That was the first salvo fired. Right on my temple. After all these years I believe that with that merciless bullet Rao Sir did me a great service. Not only that I read the book but I made hundreds of my students read it too. Again it was from him that I first heard of "Schaum series" books. And hundreds of my students read these books and benefited. Particularly two books one on Mechanics by Murray R Spiegel and another book on Electromagnetism by Edminister were greatly useful to the students.
A day of Shoot at Sight
I will not ever forget the next day with Rao Sir. The above title could well be replaced with "Rao on the Rampage"! I had mentioned about the national seminar. It was to be inaugurated by the then vice-chancellor of CUSAT, Dr. Gopalan. Rao Sir wanted some changes in the programme and went to Cochin (now Kochi) and I accompanied him (that was the best I could). He suggested the change in the programme and the vice-chancellor retorted:
"Too many cooks spoil the broth"
Even before I could say unto myself "Oh God what will happen now", the firing had already started:
"See Mr vice-chancellor, I am not a cook, I am a serious scientist. And wherever I am a cook, I am the chief cook".
The guns became silent and the vice-chancellor become wiser!
The scene now shifts to the regional office of HCL computers in Cochin city. They were the only suppliers of computers in India and their office had a very posh interior. The officers there were even more elegant in their looks. Though Rao Sir had crashed into the "wonderland", I was standing there on trembling feet. Those were the days when people in their thousands would have queued up battling all odds to just see the miracle machine called computer. Rao Sir had placed an order with the HCL for the supply of two computers. But the delivery date had passed without delivery. I told myself, " here I am to witness another blood bath". A top HCL official started like this:
"Sir, what has happened is that..."
The answer was interrupted and the firing started:
"What has happened is that nothing has happened"!!
The top official with an exotic look started perspiring inside the super cooled room.
In the evening we were back in Kottayam and Adv: Ninan took us to a restaurant called Jewel Box run by some elderly educated ladies. Adv. Ninan introduced Rao Sir to one lady and she very politely asked:
"where are you working Sir"?
Adv Ninan and I were bewildered to hear the answer:
"I can work anywhere in the world"!
I turned through "365 degrees" to find at least the mortal remains of the lady, but couldn't find any. All through the day I was with Rao Sir like R.K Lakshman's "common man" without ever opening my mouth.
People say that well begun is half done. The vice-chancellor had begun it all very well in the morning.
Very Witty Too
I conclude this story with two incidents (non-violent this time). Rao Sir was writing the names of the speakers for the inaugural function of the National seminar. I was beside him. He had to accommodate a particular person in the list, let us call him Mr X. I heard Rao Sir murmuring while writing " Now three minutes for Mr X's bla bla bla"!!!
Years later we were discussing the bye-law for a certain organization and I asked him "Sir, what do you mean by ex-officio member"?
Pat came the answer:
"That means whoever comes to that position has to be invited. For instance, if a monkey comes to that position you will have to invite it"!!
Only natural that I had no more doubts left!!!
NOTE: I have touched upon only the lighter aspects of the "phenomenon" I came across in 1986. The real Prof K Sreenivasa Rao is the Physicist or Physicist turned Mathematician. I am not the least competent to talk on this Prof KSR.
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