NIZY MATHEW

 

This year’s Onam is just over. The boozers of the state brought some relief to the empty coffers of the Kerala government by making a collective ‘contribution’ of a mind boggling seven hundred crores of rupees in less than a week’s time. This is more than the cost of the Chandrayan-3 programme by a neat 100 crores! To me, as one who never celebrates any of the festivals, this Onam too would have passed off as a sedate one, but for a very special gift I received from one of my old students. A gift I will cherish forever.

Nizy Mathew. That’s her name. She was my student during 1999 – 2001 for her PG in Applied Physics. On completion of her PG studies from the CMS College, Kottayam, she along with her class mate Sheena Solomon proceeded to Germany to do another PG in Environment Science. After that I did not hear anything from her.

On the Onam eve I had a phone call with Nizy at the other end. I felt very happy to hear her voice after some twenty two years. Even though she sounded very upbeat I had no inkling of what she was going to tell me. When I showed interest in knowing what she was doing all these years, she told me:

“Sir, I am working in Thiruvanandapuram for the past twelve years and at present I am in Bangaluru in connection with the Chandrayan Project”

Chandrayan Project? Did I hear it correctly? After a moment of disbelief, chaos in thoughts and of course ecstasy, I expressed my joy and I don’t remember what all I told her.

Nizy after her environmental studies did a PhD in Microwave Remote Sensing and was settled in Germany, with her post-doctoral research. Seeing her published papers, a senior scientist at the VSSC contacted her and told her that she can join them if she was interested. She could not ask for more. Perhaps she might not have realised at that time that she was asking for the moon!

The girl who touched the Moon  

Yes, Nizy is now the girl who touched the moon. Indeed she touched the moon surface without ‘burning her fingers’ at 50 degree Celsius. Nor did she freeze while probing the moon slightly below the surface at minus 10 degree Celsius. Yes, we can be proud of our scientists. They are made of sterner stuff.

Nizy was  the leader of the team that fabricated the equipment used for physically ‘measuring’ the temperature of the moon. She was also assigned the task of analysing the signals received after such ‘measurements’.

Nizy was upbeat over the phone. She had all the right to be so. I could gather from her conversation as to how scientists work round the clock at the ISRO. Passion, dedication, determination, endurance  greed to excel all rolled into one; that perhaps defines our scientists at the ISRO. Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Engineering; they have excelled in everything. They have mastered very high temperatures as well as very low temperatures. They have made 1.4 billion Indians proud. With this soft landing they have helped India crash-land on to the higher rungs in the elite list of nations with space technology at their disposal. Yes, the Rover is merrily engaged in 'Moon Walk' yet wisely avoiding those craters with deceptive looks, where no other nation ever dared to even peep into.

Nizy, after our telephonic conversation I am in a state of wild excitement, rapturous joy and my mind is in a chaotic state. I cannot concentrate even while praying. Don't blame me. I have every right to be mad! I am proud of you. Your Alma Mater is proud of you. The CMS College is yearning to receive you here at your earliest convenience. Your presence here will motivate the students to dedicate themselves to learning with an irresistible will to excel in life and be a part of the solemn duty of nation building, the way you and all the scientists at ISRO strive 24X7.

A big salute to the scientists at the ISRO. And thank you Nizy, for remembering me after all these years. Thank you Nizy, for remembering me even when you were there, ‘On The Top Of The World’.  Don’t know how to congratulate you. Words become too insufficient to express oneself in such situations. God bless you.

THE HARI SINGH HEGEMONY -- Fir Ek Agra Kahani

 

For us in the St: John’s college, Agra, the neighbouring Agra College was an enigma. The student strength during the late seventies was a whopping twelve thousand. Classes started at five in the morning. Many working men and women attended courses like LLB, M Com etc before sun rise. Also, those days, the campus was notorious for the ruffians among the students. Despite the enormity of this breed, there weren’t any law and order problems. Of the innumerable incredible stories coming out of that campus, we were particularly amused by the ones starring the legend like Hari Singh. Hari Singh was a former student of Agra College. After his formal education there he never left the campus. Every morning he would come to the college and leave only very late in the evening. He controlled those ruffians with magical effect and took upon the responsibility of maintaining calm in the campus. Even the college authorities welcomed his presence and considered him an integral part of the campus. We couldn’t believe when we were told that he even can declare a holiday for the college. Venerated and feared by one and all, he grew in stature. The Hari Singh diktats were unquestioned. Yet he never misused the unlimited power he commanded. Agra College was his passion. He worked tirelessly for the wellbeing of the college.

A Modern Day Mahatma

One day we got news that the final of the intercollegiate Basket Ball competition of the Agra University was to be played the next day between traditional rivals, Agra College and RBS college at the Agra College. My North Indian friends cautioned me against going there but I couldn’t resist the temptation of witnessing the match between two strong teams.

On reaching the stadium, I was surprised to see a large number of students wielding hockey sticks. They occupied one side of the stadium. “They might be there just after the hockey match final”, I told myself. But then, so many of them?

After occupying ‘strategic positions’, these boys started shouting provocative slogans. My friend sitting beside me told me that they are from the RBS College. Small missiles started flying into the court. The atmosphere was getting tense. As the profane slogans showed no signs of abating, a fragile figure emerged out of the crowd, walked to the center of the court with folded hands and appealed for calm. He said, “ The students of Agra College and RBS College are brothers. In a match only one team wins. Whoever is the winner, let us all accept them with sportsman spirit”. When every word was greeted with high pitched hoot, the diminutive man retreated with a sense of shame, failure and helplessness writ large on his face. With time ticking away and the situation getting worse the very same man appeared for a second time with folded hands and repeated his appeal for peace. The reply was a repeat performance from those boys who were now preparing to play basket ball with hockey sticks. The man retreated. “What else the poor man can do?”, I asked myself in desperation. After a few moments of tension, just when we were preparing to see the worst, with all hell let loose, the very same man appeared for a third time on the court. But this time he was not there with folded hands. I saw fire in his eyes. Pointing to those ’bad boys’, as if he was pointing a pistol at them, he proclaimed “Hereafter nobody will make any noise. This is Hari Singh saying”. Just two short sentences and the man disappeared into the crowd. I couldn’t believe. The fragile diminutive figure no way matched the icon in my mind: A six plus heavy weight with a heavier moustache? But I had to believe. All pandemonium instantly stopped as if it was switched off. You could hear a pin drop. Even the winter wind refused to blow. With everything including those ‘bad boys’ frozen, Hari Sing ordered the start of the event. There after we could hear only one sound. The tap tap sound of the ball hitting the ground and of course, the referee’s whistle too.

Back in my hostel, The Haileybury House, I told myself “whoever trying to bring peace is a Mahatma. Forget about the means”. An event which would have landed at least fifty students in hospital with broken skulls passed off so peacefully. Thanks to the one man army called Hari Singh. Indeed a modern day Mahatma?

Johny Johny, No Pappa!

 Recently I was at the iconic Indian Coffee House (ICH), Thirunakkara, Kottayam. I have any number of stories to tell relating to the ICH; stories of my first visit to an ICH sometime in 1975 to the latest. Every time it was the Masala Dosa and their special Coffee that I had to my satisfaction. For almost half a century the Masala Dosa tastes the same and the aroma of the coffee remains unchanged, as tempting as ever before. I can go on talking about the exciting ICH experiences over the past half-a-century. Let me restrict to the latest experience at the ICH, Thirunakkara, Kottayam.

A month ago I was there for my Masala Dosa and Coffee. The waiters there know that I like to get the coffee hot from the kitchen only after the Dosa was finished. That day as usual I was sipping the coffee after the Dosa when a man came in and occupied the chair opposite to mine. I almost rose from my seat seeing the film personality just opposite to me. It was the actor-director Johny Antony. Siting so near a celebrity in fact made me a little uncomfortable and perhaps noticing this he started talking to me like an ordinary man and tried to make me feel at ease. A minute into his jocular way of speaking non-stop, I was a little relaxed. I slowly turned around to see jealous faces staring at me for my luck, but to my dismay  could find none. I felt anguished by the insensitivity of the people and told myself that such a film personality in a public place in Tamil Nadu would have been treated differently and would have been mobbed by people for selfies and autographs. I felt pity for him and started talking to him. I told him that I have watched all of his movies starting with CID Moosa. To make him happy I made a brief analysis of his various movies and tried to shower some praise on him. Just when my strategy seemed to be working, he asked me whether I want to have a selfie with him. I could not have asked for more. I told him "very kind of you sir..., you are such a simple person...., celebrities never offer fans a chance for a selfie...., usually it's so irritating for the celebrities..". My words didn't seem to enthuse him much though that characteristic smile was there on his face all the time I was talking. After pausing for a while he told me "of all the things you said I agree with one thing... yes I am a simple person. But what can I do? Wherever I go people flock around me to take selfies thinking that I am Johny Antony and I oblige!"

I was crest fallen. Now I didn't turn around to see jealous faces as I was sure that all around it should be faces with sarcasm writ large. The only way I could have got back to life was to have another bout of Dosa and Coffee. And I did exactly that.