This Thought Counts!

A walk down Memory Lane at TCE Madurai (continued).

2007-02-06T18:48:00.000+05:30

Continuing my walk down memory lane with pictures taken at TCE, in December 2006:

On the left, there was a game of cricket being played in right earnest.

This medium-fast bowler was really bending his back, and thwack! The ball had been viciously pulled, and a fielder went scampering to the square leg boundary to retrieve the ball.

On the right side, there is a large new building, housing a well-equipped library named after the founder of the college.

As I kept walking down, next on the right was the imposing main college building. It's traditional grandeur has not diminished one bit in the last 15+ years!

Another example of how, even as many modern buildings have sprung up in the campus, the majesty of the old has not been overshadowed at all!

To the right of the entrance, there was a huge yellow silk banner on the ICGVIP (5th Indian Conference on Computer Vision, Graphics & Image Processing).

Though called "Indian", this Conference was truly international, with participants from all over the world, including the US, Italy, the UK, Israel, etc.

The list of Corporate Sponsors included international Tech biggies such as Microsoft, Adobe, AOL, GE, Google, HP, IBM, Yahoo, TCS, and Honeywell. If that does not read like a list of "Who's Who" of the movers and shakers of technology, what can? The event was also sponsored by non-corporates such as the GOI's Ministry of IT, ADE-DRDO, IIT-Delhi and TCE.

Now, that's truly impressive!

Just opposite the main building, was the TCE fountain in all its glory, releasing negative ions and truly refreshing the senses.

It certainly looked a pretty picture!

And then, just round the corner, there was the famous ficus benghalensis (Indian banyan) tree which had "sheltered thousands of TCE students at various points in time. This was the place more fondly known as the "maraththadi"!

The gentle warming rays of the morning sun filtering through its branches seemed to suggest the tons of "enlightenment" it had bestowed on countless TCEians!

Here's a closer picture of that famous "community gathering place"!

There's a new reflective sign with directions to various departments. However, the concrete benches haven't changed one bit, and that's a comforting thought!

This is a nice picture of numerous branches of the banyan, and the small bridge we used to cross to get to the Computer Center.

TCE students would have certainly crossed many more metaphorical bridges in their lives since passing out of TCE!

Crossing the bridge, I was now in front of the Computer Center (note the Americanized spelling of the word!) where we had almost all our classes.

The building is maintained well, and the verdant greenery all round hasn't changed at all!

Here is another long-shot of the Banyan Tree and the bridge across to the Computer Center.

This is what we used to see when we walked back to "The Big Tree" after lunch at the canteen.

Walking back towards the Guest House (built near the Men's Hostel), I clicked this picture showing the nice tree-lined avenue that ends at the new canteen.

Note the neatly painted yellow-and-black stripes on the edges of the pavements...

... which were paved with smart hexagonal tiles.

Most of the trees in the college campus have small dark blue signs with their names in Tamil, in English (botanical), and medicinal values painted in white letters.

Turning right, I shot this snap showing the long road exiting the College Campus.

It was a road I had travelled many times during my 3 years at TCE, but this time, there was a different feeling, laden with many refreshed memories of those enjoyable college days.

Thanks for taking this walk down memory lane with me.

I hope you enjoyed it, and look forward to your comments.

Please do leave a comment!

A walk down Memory Lane at TCE, Madurai

2007-02-06T18:45:00.000+05:30

Walking down that long, winding pathway,
Basking in the warm glow of the morning sun,
Reflecting nostalgically on those good old days,
The very special days that were oh, so fun!

That was the poem I quickly wrote down as I visited my alma mater, the Thiagarajar College of Engineering (TCE) in December 2006.

So much has changed. Yet, the old charm and many of the familiar structures still remain!
It was just past 7 AM in the morning, and the sun was shining a warm, welcoming glow. The air felt really clean, and the morning quiet was only enhanced by the musical chirping of birds all round. Suddenly, you felt how different this was from the smoggy, polluted, noisy hustle and bustle of a big city.

I clicked pictures as I walked towards the Computer Science building.

Pictures DO say a thousand words, and I will only interrupt with short comments to put things in perspective for those who have not been back in the college for ages.

Here's the long, impeccable paved and maintained road leading to the college. The playground is on the left, and the canteen is to the right.

There is an impressive, modern Guest House on the right. It has three good-sized air-conditioned visitor's rooms, a modern Conference Hall and a Dining Room.

Guests, including placement personnel from companies, stay here.

Here is the Department of Physical Education.

I remember a couple of my classmates who diligently practised singing "songs" for a Farewell Party for our immediate seniors!

On the right is the entrance to the Men's Hostel. The erstwhile Madura Bank Extension Counter is no longer here. Also, there is a new hostel canteen here with decor that can seriously compete with a fancy restaurant in Chennai - I'm serious! The food I had at this canteen was also of the highest quality!

I also learnt that the Hostel now has a Home Theatre Room and several computers equipped with Internet capabilities.

Yes, it's official! TCE is around 465 metres above mean sea level. That must explain the "elevated" feeling we had at TCE!

There is a Security post to the right, after the entrance to the Men's Hostel.

This sign is right near the security post.

Further down, I was nearing the left turning that would take us to the main College building.

There is now a security gate to screen vehicles moving in.

I was told that security guys have been asked to take down name, address, contact details, branch and year of passing for alumni who might visit on holidays.

That shows the College is serious about rejuvenating and keeping in touch with its alumni.

Next on the right is the new canteen. This complex now has the extension counter for the ICICI Bank (which acquired the erstwhile Bank of Madura), a photocopying centre, a large Canteen Hall, and a Dining Hall that is used for functions, symposia, etc.

The facilities are very modern, and are kept extremely clean. The original canteen (a short distance from the Computer Centre) has been converted into a Women's Rest Centre.

On entering the canteen "Arch", there is a beautifully landscaped, lush green path that leads to the Canteen Building. It's so nicely done, I couldn't help comparing it to some of the lush greenery at Sea World, San Diego!

Another picture of the verdant surroundings of the canteen, including a beautifully maintained lily pond!

Ready to turn left to the Main College building, I saw another welcome addition, a "Thought of the Day" board, with a nice quote by motivational speaker, Jim Rohn.

All vehicles need to be parked at this point. No more driving your two-wheeler all the way to the front of the Computer Science building!

Right next to this board was a nice schematic map of the TCE campus.

Turning left, here's a view of the road leading all the way to the Computer Centre building. An international symposium was going on that day, and you can see flags on both sides set up for the event.

I instantly remembered a note in my autograph book, reminding me about a brilliant idea during Softaware '90 to measure the distance between flags using computer stationery! Each sheet was 1 foot long, and I measured this would be an easy way to find how much distance to leave between flags.

I thought at that time it was "Out of the Box" thinking, but winds soon proved what a hare-brained idea it was!

At this point I could see a magnificent view ot the famous dome of the TCE Main building.

I was particularly proud of this picture.

Too many images on this page already!

The next set of pictures and narrative, including the famous "Maraththadi" are waiting in the post that follows!

Wanted: Some maturity from constituents of the Blue Billion!

2006-11-17T17:08:00.000+05:30

I admit it!

I'm sick and tired of some members of "The Blue Billion", even though I'm a proud member. In fact, I'm even doubtful whether these guys are what they claim to be: True Fans of Indian cricket.

Was I disappointed that India didn't make it to at least the semis of the just-concluded Champions Trophy? YES.

Do I think the Indian team is going to smash the Springboks in their home territory? NO.

Am I realistic about their chances, but hope they'll play well, fight hard, and give the South Africans a run for their money? Am I supporting MY team? CERTAINLY.

I read, with interest, many news items on the web about mature statements by Rahul Dravid & Co., at Press Conferences before departure from India, and on arrival in South Africa.

What is the reaction of India's "rabid" fans to these quotes? Here's a sampling from what I've heard from some friends, and what I've read on the web in the past few days:

"India will lose the ODIs and Tests 0-5 and 0-3 respectively", and "Why are Dravid & Chappell making these 'BRAVE' statements? We know they are going to lose."

Come on, folks, grow up and show some maturity!

What do you expect Dravid and Chappell to say? What would you say if you are in their position? The following?

"We have not won a Test in SA before, we have not done well in ODIs in the past few months, we are missing a key player in Yuvraj, we are not used to bouncy wickets. So we will surely lose."

Going in with a mindset thinking you will lose can only lead to one thing: you WILL lose. That's why the likes of underdogs Bangladesh and Zimbabwe almost always lose to stronger teams - they have already lost in their minds before they step onto the cricket field.

You have a reason to complain if Dravid & Co were to make bombastic statements like, "We will win the ODI series 5-0 and the Tests 2-0", or even, "We will win".

The fact is, this mature leadership won't make such statements even ahead of series against Zimbabwe or Bangladesh.

Let's look at an IT analogy: If you lead an IT project, are you going to tell your Management and Project staff, "There is only a 9% chance we will be on time-and budget, because the Standish Group says so ," or "The deadline is impossible to meet", or "we are grossly understaffed, so we can't make a success of this project".

These may all be valid fears (some may even be facts), but what you will do will be to emphasise the positives while warning colleagues of the risks. And you are certainly going to try your best to deliver success!

Back to cricket: Please understand why Rahul and Greg are highlighting the positives: They give the team confidence, and something to play for, while, at the same time, emphasising that a lot of hard work is required to achieve good results.

Fans, please grow up! You neither need to praise the team to the skies when they win, NOR rubbish them into the nearest garbage dump when they lose.

Let's be positive, yet realistic and wish the team all the best.

After all, that's the least we can do!

My Photograph

2005-01-01T14:08:00.000+05:30