Penneswaran …..
When I was running a typewriting
institute, he came and joined to learn typing, in 1975. Actually he could not concentrate on
typing; even he could not type 2 lines
properly and neatly which irritated me very much. But he never cared either his bad typing or
my disappoint with his sincere learning.
I used to appreciate him because he was very regular in coming to
institute.
Very quickly I came to know he
was not inclined to learn typing. But
relished to talk to me and also with a
few of his friends in the institute.
He was not obliging me with the lessons what I used to give him to type,
instead, he brought some of his poems and stories to type.
He was very jovial and a good
critic even at the age of 15 ! Though he
had involved himself in many matters in institutewhich were not at all related
to him, we all enjoyed his anecdotes! We all used to laugh whatever he shared in a very lighter way.
Though I was very strict in
running the institute and in a highlly disciplined way, the same yard
sticksnever apply to Penneswaran. He never
took any matter seriously. He brushed
aside everything.
He was so good in English as well
as Tamil. The exam time came and Penneswaran
also appeared along with hundreds of students from our Institute; after finishing typing, he came out of the Hall very happily; I wondered what he would have done in the
hall.
I was sure he would fail in the
exams. He was in a very happy mood and
told to me not to both about him and his performance in the examination. After 2 months results were declared ….. to
my great shock …. Not only he failed …. he made some of his friends also failed
by giving wrong answers to them in Mechanism part ! That is the great service he has rendered to
the Institute.
Atlast, agood day arrived at for
our institute. He himself realized that
he could not afford to waste his precious time in continuing typing
further. It was a very happy day for me
that he stopped learning typing; Meanwhile,
our friendship grew like Himalayas.
Later he appeared Service Commission Exams, surprisingly passed and left for New
Delhi to join in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Here, not only he passed the
Exam, he guided many of his friends to appear in the examthus leading a big gang to join their jobs in New
Delhi.
He is a very good writer,
director and also an actor; He staged
many street plays and stage plays in New Delhi and other cities and became very popular there within no
time. Today his circle is very
large;
I could easily see many top VIPs
are very close to his heart and very proud, Penneswaran is not the person to
take any advantage with those for his personal reasons. Also, very happy to note, he is there with
one of the leading tamil dailies, his wife is in Central Government Job and
both of his daughters are well settled.
It is all the blessings of his honesty and God’s blessings.
Due to his busy schedule, he
could not meet me for some years, we
both were busy in our own ways.
It was a great surprise for me, in
2003 or 4, he came to my school in Krishnagiri. He had visited our town on a personal
reason. He is always flooded with more
tight schedules whenever he visits his native town Krishnagiri even today. He enjoys attending
Theru-koothuperformances,folk performances and visiting places of historic
importance around Krishnagiri.
He was happy to see that I am
running a school with difference. I narrated
him about the school and ideals which made me to start and run. He was very much impressed and said all my
good intentions should be known to the people who were at top level, ruling the
country. Not only said, he also took
all his best steps to see that some top people at New Delhi should know. He also assured me to take me to the
President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. It was a
dream for me indeed ! By that time, he took
voluntary retirement from his job at Home Ministry and started a Tamil monthlynamed
VadakkuVaasal. It was such a wonderful
monthly, with high quality articles. No
dirty cinema or gossiping, nothing nonsense items in that monthly. That is his greatness.
Though he was running
VadakkuVaasalmagazine with a great
principle, he could not make money out of it.
He was losing money every month.
Of course there was neither any cheap articles nor any lady photo on
cover to attract the majority public. He could attract only a very knowledgeable
circle. He requested me to write education
related society based article in his monthly.
I also very happily accepted. I
took that good opportunity to convey my thoughts to the society through my
writings.
One golden day, I received a call
from RashtrapathiBhavan thatHon’ble President was willing to meet me in
RashtrapathyBhavan, it was in 2006. It
was all the efforts of Penneswaran. He
used his influence in Delhi to achieve this.
He made all the arrangements to
pick me from Airport, to stay in a decent lodge, gave me a big car on all 5
days; he also arranged one of his close
friend to take me and my family to RashtrapathyBhavan; we had a royal welcome on that day in
RashtrapathyBhavan !
It was a most memorable day. One would be really lucky to visit this great
place in life. President Dr.Kalam was
so kind, he came out his seat for at least 50 feet to receive me; with a great concern, he inquired about my
health and the reason for my disability;
I went there with a wheel chair.
It was my first meeting with Dr. APJ Kalam. How much I was lucky to start meeting such a
great personality of India !
Again, after 1 year, Penneswaraninvited
me to visit New Delhi to attend a function
in which Dr.Kalam was the Chief Guest along with Dr. Y.S. Rajan, an eminent
Scientist; Dr.Kalam and Dr.Y.S.Rajan are
the authors of India 2020, such a close friend Dr.YSR to Dr.Kalam.Dr.Kalam
launched the web site of Penneswaran’sVadakkuVaasal magazine.
I could easily see what was the
contact level of Penneswaran in New Delhi.
It is most unfortunate that people in his native town of Krishnagiri
still don’t know much about Penneswaran and his true capabilities.
During this time, I was writing
articles in his mag and it was almost 4 years gone; Dr.Kalam was one of the regular reader of my
articles through VadakkuVaasal. I humbly
submit here-Penneswaran took all his efforts to publish my articles into a collection. With the blessings of ArutselvarPollachiMahalingam
he made arrangements to release my book in New Delhi Tamil Sangam;
Dr. APJ Kalam launched my bookalongwith
4 books edited and published by Penneswaran and I again got a great opportunity
to share the dias along with Dr.Kalam.
One must have been blessed by God for such golden occasions.
Meanwhile I developed
communications with Dr.Kalam, I received many letters from him.
A few years ago, I started
another school in a remote village, Savuloor, 2 km from Kaveripattinam; I am much interested in agriculture and
organic farming; here in this rural
school I have allotted ten thousand square feet for this agri education; students are directly involved in the agri
field work; I was so serious in it; I wanted the students should know about agri
and organic farming for their bright future.
When Penneswaran visited this rural school, he was very much inspired by
my vision and this went to the knowledge of Dr.Kalam. Penneswaran played a key role in bringing
Dr.Kalam to our rural school to inaugurate this Organic Farm in our rural
school in 2013, October 2nd, Gandhi Jayanthi Day.
What a great day that was ! We could feel the happiness and proud moment
even today while remembering that golden day.
We can’t get such a great occasion so easily. Dr.Kalam came, planted a sapling, inaugurated
the Organic Farming and spoke to the children and public for an hour. Everyone is proud even today by remembering
Dr.Kalam and his speech.
Dr.Kalam by heart appreciated me
on my vision on Agriculture in School;
he promised to give all his help;
he mentioned about this Organic Farming of our school in many
Universities and other top Institutions;
even just two days before his death, he conveyed his best wishes towards
my wish to bring agri education at national level. On his
request ShriNarayanamurthy and Dr.SantoshBabu IAS, our former District
Collector have been helping me very much.
I am sure, with all the blessings of Dr.Kalam’s wishes and blessings, I
will see agriculture will be one of the subjects in School curriculum sooner at
National level.
Today Dr.Kalam is no more with
us. Hundreds console me in person and
over phone; many magazines have
interviewed me on Dr.Kalam’s demise; I
was interviewed by All India Radio, asked me to say my friendship with Dr.Kalam
for the past 10 years. Almost all the
news papers published the photos of Dr.Kalam’s visit to our rural school,
inaugurating the organic farm while pushing my wheel chair.
A friend in need is a friend
indeed; Penneswaran set an example for
friendship, what do you need more this this, in one’s life ! I am proud of him, I thank God for it.
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