Everyone's getting busy with exams, practicals, internal assessments, bullying children into submission of records, revaluations, farewells and studies. It is as if the summer heat is catching up in academic work also. Salem is unbearably hot. I wish there were juice dispensers instead of water in the departments. And, oh, the external examiners for English Communication Skills Lab for the third years were taken aback by the seminar halls in the departments. The swanky furniture and air-conditioned halls really hit them hard. Tee..hee.. A strange silence has already fallen upon the corridors...senior students have taken seriously to their studies...the theory exams begin on May 3rd. Only the first years have their classes and they are a noisy lot..they are.
A student was remarking the other day that farewells give you a hard knock since you realise that your happy and carefree days are drawing to a close. They are well aware that hard and harsh realities of life await them. WIPRO has given the recruits CDs to prepare for the entry examination which has to be cleared by the recruits in order to be absorbed or confirmed. I understand their feelings. The days of pure living-for-oneself and friends will come to a gradual close and they will slowly become used to carving professional careers for themselves. I pray that our children go out into this world armed with intelligence and values.

I feel like jumping vigorously, shaking a leg or two, doing a jig and yipeeing to the open skies...Kamaraj, an old student of the college from the 1970 batch, based in Dubai was in college today and he has short listed 8 students - 1 from Mechanical, 6 from EEE and 1 from Civil.

My extreme reaction stems from the fact that these shortlisted children had been facing pangs of anxiety and dips in their self-esteem level,, cos they hadn't been selected due to some reason or the other by the corporate giants of India and here comes their saviour holding out his hands to his juniors, all becase he has implicit and unshakeable faith in the ability of a GCEian.

As the Principal, Dr. Ebenezer Jeyakumar remarked, ' Intha mathiri veri varanum...namma college paiyyan place aganum enra veri varanum ovoru old studentukkum- PSG placement intha mathiri thaan aguthu' (All old students must have this ferocious desire to see his college students placed in good jobs. PSG placements are largely due to loyalty to the alma mater and wholehearted effort by PSG alumni).

Kamaraj, God bless you and all the GCEian alumni who are taking efforts in their own ways to put GCE on the global map. You do not know how much joy you have put in an old woman's heart, since I have seen these children start their professional studies from really challenged backgrounds and seen them also rise to perfect their technical skills and communication skills. The world is still alright.