The college is fortified like never before. For once, we are all scrabbling around in search of the ID tag when we near the Adm Block. The police guard the block like it's a Category Z subject. We are questioned even if we bat our eyelids for a fraction of a second longer...or move the arm suspiciously. 

Bags are searched for arms, ammunitions and other inflammable materials and sadly, the only inflammable I had was my 'vatha kolambu' for lunch, as a police official sadly found on examination of the numerous storage spaces of my bag. In fact, I found a long lost pencil of mine during the search!

Well, just in case you thought that the security was for the safety of the staff and students, you are way beyond the mark. Ballot boxes are stored in LI and L2 halls and the D1 hall. Guns, rifles registers and crackling belt phones on a special frequency are sighted and heard ( I meant the last one here) all over. Even our parking spaces have been taken over by swarming hordes of policemen and one has to apologetically park it in the usual place.

I take refuge in the lab, since power supply to the department has been cut off and will remain so till the counting day. 

We all take long detours to reach the departments, since the block has been made a single entry point. All of us have a lost a few kilos and look  like shadows of our own selves...

I'm sure, once they leave, I'm going to miss having my bike guarded through the day...and my ID card will find its way back into the dark nether zones of my bag.

Life will never be the same again, till another election is held.

 

Feel rather low and down in the dumps, because as the year draws to a close, I feel that with the large number of classes I've been handling, I may not have done justice to the children, because I have not had time to stand and chat with them. I miss the chit chat on the campus roads and canteen ...in fact, I realised I've not been to the canteen more than two or three times this year! 

The stress and strain has also had its toll on my cheerfulness, making me dour and glum, except when I realised that I was turning into a typical teacher - distant, cold, aloof  and out of touch with my first years...and then, I pulled myself out of the sad state of affairs. Even my visits to the library and reading have been sacrificed at the altar of duty. I've not visited the library in more than a year!!!!

The extremely short semester compounded by the election has not made things easier, as one rushed through the lessons and classes...

Hope things are better the next year. My optimism and joy in teaching never desert me. :))

The principal was given a fond farewell by the Association of Teachers at the initiative of Prof. PGV on his promotion as Additional Director at DOTE.  

Heads of Departments and faculty members spoke, recalling their association with the principal in his long stint of nearly 30 years at the institution. They spoke of his solutions to the long pending demand for domestic billing for electricity in the quarters, his sanctioning of arrears and funds for development activities in the mechanical and civil departments, his encouragement of research proposals and his simple administrative style.

The principal was his humble self as he spoke of the memorable days at Bargur where he learnt his reins, his tussels with administration, his strong understanding of administrative rules and regulations  and  his desire to help all.

It was with the feeling of happiness that he was not really leaving the instituion, only moving to a bigger seat of power, that everyone left the hall, wishing him success, achievement and happiness. 

It's the lunch break and I've just returned from one of the most spectacularly organised and presented events of the year - Zinastini- Science with reason- organised by Prof.S.Srinivasan/HOD, Chemistry. I felt the event was a fitting finale for his career that has spanned three decades - (he's superannuating  in May), so well presented ! 

Dr. K.R.Murali, Deputy Director, CECRI, Karaikudi, the illustrious academic was the Chief Guest. His talk on Nano materials was immensely interesting. For me, personally, his talk drew me once to contemplate on the use of Nanomaterials in Children's Literature. 

The Principal spoke on scientific temper, innovation and the need for young people to become achievers, drawing the example of Ms.Sinduja, a Class IX student who is the world's youngest CEO from Tamil Nadu.

Prashanth, the Secretary was elegant, classy and tastefully dressed for the occasion in a well matched suit. He stands out as a leader par excellence, as I don't think anybody else could've carried off the suit with such comfort and ease. He effortlessly co-ordinated the whole show and led from the sides. His was an invisible force, that everyone quietly acknowledged and accepted. He is undoubtedly going to be one of the best leaders GCE has seen in a long time. 

He was ably assisted by Sharath, the comperes who performed like seasoned artists, Nivya and a team of discipline monitors. 

Dr.Dharanitharan was the master puppeteer - his strings were one of firmness, encouragement and quiet lead. 

As for the entertainment that followed, these were noteworthy for their attention to dignity in fun. The solo songs karoaked by Ashok, Jeeva and Lucky were stunning. 

A martial art show by a black belt holder had me in open mouthed awe, as he swung his Bruce Lee chain, stick and broke tiles. 

For the first time, Naga students performed their traditional dance in colourful attire and a vocalised humming that throbbed with intensity. 

The girls who danced were all graceful and obviously well talented. 

I'm sure that Dr. Srinivasan/HOD, Chemistry will remember this Zinastini as one of the best in his long career. I've a lot to learn from the enthusiasm and perfection of Prof.Srinivasan, whose long career has not dulled his interest or his passion for teaching. He's always there on the dot for his classes, his Chief Advisorship taken with a rare sense of responsibility and he always has a smile for his fellow teachers and students. GCE will certainly miss him the next year on.

Graduation Day 2011 was held at Periyar University auditorium. A huge, echo-less, well planned one with a lot of space in the front for a robing room and three rooms at the back for performers, in case of a performance. 

Well-lit and large enough to accommodate 1000 people, it excited a tinge of jealousy in us all. 

The ceremony was unusally well attended wih around 525 graduands and around 700 guests. 

Their P.A. system was fantastic. Wonder when the dream of the alumni to have such an auditorium in the college will come true!

Anna University Coimbatore Vice Chancellor Dr.K.Karunakaran was the Chief Guest and he gave a rousing speech on the need of the hour - employable graduates ready for the technology boom and value driven engineers. 

I met a lot of the old students and the moment I saw their faces, there were memories of them in the classrooms, playing mischief, playing truant, standing outside classrooms, sleeping inside, enthusiastically participating in the class, sharing their woes and joys  with me, surprising one with their intelligence, aritistic talents and joyful attitudes. And, today, there they were, happily queueing up to receive their degree certificates. I'm sure it was a moment of pride for their parents too. 

In fact, when graduands are asked to bow to the audience, they do not take it seriously and walk away. So, today, I gently reminded them to remember their families and parents who were responsible for their education and to bow down to them. There they were, bowing down humbly,  I'm sure , in silent acknowledgement of their contribution to what they are today. 

I did it at my Ph.D convocation, mentally bowing down to my husband who had been my inspiration through those five long years, and perhaps, that was what prompted me to tell the graduands the same.  

The ceremony began at 11.15 sharp and ended at 1.45. I was ravenous and so must have been a lot of others.

 

TCS Award 2010

The prestigious TCS Award presented to the topper in the Department of Computer Science was given away at a simple and elegant function in the auditorium. Mr.Paul, Senior Consultant from TCS and an old student of GCE was present at the ceremony. Ms.Poorani, a bright and talented topper aced her nearest competitor Mr. Rajkumar by a mere .04 points. My heart rejoiced at their achievement, but felt a little sad that Rajkumar could not be given the award too. 

The principal outlined some of the skills that the recruits would have to take with them,   such as soft skills and people management. The Principal brought out the wonderful coincidence of three alumni of GCE – the Chief Guest who belonged to the 90’s batch of ECE, Prof.P.M.Kavimani  and Dr. Wahida Banu, both alumni  too, getting together to celebrate the achievement of another GCEian.(  I always wonder how proud Prof.Kavimani must feel when he sees the college that he once walked around,  now growing and expanding under his administration. 

The Chief Guest recalled that he had last been on the stage as an orchestral member twenty years back, crooning English numbers and strumming his guitar. He asked the students to remember that life was different once they entered the competitive corporate world. He asked them to first  identify a goal and work towards that with ‘controlled aggression’. Next, he reminded them that pursuing a field of special interest or developing expertise in one software was acceptable, but  they would have to start exploring several fields simultaneously if they wanted to make a mark in their careers. He illustrated this with his growth being diverse and how he handled sales, consultation, project presentation etc to move ahead in his career. He advised them to become focussed and to be ready to accept responsibilities. He congratulated the recipient of the award and her parents and teachers. It was indeed a moment of pride for all. 

I had also been invited to talk and  spoke on some of the special qualities that I have observed in GCEians. I was glad that I could admit in public all that I had lovingly held close to my heart all these ten years in appreciation of the boys and girls of GCE.

Farewells are being given in departments and while their walls resonate with the shouts and loud farewells, I’m sure there is also a lot of forgiving, accepting, appreciation, fond memories of moments spent in fun, anger, fever, hunger, parties, sweat and tears. Life certainly does not change.

Was preparing the Convocation Address for the Principal and realised that there is a pattern to the cycle of events at college. Very late realisation...which however has not dampened my spirit. The grounds reverberated to AR Rahman's Jai ho and Thai manne Vannakkam late in the morning, in preparation for the Sports Day. 

I missed the opportunity to attend the function and meet in person, Dr. V.M.Periasamy, whom many in the college refer to as VMP, a former Principal, who seems to have given his job a dignity and openess. Wish I could've met him...

I feel sad that I did not even know what went on, since I was collecting information for the address and suddenly noticed that the time was around 4.30. 

There is also the TCS Award Ceremony tomorrow. TCS has advanced it this time, so it's getting over in March itself. Girls and boys of CSE are busy with the arrangements as they are doing everything possible to make the day a memorable one for one of their major recruiters and patrons from the industry. 

And, on Sunday, is the Convocation.
What a fantastic week it is.

We had it straight from the horse's mouth - the Principal is assuming charges at DOTE in the first week of April. He told us this at a meeting convened to discuss the Graduation Day.

He was, as usual, succinct and clear in his talk. He traced the events that led to the fixing of the venue and date, and hold your breath - the convocation is being held in the Periyar University auditorium, which is large enough to host 1000 invitees. I shall certainly miss the heat, the noise, the echo and the cramped spaces of the GCE auditorium! 

The meeting went on till 6.15 p.m. since the convenor Prof.PG Venkatakrishnan wanted everything spot on to make this a fitting finale to the academic career of Prof.P.M.Kavimani who has served this institution for about 27 years. There shall certainly be all efforts to make this a memorable occasion. 

This time, I hear from the to -be -graduates that quite a number can be expected since they have all completed their training. I hope they make it in large numbers, since it is specially being organised for them on a Sunday.

This time, registrations are being done online, through e-payment to ease the work of our ex-students. Perhaps, the right thing to be done for our tech savvy students.

 

Vidiyal, the inauguration of TLA went off with a small ceremony held in the auditorium.
Mekchat got off to a rousing start with the inauguration on 7th. Mr.Vijay Ramasamy, Manager/Caterpillar, India, the Chief Guest gave a spirited talk on Internal Combustion Engines that was informative, simple and easy enough to be understood and appreciated even by a layperson. The Principal's talk, as usual, was precise and sharp. He extorted the values of versatility, innovation and usefulness to the society. The large helicopter which was designed by the students with assistance from the lab attenders was a wondrously huge toy that served as a registration desk. 
The workshop by Tata Motors was also appreciated. 
Women's Day was celebrated on the 8th under the convernorship of Dr.Wahida Banu. The two chief guests, Ms.Archana, an entrepreneur and Dr.Kavitha, a surgeon who explained the importance of education to girls, the need to persevere in the midst of crisis and of giving pre-marital care of one's health in order to balance the home and the career, were loudly applauded by the women scholars of the institution. There was an interactive session too when girls sought counselling. It was a day also of celebrating the power of womanhood, as the girls revelled in creative exercises. 


 

It's time for MEKCHT11.0 to make its mark. The invitation itself holds promises of grandeur and high vision...the Chief Guest is Mr.Vijay Ramasamy /Manager-Caterpillar, India. They have had around 1000 registrations so far, the largest among all departments. They are offering a TATA Motors Certificate Course as part of the three-day fiesta. You can bet Mechanical guys will definitely come up something spectacular and mind blowing. 

This morning, I caught up with the embarassing 'puff and coffee' part of METMAT11, the symposium held by the department of Metallurgy - well, blame it on the classes that I had to finish and then rush to the auditorium to listen to speeches, instead to end up with puffs for the most unhealthy mid morning bite!! 

As for the exams, everything's uncertain! With the elections fitted right into the middle of academic assessments in universities across the state, everybody's wondering about the pre-poll noise and the post-poll restrictions and whether exams will be held earlier than scheduled or later than anticipated. 

Can one's calendar be so full that it's literally a case of one hopping from one exciting event to another? Hmmm...at GCE, this March, it is.

I attended COMPCOM 11, ECE department's annual symposium. I had classes, so caught just the last part of Prof.Kavimani's speech. He informed students that head hunters from different companies had given the feedback that while students had the intellectual acumen as engineers, they needed to know, understand and appreciate business, since all companies are driven by commercial needs. 

At this point, I recalled the Business English Certificate Course that we used to offer to students in the evenings- that course by Cambridge honed the learner's understanding of the business jargon, the practices and nuances of official and corporate activities.

The Chief Guest, Mr.TK Das, DGM/ Dalmia presented a picture of an economically strong India that requires quality engineers and so urged students to equip themselves for the demands of the corporate world. 

This week , girls hosted their hostel day, which I believe was a riotous, fun filled evening of dances, food and laughter. 

TLA is releasing 'Agaram', their magazine this afternoon. Gecofest is being held on 11th and 12th, rather unusually on a Saturday. I'm disappointed, as I will miss the fun on Saturday, due to a personal commitment.

On the first three days of the week, starting  on the 7th, is Mekchat, a grand gathering of students to attend a three day long symposia with a workshop conducted by TATA Motors to be the highlight, beckons one. I suppose that will be followed by  the Boys Hostel Day, TechnoBlaze and  MetMat11. I'm sure the Sports Day will be somewhere in between. 

With elections around the corner, life is going to be hectic with fun and books thrown in together, in a melee of days. 

 

It's that time of the year when things begin happening. 

Today, the JSW scholarships were presented to 7 recepients.

The function took place in the new digital library auditorium. The gallery hall is attractively furnished and the function was solemn and simple. 

Shri. Ravichander/CEO, JMD/JSW was the Chief Guest. Shri,. Mehrotra, VP/Finance and ShriRajendran/DGM/HR were present for the award ceremony.

Prof.Kavimani used the opportunity to exhort JSW to extend its MOU with the institution and to extend its interaction to enhance technical knowledge dissemination. He underscored the point that JSW's benefaction would be repaid in full, when our students were recruited by them in turn. He underscored the importance of such awards to needy  and meritorius students.

Shri Ravichander was emphatic that the efforts of JSW to expand would include our college. He assured that steps would be taken to renew the offer of scholarships. He wanted stimulating and challenging pattern of questions in exam in order to encourage smartness. He once again emphasised the view that good communication skills would be necessary to survive; good technical knowledge would help engineers to make their presence felt in the smooth functioning of  work.

JSW's munificence is a part of Corporate Social Responsisbility, when it has pledged its support to education, health and employability. 

 

Well, GCE girls are making waves at the National Level! Kalpana Kaur and Sneha Lall of III EEE stood fourth at the ETQuiz, conducted by Economic Times and Cognizant. Not a mean feat, if you consider that all the others were management gurus. Of the 100 teams that appeared, 6 were shortlisted and our two young ladies were among these 6. Now, isn't that something to be proud of? Boys, move over, you got tough competition. I feel, girl power is making itself tangible everywhere. 

Congratulation to the two and thanks for making Cognizant sit up and notice our potential. 

Rumour mills are working overtime at GCE - one says that the Principal, Prof.P.M.Kavimani is promoted as A.D./Planning at DOTE, Chennia, the other, that Dr.RSD Wahida Banu has been selected as Registrar for a University; the last, that workers of the mess at the hostel propose to go on a strike demanding a hike in their contract salary. 
The element of surpise and unexpectedness is what marks government service and events like these are talked about in whispers...they become official only when a circular comes around and till then, it's a secret everybody knows but 'does not know'. 

Everyday, I learn lessons in humility...today, I learnt it from Arvind.T.M. of final year Mech, Student Editor of GCE Newsletter, ELA Secretary,Student Placement Co-ordinator, aspiring to be Ohio University Doctoral Student in Aerospace Engineering, avid reader, organiser of Mekchat 2011 and now, an active blogger. 

His blog at http://airbornegeeks.blogspot.com offers interesting insights into the various facets of aeronautics. Written in his inimitable style, the blog takes up his free time. The intensity on his face when he writes is a study by itself. 

Today, I had Arvind and Gowthami in the department taking their work very seriously, one in blogging and the other in preparing for her CAT essay writing, almost the entire afternoon. It's a pleasure to see children engrossed in academic work...Gowthami has sought help to sharpen her skills in the language, since she is preparing for the CAT exams. 

I'm always delighted when in the fourth year, children find a sense of direction and are ready to experiment with their choices. Suddenly, they are no longer children...they are adults who are wise, curious, alert, practical and insightful.

Our fight with machines and equipment goes on - the T-Lan switches for 36 systems has malfunctioned and I don't know when it will be set right. Third Year students are going to miss their classes on the LAN-system based exercises on GRE vocabulary and reading, till that is set right. 

It's a little depressing when one's best efforts to give our students the best possible training during a semester comes undone because of such faults and when everything has to go through a long process to set them right - if the process sees the light of day! 

It's a long struggle, but I sure hope things will take a turn for the better. 

At times like these, infact, the only time, when I wish I were younger, just to possess the optimism and hope of  young people.

That's my sob story of the week, though, otherwise, the week was full of surprises. My best surprise was the Mech 2, first year boys. So refreshingly human, these boys have their hearts in the right places. They are noisy, as boys must be, (it's kind of unnatural when kids keep quiet for long hours), but their work is different, natural and spontaneous. Sasi and Prashanth were my heroes of the week, one with his determination to succeed in life and the other with his appreciation of human effort from a fellow student. 

Placement is slowly closing the gap between the recruited and the hopefuls ,in almost all the branches. Metallurgy is almost done and in the other branches, only about 16/17 remain; by the end of the month, student co-ordinators are optimistic about placing all their classmates in companies. The only painful realisation that has come about is the fact that girls in the Civil branch are being overlooked, because their core companies, inspite of a phenomenal recruiting spree, are only looking at employees who will be working onsite, in interior parts of states, hilly and inaccessible parts and they will not be able to ensure the safety and comfort of girls. 

I feel it's a pity that our brilliant girls, with fantastic aptitude and passion for their subject and with additional technical skills are left wondering where their dreams are. My heart goes out to them. However, I'm sure there are companies which will recognise their potential and take them in. It takes courage to answer a call and it takes courage to bear it all. God be with you all, girls of Civil Engineeirng.

There was great appreciation from Mr.Prabhakaran, an alumnae of the institution and an Asst.Engineer of TNEB and Alumni Association organiser, for the Newsletter. It was gratifying to see that all the effort taken was noticed and appreciated. Thanks to all for your encourgement. 
Mr.Prabhakaran also said how the association of alumni has contributed a sum of Rs.15 lakh as development fund for the institution. Amazing effort and they deserve all kudos for the effort taken towards this. I know the GCE alumni has very strong roots to its alma mater. God bless all of them.

Would you believe the reach of the net? 763 visitors  have downloaded the newsletter and at a throwaway price. The number will grow exponentially everyday. It's amazing. 

Even a conventional newsletter wouldn't have had such a reach. People from far and wide are writing back to us about how they enjoyed reading it. Nostalgia was the emotion running through most. 

At college, Pongal stupor is still filling the classrooms and students are far and few in between. I introduced the first year ECE students to Pictionary, a game that stimulates lateral thinking. The kids loved it. We had words like circumnavigation, logistics, transformation, national highway arrived at  after a lot of wild passes and guesses.

Yoo...hooo...I'm jumping...I'm ecstatic...I'm over the moon...I'm floating...I'm flying...
GCE Newsletter for 2010-11 was launched this evening in the Principal's chamber. 
It opened from the Principal's mailbox and now, the link will be given to all...happy viewing and reading!!!
We went through a Publisher to PDF to Encrypted PDF to Uploading file to Getting the link and Posting it process. The journey has been one of unending fun for the team and one of learning for me, as I learnt the uses of technology in publishing. 
Let the show go on, now. 
The link below opens up a wondrous world for you. 

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/2483734/gcenewsletter-pdf?da=y