Thursday 29 December 2011

Mr. Narayanaswamy

First Rank in State in Secondary School Examination
First Rank in University in Plus Two
First Rank in IIT Entrance Examination
First Rank in All India IIT Computer Science
First Rank in IAS Entrance Examination
First Rank in IAS Training Institute

On passing out from IIT Chennai Mr. Narayanaswamy was offered scholarship by the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology , USA .. He who came from a middle class family believed that he had a moral obligation to give something in return for the lakhs of rupees the government spent on him as an IIT student. He had the intelligence and conviction to realize that this money came also from the poorest of the poor - who pay up the excise duty on textiles when they buy cloth, who pay up customs, excise and sales tax on diesel when they travel in a bus, and in numerous other ways indirectly pay the government. So he decided to join IAS hoping he could do something for the people of this country. How many young men have the will power to resist such an offer from USA ? Narayanaswamy did never look at IAS as a black money spinner as his later life bears testimony to this fact.


After a decade of meritorious service in IAS, today, Narayanaswamy is being forced out of the IAS profession. Do you know why?

A real estate agent wanted to fill up a paddy field which is banned under law. An application came up before Narayanaswamy who was sub collector the, for an exemption from this rule for this plot of land. Upon visiting the site he found that the complaint from 60 poor families that they will face water logging due to the waste water from a nearby Government Medical College if this paddy field was filled up was correct. Narayanswamy came under intense political pressure but he did what was right - refused permission for filling up the paddy field. That was his first confrontation with politicians.

Soon after his marriage his father-in-law closed down a public road to build compound wall for his plot of land. People approached Narayanaswamy with complaint.

When talking with his own father-in-law did not help, he removed the obstructing wall with police help. The result, his marriage broke up.

As district Collector he raided the house of a liquor baron who had defaulted Rupees 11 crores payment to government and carried out revenue recovery. A Minister directly telephoned him and ordered to return the forfeited articles to the house of the liquor baron. Narayanswamy politely replied that it is difficult. The minister replied that Narayanaswamy will suffer.


In his district it was a practice to collect crores of rupees for earthen bunds meant for poor farmers, but which were never constructed. A bill for rupees 8 crores came up before Narayanaswamy. He inspected the bund. He found it very weak and said that he will pass the bill after the rainy season to ensure that the bund served the purpose. As expected the earthen bund was too weak to stand the rain and it disappeared in the rain. But he created a lot of enemies for saving 8 crores public money. The net result of all such unholy activities was that he was asked to go on leave by the government. Later such an illustrious officer was posted as "State Co-Ordinator, Quality Improvement Programme for Schools". This is what the politician will do to a honest officer with backbone - post him in the most powerless position to teach him a lesson. Since he found that nothing can be achieved for the people if he continued with the State Service he opted for central service. But that too was denied on some technical ground.


What will you do when you have a brilliant computer career anywhere in the world you choose with the backing of several advanced technical papers too published in international journals to your credit?


When you are powerless to do anything for the people, why should you waste your life as the Co-Ordinator for a Schools Programme?


Mr. Narayanaswamy is on the verge of leaving IAS to go to Paris to take up a well paid United Nations assignment. The politicians can laugh thinking another obstacle has been removed. But it is the helpless people of this country who will lose - not Narayanaswamy. But you have the power to support capable and honest bureaucra ts like Narayaswamy, G.R.Khairnar and Alphons Kannamthanam who have suffered a lot under self seeking politicians who rule us

IT RAINS AND SHINES OVER EVERY HOUSE, CAPTURE BOTH!

The Sustainability Network(Snet) of IIT Madras is organizing a very interesting lecture on
' Solar and Rain water Harvesting Techniques '. The details are as follows

Speaker: Mr Ram Krishnan, a 1967 IITM alumnus
VENUE : MRC (Media Resource Center), 3rd floor, Central Library
DATE: 29th December 2011
TIME: 2:45 - 5 PM

Speaker Profile:

Mr Ram Krishnan, a 1967 IITM alumnus, one of the pioneers in popularizing rain
water harvesting throughout Tamil Nadu during times of extreme water scarcity,
is coming this December 29th to IITM to hold an interactive session on how
both rain water and sun’s energy can be captured on top of every building,
homes and open spaces wherever available.

Did you know that in 2001, IITM had to close down two extra months due to
water scarcity?
Mr Ram on hearing this immediately flew to India and started work on promoting
water conservation measures in Tamil Nadu. He is particularly famous for his
work in Vilathikulam village .

Vilathikulam is a village where there is rainfall only for 9 days in a year
making it one of the driest places in Tamil Nadu. But Mr Ram’s efforts in
reviving the ‘ooranis’ (storage ponds) by water harvesting methods now has
led to a collection of 7 million liters of water in 3 ponds!! In fact, this
has ensured that Vilathikulam has sufficient water supply till next monsoon!!
This is just one of the drops in the ocean of efforts by our beloved alumnus.
To know more about his noble work and about the methods, attend the lecture.
Also check out this link(https://sites.google.com/site/ramkrishnanbio/) for
more detailed notes on his projects or just google “Ram Krishnan Water”

SPEECH BY Brian Dyson, CEO OF COCA COLA

This is a very good speech by the President and CEO, Coca-Cola Enterprises during his speech at the Georgia Tech 172nd Commencement Address Sept. 6, 1996.


THE SPEECH:

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air.
You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls *family, health, friends and spirit* are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.

"How?
*Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
* Don't set your goals by what other people deem important.Only you know what is best for you.
* Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as they would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
* Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the pastor for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all days of your life.
* Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
* Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us together.
* Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
* Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to findtime. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest wayto lose love is to hold it too tightly and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
* Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you are going.
* Don't forget, a person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
* Don't be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.
* Don't use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

This quote is originally from the book: “Suzanne’s Diary to Nicholas” by James Patterson