Now a personal secret - the influence of Director Manivannan is so much on me that his father character made me respect a security guard so much.
Showing posts with label People. Show all posts
Showing posts with label People. Show all posts
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Director Manivannan
Now a personal secret - the influence of Director Manivannan is so much on me that his father character made me respect a security guard so much.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Samaritans on the road
 |
| Traffic Samaritans on the road! |
Like you, I was reminded of the Traffic Ramaswamy at Chennai who is a senior citizen and traffic regulator. More on traffic ramaswamy here.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Jayanagar's Gifted MLA - BN Vijayakumar
If anyone finds Bangalore's Jayanagar a model constituency, full credits to the MLA BN Vijayakumar. I had a couple of opportunities to interact with this gentleman and he was very friendly. I also need to mention that I also had several opportunities to interact with his personal secretary Mr.Chennagiri, who looked into the every issue that we took to him when the officials failed.
Once I attended the Janaspandana in Jayanagar through a last minute invite and I was the 100th person to share my concerns. (In the adjacent picture, I am in dark blue shirt sitting 2nd from left).
Now, the MLA also has made something unique to his ward, probably - every street's sign board has his name and the area corporator's contact number; I do not recall seeing this in other constituencies.
He also the first one to initiate the bicycle tracks.
Friday, December 24, 2010
What a man can be!
Met this man in Lalbagh. He brings biscuits for stray dogs everyday. I can never imagine someone getting surrounded by stray dogs. What a thoughtful action he has been doing!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Aravind Eye Hospital
We Indians should be very proud of having our own 'self-sustained', non-profit hospital - Aravind Eye Hospital for their commitment for our society. We had Dr.Namperumalsamy, the Director of Aravind Eye Hospital today in our campus. The hospital was started by Dr.V (Dr.Venkatasamy) with the help of his family members who are still committed. They have a great value system wherein they get the fund through the affordable. They also mobilize the hospital to villages and serve the poor. They are doing 3000 surgeries per year and 40% of surgeries done in TamilNadu are done by them. Their focus on quality, commitment, service mindset for humankind, operating model - is something nobody can match. I will update this post soon with more details.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Gandhi's views on Diwali
Today I came across a website named Gandhi Serve which has documented everything Mahatma Gandhi has written or spoken. It hosts a wealth of information; Its an amazing collection of articles in the PDF format. Its a great source for anyone who wants to read and understand Mahatama Gandhi. Students and parents should visit this site to get all the useful message. TRUE HOLIDAY-MAKING
Young India, 25-10-1928
A correspondent invites me to warn those who care against turning during the forthcoming Divali holidays good money into fireworks, bad sweets and unhygienic illuminations. I heartily respond.
If I had my way I should have people to do housecleaning and heart cleaning and provide innocent and instructive amusements for children during these days. Fireworks I know are the delight of children, but they are so because we the elders have habituated them to fireworks. I have not known the untutored African children wanting or appreciating fireworks. They have dances instead. What can be better or healthier for children than sports and picnics to which they will take not bazaar-made sweets of doubtful value but fresh and dried fruit? Children both rich and poor may also be trained to do house-cleaning and whitewashing themselves. It will be something if they are coaxed to recognize the dignity of labour if only during holidays to begin with. But the point I wish to emphasize is that at least a part, if not the whole, of the money saved by doing away with
fireworks, etc., should be given to the cause of khadi, or if that is anathema, then to any other cause in which the poorest are served. There cannot be greater joy to men and women young and old than that they think of and associate the poorest of the land with them in their holidays.
ReferenceThe Hindustan Times,
23-10-1946
Gandhiji said that a correspondent had drawn his attention to the fact that he had said nothing against illuminations at Diwali in his message on Monday. It was an accidental omission. He had been opposed to illuminations even in the olden days when there was no food shortage. To burn oil or ghee today when there was not enough to eat was unthinkable. Real India did not reside in cities like Delhi. It resided in the seven lakhs of villages. For the hungry and naked villagers there could be no Diwali illuminations or any other kind of festivity. It was their duty to abstain and save all the ghee, oil and money they could.
Reference
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Manivannan, IAS Interview
This entry is a reproduction of Mr.Manivannan's interview from Times of India.
He has a reputation for being a taskmaster. But that, and a touch of humility, have allowed Mysore deputy commissioner P Manivannan to earn the respect he commands
H M Aravind | TNN
Last May in Mysore, during the assembly elections, there was someone the politicians feared more than even the voter: P Manivannan, the deputy commissioner of the district. Marshalling a phalanx of men and machinery — 12 control rooms, 130 mobile stations and 20,000 people — the heat he turned on erring netas was much hotter than that of the peak summer sun.
In the two months leading up to elections, he slapped case after case against violators of the code of conduct, seized Rs 1.25 crore in cash and generally ensured that malpractices were checked.
His writ cut across party lines. Manivannan acted against both H D Deve Gowda and B S Yeddyurappa, seizing vehicles plying without permission. Another time, when on night beat, he heard that a BJP supporter had been caught with wads of currency notes. He rushed to the spot and affixed his signature to be a witness in the case, something unheard of till then. The 1998 batch IAS officer modestly refuses to take credit for the poll success. “It is team work,” he asserts.
Manivannan has a fabulous back story. His father Ponnaiah — a strict disciplinarian — was the first to be educated in his family. Says the son, “Some among Dalit communities in southern Tamil Madu still own land and my father was one such. He went to school but was not allowed to attend college.” An enraged Ponnaiah left the village, settled in Madurai and joined the Indian Railways and resolved his kids would do what he couldn’t. Of his five sons, three became engineers and two doctors.
Ponnaiah spent 50 per cent of his salary on books, ‘our window to the world’. The day he got his salary, he used to take kids shopping for books and in the process built a library of 60,000 books. Manivannan grew up reading these books at home in Srirangam. There was a timetable at home too. A topper, he opted for chemical engineering as he wanted to be a missile scientist. Some time into the course at Regional Engineering College, Trichy, he figured that it had nothing to do with propellant technology! His avid interest in defence technologies made him look at NDA and DRDO. Fortuitously, he fell ill, which, he believes, ‘is the turning point in my life’.
He started work with a Chennai-based group and in 1994 accepted a SAIL offer to go to Bokaro because ‘I had never gone outside Tamil Nadu’. His days at Bokaro made him think about the civil services ‘because to change something you got to be at the top’. Though he was offered his parent state, he opted for the common roster and came to Karnataka. Reason? “I felt in my parent state, I can never be neutral.”
Bokaro, however, will always have a sweet spot in his heart. That’s where he met his wife Vandhana Chouhan, an IIT Delhi grad from UP, who was also working there. Manivannan attributes all the finesse he’s acquired to her. “She remodeled me. The Manivannan you see now is because of my wife,” he says, a broad smile splitting his face. They met in 1998. “I was impractical then. She taught me mannerisms and worldly things. Imagine, I never pressed my clothes those days. I washed and wore them!” he grins.
Such niceties apart, Manivannan has a reputation for being a hard taskmaster. Some of his public strictures haven’t gone down too well with some officials. He is neither unaware nor apologetic about it. “I am a little strict with officers. That is because we are occupying somebody else’s place. We have a responsibility,” he says.
There’s also a softer side to his personality. At Hubli-Dharwad, when he was leading the demolition drive, a senior engineering official went on a long leave. Manivannan punished him but also helped solve the engineer’s family problem. The latter’s daughter had married a boy from another community and was ex-communicated. Later, when expecting a child, she had wanted to meet her mother. When Manivannan learnt of it, he took the girl with him to her house knowing that the engineer would not deny him entry.
Today at Jalasannidhi, the over 100-yearold colonial bunglow where he lives alone as his wife and their five-year old son Amogh live in Bangalore, he’s up at 6 am. After a couple of hours devoted to workout, meditation, newspapers and a glass of ragi amblee (gruel) and fruits for breakfast, he’s work ready. He returns home late in the night and browses through files. Net-savvy, he browses for an hour to stay updated with armed forces news and reads about astronomy and functioning of the brain, his two favourite pastimes. “My midnight walks make my staff think I am a ghost,” he laughs. Sky-gazing is also included in his list of favourites.
He readily admits a negative: “I take decisions fast”. It’s something that’s landed him in trouble sometimes in a politically and culturally active place like Mysore. Like the launch of Karnataka’s first sound-and-light show at Mysore Palace, which was put on hold owing to a controversy surrounding its script.
With a 25-year career ahead of him, Manivannan believes the learning curve never stops. That every educated person should teach others. That’s why every Thursday, he’s at office quite early, teaching a batch of 15 UPSC aspirants how to ace the exam.
WHAT DOES HE DO?
As deputy commissioner, he is in-charge of Mysore district’s law and order and development projects. He is also in charge of JNNURM projects. He is chief of MUDA and heads Karnataka Exhibition Authority. Mysore Palace is under his control.
POSTING ENJOYED
I’ve liked all postings till now. But maybe my one-year stint at Karnataka State Pollution Control Board was more fun because I worked with engineers.
QUOTE UNQUOTE
“I came into the limelight for demolition work at Hubli-Dharwad. I would rather people remember me for constructive work. ’’
STRESS BUSTER
Going to villages and meeting people. It is our interaction with the public that will help us understand their problems and concerns. I want to stay in villages and plan to take a sabbatical for that.
RECENT READING
Aravinda Adiga’s The White Tiger
He has a reputation for being a taskmaster. But that, and a touch of humility, have allowed Mysore deputy commissioner P Manivannan to earn the respect he commandsH M Aravind | TNN
Last May in Mysore, during the assembly elections, there was someone the politicians feared more than even the voter: P Manivannan, the deputy commissioner of the district. Marshalling a phalanx of men and machinery — 12 control rooms, 130 mobile stations and 20,000 people — the heat he turned on erring netas was much hotter than that of the peak summer sun.
In the two months leading up to elections, he slapped case after case against violators of the code of conduct, seized Rs 1.25 crore in cash and generally ensured that malpractices were checked.
His writ cut across party lines. Manivannan acted against both H D Deve Gowda and B S Yeddyurappa, seizing vehicles plying without permission. Another time, when on night beat, he heard that a BJP supporter had been caught with wads of currency notes. He rushed to the spot and affixed his signature to be a witness in the case, something unheard of till then. The 1998 batch IAS officer modestly refuses to take credit for the poll success. “It is team work,” he asserts.
Manivannan has a fabulous back story. His father Ponnaiah — a strict disciplinarian — was the first to be educated in his family. Says the son, “Some among Dalit communities in southern Tamil Madu still own land and my father was one such. He went to school but was not allowed to attend college.” An enraged Ponnaiah left the village, settled in Madurai and joined the Indian Railways and resolved his kids would do what he couldn’t. Of his five sons, three became engineers and two doctors.
Ponnaiah spent 50 per cent of his salary on books, ‘our window to the world’. The day he got his salary, he used to take kids shopping for books and in the process built a library of 60,000 books. Manivannan grew up reading these books at home in Srirangam. There was a timetable at home too. A topper, he opted for chemical engineering as he wanted to be a missile scientist. Some time into the course at Regional Engineering College, Trichy, he figured that it had nothing to do with propellant technology! His avid interest in defence technologies made him look at NDA and DRDO. Fortuitously, he fell ill, which, he believes, ‘is the turning point in my life’.
He started work with a Chennai-based group and in 1994 accepted a SAIL offer to go to Bokaro because ‘I had never gone outside Tamil Nadu’. His days at Bokaro made him think about the civil services ‘because to change something you got to be at the top’. Though he was offered his parent state, he opted for the common roster and came to Karnataka. Reason? “I felt in my parent state, I can never be neutral.”
Bokaro, however, will always have a sweet spot in his heart. That’s where he met his wife Vandhana Chouhan, an IIT Delhi grad from UP, who was also working there. Manivannan attributes all the finesse he’s acquired to her. “She remodeled me. The Manivannan you see now is because of my wife,” he says, a broad smile splitting his face. They met in 1998. “I was impractical then. She taught me mannerisms and worldly things. Imagine, I never pressed my clothes those days. I washed and wore them!” he grins.
Such niceties apart, Manivannan has a reputation for being a hard taskmaster. Some of his public strictures haven’t gone down too well with some officials. He is neither unaware nor apologetic about it. “I am a little strict with officers. That is because we are occupying somebody else’s place. We have a responsibility,” he says.
There’s also a softer side to his personality. At Hubli-Dharwad, when he was leading the demolition drive, a senior engineering official went on a long leave. Manivannan punished him but also helped solve the engineer’s family problem. The latter’s daughter had married a boy from another community and was ex-communicated. Later, when expecting a child, she had wanted to meet her mother. When Manivannan learnt of it, he took the girl with him to her house knowing that the engineer would not deny him entry.
Today at Jalasannidhi, the over 100-yearold colonial bunglow where he lives alone as his wife and their five-year old son Amogh live in Bangalore, he’s up at 6 am. After a couple of hours devoted to workout, meditation, newspapers and a glass of ragi amblee (gruel) and fruits for breakfast, he’s work ready. He returns home late in the night and browses through files. Net-savvy, he browses for an hour to stay updated with armed forces news and reads about astronomy and functioning of the brain, his two favourite pastimes. “My midnight walks make my staff think I am a ghost,” he laughs. Sky-gazing is also included in his list of favourites.
He readily admits a negative: “I take decisions fast”. It’s something that’s landed him in trouble sometimes in a politically and culturally active place like Mysore. Like the launch of Karnataka’s first sound-and-light show at Mysore Palace, which was put on hold owing to a controversy surrounding its script.
With a 25-year career ahead of him, Manivannan believes the learning curve never stops. That every educated person should teach others. That’s why every Thursday, he’s at office quite early, teaching a batch of 15 UPSC aspirants how to ace the exam.
WHAT DOES HE DO?
As deputy commissioner, he is in-charge of Mysore district’s law and order and development projects. He is also in charge of JNNURM projects. He is chief of MUDA and heads Karnataka Exhibition Authority. Mysore Palace is under his control.
POSTING ENJOYED
I’ve liked all postings till now. But maybe my one-year stint at Karnataka State Pollution Control Board was more fun because I worked with engineers.
QUOTE UNQUOTE
“I came into the limelight for demolition work at Hubli-Dharwad. I would rather people remember me for constructive work. ’’
STRESS BUSTER
Going to villages and meeting people. It is our interaction with the public that will help us understand their problems and concerns. I want to stay in villages and plan to take a sabbatical for that.
RECENT READING
Aravinda Adiga’s The White Tiger
Inspiring officer Manivannan, IAS
Mr.Manivannan IAS is one of the sincere officers in the Karnataka administration. The Mudhalvan movie reminded me of him.I guess it was 2003 or so when I have interacted with him. He was then private secy of the CM SM Krishna. The infamous Bannerghatta Road was more worse those days. There used to be a lot of cattle on the road blocking the traffic and there was not any concrete bus stand for the public convenience. I had written to the CM's email id cm@kar.nic.in. This complaint was directly addressed by Mr.Manivannan. He called me on my mobile and gave his direct number. He also asked me to call him if there were any other issues. He would have conversed 3 or 5 times to keep me posted on the issue. Referring to his Tamil name, I asked him where he was from. He said "Madurai".
After a couple of years, I was interacting with my colleague, also a close friend of our family. She narratted a story where in she met with an accident when she was in the bike. She fell unconscious and bleeding. Mr.Manivannan who passed on that road, stopped his car, took her to a hospital and admitted her. He also had left his business card to the Hospital authorities to give to her when she was awake.
I am very proud that I have interacted with such a great administrator. He is regarded the most sought administrator in Karnataka.
Interested to know more about this personality? Read this Times of India interview.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Lost Relationships
Relationships - good or bad - take its own path. Even when we try to handle it bad or better, things may happen the otherway. Its like a roadway discipline. Even if you follow traffic rules, if the other person does not follow, the disaster happens. A friend, was in a good relationship with his girlfriend that was broken later. He was going through the pain of last relationship probably which made him focus on spend more hours at work, or focus towards social services, to keep himself diverted. He said the relationship terminated on mutual agreement. But the wet eyes said
it was a lie! He had been to several adventurous trekking ventures in the past and recent. I recalled the same and explained in him: the way he was able to allow himself to go through the pain and fun part of trekking - getting wet, dirty, sucked by leeches, surrounded by moist greeneries, beautiful weather - it was a wholesome experience. Life is like that. If one does not allow himself to go through such experiences, he does not really grow. Only one area of brain develops or does not develop. We are scratching only one surface of the life ignoring the other. Another friend worried about project change. I told him that even during our LKG till College, we always wept over change and losing the close contacts. We have moved past. In a train journey, we stop at every station and we move past towards the next. Its the destination, but the train journey is the experience that we allow ourselves go through. Actor Kamal Hassan recently commented "Most of the marriages fail, so marriages are not necessary". A friend commented "Most of the movies fail, will they stop making movies?". Let us rise above. Some wants rain and the other does not want. Certainly God does not play dice. Everything happens for a reason. And lets take responsibility(read control), no matter what!
it was a lie! He had been to several adventurous trekking ventures in the past and recent. I recalled the same and explained in him: the way he was able to allow himself to go through the pain and fun part of trekking - getting wet, dirty, sucked by leeches, surrounded by moist greeneries, beautiful weather - it was a wholesome experience. Life is like that. If one does not allow himself to go through such experiences, he does not really grow. Only one area of brain develops or does not develop. We are scratching only one surface of the life ignoring the other. Another friend worried about project change. I told him that even during our LKG till College, we always wept over change and losing the close contacts. We have moved past. In a train journey, we stop at every station and we move past towards the next. Its the destination, but the train journey is the experience that we allow ourselves go through. Actor Kamal Hassan recently commented "Most of the marriages fail, so marriages are not necessary". A friend commented "Most of the movies fail, will they stop making movies?". Let us rise above. Some wants rain and the other does not want. Certainly God does not play dice. Everything happens for a reason. And lets take responsibility(read control), no matter what!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Gandhi and Obama
Friday, October 2, 2009
Gandhi Jayanthi
Gandhi is still a hero of our times.
A couple of days back I have echoed my thoughts on holidays. Why do we need so many holidays? Today, Mr.Shashi Tharoor, the minister of state for external affairs, has rightly echoed a similar thought: "Why Gandhi Jayanathi is a holiday and not a working day". Makes a lot of sense to me.
Shashi Tharoor has been making a lot of sense in the Indian politics. Many (2.75 lakhs as of this moment) follow his twitter
Will next Gandhi Jayanthi be a working day for us?
Friday, November 7, 2008
Kamal's Birthday
Its Kamal's birthday. I was sure that he would do something different this time too. He did not celerbrate his day. Instead he urged his fans with a message "an individual's birthday loses credence or importance when genocide is practiced in our neighbouring island with renewed vigour." He was referring to the on-going conflict in Sri Lanka.
Chandra-Man!
Today I got an opportunity to meet the Chandrayaan Project Director Dr.Mylsamy Annadurai today. He is a simple man, but displayed passion and pride in achieving the mission. Tomorrow, the same time the Chandrayaan will be close to the orbit. He did not smile much, shared some wits once in a while. I take a lot of pride that a Tamilian has achieved a big feat.
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