OOTY: While a grateful nation is preparing itself to pay homage to “People’s President” A.P.J.Abdul Kalam, on his first death anniversary on Wednesday, here in the hills M.N.Bojan, a Badaga octogenarian, former President’s college and hostel mate at St.Josephs’ College in early 1950s, remembers how Kalam relished “Thupathittu or Yennaiittu” a traditional sweet of the Badagas of Nilgiris and how they enjoyed outings for coffee and chips in Tiruchy.
A retired teacher now, .Bojan (85), hailing from Kadanadu near here, is preparing for a 'puja’ on Wednesday at his home to pay homage to his friend. Talking to Deccan Chronicle, he was reminiscent about his college days in Tiruchy and added that some of them are still green in his memory.
Saying that Kalam showed keen interest in science during the intermediate and during under graduate course in college, Bojan said in the hostel Kalam was staying next to his room and six of them in two rooms were good friends and always moved in a group.
“A couple of occasions I took Thuppathittu or Yennaiittu from my home to the hostel. My friends, including Kalam, relished it. He also liked Ooty 'varkey’. Kalam did not show much interest in movies. During Sundays when others in the hostel took rest, I used to go for English movies in the afternoon. When I returned in the evening Kalam and others would ask me to tell the story. While we were in the same class during the intermediate course, for two years, Kalam moved to science stream for UG course, but I opted for arts subject”, he said.
Another incident which is still afresh in Bojan’s memory is the evening or the leisure time. “We would move out to taste coffee and chips at the India Coffee house near the college. During holidays, we used to go for outing along the banks of Cauvery and would have walk for a few hours.”
Gurukulam school model fascinated former president
M.N. Bojan, director-academics at Gurukulam school at Agalar near here, said his friend and college mate Kalam was inspired by the Gurukulam school model of tree planting and wanted other schools to emulate it.
On his memoirs of Kalam and his visit to The Nilgiris in 2008, Bojan said “Kalam enquired me about my present job at the school and asked me what is special in Gurukulam school. I told him in the school they distributed saplings to those who joined the institution to help them plant either in the school campus or near their homes.” B. Sureshkumar, principal, when contacted, said the institution still had the pet project.
