TN village celebrates meteoric rise of son to ISRO top job

TN village celebrates meteoric rise of son to ISRO top job

KATTUVILAI (NAGARCOIL): For residents of Mela Kattuvilai, a village of around 100 families near Nagercoil, it was a day of jubilation as its illustrious son V Narayanan was named the next chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

The pride was palpable in the voices of his two brothers, whose education he had supported, teachers at the government schools he attended and relatives eagerly awaiting his next visit.

The second person from Kanniyakumari district after K Sivan who hails from Sarakkalvilai, just 6km away to be appointed chief of ISRO, Narayanan’s journey was far from smooth. Born the eldest son of C Vanniya Perumal, a Class 5 passout and farmer, and S Thangammal in 1964, Narayanan studied in Tamil medium up to Class 5 at the government primary school at Keezha Kattuvilai (1969-1974).

He attended the LMS higher secondary school at Zionpuram, 3km from his village for Class 6 to 10 (1974-1979) before completing his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at Konam government polytechnic in Nagercoil. His younger brother V Gopalakrishnan, an executive engineer in the TWAD board in Nagercoil, recalls how Narayanan initially sacrificed his engineering dream for him.

“After his DME, my brother got a job through campus placement. In 1982, we both secured BE admission. He got a seat in the prestigious Anna University in Guindy but as our father could not financially support the education of both of us, my brother gave up his seat. He took the job in TI Cycles instead,” Gopalakrishnan shares.

He adds that Narayanan also worked at MRF Tyres and BHEL in Ranipet. After passing AMIE (Associate Member of the Institution of Engineers), he got selected as a technical assistant in ISRO at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Kerala and rose through the ranks.

In 1989, he completed his MTech in Cryogenic Engineering from IIT-Kharagpur and PhD in Aerospace Engineering.

His other brother, V Krishna Mani, who works at Joy University, says Narayanan always excelled academically. “Our parents passed away and could not see the elevation of their son,” he laments, adding that Narayanan has silently supported the education of many youngsters in the village and elsewhere.

According to T Wisilin Philominal, a primary schoolteacher of Narayanan’s alma mater, the scientist visits his school every year during Pongal and provides bags, books and other goodies to the children. S Raja Arumuga Nainar, principal of Konam government polytechnic where Narayanan did his DME, notes that Narayanan has never failed to mention the name of the polytechnic that set him on his path to success.

For Naryanan’s paternal uncle C Chellathurai, who received a call about the momentous news from his distinguished nephew, the achievement marks the distance the family has travelled. “My father Naryanan’s grandfather was a daily wage worker. We could not complete school, but Narayanan was very interested in studies. He always tells youngsters about the importance of education,” explains Chellathurai, as he awaits Narayanan’s visit this weekend.