Alma maters draw a blank on Nobel Venki

Efforts to gather information about Nobel prize winner Venkataraman Ramakrishnan’s early years at Chidambaram, about 300 km from Chennai, have failed. Ramakrishnan, fondly called Venki by family and friend, was born at Chidambaram in 1952.

The Tamil Nadu media was rife with speculation on Wednesday that Ramakrishnan had completed his pre-university course (PUC) from Chidambaram, but his alma maters — Ramaswamy Chettiar’s Town Higher Secondary School on Bazaar Street and Annamalai University — had no records to substantiate the claim.

With his extended family migrating from Chidambaram, Venki has no relatives left in the  town. Radhika Ravikumar, associate professor in the bio-chemistry department of Raja Muthiah Medical College, Annamalai University, who apparently was Ramakrishnan’s classmate in PUC Class I said, “This is such great news. However, I can’t place his face.

In fact, I have contacted some of my batch mates and they too don’t have any memory of Ramakrishnan. His achievement, however, is inspirational for students in India. We distinctly remember the classroom where our PUC classes in B group (physics, chemistry and biology) used to be held.”

Retired physical education teacher V Kunchithapatham, however, said with certainty that Ramakrishnan studied at Ramaswamy Chettiar school till SSLC. “I was able to recollect the boy through his father’s name Venkataraman. Those days we used to have study hours after school and this lad used to be a regular there. The study hours were mainly meant for dull students, but some brilliant students also availed of the facility as they did not get time to study at home for various reasons. Ramakrishnan never used to be active in sports. He lived on Nattupillai Street, which is close to the school. He completed his PUC from Annamalai University,” the 83-year-old said.

Ramaswamy Chettiar’s Town Higher Secondary School headmaster MR Krishnan said he could confirm that Ramakrishnan was an alumnus till there was some documentary records. “We haven’t been able to find any record on Ramakrishnan. Our teachers and staff have been asking residents of Nattupillai Street and Anantheswaran Street, which are near the school, if they recollect any one by the name of Ramakrishna. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to make any headway. If he was an alumni of our school then it is a great honour,” he said.

“The best solution to the whole controversy would be for Ramakrishnan to himself speak about his early educational years. That will clear the air,” M Nattanam, who taught science in Chettiar School from 1966 to 2000, said.

Echoing similar sentiments, retired physics lecturer MS Govindarajan said, “About 20 reporters came to my place and told me that they had found out that I had taught physics to Ramakrishnan. As the media could not clearly establish how they connected me to Ramakrishnan, I had to go along with their story. I’ve been a physics teacher for 62 years. To be honest, I’m still unable to place Ramakrishnan.”