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Bhaskar Ramamurthi

I was in Campion for three years, from 1972 onwards.  Came there after five years in Don Bosco, Park Circus, Calcutta.  Travelled to Bombay during the 1971 war - Bombay was certainly more edgy than Calcutta then. Emerging from the sprawling environs of DB-PC, Campion seemed like a rabbit warren.  Anyways, there wasn't much time to worry about play and fun.  The people who ran our lives decided that beginning that year, we would write a Core Exam in the 9th, followed by the ISC in the 11th.  So, memories of Campion days for me are largely filled with studies.  In particular, I carry very warm and live recollections of the generosity of Aloysius, Vinay and Samir, when I went to them for assistance with topics that I missed in the 10th, esp. Shakespeare.  Also remember vividly the school plays put up by Pearl (Padamsee) and Co.  Did not expect school plays to be as polished as these, and was awe-struck.  I think Arunabha and Samir had lead roles in one of them, if my memory is correct. The only other noteworthy feature of my Campion stint was that I was one among those (few, I suppose) who actually volunteered to join NCC (Air Wing) and subject myself to the ministrations of Hodiwala.  This was motivated by starry-eyed ambitions of joining the Air Force after school.  Given my height (62") and weight (45 kgs) then, I was quickly disabused of any such notions, and shown the path towards the IIT (by Samir et al, I think), which I had not heard of till then. Promptly, yours truly got down to mugging for the IIT Entrance Exam and to attending Agarwal's Classes.  Got a decent rank, and the engineering seat (EE) of my choice.  Followed my parents to Madras and joined the IIT there. Plenty more mugging (but, this time around, had some fun too) and five years later, figured out that universities in the US actually pay you to come study there (my Dad took a long time to digest that), and landed at UC Santa Barbara (yes, Santa Barbara) for post-grad studies (only the UGs in SB infest the beaches). Four wonderful years followed, in quiet pursuit of my interests - among the best years of my life.  The M.S and Ph.D (in EE) were duly completed, and I was clear about what I wanted to do - teach in India, and build complex systems hitherto not attempted in India.  The presence of powerful role-models in the faculty at IIT Madras drew me back to my alma mater.  So, in 1986, after 18 months at Bell Labs in N.J., I wended my way back to Madras and to IIT as a faculty member. The eighteen years here till date have been wonderful.  My colleagues and I have formed a very strong team and have been successful in building many telecom systems and incubating several companies started by our students.  The work continues in mission mode, and is central to our life on campus here.  I will not bore anyone with more on this - a visit to www.tenet.res.in will tell you more than you might want to know, and also give you a glimpse of self in passport-size form (who was it who said that one needs to worry when one begins to resemble one's passport photograph?  Well, I need to). I live on campus with family, prefer the cocooned life to the mayhem outside, and go out only because it can't be avoided.  Family is wife Vijyalakshmi, two sons (Balakrishnan aged 9 and Santhanakrishnan aged 2), self, and parents who stay with us now and then.  It wouldn't surprise me if a casual observer characterised us as a conservative family.  A closer look will reveal all sorts of neither-here-nor-there features, an affliction that is the bane of many of our generation who straddle different ages at the same time. The only serious hobby I pursue is classical Carnatic music, everything else falling into the category of "stamp collecting".  I continue to play the Mridangam actively - something I started in my Campion days.  Did I expect to get in touch with classmates from Campion?  Well, not till two years ago, when I began to understand the power of Google.  Sure enough, Rahul googled me out of my hole, and here we are.  And the better for it!