At Carmel, Indiana

Day before yesterday, I flew to Indianapolis and my lecturer Dr Pon Samuel came to pick me up for a weekend at his place. He taught only the final BSc and MSc students at Madras Christian College in Tambaram. He taught us Phytomorpho-organogenesis, and we had to do research and submit a dissertation. Mine was on Polyacrilamide Gel Electrophoretic investigation of proteins in the gravisensitive pulvini of paragrass (Brachiaria mutica). Even though he was my lecturer, we were also very good friends. Our friendship was because of our common and intense love for the subject, nature, conservation and wildlife. We did many phytogeographical studies in the Western Ghats especially in the Erivacolam Sanctuary - classifying the species there. At that time I was very keen in grass taxonomy. The pic above shows both of us in front of his residence.

He had also invited two other lecturers of mine Dr Mary (whose research was in Nuclear Physics and Muon Studies) and her husband Freddy does research in Organo-metallo chemistry and radiation Chemistry.. Both taught chemistry when I was at MCC. Chemistry was my ancillary subject. It was a great reunion after many years. We were all one clot at MCC. Common interests, intense singularity with knowlege, a missionary zeal to preserve nature and a fundamental bent to be nonconformist. The pic below shows the Pon and his wife on the right, with their daughter, Aster. And on the left is Freddy and his wife Mary. And below that is pic of all us together after  wejust got up from bed and had a cup tea / coffee.