Chennai :

It was trip down memory lane for K Vijay Kumar and B Muthuraman at Madras Christian College in Tambaram on Thursday when they were honoured with the ‘distinguished alumni award’.

Vijay Kumar, security advisor to the Union ministry of home affairs and former director general of police, recalled how the ‘severe’ ragging sessions at MCC came in handy during a tough training session in Switzerland many years later.

On the campus, where he prepared for the civil services exams, he said, “It used to be fun from 8pm to midnight.” After that, he would sit at his books till 4.30am before rushing to classes at 8.30am. “Despite all this, I cleared the exams the very next year,” Vijay Kumar said.

Muthuraman, chairman of Tata International Ltd, said he didn’t know a single word in English when he enrolled in MCC. “Thanks to my father and a professor who helped me learn English through Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’, I ended up getting distinction in English after the first year.”

Later, Vijaya Kumar told reporters that maoist-infested states were still under the control of the security forces in spite of many CRPF personnel losing lives in ambushes.

The awards were instituted by the MCC Alumni Association to recognise the accomplishments of various alumni.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by A. Selvaraj & T. Francis Sundar Singh, TNN / March 21st, 2014