Sunday Trek To The Golden Gate

Satyanarayana himself has been down the path. He says it is his passion for teaching that keeps him going and his own background feeds the passion. The son of a compounder of a village primary health care centre in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, he studied in Telugu medium till Class xii. But he strove hard to complete MSc at the Regional College of Education, Mysore. Clearing GATE in ’94, he enrolled for a PhD at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam. Today, he is the scientific officer at IGCAR.

Satyanarayana has always wanted to help students like him. He feels those from underprivileged non-metropolitan backgrounds should be provided a platform to pursue careers in research. Hence, while doing his PhD, he began devoting weekends to students. He would gather eight to ten students and coach them for the CSIR entrance. Finally, Madras University’s nuclear physics department agreed to spare him a lecture room.

But Satyanarayana is not too happy with his efforts. The CSIR exam is conducted twice a year (in July and December). The fellowships are few and Tamil Nadu’s share in the national pool in physics averages a measly five per exam. Of these, at least two are from Satyanarayana’s course. "The success quotient should increase. At least six students from my course should clear CSIR every time."

However, Satyanarayana’s course is a legend. For many, the rigorous Sunday sessions conducted free of cost is their only hope to attempt CSIR, GATE and other entrance tests that will open the doors of elite institutes.

Most of the students travel long distances. "In the present batch, a student called Sundaramurthy comes from a village close to Polur near Vellore. He starts at 4 am to reach here by 10 am. He gets back home by midnight. I once visited his village to get an idea of the distances he covers." Till 2001, the class was a three-hour affair. But to accommodate students coming from remote areas he extended it till 5 pm.

Many of Satyanarayana’s students have entered the portals of major institutes such as IISC, TIFR, ISRO, BARC, various IITs; some have moved to universities in Europe and the US. Since 1997, 38 of his students have carved out careers in research. O. Annalakshmi, scientific officer at IGCAR, is one such example. Annalakshmi is from Ammandivilai village near Nagercoil. Neither of her parents is a graduate. She studied till Class XII in Tamil medium. "During my MSc at Nagercoil, people laughed if I mentioned research. Then I heard about Satya’s course—and I attended it in 1999."

Adds P. Venkatesan, now pursuing a PhD in Materials Research Centre at IISC, Bangalore: "I’m from Serkadu village near Katpadi. My senior R. Rajnith told me about Satya’s course. The first Sunday I attended the class in 2002, I thought I would fall asleep after my heavy hostel breakfast. But it was there that I first woke up." Satyanarayana’s take on why he dedicates every Sunday to this cause: "Many go to temples on Sundays. I come here."

Contact him at: 233, Off Central Avenue, DAE Township, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu—603102. Tel: 094443-46247. Email: svmsatya@yahoo.co.uk