Some time back I was invited by the Madras University to talk on Artificial Intelligence ...hither to I had only heard about the University and had never been there and on the appointed date reached the city and with some difficulty checked into a hotel in T Nagar and reached the University in a Taxi.
On that eventful morning there were two events slated at the University and I happened to be at the wrong gate where the CM of Tamil Nadu Smt. Jayalalithaa was supposed to grace a function and needless to say the entire gate and its surroundings sealed by the Tamil Nadu police. Anyone who entered the gate did so by showing an invitation card that resembled a Wedding Invitation card and to my dismay I noted that I had no documents of identity. I tried to non-chalantly walk into the gate noting that I am almost late for the seminar and the special forces detained me for my not carrying any valid documentation. I was held in abeyance for nearly ten minutes by the police as I tried to explain to him my position . The moments spent in front of the Madras University gate was most awkward as I did not know how to tide over the situation.
Providence intervenes when ever Iam in a crisis. Suddenly I saw Mr. Srinivasan who is a very senior member of the AICTE emerge from the gate and he almost instantly recognized me..and he told me the seminar was about to commence and what I was doing here..I explained the situation to him and he told me delegates for the seminar must use the adjoining gate and not this one and both of us made our way to the main entrance of the Madras University near by.
When I look back Iam aghast as to who is responsible for such confusions and mis-information..Is it the Police..the University..or Me.However all is well that ends well..I got to see and be part of one of the oldest universities of our country the Madras University..its Raj era main building which was being renovated and the aura that is Madras/Chennai.
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