Engum Niraindha.....!

Though my association with PC started in late 80s, it was only a decade after that, in the late-90s I got introduced to the internet for the first time.

I learnt about the concepts of internet some time even before that, but it didn’t impress me or I thought that atleast in India nothing going to happen in this front.

Indeed I had remained a frog in the well not only w.r.t. internet but also w.r.t. my knowledge and expectations about a wonderful world of Hard Core IR fans which I never dreamt of existing!

Obviously, when encountered with internet first time (I shall thank Nisha, my colleague for introducing and teaching internet to me), my very first search word in internet was nothing but “Ilaiyaraaja”.

And I was clean bowled with the number of sites it offered! It was an amazing incredible magic!

Being an office PC, I was not able to search and read all those links. But I noticed certain sites like RaajaNGAHM etc. but could not read at that time.

Unfortunately, before the second chance to deal with internet, within few weeks, I had to leave that company.

Later joined another firm and reached some remote project site in Madhya Pradesh (and then to West Bengal).

Till mid-2003, I did not get any interconnect connections, and as such my flash introduction with internet remained that way only.

In the intervening period, with my struggle in the office life, I lost myself and my IR-thoughts simply vanished from me.

That was, practically, awfully, the most trying, dry-period of my life.

In 2003, destiny again favoured me and I got a PC of my own in my office and that also with internet with V-SAT connectivity.

When I resumed my search on the internet sites of IR related topics it was a beginning of a wonderful journey.

A few days of browsing of RaajaNGAHM, took me unbelievably to a new dream world.

The high quality technical articles, extensive database, lively discussion threads etc. of IR were quite amazing and realized that the people involved therein were real IR-fanatics and intellects of high calibres.

So I am not left alone in the world, rather I was only a drop in the ocean of IR-fans!

My happiness had no bound….! As if you have found ocean of people after a life time struggle of loneliness in an isolated island.

But, one thing disappointed me that it had gone into a non-active mode and one can no longer interact with anybody there.

Again I was at loss ! Where had gone those wonderful people?

However, within few days, I once again chanced upon the Yahoo-club of IR groups during some IR search! Oh what a nice feeling it evoked in me..!

Thanks to the founder Dr Vijay Venkatraman and his dedicated, sincere and no-nonsense approach, it remains one of the clean, principled group uniting thousands of IR fans.

From this group, I got introduced to many hard-core, high calibre IR-fans like Vijay, Vel, Vicky, CRVenky, Kalyan, Vishy, Vinu, Shiva, Shajahan, Kondu, Prashanth, Kumarpalani, Saikumar and many, many more.........

This community further introduced me to other groups and forums like Ilaiyaragam, Maestromagic, TFMpage, Dhool, then later on to Orkut etc etc.......

Suddenly, the world appeared to have widened a lot to me!

My IR-learning, knowledge and belief etc further strengthened with such exposures!

And I also wanted to do some-thing in return to them !