The place where dreams of a nation took a pause

Sriperambathur is a small town desperately trying to catch up with the world. It has many big companies setting up shops and is bustling with people. I have never been here before and so dropped in for few hours on my way from Chennai to Kanchipuram (a city I had read about so much in the History).Sriperambathur burst into the world scene on the night of May 21 1991. The tragic assassination of Rajiv Gandhi shocked the world. He was on an election rally and was very much on the way to be the PM (eerily similar to Benazir Bhutto). Terrorist organization of Sri Lanka -LTTE was responsible for the heinous act. It was quite a sad event, I recall being grief stricken for few days. It was a horrible sight.

I recall Rajiv Gandhi as quite a charismatic leader (I saw him once in Pune...we were 5 guys going for tuitions and he waved to us). Because of him we had to face the question in school as to where do you see India in 21^st century?!!. “hamme bharath ko ikisvi sadhi meh le jana hai”. The Samadhi does have sculpt of him leading the country to technology and development. It is a peaceful place with pillars denoting rivers and a stone marking the spot of assassination on a tapering path signifying the last path he took, aesthetically done (I did got carried away by the surrounding since I almost got hit by a speeding vehicle as I came out and was crossing the road. This one was real close, the guy must have been in some hurry!!. He shouted some abuse in Tamil, despite being in Delhi for more than a decade-a place that really tests your survival instincts in cities, shouting back never got into my system. Anyway I should consider myself very lucky to have survived with few scratches). What really shocked me was Rajiv Gandhi was only 47, I was thinking he was older. When you are young all older people are old, in school and college one year difference is significant. It is only when you cross certain age you think age in relative terms. Surely Einstein will agree!!.