Kannan fëtes Hannu (and me!)

Sunday was an incredibly busy day. We had our regular CHAFF meeting which was attended by so many that we were packed like sardines in the Thai Pailin Restaurant.

Kannan Balaram, our "villager" from Pondicherry,
an example of a true Indian, simple and honest.

However, in the evening, I returned to the Restaurant as I was invited to a party hosted by Kannan for his fellow students and some of his staff members. Present, beside Kannan and myself, were his Head of the Business Engineering Course, Hannu Päätalo, and colleagues Erpo Kiviniemi, Mikko Koljonen, Ville Kummu, Virpi Mehtala and Elizabeth Wang.

Mikko and I have met before when I covered the playing of snow rugby in Oulu, the northern-most Rugby Club in the world.


Kannan hosts a party at the Thai Pailin Restaurant


Kannan thanks Hannu Päätalo for his good leadership during the course.
Erpo and Mikko listen.

Kannan thanked those present for being so helpful and co-operative during the time he was in Oulu. He fêted his Professor, Hannu Päätalo, and complimented him on the excellent design of the course. He said that when he was searching for possible locations to go to study, the Oulu course stood out as it was especially meant for engineers needing a deeper introduction to Business practices from the viewpoint of engineers.


Virpi and Beth (from Phillipines)


Ville with some other guests

In the process Kannan left his script and also honoured me for "helping" him settle down in Oulu. He gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers as a tribute.

In my response I told those assembled I was greatly honoured by Kannan's tribute, but, in my opinion, I had done nothing but recognise that this young man from a humble village in Pondicherry was someone of outstanding and incredible talent. In the six months that he was here he not only worked to successfully complete his course, he obtained a doctoral position at the University of Oulu AND he obtained a doctoral position in the Helsinki University of Technology. Besides this, obtained a full time position in the cream construction project in Finland - the largest Civil Engineering project in progress in this country, as a Site Engineer. The fifth nuclear power plant will see such immense new technologies introduced into the project to safegaurad it from all forms of external attacks, natural and man-made, that Kannan will become one of the top in the field of safety in construction engineering in a short time.


Kannan and me at a CHAFF meeting in January 2006

I also introduced the audience to how Kannan got to meet up with me - the Chaff meetings geared to help Finns and Foreigners when they really need help.

Kannan has done Indians proud by his behaviour and vcharacter, and especially his simple village life honesty. This has endeared him to everyone whom he has come into contact with, and Annikki and I are no exception. We feel honoured that he is our friend.

Thank you, dear friend.