This is probably one of the oldest class photos you will see here. (Of course, if there are any older ones, we would love to have them.) It is the class photo of our dear Dr. K.C. Chacko. For those of us who had the good fortune to work closely with Dr. Chacko, he is pure inspiration. He is singularly responsible for keeping people such as me (JM) and Thara on straight course. That is not an easy feat; it requires lot of patience. The extent of his generous contributions to UCC is not well known because he hates to be on the limelight.

A little background. You may wonder how this photo came such crystal clear in spite of the fact that it is very very old. Of course, part of the reason is that the original was kept pristine. But the other reason is the care taken by Dr. Thara and her husband Prof. Saji (who is a professor of Mechanical Engg. at Cochin University) in scanning this photo. Saji had to buy a new scanner at Thara's insistence (he relented after sleeping on the sofa for a week) and then he had to hire a technician to visit and tweak the scanner for the best performance!! You see the result above. It was purely a mission of love. (I can report that Saji is now safely back on the bed. A job well done, Saji.)

Why do people such as Thara and Saji go to such an extraordinary measures to handle a class photo? In our mind, Dr. KCC deserves the best. He inspires and brings out the best in all of us. So, scanning his class photo does deserve special equipment and attention to detail. Thank you Dr. KC! You are the best.

Dr. Chacko is on the second row (standing) extreme right (yes, the one with the coat with a kerchief in the pocket.)