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(May 19, 2010) Dr. V.R. Raveendran, Chairman
& Division Head, Rocket Propellant Plant, VSSC, Thumba and a
distinguished alumnus of the college and his wife Dr. Sudha passed away
yesterday, following a tragic motor accident near Trivandrum. Dr.
Raveendran was a brilliant student of B.Sc. Physics 1973-76 Batch.
Dr. Thara Simon
The preliminary reports indicate that Dr.
Raveendran's car was involved in a head on crash with a truck. Dr.
Raveendran, who was driving, and his wife Dr. Sudha, who was in the
front seat, lost their lives as a result. The funeral at Trivandrum was
attended by many UC College alumni and faculty. This is a big loss to
the college community.
They are survived by an only daughter,
Reshmi. Resmi has recently graduated in Engineering and has secured first
rank for her B Arch. We express our condolences and may their souls rest
in peace.
News From Hindu about the
Accident:
VSSC scientist couple killed in road
accident
Thiruvananthapuram: A husband and wife, both senior scientists of the
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) here, were killed when the car in
which they were travelling collided with a mini-lorry on the National
Highway near the Asan Memorial at Thonnakkal here on Wednesday
afternoon.
The police identified the deceased as Dr. V.R. Ravindran, Head, Non
Destructive Testing and Analytical division of the Rocket Propellant
Plant, and his wife, Dr. Sudha, scientist in the ITM (Ionosphere,
Thermosphere, Magnetosphere) branch of the Space Physics Laboratory.
The couple were driving down from Kozhikode after attending the funeral
rites of Dr. Sudha's mother. Dr. Ravindran, a reputed scientist in his
field of work, is a resident of Cherai in Ernakulam.
The police said the Hyundai Santro car collided head on with a mini
lorry bearing Tamil Nadu registration number at around 2.45 p.m.
The lorry driver, Veerabhadran, a native of Tamil Nadu, has been
admitted to the Medical College Hospital with minor injuries. The police
have booked him on the charge of rash and negligent driving and man
slaughter.
An official said as it was raining in the afternoon, visibility was bad
and the road was slippery near the accident site. The police were also
investigating whether driver fatigue had caused the accident. The couple
showed signs of life when the police and local people extricated them
out of their mangled car. The police said the couple died while being
taken to the Medical College Hospital.
The couple were living in Nikunjam apartments near Kannanmoola. Their
daughter Reshmi survives them. She recently completed her bachelor's
degree in architectural engineering from the Regional Engineering
College, Thrissur.
The bodies will be handed over to relatives after post-mortem
examination on Thursday.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/2010/05/20/stories/2010052058700300.htm
Messages Received:
Dr. K. K. Leelamma,
HOD of Physics, UC College
"He was my classmate for M.Sc. Physics at
CUSAT during 1976-78 and was very affectionate to his teachers and was a
good friend to his classmates. He was respected by all by his gentleman
nature.
May their soul rest in peace. "
Dr. Jacob Mathew,
Webmaster and Moderator, UCC Alumni Forum:
This indeed is a very sad news. Two
young, brilliant people losing their lives due to an accident.
May their souls rest in peace.
For Moderators and Members of UCC Alumni
Forum
Cyriac George,
Secretary - UCC Alumni Kuwait
So sorry to hear about the tragic death
of our Alumnus Dr. V R Raveendran and his wife Dr. Sudha.
May the Almighty God grant his peace and
protection to the bereaved family.
Prof. M.S. Girija,
Moderator of UCC Alumni Forum
The tragic departure of Dr Ravindran and
Dr Sudha was really shocking. Both of them were loved and respected by
all those who met them at least once. They were always happy to be
associated with the academic circle. So they are well known outside VSSC
and the National and International Scientific community. The Physics
fraternity in Trivandrum has benefited a lot from them. (Dr Sudha was
working in the Space Physics Lab of VSSC) Their lectures were highly
appreciated by students as well as teachers.
Today when their bodies were brought to
their residence, in addition to all those from VSSC, people from all
walks life were present to pay homage to them. There I met Dr
Unnikrishnan Nair (alumnus of UCC) who was Dr Ravindran's teacher in
CUSAT and research guide in Kerala University. Like Dr Leelamma he too
fondly remembered what a good student and nice person Dr Ravindran was!
May their only child, daughter Resmi,
have the strength to bear this loss!
Kurian Mathew, Alumnus
The continuing heart-rending tragedy of
road accidents in Kerala has claimed two more precious lives. It is a
pity that those in authority who can and who must take steps to enforce
traffic rules and lay good roads couldn't care less. But they are busy
conducting Hartals and Bandhs besides sparing no efforts to limit the
width of the National Highways to 30 metres to make them as narrow as
their minds. How many more Ravindrans and Sudhas have to be sacrificed
and how many more Resmis ( my heart goes out to her ) have to be
orphaned before wisdom dawns on the powers that be?
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