The air around Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE) in Manasagangotri last evening was filled with excitement as one of its alumni and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, accompanied by his wife Dimple Yadav, twin children Arjun and Adithi and youngest daughter Tina paid a nostalgic visit to the college where he did his Engineering course before going back to Uttar Pradesh and later become the youngest CM of the most populous State in the country.

As Akhilesh walked into the college quadrangle, hundreds of students and his classmates thronged the area to have a glimpse of engineer-turned-politician, who was on his maiden visit to his alma mater SJCE after becoming the CM.

Displaying his sense of simplicity and obedience, Akhilesh went to the specially-errected podium where the teachers and College Principal Dr. B.G. Sangameshwar were seated and sought their blessings amidst thunderous applause from the students who whistled and jumped in joy.

Welcoming the dignitary, Dr. Sangameshwar said that it was nice to see Akhilesh, who was moving around on a Maruti Gypsy during his stay in the city, had now become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He recalled that Akhilesh was so simple in those days that he never claimed that he was the son of the then Defence Minister and blessed Akhilesh to become the Prime Minister of the country one day.

Vice-Principal Dr. Syed Shakeeb-ur-Rehaman, speaking on the occasion, recalled ‘When we went to Lucknow to greet Akhilesh on his becoming the UP Chief Minister, I thought that we would get only 10 minutes but to our astonishment, he spared two hours for us after which we only left the place realising his preoccupations.’

While Dr. Shakeeb-ur-Rehaman was predicting that Akhilesh would one day become the Prime Minister, his wife Dimple was silently but proudly listening to it with a smile.

JSS Mahavidyapeetha Director (Technical) and the then Principal of SJCE Prof. M.H. Dhananjaya, showering praises, said that Akhilesh never took the pride that he was the Defence Minister’s son.

Recalling an incident, Prof. Dhananjaya disclosed, ‘When I wanted to meet Mulayam Singh Yadav on his visit to Mysore, Mulayam in turn had said that he along with Akhilesh would come to the College and meet me and spent half-an-hour.”

Courtesy : Star Of Mysore