TN village celebrates meteoric rise of son to ISRO top job

KATTUVILAI (NAGARCOIL): For residents of Mela Kattuvilai, a village of around 100 families near Nagercoil, it was a day of jubilation as its illustrious son V Narayanan was named the next chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

The pride was palpable in the voices of his two brothers, whose education he had supported, teachers at the government schools he attended and relatives eagerly awaiting his next visit.

The second person from Kanniyakumari district after K Sivan who hails from Sarakkalvilai, just 6km away to be appointed chief of ISRO, Narayanan’s journey was far from smooth. Born the eldest son of C Vanniya Perumal, a Class 5 passout and farmer, and S Thangammal in 1964, Narayanan studied in Tamil medium up to Class 5 at the government primary school at Keezha Kattuvilai (1969-1974).