Mangalore: Tribute to B Ramachandra Baliga - a Friend and a Fine Man
by Sushil Chandra M
DGM (Materials) MRPL Mangalore
June 25, 2007
Fare thee well, fine friend, Ramachandra Baliga
B Ramachandra Baliga, son of the late B Ramadas Baliga, met with a tragic end on Saturday at Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers (MCF), Mangalore. I had spent a lot of time with him during a recent get-together of Mangalore MCEans (Alumni of Malnad College of Engineering, Hassan) in the city.
My association with Baliga - fondly called Ballu - started from our Engineering days. I happen to share his birthday (March 13). Being Pisceans, both of us shared a very unique, artistic bond.
While he was a very good singer, I was an artist. We participated in many inter-collegiate competitions. Baliga was very popular during our college days, for his singing and for his jocular ways. We had many memorable sessions which started and ended with his songs. He used to bring about our hostel corridor alive, in his own characteristic style.
During the 4th and final year, his fame had spread in entire Hassan and he was well known among the local Gowda community too. He used to participate in many local orchestras and we had a tough time in order to bring him back to attend classes.
In spite of all these extra-curricular activities, he finished his degree on schedule. As his days of care-free attitude continued, we ( Ravishankar and I ) coaxed him into taking up a job at MCF. On a sad note, it makes me think today that, had we not done that, if he would have been alive with us.
He joined as mechanical maintenance engineer in the captive power plant of Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers and recently upon his promotion he had moved to the rotating machinery reliability cell, which again incidentally happens to be my area of specialization. Being new to the topic, he was in regular touch with me, while selecting the diagnostic instruments and software.
He was married to Sumana from Mangalore and they have two kids ( Pancham, named after RD Burman, studying in class VII and Poorvi, studying in class III ). He had built a house near Kudroli, opposite the Ullal Nursing Home ( run by MCEan Rajendra Ullal's family ). Incidentally, our house-warming fell on the same day and time because of common birthday..
We had spoken to each other two days back, regarding some details he requied on our marine loading arms.
I had been to the funeral on Saturday night and it was a heart-rending scene, where his wife and two kids were inconsolable.
We understand from the media that the MCF management has promised to take care of education of both the children.
The mishap was caused when a wooden or steel causeway connecting two cooling towers gave way. The exact cause will be known after a proper enquiry. But that will never bring back out dear Baliga.
But all of us have a message here. It's time to review our ways of working. To meet the deadline, work pressure, or sometimes due to sheer over-confidence, we tend to overlook safety norms and go ahead with our work, forgetting for the time being all the dependants, near ones, waiting for you at home.
Is it really worth?
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