Mom Kousalya, an economics graduate who worked in the Madras
High Court, gave up her job, like women of that generation, to
provide quality time to her children.
As a kid, Anna was timid. Can you believe that she was even scared
to ride cycles? For a long time, her brother’s friends were her friends.
Unlike brother Ramanathan, she would finish her homework before
going out to play. He, a later-day engineer and Head of specialized
T&D wing in an MNC, however, had to be forced to do the study!
The one thing that connects them is that both love Malayalam
movies!
Anna has a trailblazing academic record. Ninety-eight percent in
her CBSE exam meant she finished second in her school.
She tells us a fascinating tale. “My dad taught me mathematics,
trigonometry, and calculus. While I regularly topped the class,
including math, my teacher’s usual remark was ‘improvement
required.’ My dad was peeved, as he felt it was inappropriate for a
top ranker!”
For the next two years, Anna moved to a matriculation school, and
in the Grade 12 public exam, bagged the State third rank. Ha, I
forgot. She took the commerce group.
One day, driving a two-wheeler, she jumped the traffic signal even as
a cop flagged her to stop. Minutes after she reached home, a group of
people turned up with a cop. She hid in an inner room, worried he had
come to penalize her. Her mother had to tell her that they were from
the media, accompanied by a cop, to interview her because she had
finished state third. Yes, that day, the class XII results were announced.
