Almost faced bullets during anti-Hindi agitation: HCL's Shiv Nadar

COIMBATORE: Shiv Nadar, founder chairman of Rs 16,000-crore IT enterprise HCL, on Wednesday said he almost faced bullets during the anti-Hindi agitation while studying in a city college about four decades ago.

"The anti-Hindi agitation changed the entire face of Tamil Nadu with a local party emerging on the top, relegating the Congress," he said at a function tonight at PSG College of Technology, from where he graduated in engineering.

He said during the peak of the agitation on Jan 25, 1965, there was a lathicharge near a post office, which disturbed a lot of students, including him, a third year student.

"On top of it, there was a rumour the next day that two students of Madurai Medical College were shot at, sparking tension. About 5,000 students from almost all colleges in the city, with me in front, marched to the Collector's office, to take up the issue directly with him," he said.

The officials made it clear there was shoot at sight orders against those indulging in violence, he said. "Someone was holding a gun and calling your bluff. It was as big a risk you can possibly take," Nadar said.

As the students were dispersing someone stated that they torch two or three buses, now that they have reached this far. "But I politely turned down this dangerous appeal."

"My student days in PSG saw three Prime Ministers, two wars, taught us courage, resilience, leadership and optimism," he said.

Nadar said the Centre ultimately bowed to pressure and withdrew the order on making Hindi compulsory.