59) “TN Scientists Award” -2

We were on a look out for a structural engineer for consultancy on a project. We manufacture digital scrollers and one of our clients; HPCL evinced interest. However there was a minor hitch: they needed the assurance of a structure engineer as to whether this 2 ton structure could withstand the rains and gusty winds. The last thing any petrol owner wants is a hoarding falling on the fuel stations and trigger of a blaze.

I went scouting for a structural engineer of repute and everyone is the field recommended the name of Ms. K Suguna, Reader in Department of Structural Engineering at Annamalai University. We established contact and finalized the terms as she set to work on the project.

She submitted a 300 page report after an exhaustive investigation. She even calculated the weight of the nuts and bolts and calculated the stress factor of the hoarding at different heights. She insisted that the structure should be free standing and erected on a plinth to avoid damage to the cables running below.

She accompanied us for the client meeting and answered all their doubts and even the HPCL’s technical team was impressed by the depth of her knowledge and application.
We signed the deal and the role played by Suguna was critical.

We soon met regularly and slowly became good friends. She once narrated the hardship faced by her after the birth of her son.

“He was only 4 months old and at time I was pursuing my Phd. My research required me to sit in the lab all day. I used to run between home and lab and balance both. Luckily for me, I was staying the university quarters and could breast feed my infant son”.
“It’s tough to manage a career and home simultaneously and I have been very fortunate in having loving in-laws. My mother-in-law is more like a mother and she cooks for the family insisting that I don’t bother but instead concentrate on my work. In addition, she looks after the baby when I am either at the lab or the classrooms”.

Suguna has over 20 research publications to her credit in the field of structural engineering. Her inspiration has been her father, a famed structural engineer, and she followed his steps even though it was not suitable for women. It’s a field job and supervising masons and architects in construction amidst the clamour of noise, mud, cement and steel protrusions requires a nerve of steel and acceptability.

She was awarded the “Tamilnadu Young Women Scientists Award” and is now pursuing research to construct disaster resistant buildings along with her students.

I asked her about her beliefs in life and she said,” There will always be criticism and if one learns to handle that and progress ahead, then no goal is impossible. And above all, have faith in yourself”.