From Waitlist to Podium: A Cold Morning, a Crowded Train, and A Case Study’s Journey to the Capital, New Delhi for an Award.

When the notification arrived, it was only a few lines long. It said my travel for the second AC fare would be reimbursed so I could receive a prize from Honourable Minister Shri Jitendra Singh in New Delhi. It was short on detail and long on meaning. The third prize for my case study at IIPA was real, and I was going to Delhi to collect it.

Getting there was its own small drama. My second sleeper tickets sat on the waitlist, and I watched the status like a stock ticker. One ticket moved to RAC, then to confirmed. The return journey on the Tamil Nadu Express followed the same nervous pattern. I half expected a last-minute cancellation to undo everything, but the thought of standing before the nation’s top public administration leaders, and of attending the 72nd Annual General Body Meeting, kept me going.

On a cold Thursday morning, I took the metro to Chennai Egmore and boarded the Thirukkural Express, coming down from Kanyakumari and bound for New Delhi. My RAC berth was tucked into a reserved compartment with over a hundred people packed into space meant for seventy-two. Nobody was comfortable, but everyone was patient. Somewhere between the shared snacks and the broken conversations, the journey stopped feeling like an ordeal and started to feel like part of the story.

I reached Hazrat Nizamuddin at 6:30pm Friday, right on time, and took a metro to New Delhi station. There I found a dormitory-style AC room for ₹200 for twelve hours. It was modest, but it was exactly what I needed: a place to wash up, rest, and get ready.

The next morning, I went to the IIPA campus. Security was tight, since the Vice President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, and the Minister were visiting on National Unity Day, 31 October. I had the privilege of listening to the Vice President speak about motivation, and especially self-motivation, in public administration. His words stayed with me. He presented the Best Branch Awards and then had to leave. I was disappointed not to receive my award from him, but that feeling faded once Shri Jitendra Singh handed me mine. Standing on that stage, I thought about every late night spent on the case study, and it felt like the work had finally been seen.

                                                                  Unity day Pledge

After a relaxed lunch, I had a quick visit to the Red Fort before boarding the Tamil Nadu Express back to Chennai that night. It was a fitting end to a demanding trip.

 

I also picked up two books at a deeply discounted ₹50 each, a small reward for the trip.

Back home, my mind kept returning to a place I hadn’t yet visited: Cheyyur. I want to go there for two reasons. The first is to seek the blessings of Lord Murugan. The second is to see the land for myself and understand what a second airport for Chennai could mean, especially for the welfare of people of not only in Tamil Nadu, but the entire India also. Earlier concerns about the site’s feasibility had made the plan feel uncertain, but I’ve come to see that the conversation is still alive. Chennai’s second airport is expected to become a reality in the 2030s, and I want to be able to say I stood on the ground where that future may take shape.

If you ever find yourself on a long journey for a small prize that feels enormous, remember this: the train may be crowded, the ticket may be waitlisted, and the destination may be far, but the things that matter tend to arrive when you keep going.