It was after 40 years that he was visiting his school. His father had been a teacher here. Today, his alma mater was treating him as not just an ex-student but a hero. In fact, on Sunday the whole village turned up to felicitate M Annadurai, the man behind India’s mission to the moon.

Kothavady near Coimbatore, where Annadurai, the Project Director of India’s prestigious debut in lunar exploration, was born, was a nondescript village, at least till recently. After he made headlines and watching him on the television, the village was all decked up to receive him with hoardings announcing the felicitation programme dotting the entire area. In this state where one usually spots cut-outs of actors, politicians and actor-politicians, huge hoardings with the scientist’s photograph made a rare spectacle.

Annadurai completed his elementary education between 1963 and 1968 at the Kothavady Panchayat Elementary School. His father, Mylsamy, was a teacher at the school. Speaking at the function, he said the moment was sweet — as sweet as the successful moon mission.

“I never thought I will be delivering a speech at the same school where I studied and my father taught. I feel as happy as I was after launching the Chandrayaan I to the moon,” he told the gathering, after hoisting the Tricolour at the school premises and donating a computer to his alma mater.

Incidentally, the DMK had also organised a programme in Coimbatore to felicitate another Annadurai — former chief minister C N Annadurai who was the main force behind the formation of DMK and who inspired many to name their children after him.