Despite the fact that the past editions of the Film Festival were all inaugurated by the District Collector, I thought it would be exciting to start with celebrities this time. It, however, backfired.
These occurrences taught me a valuable lesson. The event and all those who participate in it are the heroes. It is not necessary to feel sorry or upset for those who are not coming, are ignoring us, or are criticising us; rather, it is necessary to honour those who are supportive and loyal.
In the Gospel of Luke,
“Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends, his family, and his neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!” I tell you that even so, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance. “
At that point, I was determined to persuade the collector at whatever cost, but first I wanted to meet with and invite the Tourist Minister in Naamakal.
It was well past midnight, and there was still a lot of work to be done; we hadn’t designed the posters, banners, backgrounds, or certificates for volunteers and prize winners.
I informed the team of my plan to travel to Naamakal to invite the Minister. I also stated unequivocally that we would conceal this occurrence. We will invite the collector and district authorities to the inauguration.
I and Pasu (he had a car, and we still had a lot of design work to do) left Ooty early on Tuesday, and we just have two days till the opening.
We brought a laptop and temporarily relocated our workstations inside our car.
We arrived at Avinashi at about 9 a.m. The weather was somewhat warm and breezy.
Minster’s personal secretary asked me to call in the afternoon and will confirm the time and place. We had a lot of time on our hands. We chose to stop in Avinashi so that when the call comes, we can get to the place as soon as possible.
We stopped our car beside a tea kiosk on the highway to Naamakal, which had a large tree and provided a great location to work.
Pasu began to develop all of the leftover designs that would be sent to printing so that they could be delivered before the event begins.
Now it’s almost 12 p.m., and I’m worried since I haven’t heard from the secretary.
At least I received a call from the personal secretary, who asked me to come to Rasipuram and asked if I could come in an hour.
We started our journey from our makeshift office under a tree to Rasipuram and arrived at the minister’s office within an hour.
There were around 200 individuals standing and sitting, conversing and speaking in groups. I noticed the Minister’s car, which was parked with a red light beacon on it. I attempted to contact the secretary but was unable to do so.
I approached a person at the gate and said that we had come from Ooty and wanted to meet the minister.
That is it.
Then what happened was surreal.
The entire area began to talk about us and the film festival; they said the minister was only discussing the festival and his trip to Ooty.
Everyone in the room made way for us, and we were escorted to a waiting area where we were treated like VVIPs. The Personal Secretary, Minster bodyguards, and a number of Minster staff members came to greet us, and we had a brief discussion about the festival, Ooty, and other topics. The event has piqued their attention.
I couldn’t figure out what was going on. How did they all become overnight fans of us?
Miracles do happen.
We were escorted into the Minister’s Office after barely 10 minutes of waiting.
Dr. M. Mathiventhan, Minister of Tourism, greeted us pleasantly, and we extended the invitation. We had a lengthy discussion on the festival and its significance in the Nilgiris District. He listened to us carefully.
I must say that the Minster has left a lasting impression on me.
He is a young man who is bright and efficient, and he is passionate about turning the Nilgiris hill area into an international tourist destination. He requested us to make a list of activities that can be done in the Nilgiris that are relevant to the film.
He gave his consent to present the Elephant Awards to the winners and directed his staff to make the necessary arrangements.
We felt fantastic when we left. We took photographs, and the ministers’ staff wished us well and expressed their appreciation
Once again, Pasu and I were in bliss.
Then there were the roller coaster incidents.
From various government departments both from Chennai and the Nilgiris district, I got calls from various government departments from the time we left the Minister’s office till we arrived in Coimbatore to collect the awards and place orders for nameplates.
I told the Ooty team, and everyone returned with renewed confidence. Jai was overjoyed, as he is still recovering from the Mr. Jeyamohan fiasco.
I and Pasu returned to Ooty in the middle of the night, and the entire team was waiting for us.
