He sees a bright future for Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There are many questions to be posed to a District Collector. But the first thing that comes to our mind while meeting the new Collector of Thiruvananthapuram, M Nandakumar, who assumed office on Monday, is to ask him to predict the future of the capital.Nandakumar, who is also a numerologist, obliges and says that it is all bright and sunny for Thiruvananthapuram. “And why should it not be, now that global citizens are flocking to see the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple?,” he asks.It seems Nandakumar expects no eventful days in his new seat or maybe (as he puts it) he is not eager to know what is in store, and likes to take it as it comes. The former PRD Director is a known face on television and a familiar sound through the Internet radio, where he adeptly handles the queries of those who call him to know about their future.So, does he think his prowess in occult science would come in handy while heading the district’s administration?“I think knowing too much about the person opposite to me could only make matters worse. Many idols would be broken. I don’t attempt to study the other person and people who come across me tend to keep a safe distance also. Maybe, they fear I would read their minds,” the Collector is all smiles.Born in Ambalapuzha, he stayed in Ernakulam for a brief while before shifting to Thiruvananthapuram to make it his home. He did his PG in Journalism from Kariavattom and it was during this time that he began learning the science of telling the future quite seriously.Initially, it was palmistry that interested him and which he studied deeply. But later, he began to learn numerology. He learned under two gurus and even had lessons in ‘Thantra Shastra’ and ‘Mantra Shastra’.Going by the huge number of phone calls he receives on a single day, the Collector’s day would be rather busy. “I would have to switch off my personal number most of the time,” he says.Though it is only his first day in office, Nandakumar seems to have pondered on the first thing he would love to change in the capital city. “I go for morning walks and the problem of garbage is something that has hit me. With the support of the Corporation and the District Panchayat, we are hopeful of arriving at some solution,” the Collector says.His wife Sreelatha is an employee with the Cooperation Department. His son Vishnu is a student in Geoinformatics in Dehradun and daughter Parvathy has just completed BTech.Before winding up, the new Collector shares one of his dream projects with us. That of setting up a life coaching institute which would give tips on good living. “Life is for living, they say. Then let’s do it beautifully. The institute would be meant for that,” he says.