(KC Kalkura)
I passed my Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination of the Board of Secondary Education, Govt of Madras in June 1957 through the National High School (NHS), Barkur, now in Brahmavar Taluk, Udupi Dist.
Along with the SSLC, I collected my Conduct and Transfer Certificates(TC) sometime in mid-June, 1957. (SSLC was with me till it was swallowed by the unprecedented Tungabhadra floods in Kurnool in 2009.) Thereafter I had not stepped into the compound of School for eight years. While studying for Law in Bengaluru in Dec 1965, I was spending my Christmas holidays in Kurady, our ancestral hamlet, in Hanehalli village near Barkur.
One afternoon I visited my old school. I stood at the door of our Headmaster (HM) P N Bhoja Rao and urged: “May I get in sir.” “Hey” he replied “Channke…., no, no, no, Chandrasekhara Kalkura”. He knew that I discontinued my studies, worked in a hotel in Andhra Pradesh. Later continued my collegiate education and at the time of visiting my alma mater, pursuing legal studies. He summoned tea from Muddannayya’s hotel (a long-standing establishment opposite the School) and ordered the attender Koraga to inform the staffroom that Kalkura was there and he would meet all of them during the interval and the teachers could spend five or ten minutes more with me.
I spent an hour with the HM. It was a conversation between a teacher and the taught, almost in the Upanishadic style. He was recollecting the achievements of his students. There were doctors, engineers, scientists, professors, teachers, businessmen, politicians, archakas, purohits, cooks, administrators, different types of professionals in various other walks of public and private life, spread all over the world. He recollected: “Your brother, Mahabaleswara Kalkura is a progressive agriculturist. Muddannayya’s son Ramachandra is helping his father in managing the hotel. You tasted the tea. Flavor and smell add to the taste! Pawn Shop Rama, near Muddannayya’s hotel, prepares the best pan I have tasted in my life. They are all my students.” In his estimation, all of them were equals. Status and rank were no consideration. He was the HM of the school from its beginning in 1946 till his retirement in 1973. He built it from scratches. About ten teachers who were his assistants became HMs and College Principals. “He was recognized by the State and the Central Govt. The finest moment was when he got in 1964 a national award for his essay on “Teaching of English”, in the “All India Competition of Seminar reading for the year 1962-63 (Folks, All India, not just a district or a state!).
The award was presented by the Minister for Education M. C. Chagla, in a special ceremony held in New Delhi (. What he stated in his essay was essentially on the development of communication skills of students in English as different from literary appreciation. How perspicacious were his observations can now be seen in the emphasis accorded to communication skills in the world of commerce and business education?
Another came from the State Govt. in 1971 as one of the sixteen best teachers in Karnataka. Did he foresee that English is the breadwinning language of about 50% of the world’s population today? He emphasized the quality and better grasp of the English language from the teachers too because one cannot teach what he doesn’t know.
‘A tree is known by its fruits!’ This was an audacious statement which carried the weight to get recognized.” (Italics mine).
My meeting with all the teachers was education with nostalgic memories. One person whom I was very much missing that day was Rajeeva Shetty, our Social Studies teacher, and the Asst HM. He left the school and was HM of the Govt High school, Koteswara, Kundapur Taluk, Udupi Dist.
In May 1969, in search of a bride, I went to my Janmabhoomi, Kuradi. One forenoon I was standing in the shade of a tree at the bus stop in Goliangadi, Kundapur Taluk, Udupi Dist. I heard a familiar voice from behind: “Hey, Vakil Kalkura”. It was Rajeeva Shetty. He was also waiting for a bus. It was my first meeting with him since I left the school in 1957.
He not only recognized me but kept track of my career also, a true teacher of History. I touched his feet and stood before him with almost folded hands. He patted my back and summoned another chair and ordered me to sit. We were together for about fifteen minutes. He was the very same Rajeeva Shetty; conversing in colloquial Kundapura Kannada.
His classes used to be very interesting. He injected social awareness into our veins and created interest in extracurricular activities and sports. Now I participate in many social, religious, cultural, and literary activities.
Evincing interest in contemporary events and yearning to know the past, I am an activist in the AP History Congress. Seeds were sown by Rajeeva Shetty and later nurtured by History lecturers in the colleges. A theoretical sportsman, I am crazy about Cricket commentary and live telecasts, a fan of other games like football, tennis, and hockey, and also follow track and field events. After the first page, next, I open the Sports page in the newspaper. Shetty once said: “From Ashoka to Nehru, you write: ‘He planted shade-giving and fruit-bearing trees; dug wells and built irrigation projects; constructed choultries and sarais for travelers and pilgrims; he encouraged learning and reasoning; he loved peace and harmony, etc, etc.” When asked: “Sir, where is the choultry built by Nehru?” He was quick: “What else is Ashoka Hotel in Delhi? Can an ordinary man like me or you afford to stay there? Of course, some of you may become great people and visit it! Do not forget me.”
In September 2001, as the President of the A.P.Hotels Association, I attended the annual convention of the Federation of the Hotels and Restaurants Associations of India (FHRAI) in Delhi. One session was held in Ashoka Hotel. I was given 15 minutes to speak. I presented my prepared paper: ‘Social responsibilities of the Hospitality Industry. I dedicated the piece to Rajeeva Shetty. What a fortunate moment in life!
On November 23, 1956, a ghastly Railway accident occurred at Ariyalur in the then Tiruchirappalli (present Ariyalur) Dist of the then Madras (present Tamilnadu) State, leaving 142 passengers dead and 110 injured. An estimated 200 people were buried in the debris. Many were missing, their bodies never to be recovered. The Railway Minister Lal Bahadur Sasthri, in true democratic traditions, owning moral or vicarious responsibilities resigned.
Rajeev Shetty, a Social Studies teacher in NHS, Barkur predicted to the SSLC Students; “Who after Nehru answered. Here is the future Prime Minister of India.” He was neither a political analyst nor a Professor of Political Science in any University nor even a Senior Journalist.
In June 1964, Sastry became the Prime Minister. I was in the B.A. Class in Osmania College, Kurnool, AP. When Prof Khaja Hussain was explaining in the Political Science Class, I told the class: “My social studies teacher, Rajeeva Shetty predicted it, eight years back”! (To be continued).
(KC Kalkur is a Kurnool based advocate and Telugu language activist)
Excellent account. Remembering great teachers.