What Makes One’s Alma Mater Memorable?-2

…And there was the science teacher, Anantha Nayak. Humour was his forte; no compromise with discipline. Rotch, with Oxonian pronunciation and accent, was a scholar in English.

A mathematical wizard, Picardo knew proofs for all the theorems and could teach solutions for any rider.  Sarovtham Pai and Subbanna Hegde were good at Social Studies and Maths respectively.  Sarma and Krishna Bhat were Kannada Pandits in the real sense. B.L.Adiga was a champion of Hindi. He was conducting night classes in neighbouring villages to prepare both the elders and youngsters for the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha examinations.

If his clan were to grow in S.India, by this time, Hindu would have been the sole Official Language of the country.  Ramesh Adiga was a versatile Scholar in Sanskrit. (I did not study these two languages, a void in my life.) Drawing teacher Venkatadasa Adiga @ Kaladasa Adiga was artistic in his lifestyle too. Puttanna Aithal was a trained Scouts and guides teacher. Sangeetha Viidvan Sreenivasa Kalkura, our music teacher had the distinction of singing In the court of the Maharaja of Mysore and was much sought after by the temples during the car festivals in the whole district. Along with ACC (Commanded by 2nd Lt. Subbanna Hegde) we were camping in and around Barkur to control the queue line and the crowd during the car festivals in temples. Physical Training teacher (PT/ drill master) Mahabala Shetty’s order to fall in line was obeyed. I was the third right mark.

We planted mango and casuarina saplings all along with the sprawling 20 acres premises (Alienated, free of cost by the Govt of Madras in 1946) under the supervision of our Craft teacher, Janardhana Madhyastha and PT.

Now they provide shades to the spectators in all the sports grounds and yield fruits; a credit entry for us in Chitragupta”s account.  Every week we had one-hour classes in music, drawing, citizenship training and debating societies. Overlooking the historic dyke fort of Barkur, the school is located on the other side of the road.

“Education imparted by heart will bring revolution in the Society.” Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Union Minister for Education and Culture.

All the teachers were ideally dressed. HMs of all schools in the composite Madras state had a sort of a uniform; a white dhoti and shirt, tucked in, an overcoat and an umbrella to protect from sun and rain.

Rajeeva Shetty, Rotch and Subbanna Hegde regularly and occasionally Anantha Nayak wore pants; others mundu/ addapancha. Most of the teachers, in particular, the Language teachers were sporting traditional dress, Gandhian influence. They were all dignity personified. Only a few were riding cycles; others by walk, even from their villages.  As there were no high schools nearby, students from about ten km were daily walking the distance from their villages.  There was a paid private hostel for the Bunt community. We had to sweep the classes and water the gardens by rotation as per alphabetical order. Failure to comply with attracted punishment from the class teacher; repetition reported to the HM. Caning by the teachers was a regular exercise; not sparing the girls and the bright students.  A saying attributed to Franklin D Roosevelt, a late President of the USA:  “A smooth sea never creates a skilled sailor.” We experienced rough weather in the NHS.

In my routine life, I move and interact with University Professors and Vice Chancellors. Quite often I preside over the meetings attended and addressed by Vice-chancellors. Some of them have appreciated: “Your conducting the meetings is novel.” But my sitting in front of Bhoja Rao and by the side of Rajeeva Shetty was memorable.

I had many good friends. Since I am living 600 km away from Barkur, I have lost touch with most of them. Occasionally when I visit the ancestral home, I meet some of them at some functions or festivals. Of course, like me, many migrated to different parts of the world. One person, who has been my associate since 1953 is Seethrama Shetty, Survey stone of Barkur. He was my batchmate. He did his post-graduation and joined the NHS as a teacher.

When the school was upgraded into a Junior College in 1972, he became principal and served till his retirement in 1998. He continues to be so popular that he is still known in the whole district as ‘Principal, Seetharama Shetty.’ True to the general belief, he evinces keen interest in the affairs of the institutions. Of course, a Govt Degree College is set up in the same premises. He was instrumental in starting it.

Shetty says: “The new National Education Policy must succeed. The black and white must be translated into action. The first and foremost infrastructure for the educational system are the teachers. Can we manufacture suitable commodities in the present Universities? Is it possible to import Bhoja Rao and the team from heaven?

I earnestly desire that the Govt starts with training proper human resources and make adequate budgetary allotment required for the process. They must not be here because they are rejected everywhere or they cannot be elsewhere. Teachers’ profession must be their first choice.”

The last argument is the best argument. Anything said about the NHS, Barkur is incomplete without a reference to Sri Sri Sri Vidyamanya Tirtha Swamiji of Bhandarkeri Muth, Barkur (Later of Palimar Muth of Udupi also). Swamiji was the founder President of the Barkur Education Society, Regd, 1946, which floated the NHS in 1946.  The benevolent Swamiji did not rest with that.

He offered vacant land to erect temporary sheds to run the school. Brahmin students were offered free meals and accommodation in the Muth.  So students from neighbouring districts also joined the NHS. Think it was in 1946, when scarcity of food productions on the whole planet was at its zenith, the aftermath of the II World War. The period was termed by Rajaji “the days of the permit, licence and control Raj.” Can the NEP import such selfless philanthropy and rare charity?

In his final speech in the Constituent Assembly on 25 Nov1949, Ambedkar had cautioned that the working of a Constitution does not depend on the document itself. Ultimately, its effect depends on those tasked with implementing it: “If hereafter things go wrong, we will have nobody to blame. However good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out to be bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot.

However bad a Constitution may be, it turns out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot”.

Before parting, I want the readers to note that being taught by exceptionally good teachers was not the exclusive privilege of NHS products. It was a countrywide phenomenon for about a century from the last quarter the of the19th Century.

“The teacher could never be ordinary. Both, construction and destruction, belongs to him”. Chanakya (Concluded)

Read Part 1

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