Viswanath Sharma: Class of 1973. New Zealand: from a letter dated 29 August to the forum:
It is the people, they say, that makes the place, and I too wish to share some of my recollections of people who have influenced me, and have made my growing years memorable.
One of my favourite teachers was Sri Madhukar Konamthambige (Hindi), despite the fact that I was arguably the worst student in the class when it came to understanding the nuances of Hindi literature. As Pijush notes, he was much more than a teacher; he was a "marg -darshak", and taught me what he believed was important in life. A widely read but simple man, he believed that true happiness came by keeping life simple - a lesson that resonated with me as a child, but one I sometimes forget in adulthood. I met him once in Goa, after I had finished my university education, and we had a quiet chat about old times. I would love to contact him, if anyone can provide his contact details, I would be much obliged.
Sri Kompella Someswara Sarma (English) , taught me simplicity but of a different sort : that the beauty of the English language lies in the simplicity of its form. "Try writing an essay" he once instructed "without using a single adjective. A noun should be able to stand on its own, it does not need an adjective for a crutch!" Many of today's journalists and writers, who confuse long words for literature, and cliches for classiness, would have benefited from his advice. And of course I agree with what many have written about Sri Mandeswara Rao - a very dignified man who had the unusual ability of being able to teach Maths as well as Literary criticism with equal ease. And I am grateful for all my science and maths teachers, for teaching me to think logically and who fed my questioning mind.
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Extracted from a letter from Revati Viswanathan, USA, Class of 1974, dated 29 Aug:
...enjoyed reading your mail..couldnt be said more eloquently..the extent of influence that teachers and friends can have on you is beyond anyone's imagination. I had been a teacher for several years ..switched from banking to teaching only for that one single reason..and today when I see my students doing well in their disciplines/professions..it swells me with pride and tears well up when they come and hug me and say you were the best teacher I had..or I didnt do drugs only because you said so..since drugs are so rampant here..
Thanks for sharing your thoughts..I cant agree with you more..:) On a lighter note..remember we called our Hindi master Chikki and Sharma sir Yama..Paadri fro Prasadrao..ASPRO for Bio...it was fun giving them nicknames...I remember Chikki sir wearing white shirts all the time and carefully wiping the chair before sitting down..and clearing his throat before speaking..anyone has memories of that?? A true gentleman indeed!! As for you, all teachers loved you and cited you as being the most well behaved and respectful student..did you know that???:)
I was in KVM for only a year.
Yama, as we called him, was a great teacher and a gentleman.
When I an Jayant were to go and join NDA, he called us over to his house.
We went there. He asked us to sit in the visitor's room. We did. Yama went in.
10 minutes passed. Then, 15.
Patience is never a virtue when you are in your teens.
so it was with us.
we peeked in and coughed to attract his attention.
Sure enough, Yama emerged. He looked at us in a surprised way.
He had forgotten we were there.... Well.
He excused himself again, went in and came out with two copies of Hanuman Chalisa.
I and Jayant were fashionably atheists.
But, that simple gesture transcended religion.
We kept the Hanuman Chalisa with us. My copy is still in some bag of mine.
I never got to read it.
It was not necessary.
A teacher I interacted with for a few months only gave me the gift of courage and fortitude.
Viva la Yama.
I hope they still make teachers like him.
Purushottam Panda, Class of 1980, Letter dated sep 3, 2008
Yama - may his sould rest in peace - in the course aof his teaching used to open his shirt buttons one by one without any knowledge of doing it and suddenly he used to notice it and wonder how the hell it happened.
Another one on him - he used to have the habit of saying YES pronounced somewhat like yaesss!. One day he was taking an extra class for our seniors in our classroom - we were in class VII at that time - and while he was teaching, someone from our class said the word yaesss. Bas, that was it. Yama went into frenzy and first Bajrang Darshan, next Raj Sing Dhankad and then a couple of other boys, all toughies - bore the brunt of Yama's ring with a big stone in it. the so called tough boys were crying, the girls in our class as well as some of us were crying and so were some girls from the seniors. Man, it really was a scene that day. But after that no one dared to open his or her mouth in Yama's class.
One on Eco or Mallayya Master(economics teacher) . This was again an incident which took place when we were in the VIIth or VIIIth and he had come on extra duty as the regular teacher was absent. He had sent Bajrang Darshan to get something from the office and the guy went and didn't return. Then he sent Mukund Dinkar and that guy too didn't come back. Like a tough guy I got up and said "Sir, shall I go and look for them?". He comes over to me and takes both my ears in his hands and then --- I got the most painful ear pinching/squeezing or whatever of my life - all the while he was saying " I love you , you Rascal, I love yu, I love you , you Rascal, I love ....."
There was shri Satyanarayan Sir - our Hindi teacher. We had a Girl G.Valli. when she would read something she do it so fast that you could hear only the Hai, Tha. etc. The the teacher would say "Dheere Baho Ganga"
The best one was when we were writing the answer to question in Hindi on a lesson Baagh ka Shikaar. the Hindi teacher was Pratap Singhji. The lesson was about a hunter who shoots a tiger and as the wounded tiger lunges at him he scoots up a tree. In the process the tiger takes a swipe at him and tears of his pants. The question to be answered was "Baagh kaisa mar gaya?". When Pratap Sir read this question aloud, Sunil Sehegal loudly stated"Baagh Sharm ke maare mar gaya." Pratap singhji started laughing so much along with the rest of us that he had to go out the class to contro himself
Man, those were the days.
KVBM Rao, Sep 26,2008
Hi Revati,
Good you asked about the relationship between Yama and me. Its as if we were made for each other.I dont know if you guys ever remember my English those days was kind of funny!I actually used to practise what Yama said-the nuances and all!Probably even more extreme.Looking back it was a bit funny.
Housewife was Husseef,Suggestion was suggestyen-and both of us used to go on and on and on-So I guess he never had to knuckle me ever.Actually its said when the student is ready the teacher will appear.I was that student and I gleefully lapped up whatever he dished out.I really loved that man.He was a sadhu-never cared for wealth and I was heart broken when I knew he died of poverty.I could have done something for him,if I had known.Perhaps------
My class mates would remember that I was a bit of a terror in the class---- for the teachers.Especially Padi.He would never teach a thing in the class when I was around.Always jokes and jokes and jokes.The day I was away at a debate or some match he would complete about three chapters in one sitting.It was always like that.
I had that habit of asking inconveneient questions-to which I knew they did not have the answers.They should have known those answers.The only other guy I know who could get under the skin of the teachers was Sridhar.Ofcourse there may have been many after us!
My favourite was ofcourse the Chemistry teacher.Raju-He had a superior way to tackle me.My questions were always answered with pregnant silences.He never tried to give me lies.Incidentally he wasa gold medallist!
Another favourite was Madhukar Konamthambhige(Hindi teacher).He was a philosopher more than a teacher.Jaishankar Prasad,Mythilisharan Gupta,Munshi premchand-their mystique unfolded before my eyes and it was traet to behold.He wasa giant amongst teachers and men!
One little know guy who made a differenece in my life was the library teacher.I cant recall his name.But he completely changed my reading habits .From Enid blyton I graduated overnight to Charles Dickens,Somerset Maugham,Steinbeck and ofcourse Ayn Rand and beyond.He actually ridiculed our reading habits and for once I was ashamed of what little I read.He set me on a path that changed my life completely.
That in a nutshell is me and my teachers.One other teacher who was full of joi-de-vivre and romantic to boot was ASPRO.He never taught me but he fired my imagination.He helped in my Science Talent Search Project!
Pijush, Sep 30, 2008
ECO (Mallaya sir) taught our 1976 batch, English for a very short timeas a make shift in the absence of English teacher, but in doing so he gave our brains a kick start to formulate difficult words i.e. jargons in English language. YAMA was the Somerset Maughm (i don't know if I got the spelling right of the great novelist) of english inclined towards refined grammatical english (shudh english jaise shudh ghee) and ECO was the James Hardlee Chase with all "Bombastic" words in English language (the English that you speak in high and low pitch after taking McDowells rum). I believe that he has been instrumental in giving editorial color to our language, though the arts groups benefitted more than the science.
1975 batch will be able to elaborate more on ECO's tamashas with his favorite student Rakha (forgot her surname). How Rakha complained to ECO after her co-student deceptively shared with her during luch a chicken describing it to be a potato. Offcourse, Gopal Barua was also his opposite favourite. After school hours, the neighbors living beside his house can recollect the flying saucers (kitchen utensils, pots and pans) out of the windows and his kids coming through the doors to collect them and the same missiles again out of the window. 1975 batch has been quiet with ECO's great tales.
Nonetheless, with all the bias and partiality he had (which every one of us to some degree), he was a great man who showed us all sides of English language including the psuedo-American accent then (there was no TV to listen to CNN, FOX or BBC). The present curriculam should introduce English giving equal importance to the widely accepted American accent (not regionalized english accent) to enable the students stand in good stead globally when they are out of the alma mater.
I personally would like to salute and remember this great teacher. His white colored attire and black shoes remains alive in my mind and his accent rings in my ears even though he did not coach our batch much. His voice was so loud, that all the neiboring classess listened and learn automatically. A great "Not too distant learning".
Cheers,
Samir K. Paul
1976(science)
I was 5 days short in age & was not allowed to take the exams in 9th
std.( 1967). But Princi and my father decided to appeal to the Central
Board at Delhi for condonation of the 5 days & permit me to take the
exams that year. Some days later just about 3 weeks before the dday,
the CBSE gave its sanction for me to take the exams. Princi with one
more master, came hunting my house in Official colony maharanipeta,
behind KG hospital & reached my place quite late in the evening by
9.30 p.m., the day the sanction letter was recd.
Those days very few people had phones, & fewer had scooters, & used
cycles only, but their determination & intentions were so helpful,
that lots of good work were achieved despite there being no
communication or transportation facilities. Alas, if only we had such
great qualities in todays people, our lives will be significantly,
different.
The efforts put by princi enthused me to get to prepare well & somehow
I passed, but not with as Good marks as Patnaik, Nazu or Thomas.
savit kumar 1976
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