My school and education

My School and Education

               We were fetching well-water outside our home, when Vithal, my uncle asked me to come to school, with him to Ranjol. He also guided me to take the money needed for admission [Rs 0.5]. I put forth the idea with my grandma, Narasamma and she readily gave the coin from her pocket. I was happy to see the new world, the school. The monsoon rains filled the air with delighting breath; I accompanied my uncle to NTMS Ranjol-Kheni.

It was the only school available for a population of ten villages. The modern school was constructed in the outs-curt of the village Kheni Ranjol. I was admitted to the first standard and asked to sit with students in the last room, on the floor. There was a wooden chair placed for the class teacher. The teacher entered the room with the attendance register and sat on the chair. Immediately, a leg of the chair cracked to the weight of young healthy teacher Mr. Gurubasappa. We all started laughing, and he too laughed.

The office room was centrally located on the premises and was large enough to accumulate many people. The headmaster Basavanappa Sativar, was sitting there with other teachers. It was a new world to a village boy like me who had never gone out of my street.

After a few months, a new teacher was appointed to my own village Hochakanalli and I was asked to attend to this school. The school was running from a private building since there was no public room constructed yet. We were about a dozen boys attending this school. I started learning alphabets of the Kannada language and Kannada numerals. By the first few months, I was able to read the first standard book. Then the teacher offers me 2^nd standard book and by the summer-end, I completed this book also. I was declared passed, the second standard.

For the next year, I again went to Ranjol and was admitted to the third standard. I stood first in the class in my studies. This trend I continued till my 7th board exam and passed with first-class marks in 1966. I had scored 90% marks in mathematics paper. I had the least marks in my science subject. Both my parents were illiterates.

I was awarded a merit scholarship of Rs 50/ while in the 8^th class. But I lost my dear father while I was in 9^th class. It was a suicide. This changed the equation of our family, as we lost the bread-earning member. Mother was suffering from ill-health. Mother forced me to get married after my sslc exam in1969. I scored 67% marks in sslc. I was dreaming of going to college for a degree. I sold 10g gold which was offered in my marriage and got admission to BVB College Bidar. I became a roommate of my brother-in-law, Shri Gundappa who was a BA final year student.

On my poor financial condition, I was given free ship after my PUC Science examination, and the money which I gave as a tuition fee was refunded to me. This same money I used for next year's admission to B.Sc. part-one course. By the by I had applied for a National loan scholarship and was selected for this and completed my science degree in 1973 with second-class merit. I was appointed as a telephone operator in the month of  July1974 and I was posted to work from Bhalki telephone exchange. I worked there for five years and wrote a departmental competitive examination for promotion to the Phone Inspector post. I was selected and trained for six months at RTTC Hyderabad in 1980.

Then I again wrote the competitive exam for the post of Junior Engineer and was selected and was posted to Raichur Telephones, after 14 months of training at RTTC Trivandrum. After serving for a period of 15 years, I was promoted as Sub-Divisional Engineer and worked at Bidar for one decade, and opted for retirement in 2009 at the age of 58 years. By this time, my children have well educated and started earning for their life independently.