The struggle

The struggle

1975-mother was taken to Ambajogai Hospital in Maharastra and was admitted for one month in summer [she was TB patient]. It  may be January 1975 when we three [myself, sister, and mother] travelled to Ambajogai from Bhalki through Parli junction. I left wife alone at Bhalki home and she went to her brother’s home in Kusnoor where he was working as teacher.

Sister Rukmoni was carrying, and I sent her to Belkeri where she used to dwell.

Rukmini delivered a male baby and became unconscious in summer 1975. She was taken to Mission hospital at Bidar. I continued my duty as telephone operator and born the hospital expences of sister.

I appeared the UPSC “Assistants grade exam” in summer at Hyderabad city. My performance was very poor in the two days written examination. This was my first failure in life, as for as examination was concerned. I was up set by my bad performance. My wife was taken to her parents' home in summer, as she was carrying. I was alone at Bhalki, by the start of new rains in June 1975. I was not satisfied by the present low paid work. I wanted to be a class two officer. I became restless and absconded from home and duty to Belkhera village to see my sister. Shamrao was a baby by then. In September 1975, my wife delivered a female baby. By this time I was mentally suffering. I was taken to Hyderabad hospital. A mental shock was given to me.

Then I was brought to Sitalgeri and left there. I was taken to Belkhera and a burning treatment on the top-head was done, to cure my illness. I was upset by such system of curing, I escaped to Bangalore and reached Maloor where my friend was working in Canara Bank branch. From Bangalore I took a train to Hubli and then I took a train to Pune. It was National emergency period, imposed by the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. I was detained by police while wandering in night hours. It may be October when I was jailed in Yeravda Pune. For 45 days I was detained in and was released after Deepawali in1975. By November end, I was released from the Pune and I travelled to Sitalgeri via Solapur. By December 1975, I was at my native place. In the 1976 February I was at Sitalgeri. I used to go to fields with my maternal uncle Lachappa. My grandfather Gundappa was living. We came to our village Hochaknalli, in the summer. I was penniless.At that time. Bheemreddy was a shopkeeper in Hochaknalli who was my playmate in my boyhood. It was 1976 summer.[March -April period].

Ambruth Sitalgeri was friendly and we used to go to his fields. One day I traveled to Bidar with Ambruth Dakulgi of Sitalgeri and met a friend who was an advocate by profession. He advised me to report back to duty at Bhalki. I went to Bhalki and started working in the office [it may be July 1976]. I did not tell this to Ambruth. One day he came to Bhalki to find me working there. But my health did not allow me to do work properly. I again went back to my native village around September 1976. I was simply eating and taking rest. In the evening hours, we used to go to open place and practice Hindu prayers with little school going children. During this time I was taken to Srimandal by Narsappa Nagore. Since I was not working, I was insulted. I was wearing worn-out clothes. I returned to my village. The end of November- December 1976 was arriving. During December 1976, I received a warning letter from the department to report back to duty. I was not willing to go back. But my mother forced me to go and work. I joined to duty by the end of the year 1976. New people were posted at Bhalki telephone exchange, who were all junior to me. After working for three weeks, I went to Shambhuling Jatra at Rekulgi village on 14th January 1977. Then I saw my mother and she was suffering. She needed help, but nobody turned to see her. I was penny-less and returned to my duty and continued working. In the month of February, she expired and one of my colleagues gave a little money to travel to my native place. She was buried besides my father's place in our farmland at Hochaknalli. After this event, I went back to continue my duty. I was in bad shape. No proper dress and no proper foot-wears and all. I was called to visit Gulbarga SDOT office, to settle my leave-case and all. I was asked to get a certificate for absence of 89 days. On my explanation, the SDOT spoke to the DET Gulbarga and I returned to Bhalki and started working. I was temporarily sheltered in the co-workers rented home. The home had a common-mess.This time my grandmother visited Bhalki, to see me. She was weeping on my state of affairs. It was again summer in 1977. By the end of March-April1977 or so, my leave case was settled and received all my arrears of pay and allowances. I was then handling duty as Head Telephone Operator, as I was senior among the present working operative staff. My stress was released to some extent, as I was elevated to HTO. Mr. Kalburgi was Phone inspector incharge of Bhalki exchange. We together celebrated the Holi festival.   Now I could take a separate room on rent in Samarthrao teacher’s building. It was a small corner-room where I used to live alone after my duty hours. I was eating in a hotel on monthly paying roll. During the month of  May 1977, my relatives, Shivamma and Balappa visited me and got satisfied that I was working well. They immediately moved to Shrimandal and asked the relatives to send my wife to live with me.

One day they, the in-laws called me to visit their place [Srimandal] and advised me to take care of wife. By the end of May-1977, she [my wife] was brought to my home at Bhalki. My Little baby [Sunita] used to address me “ as Mama instead of Papa” as she did not see me till that time. We started living a normal life again by the next rains in 1977. We took a two roomed rented home in the same premises of SamarthRao teacher's building, in Gunj area Bhalki. On 3rd September 1978, my son Ravindra born in Mission Hospital Mangalpet, Bidar. I had become a father of two children. From this day, life took a brighter turn to prosperity, but without parents. By 1979, I was eligible to write departmental competitive exam and succeeded to get selected as Telephone Inspector. I was trained as Telephone Inspector in RTTC Hyderabad during 1980 and was posted to Sandur [in Bellary district] as in-charge officer.