Amma's Column .

Durable Link to this BlogWednesday, March 17, 2010

Delete This - Duplicated

Earlier in this column I had mentioned that I am a proud owner of a set of eleven bulky volumes of D.V. Gundappa, doyen among Kannada writers. But I confess, I could hardly complete any volume, during these four years, skipping pages of all volumes now and then.

Recently I fell ill and could not sit and write. However I could recline and read for hours together. I am happy; I could read volume VI of D.V.G."s Kritishreni (series of writings). It contains his reminiscences of men and events; he came across, in his long public life.

I am translating one letter D.V.G. received from a very poor primary school teacher who sought his help. This teacher was a sound scholar in Kannada and Sanskrit languages.

"I lost my wife two years ago. I have two daughters who are nine and seven year old. My mother is old and suffered a paralytic stroke some time back. Everyday I get up early. Finishing bath and help bathe & dress my mother with the help of daughters, I finish cooking and go to school. In this village the water well is one mile away from my house. I have to fetch water, four or five times a day. In this process, I get delayed in reaching school. This leaves me exhausted with no time to study classics. I am ready to go to any other place on transfer with a well nearby. After eight - ten months, I am eligible for pension. I will be the luckiest person if you could do some thing in the matter"

D.V.G. sent this letter to his friend who was an inspector of schools of that region. He himself was a learned man with lot of respect towards scholars. On the third day itself, DVG got a reply that the teacher Chenna Krishnayya by name was transferred to a place where, the well was nearest to the school.

The joy of the teacher had surpassed the victory of an emperor. His happiness was mainly due to the fact that he could spare time for study of classics then onwards.

This event is of mid 30's of last century. Water situation in Karnataka now a days is not that bad and wells have disappeared making way for bore pumps and taps. Salary of primary school teachers has gone up beyond imagination. But one can hardly find a scholar teacher in Kannada and Sanskrit at primary school level, who used his spare time after house hold chores and cooking to study classics.

Even so called "professors" hardly read beyond the prescribed texts, these days!

Amma's Column by Jyotsna Kamat

More Entries...

Browse Amma's Column by Tags

1920s - ancient India - avatars - banana - bangalore - buddha - calcutta - christmas - coins - colin mackenzie - colonel - conference ii - conversions - cousin - cows - customs - dalit - democracy - dhols - dr narayan - drums - dung - fables - far east - gandhi - gandhiji - great deluge - guru - hinduism - home library - human body - idolatry - kalpa - karnataka - kautilya - kingdoms - krishna - manners - marriage - new books - new year - nuances - obituary - old temple - patience - personalities - peru - pontiff - postal service - prime source - queen - rao - relevance - religion - revolt - romance - runners - saga - saints - Saints of India - salt satyagraha - science - shaven heads - sher - sri lanka - suresh - terracotta - tradition - trauma - tsunami - tulunadu - unity - universality - women - zen - 11th century - 75th anniversary - alberuni - all india radio - amrita - ancient art - ancient india - ancient indians - animals - anmori - arthashastra - autobiographical notes - b_g_l_swamy - babies - basham - bedas - belief - bengaluru - bhagat singh - Bhagatsingh as seen by Kamaladevi. - bhagavata purana - bhagirath - Bhakti Cult - bharata - bhat - blouse - brahmin - brute - buddha jayanti - card games - cart - caste system - centenary tribute - centennial - chanakya - chariot - cheers - chilli - chinese monk - Christmas - christmas eve - cloud messenger - cockfights - code of manu - colonel colin - complete works - conch shell - cuisine - curry - customs - dasa - demons - dessert - devil worship - dhyan - dikshit - dikshitar - discovery - doldrums - eknath - elephant - empire - epigraphy - fanny - festival foods - festive - forest scene - freedom - gandhi - gandhiji - ganesh - gautama buddha - gayatri mantra - gesture - Goa - gods - gramophone record - grandmother - great men - grinder - guru - happy new year - haste - helping hands - hind swaraj - hind_swaraj - hindu - hindu religious symbols - hindu texts - hinduism - hindus - history conference - humanist - hunger - idolatry - indian civil service - indian names - indians - institution of marriage - interviews - jaina - juggernaut - kamath - kannada - karnataka - kasaragod - kavya - keladi - krishna - laughing buddha - legacy - lotus - loving touch - m n srinivas - mallya - mama - mango season - manu - masters - materialism - medieval india - memories - middle path - midwife - misadventure - moorthy - music tradition - musical - musings - narad - narada - new articles - night life - obituary - offerings - old photo - Om - ornaments - pai - pampa - panchatantra - peacock - peacock dance - peacock dress - pearls - philanthropist - pigeons - poet - poetess - potpourri - prayer - prehistory - promising artist - prostitutes - queen - quilt - rahul - rajasthan - rajendra - ramayana - ramdas - rao - rare volume - robber - roots - rubaiyat of omar khayyam - saints - sane guruji - saraswati - saraswats - science - scorn - sea navigation - sedam - serpent worship - shameful practice - sharana - shastra - shivaji - silver art - sorab - south east asia - south india - subba rao - sunset - swami - swamy - swastika - tara - tea - temple school - temple town - terracotta_town - three books - tiger - titan - tonsure - torave_ramayan - tradition - translator - travelogue - tree of life - tribute - tsunami damage - Tulasidas - tuluva - upanishad - vedanta - vedas - viswanath - Viswanath Kashinath Rajwade - vivekananda - w h sleeman - wall paintings - what is in a name - wilks -

Jyotsna Kamat

Jyotsna Kamat Ph.D. lives in Bangalore.


Introduction


ARCHIVES


Search Amma's Column


More articles by Jyotsna Kamat

 

 

 

Kamat's Potpourri Jyotsna KamatAmma's Column

© 1996-2023 Kamat's Potpourri. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without prior permission. Standard disclaimers apply

Merchandise and Link Suggestions

Top of Page