JOIN USThis group photograph was taken in the quadrangle of National College, Basavanagudi, on the occasion of the class socials of the BSc (PCM) 1974 batch.
I have many beautiful memories of that time. The serene surroundings of the college during those days was in total contrast with the present-day hustle and bustle. K R Road had gigantic trees on both sides, with birds chirping.
Sri Chandrashekar Boulevard ran on either side of K R Road with lush green grass and colourful flowers. The vehicular traffic was so thin that it was a paradise for pedestrians and cyclists. Students of the college always had a nice time sitting on the benches on the pavements and the boulevard, having discussions on a variety of subjects.
The National College grounds did not have a swimming pool or any other structures back then. Students from the surrounding colleges used to play cricket, football, kabaddi, kho-kho, hockey and baseball here without any hindrance to each other.
During our time, National College had such a high reputation that getting admission there was in itself a great achievement. Dr H Narasimaiah was our principal then. He was a great educationist. He had such a wonderful bonding with the students and the teaching staff that one felt as if they were living in a family.
This was important for students since most of them came from a rural background, studied in Kannada medium and put up in different hostels located in the city.
Dr H N, as he was affectionately called, made all-out efforts not only to maintain high academic standards but also stressed on the importance of co-curricular activities including sports.
He truly believed in and practised Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy of education, ‘Man making character building assimilation of ideas’. Moral and health education classes were made compulsory once a week. Many scholars and learned persons in the fields of art, literature, law, science and health were invited to speak and interact with the students. Dr G P Rajarathnam, Prof D N Nanjunda Swamy, Dr Anupama Niranjan and Dr E C G Sudarshan were among those who spoke at our college and are still green in our minds.
National College also had a well-equipped auditorium at the entrance of the main gate. Every year, there used to be inter-collegiate drama competitions held there. We had the fortune of witnessing a drama performance by Sundara Raj and Chandrashekar, who later made their mark in the Kannada film industry.
I had the most memorable time in the college and whenever I look at this picture, I am transported to the days of yore. Most of my classmates are doing well for themselves and have held eminent positions in different fields of life. R Srinivasa Murthy completed his BE after BSc and is now settled in the USA.
K R Niranjan is an IAS, retired as secretary to the Government of Karnataka. Chidananda retired from Canara Bank while Ranganatha Rao retired as the DGM of BSNL and is now active as a stage artiste in T P Kailasam plays. V Seetharam used to be a debator back then and retired as the chief manager of Pragathi Grameena Bank.
I remember Sathyanarayana was a budding poet and used to play the mouth organ during college functions; he is now settled in the USA. Venkatakrishnappa was quite studious and also retired as the DGM of BSNL.Subramanyam retired as the chief manager of Indian Bank.
T K Thimmaiah is from Kodagu district and used to win most of the prizes in sports competitions. C R Amaranath retired from government service and is presently the officer on special duty to the deputy speaker, Karnataka Legislative Assembly. G Visveswaraiah, a sportsperson, represented the volleyball team of Bangalore University; he is now an entrepreneur.
I am a retired branch manager of Indian Overseas Bank and a trustee in Nemmade Sri Lakshminarasimha Trust which is running a senior citizens home at Vidhyamanyanagar, Andrahalli. I am truly grateful to my alma mater for shaping us all into confident, mature individuals and giving us values that have stood us in good stead all through our lives.
(The author can be contacted on mohan191054@gmail.com)