A Tribute to my High School Telugu Teacher
Primary and high school teachers play a significant role in moulding one's life in the formative stages. If it is a language teacher, it is even a bigger impact. Such is the influence of a language teacher. This article is dedicated to one such great person for whom there is no such thing as a remembrance, as he is never forgotten.
Dr. Pingali Jagannadha Rao was my telugu teacher from my 6th standard to 9th standard before I moved out of the school due to my father's occupation. He is the one whom I admired the most in my high school days. He was a double M.A. in those days from an Oriental College. He was simple and knowledgeable, a man of letters, I must say. Apart from his command with the language, he used to be very much aware of history and influence of other languages on Telugu.
He was our Class Teacher for those 4 years of my schooling and he was remembered for his equanimity. Once he starts teaching Telugu in our Class, we used to be awestruck with his mellifluous rendition of telugu poems. He used to intersperse his lessons, lacing them with the current affairs in addition to the historic movements and developments. It so happened many a times that he used to get lost in the ocean making us collect pebbles of knowledge, which otherwise were unavailable in our text books. Most of the classes, he used to complete a mere 60% of the syllabus for the annual examinations. Nobody was complaining in those days as we used to have a command of the subject in that 60%.
He used to admonish when any of us do anything that doesn't fit a middle class person's image. Values were important for him. Once my dearest friend G.Sunil offered me his Jacket and I was very glad about his gesture. Our Jagannadha Rao sir, once he has entered the classroom, has asked me whose Jacket it was. I said it is Sunil's and he has offered me to wear. He chided me saying it is not a good habit to use other's things. Immediately I felt belittled and gave back the Jacket to Sunil. This incident had a deeper impact on me. It might be termed as a conservative thinking, but even today I am not comfortable asking or using other's things.
He used to participate in Asthavadhanams, a feat which is performed by an expert called Asthavadhani who answers 8 language expers, called Pruchhakas, in turns during the feat and finally consolidates all the answers given to these, at the end of the event. This is unique feat in Telugu language. He used to conduct and compere a programme in the Doordarshan on completing of the incomplete verses in telugu poetry. I used to memorise some of the Telugu poems, courtesy his influence, even today I could recollect some of them. On 19th of August, 2010 he has passed his last breadth. Fortunately he was not bedridden but his death was too soon for the literary world.
Here is my tribute to my beloved Jagannadha Rao sir. Wish he entertains the Angels in the heaven with his erudition of telugu poems. May his soul rest in peace. Guru Brahma, gurur vishno, guru devo maheswara; guru saakshat param brahma, tasmai sree gurave namaha! My asru tarpanalu(offerings of tears) on him on the occasion of the Teacher's day.
Dr. Pingali Jagannadha Rao was my telugu teacher from my 6th standard to 9th standard before I moved out of the school due to my father's occupation. He is the one whom I admired the most in my high school days. He was a double M.A. in those days from an Oriental College. He was simple and knowledgeable, a man of letters, I must say. Apart from his command with the language, he used to be very much aware of history and influence of other languages on Telugu.
He was our Class Teacher for those 4 years of my schooling and he was remembered for his equanimity. Once he starts teaching Telugu in our Class, we used to be awestruck with his mellifluous rendition of telugu poems. He used to intersperse his lessons, lacing them with the current affairs in addition to the historic movements and developments. It so happened many a times that he used to get lost in the ocean making us collect pebbles of knowledge, which otherwise were unavailable in our text books. Most of the classes, he used to complete a mere 60% of the syllabus for the annual examinations. Nobody was complaining in those days as we used to have a command of the subject in that 60%.
He used to admonish when any of us do anything that doesn't fit a middle class person's image. Values were important for him. Once my dearest friend G.Sunil offered me his Jacket and I was very glad about his gesture. Our Jagannadha Rao sir, once he has entered the classroom, has asked me whose Jacket it was. I said it is Sunil's and he has offered me to wear. He chided me saying it is not a good habit to use other's things. Immediately I felt belittled and gave back the Jacket to Sunil. This incident had a deeper impact on me. It might be termed as a conservative thinking, but even today I am not comfortable asking or using other's things.
He used to participate in Asthavadhanams, a feat which is performed by an expert called Asthavadhani who answers 8 language expers, called Pruchhakas, in turns during the feat and finally consolidates all the answers given to these, at the end of the event. This is unique feat in Telugu language. He used to conduct and compere a programme in the Doordarshan on completing of the incomplete verses in telugu poetry. I used to memorise some of the Telugu poems, courtesy his influence, even today I could recollect some of them. On 19th of August, 2010 he has passed his last breadth. Fortunately he was not bedridden but his death was too soon for the literary world.
Here is my tribute to my beloved Jagannadha Rao sir. Wish he entertains the Angels in the heaven with his erudition of telugu poems. May his soul rest in peace. Guru Brahma, gurur vishno, guru devo maheswara; guru saakshat param brahma, tasmai sree gurave namaha! My asru tarpanalu(offerings of tears) on him on the occasion of the Teacher's day.
Murthy,
ReplyDeleteA moving tribute to your teacher.
Speaking of Telugu grammar.
Did you ever successfully write a complete "utpakamala" or "champaka mala" following the stringent rules?
I tried in vain in school days.
Raju
Raju, Thanks for your valuable feedback. Though my learning of telugu grammar was fairly decent, I did not make any attempts to write telugu poetry. Not that it would have made any difference had I tried, but it did not happen - Murthy
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