BANGALORE: My first teacher who had a marked influence on me was my paternal uncle Chinnappa Gowda. He was my father’s younger brother and worked as a school teacher at the Sri Vishnumurthy Upper Primary School in Panjikulla in Kasaragodu, Kerala.In those days, we were very poor and struggling to have even two square meals a day. But my uncle ensured that he took me and my brother to school, otherwise we would not have continued our education at all.Even after I went to school, my uncle kept an eye on my progress. After my father passed away, it was he who taught me everything. The best lesson I have learnt is his austerity.In high school, we were given Rs. 1 for expenses per week to travel from my native place to Sulya. The two-way ticket was 95 paise and the remaining 10 paise was my pocket money. My uncle taught me how to manage things within the available resources.Another teacher, Honnappa Gowda too helped shape my early days at primary school. He was very strict and even did not hesitate to beat us with the ruler just to ensure that we did not make any mistake. In the Government Board School, it was headmaster Shivadasas Prabhu who encouraged me to take up public speaking, and even said that I could take up politics in the future. Those days, I was called Lal Bahadur Shastry as I was short and used to wear a Gandhi cap. Those days, I was actively involved in debates and I was even elected as Assistant School Pupils Leader in 1965 when I was in class nine. Shivaprabhu sir always encouraged me to speak and taught me discipline. Besides him, my Mathematics teacher, Janardhana, too encouraged me to work hard.At St Philomena College, it was Father Castelino who left an indelible mark on my persona through his public relation skills. If there is any change in my communication skills, I owe it to him. Father Castelino was a model in maintaining public relations. He shared cordial relations with everyone — from the professors to the hostel boys and peons.In my college days, I was very aggressive. Even in the beginning of my political career, I was very aggressive. But, it all changed when Father Catelino called up, after I got elected to the Assembly for the first time in 1996, and suggested that I become soft and shed aggressiveness. From then on, I remember Father Catelino and remind myself the valuable lesson he has taught me. Today, it has become my biggest asset in public life. I am still in touch with the Father.Professor Aithal, at Udupi Law College also moulded my life in a big way. He was a committed disciplinarian and always guided me to go in the right path.These are the five teachers who still continue to influence my conscience and helped me become what I am today.
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