Profiles

My Ātma-guru: N Narasimha Murthy (Part 3)

Amaldar[1] Sitaramayya

Another instance.

Both of us were walking on the 3rd cross road of Basavanagudi. We heard someone singing when we came near a house. We stood there for a second and listened to the song. We do not know whose house it was. As I was looking around to ask someone, Murthy knocked on the door. Someone opened the door and asked

“Aren’t you Srirangapatna Subbarao’s son?”

Baṇḍi Rasūl Khān

I have passed two examinations in my life. One is the Lower Secondary[1] in Kannada. That was probably in 1898–99. At that time, there was no English [medium] school in our town. The second examination I cleared was the Lower Secondary in English, which was was probably in 1900. That is altogether a different story.

Pāśampalli Ādèppa

When I was young, I aspired to become a paṭela (village headman, chief of a town). Not because the position would provide a lot of money. But because a paṭela is a free man; he need not wait for someone else’s orders. The respect of people for a village headman is immense; all the villagers obey his command.

In addition to these two attractions, there was another. A headman did not have the burden of schooling; no plight of exams and results.