MY LIFE JOURNEY - INCIDENTS AND FACTS (2)

2.  GENERAL ELECTIONS 1971 AND INDIA-PAKISTAN WAR

I was just  11 in 1971, studying in 6th Standard at Government Higher Primary School near Malleswaram Circle, Bangalore.  Having nominated in the school as a News paper headlines reader in school assembly, I gradually cultivated the habit of reading one of the leading local dailies viz. Prajavaani, which a was a household name.  My father was a subscriber to this daily.

As said earlier, I developed  the habit of reading headlines of this newspaper early in the morning so that I could read the same in school assembly properly.  After watching my father's keen interest in reading the daily in detail,  I too cultivated the practice of reading not only the headlines but also the content.  Though sports page was the attraction, in a very short time started understanding the contents of news related to politics and current affairs.  Those were the days, front page of the daily was usually meant to cover news of national importance and how the Government headed by Prime Minister Smt.Indira Gandhi was dealing with various issues. Smt.Indira Gandhi was powerful PM of the country and all the dailies used to praise her in handling the country.

  

I do not want to comment on the split in the congress party as I was a small kid then and do not wish to quote any speeches/statements made/of leaders of many political parties, as there is still no uniformity in singling out one key or particular issue which lead to split.  Except for Congress party (with cow and cough symbol) headed by Smt.Indira Gandhi, no other parties or their leaders were finding their presence in newspapers.  Even within Congress party, except for state leaders like Chief Minister Devraj Urs,  Kengal Hanumanthaiya, Veerendra Patil and few others, we were not aware of any other notable leaders of that time.  During this period, I heard my father talking about many big leaders both in congress and other parties, but I was not matured enough to understand all that.  All I could do was to read the newspaper with limited understanding about politics.  At that time, all I knew through news papers was Prime Minister Smt.Indira Gandhi, was very popular among the masses.

Smt.Indira Gandhi's visit to Bangalore

In 1971, general elections were announced and newspapers started to fill election related news in most of the pages.  Only then I came to know who our MPs,  MLAs and Corporators were.  With election and politics taking most of the newspaper's columns, I restricted my interest to reading sports page and happenings around the city thoroughly and just a glancing on other matters including current affairs.  This decision, I believe, did make me to concentrate on studies properly.  

Suddenly one day I came across a news item that Smt. Gandhi would be visiting Bangalore  for campaigning for the congress party in the lok sabha elections and she would be passing through a main road (Sampige Road) very near to where we were staying then.  I had only listened to my father, uncle and through newspapers many times about her personality.  Now I wanted to see her like thousands of others.  The D day came and I was at a vantage position (near Kaadu Malleswara Temple) along with my sisters at 1 PM. The place was already crowded. There was no announcement as to what time she would arrive and it was only a hearsay of some people about the approximate time.  Even some white dhoti people, who the crowd referred as leaders/party workers, had no idea about the arrival time.  After waiting for almost 5 hours, we went back home.  Soon someone was heard saying that she would arrive by 8 PM.   The craze to see her was such that again we all assembled at the same place by 7 PM and the crowd had almost doubled.  Again, except for some police jeeps making rounds, there was no announcement about her arrival.  Even the so called leaders/workers/followers  looked confused and people even started making fun of them.  The waiting continued and  finally she appeared at early hours 1.30 AM the next day with lot of security around her and what she did was zooming past us in few seconds without having any regard to people waiting patiently to see her for almost a day.  What I noticed further that day was the way so called second line leaders were not even allowed near her by her security.  Unlike present day, the security was not a concern at all as we had not heard other than policemen with lattis.  For the first time, we saw so many security men with rifles around her.  This incident is still in my minds as though it happened yesterday. For some time after this incident, except for sports, I stopped reading all other news in dailies and concentrated on studies.

(Soon elections were held and Congress party emerged victorious and our state Karnataka was in the forefront of getting most of the congress candidates victorious.)  

Then came my favourite sports activity ie. cricket as India was touring England for Test series.  This I would cover in my next post.

India-Pakistan War 1971

The most important event of 1971 was India-Pakistan War.  Pakistan was defeated and East Pakistan was liberated and a new country Bangladesh was born.  During this war period we depended wholly on newspapers, and whatever they published at that time, we believed in toto, as there was no way to verify the authenticity of the same.  However, state run (in fact) controlled All India Radio was  broadcasting hourly updates on the situation.  (It took people like me almost 20 years to understand this war period situation only when electronic media expanded).  

Bangalore, being a strategically important city, was considered  under the radar of the enemy country due to the presence of key defence establishments and manufacturing centres.  Hence, more emphasis was given to secure our city and we went into blackouts for many days.  As a tough measure, entire city households covered their window panes/glasses with black films and during night falling with no street lights, the city had the look of  a ghost city.  During day time, we could hear many planes taking off from Air bases near Bangalore.  Whenever any such sound was heard, people were seen exaggerating and spreading many rumours like attack on us etc.  People of my age group - 11 years, were so afraid and could not sleep for many days.  However, we were very very safe in Bangalore.  We salute the bravery of our soldiers and the grit and determination  of those living in border areas that time (and now).  We always have special place in our heart for patriotic and very brave soldiers from Punjab, who have been our first line of defence.

With Pakistan surrendering to India, having beaten, a new country Bangladesh (earlier East Pakistan) was born.  With this victory, Smt.Indira Gandhi emerged as the most powerful and popular Prime Minister of our country.

MY LIFE JOURNEY - INCIDENTS AND FACTS (1)

1. GROWING UP THROUGH GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS 

Year 1967, Month March.  Our family of eight (parents, 3 brothers and 3 sisters) moved from a small sleepy village/town of  Kanakapura (Kanakanahalli earlier) to Bangalore (a distance of about 60 kms).  This migration was necessitated due to

(a) Our eldest brother's completion of BSc. graduation and Bangalore was believed to be the the place for any employment opportunity to him and 

 

(b) My father was a cloth merchant dealing in both Kanakapura and Bangalore and had just closed down his operations at both places due to losses suffered.

As my father's business flourished during 1950s. we had the luxury of living in a spacious house in Kanakapura till we shifted to Bangalore in 1967 (and which we held in our possession till 1972).  However, all that changed due to my father's not so good financial health for reasons mentioned in (b) above, on shifting to Bangalore, we had to settle down for a small 1 room, hall, kitchen house in the then favourite locality called Malleswaram in Bangalore,  on a monthly rental of about Rs.25 and for a short period we stayed there, our family had to live most of the time at the mercy of owner of the house for using common facilities like  water  or electricity. 

It was the story of riches to rags for us. (We changed our residence too often (7 different places within Malleswaram), but the situation remained the same and in fact living conditions worsened in some.  The premium house we stayed was in a lined house (referred to 'Vataraas' in Bangalore), where for 6 row/opposite lane houses, all we had were 2 common loos.  Even with all the drawbacks we lived happily with our neighbours helping each other with whatever little we possessed, as money was never coming in the way of our contented life then. 

Shortly after arriving at Bangalore, except our elder brother, who had just completed graduation, all 5 of us children joined various schools and colleges in Malleswaram.  In the meantime, as expected, my brother started his employment career in Bharat Electronics Ltd. (PSU), although his salary was no where enough to support our large family. Hence, in order to meet our requirements, the house at Kanakapura was sold off in 1972 for a paltry sum.

Being the youngest of the issues and having just entered my 8th year on coming to Bangalore, I was admitted to a Government Primary School located near  Malleswaram Circle for 3rd standard by paying an admission fee of just 50 paise.  I studied primary education (upto 5th standard)  here and completed my 7th Standard from Malleswaram Government Main Middle School located in the same compound as primary school.

 
This place was a landmark area then surrounded with huge trees and play area with Malleswaram Police Station and KC General Hospital located just opposite.  The open huge playground overseeing the school premises was a treat to watch and play.  It continues to be a landmark area even today for different reasons, and  old timers find it difficult to digest.  Today except for the Main Middle School building, the open places have made way for a huge structures like SSLC Board and other government offices.  This place is now surrounded by huge traffic islands and a fully covered public play ground.  Even the old dungeon eatery opposite the playground "Hotel Moonlight" has undergone changes and has a modern appearance, the other one on Margosa Road "Central Tiffin Room" or simply CTR continues to have the same look and ambience, inspite of changing its name to "Sree Sagar"

For the high school, I was admitted to another landmark school ie.

Government Higher Secondary School for Boys at 18th cross, Malleswaram, a huge stone structure surrounded by gardens and  a very large playground.  Just 200 metres away there existed Gandhadakoti Kere (where one could see lined sandalwood trees during 1970s and 80s)) which has since been remodelled in the name of development and called  as Sankey Tank. We learnt and enjoyed swimming in this tank till 1975.   I passed out 10th standard (SSLC) in April 1975 from this school and joined Government Pre-University college opened newly in the same premises and passed out Pre-University in April 1977. (Now this place also houses among others Pre-University Board and Common Entrance Test Cell,  squeezing large open space).  For few years, while we were in this school/college,  a portion of this government school annexe building was given (whether on lease/rental, I am not sure, but given) to Maharani Lakshmi Ammanni College for Women, to function.  Most of the old timers are aware under whose influence/diktat this was given and whose name Maharani Lakshmi Ammanni was.  Students went on strike for some days and even went in procession to Vidhana Soudha against this decision, but the power that be was strong and successful in thwarting this strike. After some years, this college moved into their own premises right across the school road and is now a renowned institution.  This incident was buried inside the carpet in the latter part of 70s.

 

Only a couple of private schools and Colleges like Sharadha Vidya Niketahana, Malleswaram Ladies Association, Central School (later became Kendriya Vidyalaya), MES College and missionery schools like Stella Mary's and Cluny Convent were functioning then, where children from  sound economic background were studying.

The classrooms in our government schools and colleges above mentioned were so huge  with each room accommodating only a moderate strength of 30-35 pupils, as against 70-80 nowadays.  Neither was there any occasion we were asked about our caste by any teacher or school/college authorities nor we were interested in knowing the same from fellow students. Though I belong to what they now call as forward community, there was no occasion to either caste calling or discrimination whatsoever till I completed my pre-university. The teaching staff and teaching methodology was superb.  The teachers were so professional and used to take interest in all round development of students.  Disciplined learning was the order of the day.  We were encouraged to participate in inter school/college debates, sports and other extra curricular activities.  Though 90%of us were from economically poor backgroundand attending school without proper uniform and barefoot soldiers, there was no such thing existed as inferior complex.   Many teachers,  although they were not well paid  (as their salaries were revised upwards only in the 80s)  used to pay fees/examination fees of many poor students (though small amounts,  which many students could not even afford to pay), to make sure they attend school and examinations. I belong to one of these  groups and thank  broad minded teachers for their gesture.  

Joining NCC during the school years was more for that lure of break-fast in a hotel after parade hours costing 40 paisa.  Many of us had to wear uneven sizes of shoes and socks, as it was difficult to get uniform sizes and were punished by NCC officers for the same.  This was the one area, which the government school authorities those days, could not manage properly. Physical Training (PT) was another area, where we were not taught properly about its importance, due to which PT and PT Master were never taken seriously by us and majority of us had developed the art of escaping this period.

Every year through our journey in the school, School Days were conducted, starting with a speech by a chief guest for the ocaasion followed by  various Arts and cultural programmes presented by students.  The most boring and punishment part here was chief guest's lenghty speech, and our age group was not tuned to listen to such speeches with attention. Added to this, students were made to sit on the ground for many hours.  Even today, I do not remember any chief guests, their speeches or their contents. 

Annual Saraswathi Pooja celebration by each and every class before the final examinations was a must those days to pray Goddess Saraswathi and bring out the hidden talents of students.  Here too, all the students were seen participating as one with teachers and Head Master advising and blessing the students.  In today's world, this looks very remote.

I would like to bring other true stories in my next post.  Please read the posts and encourge me to bring in more such facts.