Gururbrahma, gururvishnuh, Gururdevo Maheshwarah
Gurusakshathparam Brahma, Tasmaisreeguruvenamah

Great people are born rare. Great teachers are born very rarely. It is a big fortune to meet them. My teachers especially Sri V. Venkata Sesha Sharma garu dawned as a bright star in the galaxy of teachers working at my school, Zilla Parishad High School, Veenavanka in Karimnagar district of Telangana state in India. In the rural area, the school served as an oasis of learning with him as Teacher, Telugu Pundit for teaching the boys and girls of many villages including mine, Ramakrishnapur. The school with the committed teachers quenched the thirst for knowledge and wisdom of students. Of all teachers, Sri VVS Sharma was the best to be the crest of the school in those days. All people respectfully and humbly called him, “Sharma Sir”.

Those were the times to date back to my boyhood days in the1960s when I completed primary classes at the branch and entered class-five in the main building of the school. I glimpsed the towering personality for the first time after I had heard about his image as a master of excellent teaching. He was very simple in the dressing of dhoti and shirt, and venerable and scholarly in looks. He taught Telugu in higher classes with the distinctive skill of teaching.

I was in my class VI. That hour in the absence of the subject teacher I was sitting for some time on the last bench with backbenchers one day. They started to converse loudly and continued to make disturbance so in a high pitch. Hearing the loud noise, a master suddenly rushed to the class and punished all the boys including me. I, who regularly sat on the first bench, unexpectedly sat on the last bench. I was sorry and my eyes welled with tears. I sincerely told him that I had not made any noise. He understood me, looking into my face with tears. He said to me with a kind gesture in his face, ‘You sat with the mischievous boys…How do I know that you did not make a noise when you were sitting with the mischievous students? Remember, you should not sit and make friendship with mischievous days.’  

I was able to glimpse his kind gesture in the face with the understanding that I had not made any noise. All his kind feelings towards me impressed me a lot, that he was a great master with the qualities of head and heart. He left the class with the feelings.  He was none other than Sri VVS Sharma garu.

It was the first time seeing the revered master from close quarters. He became my model master then onwards. I was a student, coming from Ramakrishnapur, a hamlet of Veenavanka to attend the school. I belonged to a poverty-stricken family. To my fortune, I was a brilliant student, but I had no godfather and well-wisher to guide me in studies. I used to recall his kind words. That year I stood third in class VI. It became a good start of my success, and I felt encouraged by the rank. In class seven, I stood second and in class eight first. When I stood first in class eight, my favorite teacher was our class teacher. Every year I stood first in every class and received the prestigious merit scholarship every year.

My ideal master Sri VVS Sharma happened to come with all the teachers and students to our village, Ramakrishnapur on the eve of the Independence Day for clean and green programme to advise the villagers not to have narrow street roads and untidy surroundings.  All widened a road on the occasion.  He visited my house that happened to be a poor hut. I welcomed him with a smile. We had nothing to offer him except water. He had drinking water. He spoke to my parents, referring to me, ‘Your son is a brilliant student. He has a bright future. Don’t assign many works to him and divert his precious time for studies.”

Hearing his words, I was overwhelmed with joy. More importantly I was happy that my beloved master came to my house, a simple hut.  I felt that God had visited my house. It is the most memorable event in my life. I used to tell my friends and classmates about his coming to my house and telling my parents all kind words about me.

The master was deeply committed to teaching. All the parents of students in the school had a lot of reverence for him for sincerity and commitment towards teaching. The students and the people adored him in the hearts of their hearts.

I am happy that the master V.V.S. Sharma worked at my school for a longer period. He was an M.A. in Telugu. He studied Sanskrit subject. He was a ranker from Osmania University as a private candidate in the M.A. Sanskrit examination.  When he got a promotion to the post of Lecturer at Govt. College, Jagdevpur of Medak district, he left Veenavanka to report for his duty at the new place. I sent off him to the new place with all feelings in my face. Even today, I visualize his feelings when he left Veenavanka. Born at Veljerla in Mahboobnagar district, he came to my school after working at some high schools. He impressed all the students soon as he felt a strong bond with the students like me. I have never forgotten him. I feel that he is guiding me even now in all respects.

I recall my master’s kind gesture. When I was in Class Eight, he was our class teacher. I was not able to pay the school fees as I was very poor. He himself paid fees for me, saying with kind feelings in his face, ’You are to give the fee amount to me but not to the government.”

That was his magnanimity. Of course, I returned the fee amount to him later when my parents were able to afford it. That was the penury, a hand to mouth life I faced in my boyhood days.

All my teachers, especially my master, Sri VVS Sharma was kind to me. He encouraged me in my studies. I am very much indebted to him for his encouragement in my studies. In fact, all my teachers loved me in their hearts for my discipline and brilliance. They knew that I belonged to a poor family. Despite poverty I stood first in every class in the school.

Sri VVS Sharma was not just a teacher but a perfect human being. He encouraged all the students, especially poor students, to study well and come up in life. He used to treat all the students with love irrespective of their sociological backgrounds.  He excelled other teachers by virtue of his qualities and abilities in guiding all his students to participate in curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

I participated in all the activities as per advice and guidance and got prizes in all types of competitions. I participated in an elocution competition though I had a lot of stage fear.  In class nine, I participated in an essay writing competition. To my surprise, I got the first prize in it. The event drew the attention of all the students, especially those of school final classes X and XI (H.S.C.) I ascribe my success to my beloved master. All the years I was receiving merit scholarship for my standing first in the class. I gave all my scholarship amount to my father in troubles, in times of poverty.

I came to the school final. I still remember very clearly when he taught a Samasa to us. He taught Bahuvreehi Samasa to mean ‘anya padartha pradhanam’ (The other is given significance but not the two words in the Samasa), by taking my name, ‘Raja Mouly’ to mean Lord Shiva as ‘Raja’ means ‘moon’ and ‘Mouly’ means ‘one who wears it on the head’.  The lord wearing the moon on the head is Lord Shiva. Until then I did not know the meaning of my name. I felt elated when my name had been taken as an example for the teaching of the Samasa.

I had a lot of reverence for him as he guided me in many ways. I ever felt, “A teacher must be like him, my revered master.”

Days were fleeting but poverty was still haunting me in the same tempo. I was to appear for the public examinations that year at the Taluq Headquarters, Huzurabad. I felt it necessary to study harder than before as a student of the highest rank in the previous classes. That year my master of Telugu started to teach English at home. Some of my classmates went to take tuition given by him. I wanted to attend his tuition as l love English, but my father was not able to pay tuition fees in times of poverty though it was a small amount those days.

One day I braved to approach him to express my position. He was quite aware of my poor financial position. I requested him, saying, ’I want to attend tuitions…I am not able to pay tuition fee every month.’ He responded positively and said, ‘I know that you belonged to a poor family.’ I expressed my view that I shall pay tuition fee after getting my merit scholarship. He decided to give me free coaching. He was such a great person to teach me and the school peon’s son freely. He taught us the English texts and complete grammar. His method of teaching was so unique and distinctive that we were able to understand all in a clear manner. In English, I got the highest marks on par with the student who was the second rank holder in the state. No other student had got so many marks in English so far like me in the previous public examinations.

When I got my merit scholarship, I went to him to pay tuition fees to my master. He did not take the amount. Moreover, he expressed his wish, ‘You should do research for Ph. D. in English literature.  That is my wish. You need not pay any fees to me but fulfill my wish.”

‘Do we find a person with so much magnanimity and so earnestly wishing me that I should do Ph.D. in my career?’

I profusely thanked him for his kind gesture. He became very exemplary and model to me in life. I ever remember him and his noble words.

My beloved master was very happy for my highest marks in English. I answered all questions in my own language. I was able to write sentences on my own with the knowledge he imparted to me in the tuition class. The credit goes to my guru Sri. VVS Sharma garu. That was my performance to draw my beloved master’s attention to my score in the subject of English in the HSC public Examinations.

Later I completed PUC with the first rank in Adarsha College, Jammikunta. The Collector of Karimnagar presented a certificate of Merit along with the book entitled Humorous Stories. It was a memorable event of receiving the certificate of merit in my life on College Day. Even now I feel sorry for I did not have a snap with the collector to give away prizes on the occasion. I feel sorry for not keeping the photo with the Collector to give away the certificate and prize to me on the occasion. It remained a missed opportunity in my life. Certain things happened in those days of innocence. I had none there to guide me then.

I was in a quest of knowledge. For that my studying was going further by doing graduation with English literature as the main subject as per the wish of my revered master Sri. VVS Sharma garu. I applied for my undergraduate study at Arts and Science College, Warangal where the subject was taught. My name was first in the first list of admissions to graduate study. I was to pay an admission fee of Rs 75. For that I sold off the books of my previous year’s study. I got Rs 50 in that sale. I needed Rs 25 more. I tried my best leaving no stone unturned but failed miserably. My parents expressed their inability to send me for higher studies. My favorite master tried his best to find some source for my livelihood at the place of my further study. He was sorry for he did not find any hope. That was his greatness. My chances of studying that year became very bleak as I was not able to get Rs 25. To put my efforts aside, my elder brother took the amount of Rs 50 from me, saying that he would see that I should study further the next year after his joining a job. My efforts to seek admission that year ended like that against my wish. The last date for the payment of admission fees in college was completed. I wept like nobody tried to understand my pathetic situation.

That year, I started a school (Bapuji School) in a village and taught the children of that village. The parents of the school gave me some salary. I gave my income to my parents. The year passed and I again got a seat as my name as the first one in the first list of admissions. I joined my graduate study with all hopes that I would study further. The parents of the children whom I taught promised to look after my education but kept silent. Some parents did not clear the dues. I did not get any help from anyone and so I was in trouble.

In such circumstances, I found the parents like Dr. T. Narsimha Reddy and Dr. T. Kalpana Devi wanting me to teach their children. I taught their children for more than six years and continued my undergraduate study, getting on with the amount they gave me every month. I looked after my brother’s studies also. After my graduate study, I completed my post-graduate study at PG Center, Warangal, Osmania University. I faced an interview, and the Govt. posted me Lecturer at Govt. College, Adilabad. Then I wanted to pay a visit to my beloved master and felicitate him duly. I enquired about him at his place of work as Lecturer in Sanskrit. To my shock, I heard that he was no more. I wanted to express my feelings of joy as a lecturer before doing a Ph. D as per his wish, but he was not there to share my feelings with him, my beloved master. I bitterly wept in the heart of hearts.

I did not forget the wish of my beloved teacher to do research for my Ph. D. in English literature. I did my M.Phil. on the Movement poets and Ph. D. on the concept of time in the poetry of Philip Larkin which says that man desires remain fulfilled, and they are destroyed in the inexorable flow of time. My research thesis was published. I dedicated the book to my beloved master, Sri. VVS Sharma garu.

That was the way, I was able to fulfill his cherished wish for me to do Ph.D. in English Literature and it was my most befitting reward bestowed on him. That was my most memorable journey with him, my beloved master in my student career.