Karnataka - Bangalore

Nostalgic homecoming for Kumaraswamy

Staff Reporter

`Politician by accident' admits that he was never a model student `Politician by accident' admits that he was never a model student

RECEIVING AN ALUMNUS: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy being welcomed by National Education Society president A.H. Rama Rao (left) along with old students of National College in Bangalore on Thursday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: It was back to college for Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy as his alma mater invited him to celebrate his elevation to the high office. The H.N. Kalakshetra auditorium at National College, Jayanagar, was packed with students, teachers and professors, some of whom had taught Mr. Kumaraswamy, long before the felicitation function was to begin.

And though he kept them waiting for over an hour, the students and a good many fellow old students decided it was worth the wait.

After he was welcomed and honoured by National Education Society president A.H. Rama Rao and Pre-University College principal Geetha Ramanujam, Mr. Kumaraswamy first asked for a student to come up on the dais and share with him some thoughts that make this generation tick.

Success

He listened intently as Ashwin Gowda told his college-mates that though they may not have a "godfather" (former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda), there is no reason why they should not emulate Mr. Kumaraswamy in trying to reach the peak in their chosen professions and work to make Karnataka the best State.

Those halcyon days

Mr. Kumaraswamy was seen moving his lips during the recitation of the college prayer earlier, but he confessed that he was not a model student. He had frittered away those halcyon days without really having any plans for the future.

In his pre-university days at Vijaya College, he had even fallen into bad company and given his teachers and parents a bad time.

But he realised the error of his ways soon enough, and when he went to the late H. Narasimhaiah asking for a seat to study at the National College, his "sorry looking marks card" made the great man recommend that he go for an Arts degree. College was not a bad idea and he was not a hopeless student, though he tried to make himself "invisible" in the class of "G.S.S.," terrified that she may spot him and ask questions.

Describing himself "a politician by accident," Mr. Kumaraswamy said he had only taken the trouble to do a little better when his father had said in despair, "I will try to get you a job as a second-division clerk... that's all the future you are likely to have."

No one in his family, including his brother-in-law, had wanted him to join politics.

"By that time, I wanted to prove I could make something of myself.

That is where my grounding and the education I received here came to my rescue. It was in this college that I contested elections for the first time and lost," he recalled.

Beautiful experience

"This is my first and last felicitation function," he said, and coming back to the college had been a beautiful experience for him.

"I would like to be your `Anna' and I would like you to remember that everything you chose to do happens only with your inner strength, and the blessings of your elders and teachers." For Ashwin Gowda's benefit, he said: "My father helped me take the first step. You are on your own afterwards."

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