TALES OF A TEACHER 2
In 1986, I became the Principal of Government First Grade College, Belur, Hassan District. Initially it was an unruly College. My predecessor was waylaid when he was coming to the College on College Students’ Union Election day. Ballot papers were snatched from him and burnt. He ran to the Police Station to file a complaint. Luckily for him, the local Tahsildar and Dy. S.P. of Police were at the Police station. They swung into action, sidelining the Principal. They immediately got fresh ballot papers printed and conducted the elections on time. However they submitted a report to the Government and the Government immediately appointed me as the Principal. So I had to haul my bones from Chikmagalur (22 kilometres from Belur) and take charge and be the Departmental troubleshooter.
Three days after I took charge two groups of boys clashed with one another in my Chambers. I got up from my seat and hammered two of them who were their leaders with a round wooden ruler and confiscated from one of them a bicycle-chain. Then in choicest Kannada invectives I roundly abused them by raising all sorts of doubts about their genesis and what sort of animals had spawned them and when! They were struck dumb at my command of the Kannada language, especially the low cheap below the belt language that is the hall mark of Hassan district. This was a psychological trick for I knew that if there is one thing that a Kannadiga loathes it is abuses! They walked out with a new look of respect for they now knew that I was not an outsider but one like they, a son of the soil!
I then announced the list of winners in the elections officially. Anticipating that some of the losers may go to the court to get a stay order, I filed a preventive caveat in the local Magistrate’s court. Knowing that all avenues were blocked, the disgruntled elements were planning to disrupt the inaugural function of the Students’ Union. I learnt of it all through the excellent spy system that I had built up.
It is customary to invite the local M.L.A. and some other political leaders to the inaugural function. Along with them I also invited the Superintendent of Police Hassan district and the Dy. S.P. The Superintendent was from Himachal Pradesh and did not know Kannada; so he was asked to just congratulate the winners and wish them well. The Dy. S.P. was a Kannadiga and he delivered a blistering attack on the students who had brought dishonor to the College and the town during the time of my predecessor. He read out their names and issued them a strict warning that they would be banished from the district if they misbehaved in future. About 40 policemen from the RAF were present toting guns.
The morale of the troublemakers was broken. They knew I meant business and that I knew how to run a College. Further I had full support of the police Department. As they say in Hindi, “Jiski Lathi, Uski Bhains”. The first round was won!