COIMBATORE: In times of a general irreverence in students for teachers, the sterling example of gratitude set by the ex-students towards a man
who turned them into doctors and industrialists is bound to tug at many hearts.
It’s just a 1,200 sq ft house in a non-descript village in Namakkal district of western Tamil Nadu. But behind its sparkling beige coloured walls lies a unique expression of love: it’s a gift from students to their poor, old teacher.
For over three decades, from mid-1950s to 1984, Tamil teacher Soballapuram V Venkataraman inspired awe among his students, not with his striking stick, but his stirring Tamil poetry and oratory. Two years ago, when the old boys of the Sengunthar Mahajana Higher Secondary school at Gurusamypalayam village met their 83-year-old former Tamil teacher, they were shocked.
On a monthly pension of Rs 9,000 he was additionally burdened by debts incurred for the marriage of his two daughters. On hearing about the hard times he was in, around 250 of the school’s alumni decided to gift him a Guru Niwas. It was their tribute to an inspiring teacher.
Contributions from old students, including two police officers settled in north India, and many others including doctors and engineers, poured in. A Coimbatore-based industrialist contributed about Rs 1.35 lakh. In less than two years, a two-storey house was ready on a Rs 10 lakh budget. The house would be handed over to him on September 6.
‘‘I never asked my students for help. Neither did I tell them anything about my financial problems. But they offered to build a house for me. I am moved by their gesture,’’ says the octogenarian.
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