The
scenario at the college had totally changed in its second year. The college
office was brimming with activity. Certain new lecturers had joined the
college. The existing departments had also been strengthened by addition of new
lecturers in view of the commencement of first year B.Sc. B.A. and B.Com
Classes. I also came to know that the college management had decided to start
hostel facility for the outstation students. This was absolutely necessary in
view of several students from Birur, Kadur and Chickmagalore joining the
college. The management and the faculty were in a festive mood. The Principal
was in very high spirits and was in total command.
The
degree classes were to commence shortly. But there was no word from the Academy
as to how they would arrange for payment of my fee and other expenses. I did
not want to miss any of my classes. On the day of opening of degree classes I
reached the town and attended the first day classes. The hostel had also been
opened on the previous day to accommodate the outstation students. I came to
know that the food in the hostel would be prepared and served by the
prestigious ‘Mallika-Mandir’
management. As already mentioned by me elsewhere, this hotel was famous for
their excellent quality tasty food. I was eager to join the hostel and was
waiting to hear from the Principal. Meanwhile I made a temporary arrangement
for my stay in Sringeri.
I
used to meet the Principal daily at the college office. One fine morning he
told me that he had received the cheque from the Academy. He also told me that
I had to sign some documents before receiving the cheque. To my surprise I
found the amount of the cheque exactly matching with the total annual fee of
the college. I could smell immediately that something was wrong. I also found
that the Principal was behaving in a different manner altogether. When I asked
him about the hostel fee, he asked me to stay put. He gave certain documents to
me to get my father’s signature as I was a minor at that time.
I
was a bit unnerved by the sudden change in the behavior of the Principal. I
went through the document given by him. To my shock the document was found to
be a demand promissory note. Even though I had not seen such documents earlier,
I had come to know that the money lenders always took such a promissory note
from the borrowers. In fact my brother had taken loans from Sampige Kolalu
uncle against such promissory notes. I went back to the Principal seeking his
clarification in the matter. He simply told me that the Academy as an
Institution had to take this ‘receipt’ from the receiptant. But he was
underestimating my capacity to differentiate between a promissory note and a
receipt! I clearly remembered that we had obtained a receipt from the Sampige
Kolalu uncle once our loans against the promissory notes had been cleared. I
had also seen receipts while receiving my scholarship amounts. Hence I told the
Principal that the wordings in the document were not like a receipt.
In
the past I had, on several occasions, received appreciation from my teachers
and others for my general knowledge. But this was one instance wherein the
Principal did not appreciate it a bit! He just asked me to get it signed and
not to exhibit anymore smartness! He told me that being a Principal he was
aware what was best in the interest of his students!
When
I discussed the issue with my elderly well wishers, they agreed with my
contention. However they also told me that the question of the Academy asking
me to repay the amount at a later date may not arise at all. Ultimately I got
the signature of my father on the document and handed it over to the Principal.
The office staff took my signature on the back of the cheque and issued me
receipt for the total annual college fee.
I
wish to mention here that I was totally allergic to the very word loan. I had
lot of justification for this attitude of mine. As mentioned by me elsewhere my
father had this ‘loan-based’ model of life! Our family earnings were always
earmarked for repayment of loans. I was aware that all other families in our
village visited the banks only to deposit their money. It was only our family
which was a borrowing client of the bank. The bank loan in those days was only
against gold jewels. My mother being the only daughter of her rich parents had
lot of jewels on her when she married my father.
My
father found having such high value jewels at home a risky proposition. In
those days there used to be no lockers at the banks. He thought of a novel
idea; that was to raise loans against these jewels! That way there was the
benefit of safe keeping of the jewels without incurring any expenditure! The
idea was no doubt very brilliant; but the problem was that the loans were never
repaid. Ultimately my mother was left with only one gold chain other than her
‘mangalasutra’.
I
had consciously avoided taking a loan even as a scholarship. In my PUC I had
been offered the Government of India interest free loan scholarship. I simply
refused to take it. I did not want to start my earning career later with the
burden of a loan on my back.
Viewed
in my above background, I never felt safe after getting my father’s signature
on the promissory note. I wish to tell my readers here that my doubts really
came true at a later date. At that time my Principal, who wanted me to treat
the promissory note as a receipt, was blissfully teaching Hindu philosophy to
his postgraduate students at the Mysore
University
The
next time when I met the Principal he had to let the cat out of the bag. The
definition of my entire ‘education expenditure’ meant only college fee for the
Academy; whereas the Principal had interpreted it as ‘all the expenditure other
than clothing’. The Principal was now finding it very difficult to admit this
fact and disappoint me. That was the reason for his strange behavior towards
me. He now came out with a compensatory offer. He told me that I can have my
food on one day in a week at his house. For the rest of the week he expected me
to request other lecturers (who had their families) to help me out. In fact he
asked me to approach the lecturers straight away in the college office.
I left the college office in a huff. Actually
my position was back to square one. No! It was not even that. It was far worse!
I had discontinued my studies at Shimoga as I did not want to be at the mercy
of somebody. It was despite having the free seat facility at the hostel. For my
PUC the entire fee had been paid by Shankar Rao. The present position was - the
Academy had paid my fee instead of Shankar Rao. While there was no question of
repaying Shankar Rao, the Academy had obtained a promissory note from me! The
bottom line was - my securing a rank had resulted in myself turning out to be a
borrower of the Academy! Not only that, the Principal was asking me to beg my
lecturers for feeding me against my conscience. The very idea appeared to be an
anathema to me!
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(To be continued)
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