Self-improvement books, of which there are many, speak of being in focus, setting goals, having vision along with qualities like commitment, hard work and dedication. If there is one person in Mangalore and Karnataka, whose sole focus and mission has been the Teachers’ Movement, it is none other than Dr. A.M. Narahari who attained superannuation recently.
My association with Dr. Narahari starts during my student days in the late 1970s at St. Aloysius, when a young lecturer from Sagar climbed up the podium of our B.Com class and said “Do I look like a Lecturer?” Being young and inexperienced, facing a volatile B.Com batch of 90 plus students was not easy. Nevertheless, he performed his duties with ease and freely mingled with students including the occasional class socials.
At that time, little did I realize that I will be re-associated with Dr. Narahari once again and that too very closely. Our relationship and friendship evolved and grew when I took up the teaching profession as a social work educator and made inroads into AMUCT as a convener of our unit. If there is one great contribution among the many of Prof. Narahari, it is the grooming and nurturing of youngsters like me in the Teachers’ Movement. A little reluctant in the beginning, my plunging head-long in AMUCT starts under the leadership of Narahari when I was the Joint Secretary nearly two decades ago. As the then General Secretary was not from Mangalore, I was literally with Narahari who was the President at that time. In the following year, with the blessings of Narahari, I was elected the General Secretary. The rest is history or more precisely the destiny of my life under the benevolent wings of Narahari. The memories are many, including FUCTAK and AIFUCTO meetings and protests in Bangalore and Delhi as well as the near missing of trains and buses during our numerous travels together.
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Prof. Narahari passionately involved himself in the cause of teachers and education in Karnataka and had been in the forefront of many struggles, rubbing the wrong side of authorities and even courting arrest in the process. He is a master strategist who could grasp the complicated educational issues and suggest solutions to the bureaucrats and politicians. The crowning glory of Prof. Narahari is the well organised AIFUCTO Conference in Mangalore which set a bench mark for future AIFUCTO sessions.
Prof. Narahari may have officially retired from government service and will continue a couple more years at St. Aloysius College. Nevertheless, an involved person like Narahari cannot retire from active life and withdraw himself from the causes he holds dear. Retiring, as wise people say, is a ‘second innings’ where one needs to pad up once again and confront the field to use a cricketing analogy.
On our part it is our duty and privilege to seek his constant guidance and advice during our continuous struggles — abundant at the moment — with the education department. I am sure the present and future AMUCT leadership will be inspired by his commitment and seek his advice in times of challenges and frustrations. Long Live Prof. Narahari! Long Live Teachers’ Movement!
Joselyn T Lobo
Former President, AMUCT