Her passion keeps hearths in homes of six teachers of this Kannada school burning

UDUPI: At times when concerns are expressed about closure of Kannada medium schools in the state, a gritty teacher has taken it on herself to keep afloat the fortunes of Kukkikatte Aided Private Higher Primary School.
Having superannuated from services in July last, Vidyarathna Anappa has made it an almost life’s mission to ensure that the school that is home to 80-odd students continues to be abode of learning and does not close down any time soon.
With aid not forthcoming from the government, Vidyarathna who retired as head teacher after 40-years of service, dipped into her salary in the last decade to pay the six guest teachers and kept the show running. Such was the passion to see her alma mater afloat, that she sometimes turned to Annappa, her husband, retired deputy tahsildar to meet her financial commitments. Her three children too are alumni of the school founded in 1940.
Admitting it is nothing but love for her school that philanthropist Giriyanna Shetty started 80-years ago that has fuelled this passion, Vidyarathna told TOI that her classmate Shamshuddin and Tajuddin, now settled in the Middle East, agreed to foot the salary bill of the teacher for a month. Likewise, Rajendra Prabhu, father of my student Srisha too remitted Rs 31,000 for this very cause that is keeping the hearths burning in six homes, she said.
It was a casual reference to an acquaintance Niranjan Rao V about the state of affairs of the school and how the school management struggled to pay the meagre salaries to these guest teachers that saw the word spread around. “It is large hearted people such as Niranjan, Srihari from Bengaluru, Dr Sudarshan from Udupi that has given hope to these guest teachers going forward,” Vidyarathna said, hoping more donors including alumni will help.
The school in its heydays thanks to efforts of teachers such as Srinivas Rao once boasted of student strength in excess of 1500 in the mid and late 1970s with multiple sections per each class. At present, students of only classes 5 to 7 are coming to the school due to the Covid19 restrictions and these committed teachers are their ray of hope, she said. Vijayalakshmi aka Mallika, granddaughter of late Shetty is managing the school affairs now.