Guru Brahma Namonnamah

Remembering my Teachers

Guru Brahma Gururvishnu Gururdevo Maheswarah:

Parents take the throne on the Teachers’ Galaxy. My Pranams.

Indraganti Hanumatsastri, my Telugu Teacher in 8^th standard at District Board National High School, Ramachandrapuram, East Godavari District guided me to win a district level debate competition at Rajahmundry in 1952 on the subject – ‘Is Adult Franchise good for India’s Body Politic?’ in Telugu.

S. Radhakrishnan, my English teacher and Head Master at the Board National High School, Bapatla laid firm foundation and he never spared the cane when it came to correcting grammatical errors. He introduced Wren & Martin English Grammar as part of our regular curriculum.

Diwakarla Rama Murthy, brother of Divakarla Venkatavadhani of Osmania University taught us writing poetry in Telugu while at Intermediate in Mrs. A.V.N. College, Visakhapatnam (1957).

Greater fortune blessed me in the higher studies at Sri Venkateswara University College to have been taught during my graduation course by Rayaprolu Subba Rao and Pingali Lakshmikantham; M.V. Rama Sarma, old poetry (Milton’s Paradise Lost); Mrs. Suryakantam (Thomas Hardy’s Return of the Native and Galsworthy’s Strife); Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ and ‘As You Like It’.

Luckier still during my Post Graduation in Economics – Prof E.K. Warrier; Prof. M.S. Prakasa Rao who laid foundation in the  subject by making me read the original authors: Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations; John Maynard Keynes – General Theory of Employment; Kenneth Boulding – Economic Analysis that earned me distinction in M.A (Economics) in 1962. It was Prof. Prakasa Rao who advised me that if I do not have an idea to contribute on my own, I should not attempt an article. He guided me into publishing my first article on ‘Governance in Cooperatives – A Case Study of Tirupati Town Cooperative Stores’, in the Madras Cooperative Journal in 1962. This foundation saw me as author of hundreds of articles and 15 books in Economics and Management.

Greatest of my youngest teachers is C. Venkata Ratnam who adorned Gitam Institute of Foreign Trade during its formative years and International Management Institute later who guided me for doctoral thesis in 1984. He sent out the Application for admission to Andhra University Ph.D. Course in 1981 when I was Lead Bank Officer of the SBI at Sangareddy. I completed my Ph.D course in commerce and management studies with the subject – Credit Planning in Medak District.

It is my teachers who made me what I am today with positive outlook, unblemished career, humility and happiness in life. All the errors and omissions are truly mine.

On this Teachers’ Day I am greatly beholden to them. I seek their eternal blessings.

“గురువులు, శబ్దబ్రహ్మ

స్వరూప లలితాశ్రయులు,  రసవదిష్టార్థ

స్ఫురదమృతకంఠులు,  కవీ

శ్వరులు, తదుద్బుద్ధ చరణ చరితము నెంతున్‌.” మాతృ గీతా; Acharya Rayaprolu Subbarao