Ambanna M. Dhavalara of Sindagi taluk, a bus conductor with a doctorate in History, had nothing to cheer about as the country celebrated the 63rd anniversary of its Constitution that promises “equality of status and of opportunity” in its Preamble.
Incensed over the alleged irregularities in the appointment of History lecturers by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), which has resulted in him being denied the post of a lecturer despite being qualified as per norms, he has returned his original degree certificate to Governor H.R. Bharadwaj, who is the Chancellor of universities.
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M. Dhavalara, a conductor with North East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) at Sindagi, has been fighting an untiring battle against alleged irregularities for many years, knocking at every door possible. Disappointed that all his efforts have not resulted in him moving up the social ladder from being a conductor to a lecturer, he has decided to give up his degree.
Mr. Dhavalara, though hailing from a poor family, finished his bachelor's degree in second class and did his master's degree in history and archaeology from Karnatak University with a first class in 1993. He sustained his studies on government scholarships and hostel facilities. Though the NEKRTC tried to put hurdles in his way by dismissing him from service, he went on to get a Doctorate in History in December, 2002 by the same university.
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When KPSC invited applications for 180 history lecturers, Mr. Dhavalara applied, but did not get the job. He filed a query under the Right to Information Act and found there were huge irregularities in the appointment process and those less qualified than him had been appointed.
Since then he has been making repeated appeals to authorities on setting right this anomaly and giving him the post which is his due. As the last resort, he has returned his degree. The Hindu had first reported on the case of Dr. Dhavalara in January, 2009.