Kenny Sebastian, stand-up comedian
My favourite teachers were my English teachers, Vasuvdatta and Jayashree. This was one of the few subjects I really liked because it promoted storytelling and creative writing. In the Central government school I studied in, my classmates had no interest in language — they only cared about maths and science. And even though there was lack of interest in class, the English teachers taught with so much passion. They inspired me towards acting and storytelling. They even let me talk most in class, when other teachers tried to keep me quiet!
We also had a very good physics teacher, and if I was not doing comedy, I would be doing astrophysics even though I don’t understand it!
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I remember my teacher Lourde Mary in higher primary school (at Mariya Nagar near my village, Hosanagar) who was the first person to motivate me towards sports. There was a competition in our school to select students for inter-school sports meet to be held at Handrangi, a village in Arkalgud taluk. I was in class seven. Despite the impairment in my left leg, I participated in the high jump event and won it. Ms. Mary then recommended me for the inter-school event.
Though there were many students in the meet, she was there at the end of my event with a sachet of glucose. It was my first event, and I stood second. The credit should go to her. The inspiration and support I got from Ms. Mary motivated me to compete with able athletes and win.
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N. Santosh Hegde,former Supreme Court judge andformer Karnataka Lokayukta
I have had the benefit of many great teachers, but the one that influenced me the most was Kalmanje Jagannatha Shetty (who went on to become the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court), my constitutional law professor at Government Law College. Without him, I would not have joined the profession.
I had then been studying law only to join some company that has a sports team that can allow me to pursue hockey. I was leading the hockey team for the college then.
But, Prof. Shetty took a personal interest in me and persuaded me to pursue law. I even joined his practice as a junior and he allowed me to appear in small cases. It was when I got injured playing hockey that he told me to concentrate on law. He was always there with his advice on how to go about cases and finer points of law. If not for him, I do not know what I would have become.
U.R. Rao, former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation
I have had many great people, colleagues to teach, inspire and guide me. Vikram Sarabhai (father of the Indian space programme) was my mentor for the Ph.D. It was he who encouraged me to take up the offer from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where I did my post-doctoral work.
After my stint in the U.S., it was Sarabhai who wanted me to return to India and work in the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmadabad.
Mingling with such luminaries and Nobel laureates increases your confidence. I came from a poor family, and my father was just class 4 pass. In fact, he felt happy when an astrologer told him I will pass my SSLC! Confidence is not easy coming from this background, but I was encouraged through the process.
Naresh Bhat, HoD, Medicine and Gastroenterology, St. Philomena’s Hospital
One person who made the most profound impact on me was not merely a teacher, but my mentor, Dr. H.S. Bhat, who was a renowned urologist at St. Philomena’s Hospital when I joined as a fresh gastroenterologist in practice.
He very subtly ingrained in me commitment, responsibility and the art of communication with patients. He ensured through various humorous anecdotes and stories the importance of maintaining a high ethical standard in practice.
A simple formula that he taught me was: when in doubt about performing a certain procedure, ask yourself what you would do if the patient was your father or brother. This mantra of his has guided me through many difficult decisions. He also showed us how writing detailed notes was of great importance.
Dr. Bhat will remain the greatest mentor who guided me in the philosophy of clinical medicine and hence he is far more than a teacher but a father figure.
(As told to Mohit M. Rao, Sathish G.T. and Afshan Yasmeen)