A pall of gloom descended on Ramakunja, the birthplace of Vishwesha Tirtha Swami, in Kadaba taluk near here, and the Ramakunjeshwara Samnskrit Higher Primary School in the village, where the seer initially studied, following the death of the seer on Sunday morning.
The eldest of six children of Narayanacharya and Kamalamma, the 88-year-old seer, whose name before ordination as saint was Venkataramana, was born is this village on April 27, 1931. He studied in this school, which was established in 1919, for nearly an year in Class 1 in 1938 before his ordination.
The seer was closely associated with the development of this school, which started on the Ramakunjeshwara temple premises. “The seer’s father and his uncle were closely associated with the school and the seer continued the association. He ran this institution democratically and cared a lot about empowering children from peasant, labour and other families from poor financial background who studied here,” said Narayana Bhat, headmaster of the school
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The institution, which has completed its centenary year celebration, now functions from an independent building. Apart from higher primary Sanskrit school, the institution runs an kindergarten, English medium primary school, secondary school, a PU College and a degree college. Nearly 3,000 students study here. This institution is run by the trust that functioned under the guidance of the seer.
A day before he got admitted to hosptial, the seer, though being down with fever, visited the school on December 19 and took part in the annual day programme. He then proceeded to Pajaka kshetra, the birthplace of Sri Madhwacharya, before he got admitted to the hospital in Manipal on December 20. The seer earlier visited the institution on November 25 for the annual day of the English medium school and on December 2 for the annual day of the PU College.