Tribute to a Kinnigolian teacher, leader, social worker and a visionary -YK Shetty
Last Updated on Thursday, 31 December 2009 07:42 Written by Vishwanath Shetty Saturday, 19 December 2009 00:00
Much awaited article, a live Philosophy of a Great Architect of Kinnigoli History. This would surely add to the flavours of kinnigolidotcom Kuswar Special
“I was his disciple sitting on his lap and he was my Master blessing my Self… !”
Preetham Kirem, Sharjah!
As Compiled by Mr. Vishwanath Shetty
Y.K.Sanjiva Shetty,……!
Simplicity personified!,
A teacher, leader, social worker and a visionary!
Y K Sanjiva Shetty, popularly known as YK was born on 16-10-1929 in Konjal Family, Elinje village, Mangalore taluk. The family was involved in agriculture. YK was exposed to a hard life with good moral values, from childhood.
Father Shri K Annappa Shetty, from
The details below will substantiate the fact that YK was a self made man and carried forward great values of the family.
Like his father, YK had the ability to foresee the needs, which you may term ‘vision’, in turn that became a virtue in his public life to understand the needs of the mass and anticipate future changes and needs, and hence he was able to apply the same for developments. He was a visionary, without any frills and could easily associate with the elite and the under privileged.
In the later part of his life, as a public servant, this virtue helped him immensely. His understanding of the need for roads and transports, irrigation for rural areas, strict administration was an added asset in his armour.
Those who know him closely would be able to endorse this fact.
YK had many siblings, like in the good old days. He had 10 siblings, of which 4 were sisters. Raghav(elder brother), Shanker, Anand, Vittal, Balakrishna and Vishwanath, among the brothers and sisters (all younger) Indira, Shanta, Jalaja and Vasanthi among the sisters comprised a large family.
A large family, with limited resources, with a school teacher’s income also meant limitation on the reach. Hence all were given basic education and were allowed to pursue their interest.
Under the above background, YK studied upto 8th Std, then known as III Form. In those days after 8th standard (IIIrd Form), they could go in for formal training to teach. Therefore to supplement the family income and fend for himself, he decided to go in for training and became a teacher.
On being trained, he started teaching in Mundkur Elementary and Higher Elementary School, thus taking up the path tread by his father.
Simultaneously, YK studied Hindi under Dakshina Bharatiya Hindi Prachar Sabha and completed Hindi Visharada (which was two grades below Hindi Pandit’).
Armed with Hindi Visharada he also started teaching Hindi in school.
He took up teaching like ducks to swimming.
YK helped his family in agriculture, with teaching, as his occupation. But his penchant for learning continued. Then, under the Madras Government, he could do his matriculation privately. On completion of Matriculation, he could teach higher classes and was able to take admission to college studies, once again privately through correspondence. He probably graduated in Economics and History.
After his graduation, he was selected for a job with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC),
Surely, he intended to be a known man and useful for people in a small town, rather than be an unknown entity in a city like
He was probably ordained to be a leader, social worker and guardian angel for many in Kinnigoli and the surrounding places.
On completing his graduation, YK went for formal training and did his B. Ed. As he had a passion for teaching it did not take him too long to progress. He then taught in
A few years later, due to some family compulsions, YK had to take up business in Kinnigoli and had to bid adieu to teaching.
By this time YK had moved to Kinnigoli completely and was known among the prominent men, due to his interest in social activities. He had good literary talent and was a good writer, but somehow after joining business in Kinnigoli, he did not continue writing. Also the family pressure with business responsibilities added to the same.
He took up contracts as his occupation under PWD (Public Works Department) and was instrumental in developing and tarring the
He took up the challenge of completing “
Even then he took special interest in constructing the damns for the benefit of farmers.
The experience he gained in completing the above bridge, fetched him major construction work like vented dam across Shambhavi River at Haleyangadi, Water Resorvoir at Tumbe village, today’s source of water supply to greater Managlore & tarring of Mangalore (Bajpe) airport, to name a few.
All these projects, though new and unheard of during those days, he completed the projects in time. An accomplished architect of Time and Quality Management, a distinction no one could match until recently!
His integrity and honesty did not let him team up with the increasing level of corruption in PWD. He just quit this business to comfort his own consceience.
He enjoyed a lovely family life.
His children are Navin, Praveen, Suvin and Sumana.
All are well settled today with proper education and values.
Navin and Praveen are settled in Kinnigoli and Mangalore respectively.
Suvin is in Mumbai ;and,
Sumana in
YK was a very convincing speaker, well versed in Kannada, Tulu, Konkani and English besides his great control on Hindi.
He joined the Lions Club, Mulky where he actively participated and organised many social service camps.
One of the most popular camps was the “Eye Camp” by Dr Mody.
Dr Mody was known for conducting such camps and those camps were set up in villages to serve the needy.
Theses eye camps were known for large number of surgeries conducted under basic requirements without the proper operation theatres and operation tables, yet the success ratio was very high. They were conducted in temporary tents in villages. Dr Mody was famous for the ENTRY in Guineas Book of World Records for conducting maximum number of operations in a day. Would you believe such camps conducted over 100 odd operations daily, the most known popular surgery being the cataract operations?
YK’s knowledge of co-operative activities enthused him to start a co-operative bank and that gave shape to the “Rural Co-operative Bank, Kinnigoli”, of which he remained the President for several years.
Even after he inducted the youngsters take over the mantle, he remained the strength and force behind them.
Later he also became the President of Agricultural Produce Marketing Co-op, Kulur and helped the farmers to get the real value of their agricultural produces without the middlemen.
Social work and arbitration was something that he had imbibed from his father, who was trusted by people from several villages in an around Elinje.
Slowly, but surely, people started approaching YK to solve their disputes as he was impartial and always just.
His solutions were acceptable to rival parties and he became more and more popular in Kinnigoly, though there were many veterans then ruling the Town Panchayat.
Surely and truly, his social activities naturally dragged him to Town Panchayat.
Later he became the President of Kinnigoli Town Panchayat and continued his good work.
Later when the
By this time, the local politician, Mr Amarnath Shetty, then minister in the Janata Government, had influence on him and got him actively involved in the party elections and responsibilities.
YK was most suited for this kind of work unlike in business.
It was when his children were grown up and in his late fiftees, he really became active in politics.
He wasn’t a politician by lineage, but it’s only his work that made leaders attract him towards the same.
Service to mankind was only his motto and succeeded in his endeavour and was well accepted by the people around Kinnigoli.
Later he was elected the President of the Zilla Parishad, during the year 1996 to 1998.
During the same time he was also the President of Janatha Bazar, where he brought in a lot welcome changes, which curtailed malpractices and offered more benefits to the common man.
As the President of the Zilla Panchayath he was on par with the ranks of cabinet ministers. He was entitled to a bungalow, drivers, security, servants etc in Mangalore. But YK stayed back in Kinnigoli, closer to his people than enjoy the luxury of the house in Mangalore with all facilities.
This meant, he had to travel a lot; from Kundapur on the North to Sulia on the South and visit to Mangalore daily.
This increased his diesel bills and he was questioned once for the same.
YK had only one weapon in his hand; he compared the marginal incremental cost with the huge extravagant expenses of maintaining a bungalow with all the facilities in the city of Mangalore, which had saved the Government a few lakhs, probably every month.
This is an example of his simplicity and straight forwardness.
On 10th January 2006, YK bid good bye to his life at his daughter’s place in
.
When the news of his passing away first came in, THE PEOPLE OF KINNIGOLI felt the loss more than anyone else, more than his own family.
His family members were surprised when the people of Kinnigoli joined together to take their leader’s dead body for a procession in a decorated open jeep to pay homage to their beloved Friend, Leader and Master!
All men and women of Kinnigoli, businessmen, bank employees, rural workers including taxi and rikshaw drivers, the entire public mass in toto joined the cavalcade all the way from Kinnigoli to his family house in Elinje for the rituals of disposing the mortal remains.
As a tribute to his selfless contribution, a recently constructed new link road between Sankalakaria (Elinje, his birth place) and Balkunje is named after him by the district administration.
YK was and always will be a GEM of Kinnigoli, selfless, impartial servant of mankind who spent all his life and energy and resources for the welfare of his fellow beings.
YK believed in the philosophy of Kahlil Gibran: “You give but little when you give of your possessions, it is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”
Comments
He Helped the poor and the needy. Whoever went to him for his suggestions or advice came back with a solution. Was a great friend of mine. Thank you Kinnigoli.com for publishing these facts about him.