H Narasimhaiah – A visionary educator

This article is about one of the future visionary educator Dr.H Narasimhaiah. 

The National High School and College thy the name is H Narasimhaiah, he was so popular not only for the studies who studied in that school or college for entire teaching fraternity, Narasimhaiah was on 6th June in the year 1921, he was a future visionary in the field of education, a physicist, a freedom fighter and a rationalist too, he was fondly called as ‘HN’, he was the recipient of Padma Bhushana from Government of India in the year 1985.

H Narasimhaiah and his early life

Hosur a village near Gauribidanur in Kolar districts in Karnataka, where he was born to a very poor parents they were the most illiterate people among others, moreover they were from most disadvantaged community.

As soon Narasimhaiah completed his elementary education, he left Kolar and came to Bangalore to join National High School at Basavanagudi in Bangalore in the year 1935, later he earned his B.Sc., in honors as well as Master’s degree in Physics in distinction from the famous Central College in Bangalore in the year 1946, then his next assignment was to join National College at Bangalore as an Lecturer.

From 1946 to 1957 he taught at National College later he went to Columbus, Ohio and got his PhD in Nuclear Physics from Ohio State University in the year 1960, later he become the principal of National College at Basavanagudi in Bangalore and he served in that position from 1961 to 1972, from 1967 to 1968 he got Fulbright Scholarship and also taught at Southern Illinois, University at Carbondale, Illinois as an visiting professor, later in the year 1962, he founded a forum called Bangalore Science Forum, which has the distinction of conducting weekly public lectures on important science topics.

In the year 1973 he became Vice-Chancellor of the Bangalore University and served in that position till 1977, in that period the Bangalore University saw some major and drastic changes, one among them was he introduced psychology, social work, drama, music and also dance as major optional subjects, he has served as an MLC, and in the year 1984 in recognition to his social and educational service he was conferred Padma Bhushana from the Indian Government, he left for heavenly abode on 31st January in the year 2005, at that time he was serving as the President of the National Education Society.

H Narasimhaiah and his contributions

Narasimhaiah had interactions with Mahathma Gandhi on several occasions, in fact he has translated Mahathma Gandhi’s speech from Hindi to Kannada, it was the occasion when Mahathma Gandhi visited National High School, Basavanagudi at Bangalore.

He has published many of his essays few important among them were ‘Tereda Mana’ [Open Mind] and he his autobiography called as ‘Horatada Haadi’ [The Path of Struggle] these two have won Sahitya Academy prizes.

His motto in life is ‘Do not accept anything without questioning’, he used to put a quote of Albert Einstein on the wall as ‘Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds’ and a question mark next to this quote which represents a spirit of enquiry.

The Bangalore Science Forum which was started by him after he came from US with an doctorate degree in Nuclear Physics with the help of several of his friends who were working at NAL and IISc., which is a non-profit organization and this forum has the distinction of conducting over 1,800 lectures on topics of science and lectures were given by many eminent scientists and has shown over 525 very popular science films at that time.

In his tenure as Vice-Chancellor, as a rationalist he constituted and chaired many committees to investigate the miracles and other types of verifiable superstitions to investigate them scientifically and has ultimately claimed as they are nothing but paranormal phenomena.

Though he was a Hindu by birth but he refuses to follow the traditional some religious beliefs blindly, he went to extent of refusing to tonsure his head when his father died, and further he used to exhibit to take food on eclipses and to say it does not cause any kind of indigestion.

He is also the recipient of ‘Tamra Patra’ as an freedom fighter, for his contribution towards science he was the recipient of Sir M. Viswswaraiah award, he was a fellow at CSICOP International, literally means Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal which was set up by Paul Kurtz in USA.

He had practiced the Gandhian principles throughout his life, as he stayed at same bare hostel room for over 50 years even when he was the Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University, a disciplined habit, simple living and a very frugally natured, he entered that bare hostel room as an student, later as an lecturer, then as principal and after that as an Vice-Chancellor, a lean and a tall figured Narasimhaiah wore Khadi Dhoti and Khadi Jubba with a Gandhi Topi for his entire life.

As he was born in an disadvantaged community he was not allowed to attend the classes by his headmaster, very next day he came to Bangalore in bare foot covering 85 km to join National High School at Bangalore

He was very serious about the work a stuffy professor but he was also famous for his sense of humor. One of his humorous example was as an freedom fighter he was jailed at Central Jail for three times, once he said central jail is no different from central college where he was the principal because in both places he was given free food, his slogan always was he wants to live to work and will work till he dies.

Now many of his students are in prominent positions holding prestigious scientific chairs in universities and prestigious research institutions, many have become Emeritus professors, successful journalists and entrepreneurs. Science and its promotion was his constant concern

Even in his death he has written a will in that he has requested the state and college authorities not to declare a holiday after his death, though the grief of his death was genuine because of his presence in an permanent natured, as the trees he had planted and nurtured at National College, Basavanagudi, Bangalore still there to tell about him and his achievements. 

Author: N K Ravishankara