Madhukar S Nayak, served as a teacher in the Government Junior Primary School in Dandebagh village in Uttara Kannada district for 35 years.
An elderly man wearing a simple shirt is surrounded by a group of children and young men standing on both sides of him. As he walks past each person, the elderly man shakes their hand and at the end of the line when a child falls at his feet, he ushers him aside and bows down to the ground in prayer. The outpouring of emotion was witnessed on the day Madhukar S Nayak, the beloved teacher of Government Junior Primary School in Dandebagh village in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, retired from service on December 31. Madhukar (60), served as a teacher in the government school in Dandebagh near Gokarna for 35 years before retiring last week. The school has around 27 students and Madhukar, who was one of two teachers at the school, will now be replaced after over three decades. He was widely respected in the community in Dandebagh. The heartwarming moment shared by Madhukar and the residents of the village was highlighted by The Kokum Trail, which documents stories from Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. Ankura Nayak, who was present at the school on the day of Madhukar’s retirement said, "It was not just an occasion for students. I saw parents of the students, old students, panchayat members, the village doctor, other retired teachers who taught in that school previously, shopkeepers from the neighbourhood and even other members of the community. It was an outpouring of emotions." She explained that parents in the village look up to the teacher for advice. "Since the parents of this community lack formal education, they trust the teacher and place him on a pedestal where they entrust him with the responsibility of raising their child. In the process of this relationship, they form a bond where the teacher becomes a crucial part of their family matters as well," Ankura said. "Whenever they have a decision to make, be it buying a new boat (for the fishermen community) or even applying for a loan, they always consult the teacher first as they already have established this familial relationship of trust and responsibility. The teacher also becomes a part of this relationship as every decision affects his student’s well-being," she added. Madhukar taught junior primary school students a variety of subjects including the 'nali kali' (play and learn) classes in which learning is infused with a mix of activities for the students. But over the past year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Madhukar has had limited opportunities to teach his students. "I have missed the students in these last few months. We taught students briefly before this was stopped in October. Schools have not restarted for primary school children since then," Madhukar said. The Karnataka government's Vidyagama scheme, a continuous learning programme which involved teachers taking classes in community spaces, was halted in October after reports of COVID-19 cases. Despite this, the youth club in the village and other residents were keen to wish Madhukar on the day he retired. "The love and respect was always there and they said that they wanted to attend the retirement function at the school. I feel blessed and happy that they were able to see me on my last day," Madhukar added.
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