Peaples’ Multipurpose High School: The Offspring of Dr.Dininkar Desayi’s Determination Uttara Kannada is a forest Disrict of the Karntataka State with dense forest area, mountains and rivers on one side and the Arabian sea encompassing the district on the other. There was a time when the district was besieged with illiteracy, poverty and ignorance which sapped the very vitals of the inhabitants. Dr. Dinakar Desai firmly believed that it is the literacy alone which could bring about revolution in the plight the people were in. He was all the while pleading with Government that the education must be laid on strong footing and every child must get good primary and Secondary education. Dr.Desai had firm conviction and a sense of commitment. He decided to bring his thoughts into practice and, with the cooperation of some of his associates, established a Trust which came to be known as Kanara Welfare Trust and which was to become the beacon of light for the people of Uttara Kannada Distict. The child is born: Desai wrote in one of his lymeriks: I served the children with roti of life By building eighteen schools and colleges I am not contented still, O the Kindest! What I did is a drop in the ocean! The Peoples’ Multipurpose(P.M.) High school came into existence by the pure resolve of Dr.Dinakar Desai and the efforts of thousands of peasants and, today, this school is compleating 60 yers of its existence and poised for the celebration of its Diamond Jubilee Year. There is an interesting story behind the establishment of this Highschool. In 1941, an organization called Peoples’ Education Society established the “Peoples’ High School” in Ankola. It was Shri S.V.(Giri)Pikle, close associate of Desai and the one who steered Ryot(Peasants) Moment in the absence of Desai. He was the life member of this Society and also the Founder headmaster of the High school. The Society had the members mainly from the Community of landlords. Naturally, they were against Giri Pikle joining hands with Desai in spearheding the Ryot Movement. Pikle had a special affection towards weaker sections of the society like Agers and Halakki. On 20-01-1953, the Management took stand against Pikle and sacked him from services on this count. Pikle decided to face the situation sqarely . He met Dayanand Nadkarni, the fellow associate in the Ryot Movement and held discussion with him. Both of them decided to start a new high school in Ankola. Giri pikle himself contributed Rs.5000/- and Nadkarni Rs. 3000/- towards the initial investment. Desai was staying in Mumbai. They wrote a letter to Desai giving the entire details of the development. In the meanwhile, the peasants of Ankola and nearby villages supported wholeheartedly the cause Pikle had initiated. They contributed each Rs.5/- per acre of their land Those without land offered 4Ana each.The total amount so collecred was Rs.5963/-! This amount was utilized for constructing new building for the school. Those who could not contribute in cash offered the service in the form of labour.. With the hard-earned money of poor peasants and the toil of the labourers from Tenkanakeri, Bobruwada, Ambarakodla, Algeri villages, the school building camf up within 37 days! The new school was named ‘The Kanara Agricultural School’,The school was inaugurated by the then Deputy Commissioner of the Disrtict Mr.R.R.Kupasad. The school building was named as Ryot Bhavan. The building was renovated in the year 2013 without any assistance from the Government. But, the new building bears the same name even today! In 1954, the school was renamed as ‘The Peoples’ Multipurpose School’. Under the leadership of Dr. Dinkar Desai, a public trust called ‘Kanara Welfare Trust’ was established on 4th November 1953 under Bombay Public Act. Dr. Desai became the Founder President of the Trust. The Founder members were, Giri pikle, Dr. Kakde and Dayanand Nadkrni. Desai could manage to fetch donations from Bombay. The Trust grew gradually to present height under the able leadership of Desai. The Phases of Development: The school blossomed with a modest strength of 133 students, being the first school established by the Trust. It attracted the attention of the children of the nearby peasant community. It had begun with only three classrooms built by the peasants. The then D.C., Mr. S.B.Kulkarni ,laid foundation stone for yet a few more classrooms on 16th February 1954. Five classrooms were built with financial assistance from Madanmohan Ruyia, M.R.Nadkarni, L.R.Divekar, Volkart Foundation and Jamnadas R.Kothari. Yhe very next year two more rooms came into existence. Two more rooms were added with the fincial assistance of Sassons David Trust. The very year, courses on agriculture, commerce, science, technical education were initiated, in conformity with the aims and objectives of the School. In 1954, the strength of the earstwhile Peoples‘ High school was reduced so much that the society was not in apposition to run the school. Shankar Desai, the elder brother of Dinakar Desai was working as a teacher in that school. Throuh his mediation, it was decided that Peoples‘ School be merged with P.M. High School. After merger, the school was renamed as Peoples‘ Multipurpose High school. In the meanwhile, the school had started professional training in agriculture, dairy, beekeeping, poultry, tailoring, knitting, drawing, typing etc. It was the only school in Karnataka to impart professional training. As per the guidelines of the High School Eduction Commission, the arrangement was made for breakfast and mid-day meal for all the children of the school. Each student was given Eight Ounces of milk. The school made rapid strides. A number of structures came up in the school campus. New steps introduced in the school curriculum from time to time brought a see-change in the system of education. In 1956-57, a spacious auditorium of an area 3200 sqare feet emrged in the campus. This auditorium has facilitated the organising several important functions throughout the year. .During the same year, a science laboratory came into existence. In 1960, Students‘ health Insurance Scheme was introduced. In seventies, the Urdu speaking students had to go out to distant places for their education. Realising this, the Trust, in 1974, started Urdu Section of the High School Education. In the year 1975-76, the Students‘ Co-oprative Stores has started functioning with the provision for the sale of the textbooks, notebooks, the uniform and other writing materials at a reasonable price. In eighties, the Stores made a considerable progress. In 1983, A music wing, called Dinakar Kalaniketana was established. In 1984-85, ‘Dr. Dinakar Desai Open air theater’ and Dinakar Library came up. The library has about 12,000 books on shelves symbilising the spread of knowledge as envisaged by Desai. To cater to the needs of modern education, a fully equipped, wel-furnished laboratory building was constructed in the year 1988-89. It was a red letter day in the history of P.M.High School. The High school was converted into a composite Junior College in 1993. In 1996, the Junior college section was shifted to its new building near Shanta Durga Temple. Well over half a century had elapsed since the Ryot Bhavan was constructed. The first structure was in a dilapidated condition. In the year 2000, a Rennovation and Fund-raising Committee was formed with Shri Arun Nadkarni as President and Shri Ravindra Keni, the Principal, as the secretary. Within six months, the new Ryot Bhavan came into existence built at a cost of Rs. Ten lakhs! Futher, in 2007-08, the first floor and the library were built. The Ryot Bhavan includes a shopping complex which has become a perennial source of income for the school. Keeping in view the present requirement, a Computer Centre has been initiated in 2000. The Golden Jubilee Celebration: A significant occasion 2003 happens to be a rare occasion in the history of the School. It was the year in which the school had successfully completed its fifty years of fruitful existence. As a part of the Golden jubilee, programmes were arranged on a grand scale on 5th and 6th March 2004. Singing competition based on the lyrical songs written by Dinkar Desai, quiz competition and felicitation to the retired teachers were the highlights of the occasion. A souvenir called Garike has been brought to commemorate the memorable event. In the sweet memory of the celebration, a nursery school called Thakkar Bapa Pre-primary school has been started. In 2004, ‘Dr.Dinkar Desai primary School’ was started. This wing imparts education both in Kannda as well as English. Dr. Dinkar Desai Birth centenary celebration : Yet another significant year in the history of the School-The Birth centenary year of Late Dr.Dinkar Desai. It began on 10-09-2008 and came to an end on 10-09-2009. The year was inaugurated by the noted Kannada literateur Dr. Na. Disoza. Throughout the year various competions, Health camp were organized. A play was enacted depicting the life and work of Dr. Desai. The valedictory function was conducted in collaboration with the mother institution on 10th and 11th September 2009. The Function was inaugurated by Shri S.P.Kamat, the Chairman of the Trust. His holiness Jitakamanandpuri Swamiji lauded the work of Dr, Dinkar Desai. A book on Dr. Dinakar Desai written By Nagapati Hedge was released on the occasion. In commemoration of the occasion, P.M.English Medium High School was started. With the incessant efforts of Prin. Ravimdra Keni and the assistance of Basavaraj Horatti, the MLC, a beautiful building named ‘Dr. Dinkar Desai Memorial Building’ has come up. It was inaugurated by Basavaraj Horatti on 10-09-2012. The ensuing Diamond Jubilee: 20013-14 is going to be yet another milestone on the path of the progress of the School.The school is on the threshold of competing its 60 years of existence . Shri Satish Sail, MLA of Karwar-Ankola constituency is going to inaugurate the Diamond Jubilee Celebrstion on 3rd August 2013. As a part of the celebration, a number of constructive works have been planned which include repair of the roofing, rennovation of the floor, repair of the doors and the window shutters construction of well for the drinikeg water, rennovation of the garden, painting of walls, construction of Akshara Dasohara building etc. Moreover, It is planned to organize cultural programmes such as Districte level Essay Competition, Quiz Competition, Folk Dance festival, Past Students’ Gathering etc. The school has shown consistently a very good performance in public examinations and has made a continuous progress since its inception. It has recorded a remarkable progress in all its strides. A large number of students from the school have occupied high positions in our country and abroad. At present, there are 468 students studying in Kannada medium and 161 students in English medium. The school has recorded a remarkable achievement in extra-curricular activities as well. It has the state level winners in elocution, debate ,essay, mimicry competitions to its credit. Good many students from this school have earned name and fame as good debators and singers. Poets and writers have also emerged from this school. The school has a great legacy in respect of Theatre. There have been the teachers on roll who were deeply interested in the theatre who have left an excellent legacy behind.The various competitions being organized by the school todate have enabled to tap the talents from among the students. From 2003 to 2007 the school bagged first prize in District lelvel drama competition continuously for three years, It is to the credit of the school that it bagged first prize in ‘Yuva Sansat Competition’successively for six years, The school secured first prize in Triple Jump three times. Our N.C.C. Unit is a crest in the head. Several cadets have made a mark in state and national level parades. Every year,the cadets of P.M.High High School participate in Republic Day parades and bring laurels to the school. Our Bharat Seva Dal and the Scouts Units are rendering a remarkable contribution and are the pride of our school. From an humble beginning as a modest school to a junior college, our institution is now poised to celebrate the Diamond jubilee this year.It has been a blend of the old and the new. Behind this development, there has been a continuous and united effort from one and all. Amidst this background, it is our bounden duty to remember Late Dr.Dinkar Desai and greet the The Chairman Shri S.P.Kamat, Members of the Trust and the Managing Body, the Principal, the Staff members of the past alumni and all the wellwishers of the institution.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Aug 2013 14:20:26 +0000
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