VIZIANAGARAM: Villagers of Malluguda, a small tribal hamlet, of Gumma Laxmipuram mandal gave the government teacher of a local school a farewell that he would recollect with a smile. The villagers washed his legs with turmeric water amd took him in a procession by carrying him on their shoulders as a mark of respect.
Goudu Narendra worked as the headmaster of a Malluguda Mandal Parishad Primary School for 10 years. Such was his dedication, he used to take classes for the 20 children on the verandahs of nearby houses and under trees, when the school building collapsed in 2016, so that students never missed classes. Impressed by the improvement in their children under Narendra’s teaching, villagers constructed a shed to run the school after Dasara holidays in the same year.
Besides teaching academics, he also prepared the students for various competitive exams. Speaking to TNIE, Narendra, who is from Mondekhal village of Kurupam mandal, said on learning about the progress of children in Malluguda Mandal Parishad Primary School, about 12 children from nearby villages took admission in the school.
“We saw the improvement in our children’s education under him,” S Raju, resident of Malluguda village, said. “As part of expressing gratitude to the teacher, we washed his legs with holy turmeric water and took him in a procession by carrying him on our shoulders,” he added.