SHIVAMOGGA: As a gesture of appreciation, the villagers of Valuru, a village in Sagar taluk, gifted a bike to primary schoolteacher Santosh Kanchan, when he was transferred to Varahi government school in Kundapura recently. Santosh had served in the village school for 16 years.
The bike was given to him at his farewell. Santosh had earlier bought a bike mainly for the children, whom he would ferry to the doctor when they were ill, prompting the doctor to name it the ‘Valuru ambulance’. Santosh also extended his bike service to the villagers in times of crisis.
Valuru, which has barely 25 houses, is located 6-7km off the main road in dense forest, 110km from Shivamogga. Santosh came as a godsend when he was posted to the Government Higher Primary School of Valuru in 2007, teaching the students even in the evenings and on Sundays, leaving the villagers impressed by his dedication.
“The village did not have electricity, mobile network and transport facility then. In 2012, the village got power supply. I stayed at the school for 10-12 years and taught the children. This remote village is very cold and is full of leeches.
“People are economically not strong, and belong to the ‘Kunabi’ tribe. I used to teach in the evenings as students would come to school after dinner. They are very sharp, talented and active in both curricular and extracurricular activities,” he said.
Students who had to reach Shivamogga for competitions were forced to walk through dense forest, which had prompted Santosh to buy a bike. “No one in the village had a bike as they couldn’t afford it. I think the villagers remember my service, so they gave me a bike,” he added.
The village has a population of about 150 and they are dependent on forest-based products, he added. “I told them not to organise a farewell. The villagers declined and invited me, I never expected them to give me a bike. Their love and affection is more valuable than any gift,” he added.