VI. College Education

I was the first in my family to get a college degree. My education might have costed Rs 250 until I completed my degree in my 22nd year that is in 1930. For six months I was a teacher in two villages in Shravanabelagola and Hiresave on Rs 25/pm.

My fifth brother was able to help me in this regard. Though there was my fourth brother at Mysore, he (5th brother) did not like that I stay with him (4th brother) for my studies. For a period of two months after joining Maharaja's college, I really had to take pains for my boarding. I had to take up weekly meals (vaaranna at benevolent host homes) during this period, though one of my college mates called Shri Thandaveswara, son of Rao bahaddur Nanjundaiah of Simhaasanapura (Hassan) a devotee of Shringeri matha and who was also called 'gurubhakta tilaka' for his services to the matha helped me get meals in Maharaja's college hostel out of the quota given to 'gentry-sentry?' of the hostel for two days a week. Regarding lodging I happened to stay in the house of my college mate Sri Venkataramaiah for three complete years. I stayed in his house and both of us used to have combined studies.

In Maharaja's college at Mysore, for Bachelor of Arts degree, 209 students, all of whom used to meet in the big college room in English Classes. There were two European Professors called JC Rollo and and HB Mackintosh who took our classes in Engish. There were 33 students who took up Sanskrit as second language and there were as many as 100 students who took History, Economics and Political Science for their Optionals.

I used to pay Rs 2 and Annas 8 per year for sports and library fees per annum, during my three years course for BA in Maharaja's college. Though there was a brother (Appanna Shastry) at Mysore I stayed with a college mate of mine (lodging) and for 3 months I was on varaanna in four noble persons houses. For 2 years and 9 months I used to take food in a gentleman’s house, my duty being, to worship (perform Shodashopachaara pooja for their saligraama’s and manedevaru) of their family deity daily. The mistress of the house was such a kind lady that she used to take bath every week (oil bath).

After degree:
My marriage was settled, by the time I took my BA examination. Srikanta Shastry, my wife’s brother helped me in passing the BA Sanskrit, as he was very strong but did not bother about other subjects. Since both of us had names with "S", Srinkatha Shastry and Sundareswara we sat in the same room and we exchanged the answer papers.

I worked in Shravanabelgola (kantharajapura) and Hiresave as a teacher courtesy of my brother Sitarama shastry who arranged for these positions.