The best teacher is one who never stops learning. We have such a teacher who we fondly call ‘The Walking Encyclopaedia’! Meet Srinivasa Pejathaya; he’s a faculty member at the department of Journalism at Alva’s College Moodubidire. The long list of his academic excellence, his startup ventures at the grassroots, and what he has accomplished in life goes on and on, but like they say “Deep rivers flow with majestic silence!”, you would never know that a man with so much wisdom stands before you when you talk to this most down-to-earth human being.
Srinivasa Pejathaya has a degree in Journalism, but he is a jack of all trades, and master of all as well. There isn’t an area in Journalism that he has left untouched. He has worked in event management, public relations, creative writing, photography, cinematography, pre-production and production, news reporting, communication technology, and teaching.
Let’s find out more about this teacher, who is clearly the favorite of many!
Starting Out Young With Immense Self-Motivation
Srinivasa Pejathaya completed his primary and high school education in his hometown, after which he moved to Ujire for his bachelor’s degree and eventually to Mysore for his master’s. His earliest memories are that of being part of an agricultural family, headed by a man who was also a priest! Srinivasa is amongst the very few people in his family who pursued higher education after basic schooling.
He says, “I wanted to be an Ayurvedic doctor. But I had a difficult time during my early days in college, hailing from a conventional Brahmin family. But once I stepped into the field of Journalism, there was no turning back!”
Documentaries, short films, social activism, public service advertisements, green initiatives, and corporate films – all of these ventures are on Srinivas’s resume, and he started them all very young. It paid off to be a ‘Gandhi’ in college, and Srinivas has gone on to do the same kind of work for a number of institutions under different designations. All of his work has contributed, in one way or the other, towards the betterment of society.
The Determined Academician
Srinivasa Pejathaya’s degree in media communications was his stepping stone towards a successful teaching career. He says, “My journalism degree allowed me to have more practical exposure than I could have ever hoped for!” He was amongst the few front benchers in college who made the right use of every opportunity – big or small. His education did inculcate in him the basic traits of a committed teacher, and rest was the drive to deliver quality content to students in order to produce more volunteers who can work on grass root levels.
Srinivasa has always believed in bringing about changes in the country with little changes made on very basic levels. While his education gave him the knowledge for how that can be done, his drive to make it happen through motivation of young minds made him a highly committed teacher.
He says- “Of all the wonderful things I have indulged in the field of Journalism so far, academics remains unparalleled. There is a vast scope to grow in the field of academics, and I believe in the importance of consistent growth by learning from various sources. My intention is to structure media studies in a scientific temperament. I believe that media studies in India are yet to be paralleled with scientific temperament, which is why I’ve been working towards generating intelligent students who work for the community in a practical way.”
What Maketh A Great Teacher!
According to Srinivasa Pejathaya the prominent qualities of a good teacher include subject matter expertise and an understanding of his students.
He says, “Without subject expertise, no value can be delivered to the students; and without comprehension of the young minds, all delivered content will go in vain. I believe in customising the content to be delivered, as well as the style of delivery according to the students, their mood and level of interest!”
Srinivasa’s approach involves being friendly with students, but not being their friends. He likes to keep a respectful space as deserved by the teacher position, which has gifted him a highly respected identity as a teacher! While students have feared late assignment submissions when it comes to his subject, they’ve also sought him out for solution to every little problem they faced!
When asked whether being a good teacher comes naturally or is a quality that can be developed, he opines, “They are acquirable to an extent, as long as the teacher remains open minded and is willing to alter their ways according to the needs. Fixating one’s ways and ideals to one form shall never lead to growth!”
Coming to what is greater amongst passion and subject matter expertise, Mr. Pejathaya confidently votes for passion. He says that passion will lead to subject matter expertise and consistency in preparation, which is the whole point anyway.
There’s No Path To Excellence Without Road-bumps
The challenges that Srinivasa Pejathaya faced as a teacher were mostly confined to the initial days of his career. He started his teaching career at St. Aloysius College in Mangalore, where a single classroom has students with non-specialised interests, which a teacher has to manage all on their own. He says, “Comprehending the mindsets of students, their levels of expectations and competence, and trying to deliver content that they can consider worthwhile was a challenge!”
Srinivasa has always striven to deliver quality content that goes beyond the realm of syllabus, and that takes him more efforts than it might normally take for a teacher who sticks to the syllabus. Though it is easier for him now to comprehend students’ minds, he says that the diversity within classrooms walls always demands extra attention.
More so, native Kannada speaking students who found English hard to digest sought to clear their exams in Kannada itself, which meant extra load for the teacher to translate all the content – including foreign theories and models! This is a painstaking process owing to lack of material resources available, and Srinivasa worked day and night towards easing out this hardship of a handful of Kannada-speaking students in his classes.
For aspiring teachers, especially in the mass communication field, Srinivasa Pejathaya suggests, “It is best to have firsthand experience in the professional sphere before getting into academics. Students grow more competent on their own with every passing year, and practical experience is the key for teachers to stay a step ahead of them. That, alongside vast reading and deliberate attempts to keep in pace with the advancements of the world shall keep the teacher in a respectful position.”
Building Student Leaders Who Can Solve Problems At Grassroot Level
Srinivasa Pejathaya cannot stress enough on the importance of research and voluntary efforts for bringing change in grass root levels. He says that teachers must always strive to create motivated students who can solve primary problems of the country and stay connected to the roots.
Since his days as a student, most of the ventures that Srinivasa has been associated with are startups. Be it a newspaper or an institution, he has always been a part of initiating social impact.
His most recent initiatives include –
- Co-founding Arunya Foundation, an agriculture-oriented firm that works towards enhancing the agricultural sphere of Coastal Karnataka. The firm has hosted a number of events in this direction, as well as launched an app namely ‘Farmsurge’ that facilitates farmers in the country.
- He was the principal of Inventio, an animation institution based in Mangalore before he quit that to pursue Arunya.
- Inland Post, a new media portal hosted by Arunya Foundation documents all aspects related to agriculture in India.
- Unique Media, a start up facilitated by Srinivasa Pejathaya is a one of its kind media dealing with corporate communication.
He says that some of the best things that he has ever worked on are projects in association with the Karnataka government, which envisioned the development of one community or other. Along with significant social impact, his jobs allowed plenty of scope for travel and experience, as a result of which we call him the walking encyclopaedia of the area. If one needs a documentary maker, a director, a technical expert, a script writer or a dictionary, we have Srinivas Pejathaya!
A Long Way To Go
An academic all-rounder, Srinivasa does not stick to his area of expertise alone, he also plays a role in developing his areas of interest in his own way. He has a profound interest in agriculture and aims to work towards enhancing the field. He shares,
“Agriculture is the source for all life, all else is secondary. It is now seen as an aspect of charity in India, but it is vital that agriculture becomes a self-sustained venture. The small segments in the country must first be catalysed towards sustainable growth, only then the country will progress faster. We are today marketing what should have been our natural way of life; this should be stopped.”
Takeaway – Habits That Help
Srinivasa Pejathaya is an avid reader. He says,“I have trained my mind to not let go of any piece of information I come across, accidentally or deliberately! I put in a lot of effort to read, comprehend, analyse and discuss more and more information every day.” We believe this intense inclination towards equipping himself with the latest information coupled with his inexhaustible passion is what makes him stand out!
A conversation with Srinivasa is almost always a long one. He has so many intellectual inputs to give that it leaves people spellbound, wondering how much a person can know. But more importantly, what Srinivasa offers people and students around him is a lot of motivation to fulfil their potential. We know from his students that he is a sought-after mentor for all kinds of guidance, regardless of the area. When ambition and learning go hand in hand, we get a front row seat to the miracles an individual can produce.
Keeping aside the long list of deeds that Srinivasa Pejathaya has done, what we primarily take from him is the inspiration and the motivation to make good use of the brain that we have been given. What better role model for kids to look up to than a man who can do anything – and believes you can too.
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