Hyderabad: About five decades after he finished his schooling, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s sharp memory was on display at his old school on Monday. Mr Rao recited verses from the Mahabharata he had memorised as a schoolboy, and without mistakes.
The audience was left spellbound, not only at the recitation, but also at witnessing a facet of the Chief Minister that has been hidden from the public eye. Mr Chandrasekhar Rao’s oratory skills are well known, but this display was unexpected, most of those present on the occasion said.
The occasion was the inauguration of new building in Dubbaka, Medak district replacing the dilapidated old school that Mr Rao had studied in, from Classes V to IX.
The Chief Minister recalled in vivid detail many incidents from his school days.
He credited his teachers Mrityunjaya Sharma, C. Raghava Reddy and G. Lakshminarasimha Sharma for what he is today, the Chief Minister of the state.
“The knowledge and traits they taught helped me to scale bigger heights in my career. I used to get up at 5 am every day and go to my teacher’s house to learn,” the Chief Minister said.
He recalled how Mrityunjaya Sharma set tasks for students, like reciting difficult verses from the Mahabharata.
“When I recited the verses without any mistakes, he was awestruck. I repeated the verses five times soon afterwards,” Mr Chandrasekhar Rao said. He then proceeded to recite the verses following repeated requests from the audience.
Later, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao went to the Sri Venkateshwara temple in the town where he met his teachers, classmates and childhood friends. He recalled how he studied lessons sitting on the banks of Ramasamudram as well as frequently swimming in the ‘devuni baavi’.
Incidentally, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao enhanced the Budget for the school to Rs 10 crore from the earlier announced Rs 4.67 crore.
