“I grew up with most teachers who cared only about numbers in the report card. They said good marks will eventually lead to a good life. I was pretty aimless, stuck in the rut. I took B.Com as my undergraduate major, with no interest in commerce. Mathematics was my biggest fear. After all, I was always a problematic child to all my lecturers. I had absolutely no idea about where I would end up in life.

During my childhood, I used to be passionate about photography and filmmaking. I still remember my uncle’s vintage Kodak camera. It was the most interesting thing for me in those days. And later, I bought my own Sony Alpha camera second hand by earning some income doing a few odd jobs without the knowledge of my parents. When I bought my own camera, I started going around town, clicking pictures. After a few months, I realized where my true interests lay. But my education remained a question mark. This was not what I wanted to do. One day, my maths lecturer noticed the detachment I had from his class. He once asked if I want to spend some time away from the classroom. I was hesitant but asked him if I can go out with my camera to click pictures. Surprisingly, he agreed. He said, “Just go, don’t get worried about the class.” Realising my interest, he arranged a meeting with my parents and the college management so that I could shift my stream to Mass Media and Journalism. I was pretty scared considering the situation at home but fortunately, with the counselling of my lecturer, I was able to gain the trust of my parents.

That one instance certainly changed my life and allowed me to pursue my interest as my academic course too. It helped me to focus on the subjects as I managed to gain the confidence to cope with my weaknesses. That gave me a boost to get into filmmaking and today I am also pursuing a Post Graduation course in Mass Communication and Journalism. Apart from that, I have also acted in four Kannada films as a junior artist. Most teachers only walk you through a difficult maths problem or a tough medicine theory. But my teacher moved beyond that rule and moulded my career. He is my mentor for life(laughs)”

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