By Our Correspondent

Bharatpur, Feb. 18 : The eyes of Pashupati Lal Karna, a lifelong educator, welled up as he saw what awaited him this Basanta Panchami, also called Saraswoti Puja. He was gifted with a newly-built house by his former students on the occasion. He has lived all his life in a rented house.

Wiping tears from his eyes with a handkerchief, he said, “Today is the happiest day of my life.”

Principal of Kankali Secondary School, a government school, he has taught there for 33 years (1979 to 2011). Since he dedicated all his time to his students, he didn’t care about building a house of his own. Upon receiving the gift as Guru-dakshina, he thanked the students.

“This is invaluable to me,” he said, expressing immense happiness.

Karna Sir, as he is called by everyone, had taken retirement owing to his old age. However, his journey of teaching didn’t stop there. A private school approached him to educate its students. Such was the impression of Karna Sir that he eternally resided in the minds and hearts of his students as an indelible inspiration.

President of Ex Students’ Association of Kankali Secondary School, Arjun Lamsal, reported that the house was constructed at a cost of Rs. 2.5 million. “He was committed to educating students throughout his life, living in someone else’s house. Now that he is old, we thought of building a house for him,” he said.

Karna Sir has always been a man of principle. To him, students and school always came before everything else, even his family.

“There was seven dhurs of land lying in front of the school in the name of Sir’s wife, Budhhamawati Devi, so we built him a house on his own land,” said Lamsal.

He had been living in Madan Bahadur Dhungana’s house for 40 years. But the owner never charged a penny from him, out of respect as well as considering the contribution he made in educating his children. “Because he would teach my children in the mornings and evenings as private tuition, we didn’t ask for the rent from him,” said Dhungana.

Over 150 students came together to contribute Rs. 10,000 to 200,000 for the noble task of building a house for their revered teacher. The keys of the house were handed over to Karna Sir at a programme organised in the presence of the veteran actor Rajesh Hamal.

“According to Hindu religion, we don’t enter a new house without arranging an auspicious time, or sahit. I shall do so, too,” delighted Karna Sir said.