My education and employment

Tukaram Kumbar

After independence, For the First time a new teacher was posted to my village Hochakanalli in 1960. I was sent to this new school which was running in a private building. I was declared passed the second standard within one year. From 3rd standard to 7th standard, I went to Kheni Ranjol NTMS School. The school was about 1.2 kilometers away from my residence. One Shri Gurubasappa was my maths teacher middle school.  Mathematics fascinatedme me in the school. I scored 90% of marks in maths in the 7th board exam that held in 1966.

Then I continued my High School education in Kheni Ranjol itself. l lost my father in 1967 when studying in 9th class. Passed the SSLC exam in first division in the 1969 summer. Elders conducted my child marriage after my SSLC exam.Then I studied in the BV Bhoomareddy College Bidar for four years. I was awarded National loan scolorship for my degree education. Maths and physics were my optional subjects. Earned my B.Sc. degree in 1973 from the Karnataka University Dharwad.

From 1974, I was working as a Telephone Operater in the Post and Telegraph department of India. This was a low paid job.I was dreaming for a better paid job.

After five years of initial service, by writing a departmental compitative exam, I got my first promotion as a Telephone Inspector in 1980. Worked in the Bellary division for two years. In 1983 by writing another competative exam, got my second promotion as a Junior Engineer Telecom, and worked from Raichur city for a period of 12 years    

    One Mr. Despande SDE and myself worked together for installation of new modular pillars in the Raichur under ground cable network. This system increased flexibility and became a point of cable fault isolation. We worked for transfer of MDF to PRX at Raichur switching system. Cable network was successfully loaded to PRX container exchange without interrupting working Telephone lines.

In 1999, on seniority, I was promoted as SDE Telecom, and worked in the Bidar city till my retirement from the Telecom service in 2009.

In 2000, the service sector of Telecom was re-organized as BSNL. Telecom sector was opened to private Operaters too. The BSNL era of Mobile telephony started all over the Nation. Landline Telephones started decreasing gradually. Employees were exposed to compititive environment. They were encouraged to opt for retirement. Most of the employees felt fish out of water. There was no more monopoly over Telecom Services.

The overhead Telephone lines, and the underground Telephone cables gradually started becoming absolate. The fault rate was reduced to almost nil. Mobile serve sector started groving vigorously. There after The number of personal mobile sets increased rapildly in India.