Bhagwan Singh, a student of the SP leader between 1963 and 1966 said, “He used to teach us social sciences. He would try and tell us something relatable so that we could understand the topic. Despite being a well-regarded wrestler, he was never harsh with any student. He was a favourite of all students.”
Triloknath Shakya, another student who was taught by MSY during the same period and who is also retired as teacher from the institute, said, “Netaji had immense knowledge of history. He would often tell us about Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi. Despite becoming CM, he never forgot his students and remembered a majority of us by name.”
Ranveer Singh Yadav, a lecturer at Jain Inter College and whose father, Ram Roop Yadav, was a roommate of MSY in Mainpuri said, “Netaji served as a teacher at the school for over 20 years. He continued to teach even after becoming an MLA for the first time from the Jaswantnagar constituency of Etawah district in 1967. To pursue politics full-time, he resigned from his teaching job in 1984. His last drawn monthly salary was Rs 120.”
Teachers at Jain Inter College shared with TOI many anecdotes about the SP leader. “In 1989, Netaji was passing through the district and saw one of his students, Siyaram Yadav, walking on the road with a cloth tied around his waist and a bundle of wheat husk on his head. The CM stopped his cavalcade and inquired about the well-being of his old student. Siyaram told him that his son was trying to get a job as a constable but was finding it difficult. Netaji instantly wrote a note on a piece of paper and handed it over to his secretary. Siyaram’s son got appointed within a week,” a teacher recalled.
