Acknowledging Over Three Decades of Dedicated Service | Mr. Chenne Gowda
May 30, 2025
On May 30, 2025, our University gardener, Mr. Chenne Gowda, retired from NLSIU after rendering 34 years of service. We thank him for the many years of committed service, and wish him all the very best for his life ahead.
In this brief chat with us at the Communications Office, he recalls his journey at the University.
How did your NLS journey begin?
I was in my mid-twenties when I joined the University on July 7, 1991, and was hired by the then Registrar (Shri. R Krishnappa) on a temporary basis. A few years later, I joined the University on a full-time, permanent basis on January 1, 1998. It was four of us at the time and we used to take care of several gardening requirements on campus including planting seeds, watering, and most importantly cutting through the weeds during those times when Nagarabhavi almost resembled a forest area!
Recollections:
When I started here at NLS, the University was still functional in the Central College premises and the students used to travel to that campus. At the time, the Nagarabhavi campus was full of wild, forest-like growth, similar to the surroundings of the Bangalore University, and we had to navigate through that in the initial years. The Himalaya hostel for the boys was the first residential building on campus while the Old Academic Block (OAB) was still being constructed. I also recall interactions with several staff members who became my friends over the years, and with some of the students who would enquire about us.
During the first 15 years of my tenure here, there was an extensive amount of work that was required – be it cleaning up the campus area, planting seeds and shrubs, or watering the plants with pots of water that we would carry ourselves before garden hoses were brought in.
Besides gardening, I have lent a hand whenever there was any other kind of assistance required on campus in terms of cleaning or shifting books/furniture, plumbing, etc.
Gardening Tips:
Finally, before he left our office, Mr. Chenne Gowda was kind enough to take a look at the jade plant that was withering on our office desk. Examining the plant inside the tiny pot, he kindly assured us that all hope was not lost, and suggested a few tips that would help revive the plant, before bidding adieu with a cheerful wave.
