Oct 6, 2009

Nitte Vinaya Hegde - A Benevolent Visionary

by Florine Roche - Daijiworld Media Network

An ardent sports lover that he is, he makes it a must to go to United States of America every year in May-June to witness the NBA, the basketball extravaganza. (He missed it this time due to pressing work back home).  He occasionally bunks office to stay back and enjoy a good cricket match leisurely, his hero being the 1983 world cup hero Kapil Dev and the basketball legend Michael Johnson. Despite his multifarious engagements he takes great pleasure in meeting his class and college mates twice a year and spends some memorable time recalling the good old time of yesteryears. His greatest pastime and pleasure is spending quality time with his grandchild. He enjoys working 10 to 12 hours a day normally which he considers as his leisure. Once a chain smoker for almost 20 years he kicked the habit on his own when he bid goodbye to his job and started his own venture never to fall back on that habit again. 

That is Nitte Vinaya Hegde for you, who still possess the child-like quality in him, who can be described as an entrepreneur having made a successful foray into the field of education, a philanthropist, a technocrat, an avid sports lover, a family man and finally to describe in his own words a true human being. No matter what his height is, he certainly towers over many others when it comes to his contribution in heralding the second renaissance in the field of education in undivided Dakshina Kannada district. Under the guidance of this great visionary Nitte Education Trust (NET) run by him has emerged as the largest Mangalore-based educational institution catering to basic and professional education. Being the son of a famous father late justice K S Hegde was not a deterrent for him to carve out his own place of eminence.    

Heart Ruling over Mind 

Nitte Vinaya Hegde is a rare gem of a personality with an emotional streak who, sometimes, willfully allows his heart to rule over the mind.  His bonding with his family is what he treasures more than anything else. He is worried about the changing scenario in the society where the elderly and the sick are time and again neglected by their children and kith and kin in their pursuit for monetary gains. “Nothing is more pleasurable than making your parents happy”, is his philosophical advice to his students whenever he gets an opportunity to give them an earful while talking one to one.  His pro-developmental approach has often been questioned and derided but he is steadfast in his support for developmental activities of the district. The Coastal Agenda Task Force headed by him played a key role in proposing the Special Economic Zone for this region, which is now becoming a reality. 

If he had not ‘mistakenly’ flunked in Chemistry in his final B.Sc, at St Joseph’s College, Bangalore, the subject in which he had exceptionally done well, Vinaya Hegde would not have come to Mangalore. “I was not influenced by anything or not focused on anything particular” he says with consummate ease recalling those shaky days of his career. It is another matter that after re-correction he was declared pass but it was too late. The bungling on the part of the authorities gave a complete twist to his career and it proved to be a great boon Dakshina Kannada District.  

Having declared ‘failed’ Vinaya Hegde took an adamant decision and told his father he would not answer the paper again and decided to come to Mangalore with bag and baggage. He started working for Sri B S Kudva of CPC group of companies. He was greatly enamored by the persona of senior Kudva having worked with him for 6 to 7 years, who also his role model as far as industrial activity is concerned. But after the death of B S Kudva he could not share the same wavelength with the next generation and called it quits.   

The Turning Point

The turning point of his career came in 1974-75 when unable to continue under the new set up of management Vinaya Hegde along with some of his colleagues quit CPC group leading to the establishment of Lamina Group of Industries in 1975-76. I call it a  turning point because “Nitte Education Trust (NET) would not have seen the light of the day if not for the success and support of Lamina Group and Vinaya Hegde could not have emerged as a person of any consequence”, he says with the usual candor. 

Life was pretty normal for Vinaya Hegde and 5 other siblings, two brothers and 3 sisters.  Being a public figure his father had obviously had no time for his children and it was their mother late Meenakshi Hegde who unfailingly assailed the dual roles with finesse. “We were able to build an image of our father from what public had to say about him rather than having our own notions.  More so it was my mother who made up for all the time which we could not have with our father by showering all affection on us and constantly reminding that we should live up to the expectations of our father”, he recalls. 

He remembers his childhood days living along side in a big family amidst a big group of 3 to 6 children, all relatives, which instilled in him the give and take tendency at a young age. “This home atmosphere helped me to have lot of love and affection the other person in the family because it is a rare thing now that you have three brothers and they all live together, something unfortunately the present generation doesn’t have.  They grow as selfish people”, he points out.  

He was never a good student as a youth as someone would have believed him to be. He was considered to be a problematic child, more interested in sports and less in studies.  It was his mother who repeatedly helped him to cope with his ‘problems’, if one can call them so.  “Apart from the habit of smoking he was almost a trouble-free child in general”, is how he sums up his days as a youngster. 

Special Bond with Mother 

His father, no doubt is his role model but he was closest to his mother and has blended after her character.  His father was a no nonsense person, very tough and obviously had a strong will to achieve.  “I am not very tough, don’t possess the same drive my father had to achieve something”, he laughs. But if one evaluates Mr. Vinaya Hegde, he has certainly made up for all the shortcomings he might have exhibited.  He works hard, reads a lot and has been able to command the respect of his colleagues for what he is and for what he has achieved. .  

Life has been kind to him and he feels contended simply because he has achieved more than his intellectual level expected him to achieve.  He believes in destiny which he says “takes you where you should go and I believe that NET which has grown into a gigantic educational institution, is not an accident”.   He further says “in any field if someone says that an institution is built by an individual by hard work it is not true.  Unfortunately the success of an institution is always limited to the top person.  I am one of those lucky persons who have been able to achieve so called high degree of success because of the hard work of hundreds of my colleagues”.  

He believes in relationships and is a people-friendly person who still keeps a rendezvous with his classmates at least twice a year. His house in Surathkal serves as the classic venue not only for a cozy meeting with his friends but also for the reunion of the family spread over different parts of the globe. His two brothers have made a name and fame for themselves in their own way.  While is older brother Capt N P Hegde is a doyen of industry younger brother Justice Santhosh Hegde has  followed into the path of his illustrious father.  As the Lok Ayukta he is creating ripples in the state booking corrupt officials who are amassing huge wealth.  His sisters Ajila and Asha are settled in USA and he meets them every year during his sojourn to America. His other sister Usha is unfortunately no more. 

Vinaya Hegde is married to his own maternal uncle’s daughter Sujatha Hegde who has played the role of a true companion and a soul mate to perfection.  He cherishes whatever time he is able to spend with his family. His Son Vishal Hegde is helping him in running the business.  Daugher Ashwitha Punja, MDS, is practicing and is settled with her family in Mumbai.  On hindsight he feels he should have devoted more time for his family.  Perhaps this remorse is drawing him towards his grandchild with whom he likes to spend time and relax. He also regrets not giving more time to the industry and allowing it grow further.  It happened mainly because I started enjoying my association with the educational group more than my industry. 

Sports Aficianado

A great sports lover that he is Vinaya Hegde was responsible for awakening the sporting spirit among Mangaloreans by conducting national sports for the first time in the district headquarters in 1984 under the aegis of Lamina Groups.  He had a part to play in the development of some national-level athletes from the district.  “I wanted to get doubly involved but I found that there was so much politics in sports I was completely disillusioned.  I distanced myself from all the sports bodies today only as a lover of sports”, he says.  

The pathetic condition of the only notable stadium of the district saddens him.  “It is a tragedy such enormous investment is used by the cattle, the dogs and by some old people for walk”, he points out.  Further he adds “in order to succeed in life you have to be much disciplined.  The other part is that to succeed in life you have to do large number of compromises”.  

Mangalore University honoured Vinaya Hegde with a Doctorate last year in recognition of his service. But he has taken a firm decision not to prefix his name with ‘Dr” and told his friends also not to use it, though he feels happy someone has thought it fit to recognize his services. 

The communal flare ups in the district are what dishearten him and he feels “it is a malice which has come as a contribution of the society. Cordiality today is missing and mixing is on the basis of religion.  Though I am a devote Hindu I respect other religions and I have tried to keep out my personal beliefs from my professional life”, he opines.  He is candid in admitting that “Samanvaya” the all-religion group aimed at fostering communal harmony failed miserably in carrying out its main agenda of fostering communal harmony and its failure is a stark reality with which he is yet to come to terms with.  

At 70, work is the tonic on which his life is centered around.  “I will be the unhappy man the day I stop working.  My entire life is centred on my daily quota of work which is like a doze of oxygen to me”.  Managing the 35-odd institutions of NET is not an easy task in today’s competitive world. What differentiates this visionary him from the rest of the pack is that he has nurtured them with a commitment and devotion that is exemplary and worthy of emulation.