|
In loving memory of:
|
On October 24, 2004, Shri Narsimha Basawaraj Hiremath died at the age of 88.
Mr. NB, as he became fondly known, was a true humanitarian.
His association with Peace Corps started after he returned from the US where he
earned an MS in Agricultural Sciences at the University of Missouri. The Government of Mysore assigned him to be Principal of the Gramasevaka Training
Center in Gangavathi, Raichur District, Karnataka. The day after he arrived in
Gangavathi in June 1963, he learned that he was the supervisor of three (later
four) India III Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs). Mr. Hiremath guided those young
Volunteers in their work and left them with a life-long respect and love for
India and her people. In turn, Mr. Hiremath began a long association with Peace
Corps/India that ended only when Peace Corps closed its program in India.
|
|
In the early days of Indian poultry development, Mr. Hiremath co-authored the
booklet "Modern Poultry Farming for Profit" which was translated into at least
four Indian languages and widely used by poultry farmers and PCVs in India. In
the mid-1960s he worked with PC/Bangalore staff to design and implement an
innovative Village Level Food Production Program in Karnataka for India 38 and
42 PCVs. This program was part of the "Green Revolution" promoting and teaching
the use of high-yielding varieties of crops to increase food production.
After retiring from the Government of Mysore service, Mr. Hiremath was PC
Training Co-Director for the India 124, 125 and 126 Science Teacher Training
Workshop Program for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa states. Subsequently he
was the Director in the PC/Orissa Office and finished up at PC/Bangalore where
in 1975 he had the sad job of helping close out PC programs in India.
Still eager to contribute to the less fortunate of India, he joined World
Neighbors for several years. Even after he officially retired, he continued to
share his knowledge and energy. In 1994 when our daughter and I visited the
Hiremaths at their home in Basawana Kudichi village, Belgaum
District,Karnataka, we watched him, then age 79, spend afternoons tutoring a
young village boy.
Mr. Hiremath truly made a difference in his lifetime. While respecting cultural
variations, he was adept at bridging the differences between Indians and
Americans and he elicited the best in both. He improved the lives of those
around him and inspired so many of us who had the opportunity of knowing and
working with him. Those whose lives he touched will remember him always and
miss him.
Jack and Alice Slattery (India 3)
|
|
During her introduction of her husband John Kerry at
the Democractic National Convention, Mrs. Kerry stated the following about
Peace Corps:
"To me, one of the best faces America has ever projected is the face of a Peace
Corps volunteer. That face symbolizes this country: young, curious, brimming
with idealism and hope—and a real honest compassion. Those young people
convey an idea of America that is all about heart and creativity, generosity
and confidence—a practical, can-do sense and a big, big smile. For many
generations of people around the globe, that is what America has represented. A
symbol of hope, a beacon brightly lit by the optimism of its people—people
coming from all over the world."
Teresa Heinz Kerry For
complete speech
|
