I was a lawyer by profession and my entry in politics was completely unexpected. As an advocate, I used to do my best to provide legal aid to the poor and downtrodden sections of the society including farmers, agricultural labourers and people from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Having come from a poor family, I could easily empathize with the poorer sections of the society and understand their pain and sufferings.

Coming from an impoverished background, I had to work very hard to complete my education and be self-reliant. My father was my role model and I imbibed this hardworking nature from him. Right from the very childhood, I never sought favors from others. My self-respect always guided me to work hard to achieve the goals.

Though I was very good in studies, I had not thought seriously about my future during my childhood. In those struggle filled days, one could not think much beyond attending to the basic necessities of day-to-day life. One day our teacher, who was fondly known as Babu Master told us that we can achieve any goal in life, if we worked hard with dedication and focus. I was highly inspired with this thought and this got firmly ingrained in my mind. To achieve my goal, I decided to pursue my education to the extent possible. It was this determination that helped me become an advocate.

Edmond Hillary and Ten Singh could climb the Mount Everest because of their sheer determination. Their achievement not only made them famous but inspired innumerable young boys and girls across the world to achieve their goals in life. Many women who were inspired by them have conquered the Everest. I firmly believe that if one is sincere and honest in efforts, one can achieve success.

I used to take cases of the poor when I was practicing law. I used to get immense satisfaction in helping the poor. These acts nourished my soul and made me feel good about myself. When the then PM Mrs. Indira Gandhi took a decision to nationalize all banks to extend banking services to the poor, I was tremendously impressed and became an ardent fan of hers.

I used to appreciate Indira Gandhi and her administrative skills with my advocate colleagues. Those days, mine was the lone voice appreciating Mrs. Gandhi in the Mangalore Bar Association. Most of the advocates were not in favor of Indira's decision to nationalize banks and criticized her sharply. But that did not deter me from admiring Indira Gandhi. I have always stood up for truth and do not hesitate to speak up my mind. I never hesitate to call a spade, a spade no matter what others think of me.

I am recording memories of my personal and political life here with the help of writer journalist Lakshmana Kodase. My long time associate Mr. Harikrishna Bantwal coordinated with me and Mr.Kodase. My niece Mrs. Shobha Chandrakanth collected various photos and press cuttings to add flavour to this autobiography. Mr Yajna Acharya and Mr Annu both photographers, provided various photographs for this book. My Sons Santhosh Kumar Poojary and Deepak Poojary came forward to publish the autobiography. I am grateful to all of them and wish them a bright future.

B. Janardana Poojary

Bantwal