'Unextraordinary in studies but...': Devendra Fadnavis' teacher recalls his school days ahead of oath taking ceremony

Ahead of the oath taking ceremony on Thursday, incoming Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' teacher Savitri Subramanium recounted his school days in Nagpur. Subramanium taught Fadnavis from class 8 to 10 at Nagpur's Saraswati Vidyalaya.

The incoming Maharashtra CM, who served as the youngest mayor of Nagpur, completed his school education from Nagpur. Fadnavis is all set to take the oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra for the third time at a grand event in Mumbai's Azad Maidan today.

On Wednesday, he was unanimously elected as the leader of the Maharashtra BJP legislature party. Recalling his school days, Savitri Subramanium told news wire PTI in an interview that while Fadnavis was average in studies, he studied well and was a polite, cheerful and sensitive student. 

“Fadnavis was average and unextraordinary in studies, but studied well. He was a very polite, cheerful and sensitive student,” she said. She added that as one of the taller students, he used on the back row benches in the classroom. 

She recounted that the entire class was very understanding. Subramanium added that Fadnavis was sensitive and helped other students in need, especially a student who was inflicted with polio. 

She also mentioned that she never thought Fadnavis would go onto become such a good orator since he never performed on stage during his school days.

"He may have inculcated these qualities during his participation in Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) as a student activist." Subramanium said that even though Fadnavis' father Gangadharrao was an MLC at the time, he never boasted of his family background. 

“Fadnavis was always very clear in his principles and used to speak with clarity due to his parents’ ‘sanskars’,” she said. She also recalled that Fadnavis was felicitated after he became the mayor of Nagpur at 27. 

Over Fadnavis becoming the Maharashtra CM again, she said she was very proud of his achievement while advising him to take all sections of the society along and unite the people of Maharashtra to make the state big again.