Archive for September, 2006
September 17th, 2006 - The D-Day!
The D-Day (School Re-Union)
I was in Mysore by Friday night and I couldn’t wait for Sunday afternoon to happen. I started excavating my old wardrobe and drawers for anything and everything I could find related to school. I finally found a box with all my certificates and marks-cards for each year. I spent the whole of Saturday morning reading my old report cards and going through each and every remark teachers had given me. I could see that “Must improve in Maths” is something most of the teachers said most of the times. I don’t think that ever happened. How ever, I realized how much of personalized attention teachers would give during those days. Sujaya mam today was mentioning that kind of personalized feedback culture doesn’t exist anymore. She had in many instances appreciated in my progress cards things, which were not related to academics but were a part of the school in a strong way(Extra-curriculum).I met up with Panduranga and Nisha that evening to discuss a few things about the D-Day. We had quite a few decisions to take and make sure most of the things would be in place. With a lot of excitement I was waiting for the clock to strike 1pm on Sunday. It happened at last.
13:00hrs, 17th September 2006, PlanetX Premises.
Sukumar, Ravindra and Sreenivasan were the first ones to be there and I had no choice but to request them to man the Reception center. I could also see some of the staff/teachers of the school already on their way to the hall. Mr. Jayarao was the gang leader this time and he led the party towards our hall.We quickly arranged the reception table and people started pouring in. The last time I counted someone in the list of registrants on Friday afternoon, the count was hanging around the 210 mark with 25 teachers who were expected. In the last two days my phone wouldn’t stop ringing and people kept on pouring in. Though it was not the greatest things to happen it was really amazing to see how the word of mouth was spreading so fast in the last two days. (We had to have a number to organize this event, but I even had to take entries at 12:30PM today – The last minute entry buffer has to be quite a lot)
Pooja, Nirmala, Ashok, and yet another Pooja from the 1998 batch were one of the first few people to enter the hall and their punctuality was not really complimented. Within minutes there was a tsunami of people who once studied in this magical institution called CFTRI School Mysore. Being smart we had the name display cards in place, which would help people identify others at least by seeing their names. Believe me, some of us have changed beyond recognition. After all its been more than a decade for many of us since we saw each other.Students of the 2000 batch were probably the most number of ex-students from a particular batch and I can proudly say, students from my class were the least. Three out of 47 is an overwhelming number. I was really thrilled by the attendance of my classmates in my own way but nevertheless, I was glad I had plenty of others from different batches pouring in. Boys and Girls who were in primary and higher primary school when I graduated out of school were all handsome young men and gorgeous women of Mysore.
In the next few minutes, the stars of the school descended over to this happening place. Parvathy aunty was one of first few teachers to drop in and everyone who came in would be pleasantly surprised and excited seeing her. One amazing thing was, we had alumni members who passed out in the 70s, 80s, 90s and the recent half a dozen years. A couple of elderly men who were from the 70s batch amazed me and I was so happy to see their love and interest for the school. I wish many such people had participated in the event. But most of them would surely take more time for their children’s school day than participating in their own school function by now. That’s quite understandable.
Just then, Misses Hema and Sujaya walked in to the party arena. Not surprisingly they were greeted by most of us who were near the reception area. It was nice to see Hema aunty’s husband taking time for her and bringing her along. Just then the superman of the school uncle Ranga showed up and he was immediately mobbed. Veena Murthy, Atma Jyoti, Prema, Susheela, Anne, Jameela, Sati, and others joined the party. While I was wondering why didn’t a few other teachers turn up I saw Aunty Geetha joining us and she is supposed to be one of the oldest teachers present in the school as of now. Imagine the students who passed out of the school in the 80s and in the 2000z still going to one teacher and talking to her about their school days. Aunty Geetha to me still looks strong to go for another decade without any hassle.
I missed sighting Tanuja Aunty in the party and wonder why she didn’t turn up. I tried many a times to push people in to the hall from the garden but in vain. My super brain told me to ask uncle Ranga to do what he does best: Move the crowd! Uncle Ranga commanded in his bold voice “Dayavittu…yellru olage barbeku” (Request you all to come on in) and within the next few minutes the crowd was inside the hall. People jumping in joy, excited to see their old pals, beloved teachers and their seniors and juniors in all shapes and sizes was a sight to experience and not talk about. Emotions were running high and many of us couldn’t believe something like this could happen some day. All our respective batches and classes have been meeting time and again but I doubt if anything of this magnitude and scale has ever happened.
Panduranga took over the preceding and briefed everyone about the plans we both have for this Alumni association and he also re-iterated about this blog and how we all should be using it when ever possible. Due to scarcity of time, we invited only Ranga Uncle, Hema Aunty and Sujaya Madam to speak a few words and the crowd went mad. I was prompting those wonderful words Hema mam would use to try and put some mathematics in to my brain. Some of them were “Dirty pigs”, “fool of an ass” etc. That made the crow cheer for her, while she walked down towards the microphone. She said a very few lines but was really touching. At the end she said, “good that this has happened and thanks for remembering us and I hope you will not forget us at least till when we are still breathing”. Why their breath! I can assure her that, we would not dare to forget these teachers till our last breaths. I mean, how can we?
Sujaya Mam and Uncle Ranga appreciated this kind of a response and gathering and then it was time for us to have lunch. I apologize it was already quite a delay. We finally got to talk to our best friends about the lovely days we spent at school. I could also see some of the ex-students celebrate a birthday of their friend in a very popular way. Everyone had a smile of their face. I hope the lunch was good and most of us enjoyed it.
I wouldn’t forget this for many decades to come as I am ending it with a lot of good memories. Though I wish I could have met a few more friends of my class and some of my beloved teachers like Yamuna, Tanuja, Lalitha Umapathy, Varini, Vijayavalli, Chinmayee and others, I am very satisfied by the way this event has happened. The food and beverages department of PlanetX gave us a count of 290 Ex-students and approximately 40 teachers’ attendance. I think this is a great number and am very happy and grateful to all those who kept their promise and enthusiasm in the right direction. It would have to be only CFTRI School Mysore and its “Aunty” rich culture to drive this kind of interest and love even after years. I believe students no more call the teachers as Aunties in the school, but it was nice to hear from the teachers themselves that they too feel Aunty is something they felt nice being addressed as.
Its all our luck that we find a great enthusiastic alumni member in Panduranga Shenoy who not just appreciated my initial idea of all these but also blew it out of proportions and took on a lot of responsibility and the sponsorship. I hope this kind of enthusiasm would exist in the forth-coming years in all the other members too. By the way we are checking out the possibility of registering a formal body called the CFTRI School Alumni Association and taking things forward.
I would be glad to hear from the interested members if they would like to be of some help in the thought process and organizing such activities. Hope to see more pictures from the cameras of others and I hope you all enjoyed it. Please write back with your feedback and suggestions about this event and the Alumni association in general. It was a dream come true to meet you all after so many years. You all are still happening! and thanks to all the teachers who were kind enough to make it to this event. “Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions.”
September 14th, 2006 - Alumni Get-together on 17th September 2006
Sudden rush of nostalgic memories of the old school days, the teachers and the friends we had in school has prompted some of the ex-students of the school to organize an event which has never happened before. Ex-students of the school irrespective of when they passed out, are invited to be a part of this extravaganza happening on the 17th of september 2006.
Teachers of the school, Some of the Teachers who worked in the school previously would be participating in this get-together. Ex-students are requested to register for this event before dropping in. Please feel free to bring along your spouses, children or even parents if you may want to. Please let us know!
Venue and Details:
Sunday, 17th September, 2006.
1pm for lunch.
No entry fee! But please intimate us in advance.
Contact: Jayanth Sharma
jayanth.sharma@gmail.com
+91 9886156700
Please spread this message to all your friends and be there on time. Present count of entries: 290 ex-students + 40teachers.
September 5th, 2006 - Teacher’s Day
It was the last few months of my high school life. It should be around the second half of January – 1996, when all of a sudden the Xth class students became very busy. They were under tremendous pressure. A pressure where one had to study for the Math World Exam on 27th of January 1996 along with other extra curricular activities. Look at this strange day and imagine how busy students and teachers were.
In the morning some of us who had to participate in the Cultural Evening later in the month had to go to Kalamandira for a stage practice. At 2:00 PM was the Math World Exam which was a common preparatory exam for the Xth Class students of the entire city. It was optional though. And on the same day we were supposed to depart to this unimaginable Goa trip which finally happened after a great initial resistance from some teachers. I even remember begging parents 750/- for nearly 3 days.
In the trip to Goa I clearly remember, Gautham and I arguably the heavy weight champions of the class were given a strange task. I feel like laughing when I remember it. Gautham and I were supposed to guard the girl’s dormitory. I remember the drunken goan locals who used to letch at the beautiful girls of my school. (Slightly possessive LOL) Obviously our Principal Mr. Purushotham Rao could see this too. He tried to play safe by asking two adult looking children (Gautham and Jayanth) to be the dwarapalakas. Gautham and I were honored. We felt like getting the job of guarding the president of India that night. We were given a carpet and were asked to sleep just outside the dormitory where the girls stayed. Mr. Purushotham Rao didn’t let us forget our duty by letting us sleep. He along with Aunty Veena Murthy, settled just in front of our corridor beds and started talking to us. It was 11 in the night and he decided that we had to take some rest. Mr. Purushotham had great ideas to improve the school; he took inputs from the outgoing students and even started the initiative of Alumni in 1996. (Unfortunately it never took off)
Mr. Purushotham woke us up and at 5AM and he walked towards the guy’s dormitory. Surprisingly he found only a few of them. Well, of course Goa is not to sleep according to some. The next morning he whispered in to my ears.
“I know some of you drink, but I even know you guys don’t know how much you should drink. If anyone wants to drink, please send them to me. I would fix a quantity and allow them to do so.”
Ermm.. I decided to pass on the message to my comrades. They all started laughing, running around in ecstasy. Every one who wanted to do this was overjoyed. But everyone said, “Thanks.. Tell him we shall do the needful”.
While most of us were in a state of shock! I thought I had never come across this kind of openness and adult like treatment while at school. Mr. Purushotham was clearing making his mark in the hearts of young men of my class.
He became our principal for the last 6 months of school. He had already helped us organize a trip to Goa. Am sure he was unpopular for such things by senior teachers and the Management Committee.
The Open Day was immediately after the Goa trip on 2nd and 3rd February 1996. We had no time to think. I am sure everyone who had been to Goa couldn’t participate in the Open Day as we couldn’t prepare. This was the first open day in my entire school life that I was not behind the tables explaining things to others. Anyway, it didn’t matter to me as I thought I had done a more exciting thing.
Just after the open day, we still had some stationary left to be misused. The thick Marker pens were fresh and happening in the markets. Shivananda stores on kalidasa road sold a plenty of them. Small thing – but it was surely exciting. We all forget that, this was the first time we saw advanced versions of sketch pens whose writing couldn’t be erased once written. Well within 6 days, the entire class was painted with a quote of black text on the benches and tables. From an angle it would look like benches painted in black. Not much of wood was visible on the top of these desks and benches. My classmates, probably even I some times scribbled all kinds of things on the benches and desks. It included the most extravagant four letter word-weapon we had learnt in the recent years, to the names of some beautiful girls of other classes etc.
It was the biology class during the second week of February. Aunty Veena Murthy walked in the class along with Mr. Purushotham. He was surely angry for the first time. He asked us: “Who has painted the class like this?”
We neither answered, nor lifted our heads. He asked a few of us in particular. No one had the guts to answer. He walked out of the class saying… “Unless he comes to know who has done this, he would never allow us to write the preparatory exams”. As soon as he and Mrs. Veena Murthy walked out, someone shouted “if I knew we wouldn’t have to write exams after this, I would do this every month” Most of us didn’t seem to understand how serious this man was. We probably didn’t care much about the preparatory exams.
We were standing, of course as a part of our punishment for several hours. He again visited us and told us one thing which probably made us feel like someone slapped us at least 10 times.
“You have studied in this institution for at least 10 years, (I studied for 12 LOL Not because I ever failed an exam. I did even nursery here) you would hardly stay here for the next 15 days after which you people will never care about the school. When you all have spent so many years being nice children, what has persuaded you to leave a black mark not just on your characters but on the desks too. Do you want us to remember you all as children who set a bad example for the next generation?” …. He walked away again.
Everyone was looking at each others face. I felt someone would spill the beans. But we all got together and walked to his room. We knelt down in his room. We were hardly 25 of us. We apologized. Yet he was eager to know who did it. I surely don’t remember many names but we had decided, it was everyone’s responsibility and we wouldn’t play the blame game. Mr. Purushotham was surprised by the unity we were showing towards this. While he praised us for the unity, he also gave a lecture on how we had shattered our images in his mind. We surely felt like murderers and thieves. It was not just scribbling on the benches and desks. It was the display of new words we had learnt out of class. We boldly said, we understand our mistake and we would do the needful to repair the damage.
We all got back to the ground, took water, some sand and did what not to erase the textual dirt on the benches and desks. Mr. Purushotham saw us from a distance.
At 4:45 PM pretty late in the evening for schools, we assembled back in his room.
Surprisingly, we were forgiven. Some of us had tears in our eyes; some of us just saw the great unity we had displayed. We all walked out of his room as a class which seemed to gain its respect back. I can’t be sure if we really did.
Today is Teachers Day. While this seems to be a good opportunity to ask our teachers to pardon us for some of the mistakes and mischief we have probably (I surely have) done. It’s of course the time to say, “We all love you even today”. Though I always had a special love towards my school and teachers, I was caught in one or two mischievous or unethical activities in school. Shamefully I say, some times it even hurt the feelings of teachers. I still remember how I made a teacher shed tears, just because she couldn’t find a replacement in the last minute for the play in our cultural program which, I was supposed play. I gave her an excuse of throat infection. But, I now thank God that I some how decided to do it. I was not truthful to a large extent when I said it was because of throat infection that I didn’t want to do it. I finally did a decent job in the cultural evening.
I still remember how that show was appreciated. It surely was not one of the glamorous roles like dancing for the latest number, but a dance drama of Sangolli Rayanna. I feel very sorry for the teachers when they have to tolerate such behavior. I wonder why we or rather I sometimes failed to realize, how special these people were in our lives.
If I were to be in Mrs. Vasundhara’s position I would have never taught anyone in my entire life when I walk in to the class and someone switches on the fan and it rains chalk powder and chits of papers. Well, I surely think it demands a great amount of tolerance and patience to be teachers. Teachers, especially to the present generation. Sometimes I wonder how teachers can adjust to different kinds of students over years. 20 years back, if a student replied back rudely, it was supposed to be a display of bad behavior. Some teachers punished the students for this. But today, I think the teachers face a great challenge, of not just keeping themselves up-to-date with the new things in life but to be Teachers without the right to punish the students as they used to do before. Democracy in school to this extent makes “Guruvina gulama naguva Tanaka doreyadanna mukuthi” very invalid. I don’t think anyone is ready to be even a good disciple, forget being a gulama.
Strangely, we all realize this after we have left school and we no longer can be students. I wish all the Teachers great success and would like to convey our heart felt thanks! Sorry for taking so much time and words to express this feeling.
The syllable gu means shadows and the syllable ru, he who disperses them, because of the power to disperse darkness the Guru is thus named.
September 2nd, 2006 - A trip down the memory lane
Precisely a decade back I wore the school uniform for the last time. In these years, I might have visited the school less than ten times. How ever, I am in touch with most of my classmates and friends from school. Thanks to the internet; keeping in touch with friends from school has never looked easier. Not just my classmates, interacting with juniors, seniors, teachers and even some parents of my friends and school mates has been quite easy.
Among plenty of old school friends I met; Nisha has been one of the few people whose memory is as good as mine especially about the school days. She reciprocates the same kind of interest and enthusiasm about CFTRI School and the teachers. Nisha was a year elder to me and it was nice meeting her after a decade. Since both of us work in Bangalore and our parents are in Mysore; we often visit our respective homes in Mysore. On a pleasant Saturday we both met up for the first time ever and we were traveling to Mysore together.
We were about to reach the outskirts of Mysore and it was around 8:30 in the morning. Nisha gets this idea of visiting the school right away. Why not? I said and within the next thirty minutes we were in front of CFTRI School Mysore. I was guessing it would be 8AM to 12PM class like how it was for us but it was 9AM to 12PM class and the pupils were walking in to the school. It was perfect timing to catch up with the assembly hall. I was entering the campus and I found it difficult to control the ecstasy. I traveled at least ten years back in time machine and enjoyed the next 2 hours in spent in the school to the fullest.
Prema Aunty is still going strong and can be seen all over the place. She was the first to greet us and speak to us. Memories of irritating her while in school including locking her while she was cleaning a class room just flashed and when I told her she was pinching me saying “Tharle neenu”. Immediately we see the smiling faces of Geetha, Tanuja, Lalitha Umapathy, Sathi. We see Mr. Jayarao and talk to him. It is unbelievable that these people have spent decades in the same place with dedicated work. Prema meanwhile pulls us to the principal’s cabin and says its aunty Satnam Kaur who is the principal now. Its 9 in the morning and I resisted. (Photograph of Prema and Nisha) We walk to the assembly hall along with the teachers just after meeting Mrs. K.R. Vijaya who really walked a distance to talk to us. Padma also remembered a few instances and Aunty Denamma couldn’t recognize me but said “O god” when Mrs.Vijaya told her about our identities.
One surprising thing about the school was how the children were really well-mannered and looked like children. I see my Xth std photograph and I surely see the difference in the build of the children then and now. Not sure why that is but even the Xth standard children of the school would be as huge and robust as we in the 8th standard would be. The same series of events during the assembly hall happens but the News, Science Article and the thought for the day is all read by one single student. The principal of the school has a small chat with the students asking them if they liked a presentation someone gave the previous day and quite a lot of children raise their hands agreeing. One addition to the assembly routine is the “Oath” every one takes for the country. That was a pleasant surprise and something we hadn’t seen or experienced.
Immediately the Mass-PT beings while a few classes march back to their respective rooms. The Mass-PT I reckon is now divided in to primary and middle school. The elder students stay back in the ground below (Next to the new building and the kho-kho field) while the younger pupils settle down near the See-Saw, slide (jaaro bandey) and the nursery wing.
While we chat with Ambiga, Tanuja and Denamma, Aunty Geetha joins us and we have a nice discussion of the school then and now. How naughty we were, how much we loved our teachers and how big a nuisance we were. Mrs. Tanuja reminds us that children no more call the teachers as “Aunty” and they instead address them as “Mam”. (Photograph of Mrs. Satnam Kaur and Mrs. Tanuja with Nisha) & (Photograph of Denamma, Geetha and Nisha)
The school boundary is fenced and the cycle stand during our times is now converted to the vehicle stand of the teachers. The children now park their cycles on the small field beyond the road to the main building/quarters. I wonder if the Forest Route is still intact. Riding bicycles on that road to reach the canteen was an adventurous thing my friends associated with.
Ranga Uncle is still remembered for his artistic way of punishing or scolding pupil while they make that trade mark “Uuum uumm” noise while doing the sitting exercise number three. The Physical Education teachers now seem to be wearing some kind of a uniform with pista green top and a dark green shade pant. We speak to Anne mam who is very busy especially on a Saturday with the Mass-PT around. I remember the first day of Anne in school during 1987-88 when I was in class 3. I was hurt after I fell down near the Nursery wing and Anne was the one who nursed my wounds. She was glad that I remember her at least for that. We miss the legendary C.J Mohan’s sighting. It seems he was on leave that particular day.
Seeing children sit quietly on the ground with a finger on their lips, I remember those nice days of mine at school and how much I owe to this place. It’s Teachers Day round the corner and I must remember each one of them and how they have contributed in each one of our progress.
After bidding good bye to all of them, we walk back out of the school remembering our younger days here. Both of us experience a nostalgic experience which will remain afresh for many years to come. We get an idea of trying to organize a get-together of CFTRIANs in Bangalore and that sounds like a cool idea to many of my friends.
September 1st, 2006 - Welcome to CFTRI School Blog
Dear Friends,
It gives me immense pleasure in welcoming you here. I hope each of us would keep things posted here and keep the spirit of the school and its memories alive for a long time.
Jayanth Sharma,
Batch: 1995-1996
www.jayanthsharma.com