Par and Prejudice

At times in life, we question ourselves, ‘did we deserve this?’ or ‘did we deserve any better?’ Often we come across situations in life, where we are left on the cross roads of oblivion. We just have no idea what to do, how to retaliate or just let it go- which happens in most of the cases. Whether it is that long queue at the reservation counter, where a hesitant young boy, gets bullied by some nuisance making brats to draw away his ‘tatkal’ appeal, or just stay back in the queue or it is the question of those hundreds of people whose survival is at stake courtesy the latest bifurcation resulting in 28 (+1). From a local to a national level, everywhere there is one question that beckons every time.  And that is the question of equality. And that is what I would like to talk about in the coming few paragraphs.

‘All are equal in the eyes of law.’ The hypocrisy of this statement is pretty evident in our country. India is a place where people don’t cast their vote; instead, they vote their caste. All this diplomacy that is going on currently and that has continued since decades doesn't really work unless the MP candidate from their constituency does not belong to the ‘majority caste’. Even now, when a common man, be it a villager, or a citizen from a reasonably developed town goes to cast his vote, he would always be thinking at the back of his head, that if ‘X’ comes to power, we may get more closure from the administration as Mr. X is of my caste/religion. There is a sense of trust, confidence and acquaintance for ‘X’ and similar feelings of mistrust, diffidence and hatred (most of the times) for the other one, no matter how deserving, qualified or dependable he is.

Why does this happen? Why are people scared of voting or should I say ‘believing’ in the 'other one', that even though his surname is different from mine, (But he too is a human being) and his ways of worshiping the Almighty is different, he would, by all means, serve justice to us at jeopardizing times. I am not the first person on earth to raise this question. This has been the status quo for the past many years and the fact that many of these questions have not been answered at the right time makes the country ‘unity in adversity’ instead of ‘unity in diversity’. Where the former is still in question, and yet to be tested, (in the modern world), the latter is vitalizing and it is what India is (or should I say ‘was’) known for. Also the fact that India was reborn the way it was on the midnight of August 14, left wounds and scars which needed quick healing. The seeds of this evil were sown then itself, and the Whomping willow (Potter heads would know it) which rose thereafter has been known to attack anyone who disturbs its branches. And no wand is powerful enough to cut it down as of now. This is the harsh reality. And somehow, we Indians have got used to it, which is again disheartening.

What I think the answer to this question is that very topic of discussion right now- Equality. The answer is the fact that everyone here wants to be treated equally, wants to enjoy equal rights, to taste equally good food, to get equally good education and to live an equally standard life. And when this does not happen, people lose faith and they get scared, they get selfish, they get possessive and that is where the devastation of harmony starts. And what’s even worse is the fact that every single Mr. X elected by the majority proves out to be ‘of the majority’ and ‘for the majority only’. That is where equality goes begging.  Anyways, I am not going to go into the details of this, as this is not the field of my expertise. I am a mere observer or I should say, the stupid common man. What I want to talk about, and what made me write this piece of work was one more daily life experience which came my way yesterday. Now, there is a possibility that I may be wrong, and people might differ with me on this, as my best friend did. But then, this is what I felt, and it is purely a generalized opinion and not targeted to any one individual in particular. And also it is not tampered by the rumors as there are in an engineering college.

A reputed IT giant visited our campus yesterday. As the current market conditions are prevalent, we all knew that we core engineering students had a very feeble chance. But then, we are out of options. The core companies do not visit, and if they do, they are very selective and require excellence and nothing short of it. And every one of us is not that good at what they ask, but that in no way means that we are not good at all. And when people develop this perception, and start biasing with the opportunities, it feels really bad. Moreover, the government sector requires cracking some competitive exams, which again is not that easy. Now, I am not saying that we want bread and butter and we do not want to work hard. We do, we work, and we accept when even after the hard-work we don’t get the results. At least, we would come back and tell ourselves that you were not there, just not there where you are required to be. But then, when even after working hard, we realize that it is not respected, and the standards for us to excel are far above than our counterparts, it hurts. Every single one of us needs a job. That is a fact. We need to earn a living. And there is nothing wrong, if try to get it using all ways possible. (the legitimate ones)

We had to qualify the written test to make ourselves eligible for the interviews. There was a paper specifically meant to test our analytical skills. Quantitative aptitude was the subject asked. We were really hopeful as we had to study aptitude for our core engineering tests as well and most of us were practicing it continuously. The first slot went in for the written test followed by the second and the third. We had a decent number of candidates from our branch, though not as many as the other branches. The results were announced, and at first, there was nothing surprising. The attitude of the IT companies towards the civil engineering students has been deteriorating since the recession which was clearly visible in the first round results. Where as many our batch-mates made it to the interviews, there were none from our branch. And mind you ladies and gentlemen, some of the best students of our batch appeared for the test only to get rejected and question themselves and their hard work. Same was the case with the slots that followed. By the end of the day, only 5 of my classmates and 100s of my other batch-mates from different disciplines made it to the interviews. Now there is a question- Are we really that deficient when it comes to analytical skills? Do we really need to work very hard in this regard? Were we so poor that only five of us made it through? The answer is no- A loud and a clear NO.

Before the placement drive began, our director assured us, that there would be no partiality involved at all and they are not at all inclined towards any particular set of students. But then, those words were far from the truth. The attitude of the corporate gave more impetus to it. Even after attempting the same number of questions as our other batch mates, and attempting them correctly, it was them who made it and we who didn’t. Now, I am not all of the opinion that they didn’t deserve. Please don’t get me wrong here. I am just saying that we too deserved to qualify the writtens. And the rumor, as said by our director, of branch wise cutoffs, wasn’t just a rumor. We had to attempt 24-28 questions out of 30 to get selected where as the number was 17-20 for our other friends. This is the inequality and the biasing which I am talking about. I am not saying that we people deserve to be there more than anyone else. I am talking about the biasing. I never said that all of us have those exact skills which these IT companies require for software developing and related stuff. You want to reject us, do that during the interview, but this kind of prejudice does not go down well with us. Either you do not allow us to participate, or if you do, make it fair and equal for all. That is all I am trying to say. Had you rejected us during the interview, courtesy the fact that we were unable to answer those questions which you asked, we would have been disappointed, but at the same time contended. We would have told ourselves that you don’t have what they require. That would have been completely okay with us. But what happened is hard to digest. Why the hell do I have to score extremely well to get past the first round whereas similar attempts from my other friends are appreciated and are successful? What it does is, that it makes the candidate question his/her abilities- Those abilities on which he was working very hard to polish. I am not saying that we have got what it takes to work in an IT company or we do have those competencies that they require. Maybe we would have been rejected anyway. But at least that way, there would have not been a question of doubting our abilities and we would have known that this is not our cup of tea. And most importantly, we wouldn’t have felt played upon or treated with blinking eyes.

Lucky were those who made it to the interviews as they were treated equally and were asked equally good questions. Yes, no biasing here. They require programming skills, and we were asked programming questions, and even though we had little knowledge, we gave our best and won’t be disheartened if we are rejected. But what about those who are sitting right now in their hostel rooms, rejected, disappointed and of the opinion that they won’t get a job. Because, if this was the attitude of India’s best IT company, we don’t know what to expect from the rest.

Now, as to where did I know this from, i.e. evidences. As I said, these are not rumors. People coming out after giving the test are my evidences. They themselves discussed the questions with us and told us as to how many did they attempt. And mind you, one of them may lie or two, but not all. And these times, where all of us desperately need a job and are toiling for it, you don’t expect us to fool each other. Each one of us sitting in that auditorium yesterday wanted the other one to get selected, because none other than the final year students would realize the importance of getting a job. And when such a thing happens, it really is heartbreaking.

Once again, Mr. X played with us. Once again, we are scared, we do not trust and we are not at par. Once again, equality went begging. You may not realize the gravity of the situation, but we, the ones who have to face the music, and have to bear the ever increasing burden of expectations, do. Those corporates know exactly how it feels to be unemployed at these times of one’s career and yet they do this. I am just requesting one thing- don’t give us false hopes if you cannot fulfill them. We would rather be happy to be called a fool in ‘mockery’ than to be called intelligent in ‘sympathy’.

But then, this is how it goes as pointed out by my friend. And it’s right. This is exactly how it goes and is the harsh reality. And I am not going to illustrate how to eliminate this. Because we already know!

Wall-D (A tribute to Rahul Dravid)

If there is one thing in this country, which is comparatively un-marred by any of those several vices that are presently eating the nation from within, it is cricket. And by cricket, mind you ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about whatever happens on the field, and not off it. Whatever happens after those 11 men, in the India jersey, step on the field carrying with them the hopes, aspirations and most importantly, belief of a million people on their shoulders. Whether it turns out to be an unbelievable victory or a thrashing defeat or a nail-biting encounter, for those 100 overs or the 5 days that the team is there on the green turf or on the 22 yards, the nation stands as one. Now this, despite of us being sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic and republic, rarely happens. Yes, there are other sports, and there is no disrespect intended to them, but cricket unites a million people like no other thing does or probably will ever be able to do. There might be two people quarreling all day over their own political parties, or religious faiths or even for a berth in a railway compartment, but once the clock strikes 9.30 or 01.30 and once the Wankhede erupts seeing  MSD  coming out for the toss, there is a very high probability that the same two people might forget their day’s endeavors and cheer for the number 10 jersey guy to get yet another hundred. (Yeah, I know he has retired.) Cricket binds, it ties together a majority of that 1.2 billion ‘not-so-compatible-with-each-other’ Indians for eight straight hours. Now that is some achievement.

When the entire nation is glued to their television sets or to those big LED screens at the stadium itself, with tricolors wrapped around their bodies, there are people who are actually carrying the load and the pressure of all these eyes which are fixed upon them in the hope that they will do it once again for the country; In the hope that they will, once again, give them (the people) an opportunity to light some crackers and dance wildly in the middle of the night when India thrash Pakistan by 10 wickets. This piece of work is a dedication to one such man who did it for the nation days after days, years after years for 16 straight years. No matter at what position he was made (or rather had to) bat at, or what condition the team was in, or how hefty the run deficit was, or how difficult the wicket was to bat on, he was the guy who did his job amazingly well beyond all expectations. That is why whenever his name comes up in a discussion, the first thing that strikes my mind, is the epic dialogue once said by Harsha Bhogle—

“If you ask him to walk on ice, he would say, “Okay, how many kilometers?”

I mean, India doesn’t have openers, will you open the batting?

“Yes.”

“ The openers are doing a really good job, we need to accelerate, and we are sending in power hitters, can you bat down the order?”

“Okay.”

“Both the openers have been dismissed cheaply, will you bat at number 3 and steady the ship?”

“Okay.”

“We need you to keep wickets, as there is no place for a regular keeper (or we don’t have one), lest to disturb the balance of the team. Will you?”

“Okay.” (He kept wickets in spite of being a non-regular keeper throughout the entire 2003 world cup)

Yes, there are no guesses involved here, we are talking about the only ‘wall’ of the country(be it physical or psychological) which is yet to be breached.

Rahul Sharad Dravid, as the name  goes, happens to be one of those pillars of Indian cricket which would always be a source of unending inspiration and an un-exhaustible source of light which would always show the correct path to all the descendants  of the game. When India batted second, and no matter what the condition of the match was at any particular point of time, once I saw a ‘not out’ against R Dravid or when I saw that he was yet to bat, I always assured myself that even if something drastic happens from here on, he was there and will definitely do the job of a silent guardian, and our progress may be slow but will unquestionably be steady. He will keep the score board ticking with those singles and doubles and being the classy batsman that he is, he would find the odd boundary whenever the asking rate crept up. Every time I saw Dravid walking back to the pavilion, my heart broke, because now I knew that even though a win might be just around the corner, but now, since the anchor of the team has been dismissed, there may be a few hiccups here and there. I mean, with that Indian team of the 90’s and up to 2003-04(the Tendulkar dependent era) we could always expect the words “I will join you soon” when the dismissed batsman and the incoming batsman crossed their ways.  But not now, because there is this guy named Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who literally baits the opposition throughout the entire time for which he is at the crease telling them that,  “Yes, you have got a chance of winning the contest”, only to make a joke out of  their attempts in the final overs and hand India a nail-biting successful finish. And now, we are getting used to it. Anyways, let’s leave Dhoni for some other day, and come back to the ‘Chinnaswamy’s Heart-Throb’.  

Now what made me throw away my laziness and pen down this piece of work was a video on You Tube that I was watching last night. It was Dravid’s felicitation ceremony organized by the BCCI, and throughout his entire farewell  speech the sentence which he used most often was—“Playing for India humbled me.” Yes, being humble! That was one of the most valuable asset that Dravid had and which was on display through out those 16 glorious years that he had spent with the Indian dressing room. Not on one occasion did we find him engaging in a verbal spat with the opposition fast bowler who continuously threw short pitched stuff and gave him glares mixed with the ever so friendly (non-agitating) words. In fact, he was one of the few men in the Indian cricket team who would successfully hook the short-pitched deliveries over the fence, and the fine leg or the square leg fielder would merely be a spectator. 

We all remember what Michael Slater once said, expressing  deep regret after trying to break Dravid’s concentration—“Sledging against Dravid was one of the biggest mistakes.”

And also Dhoni’s lines at the adieu ceremony—

“In today's flamboyant world, where people think aggression is mostly verbal, he was someone who would never say a word to the opposition. He would keep it to himself, and make sure that when he is on the field, whether it is with a brilliant catch or helping the skipper or being the skipper or planning something for the batsman or staying at the crease, make the most out of it to get India win a game. He was someone who would channelize all the aggression and the discomfort that was given to him by the opponents in the best possible manner."

That says it all. That is Rahul Dravid for you ladies and gentlemen. The perfect example of patience, perseverance and concentration blended with talent, class and a God bestowed gift of exquisite timing and placement as mentioned  on several occasions by Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar. The moment that red cherry left his willow towards the cover, extra cover or the point boundary, literally piercing the packed off-side field, as the opposition captain used to set against him, there was no stopping it. And the vintage Dravid shots such as the off drive, cover drive and typical Dravid square cut were on display. And Mr. Gavaskar, as he so often does, began applauding by his typical lines—

“Magnificent shot. Look at the head position. It’s so still… He got behind the line of the ball, on the front-foot and drove it past the cover fielder for four runs. What a timing and placement! And the footwork too…”

He literally owned the square-cut for all those 16 years that he played international cricket. There were very few gentlemen in the international sphere who could play that particular shot as good as he did. Also, what lures me every time to follow Dravid and his way of living life were his own words at the same thanksgiving evening—

“ I have experienced, like I said, great joys. I have experienced some unbelievable victories, and I have experienced crushing defeats in my career as a first class cricketer. You know, what I have realized with it is that everything does pass, and you know, we can endure and we can survive.  It humbled me; I think playing for India humbled me, it really appreciated… it made me appreciate how lucky I was, you know, to be able to do what I did for so long.”

The fact that despite everything that he faced throughout his international career, from staggering hundreds to first ball ducks, from hitting the winning runs to being accused for playing too slow, he had the will and determination that deterred him from getting distracted, either form the success, or the failure and made him even more focused on the one job that he was always supposed to do, and that was-- To play for India.

For an international cricketer, or any sports person for that sake, it is really very hard to be focused and perform consistently on a regular basis without being distracted by whatever is going around you. I mean, it’s not simple at all. It’s not that easy as it looks on the television screen. I mean, to travel the world, adjust to foreign conditions, to let go of the ‘war of words’ that the opposition (particularly England and Australia) launches  in those ‘much talked about’ press conferences, to get used to the pace of the pitch, to keep yourself fit and running and most importantly, to perform when you are required to regularly despite the busy calendar takes a toll on the cricketers. And to come out on top, despite all these roadblocks is what characterizes this man. Though, many of us remembered or still remember him as someone who scored 1 off 23 balls before getting played-on to a wide Jason Gillespie delivery during a league game of the 2003 world cup, or remember him as the captain of the team which had a disastrous 2007 World Cup, I choose to differ. There are lean phases in everyone’s life and Dravid is no exception.  In fact, the way a player reacts to these situations and circumstances, and the way he recovers and comes back, is what defines his greatness. And that is what Dravid has done on countless number of occasions.

I rather choose to remember him as the only guy who scored back to back centuries in the last calamitous tour of England where the world champions were humbled 0-4, making it one of the worst outings that the team ever had.  I choose to remember him as the guy who along with the ‘Very Very Special’ Laxman, (who himself had kangaroos for breakfast, lunch and dinner) gave nightmares to the then World champions on many occasions, two of which have been imprinted on to the memories of the Aussies and of course the Indians, forever. The first one being the most celebrated ‘Eden Gardens’ test  of 2001 where we literally thrashed them after recovering from follow-on. Not to forget that impeccable 281 not out by VVS Laxman who was brilliantly assisted by Dravid who himself scored a majestic hundred. Now that test, marked a turning point in the history of the India-Australia rivalry. It gave the much needed air to the Indian side of the flame, which was there previously, but lacking the heat. The fire, which then built up, led to many more accomplishments against them in the subcontinent,  as well as, down under.  

This brings me to the second one of those ever rejoiced victories which came on their soil this time around. It was the famous Adelaide test of India’s tour of Australia in 2004. Once again, it was Dravid-Laxman partnership that  proved out to be the barricade between the Aussies and a probable victory. And you know what was even more heart-warming ? Dravid’s gesture after hitting the winning runs. He hit a cover drive to the boundary, pumped the air, roared in ecstasy, removed his Test cap and kissed it. That was how much he loved playing and winning it for the country. He then after, spread his arms and saluted the crowd, for whom he did it every single time he represented Team India.

I choose to remember him as the captain of the team who gave our first overseas test-series victory in England as well as the West Indies.  I choose to remember him, as the guy who has this record of hitting a century in both the innings of a test match; a guy who on countless occasions with his patience and the ability to bat for long hours saved the game for India; a guy who holds the world record for maximum number of catches by a non-wicket keeper in test matches; a guy who belongs to the elite 10,000 run club, both in the test matches, as well as the ODI. I would forever remember him as the guy who, in those chain of victories that the team had batting second after the 2007 World Cup, played a pivotal role through his 50’s, 60’s and even sometimes 90’s and centuries and guided the team home on several occasions. There are many more reasons for which I would remember him and would also rate him as the most consistent Indian cricketer that I’ve ever known. (Even after being a die-hard SRT fan)

The epitome of humbleness, the brand ambassador of greatness, a true gentleman is what Rahul Sharad Dravid is. I’ve left aside his accomplishments and deeds off the field for now. You can read it here only to realize how good a person he was in real life as well.

http://www.quora.com/Rahul-Dravid/What-is-Rahul-Dravid-like-in-real-life

To the man who contributed so much to Indian cricket that now the number 3 spot, which lies vacant, would be very hard to fill in. There are many talented youngsters coming in but to fit into Dravid’s shoes is not going to be a walk in the park at all; To our unsung hero (hard reality), to one of the best that the world has ever seen, to The Wall— Rahul Dravid.

We love you.

You will be missed.

The Silent Guardians!

All throughout our time here, in the world of the mortals, we experience a lot of things. Love, hate, happiness, sorrow, trust, betrayal and many many more. But have we ever wondered why? Why do these things happen to us? Why do we feel happy? Why do we cry? Why do we trust some one more than we trust ourselves only to get betrayed! (In most of the cases) It is being taught that everything happens for a reason, and perhaps we all know at some point of our lives as to what those reasons were. For me, everything that happens teaches us something. Lessons, the most important ornaments of life. There are lessons that we learn, and the people who impart them upon us.

A few years back, when life was not the only teacher that we had, as is the case now, we had a better world. Those 14 years of innocence that we had, and those people who brought us back on track whenever we strayed away from the innocence. And this one here is a dedication to all of them. To my teachers. 

I remember the time when I first entered that temple, with tears in my eyes and a lady was there to welcome me with open arms, to wipe my tears, to make me join my hands and close my eyes, to arrange the bag and the water bottle, to hold my hand and make me write the first alphabet, to make sure that I finished my lunch box, and finally to make sure that I reached the school bus at the time of dispersal. I had my second mother there and her name was Daisy. I don't know where you are right now, but Mam, if you come across this piece of work, please remember me as the guy who will always be grateful for whatever you have done for me. Perhaps someday our paths will coincide, and if you are able to remember me, we will revisit those times!

I also remember the time when I was about to leave the temple, yet again with tears, but this time not in the eyes, but buried deep down inside somewhere in my heart, and this time as well, there was a lady to bid me farewell. The woman, who for the past two years, had taught me everything that I needed to step out successfully from this cozy comfortable zone into the real dark world. I had found a mother again, and her name was Theresa.

Mam, I remember an incident which makes me feel humiliated even now when I think about it. I had developed a really bad habit of getting late to the class, and as it was your duty you kept on reminding me to be on time. But I didn't learn,and as a consequence to bring me back to the path of discipline you had to take a strict method. You scolded me once, and I, out of pure rage and un-necessary irritation replied back. That was one of the biggest mistakes that I had done all throughout my school life. I still remember my words and kills me at times, "My home is not at a stone's throw. How do you expect me to be on time?". And what followed after that was the most insulting 15 minutes of my day. You scolded me really bad. And i was quiet, not knowing what to say. I knew that I had done a mistake. I felt really bad. Disgusted. I was unable to have an eye contact with you throughout the entire first period. Time passed, things were forgotten, I had apologized later but I wasn't sure whether you forgave me or not. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that I was wrong, I shouldn't have done that, I should have listened and not retaliated. I am sorry. I regret that mistake even till this date. I hope you forgive me.

Anyways, between those two women, who were there at the inception and conclusion of my journey, there were many other ladies and gentlemen who paved the way from the kindergarten's innocence to 12th Standard's maturity. Some of them have been described below. Now, we had our own ways of remembering you. Our own memories that made you people special. So please accept the respect and the fun-part associated with it. For we used to remember you in our own little ways.

This man here, was all about style. And mind you, he had it in everything he did. Be it teaching or walking.  Though we people had tried our best to imitate every single act of his persona, yet there is just one you. 

1. To the way your removed your specks while reading something kept very close, 

2. To the way you asked questions at the beginning of every class,

3. To that-- "You idiots, you know nothing",

4. To the way you rolled the fingers of your hands while asking the much familiar 'what ', 

5. To that strand of white hair which still remained at the back of your head after those continuous attempts at dying and last but not the least, 

6. To those two top buttons of your shirt (except the collar button) which were there just for namesake!

Anyways, despite all the styling and profiling you still remain an integral part of all our lives. Though the reasons for each of us might be different. For me you are and will always be the reason why I get excited whenever I find some bold and small alphabets mixed with numbers as subscripts and preceded by 'plus' or '--->' signs!  

Happy Teacher's Day!

To the woman, who taught us everything about life for the time she was with us, which we now realize as the absolute verities of life. 

1. To that never-seen-before style of attendance, 

2.To those 'love one another' and other pieces of wisdom after the attendance, 

3. To that 'I am nothing, be humble' which holds true in the long run, 

4. To that unique way of showing respect after accidentally stepping on someone's feet, 

5. To those live drama shows which you portrayed suddenly out of nowhere after reading the witches' prophecies,

6. To that grammar and pronunciation advice after every line that we mis-spelt (carol-singing participants would know it)

7. To that evergreen smile with all those projected teeth,

8. To our guardian, the second parent, to the 'Amma'

Thank you!  Happy Teacher's day

This man. Well, his love for the black-board seemed to be as deep as his love for his own students. The cleanliness specialist! If the cleaning was good, then what came after that was even better. If he liked the board to be clear, that was only because his concepts were crystal clear. 

1.To the man who drew perfect straight lines at one go, 

2. To the man who saw everything that was going on in the class even while delivering , ( you cannot just talk and get away with it)

3. To the man who was the reason why we had nightmares before and after the Physics paper,

4. To the man who would give you the most structured and well ordered notes along with examples, (they proved out to be our lifeline during the board examinations)

5. And lastly, the man who always walked with the wind and never against it!

Dear Sir, if we learnt how to approach a problem even after not understanding the questions completely, it was because of you and those conceptual questions that you gave us! Thank you! We owe you a lot.

To the man, who gave us one of the best 45 minutes that we could possibly have had during the entire school hours.

1. I mean, if there is a pending lab record, we had the computer period.

2. Pending notes? Computer period!

3. Still Hungry after the recess? Computer period!

4. Want to have a games period for free? Yes, computer period!

Anyways, that was the fun part. Now let me tell you what was even better. This man was one of the most student friendly teachers that you will ever come across. Go to him with a doubt and he would tell you everything right from the zero level. Even if it's one of the lamest of questions that you've asked, he would answer it with equally good patience and perseverance. Yes, programming is a typical art. Not all logical programs execute successfully on the system. We had our problems with them. But the effort that we put in was really commendable. And that is what matters, and what makes me bow down to you!

Thank you Sir! 

"I am the Sun, this is the earth." Whenever I am reminded of this person, these are the lines that come to my mind. The perfect jolly person. The man who taught us to be happy no matter what happens. And that is what most of us fail to do throughout our lives. 

1. To those fun-filled Geography classes,

2. To the way you threw that piece of chalk, whenever I slept, (even after the fun, I slept once)

3. To those lame jokes, which astonishingly made us burst out in laughter,

4. To those hard pinches, and those continuous chops by the wooden scale,

5. To that attitude of being friends with every single guy/girl that you met. (The best part)

You gave us some of the best memories of our entire school life! Thank you!!

Though the only times that I got an opportunity to interact with you was during the Games period and during those height and weight measurements, yet you played a part in our lives unmatched by any other human being. 

1. To one of the most humble persons that I've ever come across.

2. To those one-liners that you gave after the prayer was said,

3. To that line which you always mentioned, "Dear God, Help the poor and the needy", (Now that we're grown ups, we realize their pain and agony)

4. To those coaching lessons during the inter-school tournaments,

5. To those new-field memories, the times you played with us!

6. The best one-- Our in charge for the 'Games period'. Those 45-all-play-and-no-work minutes!

Thank you! :)

Well, it won't be an understatement if I mention him as the single most influential teacher that all of us had throughout our entire school life. This man was a perfect mixture of class and discipline. Those who have graduated in Computer Science and Engineering would know this man's worth more than anyone else. If we can build up a logic-based algorithm to any of the complex problems handed over to us, it is because of those invaluable 45 minutes of practice that you used to give us. We missed you Sir, during our penultimate and the final year at school. Lucky were our seniors who had you with them for three straight years.

If any high school student asks me which book to refer, I would proudly say, "Programming in Java, by A. Vasantharaj."

Thank you Sir :)

Finally, the person behind all of this. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have had any of those times which we cherish throughout our lives. The mentor, the guardian, the father. The man who along with Father John, build up and nurtured the institution which gave us the best 14 years of our lives. A man holding such an esteemed and responsible position yet so humble. Even now, the heart yearns to cry out 'Good morning Father' in the assembly only if there's one! Thank you so much. Apart from being and doing whatever you did for us, thank you for those 'sweets' that we used to receive on those special occasions. Yes. They were special. Every college student would realize it now. Thank you for those annual functions that we had, for that epic silver jubilee celebration and of course for that speech at the inception of every academic session--" Don't forget to remember the goals which we've set for ourselves..... " That used to be a pretty long one, but now we realize it's worth!

That pretty much sums it up. I didn't have the photographs of all of you but nevertheless here are a few lines remembering a few others who made this journey even more worthwhile---

1. Sir Anuj's 'Make prayer', and that 'Dear Parent' remark.

2. Miss. Meera's lessons on types of sentences and of course her long hairs.

3. Miss. Prabha's 'Mathematical Jokes'.

4. Miss. Nirmala's Sanskrit lessons blended with morals.

5. Miss. Vinita's-- "Within one slap you will be alright." (Just listening to this, we used to be alright throughout the class)

6. Sir Rajesh's "Take surprise test tomorrow"

7. Sir Ved's "Isn't it" and ofcourse his mountainous height.

8. Sir Akhil Ishwar's 'Saprasang bhaavarth'

9. Miss Noveena's 'Julius Caesar'

10. Sister's "Idiot fellow" (the best of all)

And many more who were there and their contributions are equally respected! In a nutshell, thank you for everything. Thank you for making us who we are today!