Of reunions, nostalgia and my alma mater-KV IITK

Can’t hold the tears back.The whole thing about reunions is so tear jerking. Can’t believe that I just saw pictures of my teachers, Principal Dixit, PKShukla sir, Suman ma’m, Premjit Kaur ma’m, Bade Choudhry sir(I still don’t know his first name),his son Naresh Choudhry sir(I am sure their third generation is ready to take over), Bajpai sir(i have only heard of but saw in the pictures today), batchmates, classrooms, school playground….the list is endless. The more I saw the more I cried.

During Principal Dixit’s tenure I rose and I shined. He was so very encouraging. He would always put me on the fore. When the school decided to hold the annual function in 1991-92, he selected me to host the show. At the end of it I still remember how every teacher came to me and congratulated me. It was so very overwhelming. And principal Dixit kept saying ‘it was my idea to keep her’. I am so greatful for that opportunity.

PK Shukla sir, fondly called ‘Panch Kavita Sunao’ because he insisted to hear 5 poems in every class he came, even if it was his substitution period, has a special place in everyone’s heart. All credits to my clarity of diction, love and penchant for the language goes to him. I still remember those poems by heart and so do my kids.

Ms. Veena Gupta was another of my favorite teachers. I loved her and adored her from the time we joined the school. And finally when she came to teach us in 9th and 10th, I felt so blessed to get one of the best teachers. It was another thing that I managed to carve a special place in her heart. She had once told my mom once ‘I am so fond of your daughter. Please give her to me.’ She is in the same city as I am now. I am definetly going to go over to meet her.

For the annual function in 1991-92, I had gone to Ms. Suman Srivastava to request her to do a play and she declined as she said she wasn’t prepared. Ms. Kavita Rao selected me for the dance and the first day of practise, Suman ma’m furiously entered the TT room (where the dance practise was going on)and said “how can u do this Jaya. I have planned to stage the play -Merchant of Venice keeping you in mind, and now when the cast is planned you have taken up dance”. I was so heart broken and felt so torn. I wanted to be a part of the play but the dance practises had already started and Ms . Kavita said clearly that you cant ride on both the boats Jaya. I hope she had forgiven me for that. If all goes well then in our next reunion I will certainly team up with her for a skit or something.

Then there was Ms.Premjit Kaur and Ms. Neera Negi, our beloved music and dance teachers. Ms. Neera Negi was an english teacher but her love for dance would always find her in the music room discussing the beats, off-beats, dance steps to a bhangra or a giddha or an assamese folk dance or a radha-krishna song. I still remember that Ms Premjit had a great knack to hunt for the best songs for the school, be it folk based or national integration based or any other ocassion based and prepare a musical extravaganza with lead singers, instrumentalists, chorus and the works. No one could ever beat us in any of the interschool competitions even at the national level.

Bade Choudhry sir and his son Naresh Choudhry sir were the pillars of the sports activities in the school. The morning assembly drills, the 15th August and 26th January march past, the musical display of Lazium and Dafli with over 300 students performing in a synchronised manner in the IIT Field, the baseball game that we played under the banyan tree during our games period, the inter-house volleball and kabaddi matches, the sports day rehearsals for javelin throw, discus throw, Table Tennis match, the swimming competition at the IIT pool and much more (I just remember the ones I played) was managed with such an ease by them. Hats off to you both.

There are so many of them who have shaped us the way we are today and paved way for us to carve our own niche in our areas of expertise.

No words can describe them the best but I thank them all for everything they did to get the best out of us.

(Pictures courtsey Aatmeeyata Gupta-KVIITK Alumni Day 26th Dec.2010)