SVCHS - School Vth CHaracter(S) !
I come from a big small school in Hyderabad, Andhra pradesh. The school went by the name "Swami Vivekananda Centenary High School" and was a fascinating place. It was small because the cost of education was minimal and affordable to all the middle class families aspiring to good education for their kids. It was big because it had (at least during the time I studied there) very good human beings as teachers, large play grounds and an elaborate ritual to begin the day with. The ritual included a unique prayer praising Sri Ramakrishna, followed by Jana Gana Mana and finally, for reasons unknown, some drill with one kid yelling "Stand at Ease" and "Attention" for all the other kids to play around with their feet in amusement. This ritual in the play ground was followed by a walk back to the class and a loud reading of the 'pledge' in each class room and then, the day commenced. If the head master had an announcement to make, he'd walk into the play ground just before the kids were ready to disperse. He'd be followed by an attendant carrying a portable loud speaker so the message would reach kids standing the furthest (These were usually the tallest of the lot). Most of these messages were fairly innocuous, though delivered in a stern tone. The formation for this ritual was also quite interesting in hindsight. There were columns of kids arranged first in the order of their class (10th, 9th etc) and then within the class hierarchy there was the section hierarchy (A, B, C). In each column, the shortest girl would be the first one in line followed by the next tallest and so on ending with the tallest girl at the back. The boys' turn started after the tallest girl, repeating the short to tall arrangement. One could easily make out where they stood in the class vis-a-vis height. The shortest guy behind the tallest girl would have been the most conscious of all (And in my class, it was me more often than not). It was fun.
Why am I giving such an elaborate description of what could be a routine in any school? Mostly because I want to rekindle the nostalgia in my target audience - my school mates of the yore. One fine day during the past months, I realized that the year 2007 marked 20 years since I graduated from that great school of ours. I wanted to reach out to my bench mates of the past and poke their own memory of the "happy days". So I started making phone calls and was able to get hold of a good number of them, but still a lot of them need to be traced to make the reunion complete. As I tried to call my friends, some of them I have not spoken to in 20 years, I realized that not only could we be unrecognizable to each other physically but we cannot have a conversation lasting more than 5 minutes even if we meet. There seem to be unseen walls that we built in these 20 years around ourselves due to the rut of daily life that makes our mind recognize only those who have a role to play in our present lives and, of course also the greatest curse of them all - lack of time!
How do we reinitiate ourselves into our glorious past? How do we open the door into that past and then once inside be part of the surroundings and not detachedly amused? Can we refamiliarize ourselves to ourselves of 20 years ago and then take it from there?
If we have to do that, I think we should each write a brief note about ourselves and what we could remember from those school days, who we remember, and finally when could we make it to a reunion in the same school.
So, here is a shibboleth to my school mates. Please use this blogspot to post and share your memories. Send this idea to as many of our friends that you are still in touch with as possible. Lets try and make this reunion happen in 2007! Start now !!
Comments
Thanks for the initiation. I dint realise its been 20 years, the memories are still fresh.
Morning prayer meetings (latecomer punishments), my favorite "Arts & Crafts" class which is nothing but "Free & Roam", specially when it is the last period then exit using backdoor(crossing barb-wires). Travelling back home in city bus which doesn't stop at bus-stops (specially when driver see any student in school uniform, exception to girls though:).
Its all fun & great memories.
Looking forward for this get together.
- Kishore
Also 96A which we used call SVCHS school bus. ;).
It was great to see the blog and reading thru jogged so many great memories. As you have nicely put it, we just end up getting so involved in our lives and it might be a while before we break those walls and start to think about the times we all shared during those school years and have fun talking about those times.
To everyone,
It was great receiving the email and also knowing who is doing what and where each person from the spreadsheet that was sent out. I really hope you guys are able to get in touch with more of our friends and certainly a reunion will be an awesome event and I will look forward to it.
I know Geeta is in Hyderabad. I hope someone in Hyderabad is able to get in touch with her. I will try and reach her one of these days.
Certainly hoping to hear from all of you.
Cheers
-Naga
Nice to see you all again. All credits goes to our little master Niren. Now he is no more a little master he is now junior Michael Jordan. May be he had lots of drumsticks and liters of Complan every day that might be his secret of energy.
I made a reunion on our first decade in 1997. It was at my guest house where 27 people attended out 54 people when we are in 10th std. I was very much happy for good response. I try my level best to get in contact with lot of our pals. Please excuse me for those I fail to get there contact.
Niren is taking good initiative now, this is more difficult than before as our pals are spread all over the world and to get in touch is not that easy. Good job Niren.
I met Subba Raju and Kalpana I will find there address and upgrade as soon as possible.
Some of our folks P G Raju, Satish, Surya Prakash, Pentiah, Nagesh, RamaKanth, Nithin, Manohar, Bhaskar, Niren(Tentive) and myself. we all are going to make a trip to Srisailam on 15 December. If any one wants to join us you are most welcome. You can contact me on
Mr. Anil KOLLA
Director (Operations & HRD)
WINGATE
+91.40. 65226466
+91.40. 27957321 (Direct)
+91. 9848441261
kolla@sribharathi.com
kollasbites@gmail.com
kolla_anil@yahoo.com