upon return from which the kid has to rush to school that starts at 8AM. As she talked
about the extra addition to her already packed morning schedule (she has a day job too),
my memories went back to the time when I myself was a 6-year old kid and the kind of
pains my parents had to take so that we could be in school on time (to be detailed in a
separate post).
Parenting has been tough then and it still is tough today. I await my turn in an year or
so with trepidation.
I have always wanted to write a post about my school and this was such a perfect excuse.
Since our memories fade with time, it is better to have it all down in one place, not just for revisiting in the future when nostalgia strikes, but as a read for my son & my nieces. But
since this is going to be a really long post, I will break it into sub-posts, each of which will (hopefully) focus on a particular aspect.
School-post #1 - How it all started :
I started my schooling in 1st standard at the age of 5. Unlike the norm today, where kids
do a pre-KG, LKG & UKG and only then go to 1st standard, for reasons best known to my parents, I straightaway joined the 1st Standard at St.Peter's School, Ahmedabad, which
was located not very far from our home.
When the results came out, I stood first in my class in the 1st Standard & I still remember
the "Doctor's set" that I got as prize from the school for that achievement. Till class Xth, I
did harbour dreams of becoming a doctor, but somehow when it came to choosing a stream
of education on joining 11th standard, I opted for subjects that would lead to an Engineering career.
I don't remember clearly why, but I think my Dad felt that given my academic results, I
should be studying in a better institution and that is how me and my Dad landed at the
office of the Principal of St.Xavier's (Loyola Hall) for a test-cum-interview, which would determine whether I am good enough to join that premier institution.
Unlike today, when most schools are bothered only about the dough that parents can
cough up as 'donation' and which determines whether the kid gets admission or not,
St.Xavier's had a written test followed by informal interview which determined whether
a kid got selected or not. I guess my Dad would have been a little anxious about how I
would do, but he did not have to worry because I aced the test and I was selected to join
in 2nd Standard. I still have with me the result of that entrance test - a card indicating
my score in the Merit test.
That's how I joined St.Xavier's Loyola Hall, which in those times would have been one of
the premier schools in India. Infact, I think it would still rate among the best in India, in
facilities provided, campus, standard of education etc. My sister, younger to me by a year,
had then just joined the Mount Carmel school, a reputed all-girls convent school.
Ofcourse, when it came to academics, both my sisters started off as pretty mediocre
compared to me (like other siblings, they hated the constant comparison to the bright
brother) and I still can't figure out how she managed to clear the entrance test to gain
admission at Mount Carmel. :-) However, they did come into their elements while in
college and today while I am just an Engineer, they have amassed a whole bunch of
degrees - M.A., M.Phil., B.Ed., and one of them holds a Doctorate too.
I still remember the emblem of my school (pic below), which would be stiched on the
school uniform. And in my collection of possessions, I still have one of these emblems.
Ofcourse, I was too young to understand what most of the figures/letters of the emblem
stand for. Even today, till Wikipedia clarified it for me, the only part of the emblem that
I could make sense of, was the bees - which I know stand for hard work. The rest of the
emblem was thankfully explained to me by Wikipedia as below :
A Teneris Impende Laborem (school motto) : A Latin Phrase, which means "Apply yourself
to hardwork from an early age."
Three White Bees : Symbols of Continuous hard work and being busy always. The fruit of
such labour is sweet.
IHS written in the center of the Sun : I - Iesu (Jesus), H - Hominem (Mankind),
S - Salvatorous (Saviour) ie. Jesus, Saviour of Mankind. This is the symbol of the
Society of Jesus (Jesuits) established by St. Ignatius of Loyola
Moon : Another Symbol of the Society of Jesus
I remember collecting my set of school uniforms from the school with the emblem stitched
on the shirt-front and walking proudly to school. I spent the best 3 years of my schooling
in the hallowed portals of that institution and am thankful for the solid foundation that the
school and its teachers helped build, which has played a big role in shaping me.
To be continued as sub-posts ...
P.S. : Call it coincidence or whatever, this year (2009) marks the Platinum Jubilee (75th
year) of my school.
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