Joining the School
We had just moved to Satara from Mumbai in 1961 and I had been admitted to New English School, when one fine day I was told that I would now be going to another School. Although I don't recall the exact date, as we proceeded in a Tonga to the School with a Steel Trunk and other items beyond Powai Naka which was virtually the limit of the city then, there was a sense of foreboding and disquiet surely. As we entered the School Gate, little did I know that the School would not only define and shape my career but completely overwhelm my lifestyle forever. The residents of the Wada we stayed in, weren't so optimistic though, many of them said I was being sent to a Remand Home, which was also in the area!
Foundation Day
I
vividly recall the School foundation day, hopefully correctly, more so because
that's the first time saw a Helicopter when it landed where the then Parade Ground was, in the
process the amount of dust it raised was mind boggling. That and the huge Brass
bell which collapsed are ingrained in my mind. The then Defence Minister had
arrived to inaugurate the School.
Initial Years
The
reminiscences of living away from home for the first time are surprisingly
rather vague. Living in those barracks which once housed Prisoners of war or so
the stories went, must have been strange but don't recall feeling overly
homesick or anything of the sort. We were probably just about 150 or so in the
beginning, till the School expanded slightly in early 1962, and later almost
doubled in 1965/66. I had joined in the 5th class. Most of us had come from Marathi/regional
language medium schools hence at the end
of 6 months, almost all of us had to repeat the 5th class from January 1962. The
academic year changed to January to December too. There were select few
students who spent only 6 months in class 5, I came to know only very recently why
but it doesn't matter now.
The Initial Lot
The
School had an interesting mix of students, overwhelmingly Marathi but we also had a fair sprinkling
particularly from Punjab, children of defence forces personnel from all over, I
was one too, some from Southern/ Eastern India. That taught us, right from
then, about living life in a
cosmopolitan environment. As days went by, we realised that there were students
whose parents were famous and rich, some prominent politicians including
Ministers too. Not that it mattered much as far as we or the School curriculum
was concerned. But on visiting days or while returning from vacations, one
could see some coming in fancy cars with loads of eats and stuff. Even in our class we had our share of such
students. Since we were the first students to get in, our induction was easy,
hope it still is.
One
of the pastimes some of us used to indulge
in, was recalling the School numbers and the student associated with them. even
now, one can recall especially those up to School number 150 without going too
wrong. There were many games and sports
we got to play in School but the one good habit picked up was getting up early,
going for PT regularly. We used to enjoy those road walks and runs too, especially during Monsoons, when we could go
out of the School. Mainly due to the School but also NDA and Army later, this
habit has stayed and the day doesn't begin well unless there's a strenuous walk
or a round of Golf early morning. Since we joined the School in its infancy
when the infrastructure was just coming up, we didn't have a swimming pool or
the Gymnasium till both facilities came up towards the final years of our Schooling. That meant
that many of us couldn't learn to swim well.
In
the initial stages, the school was a novelty in the sleepy town that Satara
was. I recall that a boxing exhibition was organised in front of the Rajwada
featuring students, probably locals were given preference. Uday Godbole and I
had one of the earliest bouts, being in lowest weights, don't recall the result
now but wonder if that show put off some locals from joining.
Later,
we used to take part in or visit Science exhibitions in local Schools as also
Republic Parades. If I am not too wrong, we also marched to a theatre to go and
see Battle of the Bulge, also remember watching Hatari similarly, those were
enjoyable outings. There used to be lots of sports fixtures with the Schools in
Panchgani and it was always a pleasure to go there to witness the matches.
Nicknames
In
Maharashtra, at least then, it wasn't common to have nicknames, the most
popular probably was Bandya but when the School commenced, many of the fellow
students were given nicknames like Gunda, Gabru, Laddoo etc most of them by
Ghadge sir. These have stuck.
Punctuality
and Discipline
One
incident I vividly recall is when most of us were, for some reason or the
other, late for the evening roll call in February 1965, which used to be held near the Dining Hall.
Just 28 were on time. As a punishment, it was announced that we won't get to
see the next movie which was a weekly feature. And the movie was Kabuliwala, we
had just read the famous story in our English class and kept hoping, nay were
almost sure that since most of us were late, the authorities would relent and
that we would get to see the movie. But came the day and we were still not
allowed to see it. That one incident taught us the importance of punctuality
and more importantly the need to persist with a decision taken, else people
might take you for granted. Army life further reinforced this but when a joined
a PSU after Army, punctuality became the biggest casualty, so much so that I
had to change this habit since many a time, I would arrive on the appointed
time only to find the preparations had yet to be completed. Punctuality remains
one of our bigger weaknesses. Atul Lakhe, my classmate used to maintain a diary, extract of which he was kind enough to share with me
Art
For
some reason, in spite of an excellent teacher like Late Mr Kukkal, I just could
not pick up the art of drawing/painting. Somehow used to manage to pass. It was
probably in 8th class, that we were asked to paint a Kabbaddi match scene. For
me, drawing one person used to be difficult, here I had to draw very many in
different poses. I approached Ajit Magar, my classmate to help me out since he
was good in drawing (also singing by the way), and he promised to help. But as
the date of submission approached, somehow things didn't work out and I had
nothing to show for my efforts. I somehow managed to create something and
submitted it. When the result was announced, turned out I had got a Zero, it
was that bad. Luckily, it wasn't a mandatory subject and didn't affect the
promotion to the next standard. And from the next session, one had to choose
between Art or Craft which was carpentry, my choice automatically went to
Carpentry. There with another classmate Amar Patil, we created a model of the
Obstacle Course which had just come up. That was quite well liked. Till date,
haven't tried my hand at drawing or painting, in fact one of the reasons for
not opting for Biology was because I was told that one would have to draw a
frog!! Not that it mattered, since I went on to join NDA.
Expansion
of the School
Since
the School had come up in old barracks, we saw great activity in creating the
present day dormitories, Main Building, the Dining Hall etc. It was great fun
watching all this coming up, climbing up the trees and then jumping on to the
sand that would be stored close by for the construction. When the foundation
stone for the Dahanukar Auditorium was laid, we watched in awe as the local
artist painted the whole stone one evening. The intake of the students almost
doubled and the School went to have three more houses. That also meant that now
it wasn't really possible to know everyone.
Delhi
Party
Sometime
in 1964, from being a local student I went on to become part of the Delhi Party
since my father got posted to Lucknow. The Delhi Party was only for the
vacations when all of us would go under the supervision of one of our teachers
by ST bus to Pune, then onwards to Mumbai by a special bogie and then by one of
the trains (was it Punjab Mail?) where I would drop off at Jhansi to continue
to Lucknow. Return journey was similarly undertaken in the reverse order. Till
then my coming and going used to be to home in Satara, hence this was a big
change for me, kind of liberating. Remember finishing off almost the complete
pocket money on the journey on eats etc between Pune & Mumbai apart from
the mandatory halt at Shirwal on the bus journey to Pune when we would get down
and buy Parle peppermints.
Academics
Apart
from the hitch in 5th Class, the move through the School session was quite
easy. We had an excellent, dedicated set of teachers who took great care in
helping us through the syllabus. Although its almost impossible now to remember
everyone now, recall with fondness and gratitude Ms Sapre, the strict Maths
teacher, Mr G Devasahayam, the English teacher who was fond of calling everyone
by their full names eg Deebak Keshav Khar (he was probably a Malyali hence the
pronunciation). At that time, the West Asian countries had just discovered oil
and getting rich and he used to tell stories about them and the Americans which
we used to hear in awe and bewilderment. Mr R P S Chouhan replaced him. Then
there was Mr P C Sharma who taught us Hindi and had an unusual punishment of
keeping pencils between fingers and squeezing the hand if we misbehaved in
class. Also recall Mr Kapoor, was he, who taught Physics for some time. Mr
Kirtikar was a Naval NCC officer to boot and although he never taught us,
remember his smart appearance at NCC in his uniform and singing the song Life
in the Navy....And there was Mr Asnare also smart in his NCC uniform and our
additional Maths Teacher. I was rather fond of the subject and used to enjoy
the classes. Then There was our House Master, Mr Babar and Mr Deshmukh in
Shivaji and Mr Pandit in Karve. Mr Pandit used to be a good cricketer too, its
he who coaxed me to write for the School journal which is how I had an article
on Mihir Sen a swimmer of repute who had just swum 7 different Seas then.
Throughout School I was the only Kher, till Mr V G Kher joined as a teacher, no
relation of mine though. There was Mr Marathe too, one of the few to own a bike
Motor Cycle then. And then we all remember Mr Ghadge and the two Jadhavs who
were PT instructors, Gadge sir was much more than just that, he was the one who
could control the students, taught us nuances of PT, games, boxing etc and
probably knew everyone by name and idiosyncrasies. A tough but popular teacher,
there's a lesson in that, if you are good, people will remember you even if you
are strict.
Appearing
for NDA
As
we progressed in School, it was time to appear for the NDA entrance exam. We
had been keenly watching our seniors going into NDA and that in any case was
the goal of the School as well as for most of us. Passing the written test
wasn't much of a problem but there were a few "smart ones" who
otherwise brilliant, managed to fail the UPSC test itself to avoid going
through the process. We were well coached for the written and even better for
the SSB where the Principal Late Col Puri used to personally aided by the
teachers supervise our group discussions and tasks. All that preparation helped
and many from our class got through in
the first or second attempt, I qualified in the second and last attempt. Unaware
initially, the repetition in class 5 in 1961 had left me with only 2 chances,
while many had 5 or lesser. While preparations for NDA were on in right
earnest, our medical and physical conditions were also being looked at, many of
us were underweight. We were then put on a special diet which consisted of
boiled potatoes among other things which didn't lead to much increase in weight.
However, we managed to clear the medical
as well, though still underweight, the Drs faith in my ability to gain weight
later has been fully vindicated as I now try to lose weight without much
success. It was only later that dietary
research claimed that it was fried, not boiled, potatoes which increased weight!! Oh, chips
and burgers would have been so very welcome in the School diet then.
The
Reading Habit
The
School had a well appointed library which I made good use of. Mr Karhade was always very helpful in the
library. Magazines like Life.. English and Marathi books, all fascinated me,
the reading habit continues to this day. These days, Social Media, Internet,
TV, OTT and Kindle etc have probably led to reduced interest in the published
word but for old timers like me, turning the page still retains its charm. this
is one habit I hope I continue to nurture.
School
Leaving
Ours
was the first batch to complete their entire schooling from 5th to 11th,
those were Senior Cambridge days, in December 1968. Many of our classmates
had left the school earlier days due to various reasons but most did to join
NDA after successfully completing 10th in June 1968. It was left to very few of
us to complete the Schooling. Having cleared the SSB, awaiting the Merit list,
many didn't take the Senior Cambridge very seriously, in retrospect that
wasn't the right thing to do but we were
feeling self assured that after leaving School we would join NDA in January
1969. Remember, many including me just waiting for the cup of coffee provided
to help us keep awake for late night
studies and then promptly going back to
the dormitories to sleep. Those were such carefree days. After appearing for
the exams, we left School, exact date eludes me though. Remember singing the
song in chorus Savere Wali Gadi Se Chale
Jayenge during the last dinner that we had in the School.
Looking
Back
A
we left School, little did we realise then that the bonds developed during that
period would remain strong forever, most of us are still in touch with each
other. Everything that we learnt in School be it academics, physical fitness,
sports, public speaking and social etiquettes has helped in living a meaningful life and making a mark in the Society we live
in. Our dedicated teaching and associated staff, matrons, ward boys and mess
staff deserve our gratitude. The Batch was most fortunate to be with only one
Principal all thru their schooling, special mention must be made of the late Col
& Mrs Puri who deserve our special gratitude, their love, care and
dedication helped us adjust through the various phases of life that we as young boys of 9 or 10 went
through till we left School. I have the fondest memories of the School even
now. The uniform I wore for the first time in School in 1961, continued to
change colours till I retired from the Army in 2003.
Post
script
Wanted
to end on that note but must mention that we were fortunate to be in the
School on Boxing Finals Day as guests in December 2018 as we gathered in Satara
and celebrated the Golden Jubilee of School leaving. The School management
deserves our thanks for that too.
