The other day I was present at the Hoop School, an initiative by the NBA to promote basketball at the grass root level. The boys final of the inter school tournament was an exciting one and standing by the sideline watching the coach shout instructions my mind wandered down memory lane and the picture of Udayan sir yelling at us boys came alive. I spent just two years at DBMS between 1992 and 1994 when I did my XI and XII grade there. But those 2 years have had a lasting impact on who I am and how I have turned out to be.
My first win in an elocution contest, the first time I dance for an inter-school competition and also my first stint (a winning one as that) at handball all came as a student of DBMS. But along with all the extra-curricular activities my fundamentals in academics became stronger than ever here. I used Sarkar sir’s method of teaching and making the students understand the various principles of Economics right through college and MBA. In fact his Pakodi stall example even made it to one of my projects at B-School. Whenever I was commended for my communication skills I always sent up a silent thank you for all the sessions that Ms. Prema Balasubramanium tirelessly spent in getting Shakespeare and Wren N Martin into our heads. Of course I still remember my favorite passages from the works of Munshi Premchand and Maithli Sharan Gupt. Perhaps, that is why didn’t have a seizure when I was given the task of presenting in Hindi live on air at. And hence we had a TamBrahm (read Tamil Iyer Brahmin) presenting in Hindi and being appreciated for his diction and command over the language…
Wow! The realization of how much my years at DBMS have contributed in shaping my career and allowing me to pursue my passion as my profession is overwhelming.
It is indeed wonderful that a lot of my peers and immediate seniors and juniors have gone on to carve a niche for themselves in the business of media and entertainment. Plus there are others who by virtue of their academic brilliance have reached the higher echelons of the corporate world. But I am sure that like me even they often think about their alma mater and thank the teachers and the organization for the grooming that they received during their time at the institution. It’s close to 15 years since I left Jamshedpur but the city and my life there has left an indelible mark.
My memories of time there haven’t waned and I am glad that I was able to leave my footprint too at the school when I was named the best All rounder of the commerce stream for the batch of 1994. If that board still hangs on the corridor adjacent to the basketball court then perhaps my name should still be around there. It was wonderful to bump into Ms Sarita Sekhri (under whom I realized that I don’t have two left feet and that there is an actor in me too) in Delhi 8 months ago. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet her at leisure but I am sure there are plenty of memories that will be rekindled when we can make the time to catch up.
On a parting note I would also like to make a mention of our principal then, Ms. Lathika Das. She was an able friend and guide who very surprisingly allowed us our mischief as long as we didn’t cross the line. Her words of encouragement and her belief in our abilities as promising students will never be forgotten.
Anand Narasimhan (ISC 1994) is now a Presenter on Ten Sports