15th July 2009 - The Scindia School

The Scindia School QuarterlyVOL 4 | July 2009

Qila Quotes | Staff | 13 Qila Quotes | Literary Section |14VOL 4 | July 2009Footprints On My HeartTo Sir With Love...It isn’t easy to bid goodbyes to anyone, especially if it happens to be yourPrincipal, colleague, local guardian and a friend. All kinds of thoughts rush toyour mind from respect to awe; from love to fear and from doubts to confidence.Personal experiences and professional experiences cloud your mind and onedoes not know what to write. So best is not to bid adieu! It’s safer than to writethis article for him. I can recall memories of him as a friend and my guardianhere, than as a Principal! Absurd though it may sound but that’s the reality- perhaps the person gradually faded behind the Principal’s chair over thesenine years. I think it’s a good quality and only he can do it with such finesse.My memory of Mr. Tewari goes back to May 1996 when I’d spotted him forthe first time in a lobby of Hotel Claridges in Delhi. I had arrived for myinterview and found him the first amiable person - one I could trust. He lookedapproachable! Of course what I mistook him to be I can’t say here…but thedays that followed at Scindia were indeed good because of him and his familyand Mr. Dar who had introduced me into the school.The road ahead of me was narrow and twisted - which way leads to whichdestination would be known only once I traversed it. I had to face a societydominated by men, Mr. Tewari did not look any different then - of course it’sanother matter that he proved to be different for the rest of my life here. But itwas with family that I found the road ahead of me easy.As a person he is a clear minded individual. One who is extremely focused inhis work and one who is soft spoken! Forgiving and overlooking one’s faultis easiest with him but not unless he gets you to amend it through his gentleways.As a Housemaster he played a pivotal role for his boys. As a neighbour I suffereda lot. When his House was at its noisiest I’d know Mr. Tewari was around. Boysflitted in and out of his home like bees - complaining, sharing, chatting andeven playing in the lobby of his home. Whenever I would complain of boysmaking a ruckus on the room above my bedroom, complaints with him, fellon deaf ears, as he would end it with one question - “Were you a child at onepoint of time?” I would leave with promises to ensure that his boys would betaught a lesson one day. Of course sadly the day never arrived.His family adopted me soon after my first day at school. Mrs. Tewari correctedmy Hindi alongwith her husband. My Hindi is better today thanks to both ofthem. I can never forget little Aditi play at my home and walk about the housewearing my high heels. I will miss her the most perhaps.His parents showered love like the unending rain. You could feel kindnessemanating from their acts. They were souls not human beings as their acts werean extension of their spiritual learning. They protected me, loved me, scoldedme, worked me, counseled me and shared lessons of life to help me grow. Myparents could live in peace at Ajmer. Mridul and I used to take permission fromhim to watch a late night movie and he would allow only if Dhirendra was toaccompany! I was strictly ordered to return home before eight, if I got delayedI was sent for. Abhimanyu disliked the hunt errands for me. Such protectionand discipline can only come from a human being like him.Having food in Mrs. Tewari’s kitchen was a routine. She’d make extra to keepus going. We did not have to cook our own meals and we always had a reasonto avoid Mess food! She found her way into our hearts through our stomachs.She made us feel a part of her family through this motherly care.As a teacher he had tremendous patience. He recognized the slow learner andcalled him home to teach in the evenings. Rich in his subject, he always camedown to the basics of a child’s mind and always got through his head. Ofcourse I rarely saw him teach his own children - something he left to hisbrother often.Now that he leaves …along goes my extended family. But this is not a good bye.This is not what we are meant to do. Even though miles of distance separatethem from Deepak and me I know as they do too that we shall remember eachother with fondness. We will cherish the memories as wine that gets better as itages. I am glad Deepak could find a great friend in Mr. Tewari.All I can remember now is an Irish blessing that my grandmother would oftensing...May the road rise up to meet you,May the wind be ever at your back.May the sun shine warm upon your faceMay the rain fall softly on your fields.And until we meet again,May God hold you in the hollow of his hand!May you always have work for your hands to do!May your pockets hold always a coin or two!May the sun shine bright on your windowpane!May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain!May the hand of a friend always be near you!And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.Mrs Deepika TandonIt’s not as if I have been to many schools. Scindia School is my second schoolthe first one being the Woodstock School in Gwalior which till date I hold veryclosely to my heart.When I was in class VI, I looked forward to the Monday assembly as I enjoyedhearing the Principal read the prayer. There was something very captivating,may be it was his voice or the way he read the prayer or just his personality.I enjoyed listening to the prayer the way the Principal spoke; slowly andmiraculously. Every Monday all through the day within my own self I wouldkeep murmuring the prayer the way Sir had said it. I had in fact developedgreat admiration for him.Over the months I tried to find opportunity to read the prayer which was verydifficult as there were many in the queue who wanted to do the same. Onefine morning, I finally got the chance and was really very excited. I mustadmit that while reading the prayer I tried to emulate the Principal. This yearwhen he was going to Lucknow for the Scindia 111 celebration I met him onmy way to the mess. He called me - I was too scared to talk to him but thenhe affectionately told me how to pronounce truth, which I may not have beendoing correctly while reading the prayer.I also remember, last year, during the music competition when I gave thebackground music Mr. Tewari called all of us who had given the backgroundsupport to the singers and appreciated us. That moment is very close to myheart.I have a lot of memories about Mr. and Mrs. Tewari as I am born and broughtup here in The Scindia School Campus and I am really sad as Mr. Tewari isleaving the school. I always saw Mr. Tewari talk to the prefects and some othersenior boys. Whenever I saw some of them in and out of his office I thoughtmay be when I come in XI and XII, I too would get the chance to speak to himmore often. Yes, I am sure I will get a chance to speak to the Principal but itwas not simply the Principal, it was Mr. Tewari, I wanted to speak to.May I say it aloud sir, you are the best principal I have heard of. You are smartand care about the children. You are articulate, and a great visionary. You willbe greatly missed at the Scindia School.Sir, the school shall never be the same without you; I and many other boysshall miss you here. Sir we will miss your fine example and we will miss thethings you did. We will recall and carefully save our pleasant memories ofyou,I hate to stop, but I will stop after I dedicate a small poem to youTo Sir with love…..If I could tell you, sir,I would tell you, how much moreyou have accomplishedthan you think you have.I would show you the seedsyou planted years agothat are now coming into bloom.I would reveal to you the mindsthat have expanded under your care,the hearts that are serving othersbecause they had you as a role model.If I could teach you, sir,I would show you the positive effectyou have had on me and my life.Your homework isto know your value to the world,to acknowledge it, to believe it.Thank you, sir.Today you are leaving, going on your wayAnd together with me many will sayThat you've done well for all over the yearsAnd I could possibly write a playJaskaran S. Bakshi | VIII A

Qila Quotes | Message Board | 15 Qila Quotes | Message Board | 16VOL 4 | July 2009Best ofReminiscencesMy computer teacher Mr. N.K. Tewari was earliermy Chemistry and Biology teacher in the juniorclasses and we had learnt to dislike each other. Ihated him for his strict discipline and he hatedme for my ignorance and stubborn attitude. Ah!Before I forget to mention, I never passed in hissubjects (other than computers). OK, so to cometo the point; he made sure that I would be kickedout of the Computer Science Department as soonas possible. Failing one test would mean that Iwould be asked to take up another elective subject.So in order to challenge that, I started studyingnothing else but computers and then somehow Igot interested in it.In school I did plenty (in the computer sciencedepartment) other than play games and formathard disks with important data! I also disclosed(leaked ?) encrypted term papers a few times andgot Mr. Tewari to write them again. But today Mr.Tewari is a good friend of mine.(Shamit Khemka - Rn '92)I have had many memorable experiences withMr. N.K.Tewari while at school. In 1984 when Iwas in class XII, computer education had justbeen introduced in CBSE. There was a teacherby the name of Mr. Arun Puri who used to cometo Gwalior twice a week from Delhi to teach uscomputer Science. The School had purchased verybig and expensive Action Station computers (whichhad floppies the size of LP records). In the first airconditioned classroom next to Dr. Singh's officewe (only 4 boys had enrolled) studied computersalong with Mr. N.K.Tewari. So in a way we wereboth classmates as well as students to him, as hetaught us chemistry too. We used to crack jokesand laugh at Boolean Algebra. That is when wediscovered his true persona of being a lovely anda great person.LONG TIME...(Divya K Varshnei - Sh ’85)It was I guess in my class VI (1998-99), when Mrs.Tewari took over as the Housemistress of Jankojihouse and Mr. Tewari also moved into our house. Iwas the school prefect of my house so got variousopportunities to interact with him.One fateful morning, while having bath, I slippedand fell in the bathroom and got a hairline fracturein my left hand. Mr. Tewari asked me how I hadmanaged to get injured right before the interhousefootball matches. On hearing the reason,he humorously suggested, “If anyone outside thehouse asks you, how you fell, tell them you fell inthe football ground while practising and not in thebathroom. That will give both, you and the house,a macho reputation, otherwise what will thosepeople think about our school prefect?”(Pratim Banerjee - Jn/Je '03)I had always been really poor at Maths all throughclass XI and XII and, just as I had feared, my classXII Maths board exam didn’t go well. I was reallyupset with my performance and instead of goingto the central mess to have lunch I started walkingtowards my house building with a few tears rollingdown my cheeks. It was then that a white ToyotaQualis stood right next to me and it was Mr. Tewari.He took me to his house and asked me to havelunch with him. The food was really delicious,thanks to Mrs. Tewari. I was really touched that dayand can never forget the way he treated me. He alsomotivated me to work harder to achieve success.I wish him all the best.(Karan Arora - Md ’06)A favourite quote of Mr. Tewari, "Mistakes are alwayssilly. Have you ever made a careful mistake?" hasmade me more careful and steady in everythingthat I do.It so happened that I got 9.5/10 in a test andcommented, "Sir, it is a silly mistake." Theinsightful words that followed made me realize theseriousness of every mistake, however small andinsignificant it may appear. From then on I havealways tried to achieve perfection in whatever I do.(Biswajyoti Dutta - Jp ’04)It was probably in 1980 that computers had justcome in to Scindia School and Mr. Tewari wasexposing us students to the functioning of theseblack monsters. I called them so because they werenot as sleek and beautiful as the present generationhas got used to seeing. They were big heavy boxeswith large keyboards and probably 8 inch floppydisks (I don't exactly recall the size, but they werehuge.). Just to sit in front of these was like facinga vampire. One day Mr. Tewari had given me somebasic things to try out and I was punching theletters with trembling fingers and shaking body.The fact that he was standing behind didn't makethings better either. At times it took me three -fourstrikes to enter one letter. He got irritated andshouted from behind..." You don't have strengthin your fingers!" I replied in a shaky voice, “Whatif I strike hard and damage something?" Thisinfuriated him further and he banged both his fistson the monitor and keyboard and said in an angrytone...” See, did anything happen? You cannot spoilthis machine until and unless you take a hockeystick and bash it. Now do it fast." (The fact that hewas also very good at playing hockey and taughtme a great deal of stick work is another story).I started on a frenzied note not bothering aboutthe noise I was creating and soon my fingers wereflying on the keyboard. This gave me immenseconfidence and helped in driving away the fear Ihad. The confidence generated then came handyin all future encounters I had with computers andthere is no denying that today they have become anintegral part of my life. Today I owe much of mysuccess to this small incident which changed myperspective towards computers.(Pradeep Agrawal - Dl, '82)“Here are the keys to the computer centre, bringthem back when you have achieved what you haveset out to”, was what he said to me. I thank himfor having so much confidence in me, for excitingmy imagination, for making me the man andthe professional I have become. Mr. Tewari is avisionary.(Devraj Mukherjee - Jb ’97)I was one of the most troubled kids in school andnot in the naughty way or in any adorable sense. Iwas quite a burden and yet he never saw me as one.He always nurtured me and saw my brighter sidewhich not many took notice of. Even when I was afailure in academics, he always observed how goodI was in co-curricular activities and put my nameforward for important events irrespective of mypoor academic performance. The most amazingthing was that he was very approachable as aPrincipal. I mean on any given day I could havewalked into his office or his residence and spokenmy mind knowing I was going to get a patienthearing and a solution to my issues.After my eighth grade got over, my parents camehuffing and puffing at me as they had lost allpatience with me due to my academic and socialfailure in school. They had decided to withdraw meand take me back home. Now when they went tomeet Mr. Tewari, he gave them a good hearing andvery coolly, in that authoritative voice of his, saidthat he was not going to allow them to withdrawme. But my parents were adamant. Then he wenton to tell them of all I had done in the last twoyears. I was stunned that he had noticed me allalong and kept a thorough record of all that I hadbeen up to. And yes, my parents had to relent andallow me two more years in the school. For thatI will forever be grateful. In the next two years Idid much in the extra curricular calendar of theschool which is paying dividends now that I am inLaw school and going for a degree in journalismsoon. What I am today is simply because of whatMr. Tewari saw in me that day, and for showing mewhat I never would have seen had I not continuedin the school under his guidance.(Sayan S. Das - Md ’03 passed out after X)In the February of 2008, time was really preciousfor class XII with the boards round the proverbialcorner. In between all this stress three of us fromclass XII had our birthday on the 5 th of February.Eager to celebrate, we decided to bring a huge cake(it ended up being a 13 pound cake...as big as theback seat of a Qualis)...and in all this confusionno one took permission from any of the respectivehouse masters. The cake arrived and we had noplace to go. The batch was together and who wouldturn up but Mr. Jayakumar.He asked us to meet the Principal who was in hisoffice. We were scared that some severe actionwould be taken. I remember standing in Mr.Tewari’s office with the other two boys and thehuge cake staring at us. In that tension surchargedatmosphere he started, “You have broken a rule,what should be a suitable punishment for you?”We were ready to pack our bags...but he continued,“Kyu karte ho aiysa...?” He picked up his phonecalled Mr. Tandon in the mess and asked for plates,spoons and knives. You can guess the rest. We hadthe best birthday ever, inside the Principal’s office,in a sophisticated manner.(Siddharth Jain - Ja’08)One thing which distinctly comes to my mind whenI think about Mr. Tewari is the day I first met him.I had cleared the admission test and was visitingthe school around April. My parents stay in Dubaiand until grade six I had been there my entire life.Needless to say I was quite soft and could not doanything without the help of my mother. When Imet Mr. Tewari, his first question to me was aboutmy daily routine. On hearing my answer thatI simply go to school come back and play videogames, he said that all that would be very differentafter joining Scindia.That first meeting actually gave me a first handinsight into the disciplined life of a boardingschool and made me think that my life needed tochange as well.(Ishar Kar - Rn ’08)Mr. Tewari (popularly known as NKT amongstthe students) was seen as a pioneer and a forwardlooking teacher, since he brought ComputerEducation to Scindia during our times (88-91). Hewas always full of ideas. I first remember enteringhis computer lab quite nervously to take a firstpeek at the colour PCs, which NKT had initiated.The lab became an instant hit and when I becamethe School Prefect of Jayappa, I would usuallysneak into his lab to play games with the help ofthe Computer Society Secretary, Prem Swaroop(PQ) who was my house mate.Mr. Tewari was also known for his fairness on thefield and I cannot forget the day when Jayappadefeated Mahadji 4-0 in Hockey Semis, Mr. Tewaristood up with Jayappa despite his team raisingvarious allegations against the umpires. I salutehim for his immense contribution to Scindia.(Keshav S Dhakad - Jp ’91)I have had the privilege of being one of the fewwho know Mr. N.K. Tewari, as a Principal, a House-Master and also a Teacher. Needless to say, he neverfailed me in any of the Avatars!He carried out all his roles with utmost élan in the29 years that he gave his services to The ScindiaSchool. I can say with a great deal of conviction thathe will do full justice as the Director, DevelopmentScindia Education Society for which I wish him ‘Allthe very best’.I am most grateful to him for having stood by mewhen it mattered the most during the time I spentat The Scindia School. He truly deserves kudosfrom each and every Scindian. Thank you, Sir!(Amitab Dev - Md/Mj '92)I was always fond of computers, and once we hadgone to the Senior school to browse the internetwhich was a new thing at that time. There I metMr. Tewari for the first time, and instantly becamea fan of his. It was his style and his command overhimself that could not go unnoticed. His knowledgeabout everything in this world is immense. I sawhim as my Chemistry teacher when I joined thesenior section, and he certainly made it so muchfun. Then he became the Principal, to enlightenthe School and our paths.(Aditya Garg - Jp 2002)My experience with Mr. N.K.Tewari was really funny.I was in Junior Section in class V at that time. Hiswife Mrs. Madhu Tewari was our Housemistress. Oneday while it was our prep time Sir and Ma’am hadgone out to meet some people. Taking advantageof the situation I was playing around in the prepwhen suddenly I came to know that Sir and Ma’amhad almost entered the premises. I tried my levelbest to stop my antics and get back to my placebefore they could see me. However Sir proved to bea bit faster and caught hold of me. Then started themost amazing interrogation session. He asked mea few questions which I tried to answer as discreetlyas possible. But he had sensed that I was lying soafter sometime he held me upside down. My headtowards the floor and my legs towards the roof! Heheld me in this position for at least ten minutesand made me confess all the mischief that I hadbeen up to.This was the most unusual punishment that I got atScindia School... or anywhere else for that matter!(Sameer Khan - Jn /Dl ’07)

Qila Quotes | Message Board | 16School PrefectsMembers of the Editorial BoardSenior School PrefectStaff Editor EnglishMs. Puja PantRanojiSchool PrefectsDaulatJayappaArjun SaraswatSahnawaz HussainShubhankar TiwaryStaff Editors HindiEditor-in-ChiefSenior EditorsDr. B.S. Bhakuni,Ms. Raksha SiriahVaibhav AggarwalNishant RanaPrithvi KhannaJayajiRanojiJeevajiMahadjiVivek MukherjeeDev KhannaSheetal VermaTarang TripathiKhagemba OkramAssociate EditorsRishabh JainUjjaval AgarwalKartikeya BhargavaTuhin PandeyYashraj NainShashank SinghSwarn SadanaTaha KhanMadhavShivajiYuvraj NeelakTushar AgarwalNishant RanaCorrespondentsRonit BorpujariNimish PahujaPrateek BhalotiaAditya SharmaManas PantSansrisht BhatiaPhotographyMr Dinesh SiriahSpecial ThanksMs. Sujata AslamMr. R.K. KapoorMr. Jitendra JawleDesigned by Studio Print | info@studioprint.asia | +91 99100 90095 | www.studioprint.asiaURL: www.scindia.eduOld Boys’ Site: www.scindiaoldboys.com

Fort FablesDining HallThe way to a boy’s heart is through his stomach - a maxim well understood by the School. The delectableconcoctions served in the dining hall go a long way in facilitating the settlement of the homesick boys. Rightfrom its inception, the dining experience in school has undergone various changes. From caste based dininghalls to formal sit down meals to the age of self service-it has always remained in tune with the times.In the early 1930’s and 1940’s there were two dining halls. In one the evening meal, served on patras, washad in Indian style by the boys dressed in spotless white kurta and pyjama. In the other, the morning mealwas served in European style so that the boys had an opportunity to learn European manners. The boys, whowere used to eating in the traditional style with their fingers, were exposed to the concept of using knife andfork for the first time after a visit to Lahore and Sialkot in the year 1938.As the strength of the School increased, Senior mess A, Senior mess B and a mess for the Junior School cameup. The dining arrangements underwent various changes till the year 2004 when the present 800 seaterdining hall was formally inaugurated. It had initially been planned near the erstwhile Junior School barracksbut later the site shifted adjacent to the Madhav playfield, a more central location. It displays a markedadvancement from the primitive kitchens of the earlier times. Equipped with deep freezers, food processors,ovens, gigantic grinding devices and other gadgets it is able to satisfy the culinary requirements of the boyswith ease.One dish which evokes tremendous nostalgia is Saada - a potato curry that was staple fare at all dinners. Itstill exists in an entirely new avatar as unlike earlier times now one can actually see potatoes in it.The meals served in the mess have been thoughtfully planned keeping in mind the culinary preferences of theboys and also to meet their nutritional requirements. However the ever hungry and ingenious boys are adeptat dishing out many a gourmet’s delight in the stealth of the night. Quite often this is done with the help ofthe ingredients taken away from the school mess in capacious pockets.The dining hall has often proved to be the ground for settling scores with teachers and seniors by tamperingwith their food. Naseer Ahmad (Ex Rn ’86) remembers how he poured a fistful of salt in the dal and passedit to the School Prefect whom he disliked. In a similar vein Mayank Bindal (Ex Ja ’93 ) remembers how hewould repeatedly take the Gulab Jamun served to a particular teacher, break the same, remove part of theinside and stuff it with big blocks of salt. The hapless teacher got into the habit of completely dissecting hisGulab Jamun before eating it.One can also find numerous instances of boys bartering goodies on the dining table.Though sumptuous meals are served everyday yet attending the grand Scholars’ and Sports banquet whichare held to honour the students who have excelled in academics and sports remains the dream of eachScindian.Good food remains the weakness of each Scindian yet there have been times when they have voluntarily gonewithout it. During the 1965 war the boys observed fast in the evenings in response to an appeal made by thethen Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.The popularity of the food served in the mess can be gauged from the fact that when asked which thing aboutschool should never change quite a few boys mentioned the name of Mr. Deepak Tandon, the efficient andaffable utility manager who supervises the mess.The Scindia SchoolThe Fort, Gwalior - 474008.MP, INDIA.Telephone : +91-751-2480750Fax : +91-751-2480650E-mail : office@scindia.eduWebsite : www.scindia.edu