School Souviner 1-41

MEGA
2019
REUNION
BHPV SCHOOL 1 978 - 1 9 9 3 B a t ch e s | D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 9
1

2

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1 978 - 1 9 9 3 B a t ch e s | D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 9
3

08 Preface
Koka Prasad, 1980
10 Message
Kesava Rao Master
16
18
20
23
29
31
33
36
38
40
48
53
58
59
About our School
Pledge
National Song
School Song
Nostalgia
Vijji Suryadevara, 1988
Sometimes I wish
Ch. Venkateswara Rao, 1989
A Trip Down Memory Lane
M.V. Surya Kumari, 1979
Acharya Devobhava
Balla Radhika, 1989
Rita Harish Teacher Artwork
Shair Khan, 1993
Acknowledgments
Attitude of Gratitude
Mano, 1987
What Got You Here Will
Take You there
Backbenches to Boardrooms
TVN Ramesh / Lekisha, 1989
Township Puzzle
10 Tips for Turning A Good
Speech Into A Great One!
Koka Prasad, 1980
4
C O N T E N T S

61
65
68
69
72
73
77
81
82
87
89
The Crystal Vase
Adapted from BHPV Township Newsletter 1978
In the Mango Grove
Ahana Lakshmi
My Yoga Journey
MP Sudhir, 1981
Nostalgic Places in & Around Our School
Anupama Sukhlecha, Syam Kumar Dagani, 1989
Glimpses of
Sweet Childhood
Fantasy of A Funny Girl!!!
Prashanthi Susha, 1989
My Dear Teachers, Always in My Heart
Sarita Velagapudi, 1993
Why Returning to Our Roots Is So Meaningful
Ram C. Raju, 1984
Childhood Then and Now!
Balla Radhika, 1989
Those Were The Best Days of My Life
Indiramani Sudeep, 1988
Dream Big... Aim High!
Anitha Manoj, 1993
C O N T E N T S
5

Committee Members
PRESIDENT
Mr. Koka Prasad, 1980
VICE PRESIDENT
Dr. T. Jagjeevan, 1981
Mr. S. Srinivas, 1991
SECRETARY
Mr. Bheemesh P.L., 1989
JOINT SECRETARY
Mr. G. Sridhar, 1984
Mr. I. Bhupal, 1988
ORGANIZATIONAL SECRETARY
Mrs. V. Ratna Kumari, 1987
TREASURER
Mr. V. Sudarshan, 1982
MEMBERS
Mr. K. V. Srinivas, 1986
Mrs. Daisy Benjamin, 1987
Mr. G. Ravi Varma, 1991
Mr. A. Srinivas, 1991
Mr. K. Chandra Sekhar, 1992
Mr. G. Vishnu Vardhan Rao, 1993
6

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
Preface
1980 Batch
Koka Prasad
Team Leader, President
small talk to real talk! What began, as a
Acasual small talk became a reality. It was
13th Dec, 2018, I met up with Ratna
Kumari, 7 years junior from BHPV school for the
first time. We talked about our school days and I
casually mentioned that I never attended a
school reunion. “Lets have one” said Kumari. The
seed to the reunion was thus planted, I quickly
learned Kumari had the pizzazz for getting
things done, she played a pivotal role in the
making of the reunion.
On Dec 31, 2018 a survey was launched
seeking suggestions for the reunion. Following
the survey, an executive committee was
established. Project reunion was broken down
into manageable chunks with team leaders in
place. Several progress review meetings and
milestones were held through the year. Digital
media was harnessed to the maximum extent. A
Facebook page was created and WhatsApp
groups were formed for teams. Messages
poured in from far and beyond, with alumni
pitching in both physically and financially. We
were overwhelmed by the generosity and
helpfulness of our schoolmates.
“When you want something, the universe
conspires in helping you achieve it.” In the
months that followed every piece of the jigsaw
puzzle fell into place like precision clockwork.
The success of the mega reunion is the coming
together of brilliant teamwork and selflessness
exhibited by our alumni. We all had a single
vision, viz.“, to give the best possible reunion
experience like its never done before”
I am proud to have been involved with the
Mega Reunion, working with teams, rubbing
shoulders with batches from the year 1978 –
1993. This publication is a testimony of our
success story.
We strive to be better than the best, this
always has been our sole quest, A star-School
we’d like to be, the brightest in the schools’
galaxy, we are of the BHPV School.
December 2019
7

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
Forward and
Acknowledgments
Memories are timeless treasures of the heart!!
eautiful memories are priceless moments
Bwe spend with our dear friends, family &
loved ones. On 21st Dec 2019, we the
proud students of BHPV EM School came
together once again at our favorite place, the
School premises and had a blast of a time with
our childhood friends to celebrate the grand
Mega Reunion 2019. And as they say all is well
that ends well, I think this would be an
understatement of how we cherished, enjoyed,
celebrated and took back home the beautiful
memories from the school once again.
But, did you ever stop and think how all this
transpired? Who, How, When, Where and What
was the inspiration behind this idea or concept
of Mega Reunion?
My forward note here is a humble attempt to
bring together and pen down a few lines about
all the passionate hearts that worked tirelessly to
make this Mega Reunion a grand success!!
How did the concept of Mega Reunion come
about? Ideas poured out, Brainstorming
sessions, animated discussions....
In the month of January 2019 a group of our
alumni from different batches met at Shri
Lakshman’s (1987 batch) house. The maiden
meeting was presided by Shri Koka Prasad 1980
batch & Ratna Kumari (ARK) 1987 batch. We
were told of the concept of Mega Reunion, it
instantly ignited a spark, an emotional
connection we had with our school and
everybody in the room said in unison 'Let's do it'.
What followed was a series of meetings and the
date for the reunion was set as 21st December
2019.
A committee was formed to oversee the
activities, different teams were also formed with
tasks assigned to them.
Finance is vital for any event. To fund the event
an amount of Rs.1500/- for single and Rs.2500/-
1988 Batch
Bhupal Inampudi
Joint Secretary
with family was agreed upon. As proceeds from
the tickets was not sufficient to meet the
budgetary target, passionate alumni from all
over the world pitched in making donations
generously. I worked with G .
Vishhnuvardhan and Ratna Kumari, from the
1993 and 1987 batches respectively, to rope in
corporate sponsors.
A tremendous response was received for the
event as efforts from Ramesh Tadi of 1989 batch,
Koka Prasad of 1980 batch, Shiva Vellapan of
1984 batch, Shair Khan and Majji Venu of 1993
batch put their heart and soul in online
propaganda by making promos for the event.
Daisy Benjamin and Manorama of 1987 batch, G.
Vishnuvardhan of 1993 batch, Chandra sekhar of
1992 batch, Majji Venu of 1993 batch, B.Radhika
of 1989 batch had taken up the herculean task
of inviting all our teachers personally.
K. Sambasiva Rao of 1986 batch along with
Ramakrishna of 1984 batch took care of the
catering requirements, they set up a huge
kitchen where all the food was prepared on the
premises itself.
K. Singa Raju of 1984 batch and S. Vijayasree of
1988 batch did a wonderful job of anchoring the
event.
Daisy Benjamin of the 1987 batch did an
astonishing job of conducting the facilitations
for our teachers.
A. Srinivas & L.V.V. Prasad of the 1991 batch took
care of the logistics at the venue and preparing
our playground into a huge parking space.
S Srinivas (Vasu) of the 1991 batch did a
commendable job of setting up the stage with
large LED walls.
As I conclude, I would like to take this
opportunity to thank all the team members who
with their professional experience made this
Event a grand success.
December 2019
8

9

Mstudents,
y Dear Colleagues and beloved
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset I extend my warm Season's and
New Year, 2020 Greetings to all of you. I am glad
to know that our alumni are bringing out a
souvenir in connection with this Mega Reunion.
When I go through the titles of the articles
contributed to the souvenir, I am reminded of
the first magazine of our BHPV EM School titled,
“Blossoms of Tomorrow”, by our beloved Smt.
Rita Harish madam. The said magazine was
intended to nurture the hidden talents of our
young students. Sri. M.P. Purushottam, Principal
and Sri. P.L.N. Murthy, Vice-Principal are
remembered for their guidance in this venture.
I have the rare privilege of being one of the
senior most Teachers associated with our
BHPVEM school right from its inception on 1st
January 1973. In fact, I joined our school prior to
its inauguration to look after all arrangements
for its functioning. I was associated with the
school for almost 16 years till I demitted my
office of Vice-Principal to join as founder
Principal, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Dist.
Srikakulam (A.P) in the year 1988. It's a
memorable event to find myself as the youngest
teacher of the first batch of 10 teachers
appointed for EM School only, to teach the first
batch of 5 students of Class V in 1973, which
grew into first batch of Class X in 1978.
The BHPV School Managing Committee never
compromised with quality while recruiting
teachers and always selected “The cream out of
the Crop”. Our School grew from strength to
strength since its inception slowly but steadily
and soon attained the rank of one of the best
schools in the vicinity, thanks to the valuable
contributions made by the Management and
Teachers for the development of our school in
the initial stages. It's a privilege to have been
amongst talented teachers and to have been
endowed with zeal, enthusiasm, commitment as
well as vision to accomplish good standards
while building a “Temple of New Age – “Our
BHPV E.M School.”
I believe that the Mega Reunion is an
opportunity to meet and exchange their
experiences with each other and to have a social
audit of their work rendered while playing
different roles in the society. It's appropriate to
have reunions like this periodically. It's really
heartening to note that some of the key role
players (Teachers) who had been associated with
our school brought laurels to it by their
achievements in their lives, for example, Sri. C.V.
Narasimham, the then Head Master, BHPV EM
Primary school, has won the coveted President's
Award as Best Teacher, Smt. P. Nirmala , Hindi
Teacher receiving honors from different
organizations and Prime Minister of India for her
achievement of translating popular books into
Hindi language, Sri. B. Subbarayudu, P.E.T
receiving Best Teacher award and Sri. K. Kesava
Rao, achieving All India First Rank during his
refresher-cum-promotion course training held
at Officers' Training School, Kamptee,
Maharashtra state.
I am proud of our students who are GEMS in
present day society, serving not only our
country but many other countries across the
10

globe. I heartily congratulate all of them for
their achievements and contributions made in
different fields. Their parents and partners in
their lives deserve “Hearty Congratulations”.
We remember and place it on record their well
disciplined way of conducting themselves and
living up to our expectations while they were
studying in our school and playing their roles in
the society responsibly now. It is a matter of
proud privilege for all of us who were associated
at the school as their teachers and mentors to
learn that all our students have come up very
high and successful in their lives.
We are definitely not over-ambitious if we
expect our students to continue to live up to our
expectations but never to fail their parents,
teachers, the society and our Nation. This Mega
-Reunion event of the students and teachers will
definitely be cherished as the everlasting
memory of our school as all of us are meeting
after a long time. We cherish this by recollecting
our interactions with each other in the
classrooms, laboratories, playground, N.C.C.
Parade, stage of “Kalabharathi” etc., during the
BHPVEM school days. Perhaps, it may not be
possible to organize such a mega event like this
in this school premises in future for obvious
reasons. Hence, it is necessary that all of us
decide to rededicate ourselves for the cause of
“Nation Building” by our sincere and honest
efforts in our fields.
Let us pledge that we live up to the expectations
of our parents, teachers and fellow countrymen
and that we will never let them down. We will
also ensure that we always live a dignified life.
While congratulating all of you for your
success/achievements in your life, I wish you
best of luck in your future endeavors. May God
bless you with longevity and sagacity and give
what all you need in life to be identified as
worthy children of worthy parents; worthy
students of worthy teachers and illustrious
children of our motherland.
I shall call upon all of you to take care of your
health, wealth and intellectual to look after your
parents and family members well, to worship
your work and reach the highest peak by your
sheer hard work, to ensure that you donate your
might to this country in the form of your children
to play their roles as good doctors, engineers,
bureaucrats, social workers, lawyers, politicians,
social reformers, personnel of armed forces,
scientists and in the form of good teachers to
shape the next generations.
Wishing you all well,
Yours ever loving Teacher
Kesava Rao Master.
11

12

“Vidya Dharmena Shobhathe” or “Education
adorns righteousness” is aptly the motto of the
B H P V S e n i o r S e c o n d a r y S c h o o l ,
Visakhapatnam, because the Founding Fathers
realized that to dispel the darkness of
ignorance, the light of knowledge through
literacy was imperative. And this is how it all
began... About 45 years ago, BHARAT HEAVY
P L AT E S & V E S S E L S L I M I T E D, a H e a v y
Engineering Public Sector Undertaking found
its existence 16 KM away from Visakhapatnam
City. Among the major problems which loomed
large on the company was establishing a
schooling for the children of the employees.
The strength of workforce had raisen to 2600 by
1973 with 600 families occupying the
Township.
As a solution to the problem and as a welfare
measure to the employes, in the year 1973 the
then Management of BHPV permitted a private
Educational Institution “The Bethel Education
Society” to set up an English Medium Primary
School (upto 5th Standard) in the Township
area of BHPV. Since this arrangement did not
meet the expected result as per the agreement,
the management of BHPV took over the school
f r o m B e t h e l E d u c a t i o n S o c i e t y. T h e
administration of the school was entrusted to
the BHPV Management Committee which had
been constituted as a separate entity and had
began functioning w.e.f. 01.01.1974.
A humble beginning of the BHPV School
Managing Committee and of its Institutions
had thus started from 01-01-1974 with the
main aim of dispelling the darkness of
ignorance and ignite the light of knowledge
through literacy The tiny corn of 1974 over a
period of years grew into a mighty Oak, passing
through different stages and transformations.
From the academic year 1975-77 the school
was bifurcated into 2 separate schools i.e. BHPV
English Medium school and BHPV Telugu
Medium School which was till then working in
different shifts with the same Teachers.
13

14

15

16

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
Our Pledge
“India is my country,
All Indians are my brothers and sisters.
I love my country, and
I am proud of its rich and varied heritage
I shall always strive to be worthy of it.
I shall give my parents, teachers and
all elders respect and treat everyone with courtesy.
To my country and my people,
I pledge my devotion.
In their well being and prosperity
alone lies my happiness.”
December 2019
17

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
1993 Batch
Shair Khan
Rita Harish Teacher
18

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
Our School Song
We are of the BHPV School
To study and play is our rule
Life here is very inspiring
We work with a spirit, untiring,
We are of the BHPV School.
We are taught to be Correct, Neat and Quick
In all we do whether well or sick,
And try to improve every year,
So we’d leave with a conscience clear,
We are of the BHPV School.
Our Alma Mater we’ll never forget,
And cherish memories so hard to get
We’ll be a family spread in the world
And keep the banner of our School unfurled
We are of the BHPV School.
We strive to be better than the best,
This always has been our sole quest,
A star - School we’d like to be,
The brightest in the schools’ galaxy,
We are of the BHPV School.
December 2019
19

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
In the Mango
Grove
“Don’t even think of trying to visit the mango
garden”, Sujay warned Arjav. “There is a horrible
old man who has threatened to tie us up to a tree
and beat us to pulp if he ever catches us”. And as
if on cue, an old man in a white dhoti and shirt
appeared from behind a tree with a big stick in
his hands.
Arjav had been asking about the mango grove
on the other side of the road. It was June,
school holidays. Arjav and Parthiv had come
to stay with their cousins in a township about
thirty kilometers from the city. Beyond the
road was a fairly wide storm water drain that
separated the mango grove from the houses.
The next morning, after breakfast, they all
went out to play cricket with Sujay’s friends
and enjoyed themselves in the open ground
nearby before it became too hot to play
anymore. After a lovely lunch, Parthiv as
usual curled up with a book and Sujay did his
holiday homework. The house was quiet with
people sleeping or going about their work.
Arjav was restless. He quietly crept out of the
house determined to pay a visit to the mango
grove.
He walked along the side-road till he reached
the main road and quickly crossed over to the
other side. He could now see the storm water
drain. It was clean with piles of fallen leaves here
and there. There was no way he could jump
across – it was just too wide; and no way he
could climb down and come out to the other
side either. But, ah – what was that! It looked like
a pipe cutting across! Arjav walked quickly
towards that place. What luck! It was a pipe, a
fairly stout one too and yes, one could carefully
climb down and walk across to the other side.
Ahana Lakshmi
It was a little scary of course, but having come so
far, Arjav was determined to get ahead.
So very carefully, he got on to the pipe, and
started walking across. Now there was no going
back, as it was all he could do to carefully step
forward. He remembered how he had watched
the tightrope walkers at the circus a few days
ago. They had held out their hands to balance
themselves as they carefully stepped forward.
Luckily his sandals were flexible. He focused on
the wall in front of him and so intent he was in
going forward that he did not see the old man
watching him quietly. Just as he reached the
other end, he let his breath go and reached out
to grab what he thought was a protruding root
and almost lost his grip when he realized it was a
stick and at the other end was the old man!
Before he knew what was happening, the old
man had grabbed him in a strong grip and
pulled him up. Arjav almost screamed. Too late
he remembered Sujay’s warning. Would that
man tie him up to a tree and beat him? “Did your
friends dare you to steal mangoes from here?”
barked the old man, still holding on to Arjav.
“No. In fact my cousin warned me to stay off
from the mango garden.” “Where are you from?
You are not one of the township boys.”
“I am from Mumbai, here for the holidays. The
garden … you see, looked so beautiful and
quiet…the trees full of mangoes …I thought I
would come and practice playing my flute…”
“You have a flute?” Arjav reached into his shirt
and pulled out a flute. The man’s grip loosened.
He said, “Come on, play something”. Arjav held
the flute against his mouth and softly blew into
it, playing the basic notes. He looked up and
December 2019
20

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
said, ‘You see, I have just begun to learn and
cannot play well, and so sometimes it does not
sound good and others around me make fun of
me. That is why I wanted a quiet place to
practice”. The old man’s face softened seeing the
boy’s concentration. “You will need a lot of
practice. Now that you are here, come with me.”
“You won’t tie me up to a mango tree, will you?”
“I am going to show you my favourite mango
tree, come with me. After that you may want to
be tied to it!” was the surprising answer. Arjav
was a little worried especially because the man
continued to hold on to his shoulder as they
walked on the path that led them past trees
laden with mangoes. Here and there could be
seen small piles of green mangoes that had
been collected. Finally they reached a huge tree.
Around it had been planted hibiscus bushes full
of red blooms. So what was special about this
tree? “Can you name some mango varieties?”
asked the old man. “I have heard of Alphonso in
Mumbai. Aunt said something about Malgova…”
“Here is Alphonso…”, said the old man, as he
walked around the tree. “See this is Malgova.
This round one like a ball is rumani. See this long
variety, this is kilimooku – it has a beak like a
parrot. This one, it looks as if it is wearing a pink
top…” and so on, reeling off names like Chinna
Rasam, Pedda Rasam, Banganapalle, Amrapalli,
Himam Pasand, Jehangir, Pacharisi, Neelam,
Chendura, Kallamani… till he stopped to take a
breath. Arjav sat down quickly. He felt breathless
too. “That many? Thatha (grandfather), how did
they manage to appear on just one tree?” “Many,
many years ago, I became interested in
mangoes. I thought I would try to grow many
varieties on one tree. This is done by a method
called grafting, sort of like taking a cutting from
a tree and attaching it on another in a special
manner”. “My aunt in Delhi was talking to my
mother about visiting a mango festival. She said
that there were so many stalls selling different
varieties. This tree is an exhibition all by itself!”
“Yes, this tree has more than thirty varieties,
though only about a dozen are bearing fruits
this year.” “Thatha, please can I bring my brother
and cousins to see this? I am sure they will enjoy
it”. “Yes. But you have to make me a promise. As
long as you are here, you should come every day
and practice your flute, only come through the
gate. And when your brother and cousins come,
please tell them to tell their friends not to throw
stones at mangoes. You see, this is my only
income. In fact, if you bring them tomorrow
morning at this time, I will even let you pluck a
mango and taste it. A mango fresh from the tree
tastes heavenly. I will also show you how to peel
a full mango so that the peel comes like an
interlinked bangle. ” “I am sure nobody will
throw stones at the trees ever after they see the
special mango tree. Thank you for letting me
practice my flute here. And you are right, I would
not complain if you were to tie me to that
wonderful tree if I could taste all the different
varieties, their names are so interesting!” he
laughed as the old man led him back to the main
road though a proper gate and showed him the
way home.
(The above story appeared in the June 2013 issue of Gokulam, an
English magazine for children published by the Kalki Group in
Chennai. The magazine closed down in October 2018. The story is
partly based on memories of BHPV and the mango garden across
the storm water drain opposite CMD’s house. I remember crossing
over to the other side in the beam mentioned in the story. The ute
player Arjav is my sister Bhuvana’s son. The tree with multiple grafts
was there in the family’s mango orchards in Srirangam (Tamil
Nadu).)
December 2019
21

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
22

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
A trip down
memory lane
n the 1970s, our BHPV School implemented
Ithe Tri-lingual formula. So along with
Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, History,
Civics, Geography, and then we had English,
Hindi and choice between Telugu and Sanskrit
as third language. Yes! But we learnt ‘Time
Management’ and ‘Multi-Tasking’ then itself
Our school adopted Harijana Jaggiahpalem, a
village nearby. We, as students, went regularly to
donate clothes, books and carried out other
services. During Vanamahotsavam, we started
school gardening and later inter house
gardening competitions were also held.
One year, our teachers organized ‘Mock
Parliament’. This was held to an audience of
school management committee and all students
too. The senior most 3 classes took the benches
1979 Batch
MV. Surya Kumari
as the ruling party and the opposition. The
Home Minister presented the school activities.
The Sports Minister asked for higher budget
allocations for equipment. There was a question
answer session with the speaker trying to
maintain the decorum of the House. It was
informative and entertaining. It ended with the
leader of the opposition hoping that for the next
session, they would exchange seats with the
ruling Party. As it happened, ‘the prediction’
came true in the next General Elections.
As Abdul Kalam Sir says, our minds were ignited
by our beloved teachers. We of BHPV School
have gone into the wide world and brought
many a laurel to our Teachers and Alma mater
December 2019
23

24

25

26

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
6 tips for turning
a good speech into
a great one
1980 Batch
Koka Prasad
professionals who have just put too much
content into their presentations. Far too much
for an audience to absorb - remember even the
best audiences face information overload after
20 minutes. How do you overcome the content
crisis?
4. Define who your audience is and use the
most appropriate communication channels to
reach them.
Analyse how your audience likes to take in
information - do they like to be visually
stimulated or do they enjoy just sitting back and
listening. Or do they like to get involved, to
touch and feel in a kinesthetic way. Work out the
best mix of visual, audio and kinesthetic and use
this in your speech writing.
1. Have a plan and set some objectives &
outcomes.
There is nothing worse than not knowing what
you want to achieve. Do you want to educate the
audience, inform, inspire, motivate or touch
their emotions? Always work out what you want
to achieve before beginning the speech process.
2. Have a formal structure - beginning, middle
and end.
Audiences love structure and the best speeches
stick to this tried and true rule. As they say: “tell
them what you’re going to say, tell them and
then tell them again”.
3. Avoid having too much content.
I have lost count the number of technical
presentations given by CEO’s, managers,
scientists, engineers, geologists and other
5. Research your speech using a range of
sources.
Be a keen observer of the trends your audience
is likely to be interested in and keep a file of
interesting articles and information. If you are
time poor- a few quick questions when meeting
an audience just prior to a speech, such as “what
are the issues facing your business/industry
/association at the moment?” can really help
target your presentation and build rapport.
6. Use personal stories, examples and
metaphors to make intangible concepts
tangible.
In many cases you are trying to sell ideas and
concepts in a speech. These are intangible and
often difficult for the audience to grasp.
Personal stories, examples and metaphors make
the invisible visible.
December 2019
27

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
My Yoga Journey
My first Yoga class in Sydney was more
out of inquisitiveness and curiosity,
when a colleague suggested I should
try it. The class was quite a strong sequence of
asanas and before I knew it, I was going regularly
3 to 4 times a week and stopped going to gym
and the weights and cardio.
1981 Batch
MP Sudhir
and meditation. And now I have a regular
sadhana (practice) where every morning I
practice between 5:00 and 6:30 am, the last 30
minutes being meditation.
The change that Yoga has brought about in me
has been profound. I have never been more
healthy and fit. I was tending the asthmatic a few
years ago. Now that’s history. My core strength
has improved immensely. Mentally I am in good
space… a sattvic state of energy. Self-awareness
and mindful is always switched on.
I had gone to do a few short courses in
meditation and before long my interest in Yoga
grew. Read a few books and watched a few
videos and realised that there was much more to
Yoga than just the asanas.
And then the natural progression was to do
course. I choose IYTA (International Yoga
t e a c h e r s a s s o c i a t i o n ) o n a f r i e n d ’s
recommendation and also it was the most
comprehensive one around. The 9-month
course (part time) really was very detailed and I
was learning all about Pranayama, the Koshas
You don’t get emotionally disturbed and the
deep conscious breathing keeps you in a calm
space. Develop and kind and friendly attitude
and materialist things don’t impress you
anymore. I spend more time helping others and
serving the community. As the Director of
community services this year, have done a lot of
projects locally to help. Karma Yoga.
My relationship with family members, friends
and at work has improved a lot. You are aware of
your ego and the detrimental thoughts that
arise in you. Become a passive observer. I now
teach Yoga at home to family and friends and in
the Sydney Vedanta centre and corporate.
My passion is to teach this ancient experiential
science to as many people as possible for
holistic well being.
December 2019
28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
Why Returning to Our
Roots is so Meaningful
1984 Batch
f life were to be equated to the 4 seasons, I
Ihave entered the autumn of my life, having
turned 50 last year. Like many of my
generation, I have travelled far and wide but the
travel urge has not been satiated yet. As a
society, we all travel for many different reasons.
To escape from the humdrum, to feel alive or to
immerse into a culture so unlike our own, we
find new understanding and meaning in this
world. But increasingly, a major reason people
choose to embark on a journey is to revisit
memories, to retrace footsteps, whether they be
family, friends or a home. Social media has had a
huge impact in reconnecting long lost friends
from
one’s colony, or school or college.
Speaking for myself, it has helped me reconnect
with friends that I had not seen or heard from in
over 30 years, friends with whom I had shared
and spent many carefree, idyllic moments that
had generated memories for a lifetime. Many of
Ram C. Raju
us met recently but there was no talk about our
jobs, how much we were making, the future or
even about family. It was like we had dialed back
time and were back in school. Isn’t this what true
friendship should be about? I attended the 1st
BHPV High School Alumni Meet back in 2009
and am back in 2019 for the 2nd edition. Even
though I spent only 3 years in this delightful
colony school, these were the most joyful 3 years
of my schooling life and helped shape me into
the man I am today. This journey back to my
hometown is interwoven with emotion and
gives me a greater sense of history and identity. I
want to thank everyone who poured their heart
and soul into putting together this great event
and occasion. Occasions such as these, reaffirms
one’s faith in the joy of friendships and
relationships.
December 2019
36

37

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
What got you here will
take you there
Each one of us tasted success at some stage of
our life and based upon which we create goals or
dreams for the future. Two questions come to my
mind, what got us here will it take us there?
Should our goals be fixed based upon our
success or failures?
Symptoms for Success - overconfidence, know it
all attitude, Contentment, comfort zone and
higher ego. Failure breads Hunger for success, I
need to know more, creative for new solutions,
grounded and humility. Reason for that thought
process was my experiences during the
childhood days. In BHPV township only two
categories of persons are recognized either you
are an engineer or a doctor. We are three siblings
and I was in the none of the above category.
While both my Elder and younger brothers are
engineers. Based upon marks obtained in 10th
grade only option available for me was to join
B. Com. True to the degree had to be Calm. What
after B. Com based upon marks I have got post -
graduation admission was out of question that
was the time when someone suggested I join CA.
Only consolation was atleast for three years I can
proudly say that I am doing CA. As the saying
goes that there will be turning point in everyone
life, that was my time. My handwriting was so bad
that the examiners decided not see it once again
and passed me in first attempt. I was basking in
this glory and joined A.F. Ferguson in Mumbai.
Put in lot of hard work 15 hours a day and
ensured that my team finished all the
assignments were completed on time. I was
expecting that I would get either a big increment
or promotion during evaluation time. To my
shock the rating given was “Average- Needs
improvement”. Immediate reaction was to give
my resignation letter but on second thought
wanted to give a piece of my mind to my boss.
After our discussion, I realized that when I was
trying to make my team mates job perfect, they
saw it as breathing down their neck, when I gave
them opportunity to work independently it was
thought that I was ignoring them, when I tried to
coach them they saw it as arrogance. It is not
what you say but how you say that really matters.
I realized that what got me here will not take you
there.
I joined public speaking platform called
Toastmasters to learn the methodology of “How
to say”. I thought I was a good speaker but it only
took them a couple a meetings to teach me that
still there is a long way to go. Through
perseverance, persistence and practice learnt the
skills from my mentors and became one of the
most sought out speaker of the club and was
invited to other clubs on speaking assignment.
That was an eureka moment of my life that I have
became a master of “How to Say”. Observing my
high confidence levels, my parents decided that it
was the right time for my marriage. First six
months showed off my skills of how to say, when
to say, where to say and my wife was floored.
Seventh month onwards nothing seemed to
work. That was the time I realized that what got
me here will not take me there.
1984 Batch
Singa Raju
What happens when your wife loves you a lot?
You try to find an excuse for a break, that was
what I exactly did, enrolled myself for one of the
yoga retreat program. We were supposed to do
meditation for which myself along with my friend
sat on the river bank. Suddenly I felt that
something was hovering on top of my head, I saw
in the water reflection that there was a hawk
December 2019
38

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
which was circulating over my head. Slowly it was
descending down from 30 feet, 20 feet and 10
feet, I starting saying my final prayers. In one swift
action it descended into the river and came out
with one foot long fish within its sharp claws and
flew very close to me into the forest. I could see
the bewildered, bemused and befuddled look in
the eyes of the fish. After we assembled back, I
enthusiastically told the teacher of my
experience, his reaction was you are supposed to
meditate with your eyes closed. What did you
learn from this experience? I told him that we
should not meditate outdoors. There was
laughter all around which annoyed me the most. I
started pondering about the look in the eyes of
the fish. Probably the fish might have been going
on the surface along with its family totally
unaware of the destiny which behold him and
was caught off guard. Had it been swimming
deep inside it would be impossible for the hawk
to get to it.
What happens in our life is that when something
bad really happens to us or tragedy strikes us that
would only be the time when we introspect within
ourselves. Once our life is back on track we are
again back to our normal self. Imagine ourselves
as the fish swimming on the surface of the water
and could easily be plucked by the hawk of our
life just like that without our knowledge catching
us totally unaware. Do you want to be in that
situation. We should try to go deep within
ourselves on daily basis and that would be the
time when we will be not be impacted by any
external events and can be happy at all times. You
may do any meditation or observe silence by just
do nothing for 10 minutes on daily basis. You will
be amazed to see the results.
Once we follow that practice on regular basis we
can be confident that we can achieve anything in
our life and nothing is impossible. That would be
the time you can say that what took me here will
also take me there also.
December 2019
39

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
Overcoming pain
through art
Mrs. Meenakshi Ram from 1984
batch has been suffering from
chronic body pain (fibromyalgia)
and a weak heart for nearly a
decade.
The pandemic made her a virtual prisoner at
home. Mrs Meenakshi, 52, who needs a
defibrillator machine for her weak heart, was
told by doctors to stay at home and not go out
because ill health made her more vulnerable to
disease and infection.
1984 Batch
Meenakshi Ram
as well as her “Firecracker Collection” for
Deepavali nearly sold out within a few hours of
their launch. You can continue to support
Meenakshi’s ventures by following her on
@meenas.creations on Instagram!
(Source: Tabla and Strait times Singapore)
In 2020, when the Earth went into
lockdown, Meenakshi satiated her
wonderlust by making miniature
polymer clay pieces of food and
drinks from around the world. With
420 miniature pieces, you can feast
your eyes on food from South
America, to India to Russia. Her
display made the news, and her talent
was showcased in the national
newspaper in Singapore.
Mrs Meenakshi Ram is a homegrown
self-taught artist who has dabbled in
virtually every art form that you can
name. She is most well-known for her
Tanjore paintings, each made with care
and high-quality materials. The
Tanjore Paintings depict scenes from
Hindu Gods’ lives, such as the Coronation of
Ram or Shiva’s wedding. Beyond traditional art,
Meenakshi has also ventured into polymer clay
making.
Mrs Meenakshi’s latest venture is to expand her
jewelry to around the world. In 2020, Meenakshi
launched her online business Meena’s Creations
to the world and it has been met with a
resounding success. The “Misnomer Collection”
Hanuman from the Thai Ramakien..raised
with relief, acrylic on canvas, embellished
with Swarovski flat backs, Swarovski rivolis
and the golden glitter-nail art, from
Beadtlesweet
December 2019
40

BHPV SCHOOL
MEGA REUNION
1978-1993 Batches
December 2019
41