LOOKING BACK .....
(R.S.Ramanujam, Retd. Principal, KV-1, Calicut)
"Dost thou art, and to dust returnest " is a biblical adage. Life begins in dust and ends up in dust, in a philosophical sense. In a practical sense too, in this life between the dust of creation and the dust of extinction, every experience in one's profession leaves an ever-lasting imprint on his personality. It is therefore but natural that after a long and eventful journey stretching for over thirty six years in the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, I am filled with nostalgic reminiscences, leaving a predominant feeling of satisfaction and an expression of gratitude to the Maker for all his mercy and benevolence.
The time was 10 AM, the day 31st July, 1971. It was class II-A , a room in the old Air Force barracks of Kv, AFS, Avadi. The English lesson "Where are my glasses" was being dramatized by the children under the guidance of their English teacher. Seated in the last bench alongside the principal and enjoying the proceedings was a young bachelor boy who had just embarked upon a long journey having just joined duty as primary teacher in that school a little earlier that day. While he could wonder at the amazing chemistry between those little children and their English teacher, little was he aware of the challenges that lay ahead of him. As a shy and diffident lad, he had to grapple with the discomfort of being the only male member among the twenty five odd primary teachers! Added to this was the problem of communicating with his class-I students, most of whom belonged to north India, the teacher's own Hindi being very erratic! Yet, challenges are part of a teacher's career and every teacher has to face them with concern and commitment. Life went on, and, during the six years the followed, teaching those tiny-tots was a very rewarding learning experience for the novice. After all "we learn better as teachers and teach better as learners."
The second phase of my journey unfolded at Kendriya Vidyalaya, MEG & Centre, Bangalore to which I was posted in August, 1976 on promotion as TGT (Sc.). The garden city at least then, was a heaven with its pleasant weather and its characteristic greenery. The change of teaching subjects or the age group of the children mattered very little because the basic bond of love between the teacher and the taught formed the strong edifice for effortless learning. The presence of a veteran academician and a great human being as the principal of that school was a real blessing to the emerging teacher, who imbibed some of the noble qualities of that veteran principal .By this time, the elusive command over Hindi -having passed all the mandatory Hindi examinations - could also be achieved.
After about three years at KV MEG, Bangalore and a ten-day sojourn at KV IIT Chennai, I was posted at KV CLRI Chennai on 19th September 1980. This was to be my most-cherished learning work shop for the next six years. I should admit that I had the good fortune of having served under some of the best principals of KVS and KV CLRI was no exception. A batch of very affectionate, knowledgeable and well-disciplined students and a cordial and tension-free academic atmosphere prevailing in the school contributed a lot to my acquiring many of the subtle nuances of the teaching-learning process as well executing administrative responsibilities .Another reason for this school to occupy a special place in my mind is that it was only during my stay here that I qualified for my M.A(English) degree - a complete switch over from my basic degree in Chemistry --and my M.Ed degree.
As luck would have it, I was posted back to KV MEG on promotion as PGT (English) in 1986. During my second innings there lasting for the next eight years, the department provided a variety of learning opportunities like being a resource person(KVS, CBSE, British Council), a field researcher (CBSE, British council), Evaluator and Head Examiner of CBSE, in addition to being the CCA Coordinator, admission-in-charge, Book-stores. Income Tax, furniture, Vidyalaya Patrika, field trips, Sahodaya coordinator, and a part of a voluntary literary group called "Anthar Bharathi".
The next phase of the greying preceptor's journey unfolded at KV IIT -again a second innings- in 1994. The school was at its peak then and every day in the school was a unique learning experience, not withstanding the arduous daily journey of about 110 kms to the school and back. Increasing responsibilities and commitments towards the family necessitated yet another request transfer to KV-II Tambaram, Chennai in 1998. The four years that followed added a new wealth of experience including that of 'officiating principal' which ultimately provided the necessary impetus to apply for the post of principal and by the grace of the almighty I could succeed in my very first attempt, in clearing the tests and interview. I was posted to KV, New Bongaigaon, Assam in July 2002 as Principal.
Napoleon had once asked his general as to how many soldiers were there in his army. ‘One lakh’ was the general’s reply to which the emperor queried if it included the emperor or not. The general replied that the strength then was one lakh one. Again Napoleon corrected him saying that the strength then should be ‘two lakhs’ – the emperor himself was equivalent to one lakh soldiers. This anecdote should not be misconstrued as to reveal the hollow pride of the emperor. It actually shows his high level of self-confidence . Any head of office who has confidence in his ability to lead and who has care and concern for his subordinates is bound to succeed as a ‘task master’ acceptable to all. The change of role from a teacher to an Educational administrator was a smooth affair. Except for a few geographical and communo-political factors, there was not much of a difference between the teachers of the North-Eastern states and those elsewhere in the country. So, with a little extra guidance and encouragement, these hard-working teachers were able to walk that extra mile, winning special appreciation from KVS for producing 100% pass percentage for the first time ever in the history of that school. My stay at New Bongaigaon is made memorable for yet another reason. It was during my service as principal at KV New Bongaigaon that I was honoured with the National Award for teachers by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the then President of India in a glittering ceremony held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 5th September 2003. The next day all the six national awardees of KVS were honoured by the Commissioner of KVS with special mementos for ‘the service rendered to the community as a teacher of outstanding merit.’ On the completion of the four-year tenure in North-East Region, many of my fellow principals were posted to their home towns as per the service provisions—but I was sent elsewhere.
“Thy will, be done” says the Bible. God’s will was perhaps that I should not retire from service before spending some time in “God’s own country”- Kerala ! I was posted to KV-1, Kozhikkode, Kerala in July 2006.The last eighteen months of my service at KV-1, Kozkikkode was rather the fitting finale for this odyssey. New challenges in the form of long working hours, a huge school of about 2500 students, the double-shift system and the sheer quantum of work in such a set-up, the ‘great expectations’ of the department and the community as well as the constraints and restraints posed by additional responsibilities imposed – all this could be successfully negotiated with the help of the confidence provided by the administration and the love and affection of about 2500 students and about 150 members of staff that culminated in the school scaling greater heights of excellence and carve a niche for itself.
It is rightly said “ All is well that ends well.” The illustrious career that started in Avadi on the 31st July 1971 drew to a close on 31st January 2008 at Kozhikkode. Looking back at the path traversed this for, is a cherishing and scintillating experience - especially on being asked to do so by the main stakeholders –the alumni of KV CLRI. I am fully aware that all the stake holders – the students, the fellow teachers and the KVS administration – owe a lion’s share in the achievements of any teacher in general and this teacher in particular. GOOD BYE!
