Random Talk : Of Alma-Maters, Keeping in touch and Annual Days

For those of you who are unaware, I am an ex-DAVian from tow DAV schools. I did my mid-school in DAV Gill Nagar and my high-school in DAV Mogappair, and it is almost a ritual at this point for me to attend the Annual Day functions of each school irrespective of what situation I am tied up in at that time. Now there is a specific reason for this, and it is not because I am in anyway interested in seeing the toppers get awards, because I got awards for reasons not related to marks. That reason is Cultural activities and it is that reason that I attend these functions religiously. 

Let me be more specific, as to why I am so interested in the cultural activities. When I was in DAV Gill Nagar I was a member of Vijayatarangini, my school choir. Ever since I was in sixth grade I sang with them, and despite losing my voice to puberty when I reached the midway point of ninth grade I continued to be a major part of the choir for my excellent management and planning skills, or so I’d like to believe. If anyone says otherwise, I am going to turn a deaf ear because I don’t want to shatter my ego.

I was, and still am, a part of Vijayatarangini, attending programs and organizing and helping around even if I not an active singer as I was. As I shifted schools when I entered high-school, I ended up becoming the cultural secretary for DAV Mogappair, and won a few competitions and also managed to rally students to get the overall trophy in my last year. A pretty substantial achievement; I’d like to believe.  

Because of all these reasons I continue to make sure I attend every annual day and this year has been especially eventful. I have a personal connection with “Vijayatarangini” and I was pumped to see them take back the stage in full force after two years of inactivity. Not to say that they weren’t singing, but due to external factors, they weren’t given the freedom to dominate the day like they used to. But this year it was different and I was more than amazed to have been part of it.

Another thing that I enjoyed was getting to sit next to my Music Master for the whole of the DAV Mogappair Annual day. He has been a huge influence on my character and it was a day I would never forget, even though I missed not having his usual choir performance. 

All of my experiences aside, I wanted to write this post for a very different reason. I was appalled to see so few students return to visit their alma-mater. So many toppers who were encouraged and pushed ahead and so few returned. But what surprised me the most was that the majority of the people who returned were the students who were never good at studies; the misfits and the troublemakers and the creative weirdos who never knew how to score marks. Despite, all the flack we got from the teachers it was almost as if we had a deeper binding with them than the people they pushed forward. I don’t mean to say that no one returned, but very few “Star” students returned.

Here is what I want to say. You may be the greatest genius the world has ever seen, you may be the person who is working on the cure for cancer or the person who is going to land on Mars, but never forget that without alma-mater, you will be nothing but a child with dreams. You have been, whether consciously or unconsciously, sculpted into the person you are today because of your alma-mater. 

You are a reflection of your teachers, your friends and your school. You may not be able to make it to the annual day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep in touch now, does it?

Peace!!!