My Golden Report Card

Recently, I was invited to my alma mater, DAV School, Chennai. I was among the four members of the alumni who were being felicitated this year for their achievements. I received this honour with deep gratitude and humility. If memory serves me correctly, I don't think I've ever received a better, a more glorious report card than this in my entire life. I sincerely wished my amma and appa were with me to see this day. When I was in school, I don't think either of them was too pleased with the report cards I received back then. I was a naughty, curious child, whose scores were not exactly applaudable. Maybe this shiny, beautiful report card would've made them happy, after so many years of sending me to school. My guess is that they're blessing this honour from the heavens above.

My Mylapore melodrama aside, DAV is not just an institution I studied in. For me, that building, that courtyard is a place that has silently and steadily shaped my sense of discipline, social responsibility and always catalysed my curiosity, encouraging me to never stop asking questions and never stop learning. Days spent under the tutelage of my teachers, like Principal Ram Kalia, Surendra Master (Hindi), David (Biology), Balasubramaniam (Chemistry), Mrs Rajamani (History), Gangadharan (English) have been the most rewarding days of my life. Those were the days when life was all about receiving.

Much of what I have carried forward in my creative life -- respect for the sweat on the brow, the daredevilry to walk away from the herd, to believe in work being larger than the self, and the idea that culture and nationhood are lived values -- is rooted in this school, where I spent my formative years. To be counted alongside fellow awardees, Prof. Rangarajan Govindan, Brig. Dr. Ramprasad Ramanathan, and Umesh Malhotra , whose journeys span academia, public service, medicine, defence and enterprise is truly meaningful for me. Each of them represents a different way of serving society, and that shared commitment is what makes this recognition extremely special.

My thanks to the Department of Alumni Affairs for creating a platform that not only honours achievement but also reinforces a continuing bond between alumni and institution. I hope many more DAVians step forward to nominate, to be nominated, and to stay connected to the values that shaped us as one large community...

Grateful. And deeply honoured!