Looking back at all those factors that have helped me reach where I am today, my school, St Kabir, would come second only to my parents. I still have vivid memories of my first day in school… my nursery teacher ensuring that I felt right at home. I remember Ma’am Singh standing at the entrance ever so often while students streamed into the school at morning; my kindergarten teacher indulging me when I refused to stay away from her and narrate stories instead; my English teacher in class 5 who prodded me on to hone my writing skills; our sports period where I could play what I wanted; the anxiety filled mornings before I had to read out an article before the entire school; all those annual functions where I have had the opportunity to act in plays, perform regional dances, play the guitar and then finally, lead all the four ‘houses’ in march past while in class 10. The list is endless.
St Kabir has ensured that we could discover where our interests lay but at the same time, maintained our focus squarely on acquiring a strong academic base; that we learnt to think analytically and not mechanically; that we were all equipped with self confidence but steeped in humility; skills that keep us in good stead with the world outside. Multi tasking, a skill so important in the modern milieu, was something I picked up imperceptibly along the way in my journey through the school years. I am glad how my schooling lay the foundation for me to now manage my professional, social, domestic and maternal duties and obligations with ease and élan because putting others and the organisation before oneself and yet accomplishing effective time management lay at the core of the Kabirian ethos.
Our Principal, Mr J.P. Singh Sir and Ma’am Singh have always been a source of inspiration to us all – an epitome indeed of hard work, sincerity and honesty. To this date, not only do I follow, but also teach my child what Mr J. P. Singh sir always used to say… ‘If something is worth doing, its worth doing it well.’
I am proud to be an alumni of St. Kabir… known not only for its high academic excellence but also for inculcating the basic human values of honesty, integrity, self-dependence and independent thought and action and above all, humanity amongst its alumni!
