Monday 31 December 2018

Grandkids Are Grandkids

Grandkids are a blessing.
Real blessing when they are babies.
Or, even when they are no longer toddlers.
As they enter the teens, it is even greater fun being with them.
Ask any grandparent and they will agree!

We were blessed to have Ansh and Anuva with us during the Xmas vacation. Range of activities with them kept us busy. From playing darts to nail painting to shopping to tambola- it was an exciting finale to 2018. Ansh helped Ghumakkad with this story. Glimpses.






















While enjoying the sunshine on the last day of 2018, here is a short video clip with Anuva's spontaneity as a five year old!

You may browse the earlier story of all four of our grandkids 'Thrill of Grandparenting'.

Thanks for browsing.
Have a great year ahead!

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Ansh Bhargava/ 31st Dec 2018
#grandchildren #funtime #family #joyofgrandparenting #vacationing #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #ansh



Thursday 13 December 2018

118 and Counting

118 years, not my age!
That is my school which completed 118 years recently.
How many of us are lucky to have attended a school which is that old? 

Ghumakkad felt really blessed while in Pilani recently to attend the 118th Annual Day celebrations of his school. It was delighted to be mobbed by the students of the school and see them perform on stage. 


My school started as a 'pathsahala' पाठशाला in 1901 in the dusty village of Pilani. It was the ancestral home of Birlas- the mighty business empire of India. What started as a small primary school, has grown into a globally renowned university BITS Pilani. Pilani continues to be an education hub with number of schools and colleges.
When Ghumakkad went to school in Pilani in 1960s, it was called BMPHSS- Birla Multi Purpose Higher Secondary School. It was then under the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education. Later the school got affiliated to the CBSE- Central Board of Secondary Education New Delhi. The school is now called Birla School Pilani. We also celebrated our Golden Jubilee of school graduation this year (1968-2018). That story would appear separately. How does my school look like?

Talking of old schools in India, probably the credit for oldest school goes to St Thomas' Boys School in Kolkata which was set up in 1729. Readers may browse the story by Shilpa Dutta for details.

Here are some glimpses of 118th Annual Day. One innovation which I observed was the use of an E-lamp instead of the traditional oil lamp before starting any event. 





Team work was amply visible when students lifted a huge signage made of a steel frame and re-positioned it on the stage. 

The above picture shows a large LED panel  used for stage backdrop. At the flick of a switch or software command, the whole scene on the stage changes! Corporate world has been using this technology for many years like in sports stadia. But even the schools have adopted it seamlessly!

It was a pleasure meeting Maj Gen SS Nair  who heads the Birla Education Trust in Pilani.

Many of the readers who are teaching in school, would have identified with Annual Day of their school. It takes lot of planning, preparation and execution. You may browse an earlier story on the Annual Day of Ansh my grandson in Chennai. That school too had used huge LED panels as stage backdrop. Times have changed when we used to move physical props for every act or performance on the stage!

Thanks for browsing. 

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 13th December 2018
#schoolannualday #birlaschoolpilani #pilani #118thAnnualday #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Wednesday 5 December 2018

An Immortal BITSian

When the packed auditorium gives a standing ovation to a brave son of India, you get goose bumps. BITS Pilani honoured its proudest alumni Capt Ravi Shankar (P) with the Distinguished Services Award in Hyderabad. The award was received by Mrs Krishnamurthi, mother of the fallen hero who fell to terrorists bullets in J&K, 25 years ago. Today's pictures for you:




Who is Capt Ravi Shankar?
We wrote this original story four years ago. Read on.

Twenty seven is no age to go.
Just six years of commissioned service.
Driven by passion and spirit of adventure.
Rescued and tended an injured eagle in the desert.
Fought the terrorists till the last bullet.
Such bravehearts do not die. They become immortal.

This is the story of Capt Ravi Shankar, a fellow BITSian who laid down his life 21 years ago this day 6th of December. It is not an obituary. Because the brave do not want their death to be mourned. To borrow Prachi Singh's words, the soul of a martyr soldier says, "I regret I have only one life to give for my country".

Captain Ravi Shankar was larger than life. An avid reader and nature lover, he was referred to as a walking encyclopedia by his friends in the Army. Ravi was very fond of animals, birds and children. Once he rescued an injured eagle and sheltered it in his hostel room in Pilani. Full of life, he was always keen on adventure. 

Ravi was born on 15th Jan 1969 in the historic town of Thanjavur. He was the only son and brother to three sisters. All the pictures are courtesy Dr Chitra Shanker, Ravi's sister. Chitra- many thanks.
His father Mr R Krishnamurthi an engineer, worked with Neyveli Lignite Corporation's fertiliser plant in various capacities.  Ravi did his schooling at St Joseph of Cluny and Jawahar Higher Secondary School at Neyveli. He was a brilliant student and made it to BITS Pilani in 1986 without any coaching! He completed his BE in Civil engineering from BITS in 1990.
Suresh Subramanian, a fellow BITSian recalls Ravi thus, "Salute da. Proud to be your relative. Still the memories afresh of your chirpiness and easy going yet caring attitude towards me during my freshmen college days. Miss you". 

Another fellow BITSian Vijayasarathi Ramaswami remembers Ravi as his next door neighbor in Neyveli. He adds, "I learnt almost everything from him as a child, be it cycling, games. He used to be so active, sharp and had varied interests. He was highly innovative. No wonder he made it into BITS effortlessly. He used to make such a huge positive difference to people around him even at that age".

Graduating from BITS Pilani Ravi interned for a year in Mumbai and then joined the Army. 


He was commissioned into 118 Engr Regiment in the Corps of Engineers. 

Belonging to the Bombay Engineer Group he was deputed to 20 Rashtriya Rifles in J&K during Op Rakshak. It was during the anti-terrorist operations in Kashmir that he attained martyrdom on 6th December 1997 at a young age of 27 years. With total disregard to personal safety, Ravi braved oncoming gunfire to save the lives of his combat team mates and made the supreme sacrifice

Even though 21 years have passed, those who came in contact with him remember him as a person who would do anything for them. And that is what he exactly did. He did what most would dare not. He laid down his life for all of us. Brave hearts like Ravi are immortal.

Ravi  we salute your bravery, your guts and your sacrifice. We hope to rejoin you someday. Till then, take care Buddy.


   - A fellow BITSian/ 6th December 2018/ Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with inputs from Dr Chitra Shanker

Postscript:
29th July 2022. BITS Pilani, Ravi's alma mater honoured him with the Distinguished Services Award. It is the first time that the Institute has given any award posthumously. See the announcement below.
Ravi certainly deserved it. Jai Hind!

#IndianArmy #20RR #118EngrRegt #BITSPilani #BITSAA #BITSAlumni #ProudToBeBITSian #Braveheart #SonofIndia #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh