Back to School after 50 Years

My school started as a 'pathsahala' पाठशाला in 1901 in the dusty village of Pilani. It was the ancestral home of the Birlas- the mighty business empire of India. What started as a small primary school, has grown into a globally renowned university BITS Pilani having campuses in Pilani, Hyderabad, Goa, Mumbai and Dubai. 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. The school is now called Birla School Pilani (BSP). We celebrated the Golden Jubilee Reunion of school graduation few years ago (1968-2018). This story brings to you my school which is immaculately maintained even though the building is more than 100 years old! The school will be celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2026.

The clock tower reads 'Birla College' because it housed a college since 1920. In late 1940s, the college shifted to Vidya Vihar campus which houses BITS Pilani and Birla Balika Vidyapeeth. Our school has since been in this building. Feel the Rajasthani/Shekhawati architecture in the pictures below.

To optimise the resources, our Golden Jubilee Reunion was conjoined with the Silver Jubilee Reunion of the batch 25 years junior to us. They had more energy and josh for the Reunion Dinner as visible in the picture below. They had even hired a belly dancer from Kazakhstan for the dinner organised on city outskirts. For obvious reasons, that picture is not included in this story.

Harsh as an NCC Cadet

Also sharing below  pictures of our school Naval Wing NCC taken in 1965. Our school troop was adjudged the best in Rajasthan. Who knew that Cadet Harsh Bhargava would join the Navy several years later and rise to be a Commodore!

School Graduation

Ghumakkad graduated from BSP in 1968. I would have graduated in 1967 had it not been for the draconian 'minimum age' rule to appear in the Board exams. Mercifully, this rule has been done away with. Sharing below a picture of the School Honours Board with my name on it. Felt humbled seeing it after 50 years! 

Old Teachers

Most of the teachers who taught us are no more. However, I do have an ink sketch  made by my drawing teacher Shri Bhoor Singh Shekhawat. He used to paint one sketch a day during the tiffin recess of 20 minutes. We used to run and grab the wooden stool to get the sketch made in next 15 minutes or so. He gifted the sketch to the student instantly. Such was his genius and humility. Later, he went on to do many murals and large paintings for the corporate offices of the Birlas and others. Sharing below the sketch made by my art teacher 62 years ago!

It was a privilege to meet our Hindi teacher Shri Nagraj ji who was in his late 80s. Sharing a picture taken with him. Please excuse the camera shake due to low lighting.

Present Day Students

We did interact with the present day students at BSP. 

The readers may browse our earlier story 118 and Counting which showcased the 118th Annual Day celebrations of my school. Re-sharing below few pictures from that story.

While travelling from BITS campus to Birla School, you can't miss the towering statue of Lord Shiva.

Reaching Pilani

Travelling to Pilani by road is comfortable. NH-11 connects Jaipur to Sikar. Thereon, a state highway connects Pilani to Sikar via Jhunjhunu.  The drivers of trucks in that sector have made a Hanuman temple on the highway. We also bought some rocks of the rock salt on the way. Sharing few pictures of the road journey.

A visit to Pilani is incomplete without the yummy Pilani Pedas. A picture for you.

Going back to school is such fun. Isn't it? Do share the memories of going back to your school.

We end with a quote on education by Nelson Mandela who said that "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world".

Thanks for browsing.

   -Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ Secunderabad/ 7th May 2024

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