HYDERABAD: The venue was bustling with teachers, current students, alumni and ex-teachers. It was a reunion, not only for students but also for the teachers. The warmth and affection in the air was simply infectious.
Malu Mangalorkar, who taught for three years, was moist-eyed to see a lot of them still remembered her. She flew down from Bengaluru to attend the reunion.”I used to teach history and Hindi from 1965-68. I only taught them for three years. Yet so many of my students vividly remember me. My experience here has been great,” expressed Mangalorkar, continuing as she reminisced, “I miss every bit of it.
The basic principle followed here was that only in a free atmosphere can true learning take place. I think this is the only school wherein students and teachers were on the same platform.
Studying in such an ambience makes a child enjoy learning and sprout into a great individual.” With a concept of no uniforms and no exams till seventh grade, the school did follow some unconventional ideas.
While talking to a bunch of alumni roaming in the campus, a lot of insight came on the way the school was and still runs. “We always had a very interactive assembly. Sometimes we also had classes outdoors, “ exclaimed Charlotte Sunaina, who is a dentist in the city. She was suddenly interrupted by her friend Rohit Hippalgaokar who said, “The concept of our school was to provide us a childhood without stress and that’s why the principal never encouraged inter-school sports competitions either.” Reshma Pudota, now an HR manager added, “We were taught to compete with ourselves, which had a great impact on our thought process.” The reunion was a three-day event, which will conclude on Saturday. The second day witnessed a wide range of activities - a puppet show, cultural programmes followed by alumni games like basket ball and more. “It seems like a family reunion. I personally have a great experience in this school. The amount of freedom we got to experiment in the ways of teaching is incredible. After two days of fun, all of us are looking forward to the third day,” said Preeti Lal, who has been teaching in this school for 26 years.