MY JOURNEY AT ST. JOSEPH’S: FROM A DONKEY TO A RACE HORSE BY Dr. Kuldeep Moras

MY JOURNEY AT ST. JOSEPH’S: FROM A DONKEY TO A RACE HORSE

DR. KULDEEP MORAS, MBBS,MS

CONSULTANT ENT, HEAD AND NECK SURGEON

PROFESSOR, FATHER MULLER MEDICAL COLLEGE

FORMER CONSULTANT, CHRISTIAN MEDICAL COLLEGE, VELLORE

ALUMNUS OF ST JOSEPH’S HIGH SCHOOL, BAJPE

        

 After completing my primary education at the Airport School (now renamed as Morning Star), like most of my classmates I was enrolled at St Joseph’s High School for my 8^th standard, which was a short distance away from my home. I was an average student scoring average marks. My mother had already warned me that the Christian Brothers were very strict, both with regards to studies as well as discipline. With this in mind I was tuned for things to come.

        We had Br. Conrad as our principal. He was a very strict disciplinarian (I am still scared of him). But his Mathematics classes were amazing. He made sure all our eyes and ears were open during his entire class, otherwise we were in for trouble. Then we had Br. Sebino whose Geometry classes I can never forget. He used to draw such neat diagrams and I also remember his crisp and clear English. Br Avinash taught us beautiful Geography of the World and he encouraged us to write very neatly. Br. Almeida taught us our national language Hindi in his own style. I also remember Br Samuel who had a very unique way of teaching. We found him very interesting. By the time we reached tenth standard we had the one and only Br. Hector, who appeared tough on the outside but eventually we found him very friendly and approachable. He laid a lot of emphasis not only on studies but also on extracurricular activities and sports. Because of his untiring and selfless efforts, the St. Joseph’s football team has reached great heights both at the state and national levels.

Along with the Brothers we also had some wonderful teachers as well. Emilda miss (aka Emmy miss) taught us English. Most boys found her pretty and paid full attention to her classes. Hegde sir and the late Goveas sir taught us the most difficult subject- Kannada, which we being in the English medium found it difficult to understand (especially those sandhi’s, samasa’s and sandharbha’s). And who can forget the late B D Pai sir, his science classes and his love for beedies. He was  very witty, humorous, and his classes were a lot of fun . Whenever India was playing a cricket match we were most welcome to watch it on TV at his house, as those days most of us didn’t have a TV at home.

More than the classes we used to eagerly look forward for PT periods, which were sadly only twice a week. Most of the time we played cricket, football, “lagori” and our all-time favourite “kutti-donne”. We also loved playing badminton, table tennis and carom. It was such great fun. And the afternoon lunch break was meant for the occasional bella candy or the cheaper ice candy, depending on how much change we had in our pockets. We occasionally used to explore Thotlaguri, a small valley with a stream behind our school. Once we were caught red-handed by Br Hector, during one of these Thotlaguri trips when we were supposed to be in the class for the reading period just after the lunch break. I remember Br. Hector coming after us like Bahubali.

I and most of my friends will agree that we had the best times of our carefree lives at St. Joseph’s. Not to forget the tenth standard send-off. It was such an emotional farewell to all the good times we had, to the friends we made and the moments we cherished.

As I said in the beginning I was an average student when I had joined St Joseph’s. Slowly and steadily I put in more efforts in my studies and started scoring more and more. By the time I completed my tenth standard final exam I was first in the class. It was the first time in my life that I topped the entire class. The donkey had finally become a race-horse.

I along with my three sisters who also studied at St. Joseph’s (Dr.Christol, Carol and Errol) take this opportunity to thank all the Brothers and all our teachers at St Joseph’s for being a part of our life’s journey. You all had a big role to play in it. We are ever grateful to you. May God bless you abundantly in all your endeavours.