Wednesday, May 10, 2017

THE PATH WE WALKED . . . . by Lona, ex student and President of Mothers Association

THE  PATH  WE  WALKED  . . . .

There is no school equal to a decent home,
and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent
          Mahatma Gandhi

It is very pleasant to recollect our school days.  Our tenure of three years (1990-93) with Br. Conrad as Principal and Br. Samuel as Head, was really memorable.  Br. Samuel was welcomed to St. Joseph’s along with us, and he was bidden farewell along with us :  as a result we became very close to him.

We came across many Brothers in those days, and their memories are still alive in our minds.  Br. Hector, then a teacher, was very strict and always encouraging in sports and games, especially the  “Yellow Group”.  His stick  ( £ÁUÀgÀ ¨ÉvÀÛ  )      was a terror in those days.

Br. Sebastian, though short in stature, had a marvellous way of making the class understand.  Once he wrote on our class board  “PÀÄAl¤UÉ JAlÄ §Ä¢Ý J¯Éè®Æè CªÀ£ÀzÉ ¸ÀĢݔ,  but the exact reason was unknown to many of us.  Duster and chalk were dangerous in his class.  Even today he makes it a point to meet us all during his visits to Bajpe.

No words are sufficient to describe Br. Almeida, as his tenure was the longest among all the Brothers.  He was an approachable and soft-spoken person.  His Hindi and Social classes were tremendous.  I still remember the punch if we didn’t write “Hindi copy”.  He was loving  -  but we knew when he was angry !

Br. Sabino had very few Math classes, but his beautiful handwriting and ability to write with both his hands were admirable.

Br. Conrad’s personality, walking style and Math classes were superb, but we dreaded the punch if we were sitting at the end of the bench.  He was very approachable :  he would solve any problem we gave him at any time.

Br. Samuel was probably the most unforgettable person in our high school journey, even though we were labelled a  “talkative” batch  (we still wonder why), and even though we had to write an imposition “I will not talk in the class”   500  times, he loved us a lot and after five years we had a get-together during his visit to Bajpe.

Unforgettable too was Br. Harrison.  He has left a delicious memory in our hearts.  His ways of approaching the students, his efforts to learn the local language, his music, are still cherished by all of us.  How could we forget the dance that we learned for our Sports Day.  The memory of his loving hug still remains in our minds.  We miss you a lot.  Rest in peace, Brother.

Many other Brothers have moulded us in our life’s journey with their teaching and encouragement  -  Br. Tom, Br. Bosco, Br. Charles, Br. Theo, Br. Murphy .. ..   We still remember the Sports Day, cultural competitions, which contributed to our growth and all teachers worked hard for our welfare.  Our school has left us with lots of memories.  St. Joseph’s along with the faculty has made us what we are today.

In short, we are glad to say that we passed our high school days happily and enjoyably.  We proudly say,  “High school is our Golden Life”.

Mrs. Lona Serrao
Alumna






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