45) Once a Ryanite, Always a Ryanite!

Homecoming!

Woke up early in the morning, got dressed up, and just like the first day of school, Mumma clicked me. Sat on the scooty, adjusted the mirror, and just like objects in the mirror are closer than they appear, school memories in the heart are more profound than they appear! 

Reached the Vasudev Balwant Phadke Natyagruha, parked the scooty. Parents had already queued to enter. I called the concerned teacher, and she welcomed me with a smile. The scouts and guides performed their welcome salute, but what really felt welcoming was the pride in the eyes of the teacher heading them, Anila Ma’am, who was my class teacher in 4th standard. The ‘pride in her eyes’ to see me all suited as an alumni guest was one of the highlights!  

Anila Ma'am, my class teacher in 4th Std.

Then the council members welcomed us with a badge and accompanied us backstage. The green room, where I have met theatre actors after their performance, is where I was seated along with other guests. A second round of breakfast was offered with my favourite delicacies, but I wished this were in school, and I could have our canteen food! The food was brought by a maushi, who was in the school since my childhood. It was not happening in school, but those familiar faces again proved that it’s not the place, it’s always the people!

Principal Leena Verma Ma’am, accompanied us to the auditorium. Where seats were reserved for us, I occupied the ‘ALUMNI’ seat, and the program began. The curtains opened, the choir was ready to sing, the band was ready to play, and I absolutely loved the way all the hosts came forward one by one and said a line of a poem on the theme of the show; it was so visually appealing! I remembered the time I had hosted the graduation day, the most difficult task was to learn the names of the performers, but now there were many hosts, each with a brief part to host, which made sure their high energy, confidence, and less pressure.

The morning prayer brought back all the memories of the school assembly mornings; the words of the prayer still linger on the tongue. The prayer songs have changed. The best part was the muscle memory of hands, which still clapped on the ‘RYAN CLAP’. I clapped at every chance. It’s been years since I last clapped on that beat, but those beats make sure you remember as if it were all yesterday.

I was then facilitated with a beautiful potted plant, a painting, and a memento presented by Principal Ma’am. The best part was the digital display of information about me on the stage, back home, when I saw that my designation was ‘Author’, who is also a Computer Engineer and currently pursuing an MBA. I don’t know why, but I love that identity!

My Designation is 'Author'

Little kids owned the stage with their innocent performances. During performances, I was called on stage to share my journey. I went on to the stage, those lights on the stage make sure the audience is not visible, but as an audience member, I knew those lights show the speaker in light. I said ‘Good Morning’ and a breeze of nostalgia passed through the stage. From my first performance of performing poetry in school in class 1 to last month’s performance at Jaipur Literature Festival, a reel of all the memories was playing in front of my eyes. I ended by saying, “Thanks, thanks for everything”. 

The musical drama was a great addition to the list of performances; it really stole the show for me. Everyone acted so well! The sports dance was so energised and felt like ‘if a P.T. lecture was a dance party.’

School witnesses our milestones at every stage, from Montessori to 10th, but sometimes we are lucky to witness the school’s milestones, and I was lucky to witness Ryan International turn 50! It was a golden jubilee celebration. I still remember our school that is ‘St. Joseph’s High School, C.B.S.E, Panvel, was inaugurated in the presence of our batch; we saw the ribbon being cut and entered the new building, new classrooms, new benches, and new infrastructure. We saw it getting painted once after a couple of years. The first school of Ryan International was opened in Malad in 1976, and this year the institution completes five decades of ‘Excellence in Education and all-around development’. 

Sonal Pinto Madam addressed the audience with so much grace, and the mention of alumni in her speech was heart-warming. I mentioned in my speech that Sonal Madam had taken my interview during the personality pageant, and she later told me she remembered interviewing me, too! Leena Verma Madam and her entire team of teachers made sure the programme was beautiful in every aspect!

It was a pleasure meeting the fellow alumni guests, both were doctors, Dr. Harsh Kaur Bhullar and Dr. Jai Damle, both a year junior to me in school. But we had similar prayer songs at school, and now all the songs have changed, but the enthusiasm and energy are retained!

(L-R) Me, Dr. Jay Damle, and Dr. Harsh Kaur

The program ended with the school anthem, which was like a breeze of nostalgia on the outside and a storm of memories on the inside. The tune, the words, and the entire anthem, everything made sense altogether!

Looking forward to being a part of ‘100 years of Ryan International’ after 50 more successful years!

Happy Reading,
Siddhi Bhosale.