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I just read Sir Mark Tully’s “Will India heed the wake-up call? and cannot help sharing his skepticism as to whether politicians will stop interfering in creating institutions for security and intelligence. I am hoping that public interest groups will issue a clarion call to action. An action where ideological differences are put to the side and these groups collaborate to relentlessly drive politicians and public servants in taking concrete, measurable steps for a safer Mumbai. And while there are a number of Facebook groups on the Mumbai terror events, we also need local action that can be backed up…

In St. Stanislaus High School, then as perhaps now, there were boys from all communities and we were peaceful. Typical competitive behavior was but natural as in any other school. The typical school day began with the prayer in the shed (as we called it then – the space between the stationary and the Donnelly ground) and recess found most boys playing or in groups. Sports day and other events found the boys enjoying together as we did the picnics. As the years went by, we grew into adults, some of us grandfathers, the scene has radically changed. Communities seem…

Thinking about the most important period of my life, from the age of five to eighteen, brings on a tsunami wave of nostalgia that simply overwhelms me. Sure, this was the period that those who lived with parents at home may have gained values that guided their lives until now. But we did not live with our parents in the boarding, we lived with hundreds of other boarders and the Jesuit priests. During the vacations when I went home to my widowed mother, she filled me in with details about my father and other family members. My exposure to family…

Who we remember from our childhood and who we forget is probably not a matter of choice. Those we yet remember may have struck us at that time as unusual people from a child’s point of view. Well here are some I yet remember. One was Prem who was in charge of keeping the toilets clean. Believe me ( I know you do) the general toilets needed constant cleaning, and I remember Prem going about his daily work with a smile on his face. I just could not figure out how anyone with this kind of task could smile. Another…

When I was little (six or seven maybe), the architecture and enormous structure of St. Peter’s Church held me in permanent awe. That awe included a kind of fear it generated, as if you were in the presence of a giant. Its interiors were even more awe inspiring, with its grand tall stained glass windows and mezzanine floor. With its very high ceiling, tall doors, and sombre silence, this church made you humble. As a little boy, my curiosity knew no bounds. After all I was going to spent a major portion of my life here, so I might as…

Believe me Tyrone your grandfather was a great man. You know why I say that. Because he was humble, very humble. If as an orphaned boarder I was given the option, I would have chosen him as my father. Everyone will have a different view on the same event or personality. All I can say that I was privileged to assist him in his annual task of making the crib. As a matter of fact it was this kind of inspiration that spurred me on in the belief that creativity matters. That attitude gave me my career eventually. And I…

Mea Culpa (maxima)! Yes, I confess. Hey what could I (we) do, we always seemed to be hungry. With little or no pocket money, buying extras from Bro Pinerio (a great artist) was out of the question. So was buying during school from Master Gregory’s canteen. He and his son Nobert were on the look out for flickers.(But yet we managed to add a hand to a boy in the front, while Master Gregory looked on in amazement at this boy with three hands. One hand steadied himself. One hand held out his coins. And the third hand helped itself…

Many a time during my long residence at the St. Stanislaus High School Boarding, I just wished I could get away for good. From a small 5 year old among 250 boys (many were rowdy), to a rebellious teenager is one long road, especially with the hard knocks. But on that very last day when it was just a matter of taking my trunk and bedroll, and going on my way, I held back. Yes I thought I was going to miss this place which occupied a decade and more of my life. This was the place where I was…

Continuing on what I learned about school operations on my vacation to Mumbai. St Stanislaus is a government aided school, which means the government pays the salaries of teachers (I guess number of of teachers are arrived at based on some Teacher : Student ratio). The school is also given a grant (called a non-salaried grant) that is approx 6-9% of the salary grant aimed to support expenses related to infrastructure or other activities that the school finds appropriate. These funds tend not to reach the school in time and the school has to resort to alternative means until these…

If the SSESA exists to prod and egg the school on, then what are the school’s goals? I am trying to understand where the SSESA should be ‘helping’ the school. What are the areas that it has prioritized? A couple of months ago I posed the question to the head of the Bombay Province of the Jesuit Education Organisation — fellow Stanislite (1961) Fr Francis de Melo (who also happens to be an IIT B alumnus). In a private mail exchange, he shared with me 3 key objectives <quote> 1. High quality education.This means getting away from the present ways:…