Life is strange, we meet and we part and we meet again –

“To meet and part is the way of life
 To part and meet is the hope of life”

  I left the school to go out in the wide-wide world, surge ahead and conquer the challenges. And we meet once again. Going down the memory lane, the period 1992- 2006 has been the most eventful phase of my life. From being a toddler and complaining at the slightest excuse to responsible aspiring youth, I have come a long way. Since I had left the safe cocoon of my Alma Mater to face the harsh world, the values of optimism, perseverance learnt at GRS guided me throughout and helped me attain fresh glory in all spheres. I went for the NDA test-2006-2007 and finished with 52^nd  rank all over India for the Indian Air Force. I owe it wholeheartedly to my dear school.

      Lastly, I will not belittle all my teachers by saying thank you for they laid the foundation of my life and prepared me to face every challenge or tempest. GRS will always remain in my heart as an epitome of integrity and a home away from home. I hope that the GRS family continues to keep alive its high spirits while I and all other GRSites move onwards to greater discoveries.

Sanchit Agarwal ranked 52nd   All India in the NDA test-2006-2007 for the Indian Air Force. He insists that he owes it wholeheartedly to his “dear” school.

Even a 1000 mile long journey starts with a single step, and my quest for understanding the world and expressing my inner self started here at General Raj’s School. While one never stops to learn, the first few rickety steps are the ones that set u rolling. From the very first days of school to the class XII Farewell, there was a sense of noble pride, an infallible sense of morality, and a voracious appetite for learning that was instilled, nourished and groomed. I had inclination towards the dramatic arts and writing and that was discovered and encouraged at an early stage and today as I enter the knowledge driven world of Visual Effects. I know I can make it, for I got the finest start I could ask for.

I never went to any college, not a real college any ways. It’s not that I did not obtain the necessary education needed to work, but it was a virtual campus and my second degree was a distance learning program. I was always working and believe me working and paying for university isn’t always easy. In the real sense of an educational campus all I had to rely on was my school.

As long as I could remember I wanted to be an Air Force pilot, and when I was medically boarded out I was heartbroken. I started working and never looked back. Nine years later when I look back at a work experience consisting of different organizations in assignments across the world from the US to Hong Kong, I truly believe what kept me going and equipped me with the skills and confidence to report to and then lead ivy educated professionals is what I learned at school.

Small lessons in discipline, public speaking and people skills learnt at school went a long long way in my professional life. It is truly cool to be at school – my school!

Its often said that a one's personality is shaped in the early years of one's life; and may be I haven’t grown too many wisdom years since my school days, because I see so much of me today is the same as it used to be way back in school.: Having spent 12 formative years of my life in GRS and No I did not flunk any year, I have some of my fondest memories from then.The two most important things that I have carried from GRS and have become a part of my life are discipline and sense of competition. I can confess today, that though I was conformist all along; I always hated the extreme discipline that prevailed in our school. Its been over a decade since I graduated out of school and its now that I have realize the true value of having lead my foundation years in such a strict and conforming environment. I realise that it was a preparation ground to face the real world. The corporate world which I am almost an inseparable part of today can get very competitive and even ruthless at times. I have had my share of swamps from it too but what really helped me survive the grind were the strong foundation and habituation for discipline and a great sense of competitive spirit which was instilled in me during my years at GRS. 

Shaaista is presently a Consultant – Macro Talent Development and Competency Building, Hewitt Associates India

I would like to take the opportunity of relaying to you the significance of the values that have been imbibed from our life during the school years. Our teachers always insisted on us to try and achieve our best, and it is this urge that has been of immense help to me in my career. It inspires me never to rest on my past laurels and to constantly pursue better goals.

Of immense help was the Moral Education, and the Laws that we had in our diary. I believe that they have been instrumental in laying the core foundation of our corporate behavior. I still have the school diary with me, and go through these laws occasionally. The neighourhood environment of the school had been very conducive to forming close bonds with our classmates, and I still keep in touch with a lot of people, though we've moved onto different places.

Years at G.R.S.
The fact that I joined GRS was quite accidental. My family had recently moved back from Nigeria, and after spending a year in Bangalore, we were moved in Delhi. We ended up living in Green Park which led me to joining GRS -- one of the schools in the neighbourhood, and a place where I spent some of my most memorable times as a kid. I remember that just one year into the school, I received admission from one of Delhi's leading schools, but my affinity for GRS had become so strong that I refused to go, somewhat to the surprise of my parents.

For me, the greatest learning out of GRS was the value of friendship, something to this day I hold dear. Among other things, I also discovered that I did have a sense of humour (!), and the ability to be confident in public forums. I still remember almost all my teachers, right from the ones who taught me how to speak/read/write Hindi (I had no idea when I first came to Delhi) to those who made me sit through the dreaded art class (I was pathetic at any form of drawing/craftwork). I think the ability to relate to and deal with different kinds of people is something that I developed at GRS, and that has helped me to succeed in social and professional contexts throughout my life.

My Years At G.R.S.
It is nearly impossible to jot down the most important years (1974-1988) of ones life in a paragraph, however it’s with both pride and nostalgia that I sit to write about my association with GRS. There is no doubt that schools help in carving out both temperament and personality of a person, but a school which adds values and virtues which make an individual socially more viable and productive is a cut above, like GRS has been in my life. Three most important building blocks of my life “Discipline”, “Value of work” and “Self confidence” are values I directly attribute to my school. General Rajrathanam our chairman had a profound effect on my life and so much on other students too. Strict disciplinarian as he was, he was a perfectionist too. Seeking hard to make all of us perfectionists too. General’s words still echo in my ears “Chaps if you do a thing, you better do it properly otherwise don’t do it”, how perfect and wise.

Those endless marching drills till our arms and feet synchronized, running around the field as punishment for doing something wrong at the same time suitably being rewarded for doing good, dreading getting those yellow cards, filling up the self assessment sheet in front of the diary everyday sometimes not even reading what we have ticked, practicing sports as religion and trying to compete even if not perfect, those annual day’s and practices, those house competitions and our getting emotional about our houses. All these events come as a flash to me and have had a long lasting impact in disciplining my life and making me ready for any eventuality. Discipline, a value, which I’m pained to see, getting eroded in the Gen X.

We used to spend more time outside the classes than inside the classes, co-curricular activities were encouraged to the hilt. I may not be wrong in stating that GRS never aimed at producing a long line of scholars with above 95^th percentile but always strived to give this society a true all-rounder. I think till the time I know of GRS, it has given more assets to society than liabilities. I’m proud to be a part of that heritage. I hope the school will continue to do the good work it’s been doing for such a long time. I wish my school all the very best in future.

Dr. Amit Gupta,

Assistant Professor of Surgery,

J.P.N. Apex Trauma Center,

All India Institute of Medical Sciences,

New Delhi – 110029

amitguptaaiims@gmail.com

My earliest memories start with General Rajs School. This is probably the first place I discovered as a toddler outside home and went on to make  an almost second home for maximum years of my life till date. General Rajs infact can be called my starting point. Every value imbibed, every skill mastered, every thought formed, by me can be traced back to school. It was school that gave me the platform to bring out hidden talents and the opportunities to hone my abilities.

To this day come rushing back to my mind, the laws of the Code of Morality when in doubt, the excitement of Sports Days, the frenzy of terminal papers.

I will remain forever indebted to my school for teaching me the valuable lessons that have and forever will hold me in good stead.

Sweet memories make everyone nostalgic and when I think of school the same happens with me. Gone are those carefree days when there was no worry regarding the future. All we knew was that clear the annual exams and get promoted to the next class…new teachers, new books, new notebooks, new chapters…all awaiting us. After spending fourteen long yet short years in General Raj’s School, I still feel it was just yesterday when I began my schooling as a tiny tot-a bit afraid, hesitant, unaware of what the world is about, not even knowing that one needs to study a lot even after finishing school. No morning assembly, no daily checksheet, no uniform checking, no scolding for long & painted nails, no homework collection, no drama festival, no sports day, the hustle bustle of the recess…Ohhhh!!! I miss each and every moment spent in school. School is the temple of knowledge. It’s a place I learnt my ABC, a place I made wonderful friends, a place I came to know the importance of discipline , what role do teachers have, how important it is to follow rules in life…a place I realized the value of values. I still remember teachers coaxing us to take part in various competitions. Had it not been for their support, guidance and persuasion it might have been possible I would still be dealing with the stage fright. Time to time teachers shared with us their valuable experiences and guided us with their valuable words of wisdom. I would like to express my sincere thanks to General Sir, Principal Ma’am, Rajat Sir and all my teachers for their immense support and guidance. It feels very good when we come to know about all the wonderful changes occurring in school. Honestly, a bit of envy also accompanies this happiness thinking of why we didn’t have those opportunities. Well, timely changes are for everyone’s benefit. I wish my ALMA MATER all the very best for future. May it always rise towards GREATER DISCOVERIES… Best wishes Ojasvi Prasad

During the most formative years of my life at General Raj’s School, I realized that it was not merely an educational institution for me but a second family. Every member of this family gave me and still does, unlimited inspiration and strength to face challenges and win over them. This school has taught me, to believe in myself, be determined, face challenges with conviction, excel the opportunities and even if I fail, never say die.

I still remember the endless labour of my teachers, the effort and hard work they used to put in to develop and nurture our mind and personality. The development that I got in GRS was truly holistic in every sense. The GRS family has really been the biggest supporter in my journey from a struggler to an achiever.

I thank my school for laying a strong foundation and helping all my colleagues and me build an empire of success.

Though I have stepped out of this school, I’ll always carry with me memories of the lovely family and wonderful relationships that have found a permanent place in my heart.

I hope and am quite sure that GRS will scale new heights, forming the same source of inspiration for its students, like it has always done and help them to make a difference in the society we live in.

For me, the word “school” conjures up the most vivid memories...…a librarian who always welcomed us with a smile , loved books and made personalised bookmarks with little messages, slipping them into the books we borrowed. It  worked! ...we fell headlong in love with reading!