This is from Principal’s desk. I am delighted that I am your Teacher, I am ecstatic for I spent more than three decades with my Students, and it started from New Alipore Multipurpose school in late seventies.
Meanwhile the entire World and many generations experienced a mammoth vicissitudes. Cold war era is over, and extreme terrorism is Globetrotting.
Bill Gates arrived with Software system, Steve Jobes came with ‘Apple’ and left us, cell phones have become one of the most essential parts of man’s physical body, rural Indians who are having no toilets carry cell phones essentially. India developed globalization, Nelson Mandela’s arrival in the World scenario, his victory, Joy and departure are witnessed. A great Nuclear Scientist’s arrival at Rastrapati Bhavan as peoples’ and pupils’ Teacher. He is APJ Abdul Kalam ‘Joy and woe are woven fine’ (William Shakespeare).
All on sudden I discovered that I have become the father surrogate to many of my young and over young colleagues. Serendipity made me one of the senior most Principals of the ICSE Schools of West Bengal and Kolkata. Once my poor-self was one of the junior most Teachers of the school and incidentally one of the most Heads of the School in early nineties.
During that long odyssey I began loving my children/students without immaculate and careful practice. My love for my children/students developed intrinsically, with downright spontaneity.
In the very inception of my career I did not even dream to be a Teacher, but now dream in my wildest dream that I am not a Teacher.
St. Joseph & Mary’s School nurtured me, cherished me along with my children/students to grow. I am still growing and I will be growing more and more with time’s race.
This process of development of the children and the school shall continue without me once and for ever.
I try with my children not to crave towards mere careerism but to make journey towards the innermost soul to discover himself and to discover the world for which only Homo sapiens arrived in our planet.
A sword of Damocles has been hanging for nuclear holocaust. Unintelligent competition of violence and hatred has already become a day today practice. Human race is tired and fatigued for various ailments already violence and hatred make human race wake human race weaker everyday as if Armageddon is knocking at the door.
But still our World society gets Malala Usufzai and many other warriors against violence and hatred. In every house of the World many Malalas shall be born, many Gandhis will arrive with innumerable Martin Luther Kings (Jr.) and Nelson Mandelas to cleanse the Augean Stables and to form a unique World society.
Mother Earth needs Man, and man only to focus real light of civilization like Prometheus.
‘You be the change you want to get’ (Mahatma Gandhi) I must not say like ‘the selfish Giant’ of Oscar Wilde “My own garden is my own garden”. But I must say my own Earth is my own Earth. Our own World is our own World.
St. Joseph & Mary’s School is for goodness. That goodness is tangible as it is in ‘Salvatore’ of somerset Maugham. For every kind of progress and success goodness is essential. And my children, my students are good with goodness of God. No man is a complete man without congenital goodness. But I beg to defer with Jean Jacque Rousseau. Man is never born free. He is born in chains and has been striving and struggling for freedom. And very many times wrongfully, but most of the time carefully with love and reason.
When darkness shall hang upon me and I will proceed towards my last breath I shall try utmost to say “My children, listen, listen forget not love is God and God is truth. Forget not the Earth is our Mother, to save Mother earth you must serve mankind, be proud of the human race and be proud of you.
