Did You Know Series (26): Contributors
to Indian Society on whom Commemorative Coins were never issued:
Mrs.
Draupadi Bai Gupta, the then Principal of Kashmiri Mohalla Girls Inter
College, Lucknow - from 1929 to 1967:
My
Grandmother – As I remember her:
At least three generations before Malala's time, my grandmother Mrs.O.P Gupta did a lot of work for Girl's
education, and the old residents of Chowk, Lucknow, still remember her
contribution with pride. She was a lady of redoubtable spirit far beyond
her times.
My
memories of her from over five decades ago (some random snippets):
- She
was a resident of Ferozepur in undivided India, and belonged to an influential/well
to do family of Punjab. She was fluent in Punjabi and she had stood First in
the Board High School Exams in the whole of the then undivided Punjab “beating
the boys hollow” (in terms of the marks differential).
My sister Raka has added: "The gramophone which she got from her father for standing first in high school is with me, along with some records of that era".
My sister Raka has added: "The gramophone which she got from her father for standing first in high school is with me, along with some records of that era".
-
There
was a College bus collecting and taking the girls to the School/College from
all over Lucknow. I remember that a thin wiry driver was at the wheel called
“Shaukat Ali” (I hope my memory has not failed me over the decades).
-
When
the bus would be passing through the streets of Lucknow, some instances were
reported of some boys passing on small chits to some girls riding on the bus
(perhaps, the equivalent of present day’s “Valentine’s Day” in those days)
through the iron grills on the bus windows. Promptly, she had the smallest of
grills placed on the windows and there were whispers among the college students
boarding the bus that not even a fly could pass through the grills now. The purpose being – no “scandals” in the
College, only focus being on education.
-
I also
remember that she was very strict with us as well & we felt that we were
her "college students". It is said that she had a heavy wooden chair
in the Principal's room and she used to go on her rounds of the class-rooms in
the morning and the chair would make a loud grating sound as she got up &
there used to be pin-drop silence as she went through her rounds. No one wanted to earn her displeasure!!
(Neither did we, her grandchildren).
-
I
remember that during summer holidays the whole “Gupta clan” used to gather at
some hill station or the other and my grandmother would make all her
grand-children sit in a row and we were made to drink a large “Punjabi-sized” glass
of milk every morning – the condition being that we could get up to go out to
play or get into a Dusseri mango eating session only when we had finished
the full glass of milk. But she was never tough on us or hit anyone who was delaying drinking
the milk. Her rules were– follow the
conditions set and you can go out and play, otherwise I can wait for hours for
you to finish your milk. (Later on in
life, I realised that this was her way of inculcating a spirit of
self-actualisation in all of us i.e. confronting all difficult situations head-on).
-
She
was also given to making us eat slices of bread with “malai” (cream) and sugar, something which I simply abhorred. But the rules were the same!! No wonder that I simply run away when
somebody offers me a glass of milk today.
- I remember my mother telling me, that she was disposed kindly towards poor girl students. She was quite upset when the girl students from influential families would come dressed in expensive, fashionable clothes, but the girls from poor families would not be able to keep up in “making a fashion statement”. My grandmother introduced a college dress to remove this anomaly. Off the record, she would even pay for the school dresses of some poor meritorious girls from her own pocket, notwithstanding the fact that she herself was drawing a meagre salary.
- I remember my mother telling me, that she was disposed kindly towards poor girl students. She was quite upset when the girl students from influential families would come dressed in expensive, fashionable clothes, but the girls from poor families would not be able to keep up in “making a fashion statement”. My grandmother introduced a college dress to remove this anomaly. Off the record, she would even pay for the school dresses of some poor meritorious girls from her own pocket, notwithstanding the fact that she herself was drawing a meagre salary.
-
I
remember that the College was predominantly an Institution for the education of
Kashmiri girl students, nevertheless there were numerous local Muslim, Hindu
and Christian girls studying under her umbrella as well, because she believed
in equal opportunity for any girl who wanted to educate herself. Later, in life, I have met several women who
had studied in her College – some housewives, others career women who felt
proud to have been educated during her tenure. It is said that she knew each
and every girl student by name and could instantly recognise them even after
several years had passed by. Such was her involvement in every girl’s
education/career.
-
The
teachers working with her were like a large extended family. I particularly
remember Mrs. Chandra Chowfin, a senior school teacher who had a personal
library of several classic books which she would give me for reading to build
up my interest in the Classics. Then, there was Mrs.Chatterjee, an Arts teacher, who would come on Sundays and holidays to teach us painting, sketching & drawing. She taught us how to paint sceneries and abstract art on old Long Playing records (LPs) and finger-nail art on chalk. Also, there was Mrs. Caesar who would always
send us a Christmas cake, even much after my grandmother had passed away, till at
Christmas, one year, the cake did not come. Upon enquiry we found out that Mrs.
Caesar had passed away. I have been remembering her every Christmas since
then.
-
Both “Nanaji”
(my grandfather) and “Naniji” (my
grandmother), whenever they addressed each other would begin the sentence with
“I say…” I was always inquisitive and asked my grandfather why they were
calling each other with this appellation. My grandmother was so
involved in her College work that even at home she would continue to do College
work, so much so, that she would get terribly late for any evening social functions
that the two of them were invited to. My grandfather would start pacing up and
down after getting dressed up and go on saying “I say, when are we going to
start, the function must be half-way through by now” to which she would reply “
I say, give me another half an hour & I will be ready”. So much for thinking/doing only College work
with a single minded focus. Social functions meant nothing to her over and
above the interests of her College.
-
Yet,
I remember, that once I accompanied the two of them for a programme where we
arrived over an hour and a half late, but we realised that the party had not
even started and everyone was waiting anxiously for my grandparents. The party only came to life when we reached
the venue. Such was her personal popularity that her mere presence in a
function was enough!!
-
Till
about a decade or so ago, whenever I used to go to Chowk, Lucknow and mentioned
my grandmother, even now, there would be some or the other lady who had studied
during my grandmother’s tenure in the school and I simply could’nt come back without being served a hearty meal/snacks
and hearing tales about how she had moulded the young girl students to face the
challenges of the World!!
-
No
work was “out of bounds” for her, be it a menial job or a white collared one.
She always maintained that we all have come for a very short while on planet
Earth. It is for us to use our hands and minds for doing whatever good work we
can in our lives.
History
of the College:
a) Before my grandmother
became the Principal of the College:
There was no system of
formal education for women because of the strict “purdah” (veiled) system being
followed by the Society then. Girls were given lessons in Hindi and Elementary
Arithmetic at home before their marriage.
In 1904,
Municipal Girl’s Inter College, Kashmiri Mohalla, Lucknow began functioning as
a Primary Vernacular School. It was started by Pandit Suraj Narain
Bahadur, judge and a few other Kashmiris, on the advice of Dr. Annie Besant for
educating their daughters and other Kashmiri girls of the neighbourhood.
At the time of
commencement of the School, there were only 15 girls enrolled on the College
rolls. Pandit Suraj Narain faced severe
opposition from all communities residing in the area, primarily because it was
felt that going out to school for education would mar the girl’s marriage
prospects.
In 1905, Miss
Birkett was engaged on a salary of Rs.25/- p.m. to teach English.
By October 1905,
the number of students rose from 29 to 39 and a middle section was started with
Miss Rae appointed as in charge.
In 1908, the school
having grown beyond expectations was handed over by its founders to the
Municipality of Lucknow.
In 1910, the
Education Committee of the Municipal Board passed a Resolution as under:
“That the Kashmiri Mohalla
Vernacular Middle Girl’s School shall be improved to an Anglo Vernacular middle
girl’s school by granting better salaries and a larger staff”.
“That a plot of land to
build a school on, be secured, for the purchase of which a grant be asked from
the Director of Public Instruction”.
On 23.12.1911, the
main school building consisting of eight large rooms, surrounded by verandahs
and large plots of lands, was opened by Lady Porter. The cost of the building
was Rs.15,829/-. The number of students increased to 90 and the staff now
comprised a Head Mistress and six teachers. Around this time the school was
duly recignised by the Education Department as a Middle school.
During this period Mrs.
Kamla Nehru also studied here.
In February 1915,
Miss Neff, an America trained Principal was appointed for the school and a
grant of Rs. 5000/- was awarded by the Government.
Indoor and outdoor
activities were organised for the girls.
In 1923, the Girl
Guide Movement was started in the school, and the school girls took part in the
“Purdah Day competition” organised at
the Municipal Educational Exhibition and they won 16 merit prizes.
In 1924, Miss Rosline
Engles joined the Institution as its Principal.
In 1925, Class IX
was started & closed in 1927.
b) During my Grandmother’s
tenure:
Some British & Indian Civil Servants met my grandmother at a social function which she was attending and learning about her educational qualifications from the host, invited her to join the Institution and to devote herself towards girl's education, as the present Principal Miss Engles had expressed a desire to leave the Institution.
Some British & Indian Civil Servants met my grandmother at a social function which she was attending and learning about her educational qualifications from the host, invited her to join the Institution and to devote herself towards girl's education, as the present Principal Miss Engles had expressed a desire to leave the Institution.
On 30.11.1929, my
grandmother Mrs. Draupadi Bai Gupta (also known as Mrs. O.P. Gupta – after my
Grandfather Dr. O.P. Gupta, who was a great Educationist in his own right),
joined the school as Maths teacher.
On 08.07.1930, Miss
Engles left the Institution and Mrs.Gupta took over charge as Principal of the
Institution. The school had only 149 students on its rolls during this time. Mrs. Gupta was a very dynamic lady and became the first Indian Principal of this
school.
She was a
very strict lady who worked with great zeal and dedication in a missionary
spirit to take the Institution to great heights. She maintained a very strict
discipline and “purdah” system within
the College Premises.
During
Mrs. Gupta’s tenure, the school progressed beyond expectations in all fields of
education under her able supervision.
Till 1931, the
school girls were transported/coming to school on “thelas” (carts) managed by women servants, but Mrs. Gupta prevailed
upon the Municipal Board to hire two school buses at an expense of Rs. 475/-
p.m. to transport the students to school and back. (An interesting innovation during her tenure was that Mrs. Gupta
introduced specially designed hand driven “thelas” (carts) which were covered
from all sides to bring the girls from far off places to the Institution).
On 11.03.1932, the
school purchased its own bus and during the same year several indoor and
outdoor games were started like volleyball, badminton etc. to inculcate a
culture of sports among the students.
The students excelled in
Girl Guide initiatives and Mrs. Moti Lal Nehru herself a Kashmiri, visited the
Institution based on its upcoming popularity on 14.12.1932 and spent a
full day interacting with the students.
In 1933, the Lady
Hailey Challenge shield was won by the Girl Guides of the School.
In 1935, one
student of the school figured in the merit list in the Anglo-Vernacular Middle
examination.
In 1936, music
classes were started.
In 1937, some girls
took part in U.P. Industrial Exhibition and four of them were awarded silver
medals. Also, in this year Class IX was restarted.
In 1938, the first
batch of 6 girls appeared for the High School examination with 100% results.
In 1940, based on
the Education standards of the Institution & the performance of the girls
the U.P Board granted recognition for High School for the school.
The
School results around this time were extremely encouraging, with the girl
students and teachers striving towards continuous improvement in raising the education
standards of the Institution.
In 1947,
Intermediate classes were started and the number of students on the rolls
increased to 406. A Governmental grant of Rs.9150/- only was received towards
setting up these classes and the College was henceforth called Kashmiri Mohalla
“Municipal Girls Inter College”. The remaining amount came through internal
resources.
In 1950, two of the
Intermediate students secured the highest number of marks in Urdu in the whole
of U.P.
In 1952, the College
won the first prize in three-legged race and second prize in Relay race in
Inter School sports. The College also won the third prize in essay competition.
In 1953, the
college became one of the centres for conducting High School examinations.
In 1956, science
was introduced in High School classes and in 1958 in Intermediate classes for
students opting for the medical group. A Science laboratory was also set up
during this year.
In 1959, a college
uniform, prayer and mass P.T. was introduced in the college.
The
College progressed in various fields of extra-curricular activities like games,
races, various literary & cultural and Art competitions, as well as St.
John Ambulance activities and College Results.
Mrs. O.P Gupta (second from left) with teachers and students with a Cup won by the Girls in an Inter-Collegiate activity.
Mrs. O.P Gupta (second from left) with teachers and students with a Cup won by the Girls in an Inter-Collegiate activity.
In 1966, the
College won the All India Raj Kumari Amrit Kumari Trophy in the All India
Competition held at Hyderabad.
On
01.03.1967, Mrs. O.P. Gupta retired from service. At this time the
College had on its rolls 1133 students and was receiving a college maintenance
grant of Rs.33,636/- together with a grant of Rs.15000/- for augmenting
the High School Science laboratory. Our
whole family, whoever could come attended this function. It was one of the most
moving Farewell functions that we have seen.
At the time of her
retirement, after serving the Institution for 37 years and 3 months, Mrs. Gupta
left the College as a premier girl’s institution of Lucknow. She brought great
laurels to this Institution during her tenure.
From a “purdah” system school of two three
subjects at the start of her tenure as a Principal to a modern Educational
Institute with students turned out in smart school uniforms – studying
different subjects in Arts and science disciplines under the supervision of
well qualified lady teachers and winning various shields and medals in several
competitions both at the state and national levels, she had stood as the
driving force behind it all!!
No wonder then, that the
unerring course that she had steered the Institution upon got the College in
1968 to receive an efficiency grant of Rs.1000/- for producing good results and
in 1969, the College received Rs.12000/- for producing the best results in
Science in the Lucknow region & set many more landmarks in later years.
My grandmother Mrs. O.P. Gupta, as she looked at the time of her Farewell function.
An image of the Farewell address presented to her at the time of her retirement.
The Farewell Address
presented to her by the Staff of the College (verbatim):
“Dear Mrs. Gupta.
To everything there is a
season and a time to every purpose under the heavens. There is a time to laugh
and a time to weep. There is a time to gain and a time to lose and the ancient
swift-flowing current of time moves ever on. It has brought us to the
cross-roads, where it is our turn to lose and part from you, bidding you a sad
farewell. We bow to the inevitable with sincerest good wishes for a happy
peaceful life, although far away from us.
We look back to those many
years we have been together. We differed, we quarrelled, we wept and shared
many burdens and responsibilities, yet we also made up, forgot and forgave, for
we could share many a triumph with you and smile together.
We shall long remember
with pride that as our principal you were always devoted to duty. To the cause
of education and this institution you gave thirty-eight years of devoted
service – never seeking escape or rest, never feeling tired – to the last hour.
You built this institution in the real sense, raising its number on rolls from
15 to 1133. It grew from a set of hutments into an imposing, well-furnished
school building. From its middle school beginnings it rose to be an Intermediate
College both in Arts and Sciences, which is no mean achievement.
Under the shadow of your
protecting arm we never felt afraid of being hit by the hail of communal
distinction. You set the seal of your grand spirit on the whole atmosphere of
the college. We lived together as Indians with dignity, equality and freedom,
irrespective of our faith and beliefs. We shall try our best to keep up the
tradition to cherish your memory for ever.
You laid the foundation of
this college on the solid rock of honesty and dutifulness whose super-structure
our inexperience and inefficiency shall not be able to shake for many years to
come.
Your instinctive sense of
judging people in the right perspective often made us marvel how issues come to
a natural solution as soon as they are laid before you.
You possessed that
self-control and dignity which graced the position of the head of this
institution – that patience with people and situations of all kinds which
reflected a high degree of culture and education. We never saw you swayed by
emotion or prejudice. We shall always admire you for never expecting from
anyone of us any kind of bribe or personal service which, taking advantage of
your position, you could have got for the asking.
Sometimes we felt
insulted, wept and bickered with you but the sympathy from a heart that bore no
malice was never slack to reach us in our gloomiest moods.
Your scolding the girls,
the gardener, the peons and the maid-servant to keep the college spotlessly
clean is an image which cannot fade away from our memory. It shall remind us of
you and only you who are clean in mind, in spirit and in person.
With our hearts too full
there are no words too few to express the grief and loneliness you are leaving
behind.
When the roses you planted
in our college, arbours droop in the noon-day heat, they will whisper to us
“You are gone”, but little they know you shall always be there in our hearts.
01 March 1967.”
A newspaper report in The
Pioneer, Lucknow dated March 3 (1967), (misprinted as 03 Feb. owing to a
printer’s devil). To top it all, I seem to have lost this newspaper cutting
somewhere):
“Girl’s College Principal Retires:
(datelined) Lucknow – The
staff and students of Municipal Intermediate Girl’s college, Kashmiri Mohalla,
lucknow, assembled here on March 01 at a farewell function which was organised
to honour their retiring Principal, Mrs. O.P. Gupta.
Mrs. Gupta had held the
post of Principal for 37 years during which time the institution had risen from
a low-grade middle-school to become an important Intermediate college. She had
contributed immensely toward the betterment of the college and her intiring
vigilance and dedicated interest had earned many laurels for the institution.
The college had distinguished itself by winning prizes in multiple
extra-curricular activities at the State ans All-India levels which Mrs. Gupta
had taken a personal interest in and by maintaining a high standard of
education she had contributed toward some of the most encouraging results in
many examinations.
The staff and students
expressed their sorrow at her departure from office and amidst garlands and
regrets they thanked her for the achievements which she had initiated for the
college.”
A staunch Arya Samaji she believed in doing "karm" (work/labour) all her life and refused to have a bust/statue installed at the College in her memory.
Nevertheless, my uncle (Late) Col. V.K. Gupta, set up two scholarships in her name after she had passed away - one for the best student of the Year and the other for a poor meritorious student.
The College Building as it looked at the time of Mrs. O.P. Gupta's retirement.
(My grandmother, Mrs.O.P.Gupta passed away at Meerut on 17.05.1979, in her sleep. It was as if she had chosen to slip away quietly in the knowledge that her work on planet Earth was complete).
Posted on 10.04.2022:
This is the story of evolution of Kashmiri Mohalla Girls Inter College, Chowk, Lucknow, where my grandmother was the Principal of the College for around 38 years.
The story has been compiled and presented by Ms. Sameena Khan, an old student of the College, who has painstakingly researched and interviewed several students and well-wishers of the College.
The story as presented by Ms. Sameena Khan (on You Tube)
A newspaper report carried in a Lucknow daily on the comprehensive research done by Ms. Sameena Khan in compiling this information.
A newspaper report carried on 17.04.2022 in a Lucknow daily Navjivan India excerpted from Ms. Sameena Khan's documentary on the College.
Vineeta Jain has commented:
ReplyDelete"Kudos to you Rajeev for putting this piece together....a lot of hard work n research must have gone into it. Its admirable the way you n Sumita get to the bottom of whatever you have put your hands on!! Indefatigable spirit!! Loved going thru the post!"
Thanks, Vineeta. Your comments are as encouraging as ever.
DeleteRavi Agarwala has commented:
ReplyDelete"good job Rajeev".
Thanks, Ravi. Glad you liked it.
DeleteRashmee Roshan Lall has commented:
ReplyDelete"This is such a good account, it made me laugh and feel a bit teary and so very proud of nani ji. Thank you".
Thank you Rashmee. Glad you liked this post.
DeleteRaka Prasad has shared:
ReplyDelete"I remember Mummy telling me that Nanijee used to even go house to house to collect the girls assuring the parents that she will be with them and that they would be safe with her."
Raka Prasad has further shared:
ReplyDelete"Also she would get a cloth put round the rickshaw as purdah".
Thank you Raka for sharing these two important tit-bits which I had missed.
DeleteDipak Mukherjee has commented:
ReplyDelete"Great lineage. We see the glimpse all the time. A very similar person we had good fortune to meet, your father."
Thank you Dipuda. Really value you comment.
DeleteI appreciate and understand the passion that has gone into writing this post.. I seriously wonder how you have accumulated so many details of more than 75 yrs ago.. truly wonderful...quite an ode to a great person!
ReplyDeleteThe post title is interesting.. i really thought this would be of some unaccepted designs/suggestions by the Indian Mint..
I have now browsed through all your 150 plus posts... and still 'ye dil maange more'... I'm sure to follow this blog.. and intend to write to you with some blog thoughts of my own.. definitely would consider myself honoured to find some mention in this blogroll...
Cheers
Rahul
http://indianimagery.blogspot.com
Thank you for visiting, Rahul. Really appreciate. Have visited your blog as well. Tried to leave a comment on the "Golkonda by night" imagery (I think, you have posted it sometime in 2005), but the comment did not register due to some bug. Have loved your blog posts too.
DeleteThanks Rajeev.. I had not been actively maintaining my photoblog for the past few years.. and the 'cool' customizations that I had implemented to the template for quick commenting seem to have been rendered ineffective by blogger now. I have switched to one of the standard dynamic templates now.. let's see.. commenting should work as usual.. though I realise older posts do not have the associated pictures now :-( will take some time for me to figure this out..
DeleteHowever, thanks for pointing out... I never realized that I did not recieve a single comment the past few years due to this issue :-)
Will visit again at leisure & see if I can re-post the comment. Meanwhile, I have communicated to you through Google+
DeleteVikram Bhatnagar has commented:
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with the Sumita's assessment that you have written a "somewhat disjointed piece" ! The lady and her work deserve better research and, perhaps a visit to the school and interaction with old peons/ staff would help gather anecdotes to add to the write up. All the best, we shall look forward to further delightful info on the great lady!
You surely jest Vikram. This is the best that we have come up with after two years of interaction with the old staff and research and the like, Vikram. Perhaps some old student/teacher could contribute some interesting titbits. We have put up this post in the hope that some of Naniji's old students/teachers would also contribute some interesting information.
DeleteVikram Bhatnagar has commented:
Delete"No it was not in jest, please pardon me if I appeared so. I greatly respect dear Naniji's contributions. If you people have been researching and expect old timers to come up and contribute I wish and pray that material information reaches you at the earliest."
Well in my opinion, it is better to have written something about her and the College, than not having written anything at all, i.e. to say even if more material information does not reach us from any source at all is not forthcoming. In my opinion the article on her is complete in every respect as it is.
DeleteKrishnayya Ramadana has commented:
ReplyDelete"You have a very distinguished grandmother Rajeev....."
Thank you Krishnayya. Really appreciate.
DeleteRaj K Singh has commented:
ReplyDelete"Remarkable lady... an inspiring tale."
Thank you so much, Raj. She was quite an inspiration to young girls at a time, when careers for girls were frowned upon.
DeleteArchana Bhatia has commented:
ReplyDelete"Absolutely amazing!"
Thank you so much ,Archana. She was a great inspiration for all of us.
DeleteArchana Bhatia has further commented:
Delete"My grand bua was pricipal of government college for women Jallandar, my grandmother was a freedom fighter and was always going to jail, and for relief work when earthquakes and disasters happened, all in her khaddar sari. We may not have known them very well, but yes, they inspire us."
Great to know about your grand bua. These ladies were full of determination and visionary inspiration for achieving their objectives, least of all the education of girls and making them self-sufficient in contributing effectively to building the nation. I would say, they were born far ahead of their times.
DeleteIt’s really great information for becoming a better Blogger. Keep sharing, Thanks. For more details to visit top college for iit coaching in hyderabad
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ReplyDeleteMy grandmother (she expired in 2011 after raising 4 generation of grandkids) as well as all my aunts studied there. My grandmother in her last days, suffering from amnesia, used to recite Merry Britannia (I suppose they had to sing it during the assembly in the 20s) when alone. Thanks for the detailed write up. Really appreciate the hard work in this post.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting the blog and for sharing the information about ladies from your family having studied in the College. I still remember that whenever I used to visit the Chowk area along with my friends, when I was studying in the Lucknow University in the 1970s, several of my friend's mothers/grandmothers would not let me come away without a sumptuous meal, as soon as they learnt that my grandmother was the Principal of their College, when they were studying there. I still remember those days with a lot of fondness. I was not aware of the "Merry Britannia" singing in the Assembly. Thank you for sharing it.
DeleteAwesome article, I am a big fan of this website, keep on posting that great content, and I'll be a regular visitor for a long time...looking for the next one....keep it up! Rosemary companion plants
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting the blog & your appreciative comment.
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Comments posted on or after 10.04.2022:
ReplyDeleteSantosh Khanna has commented:
"Super".
Thank you, Khanna sahab.
DeleteRajat Gupta has commented:
ReplyDelete"Did Raka Aunty also study there?"
No she didn't, Rajat. We did go to the school as VIP visitors several times.
DeleteSatyajit Pratap has commented:
ReplyDelete"Wowee .... Your grandmother (peternal or maternal), principal of a college for 38 years, is awsum .You come from a family of intellectuals."
Thanks, Satyajit. She was my maternal grandmother. She was a great educationist. In undivided Punjab, she had stood third in the Board High School Exam in the combined list of students. I had written this post on her in 2015 on my blog, which was quite popular.
DeleteSatyajit Pratap has further commented:
ReplyDeleteThanks. Absolutely delightful ... How well you write, how heartfully you sew up the anecdotes , how softly you share the discipline mantra of a Naneee."
Satyajit Pratap has added:
Delete"Loved it ...is this still a collection item in your family " .... My sister Raka has added: "The gramophone which she got from her father for standing first in high school is with me, along with some records of that era".
Thanks, Satyajit for the beautiful comment. Yes. This gramophone is still with us.
DeleteSatyajit Pratap has further commented:
ReplyDelete"Forgot to mention about the classic farewell message , truthful and from their heart . No hypocricy , differences acknowledged but commonalities and strengths empahisised .
How poor morally we have turned now , where any adverse comment is considered as a revolt and is desired to be condemned."
Not really, Satyajit. It took me some time to compile this marathon post. You have done justice to it by visiting it and leaving wonderful comments.
DeleteAnil Johari has commented:
Delete"Satyajit Pratap Coudn't be more true. Politics has never sunk so low and personal! Worse, as a result the political affinities have gone under the skin of the Parties' supporters and rendered them abusive & violent. The good old healthy debates, for which skill some of us won prizes in our Schools/Colleges, are a dying genre."
Rajan Trikha has commented:
ReplyDelete"Very impressive and Gr8 Memories 👍"
Thank you, 💕Trikha sahab.
DeleteVimal Dikshit has commented:
ReplyDelete"Great 👏👏"
Thanks, Vimal.
DeleteRam Prakash Gupta has commented:
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