This October 23rd 2011 our “Apna JNVB” is celebrating 25 years. We all are excited and enthusiastically waiting for the silver jubilee function. My stay in JNV Balehonnur consisted 7 beautiful years of my life and I cherish each and every moment of it. I laughed, cried, crumbled, stood up to situations, I learnt, I taught , I won, I lost, and most of all I lived my life with making great friends. The following is an incident of my life in navodaya. And I have tried to reply all those who ask what special with your navodaya??. It’s quite lengthy but I have made sure it will not bore you while reading.
Couple of years back,
It was a lousy Friday and I was perfectly prepared to go to birur for a two day off. I was waiting for the intercity train in Yeswanthpur railway station. Like never before I was 25 minutes early from the train timings. I was alone standing in a corner of the platform reading a weekly magazine. A guy walked towards me looking suspiciously and thinking as though he has seen me before. He was continuously staring at me scratching his cerebrum for something, which I too didn’t get. After some time finally he made his mind to come up to me and clarify his doubts.
He said “are you from JNV Ckm?” Happydent smile on my face “Yes am “.
He replied “am your junior “and started telling many of my batch mates names. The only worst part of it was even after so many names his lip movements didn’t suggest that he has got my name.
After around 10 to 12 names he asked my name saying I have forgot yours? When your junior comes up to you and start recognizing many of your classmates and not you? –This feeling can only be felt not expressed in words. After hearing my name he started thinking again and suddenly like Archimedes’s eureka he uttered “chicken pox patient”. That word brought back smiles on my face. I felt like an Indian cricket player ignored from a series then called back for the next one. After few minutes train arrived and we both departed.
History behind “Chicken pox patient”- Probably I guess just three or four days before my 2nd PU board exams should start, small kind of skin rashes started occurring on my body. Due to physics exams being the first my brain has already had rashes of Physics. This was an addition to that. Immediately I left JNV and went to CKM to seek a doctor with my family. After some treatment it was found chicken pox which had attacked me. With a wonderful treatment in ckm by Dr Chandrashekar, he inspired me like anything before. Came back to navodaya and reported with the nurse madam as it was a contagious disease. I was transferred to the guest house. I was isolated from everyone and made to live alone. Being together for seven years and at the crucial time living alone was quite disturbing. It was in front of my physics madam’s house. She was also worried as it was physics exam first. Only people I had around was physics madam (Mrs. Rekha Ashok), Ashok Sir and their two beautiful children alek and avinash. Even though I would have got food from the mess, she had informed the authorities that she will take care of my food intake. She used to cook and take care of me in between her hectic schedule. In between all these she used teach me physics and kept on motivating me to come out of this disease hangover and perform well. I was never ever motivated so well in my life than in those 20 days. Her sons used to be always with me playing and trying out different pranks. Ashok sir used to come and motivate me always to stay out of the embarrassment of having a disease during board exams. Only thing I remember doing was sleeping a lot and have couple of checkups daily. But the inspiration and great support from Rekha madam and Ashok sir made me courageous to perform well despite of all these things. They taught not only physics but lot more about life. She is the best teacher I have ever learnt from in my entire life. It will fall short if I express my gratitude towards them in just words. Like the quote below
“One can pay back the loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind”. I had never got 90+ marks in physics exams in my entire life but she made me to get that in my final exams.
As the days of exams passed my entire subject teachers came to me and clarified my doubts. Especially Uday nayak Sir, Madhusudhan Sir, vijaya madam, Chidanand Sir and the great Mahesh Sir. My maths sir mahesh was never affected by chicken pox, so he used to have an antibiotic to just come to me and teach. I am grateful to every one of them and will be in my entire life.
I don’t think in any of the high paid boarding schools or in country’s prestigious residential schools you have a treatment like this when you are down with a disease during your board exams.
One of the best government initiatives till date is to build Navodaya. It is a unique place and a tailored made one for one for students to spend their beautiful life. Thanks to Rajeev Gandhi for creating it.
I am determined to give back to my school what I have learnt in all the possible ways in the coming years.
“Navodaya” a word that brings joy and happiness to my life. Very happy and proud to be a part of it.
A year for my blog as it started in march 2010, this was the 13th post. Thank you all for your fabulous support and advices.
ramanujan ……….\raam/
Ramanujan's Blog 