Me & Myself

 Having covered 5 episodes in this blog of mine, it's time now that I tell u some things about my self. 

Today I'm gonna give a brief of my school life and how some instances and periods helped me shape out to the individual that I have become.

As mentioned in the First episode, I am Dr (Mrs ) Amita Bahl. 

I am 68 years old. 

I am the daughter of (Late) Col Chetan Anand and Mrs Vimla Anand. 

I'm the middle one amongst their three children. Had an older n a younger brother. 

Both have found their place amongst the Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐up above. 

 

(1971)

Being daughter of an Army officer, moved from one station to another as n where father was posted. Consequently we kids changed schools when ever father had to shift stations. 

My earliest memories of my childhood were/are of a station called Dehu Road 25_ 30 kms from Pune (then called Poona) , on the Poona Bombay highway. 

It was an out n out Army cantonment and we kids grew up studying in a school called "Wilson School'. An English medium school run by Protestant Fathers. I have the bestest of memories of this school. Spent Six years here, wef Class 3 _ class 8.

The bestest of friend's, the basics of my schooling, the grounding as a good disciplined student _All this and so much more I got from this school. 

When I look back and reflect, what I am today, I guess more than 50% I learnt from this six years stint in this school. 

Our Principal " Father Velerian D'Souza" and Vice Principal "Father Gomes" played a very impressionable role on my character building. They used to coach & coax us students and help fine tune our personalities in more ways beyond the school 's ambit of responsibilities, and I'm, proud to say that I was, a, Topper/ 2nd topper of my class all those years at 'Wilson School'. 

My next n best competitor was none other than my best friend Miss Vijaylaxmi Menon (popularly called as Viju) . 

 

(Amita & Viju 1967)

 

                                                   ( Met After 55 Years in - 2022)

Both of us never let our competitive positions in class come in the way of our Love an affection for each other. 

Here besides academics I found myself interested in Music, Dramatics , Debates and Speeches. 

My father at home, and both the Principal & Vice Principal took keen interest and heaped me chisel my oratory skills. 

I was always the Lead role player in the main School. dramas and my mother helped me hone in on Instrumental music at home( Harmonium & Tabla) There is so much I can write about those wonderful Six years at Dehu. 

Grooming and student life at Dehu inculcated a balance of Studies, how to maintain friendship, and also learnt how to manage extracurricular activities along with Studies. 

Confidence, Comradeship, Care & Concern, Love, Sharing, Discipline, Obedience and so many more qualities slowly got imbibed into me there!!! 

With a Heavy heart we had to move in 1969 to Jabalpore ( father was under posting once again) 

A much bigger town, a very huge school, and multiple hundreds of students. I was kind of dwarfed in this huge and humongous school environment . It was the "St Joseph's Convent"

I picked up. A Huge huge Inferiority complex, and could not cope with my self and found it difficult to survive. I cried and cried and asked my parents to send me back to the small quaint, affectionate town with an all inviting an over welcoming small and beautiful school. Parents were shocked, took appointment with the Principal "Sr Raphael"

Very patiently she heard my concern, out. I was then made a protege to "Mrs June Fernandez'" Our Class 9 _Class Teacher . She used to take our English classes also. 

Slowly, & very patiently , Ma'am worked on my psyche, and within 3/4 months I overcame the scare, the jitters, the insecurities, the awkwardness and soon after four/ five months when I stood first in class, I was back on my fast track, back on the fast pedal

Thanks to Mrs June Fernandez who held my hand n coached n coaxed me through my weak moments. St Joseph's Convent Jabalpure taught me that Hardwork, trust and faith in one self & perseverance was the way forward. I learnt to overcome my fear and insecurities, and my Matriculation board results showed that I had distinctions in three subjects and did my school proud. 

(Neelam Bhalla - Best Friend In Jabalpur still in touch with eachother)

Once again we had to shift to Bhopal. My class Eleven ( those days there were no twelfth class) was in St Joseph's Convent again. 

   (1971 - Bhopal - in school )

Again a round of new friends, readjustments, realignment into newer friendships. But this time I was better prepared. 

We were a bunch of Five friends who always stuck out together. All were almost within fist ten ranks in the class. I would falter if I did not mention their named

 They were: Jyoti Merchant, Jyotsna, Afshan zahir, Mala Upadhya n self. Only Jyoti chose not to become a Doctor, the rest of us all joined Med school. 

Unfortunately we lost Mala to the universe soon after she joined Med school. Still remember the cute smile and twinkling eyes, that always attracted her to everyone!! 

Afshan, soon after left our gang and joined another Med school. 

(Still trying hopefully to locate her) 

The rest of us are in off & on touch with each other and it's a delight to speak, talk, interact with school friends(thanks to Facebook & What's app) . 

I rest my story here regarding my few experiences whilst at school. 

Rest u all wonder if it's going to be my Autobiography. 

Friends this, I wanted you to know. 

We are what we are, not because one single person carved us that way. 

We humans come into this world, we are hand held and mind helped initially by parents, siblings & by the inner circle of our relatives. 

Once we saunter out into schools, we have more people around us. They help us to grow mentally socially by constant interactions and we learn to pick up certain habits (could be good/ bad or ugly). So we should be cognisant of these facts. We pick up friends, spend time together. Good friends and healthy associations help us in making n marking up our personalities .. 

 I rest my School story here, with a promise to getting on on my self after another round of FIVE more episodes. 

There I'm going to get back to Discussing more about Relationships, what they mean to us n How at times we Make or Mar our relationships with others ( many a times) by our own stupidities and not being able to handle oneself Holistically!!! 

So that u do not get too bored, I'm gonna STOP Now. 

But do wait for me... 

For

I' ll soon be back ....