According to Sri Aurobindo, August is the month of self-emancipation, self-awakening. Mother India had achieved her Independence in this month. August has written many illustrious lessons for the entire human race.
The DAV Public School, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar was established on August 4, 1989 and it began its historic journey with merely nine staff members and 100-odd students in a rented building at Sailashreevihar. After shifting to its own campus on February 7, 1993, it has never looked back and achieved many laurels within this short span. Escalating peaks after peaks, the school has set benchmarks and ideal platforms for the flaming minds of the generation next. Gradually, the institution has become the synonym of perennial successes and paramount achievements.
The school is presently housed in a five-acre silhouette land catering to the needs of more than 3,700 students and well triggered by a battery of 150 dedicated staff members. Evidently, in its course, under the mercy of the Almighty, the school is marching forward, leaving behind a scintillating trail of topnotch achievements in education, both in academic and co-academic spheres. As observed by the Kothari Commission, the destiny of a nation is being shaped up in its classrooms. The stakeholders of this school practise it religiously, as a result of which phenomenal achievements have been made in almost all aspects. We feel proud of all the highflier achievers who have raised the bar of perfection and protagonism. Needless to mention, this stupendous success is only possible through selfless determination and perseverance. The fragrance of the success has already spread to every petal of human appreciation.
The alumnus has been acclaimed worldwide and is keeping our flag aloft everywhere. Be it CBSE examination, be it NTSE, KVPY, be it Astronomy Olympiad, be it athletics, be it chess, be it national award to teachers or child prodigy or even be it philanthropic concerns, the DAVians of Chandrasekharpur everywhere become the cynosure of all eyes and talking talk of the congregation. Really, a Midas' touch everywhere!
The institution has been blessed with the gracious presence of a syndicate of luminaries. To name a few, legendary Biju Pattnaik, former President Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Nobel laureate Prof Gerard T Hoof, scientist Dr Raja Ramanna, Wg Cdr Rakesh Sharma, Padma Bhusan Prof Yash Pal, Padma Vibhusan Soli J Sorabjee, Padma Bhusan Dr Abid Hussain, Padma Vibhusan OP Mehra, physicist Prof HC Verma, Jnanpith Awardee Padma Bhusan Dr Sitakanta Mohapatra, eminent cardiologist Padma Bhusan Dr Ramakanta Panda, Dr Kiran Bedi, sprint queen PT Usha, freedom fighter laxmi Indira Panda, economist Prof Pravat Pattnaik, hockey star Padmashree Dillip Tirkey have ignited the inquisitive minds in the campus on various occasions and heightened their dreams to the Seventh-heaven layer. The fairytale achievements of the students speak volumes of their guts and gumptions.
They have made their own chambers of comfort and classes of their own. The genres of Soumyashant, Ashutosh, Subhankar, Amiya, Padmini, Suraj, Akankhya, Rudrakshya are unparallel and impeccable. They have set precedents and treads for the youngsters to emulate. A school is not only a place of learning, rather a preparatory ground for the future citizens. Nurturing and nourishing a pupil's inherent potentials is equally important with that of sharing him the path of less-travelled or yet-to-be-explored. It is pertinent that the present-day students are brighter than their predecessors. But that may not vouch our destiny unless and until they put their brains and brawns together to shoulder any responsibility assigned to them in different parapets of time. They have to be tested incessantly to prove their mettles. For them, success is a journey, not a destination
Nothing is permanent in this world except the word change. That means everything is changeable according to the crying need of the hour and dying pace of the time. The gamut of social change rearranges the structure of education. The changed version of education should be free and let others be free, live and let others live. It is to be built up on the strong foundation of cooperation and participatory learning where everybody would be active and the age-old human sufferings and vagaries would be passive. Here, education should be seen as a weapon of social revolution.
Acclaimed philosopher and educationist Rousseau once said, “A drop of ink can make a million think.” Grandhiji personified and corroborated the view as a handful of sheer determined people can alter the courses of history by rewriting it. Now, it is our turn to ponder over these two maxims. Each and every thought of ours should be action-oriented and every action should be utilitarian, that is, greatest good of the greatest numbers.
The role reversals of the teacher and taught take their own toll and are heavily demanding. The role of the teacher as a facilitator and the taught as an inventor also change the scenario drastically and dramatically. The expectations are bound to be hanging as the aspirations are banging overhead. The onus is to judge and evaluate oneself instead of passing the baton to others. Enlightening own self may not be as easy as to illuminate others. ,;
In fact, training is needed, but who will train the trainersIJ Who’ll bear the flag of the futureIJ The world is preparing for a big change, and we are certainly getting prepared to embrace and accommodate it. That is why the foundation day of an institution is a day of introspection -- taking stock of its ammunition, to renovate the armoury. let the Day be a Day of both jubilation and devotion. let noble thoughts come from every side to accomplish the mission. let the Silver Jubilee Celebrations usher in all goodness and brightness to all concerned.
(Dr Pati is a member of faculty of DAV Public School, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar)