ANNUAL DAY CELEBRATIONS 2014-15

Good evening and humble salutations to a distinguished audience present here.

Very honourable Chief Guest Mr Kamal Kishore Yadav, IAS , the Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar, Your Excellency  Most Rev Dr Franko Mulakkal , the Bishop of Jalandhar and the Patron of our school , Rev Fr Xavier , the Director of our school, Rev Fr Thomas Kolenchery , the school Principal , priests and nuns of various congregations, very loving parents, our ex students, our respected teachers, our  worthy supporting staff and my dear participants, it gives me immeasurable joy and pride to welcome each one of you wholeheartedly on behalf of the entire school management.

We have a great gathering on this remarkable evening. The entire St Joseph’s family and the dignitaries have come together for one cause and the fulfilment of one purpose, that is, our annual day celebrations CYNOSURE 2014. Today , we Josephites are at your disposal, we’ve made every effort and prepared a series of events to portray our talents in all the spheres.

We are indeed privileged to have the DC of Jalandhar presiding over this auspicious occasion. I would like to draw your attention to the achievements and contributions of Mr Kamal Kishore Yadav. Born on 24^th  September, 1978, he hails from Rajasthan and has done his masters in English. He is an officer of IAS 2003 Cadre. He has served as the Deputy Commissioner of Ferozepur and Bathinda districts . He took the charge as the DC of Jalandhar on 3^rd June 2014 and is continuing till date. Mr K K Yadav  has been known as an illustrious and down to earth personality. Sir, I extend to you my heartiest welcome and bow before you at your very presence. I call upon Harmeet  Singh and Donny Muldoon , our national level players, both hailing from 12^th standard, to present him with a bunch of fresh flowers.

The audience joins me in giving you a rapturous welcome. Sir, we are delighted to have you with us today.

Bishop of Jalandhar , Your Excellency Most Rev Dr Franko Mulakkal has blessed us all with his gracious presence. Being a true educator ,an enlightening person and an epitome of simplicity, our Bishop is an exemplary figure and one of those successful personalities who bear smile and silence on their face. He is the head of the diocese of Jalandhar which is spread out in two states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. His missionary zeal & enthusiasm is praiseworthy. He is the patron of all the schools, training institutes and colleges of the Diocese of Jalandhar. Your Excellency, it’s our honour to have such a great visionary, as you, amongst us. May I call upon Harmanpreet Singh and Jibin  Jossy, our agile athletes , to greet our dear Patron.

Priests and nuns from various congregations have happily consented to our requests and have come to us from far and near. We are glad to have your presence in our Annual Day Celebrations CYNOSURE 2014.

St Joseph’s Sr Sec School, Jalandhar has a unique and talented mix of students and parents, who have made this happen and have constantly extended their love and support to all the high prospects of the school and to each one of its faculty. Dear parents, I take pleasure in welcoming you all today.

Our former students who have held the head of their Alma Mater high with praises have also come.  I extend to you all a warm welcome from the deepest recesses of my heart.

I remember the thought-provoking words of American astronomer A.E. Douglass on this occasion. I quote, “Nature is a book of many pages and each page tells a fascinating story to him who learns her language.’’ I unquote.

With the same motivation, inspiration and zeal , the entire family of St Joseph’s Sr Sec School, Jalandhar offers you a glad welcome this evening, filled with the desires, hopes and the dreams that all of us share. Make your hearts and souls ready to have the ecstatic experience you’ll have of ‘EDUCATION AND NATURE’.

On behalf of the school director, the principal, teachers and the students, I once again extend my welcoming notes to our Honourable Chief Guest Mr Kamal Kishore Yadav, the Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar.

Thank you. 

A TRIBUTE TO MY ST JOSEPH'S SCHOOL

I entered that once green painted school gate as a timid girl,
passed out ten years later as a responsible lass and now 
I pen down my words as a 'PROUD JOSEPHITE'

Those green & yellow painted classes,
Those blackboards filled with good and bad names!
Those "Ma'am, Ma'am" calls when class monitors would be selected!
Auditorium and St Joseph's Hall - the sigh of relief,
as class tests cancelled unexpectedly!!
Those awaited weekly pt periods we'd beg the extra class teacher for,
Those caring and sharing meals we had,
Those history, science & maths lessons to learn which 
we had to turn upside down,
That installation ceremony parade which filled us with vigour,
Those unending talks for which we were called "grannies"!!
That May 1st St Joseph's Day Celebration, a cup of ice cream and its 'CLEANING  SESSIONS'
being the highlights of the day!!

We miss you ST JOSEPH'S, our teachers in our precious memories,
My feelings for my Alma Mater are fathomless
as my words for it are endless!!

worth of woman's dream

My first article in a magazine................. 

THE WORTH OF A WOMAN'S DREAM

"When the whole world would tag this 8th as International Women's Day, I would exhort all my readers, especially women, to wait a moment, think ,feel and live their true existence in this macho-man world."

 The first question that cropped up in my mind while thinking about International Women's Day is , what's so special about it?? It's just like any other Sunday or a date coming 365 days after we bade it a goodbye last year, isn't it? It's neither a day when women can completely demand the 'freedom to rest'  nor one when not even a single woman is subjected to abuse!!

This year again, are we going to celebrate "womanhood" , glorify it for one day, when it's known as a "Universal Truth" that the world can't exist without our feminine energy?? Hey! I'm neither a feminist nor a social worker , but a daughter of the Almighty who created humans without any gender discrimination.. Recently, Pope Francis asked men to be less macho and listen more to women. Was He hinting that the world needs to listen more to women?? In Bible, we find that God made women the primary witnesses of His Death and the first to know of, and tell the men about His Resurrection. Such a blessing was exclusively availed of by women!!

The scriptures state that feminine energy is distinct because it is powerful, yet tempered with virtue. Each and every woman has loving, motherly, co operative, problem solving and multi tasking management instincts which is uncommon in many men. However, these qualities are rarely known because most women are homemakers and they labour without any material compensation which they would have received if they had put in the same time and effort in a job outside the home as an employee.

It's high time that you understand what's good for yourself. Going against the patriarchal society to do a righteous deed  can never be wrong. Whenever you are subdued for being the change you want to be, just remember that it's because you have the potential to do it.. May be that in the near future , the same society feels proud of you!!

The real life examples of women who have come out of their cocoons, gone against the flow and inspired many are countless. We kniw well how Mary Kom , the Women World Boxing Champion struggled and overcame the displeasure of her father as well as the humiliation by the society to achieve forte in the 'macho' game. Though Kiran Bedi has lost the recent Delhi elections, yet the contributions of India's first woman IPS officer  to the nation is worth admiration. Arunima Sinha, the former Indian volleyball player who had her leg amputated after a train accident didn't feel like sitting back and allow others to pity her fate!! Rather, she scaled the Mount Everest and became the first Indian amputee to have done so. In today's society, even social media is aiding in women's empowerment. The movie 'Mardani'  was inspired by the life of Pune Police Commissioner  Meeran Chadha Borwankar , obviously a woman again.

People call women weak. Don't believe it!!I repeat that. Women are not just homemakers ; they make the nation and the world. Their role in the individual and social upliftment is a crucial one.  Just develop the feeling that everything in this world which can be achieved by a man, a woman can also achieve. Always be proud of yourself, your uniqueness , your physique, your talents bestowed by God only upon you. One doesn't actually need to be like a fashion model.Convey your positivity and radiance through all your deeds. Your principle should not be to subdue or mock at anyone, instead struggle and excel in your own abilities. Teach to the world that femininity doesn't only mean cooking, make ups and raising children!! Once a woman IIT Graduate replied her male classmate who contemptuously asked her to do make ups rather than engineering as"Parlours and boys don't consume our time, split hair and spilled coffee do not bother us . That pimple we can put up with.that assignment deadline we cannot !!"  So when your hopes and dreams are dashed, search among the wreckage you may find a golden opportunity hidden in the ruins,

The impulse of woman is towards making, not breaking. It is time that society understands the importance of allowing for expansion of the feminine energy for  a better,balanced world and the benefit of entire mankind.

                                                    

ADIEU

Glorious moments are not forever,
They come and we wish they are gone for never.
And when they come to a halt,
They gift us memories and a reason to exalt.
For we remember those people who inspired us forever.

We've lived in your presence,
We have felt your essence.
We 'll remember you for the fun we had,
for the glory and sorrow we shared.

It's difficult to see you go,
It's hard to bid you farewell,
for our lives have come to such a halt,
where u and we will start missing each other a lot!!!

For us, it's not the goodbye that hurts,
but the flashbacks that follow.
But it's our promise to you, dear seniors,
that we'll count your life by smiles , not tears,
and thank God for giving you  as our predecessors.

Most footprints on the sands of time were made by work shoes.

It may be easy to set our footprints on the sands of the sea beach, to place our feet into the already made impressions may be a fun task, but to make one's footprints on the sands of time, one really needs to be born blessed.
There have been several developments brought on by the intellectual, sporting & creative abilities of the man since the creation of this world. The early man made tools to earn his living. His successors brought forth industrial revolution. And now, we believe it's impossible for us to live without  machines. In the field of literature, Shakespeare stands first in the row and is widely acclaimed for his works even centuries after his birth and death!! His contribution to the Eng Lit has made him its God. As Matthew Arnold puts it, he was a man who gained his knowledge himself, had never been to a school, nor was he ever praised by his contemporaries. Still , the man from Stafford is the supremo of English Literature.
Apart from him, we remember Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy, Don Bosco, Neil Armstrong, Edmund Hillary, Tenzig Norgay, Graham Bell , Mother Teresa,Mahatma Gandhi,  Newton, APJ Abdul Kalam, Nelson Mandela, Bill Gates and several other list holders for doing something which was new in their age.
Its impossible to forget them and their works.
Lincoln abolished slavery in the supreme power USA. The blacks then would have surely thanked God for sending him to the Earth, or at least to the US. Neil Armstrong, the first man to land on moon said that it was a a small step for man but a giant leap for mankind. His achievement was indeed one and space science progressed after this venture. Don Bosco is the beginner of the Don Bosco Foundation which provides shelter , education &earning facilities to several orphans throughout the world.
Scientists Newton , Einstein , Edison have been the greatest people of their centuries. Had Graham Bell not invented telephone, Wright brothers -aeroplane, Charles Babbage-computer and Bill Gates not developed Microsoft, we would have still been off the road to development!!!APJ Abdul Kalam is the Missile Ma of India. Hillary and Norgay scaled the 8848 metres high Mount Everest defying all odds. The courage, enthusiasm and their learning have been the source of inspiration for those who wish to bring about a a change, a development  , a better step towards tomorrow.
Thus most footprints on the sands of time were made by work shoes worn by people who dared to think for a changeand had faith in their own abilities. They respected their own works &themselves. That's why we respect and inspire them today!!