The Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket (Secunderabad) Days

From the archives: Yuv-Tal,1985: Mahesh Murthy- Champion of Champions

2007-01-21T17:38:00.000+05:00

An old artice (1985) that was forwarded to us by Sarvamangala Parupudi.

The article mentions that " ... an interesting tussel between Mahesh Murthy and Mir Ali Hussain,was ultimately bagged by the former with a string of about 10 prizes in the Art and Literary items"

Wow ! 10 prizes...Way to go !
Thanks Sarvamangala for the article, and Congrats Mahesh for bagging so many prizes that day! :)

Entrepreneurs' Voice - Mahesh Murthy

2007-01-16T10:34:00.000+05:00

Mr Mahesh Murthy spoke to the students at the Indian School of Business. There was an article carried out in the magazine "The ISB Mentor".

We replicate the article below. Way to go Mahesh.
KV Picket is proud of you !

Mahesh Murthy is the founder and CEO of Pinstorm, a company that helps clients optimise their ad spends on search engine marketing sites. An award winning advertising professional, Mahesh created and launched the first commercial version of Yahoo in 1995 and the “Earth’s biggest bookstore” campaign of Amazon while working with CKS Partners, a Silicon Valley firm that went public in NASDAQ. Mahesh returned to India in 1999 and in 2000 set up Passion Fund to invest in and guide start-ups. Some of his investments include Geodesic, which went public on the Indian stock market, Compass Box that merged with Career Launcher, India Properties, and Web Dunia. He was a member of the jury of the reality show – Business Baazigar, where aspiring entrepreneurs competed for an eventual funding of their dream.

Mahesh spoke to the Class of 2007 on the how and why of entrepreneurship. Answers to some of the fundamental questions of entrepreneurship were found after a breezy interaction between Mahesh and the students.

Who becomes an entrepreneur?

A large number of people working in organisations are mismatched to what they are doing. A majority of them make the adjustments needed and serve the organisations well as employees. Those who are intolerant and unwilling to make the required adjustments, end up as entrepreneurs.

Where does entrepreneurship flourish?
Entrepreneurship flourishes just about anywhere. Estonia is home to such hot technology companies as Skype. When it comes to entrepreneurship, location does not matter.

What kind of business should one start?

An entrepreneur must aspire to be where nobody else is. Every single trend about a sector mentioned in the media is a signal that that sector is dead as far as entrepreneurship is concerned. Trend, he said, signals the end. Entrepreneurs must pursue those kinds of ideas that lead to the creation of a product or service which uniquely delights customers. This would lead to the customers evangelising the product or service and enables the start-up to outsmart competition.

How should one start an entrepreneurial venture?

Most successful start-ups are able to bootstrap their ventures with funds raised from friends and family. They develop the ability to survive the hardiest of circumstances. They also hire multi-faceted talent who are comfortable with ambiguity

What motivates an entrepreneur?

As a successful entrepreneur himself, Mahesh said it wasn’t the wealth created that he found appealing but the excitement that the path of entrepreneurship provides. To entrepreneurs, the pot of gold is the rainbow.

As an investor, what does he look for in start-ups?
As an investor in start-ups, Mahesh seeks answers to the following questions:

Can I exit the company? Will I be able to find somebody else or the public at large to buy a stake in the company?

Can I help? Am I in a position to support the company with more than just money?

Can I fund it? Are the fund requirements within my means?

What kind of commitment does the entrepreneur show to the venture? Is he/she committed to it full time?

Is there chemistry between the entrepreneur(s) and me?

Concluding the discussion, Mahesh said that it was never too early to start an entrepreneurial venture. It is important that the entrepreneur get as many people on board as possible for the venture to succeed. The best funding a start-up can aspire to is customer funding, with customers paying for the product or service of the company.

Sweet Memories - Batch of 1980

2007-01-13T07:27:00.000+05:00

Mr Arun Sharma has uploaded the pics of his 10th Std farewall party picture (1980 batch.)

We thought that we should store them in our picketian database. We have uploaded these pics here.

Updates :Alumni Meet in Bangalore ( Dec 23rd)

2006-12-26T21:44:00.000+05:00

As a Picketian, I have always loved the enthusiasm exhibited by Mr R.A Krishna ( 1968). We asked the folks present for the reunion to provide us an update.Here you go:

Hi Salil and everyone else,

As I read in a poem somewhere in my distant memory, "A good time was had by all!". We had a crowd, if you could call it that, of 8 people totally and 7
people at any one time.

The reunion was attended by Sarvamangala, Padma, Pushpa and her sister,
Surya, Rajesh, Ankit and me.

We generally spent time gossipping and discussing what kind of time we
spent, what we were doing, what our families were doing and so on. Some
conversations started in tandem across the table. Ankit got held up due to
an accident suffered by his friend but made up in his mild mannered way.
The food was good, the conversation likewise and we hauled ourselves out of
the group reluctantly after 3 PM. Sarvamangala and Padma took some
photographs and will put them up shortly.

Speaking for me, there is no generation gap. Hope the rest of the guys feel
the same way about me!

Regards
Krishna (1968)

Picture Courtesy: Sarvamangla.

Thank You.

Gautam Dutta - Arabian Knight

2006-12-21T02:28:00.000+05:00

Gautam Dutta -Class of 83 (XII) has recently been mentioned in an article in Mid Day.
You can read the article here.He holds the World record for sailing across the world in record time.

Mumbai's well-heeled are switching to flat shoes to sail onboard their crore plus boats packed to the gills with the latest in home and outdoor entertainment. They're coming down from their penthouses and playing in the waters, sipping their Martinis off their sea vehicles. Importers are even bringing the best of Made in Italy, France and the Gulf boats to Mumbai reclaimed shores, upping the stakes for the Indian Sea Bird (Sea Bird was designed for the Bombay Harbour in 1921).

And intensive lobbying means the city may even get a marina soon to dock its water dreams.Says Anju Dutta, managing director or Marine Solutions, a full service and distributor that's bringing in Italian luxury brand Ferretti's, French Jeanneau sailboats and the American Searay to our shores, "Initially, only people who had homes in Mandwa invested in boats. Now it's a viable option for people even living in the city.

Most of the boats that came into the city used to be from the Gulf; now European and American companies are looking to set up shop in Mumbai too because they see a greater understanding and a growing market. We used to sell around one or two boats a month a few years ago; we're now booking around eight or 10 boats in season.

Indians prefer powerboats over sail boats because they are easier to manage, so we sell a lot of those. Also, jet-skis are cheaper and accessible so they are hot favourites."

A member of the Mumbai Boat Show Pvt Ltd adds that over the past two years, over 150 small powerboats were sold in India, more than the number sold in 30 years.

One look at the coast off Chowpatty or Gateway of India confirms this. Even the guard at Gateway of India where most boats are parked (Parking charges at the Gateway, paid to the Bombay Port Trust and Yacht Club are nominal at Rs 2,000 on average per year) has noticed the change. "Season mein to bahut log aate hain," he adds.

Captain ahoy!
World record holder (for sailing across the world in record time) Gautam Dutta is hoping Indians become serious about water. He, and a couple of others are even lobbying for a marina and proper policing on the waters which he says will happen in a couple of months. He says, "Andhra Pradesh has already started and it's in the pipeline in Goa. We have a perfect harbour in Bombay, it's time we use it. On bigger boats you can travel across the world — why not invest in something like that."

Armed with an air conditioner, microwave, refrigerator, double bed, bar etc — most of these boats spell luxury — and considering they can take you all the way to Goa in 5-6 hours, they make an all inclusive vacation package in themselves — for a cost that starts out at Rs 20 lakh. Plus maintenance costs at Rs 10,000 on.

Not surprisingly, the city's moneyed like Dilip Chhabria, Raja Dhody, the Godrejs, the Bajajs, Vijay Mallya and Gautam Singhania already have their own. "Most people buy boats between Rs 20 to 70 lakh, while luxury boats can go well over 20 crore."

But for those who don't have that kind of money, several sailing clubs in the city offer memberships (Rs 60,000 lifetime membership at the Yacht Club, Rs 10,000 membership at the Colaba Sailing Club and the several Navy clubs) and classes for those interested. And if you ask around, enthusiastic members would even be willing to take you on a sailing trip just so you can experience the love of the sea.

Says Padmashri and Arjuna Awardee ex commodore Gulshan Rai (he won these awards for sailing across the world), "I own my own sail boat, but these clubs give out sail boats for members if they want to learn. Every year we see an increase in the number of people signing up for our classes. Also, the international boat fair is coming to India in February next year and that is going to further increase interest."

"There are no open spaces for our kids, so we have to reclaim the waters," adds sailing enthusiast Sunil Lobo, who is about to buy the French Jeanneau for himself. "I enrolled my daughters in classes at Yacht Club and they loved it. I had to share their enthusiasm and we now go out to sea every opportunity we get. It's so much better than spending an evening at a bar, which you can do anytime." Lobo's older daughter, Ayesha, is a national sailor now.

American writer Ambrose Bierce had described the Ocean as "A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man — who has no gills." Mumbai seems to have found its gills — in every slick style and colour.

Congratulations Rumana..

2006-09-25T06:50:00.000+05:00

Rumana ( Picket 1994 batch) & Nitin Sehgal
were blessed with a baby boy on 12th September.
The baby is called Nahyr - Meaning Clear, Bright & a boundless Giver.

Heartiest congratulations to the couple.

Here is a congratulatory message that one of the Picketians had for her:
Ten little fingers
Ten little toes
The sweetest of smiles
And a cute little nose
All these add up
to a very special thing
A baby....
The greatest of gifts
That life can bring.
Congrats !

Happy Teachers Day

2006-09-05T16:59:00.000+05:00

I happened to meet Mr Mohan( 1976 batch) online today. He reminded me that Sep 05 was Teachers Day . He had called up Baljeet Kaur ma'm in the morning to wish her.I think that was indeed a very special act !She must have been touched.

On this special day, the KVP Alumni Association thanks all the teachers who have shaped our life.We wouldn't have been where we are today without you. Thanks a ton !

The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.
--William Arthur Ward

Picketian dreams big

2006-08-31T16:41:00.000+05:00

The Picketian community wanted to inform the world that Prabhjot Jolly ( 12th Commerce 96) has become an Entreprenuer.

Passionate and excited about his new venture, this is what he had to say on becoming an Entreprenuer:

"I have always dreamed to be one. For over 2 nears now, I wanted to be on my own, working for my self. I had the ideas, i juggled around with them, working out on their feasibility, and how to gather funds to make them work. Finally my dreams have come true. On the 20th of August 2006, I have become an entreprenuer, managing a a Mobile technology and content provider, based out of Hyderabad.

I did this with zero funds... absolutly zero funding.... I already have 3 clients investing altogether 12.5 crores in the next 3 years to help me build their mobile technologies and content to service all kinds of mobile subscribers and telecom and related companies all across the world.

With great pleasure, I invite all of you to share this moment with me and advice me on how to take this effort forward with your valuable inputs and suggestions. Would be deligthed to hear from all of you."

We wish you good luck Prabhs !

Message from a Picketian- Straight from the heart..

2006-08-31T03:01:00.000+05:00

Hello Friends

It is really nice to hear about school and so many things happening. I am really thrilled to see so much about school. I really feel sad that I am (as of now) unable to do anything to be part of it. I am away from Hyderabad for almost 22 years i.e. after my 12 Th passout from KVP in 1984. Occassionally I come to Hyderbad to see my parents. Whenever I pass our school I show it to my child and tell her that this is the school where I have spent 12 lovely years of my life ( 1972-1984 1st class to 12th class). If I can be of any help I shall be glad, previlaged and love to do it. Please let me know of any other gathering is planned in near future. ( I shall be in India by December)

Frankly to tell you that today I happen to see one photograph uploaded by Mr Ramana murthy wherein I was able to see our Lobo teacher. To confess my eyes are filled while I write this mail.

May be a month back or early this month I spoke to Srihari while I was going through website.

Please keep in touch.

Thanks and Regards
Naga Krishna Mohan ("Naga" as called in school by class mates)

It's Krishh !!!

2006-05-18T11:46:00.000+05:00

Well here is another feather in the Picketian hat ! Remember the handsome, cool dude who played the guitar at Pratibimb... Krish Patnaik ?? Well the then 12th standard student (and now a member of our Alumni Association) has done us proud yet again. He has been crowned the May Prince 2006 at the Ball held at Secunderabad Club.

The KV Picket Blog had earlier carried a piece on this multi-talented youngster. Apart from his skills on the guitar and the ramp, Krish is also a good sportsman. Hope to see him soon as a successful model right up there on the ramp with the Milind Somans and Arjun Rampals ... Here is wishing the Prince Charming all the best.

Jai,Veeru & Basanti go to school

2006-05-01T02:04:00.000+05:00

Kitne aadmi the? This is not the menacing Gabbar Singh conducting a maths class for his dacoits in Ramgarh’s ravines, but a possible line from a CBSE textbook.

For the first time in the history of Indian academia, an entire chapter in a school textbook will be devoted to a mainstream Bollywood blockbuster.

Ramesh Sippy’s multi-starrer Sholay has been added to the Broadway course workbook No 5 for Class V students of CBSE.

Published by Oxford University Press, the inclusion of Sholay is a continuation to the chapter on films and film-making in the Broadway book, which is designed to help students communicate effectively and accurately in English.

The National Curriculum Framework 2005 postulates that the multi-lingual character of our society be treated as a resource and school teaching should focus on what the child understands. Since films are an integral part of our culture and Sholay is one of the most influential films, it has been included in the course, said sources.

"The text on films and filmmaking in the course book and Sholay in the workbook is a representation of Indian drama in the life of a child. The choice of Sholay was made because it is a different film in many ways. Besides,we wanted children to be aware of the prominence attached to the Indian film industry," said an insider.

Reactions have been by and large positive. Psychiatrist Harish Shetty believes it is an excellent idea.

"Sholay encompasses the ethos and feeling of an era in a brilliant narrative. It can certainly touch young hearts and minds," he said. However, an academic said: "The negatives may have a bigger influence on children than the positives.... Amjad Khan became more popular than Sanjeev Kumar."

Ramesh Sippy, director of the movie, said: "As captain of the ship, I feel very happy. The film being included in a school syllabus is an achievement in itself."

Source: Sunday, April 30, Sunday Times (TOI).

Salil Kader - Representing India!

2006-04-14T13:51:00.000+05:00

Salil Kader (XIIth - 1993) has been nominated by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (US Dept of State) for the United States Institutes (formerly Fulbright American Studies Institutes)programme to be conducted at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The theme is Religious Pluralism!

This is a great achievement for Salil.
Every year the US Consulates/Embassy in India sends nominations to the US
Dept of State, where the name of one Indian participant is finalized.
Salil, Ph.D scholar at the University of Hyderabad has been selected this year.

We are sure he is going to add value and share his experiences, as an Indian living in a multi-cultural, multi-religious society, with participants of 17 other countries.

As part of the programme, he will be visiting some cities of the US. The
participants of last year's programme visited Salt Lake (Utah), Atlanta, Los
Angeles and Washington DC. It is possible that he might be visiting the same
places.So, if there is a Picketian living in these cities and wants to meet this School captains of ours from the 1993 batch, do shoot him an email.

Good Luck Salil. The K.V P Alumni Association wish you all the best.

Mahesh Murthy on Business Baazigar

2006-04-05T10:44:00.000+05:00

Business Baazigar, the Baap of all Shows
Business Baazigar, which will decide the fate of budding entrepreneurs through 24 episodes, will finance the business project of the winner of the show through the VC fund. The extent of funding will be decided by the jury comprising Zee Telefilms chairman Subhash Chandra, Passionfunds CEO Mahesh Murthy and Prof. Anil Gupta of Indian Institute of Management.
Business Baazigar debuts on 31 March, airing one-hour episodes on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm on Zee TV.The KV Picket Alumni Association wishes Mahesh ( Picketian from the 1982 batch) all the best in selecting the best baazigar!

Wow Pavan!

2006-03-18T10:56:00.000+05:00

We had covered Pavan in our blog earlier.

Pavan and his team perform at a concert this saturday.
A concernt of acoustic fusion.Does this not sound very exciting.

Check out the poster below.

If you read the interview here,you'll notice that Pavan is a scholar and is very talented.And he has been making news in the music world too.

Provided below is a pic one of his past performances .

You can download his music from here and here

Pavan plays on two of the tracks:
i) called Ikona, composed in alternating 8/14 and 12 beat rhythms
ii) called Invisible Fireworks, that moves between 8 and 6 beat rhythmic cycles (this one is right at the top of the page)

The live concerts are very different from the recorded tracks (lots of percussion solos included). So, if you are in that part of the country during this time, ensure that you catch Pavan at the concert.

Photos of Pratibimb 05

2006-03-12T18:34:00.000+05:00

Right folks, this is to announce that the Pratibimb pics are finally here.I hope you will understand that getting all those pics, sorting them, labeling each one appropriately required a lot of time. Getting Pratibimb in shape itself had taken lots of time. With a deadline to meet then, all our work was put on the backburner. So it was kinda natural that the team here was devoting more time to their personal and professional lives post-Pratibimb. Thus the delay in bringing out these pics up and we are sorry for it.

One of our friends here, quite annoyingly, suggested that we had LOST the pics and were now scared to tell everyone and thats the reason it was getting delayed! Nonetheless, the pics are here for all to see... enjoy..

A spl thanks to the ever-dependable Nikhil who patiently uploaded these pics on webshots. Thanks a ton man !

Here is the link

Enjoy the pics !

regards,
Salil Kader.
(XII-1993)

KV waives fee for ‘only girl’ child

2006-03-10T22:42:00.000+05:00

Salil Kader(XII-1993) reports what he read in the Times of India today:

KV waives fee for ‘only girl’ child

New Delhi: As part of the government’s efforts to educate girls, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) has waived the fee for girl students of classes from VI to XII who are the only child of their parents. The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, which controls the central schools, has operationalised the scheme with effect from January 1, 2006, human resource development (HRD) ministry officials said.
The decision would benefit about 10,300 girls studying in 919 central schools in the country, HRD ministry officials said. Earlier it was decided that all schools seeking affiliation to CBSE would have to give total fee waiver to every girl child who are the only child of her parents. PTI

The Wonder Girl-Sophia Sinha !

2006-03-08T06:27:00.000+05:00

Good Students are rare
Good students are remembered
Teachers often discuss about these good students!

Some teachers at Picket discuss about the abilities of a good student for a certain number of days.Some teachers at Picket discuss about the abilities of a good student for a certain number of months.But there are some students who are discussed for years. They are the role model for the other batches.They excelled in studies..They were extremely good at extra curriculars and they have made an impact in the Big World.Meet one student like that on the Women's day

Miss Andhra Pradesh 1998 and the Star Miss Hyderabad…. Brand Management at Infosys Technologies ltd,….Get to know more about Sophia Sinha, a product of K.V Picket …

Could you please tell us something about yourself, your childhood days and places where you have done your schooling?

I started my schooling in New Delhi’s Carmel Convent School. I remember when my sister would get all dressed up to go to school; I would cry and make my mom make me dress up too. They would walk me to the bus stop and then bring me back. I just loved the idea of school.

Following that we were in Pune and then at Air Force Academy Dundigul, Vayu Sena Nagar, Nagpur and finally KVP. I finished my schooling at Air Force Bal Bharati School New Delhi, though I was there only for one year.

For how many years were you in Picket and for which all grades?
I joined KVP in 1989 in the Primary block of the old building. I do not remember my class teacher but my English teacher was Mrs. Irene Paul. I still remember the fun days in the primary block. I was in class Vth C and our class was separated from Vth D section with loads of benches that would be piled up halfway through the room. We would crawl under those and play pranks all the time.
I met my first rakhi brother, Raji also at this time. I will never forget my days there. I made so many friends and some of them are still in touch with me. I was in KVP until 1996, when I left for New Delhi. During those years, I really became the person I am today and I give full credit to my teachers at KVP. I left KVP at the beginning of XIIth for New Delhi in 1996, but I have always considered myself to be a COMPLETE Picketian.

Did you like going to school then? Why or why not
I loved school for all the pranks I used to play. All the teachers knew me as one-helluva naughty kid but they loved me nonetheless. I guess the competitive streak in me also developed at this time. During morning assembly I was invariably called to give the command when the mike would not work – no doubt I have a booming voice to-date. Biswajit will remember this clearly as they (Biswajit and Krithika) would force me to scream out the command. My male counterpart was Dhruva. My favorite class and subject was always English and I always scored one of the highest in class.

Can you name a few teachers who taught you? Any favorites?
My favorite teacher has always been Vidya Maurya Ma’am. I love her! She was so amazing. I was great when it came to written Hindi but was terrible when I spoke it, but she would be so patient with me. She would always refer to me as ‘Munna’, I got into lots of mischief but she always laughed it off.
I remember this one incident, we at the Tritya Swapan Testing camp for Bharat Scouts and Guides at AFA Dundigul in 1993 and I was the KVP Troop Leader for the Guides. At night I woke up and put shoe polish on all the Guides faces. All 60 of them woke up with black faces. I could have been punished, but Vidya ma’am was a great sport and told me that I would wake up blue the next day. She immediately knew that it had to be me who would be so naughty.
I was also always getting hurt in school as I was this over active kid. Each time I would fall, Vidya Ma’am would be there with a bottle of tincture benzoin and cotton along with Valli Reddy Ma’am scolding me for being so careless yet again.

What were the subjects you liked the most?
English, without a doubt! Biology came in a close second. Hilda Ma’am used to teach us and boy was she strict and great at the same time. She had this new system of teaching where she wanted us to enact the stories in the books. I remember CBSE had started a new version of books when I was in the IXth and ma’am was excellent with it. She was so particular about grammar…
For bio we had Venugopal ma’am. She was amazing too. I wanted to become a doctor when I finished school and that was only because of her; it’s a different story I went into advertising and brand management. We then had Sudha Raghavan Ma’am for two years after Venugopal Ma’am retired.

Did you participate in the extra-curricular activities at school. Do you think all that has had any influence in the way your personality has shaped up.
Totally! I was forever on stage. Once again it was Vidya Ma’am who influenced and inspired me. The first time I went on stage alone was in VIth and I had to recite a poem in Hindi, which I forgot, and I was so embarrassed that I started crying on stage!
Vidya ma’am did not give up on me. She made me sign up for speaking on stage during Sarojini House week. I still remember it was a Wednesday and the topic area was Sports and I spoke on ‘Fencing’. When I finished, I saw her give me a big smile; that was it! I have never forgotten that day and the fact that she did not give up on me and was always pushing me to do better.
I was an active participant in dancing, elocutions, debates, etc. In fact, I was the youngest winner of the regional level elocution contest at KV Trimulgherry when I was in the VIIIth Std. Hilda Ma’am had accompanied me and if I remember correctly, I had spoken on “Quit India Movement”.
Apart from that I won many awards for dancing, acting and of course Youth Parliament. I was adjudged ‘Best Parliamentarian’ at the National Level in 1996. I give all the credit for my current confidence and competitive spirit to my teachers in school. I learnt a lot while at Picket. My zeal to succeed comes from my teachers who did not let me quit; even if I was throwing up right before I went on stage

Any memorable incident that happened to you during school that you’d like to share with us?
Yes. I was in Vth and during the Annual Day Celebrations my class was putting up the skit version of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. I was to play Snow White and when I went on stage I had to faint when I ate the poisoned apple. I did do my part and fainted on cue, but then to the amusement of the audience, kept talking to the dwarves (my friends) and smiling!! Boy! Did I get Irene Paul ma’am, who directed the play, angry at me!

How would have the teachers in school described you?

If I judge them correctly they would call me the tomboy who would always be with boys, fighting and playing rough games on the field. Apart from that they would call me the most talkative student they ever knew. And maybe on a serious note, the competitive go-getter who never gave up!!

Did you hold any leadership position at school? Any sports medals that you won.
I was School Vice-Captain 1993 – 1994 (Old Block); School Captain 1994 – 1995 (Old Block); and School Vice-Captain (New Block) 1995 – 1996. Apart from that I was Troop Leader KV Picket for Guides for the Bharat Scouts and Guides.
I did not win any medals per se for sports but I represented the school in Table Tennis from 1992 – 1994 at the sub-regional meets.

What did you do after your XIIth? From where did you graduate?
I studied Commerce at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s College in Hyderabad; thereafter I transferred universities and went to the US to study Advertising and Media. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. During college I also did a brief stint in modeling and won the Miss Andhra Pradesh 1998 and the Star Miss Hyderabad but soon got bored of the make up and moved bag and baggage to Austin.

When did you move outside Hyderabad? And how has the experience been?
I first left Hyderabad in 1996. I finished school in Delhi and then came back. I left Hyderabad after college in 2000 and went to live in the US for 4 years. I returned in 2004 and worked in Mumbai for a bit in Advertising before moving to Bangalore and Infosys.
US was a great learning experience. Where KV Picket molded me, UT Austin gave me the form and color to be where and who I am today. Life there was very different. I learnt to respect work and learnt of something called ‘dignity of labor’.
I also worked in the US and that was a great experience too. I made so many friends from different ethnicities that I know more about the world today than I ever did living in India. But I had to come back! I love my country too much to stay away for too long; so when I got the chance, I rushed back home.

Tell us something more about your family. ?
My father was in the Indian Air force for 31 years before he took premature retirement. My mother is a doctor and was practicing till recently; now she is into more social work. My sister, also a Picketian, is an Engineer and is currently working in Hyderabad. She too was a very popular Picketian – Marium Rumana Sinha!

What is your current profession? How did you get into it? Do you like it?
I am currently working with Infosys Technologies Ltd. I do Brand Management for them and handle a few initiatives and my profile is Assistant Manager Marketing. I was actually working in Advertising, doing Business Development for Contract Advertising, Mumbai when I got a call from Infosys. As my parents live in Bangalore, personal reasons were important in my taking this decision to move to Bangalore.I do enjoy my work and it’s not only because it is close to the advertising world, to which I belong, but also because of the other stuff I do.Off and on I handle Event Management at the Corporate Level, organize culture shows on campus here at Bangalore and also do loads of ad hoc work that is very interesting and prove as proves as great learning experiences.I love my job but my dream is to do something away from the corporate world! Inshallah, I see that happening 3 – 4 years down the line.

( Sophia receiving the 'Excellence' award at Infosys from Shabana Azmi and Narayan Murthy)

Would you be willing to guide any enthusiastic Picketians who wish to pursue a similar profession as yours?
Definitely! What is important is to follow your gut instinct and your dreams will unfold themselves.

Thinking about it now, what do you think was the biggest learning/lesson you learnt at Picket?
To never give up! This one strength of character that I have in me is due to the perseverance of my teachers who made me get up and try again. Catherine Phillip ma’am told me once, “Nothing is impossible; the word itself says I’m – possible!”

Did you have crushes on any one back then?
LOL! Yeah, there was one!!
He was one of our super-duper seniors – Ajay Singh. I was in Vth and he was in XIth!! He was my sister’s senior and I used to call him Ajay Bhaiya. I was totally in awe of him.

Had you been in India and in Secunderabad, would you have sent your children to KV Picket? Why or why not?
When I do have kids, inshallah, they are definitely going to a Kendriya Vidyalaya and if I am in Secunderabad – they are going to KVP.
Why? Because no other school can do justice to building a strong and independent personality, the way Picket does.

Do you think there is anything that the school/education system desperately needs?
I think theoretical knowledge is aplenty at our schools; what we lack is the practical application of it. More projects, more interactive assignments, more public speaking and presentations will help the student better prepare themselves to face the college and working world.
Students should be encouraged to participate in group as well individual projects. Team building, management and leadership should be encouraged. At the individual level, language proficiency, presentation skills, other soft skills such as mannerisms and business etiquette can also be taught. Today we are competing with the world, we have to do all we can to stay ahead and catch up with competition.

Did you attend the first Picket reunion? How was the experience?
Unfortunately, I was away on business and could not make it though my sister was there. I hear it was a resounding success and I look forward to attending the next meet.

Is there anything more that you would like to add?
When I look back and think of all the accomplishments I have made in these past 25 years of my life, I feel glad that I studied in Picket. Be it modeling, advertising or working in the corporate world, I have made myself who I am only because of a strong foundation that was created at school. I know wherever I go; I will always be a Picketian. Like my sister quoted at the Alumni Meet recently, “You can take the Picketian out of picket, but not Picket out of the Picketian!”

Sophia likes blogging. Her blog is http://www.aihpos.blogspot.com/.

Power Woman Quiz

2006-03-07T22:34:00.000+05:00

March 08th is International Women's day.The Indian woman, with her resilience and intellect, balances her family and career judiciously.As a tribute to Indian women ,presenting below a short informative quiz about the women who have become role models and inspired many souls.Answers are provided below

1.She is known for her philanthropic work and has initiated a move to provide all government schools in Karnataka with
computer and library facilities. She also teaches computer science and writes fiction. She completed her M.Tech. in Computer
Science in 1974 from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, stood first in her class and received a gold medal from the
Indian Institute of Engineers. She was also the first woman engineer to be selected in Telco (now Tata Motors), Pune. In
2006, the Padma Shri, a civilian award from the Government of India was conferred on her.Who?

2.It was not easy for her. She founded a company with a capital of Rs. 10,000/- in her garage in 1978.The initial operation
was to extract an enzyme from papaya. Her application for loans was turned down by banks on three counts – biotechnology was
a new word yet; the company lacked assets and most importantly, women entrepreneurs were still a rarity. But this did not let
her down. She worked hard and over the years, the company grew under her stewardship and is today the biggest
biopharmaceutical firm in India. Termed as “India’s mother of invention " by the New York Times, she is also India's first
woman Brew master and has authored 'Ale and Arty,' a Coffee table book about brewing beer . Who are we talking about ?

3.The lady is one of India's prominent woman entrepreneurs and has over 40,000 franchise clinics across the world covering
over 138 countries. She captured the markets around the world and now wants to conquer space. In an innovative move, she
has started work on formulations that astronauts could carry with them in their extraterrestrial sojourns to protect their
skin from the ravages of space travel and slow down the ageing process .The free samples have already been sent to NASA.
Known all over the world as the queen of herbal care products, she once remarked "I do not sell products. I sell an entire
civilization in a jar." Who ?

4.One word to describe the lady -Excellence. The daughter of one of the country's best-known Urdu-language poet, she took up
acting almost three decades ago and has delivered award winning performances. But it's not her movie roles that have made her
a hero for modern India. She has consistently—and loudly—railed against real-world injustice. Her passion is
incontrovertible. Always in the news, once asked why, she said “The trouble is that I can never keep quiet." Who ?

5.In her early days, she borrowed money from her father in Delhi to come to Mumbai and take part in the Miss India contest in
1998.She told herself that she wouldn’t return home until she paid him back. She worked at McDonald’s as a waitress for Rs
1,500 and also auditioned for roles while working. The role of an ideal daughter-in-law made her a towering figure on the
Indian television circuit .Life has never been the same since then for this lady. She balances a political career, a family
with three children, produces and acts in plays and also manages a jet-setting acting schedule. Who ?

6.She has a bachelor's in English literature from St. Stephen's College, Delhi; a master's in mass communications from Jamia
Milia Islamia's Mass Communications Research Center, Delhi; and a master's in journalism from Columbia University, New York.
She was a 1997 winner of the Inlaks Scholarship, which sends six Indians abroad annually for graduate work . She was the
journalistic face of the Kargil war . Who ?

7.Growing up in Karnal, Haryana she always knew she was going to do something with her life. She was a tomboy who chopped off
her own hair and learnt Karate. She loved the idea of flying and had JRD Tata as her role model. She dared to dream and
worked very hard to make that dream a reality by qualifying over 2692 applicants at NASA to earn herself a place in space
shuttle Columbia. She died aboard STS-107 (Space Shuttle Columbia) when it disintegrated during reentry into the Earth's
atmosphere. A few days after her death, the Indian Prime Minister announced that the meteorological series of satellites,
"METSAT" be named after her. She was a star and continues to be a role model for millions of people all across the globe.
Amar Chitra Katha released a comic book biography on her life.Who.?

8.She can be described as India's unofficial ambassador of the world of fashion. She graduated from the National Institute of
Fashion Technology, New Delhi. She became the first Asian designer to head a French Fashion brand, Scherrer. Her esteemed
client list includes Bill Clinton,Nicole Kidman and M.F Hussain.She recently released a book written by her titled 'Firefly'
that is on sale for a whooping Rs 1 lakh. When asked what inspires her, she says ""My Inspiration comes from what makes my
generation tick".Who?

9.She is often referred to as the 'Model Maker' thanks to her extraordinary ability to pick up winners in the modelling world. Think John Abraham, Lara Dutta, Diana Hayden and you'll know whom we are talking about. She heads the Gladrags Magazine and is one of the forces behind the Miss India beauty pageant. Her success as a wife and mother are partly the reason why she launched India’s first Indian beauty pageant for married women -Mrs. India contest. A constant advice that she gives to aspiring models- "Beauty fades. So have have something to fall back on. A real career".Who?

10.It all began with a dream. A dream to help people regain their self-confidence by creating awareness about their appearance, awakening a desire among people to feel good about themselves.This passion set the pace for her professional training in cosmetology in Germany. She also undertook tours in Europe to learn the latest technologies used in slimming. Assimilating this knowledge, she utilised the latest techniques and set up her first slimming and beauty centre in 1989. Subsequently, she set up more centres all over India and since then there has been no looking back.
Stay Beautiful is what she believes in.Who?

Answers
1.Sudha Murthy
2.Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
3.Shahnaz Hussain
4.Shabana Azmi
5.Smriti Irani
6.Barkha Dutt
7.Kalpana Chawla
8.Ritu Beri
9.Maureen Wadia
10.Vandana Luthra

Wedding Time !

2006-03-04T17:21:00.000+05:00

Hi Guyz,

The blog team is back.We apologize for the delay in updates on the blog.A lot of things have been happening. So, herez some news for you. In the last few months,Picketians that we are in touch with have been getting married.

Shanti weds Prem

Shanti Ramaiah,XII batch of 1996 got married to Prem Sagar in Feb.
The couple got married in Hyderabad,and are back in the United States now.
Shanti was an extremely popular girl in school.She excelled in acads, was a key member of the music group,was the school vice captain and a favorite of many teachers.Shanti has done her Masters in Systems Management from Carnegie Mellon University and is currently working for Delloite.Congrats Shanti and Prem.!!

A Picketian Wedding-Manas weds Snigdha

Manas Ranjan Sarangi (XII -1996) got married to Snigdha Dash(X-1995) at Hyderabad.A Picketian Wedding...Yeah,thatz what it was.Manas is a Project Leader at Kanbay Software and Snigdha is an Architect working for a firm.
A few folks asked us if love happened to them when they were in school?.So, we asked the couple this question."Nah", came the reply.They got to know each other "really well" only in the later years.The blog team knows both of them very well and trust us- they make an awesome pair.Congratulations Manas and Snigdha!

The Officer gets Married!

An officer and a gentleman.!! Yeah thatz how he is known as. A lot of parents wanted this man to be their son in law but only one parent got lucky. Lieutenant(Indian Navy) Deepak Kota (X-94) got married to Manasi on 03rd March 2006.Congrats Deepak and Manasi!

The KVP Alumni Association wishes these couple a very Happy Married Life.

Against all odds..

2006-01-17T20:40:00.000+05:00

An email by Mr Mahesh Murthy,CEO of PassionFund,and better known as the Net marketing guru,an alum of XII-1986 Picket shares his views on how a Picketian does well in life against all odds.

"Picket was never well-equipped.

In fact, everything we did and everything we’ve become as individuals is probably because we were never spoon-fed, and we needed to “jugaad” everything. To me, surviving and thriving off very little resources was what set us apart from HPS and other places.

This is not to say that we should deliberately starve the school if it really needs something. Quite the opposite – but just that the things I learnt best there were to excel given very little to go on. If we were to magically fund Picket and give every kid his / her own laptop, it wouldn’t be Picket any more.

Let’s face it, our teachers were never the best paid – and they still aren’t. Our labs were never the best-equipped - and they still aren’t. But somehow the darn place managed to still produce a lot of innovative, non-class-conscious, open-hearted people.

Everything about the school is in the heart and the hard work that we all had to put in. It’s in the fact that there is every strata and class of people there – not just the Richie-riches. That it’s been just as non-discriminatory between guys and girls- unlike many of the other schools I see today. It certainly brought us up free of class, money, religion and sex-discrimination. It taught us to work harder than those other guys who had more money, more facilities, more options at their disposal – but perhaps not the drive that we had – that they didn’t need to have.

What is it we need to do to make that heart, that feeling, that drive, that ethic of hard work stronger?

If I’ve offended a few dearly-held points of view, gustaakhi maaf.
But I’d really like your thoughts here.

Regards and my $0.02,
Mahesh"

Proud to be a Picketian..

2006-01-15T22:30:00.000+05:00

An email at the Picket Yahoo Groups that caught our attention.
Tapish talks about his Picket experience.

............Just an instance: I wore my Pratibimb shirt proudly to office and everybody was like: 'Whats this Picket'

I had to say:"Sir, this is where I learnt the basics!!! "

Yesterday,while I was at the sports arena in my office, a young lad came up to me and asked if I was from K Picket.
I said "Yeah. How do you know?"
He said "I saw you wearing Pratibimb t-shirt."
I said "Were you at KVP.?".
He said "Yes.I studied in Tarbund ( primary section) only."

Can you imagine the shine,the glory I saw on his face while introducing himself as a Picketian - Simply mind-blowing.

This is what Picket is all about...

I apologize for this long mail...But could not stop myself in sharing my experiences...

Regards,

Tapish Kumar
XII - 1997

Golden Picketian- Ramanujapuram Krishna (XI-1968)

2006-01-14T09:08:00.000+05:00

Been there, done that.!!He passed out of K.V Picket in 1968 and "loved going to school".Meet Ramanujapuram Krishna,a banking and insurance consultant,a role model for Picketians,one of the first few Picketians to give back to the school-a place where he learnt the basics of life.

(Ramanujapuram Krishna with his wife Chandrika and sons -Arun and Adethya.)

Could you please tell us something about yourself, your childhood days and places where you have done your schooling?
I am the second of three children of my parents. My father was an engineer in All India Radio and we kept moving all over the country. I did my schooling in Bombay, which incidentally is my birth place, Delhi, Bangalore, Madras and Secunderabad. We had a good family life and the usual fights with brother and sister. However, there was closeness within the family. Summers used to be spent in Bangalore with my paternal uncles, aunts, cousins and my maternal grandparents. We had a huge clan and there was lots of fun. I remember that in my uncle's (Dad's eldest brother)place, there would sometimes be 40 people eating at one meal!

For how many years were you in Picket and for which all grades?
I was in Picket from the 9th grade to the 11th. We came to Hyderabad, mid term, in November 1965 and we (my brother, sister and I) studied in KVP from December 1965 till we completed schooling. I passed out in 1968.

Did you like going to school then? Why or why not
I loved going to school. OK maybe some days, not too much. Overall however, the school had nice teachers, a spirit of cordiality and affection that I had not seen in most other schools I studied in, and I had very good friends. Being one of the better students in my class helped, I suppose.

Can you name a few teachers who taught you? Any favorites?
Mr A.L.N.Rao, Mrs Sarojini Naidu, Mr Aswathanarayana, Mr Aslam Alvi, Mr Kistaiah, Mrs Premlatha Reddy, Mr Sankara Sarma, Mr Khandelwal, Mr Mohandas. Difficult to pinpoint favourites as all the teachers treated us very well and scolded us whenever we transgressed the limits of good behaviour. This applies even to teachers who did not teach me such as Mrs Padmaja, who taught Biology, which I had not taken and who can forget Mrs Premilla Venugopal or Mrs Marian David as I knew her then, who egged me on into all the extra curricular activities. Also one who was not a teacher but makes my honours list any day, Ms Maya Srinivas, our cheerful librarian who issued as many books as I wanted. What struck me about them was the support and encouragement they gave us. Like indulgent parents they always made us feel we were the best!

What were the subjects you liked the most?
Mostly Chemistry and Maths. I also liked Physics and was a greatly enthusiastic reader devouring any books that came my way.

Did you participate in the extra-curricular activities at school. Do you think all that has had any influence in the way your personality has shaped up.
Yes. I was there in quiz competitions, GK, debates, elocution and of course Cricket. These have shaped my personality for the better giving me more confidence in life and also making me drive my wife nuts when I switch on sports channels on the TV!

Any memorable incident that happened to you during school that you’d like to share with us?
Wow! There are so many. However, the one thing which stands out even now is the pep talk that Mr. Sukumaran gave me about five months before the final XI Std. Exams. This was the defining moment when I got really serious about my studies! Then there were the cricket matches where we invariably got thrashed. However, this gave me the gumption to face anything that life threw at me and keeps throwing at me!

How would have the teachers in school described you.
Tall, awkward, studious, mischevious, playful, curious, bossy. Maybe but just maybe intelligent!

Did you hold any leadership position at school? Any sports medals that you won.
We did not to my knowledge have a school leader, but I was definitely the School Dada in Class XI. Before that it was my brother Sridhar

What did you do after your XIIth? From where did you graduate?
I passed out of school in the XI. There was no 12th those days. After passing out from KVP, I did B.Sc (Hons.) in Chemistry from Bangalore and then M.Sc. from Delhi.

When did you move outside Hyderabad? And how has the experience been.?
I moved out of Hyderabad immediately after school. However, my Dad was still in Hyderabad till end 1970. So I kept visiting, and would pop into school periodically, until they moved to Delhi. My sister completed school while staying with one of her classmates and good friend, Jayashree, whose mother Mrs Rama Srinivasan was one of the very best teachers of the school. Life outside Hyderabad is different but not too much for one who has spent almost his entire life travelling. Further, there was an unhurried pace about Hyderabad (and Bangalore) that is not there today. I spent a good part of my working life in Madhya Pradesh where there is a difference in the attitudes of people towards life. The cities I worked in such as Mumbai have their own good points and are the pits in some ways. However, the takeaway from every place is the good one sees rather than the negative aspects.

Tell us something more about your family?
I have been married for 27+ years and have two sons. My wife Chandrika is 47 going on 25 and looks about the latter age. My elder son, Arun, is 26 and a purchase engineer working in General Motors India in Bangalore. My younger, Adethya, who is 17, is in the process of completing his schooling from Vidya Niketan in Bangalore. Each of them is unique in their own way. Chandrika never stops learning. She is completing her Diplome Superieur in French from Alliance Francaise in Bangalore. She is also learning Tai Chi. All of us have completed Reiki 2nd Stage and Chandrika has done the third stage as well. Arun is a Linux enthusiast and knows quite a bit of programming. Adethya is learning the Tabla in addition to doing a course in animation. We love dogs and have two, Dennis and Rex, who are the spoilt kids in the house! All of us have been reasonably active in the Art of Living movement, even my dogs who put their barking on hold whenever we have programmes in our home! Would recommend that everyone does the basic course of AOL for health and happiness reasons. Best thousand rupees I have spent!

What is your current profession? How did you get into it? Do you like it ?
I am now a consultant for banking and an insurance agent advisor for Max New York Life. Am giving this a shot as I got rather tired of working for others. Some of the good things I did as a consultant is the entire process manual for a private sector bank, encompassing everything including the Credit Manual, the forms, the layout of office for the retail assets section, processes to be followed for enrolling third party service providers, checklists and so on. Prior to this I was in banking and have been through employment in SBI as well as two private sector banks, Centurion Bank and ING Vysya Bank. Not many banks can come close to SBI in terms of professionalism and quality of processes and personnel despite its seemingly slow ways. All I can say is SBI has provided me the best learnings of my life over a 25+ year period.

Would you be willing to guide any enthusiastic Picketians who wish to pursue a similar profession as yours?
I can guide someone once I become succesful in this profession, as a consultant, which I am still to become. Am however, quite knowledgeable about banking and have achieved reasonable success there. Would be delighted to guide anyone on the finer aspects of a banking career.

Thinking about it now, what do you think was the biggest learning/lesson you learnt at Picket?
Three things. One never underestimate yourself, second never give up and third if you do not know it cannot be done, it can be done!

Did you have crushes on any one back then?
Some things are best kept hidden from the world! However, to tell the truth, there were no crushes during my Picketian days.

Had you been in India and in Secunderabad, would you have sent your children to KV Picket? Why or why not?
No question! I certainly would have. After seeing the school and the kind of alumni we have, this question is a no brainer!

Do you think there is anything that the school/education system desperately needs?
As far as the school is concerned, the infrastructure, especially the bathrooms could be a little better. It could also do with better maintenance. I do not blame the school authorities who I am sure are giving it their best shot. It is the bureaucracy and remember that I have worked 25 years in the public sector. It is a brave person who can take on the establishment for getting more funds and improve matters. We Picketians need to rally round the Alma Mater to do the needful. If the alumni from the IITs can do it so can we. We have very well to do people amongst us and can easily translate love for the school into action. As far as the education system is concerned, I remember hearing Narayan Murthy speaking about how we are high on facts but low on problem solving skills. This is apparent when we see performance in tests such as GRE, TOEFL and so on. I recollect that many of my classmates in M.Sc. scored poorly in GRE Advanced which consisted of questions that required analytical application of academic knowledge, although they performed quite creditably in the Univ exams. This is one area that needs to be addressed urgently.

Did you attend the first Picket reunion? How was the experience?
Fantastic! I have expressed myself in my mails on this subject. It was way beyond my expectations. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and was delighted to meet my old friends and several teachers of yore who had a hugely positive impact on my life. Had a tear in my eye for all those who are no more and who helped. Also to see the enthusiastic younger generation, most of whom were born long after I passed out of school, made me mentally and even spiritually rejuvenated.

Is there anything more that you would like to add?
Sure. I bow my head in sheer gratitude to the organisers of Pratibimb and those who started the Alumni Association. Also to technology that makes all this possible. Having got acquainted with the prime movers of both association ansd event, I saw amazingly constructive and creative thinking at work. Makes me feel that the values taught by the school are intact and there is a lot of good in this world!

(KRISHNA'S KORNER - is a financial advice forum at www.kvpalumni.net where Mr Krishna posts informative pieces on finances and investments. Picketians can address their queries/clarifications to him.)

Check out KRISHNA'S CORNER at www.kvplumni.net

2006-01-05T16:21:00.000+05:00

Hi! Friends Announcing the start of a new forum. Its called KRISHNA'S KORNER. You guessed right, it is our own R.A.Krishna (11th -1968) who is going to give us advice on financial matters. Its a special forum where you will find informative pieces on finances and investments penned by Krishna himself. You can address your queries/clarifications to him. We will also have some guest contributors from related areas featuring on this forum in the weeks to come. So start posing your questions and reap 'rich' benefits. Check out the forums at www.kvpalumni.net on 6th Jan for KRISHNA'S CORNER !

Article in Indian Express on Pratibimb 2005

2006-01-01T13:21:00.000+05:00

Express News Service
Hyderabad, Dec 26

"Every batch thinks they are the naughtiest. But yes, they made us strong" was a remark which had the audience in splits. But the audience must have been used to the irrevocable charm of the speaker. As she was their teacher years ago when they were her students. At PRATIBIMB 2005,the first reunion of Kendriya Vidyalaya School, Picket, one word described the mood-nostalgia. Alumni ,former teachers and principals came together on Saturday for a fun-filled afternoon at the school.

As many as 200 alumni were present on the occasion, much like they used to come for the morning assembly. What was unique about the reunion was the presence of former teachers and principals. They came on the dais to speak to their erstwhile students, some still fresh on memory of how some of their students were weak in their subjects.

Baljit Kaur, a former teacher, evoked laughter and tears with her speech.” I’ve realized that four walls don't make an institution, but people do",she said.Kaur pleasantly surprised her students when she showed the gifts they had given her on various occasions like Teacher's day.

Others like Nalini Gopalkrishnan, a former teacher in the primary section of the school, spoke extempore on a request from the gathering.” Most loyalties are difficult to explain and loyalty to one's school is no different,” she said. The 'talk' afforded students and teachers alike an opportunity to say what it feels like after years of passing out.

To liven up the atmosphere, some alumni presented popular Bollywood songs intermittently. A photo exhibition of sports days, group photos, picnic photos of various batches was also put up. A dinner for the alumni was organized in the evening by the former students association.At the end, the views were unanimous: the tradition of reunion should continue.

Pratibimb 2005 :Organising committee

2005-12-29T16:01:00.000+05:00

You had heard their names. You had communicated with them.Now, that the event is over,itz time for us to introduce the key team members that made Pratibimb 2005 happen.

Their contact details are available at the Alumni Website here

Maheep Thapar - The "Captain"

Profession : Urban and Regional Planner,GIS Consultant
Batch : 1993-12th
Hobbies : Many
Word to descirbe him: Excellent!

Salil Kader-The Vice President
Profession : Doctoral Research Scholar
Picket batch: 12th - 1993
Hobbies : Music, Cricket
A word to describe him: Motivated !

Nikhil
Profession: Programmer
Picket batch: 1996-12th
Hobbies : Internet Freak, reads books and loves coding !
A word to to descirbe him: Unique!

Biswajit
Profession : Programmer Analyst.
Picket batch: 12th - 1996
Hobbies : Quizzing, Blogging
A word to describe him: Determined !

Harini Rao
Profession- CA student,
Picket Batch -2001 XII
Hobbies - Singing ,Reading and travelling
Words to describes her- Energy and fun!

Umesh
Profession: Student at IISc, Bangalore
Picket Batch: 12th- 2001 ( Class 1 to Class 12!!)
Hobbies - Computers, Meditation
A word to describe him- Disciplined and Sincere

Kallakuri Brothers
Shankar and Shiva
Shankar
Profession - Engineer(CSE)
Picket Batch - 2001 XII
Hobbies - Bikes, Computers,Programming,Listening, and driving, airplanes
A word to describes him- Commited!

Shivaramkrishna
Profession - Engineering student(EE)
Picket Batch - 2001 X
Hobbies - Computers, Technology
A word to describes him- Disciplined! (Youngest lad in the team)

And the award goes to......

2005-12-29T15:29:00.000+05:00

Batch with the maximum attendance for the Alumni Meet-Batch of 1976

(Venkat Krishna- 11th-1976,got the folks from the batch)

Batch of 1976

KV Picket logo design that you see on the T shirt -Vissa sudhir (Xth -2000)

The event name for the reunion i.e 'PRATIBIMB' -Vaibhav Modi (XIIth-06)

Mission Accomplished - PRATIBIMB 2005

2005-12-26T21:25:00.000+05:00

Pratibimb 2005-The school reunion finally happened ! Our first Reunion was a huge success.There were hugs, there was laughter... and tears too.

Fun and gaiety marked Pratibimb 2005, the first Reunion of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket (Secunderabad) Alumni Association held on 24th December 2005 at the school premises. The event was made memorable by the fact it was the first reunion organised since the inception of the school 41 years ago.

Nostalgia was the overarching emotion of the day and bear hugs and laughter was the most common sight. The event was well attended with the presence of more than 150 former students right from the 1968 batch to the recent pass-outs from the 2005 batch. The presence of former principals like Mr.K.P.Mehta, Mr.B.M.Dutta and Mr.Satyanarayana and other senior teachers made the event worthwhile for all those who participated.

Release of pigeons and 42 balloons signalled the inauguration of the event. The introductory remarks were given by Mr.V.Bhaskar, IAS, President of the KV Picket Alumni Association. He mentioned a previous attempt made by the Picket alumni to establish an alumni association in 1980 and wished this second venture success. The highlight of the Reunion was former principals, teachers and alumni recounting anecdotes from their days spent at KV Picket. Senior teachers, some of them with choked voices, recalled their association with the school and the successive batches they taught.

Quite interestingly it was the 1976 batch, which had maximum representation at the meet. There was a dinner at the Gun Rock Gardens where we saw the Alums of all shapes,sizes and age dancing to the foot tapping music of the DJ.

As I write this blog...I just can't forget that evening. The more I think about it ..the more I reflect on the past, the evening of 24th December looks even more memorable.!

There were some moments of Pratibimb 2005 that I'll cherish for life. I'd like to call them the 'Magic moments' . So, here goes my list of the 15 best MAGIC Moments of PRATIBIMB 2005.

15. Ex Picketians, lining up like little kids for the group photograph as per Biswajit’s instructions !
(Boy, I looked like a person who was in total control ;) )

14. The balloons and pigeon release by the alums and teachers!

13. The batch of 1996 -that made sure they wore the Picket T-Shirts as soon as they received it at the registration desk.

12.The sixteen year old son of Mr Kumar Krishanmoorthy (1968 batch),who came all the way from Canada , just to find out where his father did his schooling.

11.Harini's rendition of Nigahen Milane Ko Jee Chahta Ha.
( Am sure you folks must have noticed the eyebrow movements!)

10. Salil Bhai (the School Captain -1993), drinking spirit along with the juniors and that too without the team PRATIBIMB!...Now, where was the team spirit?

9. The relaxed Maheep, after the day event, shaking his leg at the dance floor.
(The Urban Planner is definitely a better dancer than Sunny Deol !)

8. A Picketian (Ajay?), dressed as Santa Claus, distributing chocolates to the little kids.

7. The Loud (or drunk ?) Amaranth (XII-96) speaking, shouting on the stage…and thus ensuring that everyone was on the dance floor!

6. The bubbly yet mature Neha Saxena (XII-01)making the same statement she made 5 years ago at the stage 'Madame Baljeet Kaur is my idol'.

5.The ladies from the 1976 batch (Kulwant,Suchitra etc) dancing with the batch of 2000s to the tunes of 'Dus Bahane' !!

4.Mr. Mahesh Murthy talking about the 3 lessons that he learnt at Picket.

3.The youthfulness of the batch of 1976
(The whistles and noise made by the batch of 1976 was a sight that brought a smile to everybody’s face .As someone from the 1976 batch said “If the 60s were the batch of intellectuals, the 70s were the batch that had the most notorious folks"

2.Mr R.A Krishna (1968 batch) and Deepa (2001) sitting at the registration counter and ensuring that the Picketians spot registrations are done smoothly.

1.Tears of joy rolling out of Ms Baljeet Kaur’s cheeks when she addressed the alumni association gathering.!

Great mood. Great feeling. Great day.KV Picket, we are proud to be a part of you.!
As Rumana(XII-1994) said "You can take a Picketian out of Picket, but never take Picket out of a Picketian""
- PRATIBIMB ORGANIZING TEAM.

The Poster.!!

2005-12-16T20:57:00.000+05:00

The poster that you'll notice on streets and corner in Hyderabad/Secunderabad.

Dolly Kushwaha -The lady you ought to know

2005-12-15T21:09:00.000+05:00

This is going to be one of the most interesting interviews that you might have read in recent times.

An ex amry officer.
An Asian Games High Jump reserve
An Asst Manager at RBI.
A mom who son says Wow to Maliaka Arora!

Meet Dolly Kushwaha,a Picketian who had loads of fun at school !!

Could you please tell us something about yourself, your childhood days and places where you have done your schooling?

My father was in the Army hence I did my schooling from various places starting from Siliguri, Dehuroad, Sagar, Sec’bad and finally finishing at mathura cantt.

For how many years were you in Picket and for which all grades.?

I joined KVP in class VII and left after XI(Commerce).

You have made a mark in the world of sports. When did this interest develop. Did the parents and teachers support a young girl who wanted to make it big in sports?

Hey, u must meet me to know that I must be the most laid back person on this earth. My entry into athletics was a co-incidence. My father was a services level swimmer and Academy blue in athletics. So I grew up in a family where everybody was a swimmer and all physically active. I was basically participating in swimming competitions from early childhood. When at Sec’bad during a state meet for all sports and games, my father asked me if I would like to participate in high jump( I am 5’9 now so I must have been 5’6-7 then.) I agreed and the rest is history. After that, every meet I participated in, I won the gold medal which culminated in my being selected as a reserve for the Asiads to be held in delhi. All this at the age of 14. At that peak time when I was being called a potential medal winner in international meets, I quit because I had had enough of staying away from home(so much for a girl who wanted to make it big ).

Can you name a few teachers who helped you in sports and academics?

With due respects, school came to know of my achievements only through newspapers. But yes in academics all the teachers who taught me through 7 to 11 were extremely devoted and sincere. I think Pavan in his interview has named them all so I’ll skip that part(see what a shammer I am).

Who was the favorite among them? And why was that teacher the favorite

My favorite teachers were Baljeet Kaur Ma’m, besides all her goodness, for not heeding to my father’s request for failing me in pre-boards since I jus’ wouldn’t study, Late Mrs Lina Lahiri for tolerating me in her classes and Mrs Maya who would let me borrow as many as seven books a week from lib.(she had no choice, I would literally be on my knees begging her)

Which were the subjects you liked the most?

You must be kidding! at that time I didn’t like any subject. I would have been an illiterate, given my way .

Which sports did you like the most.

Change it to Do u like.? I like all the sports incl horse polo. What I don’t like is CRICKET.( come on cricket fans, burn my effigy).

Any incident that happened to you during school that you’d like to share with us?

There are many. I hold the unique distinction of getting ‘E’ in SUPW in X boards.(Basanta ma’m , I plead forgiveness for my then behaviour). Any lost and found article announced in assembly was mostly mine. I have been punished by almost all the teachers in KVP and it was never for studies.

What did you do after your XIIth? From where did you graduate?

I did my XII from KV Mathura Cantt and graduated from St John’s College Agra. For sometimes after that I was Faculty at Sachdeva New PT college . Later when Govt announced induction of lady officers in the army I knew I had found my calling and joined Army in 1994. Army has been benevolent enough to award me with Chief Of Army Staff’s Commendation card for devotion towards duty.

Tell us something more about ur family. ?

My husband is a Lt Col in the Army and presently posted at Bikaner and I have a six years old son who already says Wow to Maliaka Arora.

What is your current profession? How did you get into it?

I am Presently in the Reserve Bank Of India as Asst Manager posted at Kolkata. I left Army in 10th year of my service since there is still no clear policy on their permanent absorption in the Army. I saw the advertisement for this post in RBI in Employment News. Since there was age relaxtation for the Ex-service pers and I was meeting the QR I applied for it and was lucky to get through.

Would you be willing to guide any enthusiastic Picketians who wish to pursue a similar profession (Army/Banking/Sports) as yours?

Yes, definitely. I am always there at my e-mail address.

What do you think was the biggest learning/lesson you learnt studying in Picket?

It taught me to love school. I loved every second I spent in that school. For me it is like –“Think KVP- Think laughter, fun and friends”. Besides that, it made me the person I am today, coz max stay I ever had in any school it is at Picket.

Did you have crushes on any one back then? Or were you the center of attraction.?

The times then were different. Crushes meant that ur friends would start teasing u with some guy for some strange reason and next time u crossed that guy u would actually be blushing. So that way, yes I was teased . and for the other part, heavens no! I don’t think guys would even be looking at me coz I was so tomboyish, tanned and absolutely careless ‘bout my looks( my colleague is adding that I still am careless about my looks) . U know guys like pretty girls.

Had you been in Secunderabad, would you have sent your children to KV Picket? Why or why not?
Yes ,because KV’s are a great learning experience.

You have so many things to your credit….What inspires you in life..
The need to keep my self gainfully involved keeps me seeking out new venues.

Will you be there for the Picket reunion?

No! though I would have loved to.(there another major reunion here, my husband is reaching here on 25 hahaha!)

Is there anything more that you would like to add?

This interview should be read in the spirit of this blog (we don’t take ourselves seriously). And once again you guys have done a great job bk getting so many picketians together. All the best and take care.

(Dolly had a central board meeting on the 15th of this month.With loads of work to do,she hardly had any time for us.We pestered her and she kept her "ladies promise" and gave the interview.We thank you Dolly. You rock !!
- Picket Blog Team)

Advt of PRATIBIMB in Newspapers on Dec 11th,2005

2005-12-10T19:46:00.000+05:00

The "Sachin" Power - 12th, 1996

2005-12-07T12:21:00.000+05:00

During school days in 1996,he could solve difficult mathematical problems in seconds.Working on complex chemical equations in Chemistry was "fun" for him.
Forward 2005:The scene is different now.The academics portion is over.An engineering degree from REC,an MBA from the prestigious IIM,the man in his new avatar can be labeled as "Mr Cool".Gymming, trekking and solving Sudokos is what he enjoys now.Ladies and Gentleman,meet Sacheendran,a picketian from the 1996 batch.

(Picture Perfect:Sachin with his wife Shruti)

Could you please tell us something about yourself, your childhood days and places where you have done your schooling?

I spent most parts of my childhood in a then small and conservative place called Erode in Tamil Nadu. I joined KV. Bowenpally, Secunderabad in class VIII when my father got transferred there. It was a big change – both culturally and academically for me. I enjoyed being part of the KV family and continued to be part of it till my XII. I owe a great deal to the KV culture, which helped me shed a lot of inhibitions and shaped me up for better things later on in life.
(I guess about me will follow in the other questions)

For how many years were you in Picket, for which all grades.

I was in Picket for only two years and had a great short and sweet stint.I did my XI and XII at KVP.
Must add that for us guys at Bowenpally, Picket was the dream destination and I was obviously thrilled on being accepted at KVP – else I would have had to go to (yuck!!) KVT!

Do you remember how the school looked then? What was your favorite hangout at school?
I joined the main block in XI and remember it most vividly. I also remember the junior block where we used to go for various events. I loved to sit beside the volley-ball court along the main entrance. I guess most of us did just that - make groups there and gossip away to glory

Can you name a few teachers whom you remember? Sources reveal to us that you were the favorite of a few teachers. (Chem and Maths). Do you know why?
Well I remember all the teachers who taught me – Mrs. Lakshmi (Chem), Mrs. Sundari (Maths), Mrs. Rajeshwari ( Class teacher/Bio), Mrs. Baljeet Kaur (Eng), Mr. Shibu (Phy) and of course Mr. Varaprasad (Games). I also remember some other names like Mrs. Kuriakose, Mr. K.Sai, Mrs. Biti Biswas, Mrs. Radhika ( I think – commerce teacher) , Mrs. Zubeida etc. Well the sources do reveal correctly (I hope !!) and I guess the reason is pretty much the same for all teachers who like certain students – they like any student who shows interest and enthusiasm in their subject and also tries and performs well.

Who was the favorite teacher of yours? Any specific reason why you liked that teacher.
Well I guess the feelings were mutual in terms of the teachers I liked. I had the most fun in chemistry and math classes and the reason I used to enjoy these were because I thought both Lakshmi ma'am and Sundari ma'am were exceptionally committed teachers and I enjoyed a personal rapport with them.

You were known to be an outstanding student, but what were the subjects you liked the most?
I shall not accept that at all. All I think I can claim is that I got decent marks in XII. I almost flunked class XI and was 'standing out' of most extra curricular activities and positions of responsibility – something I regret the most even today. In terms of the subjects I guess I liked MCPB in that order.

Are you in touch with your classmates? How many of them are you in touch with.
Yes I am in touch with some of my classmates. I have met them on a couple of occasions while I had visited Hyderabad. Some of them I catch up with on chat session or speak to in not so frequent intervals. I expect to catch up with a whole bunch of them during the Alumni party.

Any funny incident that happened to you during school?
Can't remember anything in particular but a rather amusing event used to unfold almost everyday in mathematics class when Sundari ma'am would pull me or my bench-mate Vikram right from our corner last bench to a diagonally opposite front bench. We would haggle with ma'am and then amongst ourselves as to who would do the honors. But I am still not sure how much ma'ma achieved from this feat of hers, 'cos 'kutte ki dum kabhi seedhi nahin ho sakti hai"

What did you do after your XIIth? From where did you graduate?
After XII, I did what any academically decent South Indian boy with a non-business background did – write my engineering entrance. The other alternative of writing medicine was hara-kiri as far as I was concerned. And I was na�ve enough to think that CBSE XII syllabus is a God-sent elixir to all entrance exams. With such forward-looking thoughts, it was but obvious that I got rogered in EAMCET. Thankfully no one wanted civil engineering those days and I ended up taking a civil engineering seat at REC Jaipur. After some ghoda-giri in the first year I slided 'up' to Chemical Engineering. And mind you, all this while I had no idea what I wanted to do in life – I was just fulfilling the ambitions that were set before me by my society/upbringing!!!
Oh and by the way goaded by some of my classmates, I also gave my NDA entrance and cleared the pilot aptitude battery test (PABT) before I was rejected for arguing/being an incompetent team-member. But it was a great experience and from then on I have worked towards improvement of my team skills and temperament.

When did you make it to the IIMs? How was the experience there?
I made it to IIM Bangalore in June 2002. I was working at Infosys at that time and ensconced in the comfort of a 'job' I got the time to introspect and find out what I wanted to do in life.
The experience was simply put - thrilling. I discovered a lot of things – that an entire schedule of a trimester down to submission of each and every assignment can be given on the first day of joining, that people actually start group assignments at 1 0 clock at night, that I could be awake till 2 am, that I could actually study more than 1.5 hours a day, that one could party hard as well as study hard at the same time, that even though your house is in the same city you were lucky to go there once in two weeks and that I will be carrying the IIM tag all my life!!! I had a good time and for the first time in my life I felt I was doing something, which I wanted to do/learn without being hurled into anything!

When did you move away from Hyderabad? Do you miss the place?
I moved out of Hyderabad in 1996 to join college in Jaipur and my father got his transfer to Bangalore in the subsequent year. Hyderabad was the first big city I had ever lived in (after I was mature enough to understand what a city meant) and it thought me a lot of things. I mixed with many people from varied backgrounds and ‘opened up’. I guess I will always cherish the experiences of the city and in that sense yes, do miss it!

What is your current profession? How did you get into it?
I am currently attached to the 'Global Markets' division (the treasury) of Standard Chartered bank. I am a trader with the fixed income desk – which means that I buy and sell government bonds for a living. My job essentially requires me to sit before the Bloomberg and the Reuters terminals and keep track of economic/political happenings in India and the major economies of the world that affect interest rate scenarios in the country!
This is my second job after IIM. I was earlier attached to the fixed income institutional sales desk of ICICI Bank. I was more inclined towards the trading role and hence applied for a vacancy outside.

Would you be willing to guide any enthusiastic Picketians who wish to pursue a similar profession as your?
Most certainly. Would be glad to be of any help. But some things I can tell right away are –
(1)Make sure you have a well-rounded personality, which means emphasize on extra curricular activities and hold positions of responsibility. Scoring marks should not be the only goal.
(2) Engineering / Medical are not the only things you can do after XII!!!
!

Tell us something more about your family –parents, brother?
My Father is an officer with Karur Vysya Bank in Bangalore, where he is serving his last year before retirement. My mother is a homemaker - par excellence, if I may add. We are kannadigas, now settled in Bangalore, but have our domicile in Tamil Nadu. Thanks to all this I know three South Indian languages (and also got ragged in engineering college by seniors of all the three states!) My brother is doing his final year engineering and has been placed with Infosys in the campus placement. He has been a KV product all his life and a big fan of the KV system.

Sources reveal to us that you are a south Indian married boy married to a North Indian gal. When did cupid strike? Tell us more.
Sources are right once again! Well I met Shruti at a mutual friend's party in Pune in Nov 2001. Shruti is an army kid (and again ) has thanks to KV I had developed a deep affinity towards the armed forces !!) and has done her BA English literature from Lady Shri Ram (LSR), Delhi and Mass Communication from St, Xaviers, Mumbai. When we met Shruti was in advertising, then she did theatre for some time, then she was with India Today and after marriage she was a voice and accent trainer before finally settling into teaching dramatics for children! But unfortunately (or fortunately!) we were never in the same cities and so our relationship can be called e-dating for all practical purposes! But while I was at IIM, during each trimester break of one week, I used to religiously go to Delhi much to the concealed disappointment of my parents.

Thinking about it now, what do you think was the biggest learning/lesson you learnt at Picket?
As I mentioned earlier, when I joined KV I welcomed myself into totally different but exciting world culturally, socially and attitudinally. And in Picket the experience was only accentuated because it was the best KV in town! The biggest lesson I learnt in KVP was that I was equipped to travel anywhere in the country and meet and talk to as many people from varied backgrounds. An experience, which led me take up that seat in REC Jaipur without hesitation and helped me have a great time there.

Did you have crushes on any one back then? (You have to answer this!!)
Absolutely and a huge one like all 'normal' kids in school and college do. But then all good at that things come to an end and better ones begin ! Importantly 'Alls well that ends well'!

When you have children and assume that you are in Secunderabad, will you send your children to KV Picket? Why or why not? (Candid answer required)
Well I have not been to the school in a long time and I have no idea what is taught these days in school. But in case KVs do away with examination till some 7-8th standard and if they have good sports facilities, I will not hesitate at all.

Do you think there is anything that the school desperately needs or needed at that time?
I think with varied options available these days in numerous professions it is important to have a career cell which will educate children on various professional lines they can take up and not just stick to the rut. And career cells help students by creating awareness in the least … because truly I did not know anything beyond engineering, medicine, IIT, LFJC, EAMCET etc etc. I mean for example in Calcutta/ Delhi Economics is a much sought after course..how many of us aspire to become a VJ, pilot or air hostess !!

I also think that the facilities and opportunities in sports must be improved.

Will you be there for the Picket reunion? Are you looking forward to meet some people at the meet?
Yes I will be there for the reunion. Am looking forward to meet my classmates, batchmates and teachers. Also looking forward to interact with a lot of alumni and current students.

Is there anything more that you would like to add?
I would like to congratulate Biswajit, Salil,Maheep and team for the excellent show they have put up! I used to be jealous of students who had school/college websites through which they were in touch with their school/college mates but I guess I no longer need to be. It’s a great initiative and wish the Alumni Team all the very best in their endeavors.

Intellectual Inside -Kabir Chugh (12th,1994)

2005-12-06T19:13:00.000+05:00

1994: He was in school,he sported a Moustache.He played Basketball
2005: Clean shaven..He looks different now....A just turned dad...A Communications Engineer,Meet Kabir Chugh,a Picketian from the 95 batch working at Intel.

Could you please tell us something about yourself, your childhood days and places where you have done your schooling?

My name is Kabir Chugh, I have done BE and have been working on the software industry for a while (Nothing new in that?). I am currently working at Intel in Bangalore. I am a very jovial person, who takes life the way it comes, one step at a time. My motto is “There is one life after all, so let’s live it to the fullest.”I think childhood days are the best days in ones life, as much as I can remember; my childhood was spent playing a lot of cricket. Getting scolding from parents for not studying enough. Sitting for a long time with friends, watching loads of movies. Somehow surviving in the small pocket money that I used to get. My father was in the defense, so have been to different cities in India. Started my schooling in K V Hebbal, Bangalore then K V Janakpuri, New Delhi and finished from K V Picket, Secunderabad in 1994, did my engineering after that.

For how many years were you in Picket and for which all grades?

I was in Picket for 4 years 1990 – 1994, started in 9th and finished in 12th.

Do you remember how the school looked then? Was there the Tarbund, Old and the New block?

Yes, I do remember how the school was. There was Tadbund, I started in Old block and finished in new block. I have not been to the school for a while now so don’t really remember how the place is now.

Do you have any pictures of your school or class of those times? Can you please share them with us?
don’t have any pictures as of now. I might have some at my home in Hyderabad, if I can find them, I will surely share them.

Can you name a few teachers whom you remember?

9th Class – I remember none
10th Class – Hindi – Chabi Bhatacharya, no one else
11th and 12th Class
English – Biti Biswas
Maths – Mahalakshmi
Chemistry – Devika
Physics – Subhashani
Biology – Natrajan/Zubeda

Who was the favorite among them? And why was that teacher the favorite

Devika madam, our chemistry teacher and also class teacher, so I think it should not be tough to guess why she was the favorite. I was never a very studious guy, involved in sports (represented the school in regional level basketball), involved in extra-curricular activities, so had to be in the good books to the class teacher.

Which were the subjects you liked the most?

I loved Biology the most; I was very comfortable with the same. I remember that the rat that I had dissected as part of my 12th biology practical was shown by 2 of my friends other than myself. But guess what I did, I did engineering and now working in the IT industry, so as the saying goes “Man proposes and God disposes”. I regret nothing; this had to happen as I think it was my destiny.

Any funny incident that happened to you during school?
I can’t recall any incident now.

What did you do after your XIIth? From where did you graduate?

I did my B.E. in Communication from Bangalore University after XII. I graduated from DSCE, Bangalore. It has been a long association with Bangalore.

Did you hold any leadership position at school? Any leadership lessons learnt?

I was the vice captain (Vivekanand) and captain of my house (Azad) in XI and XII classes respectively. The biggest lesson that I think I learnt is that it is very difficult to appease everyone; you have to walk a very thin rope when the burden of leadership is on your shoulders.

Being in Intel,you must have travelled places.And how has the experience been?

I have not moved out of India, have been to US though. It was a nice experience, had the sour moments also. But, there is no place like home (India), you are the king in your own country.

Tell us something more about your family.

My father was in the defense, he is now vice-principal of an Engineering college. My mother is a house wife. My wife is a software engineer working in CMC-TCS. My younger brother is an oral surgeon. We have a new addition in the family. I have been blessed with a baby boy on 29th Oct 2005.

What is your current profession? How did you get into it?
It is easy to guess what profession I would be in after passing in 1998. I am in the Information Technology industry. I got unto it as it was hot cake when we passed out, not really by choice, but by circumstances. No regrets about it though, enjoying my time here.

Would you be willing to guide any enthusiastic Picketians who wish to pursue a similar profession as your?
Yes, I am always open and willing to guide. They can write to me anytime

What do you think was the biggest learning/lesson you learnt studying in Picket?
“Hard work can do wonders”. All one needs is commitment and guidance, one can achieve anything in the world. Another great thing that Picket showed me was “Unity in diversity and the power of unity”.

Did you have crushes on any one back then?
An infatuation yes, crushes no. One is a small number; few that I remember are Ruby, Betty. Can remember only 2 now ?

Had you been in India and in Secunderabad, would you have sent your children to KV Picket? Why or why not?
Yes, if I am at Secunderabad, I will surely send my children to K V Picket. It is a great institute which helps in the over all development. Everyone is treated with equality here; there is no one small or big. No caste or creed.

Do you think if there is anything that the school desperately needs?
I don’t think I am in a position to answer this question. At my time, we had everything that we needed.

Will you be there for the Picket reunion?
Yes, I am going to try my best to make it there.

Is there anything more that you would like to add?
Thanks a lot for giving me a chance to share my thoughts.
The concept of an alumni association is a great thing, kudos to all those who have done so much for it.

Meet an Alum - Shanti Katta (12th-1995), the Creative Techie!

2005-12-03T08:42:00.000+05:00

11 Years in Picket,the school is very close to her heart.She had the rare opportunity to study in all the three blocks-Tarbund,Old and the New block.
One of the favorites of Late Shyamala Madam, folks who know her well will be surpised to learn that the creative Shanti Katta is a Linux enthusiast now.A Picketian from the 1995 12th batch,a Technical Account Manager at Red Hat,Inc currently,meet Shanti Katta.

1. Could you please tell us something about yourself, your childhood days and places where you have done your schooling?

I was born in Khammam in AP state. My dad was in Air Force and he was posted in Nasik, Maharashtra at that time. I studied until 1st class in K.V. Nasik and later moved to Secunderabad. I vaguely remember some Marathi words and the bus stop where I used to catch school truck everyday :-)

2. For how many years were you in Picket and for which all grades.?

I studied in K.V. Picket for 11 years from IInd to XIIth(1995) section B. I was in MPBC stream in XIth and XIIth. I know that's quite a long time to spend in one school especially with dad working in defense. It was mainly because my dad took early retirement when I was in primary school.

3. Do you remember how the school looked then? Was there the Tarbund, Old and the New block?

Yes I still remember Tarbund, Old and New blocks with New block really being new at that time with single storey. All the annual day, sports day event practices was conducted in new block with final shows at Thapar stadium.

4. Do you have any pictures of your school or class of those times? Can you please share them with us?

I do have pictures taken in primary and secondary school at my home in Hyderabad. Unfortunately, I do not have access to them from here in US :-(

5. Can you name a few teachers whom you remember?

How could I forget the teachers who made a difference in my life and shape me into what I am today. Let me try to list them in chronological order starting with primary school: Mrs. Binaka(Science), Primary school principal with short curly hair who carried her handbag in her arm, Mrs. Saldana, Mrs. Kulkarni, Mrs. Catharine Phillips(English), Mrs. Radha Rao(Social), Mrs. Chabi Bhattacharya(Hindi), Mr. Narayana Rao(Hindi), Mrs. Premlatha Nair(Chemistry), Mr. Achyut Acharya(Sanskrit), Mrs. Geeta Subramanyam(English), Mrs. Pushpavati(maths), Mrs. Sandhya Naidu(Maths), Mrs. Baljit Kaur(English), late Mrs. Shyamala nallari(Arts), Mr. Ravinder Reddy(Sports), Mrs. Shanta Kumari(Music), Mr. Nanda(English, Scouts & Guides), Mr. Varaprasad Rao(Sports), Mrs Banerjee(Biology).

6. Who was the favorite among them? And why was that teacher the favorite

All of them bear a special role in my life but late Mrs. Shyamala madam was one person with whom I shared unique connection. I was her all time favorite student getting personalized invitations to rangoli, drawing/painting competitions. We also had common spiritual interests. Mrs. Sandhya Naidu(class teacher, Maths) and Mrs. Premlatha Nair also hold special positions in my life. I was quite fascinated with their dynamic nature and command over their respective subjects.

7. Which were the subjects you liked the most?

I enjoyed mathematics the most as I was good at it ;-) I used to have a lot of fun with pippette experiments in Chemistry lab, organic chemistry and Biology was my favorite too. I was so dreaded by History that whenever I had History exam, I used to go to my terrace and (try to) read but always ended up watching birds ;-)

8. Any funny incident that happened to you during school?

Hmm..There are many of them which I cannot fit in here but I'll try to list a few. When I was in 2nd class, I was playing the role of a deer for which I had to wear a huge, heavy mask during annual day. Initially I did not realize but the mask was so suffocating that I was crying inside and nobody could hear. After the play ended, fortunately my sister came searching for me and I got rid of it.
There was one time where Shyamala maam had asked me to take part in a drawing competition which was based on cricket. I had no clue on the theme and I looked at one magazine where there was a picture of a batsman. So at the competition, I drew all 11 of them with batting pads located at different positions in the field. After I narrated this incident at home, they laughed till their stomachs hurt.

9. What did you do after your XIIth? From where did you graduate?

After passing out from Picket, I wrote Engineering entrance(EAMCET) and initially joined Muffakham Jha(MJ) college in Hyderabad in ECE. After 15 days, I moved to KITS, Warangal for pursuing CS degree. Again during 3rd counselling, I came back to Hyderabad Shadan College(affliated to JNTU) and graduated with B.Tech in Computer Science in 2000. I later moved to US for masters and graduated in 2003 with MS in CS from West Virginia University.

10. Did you hold any leadership position at school? Any leadership lessons learnt ?

I was not much of a leader by nature. In spite of my willingness Mrs. Sandhya Naidu madam made me act as class monitor for 2 yrs in VIIIth and IXth classes. I used to hate that in the beginning as no one especially boys used to listen and follow my instructions. I gradually learnt that if I put myself in their shoes and try to relate in their context, things worked better. One could be the best leader by setting an example and practicing what you preach in your own life first.

11. When did you move to a ....... ( US, Denmark)? And how has the experience been .?

I moved to US in Aug 2000 to pursue Masters in Computer Science from West Virginia University. Initially it was more of a panic situation with uncertainty about funding situation, new environment, new culture, different words, pronunciation etc. I was brought up in a protected environment at home not having to deal with anything like budget, making various decisions, not to mention cooking etc. Interaction with other students who are sailing the same boat learning various things and getting to know interesting facts about other cultures from international folks does help shape your overall personality. Schools here differ a lot in teaching methods compared to India. Importance is given to practical aspects of a subject rather than just theory which reflects in coursework and lab experiments. Now when I think about it, I appreciate all that learning experience which have not only made me a strong person but also induced a thought process to analyze a situation from various angles using different perspectives.

12. Tell us something more about ur family. ?

I am currently single and in search of my significant other ;-). My dad was a sergeant and medical assistant in Air Force and my mom worked for sometime and then decided to take on home making. They visited Assam, Madras, Andaman Nikobar, Maharashtra, etc and finally decided to settle in Hyderabad that's when my dad took early retirement. He is currently working as an Editor for a monthly spiritual magazine for “Sant Nirankari Mission” on voluntary basis. My sister who also studied in K.V. Picket(VIIIth to Xth) is an Electronics and Communications engineer, married with 7 yr old lovely son and is working in Hyderabad. My parents, sister and brother-in-law live together in Hyd. I am very proud of my family who have stood by and encouraged me at every point in my life.

13. What is your current profession? How did you get into it?

I am currently working as a Technical Account Manager at Red Hat, Inc. which is a leading company in open source Linux. I assist financial institutions in NYC with their Linux requirements and infrastructure.
I knew nothing about Linux until my first semester as West Virginia University when my supervisor in CS dept.(where I was a research assistant) inspired me, trained me and involved me in some of the interesting Linux projects. I admire his passion for open source, Linux and he has been my mentor, my good friend till date. After graduating from WVU, I joined Cornell University in central NY as Linux system administrator. I was responsible for supporting about 35+ Linux servers located all over the world serving lung scan data for a research group dealing with detection of lung cancer in its early stages.

14. Would you be willing to guide any enthusiastic Picketians who wish to pursue a similar profession as your?

I would gladly direct anyone who wish to pursue a career in Linux. Let me tell you that it needs a bit of commitment and perseverance in the beginning to stick onto Linux/Unix but I am sure who will enjoy and appreciate its importance in due course of time. In fact, I have been assisting many aspiring students who wanted some guidance with their Linux projects. I am reachable via email, chat or phone and my details are listed in K.V. Picket alumni database.

15. What do you think was the biggest learning/lesson you learnt studying in Picket?

As Picket is known to have the best talent from all over India both in terms of teachers and students, there was always one or the other aspect to learn. Primary and secondary school years play the most important role in shaping your future, so try to gain the most out of the best teachers while you are there.

16. Did you have crushes on any one back then?

Isn't that getting too personal ;-). I am kidding...Not really. It may be because my friends never had such interests or thoughts as well.

17. Had you been in India and in Secunderabad, would you have sent your children to KV Picket? Why or why not?

Hmm...that's way too hypothetical a question but yes given the conditions I would have definitely preferred Picket as my first choice especially for primary school and secondary school(Until Xth). I feel the choice of senior secondary school(XI – XII) depends on what you want to pursue in future. For example if you want to take up IIT, REC, NDA etc. then KV is best otherwise for state entrances like EAMCET, state schools prepare you better.

18. Do you think if there is anything that the school desperately needs?

I am not sure of the current status of the school as it may have improved in many aspects but as others pointed out a better infrastructure, better library, better lab equipment and the coursework and labs should concentrate on practicality of the subject matter rather than just theory thereby making it more interesting.

19. Will you be there for the Picket reunion?

Most probably no.

20. Is there anything more that you would like to add?

I just wanted to add that you guys are doing great job in organizing the alumni meet for the first time with all your best efforts in every possible angle. Yahoo group and online blogs are definitely great tools to keep in touch and to keep the loop going. Thanks for innovative ideas and keep up the good work!

Picket Alumni Website Launced

2005-11-26T09:57:00.000+05:00

Hi Everybody,

We are happy to announce the launch of the much awaited website of our own. Please log on to www.kvpalumni.net.Please register for the network as well as for the meet separately. The blogspot and other urls will continue to give support to our effort of making the alumni larger and stronger.Some improvements are in process on the website. I hope that picketians will excuse the small gaps(if any) and start using the site.

A short request is attached to this mail. Kindly read it carefully

Special thanks to all the team members, well wishers, supporters outside Hyderabad.
Best wishes to all

Maheep
(1993-12th)

P.S:

As Salil Kader says "We are on our way Guys"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ALUMNI ANNOUNCEMENT –2 ALUMNI WEBSITE

Dear Friends,

We are happy to inform you that the KV Picket Alumni Online Network (http://www.kvpalumni.net/) has been launched. Another important milestone!

Kindly visit the site and register. Thereafter you can also register for the First Reunion.

A special thanks to Maheep for getting this website up!

Here is a little more information about the KVPalumni.net.

We endeavour to facilitate the migration of various KV Picket alumni online groups functioning/communicating presently through Yahoo! Groups or portals like Batchmates.com, Orkut.com, Alumni.net etc, onto this Single Community Network called the KVPAlumni.net – an amalgam of KV Picket alumni from the first batch to latest.

· However, we also want to ensure that despite migrating to the larger alumni network called KVPAlumni.net, each batch preserves its unique character.
· The KVPAlumni.net seeks to achieve twin goals:

a. Uniting various batches of Picket Alumni under one banner i.e., KVPAlumni.net
b. Enabling each batch under the KVPAlumni.net to retain its unique character by providing it with the prerogative of interacting/communicating within itself.
Thus, the KVPAlumni.net is both, inclusive (Point a) as well as exclusive (Point b), at the same time.

· The Batch wise Alumni Message Board feature of KVPAlumni.net makes it easier to communicate/interact while at the same time making these interactive sessions more informative. This has been made possible by a unique feature where on a click you can view each other’s detailed profile and other information.
· To enable cross-batch interaction we have created many forums with titles/themes, apart from the ‘Common to all forum’.
· We also have a Batch wise Alumni Photo Gallery where alumnus can upload their pictures.
· Photographs: It is requested that the mugshot (appropriate photo on the user profile) be square in shape and of minimum file size with enough clarity for people to see. Similarly the photos in the photo gallery should be uploaded only after reducing their file sizes (This can be done easily using softwares like Adobe Photoshop etc ) and giving appropriate titles and description in the key words.

· Creation of the new forums, photo galleries can be done with the assistance of the moderators.
· Needless to say, the moderators will be keeping an overall watch not just to keep a check on the content of the messages but also to ensure that we do not transgress in our excitement to interact. Also in rare cases where any member would feel uncomfortable and/or feel hurt about an issue/comment/interact, then the same should be made known only to the moderators forthwith, who will take corrective steps thereafter. Starting a debate or arguing on the message boards would seem immature and definitely unwanted. Therefore, this is something we all would want to avoid.
· We would like to state at the outset that in case of differences in opinions and perspectives, the moderators are there to sort out issues and ‘unruffle feathers’. We are sure that the KVP Community would show enough maturity not only in their postings on the net but also by providing the moderators (who are but friends) with certain discretionary powers in this regard.

· We are now undertaking the challenging task of asking each e-group to start using their respective batch pages on the website. We hope that this task should not be as challenging as we foresee it to be with the KVP alumnus responding to us favourably and quickly.
· We believe that these will be our first steps towards a great journey and even if we take time to steady ourselves we will do it with mutual cooperation, with common greater objectives and good spiritedness in mind.
· A large network on the net would enable us to collect and disseminate relevant information and be useful to the School, the Alumni as well the society in general.

Our mission statements right now are:

“LOG ON TO www.kvpalumni.net” and become a member of the alumni network.

“EACH ONE TELL TEN”
“Let us Enlarge the KVP Community”

K.V Picket Alumni Association Bank Accoun ready

2005-11-23T21:12:00.000+05:00

Dear Friends,

We are happy to inform you that we finally have a bank account! It was one big struggle, let me confess. Nevertheless, the persistence and efforts have paid off… just in time.

-The account has been opened at the ICICI Bank, Secunderabad (near Clock Tower).
-The account stands in the name of K.V. Picket Alumni Association.
-The account number is 004801049392

As I mentioned earlier, getting this account opened was no easy task, what with so many requirements placed before us by the bankers. Some issues are still proving to be contentious. One of these is the transfer of money in foreign currency. This, as some of you would already know, requires prior Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs and takes at least 90 days to complete. So as of now please DO NOT send/deposit money in ANY foreign currency.

SOME DO’S AND DON’TS:

-Please do not deposit money in foreign currency.
-Please make out cheques/cash deposits in the name of K.V. Picket Alumni Association only.
-Please do not use the full form of KV on the cheques or pay-in slips. The bankers might not accept such deposits.
-Please retain your copy/section of the pay-in slips.
-Please be careful while deposting the money. All receipts will be confirmed by mail. Hard copies of the receipt will be handed over when you come down for the Reunion.

The best part about this is that now we can start accepting the Registration Fee for the Reunion. Details about the registration fee and the Reunion are coming up in the next mail.

We will be glad to offer any clarifications.

With warm regards,
Salil Kader
(12th - 1993)

Photo Exhibition of Dec 24th, 2005

2005-11-21T20:47:00.000+05:00

Hi Guyz,
For the Alumni Meet on 24th November, we are having a Photo Exhibition.
Ex-Picketians are requested to email any pictures related to school (along with a CAPTION) to picketian@gmail.com.
The pictures could be on any subject..Class pictures,Picnics,Farewell,Get togethers.!
So, what are you waiting for..Send us your pictures fast!

Meet an alum -Pavan (1984, XIIth batch)

2005-11-18T22:24:00.000+05:00

In the 1980s, if the teachers and students were asked to name an ideal student,Pavan's name would be the most popular one.

A Picketian of the 1984 12th batch.
The Boy’s School Captain ...
Board topper in X and XII.
All India Rank 12 in XII
An Engineer from BITS, Pilani
A PhD from University of Minnesota
An Executive MBA at the Carlson School of Management
A Scientist at Honeywell Laboratories in Minneapolis, MN.
A Professional musician (Tabla player and teacher, part-time singer and composer)

Meet Allalaghatta Pavan who just seems to get everything he ever sets his eyes on.

Could you please tell us something about yourself, your childhood days and places where you have done your schooling?

I spent my early years in Northern India, in Hardwar (then U.P, now Uttaranchal). My father was an engineer at B.H.E.L (Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.) - Hardwar, from the mid 60s until 1978. My early schooling was thus in Hardwar, from Class I through part of Class VI at K.V. Hardwar. (It used to be called B.H.E.L Academy earlier on but was accorded K.V. status sometime during my Class IV/V days. I think it is now called K.V. 1 Hardwar.)

Afterwards, in February 1978 my father sought and received a transfer to Southern India and we ended up in Secunderabad (even though Bangalore was our preferred place to move to). BHEL’s Corporate R&D was just then taking shape in Hyderabad and my father joined this relatively new organization to assume charge of electrical construction projects there. It was in February 1978 that I joined K.V. Picket, with two months of Class VI remaining. The rest of my schooling, from Class VII through Class XII was all at K.V.P.

For how many years were you in Picket and for which all grades?

I came to K.V.P. in February 1978 towards the end of Class VI and stayed on until Class XII which I completed in 1984.

Do you remember how the school looked then? Was there the Tarbund, Old and the New block?

I don’t remember the Tarbund Block. There was the “Old Block”, perhaps the only block then. The grounds across from the Secunderabad Club where the “New Block” now sits, was available to us, however, for sports and other activities in Class XI and XII. I remember playing in a couple of Inter-House cricket matches there (the Sarojini House team I was a part of, received a solid whipping at the hands of the Patel House team in the last game I remember playing there – we were bundled out for a paltry 39 runs!). Some of the practice drills for the Sports Day also used to be conducted at the said grounds before full rehearsals would move to the Thapar Stadium. I remember seeing a scale model of the New Block building that was to come up later – it used to sit in the Principal’s office. We just weren’t sure when and if, this new building would take shape. Years later, in 1992, I visited K.V.P. and addressed the assembly at the New Block at Mrs. Baljeet Kaur’s invitation.

Do you have any pictures of your school or class of those times? Can you please share them with us?

Yes, I do have a few pictures, mostly group pictures from Class X and XII and some pictures from the Annual Day and Sports Day in 1983. I’ll be happy to share them. I’ll post them at the K.V.P. Yahoogroup shortly.

Can you name a few teachers whom you remember?

I remember a lot of them. Let’s see: Mrs. Lata Iyer (Science: VI/VII), Mrs. Kuljeet Kaur (Sanskrit: VI), Mrs. Leena Lahiri (Hindi: VI, VIII, IX), Mrs. Hilda (English: IX), Mrs. Geeta Subramaniam (English: VIII), Mr. S.V. Subramaniam (Sanskrit: VII), Mr. M.R.K. Murthy (English: VII, Geography: IX), Mr. V.S. Subramaniam (Math: VIII, X), Mr. M.M. Reddy (Soc. Studies: VIII), Mr. Chaturvedi (Geography: X), Mrs. Mary (History & Civics: IX, X), Mrs. Pramila Venugopal (Chem: VIII, Bio: VIII, IX, X), Mrs. Padmaja (Bio: VII), Mrs. Premalata Nair (Chem: IX, X), Mr. N.J. Jose (Phy and Math: IX), Mr. Ramachandra Rao (Phy: X), Mr. Sathyanarayana (Hindi: X), Mr. Sharma (Sanskrit: VIII, IX), Mrs. S.N. Usha (Bio: XI), Mr. Prabhakar Rao (Math: XI, XII), Mrs. Baljeet Kaur (English: XI, XII), Mrs. G. Indira (Phy: XI, XII), Mrs. Seethamani (Bio: XII), Mr. Vishwakiran (Chem: XII). And then there were the P.T. teachers, Mr. Varaprasad (VI – XII), Mr. Parthasarthy (VII – XII), Music teacher Mrs. Shantha, Principal Mr. Y.R.R. Prabhakar Raju, Vice-Principals Mrs. Padmaja (VI-VIII) and Mrs. Amruthavalli (XI-XII). And the Lab Assistants, Mr. Wesley (Phy) and Mr. Kutty (Chem). I also remember many teachers who didn’t teach us directly but I got to know them well anyways: Mrs. Saleha Begum (History, Hindi (?)), Mr. Rajurkar (English), Mr. A.V. Patondikar (Eco), Mrs. Manorama Gopinath (Bio), Mr. Sankaran (Math), Mr. M.S.G.K. Murthy (Commerce), Mr. Ramana Rao (Math), Mrs. Sharada (History), Mrs. Usha Venkatachalam (Science), and many others. There are a lot more I’m sure, if I gave my memory banks a further rattle but these are the names that immediately come to mind.

Who was the favorite among them? And why was that teacher the favorite.

I’ll pick a few, who have definitely left an indelible impression on me and shaped me through my middle and high school years. The two teachers who remain etched most in my memory are Mrs. Baljeet Kaur (B.K.) and Mrs. Pramila Venugopal (a.k.a. Mrs. Marian David).
We got to know Mrs. B.K. closely in classes XI and XII when she was our class teacher. Somehow she survived us all through all the trials and tribulations we put her through (we were a crafty bunch, where mischief was concerned! ), and in the process, managed to impart an education to us and inspire us all. Mrs. B.K. was suave and sophisticated, both in her grasp of the subject and in her persona, and her knowledge of worldly affairs was very impressive. She was also very approachable outside the classroom on practically any issue. Aside from me, I’m sure she was a definitive role model for a whole bunch of others in school. My love for languages grew tremendously in class XI and XII when we came to be taught by Mrs. B.K.
Likewise, Mrs. Pramila Venugopal, who taught us Biology in classes VIII, IX and X, was a real motivational force, instilling the rare element of fun and substance into her teaching while allowing us easy access to her on issues, both academic and personal.
I have to make a special mention of Mrs. G. Indira who taught us Physics in XI and XII. Her grasp of the subject was among the best I have ever come across in my long academic life. She was a real inspiration as well. Physics was a favorite subject in XI /XII, largely because of her.
Among others who taught us, I would mention Mr. Prabhakar Rao (Math), Mr. V.S. Subramaniam (Math), Mr. S.V. Subramaniam (Sanskrit) and Mr. Sathyanarayana (Hindi) - for their fine teaching and for their humanity. The Late Mr. Y.R.R.P. Raju, our Principal in those days, (may his soul rest in peace), was a fantastic teacher as well. On occasion he would stop by the class just to see what’s going on and launch into an impromptu teaching session, often picking an English chapter at random – those were some of the most enjoyable classes. I remember in particular, his teaching of the Tagore story “The Homecoming” from our class X English textbook – as heart-rending as the story itself was, Mr. Raju’s interpretation of it was equally poignant.

Which were the subjects you liked the most?

Mathematics was at the top of the list all the way through, perhaps because it came to me easily, Physics in XI and XII and Hindi in IX and X. I came to love English in XI and XII. A good teacher always shifted the balance of interest I had among all the subjects. Whenever a good teacher came along, that subject instantly became a favorite.
This was a valuable lesson, put to good use later on in life. I took several courses (at B.I.T.S., University of MN etc.) quite unrelated to my main field of study just because there was a great teacher teaching the course – it was always very inspirational to be in the commanding presence of a great teacher.

Any funny incident that happened to you during school?

They are far too many to list here. Sometime later I plan to write a set of short vignettes from my K.V.P. days, some funny and some not so! I’ll just describe one here:
While in class XII, I had acted in a play called “Mother’s Day” at the Annual Day in 1983. One near disaster during the final run of the play, was the whole bit with a scene calling for a very dimly lit stage (the scene was a sorcery/witchcraft ritual). Since no dimmer (yeah right!) was to be found within shouting distance, our ingenious lighting technician found a perfect solution - he just pulled the fuse plug for the whole light board out and had us in complete darkness instantly. I was waiting on the side to make my entry in the next scene so was privy to this stroke of genius. The sorcery scene worked remarkably well, until it was time to put the fuse back in and the lights guy fumbled and lost it in the darkness, amidst the mess of wires and other gear lying around. It was found after some frantic search (joined by your's truly) under the glow of the matchstick (the guy was smoking incessantly but thank heavens he had a match box on him for this reason) - we found it reasonably quickly (1-2 minutes at the most) but it seemed like an eternity, what with the eerie silence on stage after the mandated lines for the scene had been played out. Everyone was quite literally, “in the dark”, as to the goings on.
I also remember the audio technician moving the microphones around to where the characters moved, in order for us to be heard! What fun!
I would say the play still rocked, despite all the chaos. This was largely due to the presence of senior thespians Vikram Muratee and Vidya Lakshman!

What did you do after your XIIth? From where did you graduate?

After K.V.P. I went to B.I.T.S (Birla Institute of Technology and Science), Pilani for my Bachelors in Computer Science (1984-88) and then went on to do my Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A, also in Computer Science. I joined Honeywell in 1993 where I’m presently a Principal Research Scientist leading research projects in real-time communication systems for avionics and defense applications. The lure of academic life has drawn me back to school from time to time in several ways – I have taught courses in Computer Science & Engineering and Music (Indian Classical Music) from time to time at various universities and colleges in MN and have recently started on my Executive MBA program at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

Aside from my research work, music (Indian classical) remains a defining force in my life - I play and teach Tabla quasi-professionally. I also sing and compose (mostly semi-classical and folk). I perform (Tabla) with a few professional dance and theater companies in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (also known as Twin Cities in the U.S.A. ). Since 1997 I have been very involved in the presentation and promotion of Indian Classical Music in MN – I was the President of the Indian Music Society of Minnesota (or IMSOM, www.imsom.org) from 1997-2001 and continue to be an Advisor to the Board. IMSOM presents the very best among Indian classical musicians to an appreciative audience in MN and recently celebrated its Silver Jubilee.

When did you move to the US? And how has the experience been different from Hyderabad?

I came to the U.S.A. in 1988, right after graduating from B.I.T.S., Pilani. I first came to the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH but after one semester, in January 1989, transferred to the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, where I found a better fit for my research interests in the Computer Science graduate program.
The differences (between life in Hyderabad and the U.S.A) were plenty. There were language differences (differences in words, grammar and usage aplenty), aspects of culture shock, a multi-national and multi-ethnic mix of students in the program, working in small and large teams in an academic curriculum, teaching responsibilities, the overall academic structure, empowerment and responsibilities as a Teaching and Research Assistant and later as a Fellow, and so on. And then there were many differences in lifestyle, first as a graduate student and later as a working professional, far too many to mention here. Great learning and life shaping experiences – all these differences.

Tell us something more about your family?

I’m still single, for reasons that are a convolution of chance and choice. I have a cat (a Maine Coon tabby named Neptune), who serves amply as a surrogate for a son presently.
My father passed away in 1997. He retired from B.H.E.L in 1989. In his post-retirement years, he stayed very active in the development of educational aids for teaching (mostly) Physics topics with a practical touch and a demonstrable angle. Always the “mad-scientist” and tinkerer type throughout his professional life as an engineer, he developed an array of easy-to-use gadgets from low-cost and mostly scrap material, to explain away the most seemingly complex physical phenomenon in the science classroom, ranging from kinematics, to heat-transfer to the mechanics of wave motion and to his favorite subject, electricity and magnetism. He gave several presentations at K.V.P. too (mostly after I passed out in 1984). The Indian Association of Physics Teachers (I.A.P.T.) would often hire him to do an extended tour covering middle and high schools, colleges and universities in a specific geographical area of the country, doing his popular-science “road-shows”. I have a plan to resurrect his work someday in some shape and form, with the help of some of his erstwhile colleagues from B.H.E.L. Let’s see.
My mother opted to stay a homemaker and currently lives in Bangalore. I have no siblings.

What is your current profession? How did you get into it?

I’m presently a Principal Research Scientist for Honeywell Aerospace Advanced Technology, located in Minneapolis, MN. Honeywell Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of Aerospace and Automation and Control Systems solutions and is part of the Dow 30 group of companies. I have been here since 1993, starting as an Intern while I was pursuing my Ph.D., and later as a full-time Scientist, since 1995. I lead and conduct fundamental and applied research in communication systems for avionics and defense applications. Lot of this research is sponsored by the U.S. Government agencies such as Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Office of Naval Research (ONR), Air Force Research Labs (AFRL), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) etc. Some of my research on Aircraft Data Networks is funded internally through Honeywell divisions.
My primary background is in Computer Science and Engineering and Mathematics. Data Communications and Networks was my Ph.D. thesis area so when there was an opportunity to join an exciting research opportunity in this area at Honeywell in 1993 (funded by DARPA), I came to Honeywell. Fundamental research had held great fascination for me since my high school days and this is what I always wanted to do. So I pursued a Ph.D. to train myself to conduct research and found a great opportunity to work with some bright talent right here in the Twin Cities (i.e., Minneapolis – St. Paul, MN). I have greatly enjoyed working here all these years while meeting some of the brightest minds on the planet engaged in similar and related work through my various professional activities. It has been an exciting ride.

Would you be willing to guide any enthusiastic Picketians who wish to pursue a similar profession as your?

Most definitely! I’m always available via email. Feel free to contact me anytime. Sometimes you may have to be a bit patient with me especially if I’m on travel to conferences and meetings but otherwise I try to be very prompt with my emails. You can find my contact information in the Alumni database maintained on the K.V.P. Yahoogroup.

What do you think was the biggest learning/lesson you learnt studying in Picket?

Try to get the most out of the best teachers while in school. Infrastructure is secondary – a great teacher is the best asset you can have. The stellar success stories of hundreds of Picket alumni are a standing testament to the teaching standards at our alma mater. With so little for physical resources, our teachers managed to give us so much.

How did it feel being the school captain. Any leadership lessons learnt.

It was a great honor to be called upon to serve first as the Vice-Captain in XI (1982-83) and then as the School Captain in XII (1983-84). At first I accepted reluctantly, even pleading with a couple of teachers to hand this responsibility to someone else. But thankfully, they didn’t budge and this came to be one of my greatest learning opportunities while in school.
I benefited tremendously in developing leadership abilities and improving my public speaking skills. For the first time I felt a sense of empowerment as junior students would look up to me with a touch of reverence. Being the School Captain was a huge duty incumbent upon me to serve as a role model for the juniors.
This was also my first stab at on-the-job management training as often I had to organize events at short notice and make arrangements for visitors to the school, Teacher’s Day, numerous responsibilities during the Annual Day and Sports Day, organizing the cultural calendar of the school (the events held during the C.C.A. periods), conducting quizzes etc. The greatest benefit I received were most definitely, overcoming the stage fright and vastly improving my ability to address a large assembly of people in a thoughtful and cohesive way.

Did you have crushes on any one back then?

Yes, plenty of them, with the crushes changing by the season sometimes, and then some making a seasonal return.  Class XI and XII were the seasons with the weather very good, if you get my drift. It was a veritable feast for the eyes as a number of admissions from certain girls-only schools were accepted at K.V.P. for the +2 streams. I wish I had known Urdu as well as I do now, and the amorous contemplations would surely have been put to ink in flowing verse, if nothing else!

Had you been in India and in Secunderabad, would you have sent your children to KV Picket? Why or why not?

Moot question presently as I’m yet to take the (commonly accepted) first step towards having children.  But if and when I do and if I find myself living in Secunderabad, I would definitely consider sending my children to K.V.P., particularly for the middle school (VI-VIII) and high school (IX-XII) years. The main reason would be the quality of teaching, first and foremost.

Do you think if there is anything that the school desperately needs?

Yes, many things come to mind. I have not visited the school in about 13 years so cannot vouch for the improvements, if any. I do hope the school infrastructure has improved over the years.
Basic facilities were lacking at the time we were at K.V.P. – drinking water and clean bathrooms were needed the most. The classrooms could have been equipped with better black boards and lighting fixtures. Laboratories were somewhat ill equipped frustrating us endlessly when we did our class experiments in XI and XII. Sometimes I would bring in my own Ammeter and Multimeter and other gear to school for the Physics Lab.
An incentive program for excellence in teaching should be instituted to better motivate the teachers. The school curriculum perhaps needs more frequent updates as the world around us changes ever more rapidly. I don’t know to what extent they teach Computer Science in K.V.P. but this is one area where students need to be prepared ahead of time in today’s world. Also, a strengthening of the English language classes with greater emphasis on oral and written presentation skills is needed. Teaching of history, a fascinating and important subject, is sadly neglected, reducing it to a tedious affair of dates and events and memorizing lists. This could be improved greatly as well.

Will you be there for the Picket reunion?

Yes, in all likelihood I’ll be there. I’m looking forward to it.

Is there anything more that you would like to add?

I would like to wish the organizing committee for the Alumni Meet all the best. Congratulations to the creators of the K.V.P. Blog and Yahoogroups. This is a great way to stay in touch and rekindle old memories.

Who is one person u'd love to meet at the reunion?

None in particular but I would sure like to meet as many teachers from the past as possible and my classmates with who I shared six eventful years of my life in Hyderabad.

Somethings just thrills us!!

2005-11-16T22:59:00.000+05:00

An Email from a student from the batch of 2006

Post 1 on the yahoo groups

Hey Guys,

I'm Anirudh (class 12 KVP current batch)
Inspection is going on in our school currently accompanied by the
usual fanfare and a sudden interest in the classroom atmosphere and
school aesthetics and stuff-the usual inspection based tension.
In the midst of all this I was pleasantly surprised today to see an
ancient but well maintained and neat physics charts(and l).The third
chart was one with ray diagrams in it-by none other than our very
own Biswajit Das class XI-(A or B i forgot).

-Anirudh

Reply to that post

:) Yes, I made a lot of stuff (charts) for the class...don't remember this one though ! Feels good to know that it still exists...!

The Physics teacher for us during those days was Mr Shivendranath ( Shibu).
I am sure folks from my batch will never forget him.;)

And, the section was B- B for Best !

reg,
Biswajit

Biswajit is from the batch of XI-1995 and he is extremely thrilled to know that something that he made 10 years back is good enough(?) to be used today.( Yahoo!!).

Physics concepts don't change.School buildings hardly change.Batches of students change every year..And yes, if a chart exists for that long, it for sure,feels good.!!

Wish I had made a few more good charts in school.:)

Meet an alum -Salil Kader ( XII-1993)

2005-11-11T21:38:00.000+05:00

School Captain of the 1993 batch.
An extremely talented sportsmen.
A guest writer for various newspapers and websites.
A Phd. Scholar in History.
The Vice President of K.V Picket Alumni Association.

Salil Kader is a perfect example of how multi talented a Picketian can be.Along with Maheep Thapar,he has been working extremely hard for the Picket Alumni Meet.We are very thankful to these folks.

Salil is busy with the Alumni meet prep. But the Blog team decided to get hold of him in this exclusive interview.Read on to know more about one of the men behind the Alumni Meet.!

(Salil with his wife Fasiha)

Could you please tell us something about yourself, your childhood days and places where you have done your schooling?

I was born at Kodungallur (Trichur) Kerala. Since my dad was an Army officer, I travelled to many places. Delhi, Srinagar (went up to Kargil), Faridkot (Punjab), Talbahat (heard of that??? It’s in UP), Deolali (Maharashtra), Kakinada and finally Secunderabad. My initial schooling was at Mt.St.Mary’s Delhi. I joined KV in the 7th standard and apart from Picket have studied in KVs at Talbahat and Deolali. Dad’s postings meant frequent change of schools – I remember jumping from CBSE to ICSE and back to CBSE in one academic year ! But then I made so many friends (some of whom I am still in touch with), and learnt a few languages in the bargain.

For how many years were you in Picket and for which all grades.?
I joined Picket in 1987 in the 7th standard at the Old Block. Completed 7th and 8th and then dad got posted again. Luckily he got posted back to Kakinada after a year and we moved to Secunderabad – back to Picket. I remember we came back to Picket (I and my older brother Sanjay who is a Picketian from the ’91 batch) but I wasn’t given my old section,’ A’. Mrs.BK was in charge of admissions. I pleaded with her to give me section ‘A’ but she told me I should make new friends  ! I then sent my brother to her and asked him to plead my case – and she agreed! Half the reason to come back to Picket was to be with my old pals. I went on to finish my schooling from Picket. I opted for Humanities in Plus two at the New Block.

Do you remember how the school looked then? Was there the Tarbund, Old and the New block?
We had three sections Tarbund, Old Block and New Block. When I joined Old block in 1987, we did not have the new primary block. Its construction started much later. The New Block too was a single-storey building having the 11th and 12th grades.

Can you name a few teachers whom you remember?
Oh there are so many! From the Old Block: My class teacher Mrs.G.Vijaya Kumari (Social Studies), Mrs.Hilda (English), Mr.Narayan Rao, Mrs Roopa, Mr.MM Reddy (all Hindi), Mr.Jose, Mr.Subramaniam (Maths), Mr.Achyuth Acharya, Mr.Sarma (Sanskrit), Mrs.Pushpavathi, Mrs.Premlatha Reddy/Nair (Science)... and then we had Mr.Ravinder Reddy (Sports), late Mrs. Shyamala (Art) and Mrs. Shantha (music)
In the New Block: Mrs.Sulekha (Geog), Mrs.Padma Vijayshankar (History), Mr AV Patondikar (Eco) Mrs.BK and Mr Nanda (English), Mrs Susheela Kansal and late Mrs. Lahiri (Hindi)… and who can forget Mr.Varaprasad !

Who was the favorite among them? And why was that teacher the favorite?
Ah that’s a difficult question! I liked Mr.Patondikar and Mrs.BK. Both great teachers, both great human beings.

Which were the subjects you liked the most?
History! And considering that I am pursuing my PhD in History, I don’t need to elaborate on why I liked that subject

Any funny incident that happened to you during school?
Well I don’t know if the incident was funny or not but it happened when I was in 10th. I was in Azad House and in charge of CCA activities. I remember it was the Mono Acting competition one Saturday. As luck would have it, the guy who was supposed to participate didn’t turn up.
My housemaster, a very strict Mrs. Sheela Koshy asked me to fill in. I recollected having seen a friend perform a mono act show in Class 4. That was my best bet. Well that one was about a student, Ramu who always came late to class and got spanked by the class teacher. One day Ramu was late as usual but this time had something to escape his daily dose of caning. He got some kheer for his teacher, which the teacher polished off instantly and asked Ramu what the occasion was. Ramu quite innocently told masterji that “Hamare bhaiiya ka mundan tha. Isliye ghar pe kheer bani thi. Par ek kutta aake usme mooh daal gaya. Hamari mataji use phekne lagi. To maine kaha mataji ise phenkiye mat, main isse masterji ko khila doonga.”
And the act ended there with the audience in splits… but the act had just begun for me! That’s because our VP Mr.Tripathi didn’t think there was anything humorous about it. I was summoned to his office and got an earful. He told me that Indian tradition taught us about gurudakshina of the Ekalavya kind and not the kind I portrayed. This was followed by lectures from Mrs.Geetha Subramaniam and of course Mrs.Koshy! And a 15-year old me was wondering whether something called ‘sense of humour’ really existed!

How did it feel being the school captain. Any leadership lessons learnt.
I went thru a 'Why I want to be School Captain' speech and an interview board of teachers, before being appointed Captain. There was a distinct sense of satisfaction becoz the other contender for the post was one who had been the Captain at the Old Block and again the Vice-Captain in the New Block. As I have already mentioned, being Captain for year, leading the school on important occasions, being entrusted with responsibilities definitely brought out leaderlike qualities in all of us.

What did you do after your XIIth? From where did you graduate?

I did my graduation from Nizam College (1993-96) here in Hyderabad… MA (History) {1996-1998} from the University of Hyderabad (or Hyderabad Central University as it is popularly known)…went on to finish M.Phil in History (1999-2001) from UoH and am presently in the process of winding up my Phd (History again !!!!) at UoH.

Tell us something more about ur family. ?
We are a family of four. My dad’s a retired Colonel from the Army. My mother is a trained beautician. They are presently in Muscat where dad has been working since his retirement. I have an older brother… Sanjay Kader (he’s from the 1991 (12th) batch of Picket. He is a Lt.Cdr in the Indian Navy and posted at Mumbai. My wife Fasiha and I stay at Sainikpuri in Secunderabad. Fasiha works for Orient Longman Publishers.

What is your current profession? How did you get into it?
Well right now I am still a student but hope to be gainfully employed very soon. Hopefully I’ll answer this question in detail then

Would you be willing to guide any enthusiastic Picketians who wish to pursue a similar profession as your?
Well, what can I say? Most people dread History as a subject… imagine advising people to go on and do a PhD in History ! Nonetheless, those interested in a career in academics, (esp in Humanities and Social Sciences) should go on to do a doctorate in the subject. Returns might be a little late in life but it counts, mind you.

What do you think was the biggest learning/lesson you learnt studying in Picket?

Personally, the years spent in Picket instilled a sense of confidence in me, which made a lot of sense in the years after I finished schooling. Week after week, getting on the dais for CCA activities, assembly schedules, etc ensured that I never faced stage fear. In fact as school appointees, the teachers entrusted us with lots of responsibilities, which gave us a sense of individuality while at the same time sharpening our decision-making and leadership skills.

Did you have crushes on any one back then?

Hey, my wife is going to read this!

Will you send your children to KV Picket? Why or why not?
Well I had my initial education in a convent and joined KV in middle school. Maybe I would prefer something like that for my children. And if it’s a KV like Picket, most definitely yes. Though I sincerely hope and pray that Picket maintains the high standards we had seen as students.

Do you think if there is anything that the school desperately needs?
Right now I think the infrastructure needs improvement, especially the Library.

Will you be there for the Picket reunion?
Yes

Is there anything more that you would like to add?
I am happy at the way the Alumni Association is shaping up. There is long way to go before it stabilises. But I am hopeful that in due course of time we will achieve the objectives listed out for the Alum Assoc. I wish to thank everyone involved in bringing it to where it stands. It’s a team effort – just like how it used to be in school. I wish it the best of luck.

Who is the one person u'd love to meet at the reunion?
There are far too many names here. But I am sure I am not going to miss this one!

Just pure beer and good fun ! :)

2005-11-10T12:26:00.000+05:00

In primary school, they talked about a different kind of drink - Milk with Boost,Horlicks or Bournvita. As they grew up, they would sit and discuss concerns of life over a cup of coffee."Where would life take us.?" .."How is my future going to be"?
If coffee wasn't available, we discussed it over Pepsi or Coke.

And now,itz a different story.All of them are above 21.
A few of them have sorted out a lot of things in life.
A few of them are in their 'committed' state.
Work load has increased,
Responsibilities are high,
Life is kinda boring.

They do miss the fun days of school. And they want the excitement and fun back.So,whenever a few folks from the batch of X-1994 are in town, they make sure that they get high and remember the good old days.

It was Amaranth's birthday a few months back and he had come down to Hyderabad from Ahmedabad. ( Amarnath is a manager with GE). His classmates made sure that we had a great time.

No office.
No women.
No phone calls.

Just pure beer and good fun ! :)
Watch the pics ( Clever Nikhil is missing as he took these pics !)

( Amarnath,Navneet,Biswajit,Vasu,Mini,Manas)

(Biswajit,Sai,Vasu,Mini)

K.V Picket Logo Contest !

2005-11-04T23:34:00.000+05:00

Would you like to have the logo designed by you on the Picket T-Shirt?
Would you like to have the logo designed by you on the Alumni Website?
Do you want to win a Prize for designing the K.V Picket Alumni logo.!!

If yes, herez your chance.
The Picket Alumni Association is inviting all enthusiastic picketians to design a logo for the occasion.
Think of a something that reflects the Picketian spirit..
A symbol,picture,cartoon..anything that represents a true Picketian.

The Person whose logo gets selected will get a Free Picket T-Shirt in addition to a Prize..So, guyz, here is ur chance...

Let your creative juices flow....Think..Draw and Design the logo...
Who knows the logo you design now might live for several years !!

All logo entires,queries to be sent to picketian@gmail.com

Blast From The Past !!

2005-11-03T23:08:00.000+05:00

In the year 1994 Indio-US Sub Commission conducted an experimental distant learning program named ‘Class Room 2000+’. Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket was one of the 5 privileged institutes in the country picked up for this teaching program. This event was telecast live by Doordarshan over its national network for 5 days.

It was the summer of 1994 and I had just completed my 9th. In those times we used to have school for 3 days after the final result, before 50 days long Summer Holidays. I was one of the few who used to attend school during those 3 days every year. Reason: No studies ;) . After the morning assembly and attendance we were left to do whatever we wished to. Mr Ravinder Reddy, our PT Teacher was sometimes generous enough to provide the sport equipments to keep us busy. I remember, Vice Principal Mr. Tripathi had arranged a TV in what was then know as the Yoga room for us, to watch this telecast during those 3 days.

An article was published in ‘The Hindu’ about this Distant Teaching Programme.You can see our Physics Lab in the article Below.

(click on the picture below to get a larger view)

Diwali Celebrations @ KVP

2005-11-01T04:45:00.000+05:00

आपक़ो और आपक़े परिवारज़ऩो क़ो दीपावली की ढेर सारी शुभकामनाऎ। आपकी दीपावली मगंलमय हो।

Hello Friends,
Wishing you all a Happy and Safe Diwali.

Diwali celebrations always remind me of the school days !! Those joyous days and vivid memory-images still wander in my mind. Last (exactly not sure of the yr.) we celebrated when I was in class 8 in academic year 1996-97.

Remember friends, how we celebrated diwali at School ??
A day before Diwali.....esp. the last periods, whole school used to unite at the Old Block playground, yaa even the teachers used to join us then, not only Sirs but also Ma'ms. At that time KVP was under guidance of Principal Satyanarayana Sir and Vice-Principal V K Tripathi Sir. I am not sure about principal Sir but very well remember Tripathi Sir loved to join these merrymakings.

We used to buy lakshmi bombs, Hydrogen bombs, Nitrogen bombs (no matter!! these weird terms get you a belly-laugh ;)...I can't stop recollecting them !!!) and not to mention about the red chilli sized crackers !!!

Our section D was the most infamous, I still remember my classmates(hey, not me!!) fire crackers in the classroom in presence of the teacher (in std 9D Chabbi ma'm class...if am not wrong).....guys then used to get crackers from the "3-shop" .......I think it still exists...... serving notorious young Picketians at school ;)

When all the crackers were fired, we used to greeted each other ....now happy endings ......time to say bye to friends, teachers......and get ready for Diwali celebrations a Home.

When I look back now.....those days last forever......and they'll never never comeback..........

Once again Madhukar here wishing you all a Happy and a Safe Diwali.
Take Care.

The Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket (Secunderabad) Days

2005-10-31T12:47:00.000+05:00

This appeared in the Times of India (Education Times Supplement) Hyderabad Edition on 31st October 2005
We will let the writers of this piece know about the Alumni Association. Some things are beginning to take off in Hyderabad too !

RETURN TO THE ALMA MATER

Education Times Examines Why The Concept Of Alumni Networking Is Yet To Pick Up In The Country

In Hyderabad alumni assocaitions havent yet taken off. Not surprising, really, considering that in Delhi University too, the concept of alumni networking has just started to take shape. Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi School of Econo-mics, Kirori Mal College, Gargi College, Miranda House, Faculty of Law are few colleges that have become active recently.

Referring to the alumni association at the Faculty of Commerce and Business, Delhi School of Economics, Ayan Majumdar, student and member, media cell, DSE, remarks,‘‘We have set up a trust for both MIB and MHROD department, under the name - Faculty of Comm-erce and Business Alumni Association. The funds have started pouring in too.’’

At the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), the alumni association appears to work like a welloiled machine. Students are charged a certain sum to become associate members of the association. M L Singla, reader, FMS, says, ‘‘Our website talks about 4000 alumni out of 11,000 graduates of FMS in total. We organise a reunion day every year. All this benefits our students in terms of field assignments, group work, guest lectures and of course in placements.’’ The Hyderabad chapter of the FMS Alumni Association held its inaugural meeting just a few months ago.

However, barring a few colleges, the concept of alumni networking in Indian universities is yet to take roots. As Deepak Pental, vice chancellor, Delhi University, remarks, ‘‘The need to have a structured alumni association is strongly felt. We are seriously thinking over the issue and something will be done soon.’’

Mushirul Hasan, vice chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia, holds a different view on the subject.‘‘I feel that the whole notion of alumni reflects elitism. Presidency College, Stephen’s, IITs and IIMs...all are counted among the elite institutions. The alumni concept is an elitist idea which is why it hasn’t taken roots in the rest of the institutions and universities in India. Besides, I strongly feel in India people do not want to pay back to their alma mater,’’ says Hasan.

Singla feels that the concept works in IITs and IIMs as they are autonomous institutions. The autonomy of an institute helps in the decision-making process,’’ he says. Talking about JNU, Vaishna Narang, chief advisor, alumni affairs, JNU, says,‘‘As JNU has its students’ chapters in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Banga-lore and one in Chicago, we want to synergise them to extend help to JNU in terms of student scholarships, fellow programmes, extension of libraries, brand building and placements.’’

IITs show the way
As far as tapping the resources of alumni is concerned, institutions of higher learning in the country have much to learn from the IIT experience.
In February this year, the alumni of IIT Kharagpur came out with a vision document, Roadmap to 2020’. The document talks about how to attract best students for the UG programmes, build a worldclass graduate school, attract the brightest faculty, nurture innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership, lead technology partner for many of India’s major program-mes and missions and promote Kharagpur as a destination for world-class technology development for industrial research and development.

To fulfill this vision, the alumni of IIT Kharagpur recently announced setting up of IIT Kharagpur Alumni Foundation (India). The foundation will meet the present economic challenges in India and abroad and it hopes to generate Rs 1,000 crores by 2020 to enhance the educational standard of IIT Kharagpur.

IIT Delhi, too, has built an elaborate system to forge an alumni institute partnership. Manoj Datta, dean, Alumni Affairs and International Programmes, IITD, says, ‘‘On an average 1300-1400 students graduate from IITD every year. They become alumni the day they graduate.When students are on campus, they pay a fee to become members which is then transferred to the alumni association. The association ke-eps expanding. We have office-bearers, executive bodies, various chapters in India and abroad and the office of the dean acts as an interface.’’

The association is involved in networking, managing database of 20,000 alumni, maintaining a website, creating e-groups of students graduating every year. The database is updated on a regular basis. The individual chapters of IITD, which are spread across the country, organise events and lectures. The association holds annual general meetings, mentors students and organises career counselling sessions as well.

When it comes to seek contributions from alumni, the association has laid out guidelines for those interested in donating to the institute. The funds of the sponsor are used for creating additional space or new buildings, new infrastructural facilities, fellowships for postgraduate students and research scholars, faculty positions.

‘‘Standard packages are available under various categories to open a new school, start a programme, upgrading or expanding infrastructure, setting up chairs for distinguished faculty or sponsored faculty or endowment, special awards to students for all-round performance, scholarships, loan scholarships and other. During alumni meetings, it’s also ensured that alumni are part of the institution,’’ adds Datta. Alumnus Vinod Khosla was the first alumnus to sponsor the ‘Amarnath Khosla and Shashi Khosla School of information Technology’ at IIT Delhi with a commitment of $5 million.

The Origins of picketalumni

2005-10-27T23:58:00.000+05:00

I don't know if this merits a post of its own among all the write-ups about illustrious alumni and important meetings. But I just thought I'd share with you guys the story of how Uma and I came up with the idea of the Picket Alumni Yahoogroup. (Uma... don't shoot me for revealing this :-) )

It was about 18 months since we had passed out of KVP. Uma & I had this vow that we would spend Diwali eve together if we were in the same city. And each Diwali eve, we'd meet up at her house, call for pizza & coke, light some rockets and finally sit down to gossip about school.

That evening we were reminiscing about the various ups and downs of our last year (Class XII, year 2001) and all the people we had lost in touch with, just a year into college. Among them was a common crush ;-)

We logged on to the net and tried looking up Batchmates.com & Alumni.net to see if we could track down some of these people. The sites were woefully slow to download and the info was very patchy. And there was something very impersonal about them. Uma then mentioned that her folks used to keep in touch with their collegemates through Yahoo Groups.

The brainwave hit both of us at the same time, and Picket Alumni was born. After a long squabble, we named the group "The Picketian Connection" (which I don't think too many people paid attention too). We invited all the friends we were in touch with & hoped that they'd invite people who we were "looking" for. Er, have I said too much?

So, that's the story behind the group!

Incidentally, Antu (Antariksha Das), who's post sparked off the revival of the group is a batchmate & a close friend of ours.

Know an alum- Chitra Santosh (XII-1986)

2005-10-25T18:48:00.000+05:00

A Brigadier's daughter...A Naval officer's wife...A loving mom..An English Teacher.And an enthusiastic Picketian.

Every time the Core team met to decide on things,we made sure that we discussed the inputs suggested by her. She has been an active participant in the yahoo groups and has been doing her "bit"( a lot!) for the Alumni Meet. So, the Blog team of KVP decided that we must get to know the lady more... Ladies and Gentleman, presenting an interview of Ms Chitra Santosh from the 1986 batch.
Read on and do post your comments !

Could you please tell us something about yourself, your childhood days and places where you have done your schooling?

My childhood was nothing very eventful like all kids with a defence background was on the move every 3 yrs and so I generally was doing my schooling in all different places ..I started my schooling in UK and then went to St Anns Bolarum till my 4th,5th I did in Trichy a town in Tamil nadu as my dad was to get posted out in 6 months and did not want us to lose a year ..after that studied in KV sec 8 RK puram delhi till my 8th the moved to KV Hinoo Ranchi and finished my 10 th

For how many years were you in Picket and for which all grades.?

I came to KV picket for my 11th and 12th class (1984 TO 1986)

Do you remember how the school looked then? Was there the Tarbund, Old and the New block?

Yes,we were the last batch to pass out from the old building ..the one next to Jubilee Bus stand ..it had a very quaint aura to it ..something very yesteryear like

Do you have any pictures of your school or class of those times? Can you please share them with us?

Yes I have quiet a few pictures of my classmates and friends will scan then and send them later

Can you name a few teachers whom you remember?

Oh well I remember all my teachers very well.I did science in school had Mrs G Indira for Physics, Mr Vishwakiran for Chemistry,Mrs Seethamani for Bio and Mrs Baljit kaur for English…I didi Maths for a year with Shankaran sir and then moved to
Hindi …only the hindi teacher’s name I forget.

Who was the favorite among them? And why was that teacher the favorite

Well as usual Baljit kaur was our favourite ..as she brought out that THING in you …..which made you want to do something with yourself.. Though I must say Vishwakiran sir was also very good.

Which were the subjects you liked the most?

I don’t think I had any favorites ..liked all equally ..only enjoyed the Bio Drawings

Any funny incident that happened to you during school?

Funny incident I don’t know if you’ll call it that ..but we were the first lot of Appointees who were punished for bunking school…actually we had taken part in the UN mock assembly ..(I don’t know if you still have it.)After that none of us were interested in going back to school so we all just changed and went to Sangeet and saw a movie(Brass Target) ..I think we were nearly 20 of us …what happened was we had clicked a few snaps at the theatre and one of them got into Ms Amruthavallis hand(she was VP then) …….She was Livid that we appointees were so irresponsible….so we ended up apologizing on stage etc etc ….

What did you do after your XII? From where did you graduate?

After My 12th I moved to Delhi and did my graduation from Jesus and Mary college …then did my PG diploma in journalism from Bhavan’s and also A B Ed from Annamalai niversity

When did you move to a Mumbai? And how has the experience been different from Hyderabad.?

I moved to Mumbai 3 yrs back being married into the defence we are always on the move ,its now a part of life ……….well the experience has been very interesting though not very different from hyderabd….

Tell us something more about ur family. ?

well MY father retierd as a Brigadier from EME I have 2 sisters the elder one is a GYNeacologist practicing in Secunderabd and the younger one is a Social worker at present in the US (she was also an Ex picketian Jana Thyagarajan)……I am married
to a Naval officer Cdr Santosh Nagarajan..who is also a KV product ..he studied in KV Kharagpur and KV Fort Williams,did his engineering from REC trichy and then joined the Navy.We have a 2 yr old daughter Sanchita

What is your current profession? How did you get into it? Any influence of Picket teachers in choosing ur profession?

At present I am full time MOM ..but till I had my daughter I was an Educator(teacher in local parlance ..he he he )well being married to a Defence officer was the best option..and I love teaching and children…..yes all my TEACHERS were influential in my taking up this profession….though I must tell you I was a very troublesome student so when I went and met one of my college teachers and told her I have entered this Profession ..she smiled and said” I hope now you know how it feels to be o the other side of the desk with a student like you “.

Would you be willing to guide any enthusiastic Picketians who wish to pursue a similar profession as your?

I would love to guide anyone who needs help ..though frankly I feel you have to have an aptitude to be a good teacher..and love your JOB

What do you think was the biggest learning/lesson you learnt studying in Picket?

The biggest lesson I learnt was that Everything you do is aLesson in Life so take everything I your stride.

Did you have crushes on any one back then?

No …..I was too into friends that never thought on those lines

Had you been in India and in Secunderabad, would you have sent your children to KV Picket? Why or why not?

Well it’s a very hypothetical question ……..but If you want a frank answer from me I guess if my daughter was in Middle school I might put her there but formative years ..I am not too sure

Do you think if there is anything that the school desperately needs?

A better infrastructure in lines of their Database on previous students and staff and a more organized setup.

Will you be there for the Picket reunion?

YES I WILL BE THERE

Is there anything more that you would like to add?

I THINK YOU GUYS ARE DOING AND EXCELLENT JOB IN KEEPING THE SPIRIT OF THE SCHOOL ALIVE VIA THE ALUMINI AND HOPE YOU MAKE THIS REUNION A YEARLY AFFAIR………….

Which is one teacher u'd love to meet that day?

ALL ..THEY ARE ALL SO SPECIAL ..AND IN SOME WAY THEY HAVE HELPED MOULD ME TO SO ID LOVE TO MEET ALL OF THEM.………….

Lab Assistant- Mr Syed.!

2005-10-20T23:01:00.000+05:00

Way to go folks..Keep it going !

2005-10-16T11:03:00.000+05:00

Nov 2002:
Uma and Deepa(from the batch of XII-01) started a yahoo group -'The Picket Alumni'.They had only one intention- to stay in touch with their classmates.The emails and the members in the group were very few..(Around 2-5 messages sent by < 10 members)

Forward 2005
The girls perhaps never expected that the initiative started by them would gather so much momentum. The alumni strength in the group is more than 200 now.Picketians are getting in touch with their mates.Picketians are contributing.Amazing!

Maheep (XII-1993) did some homework and gathered the number of messages posted in the group month wise.And look at the stats.!! We have touched a max of 150 messages in the group in July 05.!!

We just hope that with the Alumni meet day coming closer,we'll have more messages and interaction in the group.Guyz keep it going and keep contributing to the Alumni Meet.

Sports Freak- Krish Patnaik

2005-10-15T09:09:00.000+05:00

The current batch of Picketians is a bunch of enthusiastic and talented ones.Every time, the CORE committee meets to discuss the progress of the Alumni Meet, these young boyz and girls are there at the venue asking us if there is anything that they can do.Sometimes, I feel they are more excited about the alum meet than us ! :) Well…..For the time being, we have asked them to concentrate on their studies.But nah,some of them do want to contribute, play an active role...On second thoughts,We are happy about it.!

Today, we feature a current Picketian whoz making waves in the New Block.A 16 year old lad, son of a defence personnel, Krish Patnaik has been making the school very proud. A sports and health freak, Krish won the gold medal in the Singles-Under 19 Badminton category at the KV regional sports meet.Other feathers in his cap include winning the Sec-Bad club Badminton championship, runners up in the RSI Badminton tournament , and securing the 12th position in KV Nationals meet.

Itz just not badminton he is good at. The young boy plays a variety of sports starting from golf, swimming, hammer throw to football. He has also earned some medals in swimming - "came third in 50 mtrs freestyle and and second in breaststroke 50mtrs."
When I asked him which sport was he is best at,he answered in a flash..."I am passionate about racquet games" (Badminton, Squash & Tennis).

When hez not playing any sports or busy completing his school homework, Krish is seen busy strumming the guitar or composing music. He also likes to surf the net .

A popular guy in school (especially among the girls !),Krish is the sports captain for this year.He has been winning laurels for the school in the field of sports.

We wish the young Picketian all the best in his life.
Krish,Study Hard and Play Well.

Deep-Daan

2005-10-13T09:45:00.000+05:00

XIIth standard. The last year in school. The golden days of schooling are on the verge of getting over and it lurks in the back of your head, while you put on a veil of relief and excitement that you'll be in college soon. You no longer would be called a cocky adolescent, but a better sounding 'young adult'! Quite a compensation that, eh?
But in the heart of hearts, you have had the pinch of it all, we all have, haven't we?
Our Teachers, our Principal, our classmates, our seniors, our juniors, they all have been a major part of our school lives and one fine day, bid farewell to us, wishing us all knowledge, happiness, success and wisdom. All this was symbolised by the "Deep Daan" Ceremony.
This was a part of the KVP tradition for those glorious years when we were under the aegis of the then Principal, Ms.Annapurna. A lady of discipline, a connoisseur of music and dance, an awesome leader. She was the one who had introduced the whole idea of a Deep Daan (a formal farewell ceremony) for class XII.
It would all happen in a dramatic atmosphere. Start at about twilight around 6-6.30 p.m., with the Teachers on the stage. All the XII standard students would assemble on the ground in "white uniform". The day would be the last day of our school life. Each of us, as students of class XII, would go up to the dais in single file, collect a 'deep' from a teacher, and go back to the ground to our respective columns.
This 'deep' was actually symbolizing the lamp of knowledge and wisdom, that our Teachers were passing on to us, as we left school. there would be the group songs being performed in the background. It was a special moment for me, particularly because, for three consecutive years, I used to be on the stage, singing for my seniors, while they left school. And this day, I was here, having my juniors sing for me, the same songs that had now become a tradition.
It was overwhelming. An aura of great respect, gratitude, and at the same time sorrow engulfed each one of us. But the addresses by the Teachers and the Principal were too inspiring to feel sad any longer. It was surely a moment of mixed feelings. Suddenly we'd feel we'd miss all this awfully. And the next moment we'd feel immensely responsible and vow to do well and make them all proud.
This is the true culture that KVP has instilled in each one of us. And ''Deep-Daan" would remind us of it. Always.

An Engineer turned writer! - Meet Amulya Malladi

2005-10-09T12:54:00.000+05:00

Serving crazy with curry!
The Mango Season!
A Breath of Fresh Air!
Song of the Cuckoo Bird!

These are the few of a books written by an alumni of KV Picket. Meet Amulya Malladi,who has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in journalism.Born and raised in India, she lived in the United States for several years before moving to Denmark along with her husband.
The Picket Blog team contacted her and got an exclusive interview of this writer.Read on !

Could you please tell us something about yourself, your childhood days and places where you have done your schooling?

Since my father was in the army we moved around a lot. I went to school in all sorts of places, Jorhat, Pouri (a small village in Himachal Pradesh), Madras, Bhopal, Baroda, Udhampur and Secunderabad.
I think the most vivid time for me while I was growing up was in Pouri. I was quite lonely as my older sister was in a boarding school in Madras but I still remember how beautiful the Himalayas were.

For how many years were you in Picket and for which all grades.?

I was in KV Picket for four years (1987-91) from 9th class through 12th.

Do you remember how the school looked then? Was there the Tarbund, Old and the New block?
Yes, Tarbund was there and the old and new block as well.

Do you have any pictures of your school or class of those times? Can you please share them with us?
Probably somewhere in old albums…I’m in the middle of a move right now so when things settle down I will look for them.

Can you name a few teachers whom you remember?
Well, from the 9th and 10th class I remember no one; probably senility setting in.But there was Kala Madam, I think she taught chemistry in the old block. She never taught me and I got to know her when I was in the 11th class. She was very supportive of me and was always there when I wanted/needed to talk to someone about problems. In 11th and 12th I remember a few teachers...and the Physical education teacher (the one with glasses,don't remember his name).He was a good guy.Of course, Seethamani, who taught biology. She was very good. And then there was Baljeet Kaur.She never taught me but I remember her best amongst all the teachers. She was so very articulate and always warned me to not let my temper get the best of me.

Which were the subjects you liked the most?
I used to think I liked biology best; but now I wonder how much of it was about ease. Biology came the easiest to me and math was the hardest.! Of course, as I grew up and went to graduate school in the US, I realized that I enjoyed Mass Communication Law best. I didn’t do anything about it but I was fascinated with all the precedents and the cases.

Any funny incident that happened to you during school?
Lord, I wish I could remember all by myself. I think this is the kind of stuff that comes out when you’re sitting in a group reminiscing. Now when I look back it all seems a little hazy and in many ways clinical, divided in years.

What did you do after your XIIth? From where did you graduate?
I went to CBIT to do a bachelors in engineering and then I moved to the US with the intention of doing a masters in biomedical engineering. But since I was never much of an engineer I decided to change majors and do what I have always loved to do…write. I did a masters in journalism at the University of Memphis.

When did you move to a US, DenmarK? And how has the experience been .?
I moved to the US right after my engineering in 1995. I absolutely loved the United States. I moved to Memphis first and I enjoyed going to school very much. I never realized school could be so much fun. After that I worked in the San Francisco Bay Area for a while and then moved to Salt Lake City for a few months. In between there was a short 6-month stint in London and then back to Silicon Valley.My husband (who is Danish and who I met in Memphis) and I had our first child in 2001 and after that we decided to move to Europe. We’ve been in Denmark since 2002. We are living on a small island called Mors in Northern Denmark but are moving to Copenhagen next week.

Tell us something more about ur family. ?
My husband, Søren Rasmussen, is head of marketing at a Danish company. I have two sons: Tobias is 4 and Isaiah just turned one.I have an older sister who lives in LA and works for a pharmaceutical company. My parents also live in the US in Fremont, California. My father works for Oracle.

What is your current profession? How did you get into it?
I am a writer!! I have written four novels, which have been published by The Random House Publishing Group in the United States, Penguin India in India, Piatkus in the UK and the Commonwealth. My books have been/are going to be translated into Dutch, German, Korean and Spanish.How did I get into it? Well, I read a lot and wrote a lot and collected a lot of reject letters before finding a literary agent who sold my book to Random House.I also work for a company called Rezidor SAS Hospitality in Copenhagen as a content editor. The company runs Radisson SAS, Park Inn and Country Inn hotels. I just started working there this January after realizing that I couldn’t write books fulltime and needed something that got me out of the house. Working here has been great! I have never worked with people from so many nationalities before and I am learning a lot about Europe and of course, about the hotel industry.

Would you be willing to guide any enthusiastic Picketians who wish to pursue a similar profession as your?
I will be happy to!

What do you think was the biggest learning/lesson you learnt studying in Picket?
There should have been something, right? But I can’t place it right now. I fell most life lessons were learnt by me later in life, after I left my parents’ home in India.

Did you have crushes on any one back then?
Oh god, yes! Too many to count! There was some Das guy when I was in 9th class. I can’t remember his name now…says so much about the longevity of the crush. Then there was the first boyfriend…that isn’t a crush, right? There were one-day crushes and half-hour crushes and three-week crushes and year-long crushes…hard to keep track now from this distance of years.

Had you been in India and in Secunderabad, would you have sent your children to KV Picket? Why or why not?
I have sadly not been to India since I left almost 10 years ago. But I plan to soon. My husband has never been and I want my children to see it as well. Maybe once Isaiah is a little older and can understand what he’s seeing.

Do you think if there is anything that the school desperately needs?
I am simply not qualified to answer this question.

Will you be there for the Picket reunion?
Probably not. My fourth book, Song of the Cuckoo Bird comes out on 27 Dec 2005 and then there’s the whole Christmas hoopla as well. So if we’re going anywhere it will be to the US for some publicity, otherwise we’ll stay put and open presents and do the Christmas thing.

Is there anything more that you would like to add?
I am glad to see someone is working so hard on bringing the alumni together. Thanks a lot for sending this interview over and I hope I catch up with some old friends through it.Athar Aslam, from my batch has been very proactive and fabulous at collecting people from our batch in a Yahoo! Group. We share emails and it’s interesting that we’re getting married around the same time, having babies about the same time, moving countries, working in different fields…. It’s good to keep in touch!

Oh and if anyone I know from the Picket days is coming to Copenhagen…give me a holler, my email address is amulya@amulyamalladi.com; and for those who want to know about my books, please check out my website at www.amulyamalladi.com.

Core Committee - Having fun while working towards a goal.!

2005-10-08T16:59:00.000+05:00

School Council XII-2006 Batch

2005-10-06T11:06:00.000+05:00

Here is the snap taken on 16th July 2005, when we first met these young enthusiastic and energetic picketians . They have been assisting the *Reunion Core-Team* every now and then amidst their hectic schedule at school.

We are proud of you all and hold the KVPicket flag high. Friends take it as a gift from your seniors and keep this as a memorabilia.

X-1999 & XII-2001 Batch

2005-10-03T23:53:00.000+05:00

Alumni List - K.V Picket

Y S Sriram
call2yssr@yahoo.co.in

D Pradeep
dasari_pradeep_kumar@yahoo.co.in

G Ravikanth
gravy_kanth@yahoo.com

B Sashank
imurs_09@yahoo.com

A S Anurag

H Srihari
hebbarsrihari@gmail.com

A G Sudarshan
agsudu@yahoo.com

N Sri Harsha
sriharsha_nuti@yahoo.com

A Suryanarayana
suryanarayana_sv@yahoo.co.in

Varun Kodimella

M R Vikram

B Suryanarayana

V Umesh
sys_configin@yahoo.co.in

Y V G Kartik
yvgkartik@yahoo.com

J V Rajesh Kumar
rajeshkumarjv@yahoo.co.in

M Rajagopal
mrgr_reddy@yahoo.co.in

P Kamalesh
pkamalesh@yahoo.com

Anuj Pradhan
anuj.pradhan@rediffmail.com

V Kartik
kartik_10@yahoo.com

Simit Kher
simitkher@hotmail.com

Javed
jav_007@rediffmail.com

Rahul Srivatsa
rahul.srivatsa@gmail.com

A R Sai Jayanth
jayanthsai_ar@yahoo.co.in

Praveen Jyothi
prvnjyothi@yahoo.com

Gayathri
gaya3_acharya@yahoo.com

Richa Mohanty
ricz16@rediffmail.com

Balalakshmi
dinxjinx@yahoo.com

Arunima Reddy
arunimareddy_09@yahoo.com

Akhila
akhilaabbury@yahoo.com

M S Ranganayaki

Uma Ayyagari
ayyagari_uma@yahoo.co.in

Deepa Dokala
deepa_pals@rediffmail.com

Nandini Perumal
nansport2002@yahoo.com

Divya Natarajan
divya_ntrjn@yahoo.co.in

Priya Mani
priyam783@yahoo.com

Harini Rao
aharinirao@yahoo.co.in

Neha Saxena
nehasaxena84@yahoo.co.in

Bhavana Jolly
bhavnajolly@yahoo.com

Neelima Reddy
neelu_beacon@yahoo.co.in

G Subashree
shubha_pisces@yahoo.co.in

Deepa Swaminathan
deepaswaminathan@yahoo.com

Antariksha Das
antu2000_1999@yahoo.com

C Vidhya
cherukurividya@hotmail.com

Radha Shankar
shankar96_cse@rediffmail.com

Rashi
mridu_rashi@yahoo.co.in

Sandeep N
desparado18@rediffmail.com

Testing

2005-10-03T23:26:00.000+05:00

Just wanted to check if it works.

2005-09-25T17:35:00.000+05:00

Herez the picture of the Core COmmitee that met on 17th Septemeber,2005
to take some decisions.

Minutes of the Meeting

2005-09-24T14:36:00.000+05:00

Minutes of the Meeting
Occasion:2nd Business Meet for 1st KV Picket Alumni Meet
Date :18 Sep 2005, Sunday
Time :5:30pm – 7.30pm
Participants:Biswajit,Nikhil,Shankar,Krish,Salil,
Harishankar,Vaibhav,Gaurav,Srihari,
Harini,Anirudh,Bhargava,Aditya,SaiPriya
Minutes Prepared By:Biswajit Das
Items Discussed
 Check on the progress of the alumni meet
 Co-ordination between different teams
 Key members to take responsibility in the absence of Biswajit

Decisions Taken
1.195 members are registered in the yahoo groups. We are expecting strength of 400 for the alum meet. We need to have a final number of ‘confirmed’ participants for the event. This number should be clear by November 18.
2.Formal registration to be done in anyone of 3 steps
a) Asking people to register directly at the yahoo groups.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/picket_alumni/database?method=reportRows&tbl=5
b) Asking Picketians to send an email to picketian@gmail.com
Nikhil, Biswajit or Srihari would be adding the confirmed members to the
yahoo database.
c) Folks without internet access will be calling up Salil or Aditya and
registering.That info will directly be entered into the database.
3. Charges for Alumni Meet:
For a Picketian
Registering on or before November 24th, 2005 : Rs 200 (Early Bird registration)
Registering after November 24th, 2005 : Rs 300

For any Non- Picketian (Guest):
Rs 100 per person accompanying a Picketian.
4.The alumni association is looking forward to ‘donations’, ‘funding’ and ‘seed money’ from alumni. The cheques, drafts can be drawn in favor of ‘KV Picket Alumni Association’
5.Aditya, Harini, Bhargava and Biswajit to work towards setting up a bank account.
6.Biswajit and Aditya to follow up on the registration of Picket Alumni Association.
7.Expenses estimate to be given to Mr. Murthy within a week.
8.Probable names for the Alumni Meet: Pratibhimb or Kritagya

For more information about KV Picket,
Register at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/picket_alumni/database?method=reportRows&tbl=5

The KV Picket Blog:
http://www.kvpicket.blogspot.com

Registration done!!

2005-09-21T19:32:00.000+05:00

This is to let you all know that we have got the 'K.V Picket Alumni Registration formally registered with the Registrar of Societies,Andhra Pradesh. Congratulations to you all ! So, Sep 19th 2005 is a kind of birthday for the alum commitee. A special thanks to Mr Bhaskar,IAS and Uma Ayyagari without whose help this wouldn't have been possible. ( Aditya and I had almost given up hope of getting this done...We have been running around for the past one week for this..!!)

Herez more about the society:

Name of the Society: K.V Picket Alumni Association
Location of office: 552, Errum Manzil, 500082

Aim:
The K.V Picket Alumni Association is a no profit association that comprises of ex-students (Picketians) of the school. The association exists to create a strong and vibrant network of Picketians who help to advance themselves and the school through their involvement.

Objectives:
*To maximize the number of our alumni who are meaningfully engaged with the school.

*To add value to the school's efforts in
- Fund raising
- New student addition
- Support, guidance and mentoring of current students.

*To develop additional capacity to add value in these and other areas of school's endeavors.

Eligibilty: Picketians aged above 18 yrs

Office Bearers
President: V.Bhaskar, IAS
Vice President: Salil Kader
General Secy: Biswajit Das
Jt Secretary: Aditya Prabhakaar
Treasurer: Bhargava
Executive Members:
Harini Rao ( Communications committee)
Madhukar ( Membership Committee )
Maheep Thapar ( Website and Faculty committee)
Nikhil Patangay ( Yahoo groups committee)
Srihari Hebbar ( Membership and co-ordination)

Official KV Picket Blog: www.kvpicket.blogspot.com
Yahoo groups registration : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/picket_alumni/
Email registration: picket_alumni-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Find your batchmates at: http://picketmates.blogspot.com/
Orkut forum : http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=280797

For more information, contact :
Salil Kader:indikad75@yahoo.com
Biswajit Das : biswajit@gmail.com

Infosys,Wipro..Learn from Central School!

2005-09-19T09:12:00.000+05:00

You can view the article here

Meeting details -This Weekend..

2005-09-15T22:48:00.000+05:00

Please..Please..Be there for the meeting this weekend. Get any other Picketian who might be interested.We have been doing a lot of talking over the emails...Itz time that we get into action...

Contact me at 9885585057 in case you have any queries.

Details for the Second Business Meet for KV Picket Alum Meet

Date: Sep 17th,Sunday

Time: 5.30 pm ( Sharp..)

Venue:Kamat Lingapur
Chikoti Garden
Opp Shoppers Stop
Begumpet

Issues to be discussed:
* Follow up on action items discussed in last meeting
* Planning for the event.
* Alumni List
* Ticket and registration
* Finance collection ( Give Mr Mahesh Murthy the details)

Meet a Picketian -1969 batch

2005-09-13T07:21:00.000+05:00

Interview with Mr Bhaskar,IAS
Commissioner of Commerical Taxes, Govt of AP

For how many years were you in Picket?

I was there in Picket for 2 years. I completed my 12th in 1969.I was in the MPC batch.

Do you remember how the school looked then?

I studied in the school that you all know by the name "Old Block”. A few new class rooms were being constructed then and we had the opportunity to study there.That was a new building for us.:)

How many students were there in your class?

Hmm...If I remember right, there were around 10 students...and only 1 girl.:)

Are you in touch with any of your classmates.?

Mr Malkondiah was my classmate who worked for the Indian Airlines in Hyderabad. I used to meet him quite often at the airport.

Anybody else?

I am also in touch with Mr RA Krishna with whom I used to play cricket. Gafur, another classmate of mine works for the Indian Foregin Services. My brother Shankar is also a Picketian. He is a doctor in Delhi and was in the BPC section.

Do you remember the teachers who taught you at school?

Oh yes..
Ashwath Narayan for Maths,
Premalatha Reddy for Chemistry
AL Narasimha Rao for English

What did you do after your XIIth?

After completing my 12th standard, I joined the St Stephens College, Delhi and I majored in Physics there. .In 1974, I started working for the State Bank of India. In 1981, I decided to take the UPSC and joined the Indian Administrative Services (IAS)

Have you been in touch with Picket?

My brother's daughter ( Uma ) completed her 12th in Picket (2001). She keeps me updated about the progress of the school. In fact, she was the one who told me about the Picket Alumni Meet. She is very excited about the December reunion. I am also looking forwarding to it.

Can you tell us something about your family?

My wife and I have been blessed with 2 sons. My elder son is completing his B.Tech from IIT Kharagpur this year and is planning to take the GRE. The younger one is currently doing his B.Tech at CBIT, Hyderabad.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?

I love trekking. I have trekked to the Himalayas. Have been to Kailash Mansarovar and have also trekked to the 18,000 ft Bose Peak.I also cycle and read books. I enjoy playing bridge.

Will you be there for the Picket reunion?

Oh yes..I'll be there for sure!

Anything else?

If there is anything that I can do for the Alum Meet, please do let me know. Please don’t hesitate.
You guys are doing a great job.

The li'l gal gets married.

2005-09-05T23:56:00.000+05:00

(In the pic,starting from left,the 1996 batch:Biswajit,Vasudhakar,Shiny,Bhagya,Arun,Nikhil,Aditya)

On the 5th of September,Bhagyalaksmi, a Picketian from the 5th grade to the XII std (1996) got married to Arun.We noticed quite a few Picketians at the wedding.Even Ms Baljeet Kaur was present there to bless the couple.

Bhagya was a lecturer at St. Francis,Hyderabad before joining a IT firm as a recruiter.Arun works for WIPRO,Bangalore.

We wish the newly married couple all the best in life.

Happy Teachers Day !

2005-09-05T10:53:00.000+05:00

Hi Folks,

On behalf of the KV Alumni Association,We have sent a card to the Principal wishing the current and ex teachers of Picket a Very Happy Teachers Day.
We have also sent her the following
a) Print out of Rediff article that was written by Salil on Late Capt Suneel Yadav.
b) Print out of the interview of Ms Baljeet Kaur.
c) Posters of inter school quiz ( "IT Wiz") that is being conducted by Tata Consultancy Services on September 18th.

Just thought of updating you folks on this.

Extract from the diary of a Picketian...

2005-09-01T22:06:00.000+05:00

The post is an extract from the blog of Manas Sarangi, a Picketian
Currently he is an IT consultant with Kanbay India Pvt. Ltd. and resides in Hyderabad.

Hi,

Yesterday night, I lay in Bed in those moments before I slipped into the state of sleep. A quote from an unknown teacher (unknown because I really don't remember which teacher said it) crossed my mind. The quote went "A picketian never ends up doing nothing in life!". At that time, I usually thought where I would end up (well, I was not really the brightest of brains in my class :-)).

Now, I look at Picketians I still know and find myself wondering how true the teacher's quote was. Somebody is a city architect, somebody is flying a Sukhoi, somebody is a doctor, somebody is a singer, somebody is a CEO, the list is endless, but there is nobody I know from Picket who is a NOBODY. And an average student like me, although I have not become as famous (as yet), am doing decently well in life.

I strongly feel that my school is responsible for bringing about that sense of "responsibility". My School has provided me with the building blocks of knowledge, confidence, responsibility and independence using which I have shaped my life so far.

Proud to be a picketian...

Regards,
Manas

When the nation failed a martyr

2005-08-30T21:06:00.000+05:00

Dear Friends,

30th August happens to be the 6th death anniversary of our late friend Captain Suneel Yadav. Sadly his sacrifice has still not been suitably rewarded and recognised. Some of his friends and his family have been trying, through various sources, to get Suneel's case re-opened. The idea is to give as much visiblity as possible to this case.

The rediff.com has been kind enough to accept an article on Suneel which will go a long way in generating a favourable public opinion. We are also planning to send petitions to all those who matter, down from the President. Suneel's father met with the Colonel Commandant of Rajput Regiment who was positive about something being done. But the key is the Commanding Officer who wrote Suneel's citation (a very important document, on the basis of which any award is given). Lets hope we together are able to get Suneel his due.

The rediff link is attached below.

http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/29spec1.htm

With warm regards,
Salil
XII-1993

The blog carried an article on Suneel Yadav earlier.Read it here

Business Meet for 1st KV Picket Alum Meet

2005-08-30T08:02:00.000+05:00

(Starting from left:Shankar Kallakuri,Aditya,Biswajit,Nikhil,Manas,Bhargava,Harini,
Krish,Sri Hari,Salil Kader,Vaibhav)

Date 28 Aug 2005, Sunday
Location: Cafe Cofee Day, Begumpet
Time 5:30pm – 7.30pm
Participants Vaibhav, Srihari, Salil Kader, Manas, Nikhil, Aditya, Shankar Kallakuri Harini, Krish, Bhargava, Shailaja, Hari Shankar, Vaibhav, Biswajit
Minutes Prepared By Biswajit Das

The detailed meeting minutes can be found here:

Items Discussed:
 Raising Finance for the alumni meet
 Membership charges for the meet
 Invitation and contacting teachers
 Co-ordination and formation of different teams
 Visibility in the media

For a Picketian
Registering on or before November 24th, 2005 : Rs 200 (Early Bird registration)
Registering after November 24th, 2005 : Rs 300

For any Non- Picketian:
Rs 100 per person accompanying a Picketian.

(Spot Entries not to be encouraged. Receipts will be provided. On the final day, a spreadsheet mentioning the break up of money spent would be provided.)

Other Information
Venue for the Alum Meet: New Block
(If the number increases, an alternative venue would have to be chosen)
No of ppl expected: 300 (Rough estimate based on confirmation, word of mouth etc)
No of teachers expected: 50
Time of the meet: 11.30 AM. After the meet, alums of different batches can plan and meet up for dinner if interested.

Flt Lt. Satish Reddy -The Adrenaline Rush

2005-08-27T20:33:00.000+05:00

How would you feel if your job profile demanded you to touch the sky everyday.Exciting!!Interesting!!. Ask Flight Lt Sateesh Reddy.

Sateesh,a Picketian,joined the Indian Air Force after completing his NDA training in 2001.He currently flys the Su-30MKI ,the most advanced plane in the world.The KVP blog team decided to get in touch with him for a chat .An officer and a gentleman, meet Flt Lt Sateesh Reddy.

Do post ur comments on the blog

Hello Sateesh, could you please tell us something about yourself.

I was born in Hyderabad. My father,an exservice men retired in 1993.Because of his defence background,I did my schooling at three different KVs. Initially, I was in KV No 2 Gwalior for 6 months. Soon after that ,I moved to KV NO3 in New Delhi where I studied till my 7th standard.I joined Picket in 8th standard and was there till the completion of my schooling.

What inspired you to join the Armed forces? Why was Air Force the choice?

As I grew up in a defence background,I was always motivated to join the Defence Forces. During my 12th class I wrote NDA exam. I cleared the SSB and made it to the Defence Academy. I chose the Indian Air force as my father worked for the Air force and this had a big influence on me.Morever,being a pilot adds to the charm.

How was the NDA training experience? What are the best lessons you have learnt.

The NDA experience was great. Initially,I found it a bit difficult but within a month I got into the groove of training.As time passed by,the NDA experience taught me a lot of lessons. It taught me not to give up even when one is in his worst situation. The NDA Training taught me valuable lessions on leadership, team spirit.

Don’t you feel scared when you fly the Su-30MKI fighters? How is the experience?

Flying is a daily activity for me. I don’t get scared.
Every time, I venture into the sky, the adrenaline rushes into the body.
It’s a great feeling to be in air.!Every day is an exciting activity whenever u are in air.

How much of an influence has KV Picket been in your life?
KV Picket has had a great influence on my life.KVP helps in the all round development of an individual.
I played cricket and went to Zonals, represented school in quiz competitions and of course received one the best education from school .

Any suggestions to Picketians who want to make it to NDA.
Remain positive in life and never give up.You'll achieve your goal.

What do you enjoy doing if you are not flying a fighter plane?
When I am not flying, I generally watch TV or listen to music. In the weekends, I go out with my friends for a movie and dinner.Apart from this ,I stay in touch with my classmates. I also attend the parties in the Defence Forces.

If you had not been in Air Force, what do you think you would have done.
Had I not been in the Air Force, I would have joined an Engineering college and am not sure what I would have done after that.

Will you be attending the Alum Meet on December 24,2005. Since you are an eligible bachelor, are you looking forward to finding a life partner in a school mate. ;)

I will be attending the Alum meet.
Regarding marruage,it'll take some time.But yes, I am looking forward to finding a life partner.(Not necessary from school though !!)

Feel free to contact Sateesh at sateesh_fighter2000@yahoo.com

Meet the doctor.

2005-08-24T22:18:00.000+05:00

She was here in Hyderabad after 10 years.
In school,she was excellent at acads,had won the President's medal at Scouts & Guides and was the school captain(1996).
After her 12th, she went to the All India Institute of Medical Science .

This July ,she was back ...in Hyderabad.
Dr Geeta Behera was a happy gal on her birthday this 31st of July when her school mates landed at her home to wish her.

Things had change...the appearences had changed..but the unity among the class mates was still the same.The folks had a good time and remembered the good old days.

Herez a picture that we took.

Folks from the 1996 batch with Dr Geeta's parents and relative.

Sitting Down
Manas Sarangi (IT Consulanat at Kanbay)
Dr Geeta Behera (AIIMS,Delhi)
Bhagya Lakshmi ( Lecturer at St Francis,Hyd)
Aditya ( PR professional)
Deepak Kota (Officer in the Indian Navy)

Sitting up (Extreme Left)
Nikhil ( IT professional)

Sitting up (Extreme right)
Vasudhakar ( Sales & Mktg)

Hall of Fame....!!

2005-08-23T11:57:00.000+05:00

Am sure that just before you walk into the Principal's office at KVP, you would stop for a second and admire the awards,trophies and cups that are displayed outside her office.

Each of the prizes displayed there have a story to tell.If one award talks about the hours the students had put in to win a cricket tournament, the other talks about the discipline the li'l boyz and gals showed as Scouts and Guides to win a cup.

Be it extra curriculars, acads or sports, if the school collectively won any prize, it has been a tradition that the award,cup is displayed in front of the Principal's office.

Batches may passout ..The best sportsmen might move out... but the inflow of cups,awards at the "Hall of Fame" at KVP never ends.

Keep up the spirit folks !! Just do it !

Meet up this weekend..!!

2005-08-22T23:39:00.000+05:00

Hi guyz,

We are meeting up this weekend to decide and work on some details for the Alum Meet.
There are certain issues that have to be discussed .We also need to take some decisions.
So, if you would like to do your bit for the Picket Reunion, herez your chance
We need young guyz as well as folks with experience.So please be there.

Krish,Kinjal,Vaibhav etc... (The current Picket batch)
If you are interested in joining us, you are welcome. Give me a call to confirm.

Here are the meeting details folks...Please, be there..

Date:28th August, Sunday
Time: 05.30 pm
Location: Cafe Cofee Day, Begumpet

Kindly be on time.
Give me a call at 9885585057 in case you have any queries.
Salil, Nikhil,Aditya, Srihari..I am expecting that you guyz will definitely turn up.

Thanks and regards,
Biswajit Das
(XII -1996)

Demise of Mrs.Leena Lahiry

2005-08-18T22:54:00.000+05:00

This is to inform you about the demise of Mrs.Leena Lahiry, a former teacher at Picket. She passed away on the 8th of August 2005. She taught Hindi at the Senior block.

We have contacted her family here in Hyderabad and are trying to to put more information about her on the Blog.
May her soul rest in peace.

Regards,
Salil
1993)

Bite the dust !

2005-08-17T22:35:00.000+05:00

15th August was Independence day for all of us…but it appears that this guy lost his Independence that day.
Pashupathi, a Picketian (XII-1996) got married to Vanshika on the eve of Independence day. His school mates were there to wish the couple.

Pashu, as he is popularly called, completed his MBA from London and is currently working there. He took a month off to return to India and get married.:)

Read that question paper carefully !!

2005-08-17T07:54:00.000+05:00

Economic Times,Hyderabad Edition
Aug 17,2005

The CBSE Board has decided to give 15 minutes of additional time to students for reading the question paper before they begin to write answers to the questions, government told Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The facility has been extended to students of both class X and XII from March next year examinations.

Aug 15th at School !!

2005-08-15T17:30:00.000+05:00

Happy Independece Day !!

Hi Everyone

This is Vaibhav Modi of class 12th B.
Let me wish all you all a very Happy Independence Day.The he celebrations at school started at 8:30 in the morning with the arival of the cheif guest Mr. N.S.Rao and unfurling the flag. This was followed by the Principal's speech. The tiny tots then put up a great dance show.A wonderfull song was presented by the seniors. Prize distriution for various sports and C.C.A activities also took place.
The chief guest addressed everyone and then the sweet distribution took place.
This wrapped up the celebrations at Picket.This was Independence Day at school.
Once again I wish everyone a very Happy Independence Day.

Vaibhav Modi
12th-2005

Dear Vaibhav,

Thanks a lot for the update! It was just like old times. Some things never change.. and I am not complaining.

White clothes, Unfurling the tricolour, Jana Gana Mana, Mass PT,sweets ! Thats how 15th August was then. I enjoyed I-Days except the Mass PT.. I could never comprehend whey they made us do those stretching exercises for I-day.

Thanks again for the details Vaibhav. Happy independence day to you all !

Love, Salil.
(1993)

Alum Meet on December 24th, 2005

2005-08-14T19:04:00.000+05:00

Hi all,

Over the last few days,we have been working towards building a strong network of Picketians all across the globe.That was the first step towards the alum meet.

We have had reasonable success in achieving our targets.During the last few months, we have got in touch with Picketians from 1970 batch to the current batch of 2005 . All of them sounded very excited and indicated their interest in attending the alum meet.

Based on discussions, the date for the Alum Meet has been set to 24th December, 2005. The venue for the alum meet will be the new block of KV Picket.
This has been discussed with the current principal of the school.

Therefore,we request the Picketians to arrange for their travel should they be interested in attending the alum meet.A formal invitation will be sent in the month of November.

On behalf of the alums,we would like to thank the following people for having shown continuous interest and participation.We expect more inputs and support from them in the coming days as we move to the next round of the alum meet.

-Maheep Thapar
-Salil
-Madhukar
-Nikhil
-Aditya
-Priya Mani
-Uma
-Deepa
-Srihari
-Krish Patnail (Current student)
-Kinjal (Current Student)

Hoping that things fall in place and we have a great reunion on Dec 24th, 2005.
Please mark ur calendar and book ur tickets.If you need to get in touch with me, please feel free to call me at 9885585057.

A very Happy Independence day to you all.

regards,
Biswajit
(XII-1996)

The Young Brigade !!

2005-07-27T20:37:00.000+05:00

We are in our 20s. We are done with our school, finished with our college and into the corporate world. But they are still in their teens. If we have “been there and done that”, they are still to experience it. The home works, classrooms, unit tests are still a part of their lives.

On a breezy Saturday morning (16th July), a few of the Picket Alum students decided to visit the school and interact with the 12th grade students of the school. We were definitely a bit apprehensive. Would these 12th grade students understand the objectives of an alum meet.?

To be honest, we were in for a surprise…A bunch of smart boyz and gals proved us all wrong. We were pleased to meet the best students of the school who had amazing maturity and intelligence. We were surprised to see the interest and enthusiasm they generated towards the alum meet

In the beginning, it was all very formal. We introduced ourselves to the students. We spoke to them about how school was in our days. As we started interacting more, it definitely got very informal.A few lighter moments were shared and the young students talked about the best and worst part of being at school.A few of them even discussed about what they wanted to become once they finish college. All of them wanted to contribute to the Alum meet this December.After all, in a few years from now, they would become a part of the School Alum group.

The alum group also addressed 3 sections of the 12th grade. Sateesh Reddy, picket alum, who is a fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force, was the most popular one among the students.. The engineering aspirants got their share of gyaan for the IIT Kgp student Madhukar. Srihari Hebbar was quizzed about his life as a software engineer at Delloite .Priya was surrounded by students who wanted to pursue a career into Petroengineering.

The teachers were pleased to get in touch with the old students. We did set a lot of expectations for them. They expect the alums to visit the school more often and guide the current students. The next time we plan to visit the school, we’ll make sure that we get along a CA or Doctor to the school.

The alum association would like to thank the “Old” Picketians who made it to school that day. Madhukar, Aditya, Umesh, SriHari, Umesh, Deepa, Priya etc all deserve a pat on their back.

The current Picketians in their 12th grade have an exciting life ahead. They would be completing their school in a few months from now and would be entering a totally different world. They have dreams of doing something big in life. And we are confident that with the Picket attitude they will be able to attain their goals. We wish these li'l boyz and gals all the best in their life ahead.

Herez the list of the current students we met the other day. Do email them or call them if you want to know how it feels to be a Picketian. : )

Harishankar ( School Captain)
harishankarnagking@yahoo.com

Shaheda Begum ( School Captain)
Tel No: 27503812
She has been in Picket from Std 1 to 12th !

Gaurav Kaushal
koolad88@gmail.com
Tel: 27752506

Krish Patnaik (Sports Captain)
cookiepatnaik@yahoo.co.in
Tel No: 9346864896

S.Dasgupta
bhayanakmouth666@yahoo.com

Asha
ashajayshree@rediffmail.com

Kinjal
y2kinjal@hotmail.com
(CCA Captain)

Sangeeta

Parveen
(Has been in Picket from Std 1 till 12)

Vivek
onlythestrongsurvive_vivek@yahoo.com
Ph:9885148807

Meeting Mr Venkat (1976) batch

2005-07-19T04:16:00.000+05:00

02 July,2005

How would it feel if you happen to meet Picketians who studied in Picket a few decades earlier.?Hmm...Ask Madhukar( 1999 batch) and Maheep Thapar( 1993 batch).

Mr Venkat from the 1976 batch of Picket was in Secunderabad for a short visit and our boyz decided to meet him.Maheep and Madhukar grabbed this opportunity and did a lot of planning and discussion with Mr Venkat. The topics were on the contents of the Picket website,the proposed date and venue of the alumni meet and how to contact the old teachers.

Herez a pic of the great minds working on the plan for the alum meet.

Shyamala Ma'm: You will be missed

2005-07-18T13:49:00.000+05:00

Shyamala Ma'm, the Drawing teacher at Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket,who touched the lives of a lot of Picketians passed away on the July 17th at Secunderabad.
Shyamala Ma'm was a source of inspiration for many Picketians and will always be missed.Ma'm had joined Picket in 1983 and served till 2002.Her children Deepali and Rahul were also from our school.She will be missed.May her soul rest in peace.

One can reach Deepali and Rahul at the following email id:
deepnall at yahoo dot com
rahulnallari at yahoo dot com

Contact Number: 040-55275273

Messages from Picketians:

It's really sad, shocking and dishartening moment to hear about Shyamala Madam passing away. She was one of the teachers who had significant influence in what I am today. May her soul rest in peace and may God give her family strength and courage to take this loss.
-Shanti
(XII - 1995)

This is really a very sad moment for me. Shyamala ma'am was the one who helped me feel confident about my poetry and though i was very bad at it she was always very encouraging. May her soul rest in peace.
-Sophia Sinha

Thats very sad news.. its even more shocking now coz all the recent mails here said she was recovering.. very sad news.. cant believe it.
-Salil (1993)

It was disheartening to hear about her death. Even when i spoke to her a fortnight ago, she told me that she was very much on the way to recovery and I was looking forward to meeting her on my next visit.
This really was a very sad news.
-Pratibha (1993)

I express deep sadness at the demise of Mrs. Shyamala.I had postponed my trip by a day and I got the news only in the morning. So I could visit her house and pay my last respects.On a personal note Shyamala Ma'm had inspired more than once. Her teachings are ingrained in many students like me. Maybe thats the way she will live always.
-Maheep (1993)

R.A.Krishna on being the Cricket Captain

2005-06-27T10:44:00.000+05:00

How I Became the Cricket Captain of Central School Picket

This was in 1966. A time perhaps when most of the group's parents
were toddlers. Our cricket team consisted of people such as my brother
Sridhar, Venkateshwarlu, Durga Prasad, Kumar Krishnamoorthy and some
whose names elude my memory.

My brother who was no straggler himself, was the captain. He was in
the 11th, remember there was no 12th those days. We also had other
seniors like Venkateshwarlu, who bowled a mean outswinger. Then we had
the bacchas such as Kumar, since he was two classes below me and three
classes under my seniors. Its a measure of Kumar's ability that he was
in the team and he used to bowl leg spinners. Another good player we
had was Yogesh Oberoi and I don't ecollect whether he was playing in
that year.

One day for some reason, our PT master, Mr Azhar Mohiuddin, suddenly
got riled with the entire senior bunch and that's how I became
captain! Our first match, that year, was against St. Mary's school
and they had some fabulous players such as Jyoti Prasad who played
Ranji for Hyderabad. We were creamed. However, since this was the
juniors tournament and some of St Mary's players were overaged, we
qualified for the finals with Madarse Aliya School.

This time we were really thrashed. To start with, we were not such
great players and they had a gentleman called Abdul Jabbar, a really
classy lefty who played later for Tamil Nadu. Jabbar demolished our
bowling but could have been got cheaply by us had a catch been held
when he had scored 8. He hit another 180 runs! On the first day our
rivals had scored 330 for 3. Next day, we got them te rest for an
additional 36 runs. Our scores in the two innings were around 45 each
and we went back defeated and disconsolate. However, it was no
disgrace to lose to such good teams. Certainly, our preparations were
not even up to scratch. Anyway, everything is a process of evolution
and CSP got better over the years in Cricket.

R.A.Krishna
1968 Batch
Second Batch of AIHSC

Shyamla Ma'm: Get Well Soon...

2005-06-20T20:19:00.000+05:00

June 18th: An extract from my diary

A few months back, I received an email that talked about Shyamla ma’m.It mentioned that she was suffering from Cancer and was not keeping well.Her condition was deteriorating.

The news came as a shock to lot of Picketians. Shyamla Ma'm is always remembered as a teacher who instilled values in the Picketians rather than a teacher who taught Drawing.It was difficult for me to digest this news.

During the school days, I never had an interest in Drawing …To be honest at that age, I hardly understood anything when she mentioned about meditation and concentration. But as I grew older and perhaps a bit wiser, I realized the importance of her teachings. Every now and then I would remember Shyamla Ma'm and often wondered how she was.

A couple of weeks back, I spoke to Nandini (a Picketian) who informed me that Ma'ms health was improving. Visitors were allowed to meet her and it would be nice if a few Picketians met her.

So, today Bhagya, Aditya and I made a plan to visit Shyamla ma'm.When I saw Ma'm after 10 yrs today, she looked different. Her frame and body structure had reduced,. She had lost lots of weight and hardly had any hair. The one thing that remained then and now was her magnificent smile. Amidst all the pains and suffering, the lady still had a smile on her face when she met us.I guess, it is because of this spirit a miracle happened.

Doctors had given up hope of her survival. Until a few months back she was bed ridden and could not even walk a few steps. But the determined ma'm did not give up. She fought back and her health is improving these days. She is able to walk a few steps with the help of a walker. Her children (Deepali and Rahul) are taking wonderful care of their mom. The brave children and have handled the situation very well. Ma'm's husband has been a constant source of support and encouragement.

Ma'm now spends most of her time watching TV or reading books. When we met her today, she was reading 'The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari". I promised her to get a copy of the Alchemist the next time I visit her.

I hope every Picketian is praying for Mam's speedy recovery. The lady who joined Picket in 1983 and served till 2002 has touched the lives of thousands of students. And we all want her to be strong and healthy soon.

If you are in Hyderabad or plan to visit the city, I would recommend you to visit Madam's place. A visit from one of her ex students would definitely make her feel better.It'll at least tell her that we care for her and will be there whenever she needs anything.

As I hit the bed now, I wonder why God does this to good people.Whu? I get no answers..All I ask God is that I wish to see Shyamla Ma'm teaching at Picket again.

In case you plan to visit her place, here is her address and phone number:

58 B, Excel Ratna
Madhavpuri
Sainik Puri.

Phone number is 040-55275273

Hall of Fame: Jay Bhakta

2005-06-09T11:46:00.000+05:00

Jayantha Bhakta -The IIT-IIM Lethal combo

There are those who ,while in school dream to get into the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). And then there are those who aspire to be an MBA and get into the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). But how does it feel if your resume has both the institutes associated to your name?

Ask Mr. Jayantha Bhakta, CEO/Managing Director of Uniworth Australia Pty Ltd. This ex-picketian did his engineering from IIT Kharagpur and went on to do an MBA at the IIM Ahmedbad.

"Wow !" We can hear you say that.

Jay, as he is affectionately called the world over, completed his 11th standard in 1973 (there was no 12th std in schooling then) from Old Block and then went to IIT, Kharagpur. A few years later he joined IIM, Ahmedabad. He started his career with ET&T, a public sector company. 3 years later he joined the SONY-ORSON group and set up an associate company (New Video Ltd ) as a founding Director. But this wasn’t enough for him. He was hungry for more.. and decided to start something of his own. So, he left the group to set up his own business with financial backing from a Financier. At peak, he employed 65 people in his organization with his factory at Nalagarh and HO at Delhi. The business grew and he set up branches at Bombay, Secunderabad and Kolkata. He handed over this company to his employee Managers and migrated to Australia in 1996.

He joined a small Australian business that was near liquidation and was a sick business. Under his leadership, the company revived and is back on track. It is doing extremely well now. He is now the Director and Chairman of the company.
Mr Bhakta is also the CEO/Managing Director of Uniworth Australia Pty Ltd that deals with Industrial Products (Worsted Wool and PolywoolYarn & Fabric). He also trades on financial market.

Whenever he gets time, he spends time playing tennis with his children.Married to Sampa, his family includes Jaideep (17yrs) and Diya (14yrs).He loves spending time with his children.His daughter Diya recently won the title of Dubbo Outback Icon'05 in a prestigious singing competition that lasted 14 weeks of knockout competition. He also loves walking around the town lake, travelling, gardening and reading 'Readers Digest' and 'Time'.In the future, once both his kids have gone to University, Jay would like to move to a Melbourne and expand his import business.

Mr Bhakta is extremely happy to know about the Picket Alumni Association. He is not sure if he can make it for the Picket Meet this yeas as he visited India in Jan 2005 for a Silver Jubilee Reunion at his other Alma Mater: IIM, Ahmedabad.
But when he was in India in 05,he took some time off his busy schedule to stop over at Secunderabad and visit Picket .He could only inspect the buildings as school was on holidays. He looks forward to more communication and updates about the Picket Alumni association.

Meet your teacher: Ms Baljeet Kaur

2005-06-07T08:53:00.000+05:00

"Picket memories are my very precious treasures"

Think English.
Think Picket
And the first name that stikes your mind is that of Ms Baljeet Kaur.
A symbol of grace,respect and exceptional teaching, Baljeet Ma'm was always one of the favorite teachers in Picket.A batch considered itself fortunate if it was taught by Baljeet Ma'm.Every time we got in touch with an ex picketian, there were enquiries about this teacher.So Nikhil decided to catch up with her and find out more in this exclusive interview.

Please tell us something about your childhood and schooling

I was one year old when India was fragmented. My parents, like any other refugees, had to struggle to restart their lives. So I experienced all the privations that were the lot of the community and the country at that time.
I lived in one of the refugee rehabilitation colonies established by the govt. and studied in a govt. school in Delhi. Imbued with nation building zeal the limited resources were considered as boons and I learnt optimisation naturally. We used to greet every one in the school with ‘Jai Hind’, danced to all kinds of regional folklore and marched to the tune of patriotic songs. It was bliss.

When did you start your teaching career. At what level you started.

In June 1967, I completed my B. Ed. and joined KV Baroda as a TGT English teacher.

At What level did you end your career?

I opted for voluntary retirement as principal in 2003.

Did you take up this profession by choice or was there some other reason?

I wanted to enter civil services but circumstances were such that took to teaching. ...But there are no regrets.

Why did you decide to become an English teacher and not something else?

One of my uncles used to speak English very well. I developed a fascination for the language. During my school I discovered that I had a flair for the language. Hence it was a natural choice.

For how many years were you with Picket? Are there any other KVs you were associated with?

I was at KVP for about a quarter of a century in various capacities. I started my career with KV Baroda. Then AFA Dundiga, Trimulgherry, Uppal I, Eddumailaram and Gooty.

How would you rate Picket against the other KVs?

It is one of the best in the country.

How do you think the school has changed over time?

The school has not changed. It has remained one of the best. Times, values and priorities have changed. But KVP has been one of the leading schools (not only KVs) in the twin cities.

How do you think an average Picketian fares in English?

It is very interesting to note that those students who I thought were not upto the mark also have done very well in life. An average Picketian has done very well in life. This would not be possible without having sufficient grasp of English language.

You have handled all kinds of students.But what kind of students troubled you the most? Any particular names?

Students who thought they knew English too well. Language is an ocean and we can measure its depth only when we need to use it in real life to meet unforeseen situations. Speaking and writing, where one needs to produce one’s own language are the skills that are tested only outside the classroom – in the real big world outside. When students ignored these two I felt they are harming themselves.

And what kinds of students did you would like the most?

Students who are hungry for knowledge and want to work hard and regularly to achieve their targets are the ones who are the darlings of all the teachers the world over.

Do you think the attitude of students have changed over the years?

Yes and no.
Yes because they have become more aware of the world and understand what they need. Unlike students of the old who accepted everything from a teacher, today’s students are more selective in their learning.
No because they still love their teachers as blindly as students have always done.

What would you say was the best moment/phase of your teaching career?

That glint of joy of new learning in the eyes of majority of the students in a class in invaluable. Nothing can describe it. It is this that brings the students back to the teacher after many years too. That is the greatest reward/award for a teacher.

What do you think was the toughest part of being a teacher?

Not to let my students down whenever they looked up to me.

Teaching is a tough job. Students look onto you with a lot of respect. For someone who is keen on becoming a teacher, what suggestions/advice would you have for him or her?

Enjoy teaching everything else falls in its own place. Give your best. Be humane but not weak. A teacher is a role model for a student. Therefore, model you have to be. Saying and doing cannot be two different things for a teacher.

Are there any particular students you would like to meet at the reunion?

All students are particular students. The more the merrier.
Can we have some photographs of yours? Are we allowed to publish them on the Picket Blog.

Yes. I don’t know what picture would you like to have – the one in your mental eye or the one what I am now?

Please tell us something about your family.

My husband, Dr. G.S.Thapar, a Biochemist, retired as Research Manager in a pharmaceutical company. My elder son, a Picketian of 1989 batch, is Production Manager with an MNC advertising company and is placed at Hyerabad. My younger son, a Picketian of 1993 batch, is an independent consultant in Urban and Regional Planning and operates from Hyderabad.
My elder son is married and his wife is a practicing Homeopath. They have a four month old son.

Now that you are not with Picket...What do you do these days?

I am a consultant to an education society running schools in Andhra Pradesh. I also take teacher-training assignments for various educational organisations.
Do you miss the teaching days at Picket?

They are my very precious treasures. They are always with me and I draw upon them whenever I take up an assignment now.
Thanks for your time.Do you have anything to say to the KV Picket Alumni?

If you believe that KVP is your Almamater do all that you would to further the cause of good education in the school. Don’t ever let the world point an accusing finger towards your Almamater.
Wish to hear of your ‘good life’ and hope to see/hear from you.

You can see more pictures of Ms Baljeet Kaur and her school life here. We thank Nikhil Patangy for covering this interview and the photographs

The quizzing kings of Picket !

2005-06-06T20:30:00.000+05:00

Last saturday,I was a part of the audience at the ASHA Corporate Quiz that was conducted at the Indian School of Businesss,Hyderabad.

The quiz master was a dynamic guy. He kept everyone -from the particpants to the audience involved till the end of the quiz.The questions too were very original and creative.Just when the quiz show was over,the screen displayed the names of the guyz behind the screen...the ones who had compiled the questions .

I instantly recognized one of the names .He was from the commerce stream in my batch . On talking to him, I was told that even the quiz master was a Picketian.!

Quiz Master-Josyula Krishnamurthy and Quiz compiler:E M. Bhargava
are both from the reputed quizzing club K-Circle in Hyderabad and are Ex-Picketians.
Way to go boyz !

How about having a quiz contest at the Picket Alumni reunion.?
I can hear a lot of folks screaming...Nah,thatz a bad idea ! :)

Arch Rivals: KV Trimulgherry

2005-06-04T12:25:00.000+05:00

If India has Pakistan,Australia has Newzealand,our apna Picket has KV Trimulgherry (KVT) as its arch rivals.

Be it the 10th standard results, or a quiz event or an inter school basketball tournament, we had to make sure that we beat KVT by a big margin.

Basket ball was one sport where the Picketians excelled in the 1990s. The Picketians were really good at it.Our school was pretty ok if we lost a game to the "champions" KV Air Force Academy (Dindigual), but loosing a match to KVT was never acceptable.

A match between KVP and KVT was always a housefull.You could see students bunking their class to watch THE game...Even if you were sitting in ur classroom attending the maths class and trying hard to concentrate ,you could not ignore the noise that was being created by the cheerleaders who yelled on top of their voice
" Whiskey Brandy Lolly Pop, KVP is on the top"!!

I remember something more that I'd like to share with you all...In the year 1996,KVT organized an Inter KV competetion in their school. They had a host of events- painting,music, elocution,quiz etc. As expected, a majority of the prizes were being bagged by Picketians.

One of the final events was a Quiz Show where Nikhil,Aditya,Vivekanada and I represented our school.The quiz was conducted in the KVT premises and had a lot of support for the home team.Our team appeared confident from outside but was infact quite nervous. We knew our pride was at stake. If we could win the quiz in "their" territory, there was nothing like it.And we did manage to put up a great show that day.

Our team did reasonably well and entered into a tie breaker in the final.There was one question that we had get right... and if we could do that, we would be the winners.And we did.!! How disappointed the home team and other schools were when we got the correct answer to the tie breaker question.

I still remember the question that was asked as a tie breaker:
"What is a group o Kangaroos called ?"
Nikhil came out instantly with the answer : "Mob !"

It was a tough question and we wondered how Nikhil knew the answer. A secret that we we are not ready to disclose.;)

But this is one event that I still remember every time I attend a corporate quiz these days.!

Am sure the scene hasn't changed even now...KVT...Itz tough to beat a Picketian in any field..Isn't it?

Hall of Fame: Bhargavi

2005-06-02T09:37:00.000+05:00

Born to sing !

There are very few people in this world who are very sure about the path they would like to take in their life.And Bhargavi, an ex-Picketian is one among them.

Meet Bhargavi, a hip hop singer,(extreme right in the picture, the one in the red top) the latest sensation to have hit the Indie Pop World.Bhargavi is one of the singers of a Southern Spice Music band called S5. She was selected among thousands of entries at a multi-phase voice hunt.Bhargavi can't speak Tamil but worked hard on her enunciation to sing some hip hop Tamil numbers.

She knew that she had the talent and wanted to become a singer.So, she underwent Carnatic and Hindustani training for 10 and 3 years respectively.And then tried to make her mark in the popular music world.

We weren't aware that this lady was from our school until an excited schoolmate of hers Uma Ayaagiri informed us. Uma happens to have attended music classes with Bhargavi for 2 years and is all praise for her 8th & 9th grade classmate. She adds "Bharagavi was an excellent classical singer but she really blossomed after leaving school".

Bhargavi joined the commerce stream in the 11th grade and passed out of Picket in 2001. On completion of her schooling, she joined Bhavan's sainikpuri to do her B.Comm. Bhargavi was also a Hyderabad finalist for the Channel [V] Pop Star Talent Hunt. She did a bit of modelling and sang a playback number for a telugu movie "Santosham".

We wish this budding star all the best in her life and her music career.!

(Bhargavi is the one in the center)

A Hero of KV Picket: Late Capt. Suneel Yadav

2005-05-30T11:47:00.000+05:00

The year was 1999.
The war at Kargil was over.
22 year old Capt Suneel Yadav was posted somewhere at the China border.He calls up his school pal Salil Kader at Hyderabad and informs him that his Unit had been given 4 hours notice to move into Kargil to relieve the Units that took part in Operation Vijay.Suneel Yadav reaches Leh and reports to work.

Mid August 1999:
Defence Minister George Fernandes visits Kargil.He is briefed and is told that there are still a few heights that are under the control of the enemy.Reshma Height,that exists on the Durga post,that belonged to our side of the LOC was still with the enemy.

The Minister expresses a desire to get the Durga post back.3 army men from the Rajput Regiment are entrusted with the task.Suneel Yadav,being the youngest officer in the team is not expected to be a part of the unit.But the courageous Suneel volunteers to be a part of the team and is taken in.

Two groups are made to attack Durga Post from two different sides and take the enemy by surprise.Suneel is asked to lead one group. The night before the attack a meeting is held. It appears as if the young army team knows that they might not be coming back after the attack. They write their last letters to their respective families. The attack is to take place on the night of 29th/30th August. Suneel is booked to leave for his hometown to be with his sisters for Rakhi on the 4th September.He calls up Salil and tells him that he would be at home on the 4th. As always, young Suneel is confident of making it to his goal.

During the early hours of 30th August the teams started zeroing in on Durga post. The time of attack is fixed at 0400hrs. At the fixed hour Suneel along with his party of 5 men scale the Reshma heights and were waiting for the other party to come into contact. But something unfortunate is to happen.

The other party being lead by a Major gets lost in the darkness. By the time they get back on trail and reach the foot of Reshma Heights, Suneel is up there already. The Major notices Suneel and his men at skyline.Suddenly, the Major hears gunshots. Suneel and his men have been spotted by the enemy!The Major hears Suneel shouting at his men not to turn back. Suneel is there to fight.

Suneel gets hit on his left palm in the first burst of fire. Two men also die. The next burst hits him on his left shoulder. But he does not give up. He lifts his Medium Machine Gun (MMG ) and places it on the rock in front of him and is ready to take aim .But a bullet hits him on his forehead. Capt Suneel Yadav is dead.!

Suneel was not carrying a helmet because he found it too heavy and instead preferred to carry his MMG instead of a lighter weapon! Suneel collapsed on the spot.Two of his men sacrificed their lives along with him. Two more got captured (and they were amply put on PTV for 17 long days to show that India was violating the LoC). One soldier managed to escape and get back. Obviously none of the bodies could be retrieved.

Salil Kader got a call and was informed that "Beta Suneel nahin raha" ! Suneel's body had had not been recovered and none of his friends and relatives wanted to believe that Suneel was no more.A few prayed for his safety and few were were convinced that he was injured and in Pakistani custody. "He couldn't be dead.!" was what everyone wanted to hear.

The Indian Army unofficialy confirmed the death of Suneel and two other soldiers.
The bodies were still lying on the Reshma Heights in Turtuka and the Parents were still hoping that a miracle would happen.

August 7th, 2000:
11 months after their sacrifice, the three bodies are recovered, half decomposed, lying buried in snow. Suneel was just 22 when he died. His father finally could carried out the last rites.
Suneel could have turned back and returned to his base when he found that
his party had been spotted and that he did not have support from the other team. Had he done that, he would have lived to fight another day. But he wasn't the type who would run away. He often said "Main ab Yadav nahin Rajput hoon" (a reference to his Unit). He stood there, fought like a true warrior and sacrificed his life fighting for his country.

April, 2005:
Suneel's family has been provided a petrol pump in Agra; but are yet to completely recover from the tragedy. In his death too,Suneel has provided his parents with all wordly comforts that parents can only hope for. But thats of little solace for parents who have lost their son.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket is proud to have a war hero who has made his country proud. Although Suneel might not be among us anymore the courage and bravery that he displayed will inspire many more Picketians in the years to come.

A newspaper article in the Asian Age.

Suneel Yadav joined Picket in 1988 in the eighth standard at the Old Block. His father was a jawan in the Indian Army.Suneel was a sportsman par excellence. He was especially good at cricket and kabaddi. He kept wickets for the school senior cricket team in the 9th standard itself. After his 10th he joined the Humanities stream.He was the Sarojini House captain in the 12th and continued his good work on the cricket field leading the School team and later the regional team, finally playing the Nationals.Suneel was commissioned into the 3 Rajput Regiment in 1997. He excelled in the Army too. He completed the Commando Course with distinction.

(Salil Kader and Suneel Yadav were benchmates from 8th to Graduation Final year.They were neighbours for 8 years and were best buddies.They travelled everywhere together like twin souls. They played cricket together right upto the Nationals.Salil still feels the pain of not having his buddy with him in this world.
Salil contacted his friends and others,raised money and every year a cash award is given to the student who tops the Humanities stream in the 12th grade of KVP.
If you would like to get in touch with Salil Kader or would like to contribute something, please email :indianblogger at gmail dot com.)

Meet an Alum: Kumar Krishnamoorthy(1970 batch)

2005-05-28T11:47:00.000+05:00

"KVP gave us a sense of balance and equanimity "

If the Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket reunion is gathering some momentum, it is thanks to an idea floated by Mr.Kumar Krishnamoorthy(KK). It was he who set the ball rolling.

He suggested that we have a PICKET REUNION and everyone readily agreed.!At a time when we were thinking that we might be able to contact folks only from the 1995 batch onwards, Mr. KK surprised us with his statement that he was from the 1970 batch.!!That means aprroximately 90% of the current members in the alum group were not even born when he passed out of school.

But have you ever wondered how was life back then.? The Picketians never had motorbikes to go to school.There were no computer classes to attend and certainly no
camera mobile phones to do mischevious acts.;)

The KV Picket Alum association decided to have an E-interview with Mr KK.
Ladies and Gentleman, presenting before you the interview of Mr. Krishnamoorthy, an alumni of Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket (1970 batch). Please leave ur comments or queries on the interview for Mr Krishnamoorthy.
____________________________________________________

Could you please tell us something about yourself,your childhood days and places where you have done your schooling?

I was born in Maharashtra (in Bhusaval – the good old railway town!) in 1953, raised in Bombay and Secunderabad (the town I love most!). Being a railway-man’s son, I went through at least 6 schools before KVP. The one I attended in Bombay was St. Mary’s at Byculla.
Railway life in Secunderabad was good – large houses (we lived in a house that had 19 rooms - at No. 100. Lallaguda on the Tarnaka road! I believe the house still stands today!), a few servants, Maali (Gardener), pet dogs, free travel to all parts of India.
I used cycle to school: the part I hated most was the uphill ride on some sections of the journey! On a few occasions I have been caught by “Khatmals” (as the police were known at that time!) for carrying a “doubles” passenger on my cycle! The parting with a Rupee and a sob story used to successfully purchase my
exoneration!
Those were the days of no TVs, no faxes (faxes were unheard of – the nearest to it was the telegram
delivered by the friendly Postman (Dakia)!), no computers, no calculators (mental arithmetic was a
must), no mobile phones (the vision of a phone without a cord was unthinkable those days!). We did however
have land phone lines!

I saw a main frame computer for the first time when I went to work in Bombay – in 1978!! TVs arrived only in
the mid 1970s. But we had the good old, dependable transistor radio and every Wednesday we would be glued
to it from 8 pm to 9 pm, listening to Binaca Geet Mala compered by Amin Sayani and broadcast by Radio Ceylon
(later called Sri Lanka), a weekly Top 20 of film songs. Many of the songs are now in re-mixes and
re-re-re-re- mixes e..g. Piya Tu, ab to aaja…Oh mere sona re sona…

I remember vividly that Sangeet theatre opened in 1968 (on Sarojini Devi Road I believe). It was one of the
first 70mm screens in town. I saw Camelot, the first film on show at Sangeet. Ashok theatre (next Garden
Restaurant) was also a favourite for Hindi films, as were a few others near Patny circle. Minerva theatre
(saw Fraz there – starring Jeetendra – his daughter is Ekta Kapoor – the famous producer of serials today)
was near the Chinese restaurant, Nan King. Cinema tickets were priced at Rs. 1.50 for rows in the middle
and Re. 0.75 for the front rows. We would get Rs. 1.50 from our parents and buy the Re. 0.75 ticket, using
the rest to eat some samosas during the interval!

I still love the Hyderabadi Hindi accent – with the Kya Hona Ji? kya karleyrae? Unae ek achha potta hai or Yeh Potti kamal ki hai!” leaves one nostalgic. One of the firsts that I learnt in Telugu were a few four letter words! Unhurried formality, gentle manner,gracious respect and the Nawabi style are the hallmarks of Hyderabad, something that no city can imitate! I carry special and very pleasant memories
from Secunderabad / Hyderabad.

For how many years were you in Picket and for which all grades.?

I joined KVP in 1966 in the 8th grade, and went on to complete my schooling in the 11th grade in March 1970.
The 12th grade was not yet introduced those days. I think we were the first AIHSC batch (All India Higher
Secondary School Certificate)

Do you remember how the school looked then? Was there the Tarbund, Old and the New block?

What a shock it was for me to see the school for the first time in 1966, coming from the “posh” Bombay of
those days! The school was a “U” shaped, small building (looking more like a horse-stable!) and our
class had to sit on the floor! We got chairs and tables a few months later. The school was then so
small that it had only 300 children!
Our Principal was Mr. K. G. Sukumaran, a committed educationist, full of energy, drive and discipline. He
managed to convince the Army top brass to fund the new building. We saw the new building come up, brick by
brick! If you were to come on the road on which Mahbub College is, cross the parade Ground and proceed
towards Bolarum, this is the building to the right of where the road forks between Picket to the right and
the straight going to Bolarum.

We were so thrilled to move in into the new building! The “U” shaped building was behind this, away from the
road. All other buildings came up many years after I left. Those days the school was known as Central
School….it became KVP perhaps by 1969 or so…our uniforms were white shirts and blue shorts / trousers
and black shoes.

During the summer months (March, April & May), the school used to work from 7.30 am until 1 pm.

Do you have any pictures of your school or class of those times? Can you please share them with us?

I have posted a class photo on the KVP Alumni site
(Attached below is the picture)

I am in the back row, 5th from the right ( I look very different now I suppose …after 35 years!). It was taken at the end of the class party to commemorate our passing school when the results were announced in June 1970.
I remember that some of us decided to wear ties for the occasion and felt very important, expecting that the class girls would look at us admiringly…but none of them even noticed that we had ties on! Seriously though, our class was so cohesive that we used to have dinners at some of the houses, both girls and boys
included! This was a major step forward for those times...in conservative Secunderabad!
Many of the teachers are in the photo - Ashwathnarayan (Math) - second from the right, 1st row sitting - Mr.Ganapathy (Hindi teacher - for some strange reason we used to call him Chuyyia (God knows why!) , (don’t
know what that means in Hindi) is to his right. Next to him is Kistayya (Social Studies). Padmaja (Biology) is also in the photo

Do you remember the school houses? Which house were you in?

I don’t exactly remember – it was either Azad or Nehru House…..the other houses were Sarojini and Tagore.

Can you name a few teachers whom you remember?

Ashwath Narayan (math), Ganapathy (Hindi) Mohandas
(Social Studies / economics), Premalatha (Chem)
Kishtayya (Indian Culture), AL Narasimha Rao
(English), Padmaja (Biology), Azharuddin (not the
cricketer!!) (PT)

Who was the favorite among them? And why was that teacher the favorite?

I did not have a favourite one. I liked each one for his or her special attributes.

Which were the subjects you liked the most?
Perhaps unusual, but I liked all the subjects.

Any funny incident that happened to you during school?

I took part in a lot of drama/comedy plays which were held on February 11th each year, the school day. On one such event, I acted in 3 plays during the evening, and ended up mixing the dialogues of one play with another…much to the consternation of the prompter,confusion amongst the other actors and with peels of laughter from the audience!!!!
Central School Trimulgherry were our archrivals at cricket. They always ended up defeating us. We once managed to beat them – we were so euphoric, and I was given the onerous task of getting “treat money” (for the victory) from the strict Principal, Mr. Sukumaran which I did, but after countless bouts of nervous
tension! We had a grand feast of vada sambar + masala dosa at Taj Mahal Hotel, next to Patny Motors….don’t know if these still exist.
Cricket was a major part of my life those days. As soon as I joined KVP in grade 8, I was made V Captain of the junior team and a member of the Senior team too. I later captained the Senior team in Grade 11, and was the School Leader (not called Captain those days) during 1969-1970 – my name was painted on the
Board next to the Principal’s office - I don’t know if my name still exists on it.
I remember that our PT Sir Mr. Azharuddin fell in love with the PT Teacher…what a talk of the school it was! I believe that they got married later….a fitting end to a love story! I heard that Azhar did a stint in Saudi Arabia later.
We had a “self-government day” at school in 1970. As School Leader, I felt extremely important when I was asked to sit in the Principal’s chair and our 11th Grade conducted all the classes in the school, with our teachers as visitors for the day! Sadly, I got back to being an ordinary student the next day!
1969-70 was the year of the Telengana agitation – KVP was the only school in the Twin cities that functioned during this year. All other schools were closed. In the process, everyone else lost a year, excepting us. We had military guards outside our school to ensure that the school would function!

What did you do after your XIIth? From where did you graduate?
When did you move to Canada? And how has been the experience.?

It was the dream of every KVP-ian at that time to become a dashing Captain in the Army, thanks to the heavy influence of the armed forces on our school:
young Captains and Majors sometimes visited our school. We were fired up upon seeing their smart uniforms, and the array of medals that we hoped to one
day don!
My non-forces family influence put an end to such flights of fancy, and I saw my self enter the staid world of business studies at Badruka College of
Commerce & Arts, where I did my B.Com (Honours) during 1970-73.

In these years, the city was recovering from the Telengana agitation. College attendance mechanisms were lax, so we spent many a fun filled afternoon at
the movies and played a lot of cricket! Smoking was very much in vogue and the picture of a cigarette smoking in your hand was a macho sign and we expected
girls to swoon, although I seriously doubt if this actually happened!

I played cricket for an A League (then the top league) team called Secunderabad Union Cricket Club, with visions of a career in cricket and rubbed shoulders
with Vijay Paul (played Ranji for Hyd – now runs a coaching clinic, I believe), Narashima Rao (known as Baabji – Ranji & 1 Test for India, now lives in
Ireland), Joythi Prasad (Ranji). Played many league games opposite Abid Ali (India), Jaisimha (India), Nagesh Hamand (Ranji),etc. My home ground was the
Gymkhana (adjacent to the Parade Grounds).
Then, it happened for a second time. My father brought me back to reality from my reverie of a cricketing career into the real world of numbers. I was sent to
Madras and completed my CA course in 1977. I commenced my corporate career in Bombay with Larsen & Toubro Limited and Voltas Limited before going overseas in
1981, for what I imagined to be a short assignment. It turned out to be otherwise. I have never lived in India since.
I was with the Government of Bahrain for a few years
before joining the off shore investment banking
industry. After spending a few years in the Middle
East, my family and I headed out to Canada.

Tell us something more about ur family. ?

My wife is Lakshmi, and we have 3 children aged 24, 19 and 15.

What is your current profession?

Chartered Accountant / Investment Banker.

Would you be willing to guide any enthusiastic Picketians who wish to pursue a similar profession as your?

Yes.

What do you think was the biggest learning/lesson you learnt studying in Picket?

I speak for my 1970 batch I suppose. KVP gave us a sense of balance and equanimity that we took with us all our lives. They made us sensitive to the needs of
others and taught us to appreciate the larger picture in life. Our teachers were dream weavers. They instilled in us a passion for excellence and the ability to dream, for dreams propel future creative action. KVP was a place where they made the
environment conducive to personal initiatives. They gave us space that allowed us to blossom in and find ourselves. They maintained that all-round development,
including the ability to get on well with others, is essential for good, healthy, satisfied living and is as important as academics, perhaps inadvertently
training us in emotional intelligence (not defined as such in those days!)
We ended up doing all sorts of things - from writing and staging plays, debating (we did not go to the Toastmasters Club to learn public speaking!), to physically preparing the cricket pitch, to running the "Self-Government Day", to conducting quizzes, to taking joy and pride in ones work. All in all we had such an interesting childhood, thanks to KVP. It taught us to retain our innocence,and yet inculcated strong values on which we built our lives.

Did you have crushes on any girl back then? If you don't mind, if yes, can we have her name? What quality of hers did you like the most?
this is a tough one… ! :)

Picketian: Did you like going to school then?
Yes. It was a wonderful atmosphere.

Had you been in India and in secunderabad, would you have sent your children to KV Picket? Why or why not?

Yes. Great education, going by the products that I have come to know after I joined the Alumni.Incidentally, the last time I visited KVP was in 1998.I gave a 45 minute talk on “Attributes for a good career” to the school’s 11 & 12th Grade students. Perhaps this is one humble way of giving something back to the school.

Do you think if there is anything that the school desperately needs?

Cannot say, as I have not seen the school for a while

Will you be there for the Picket reunion?

Yes. I have also managed to contact some of my other Classmates too – Deepak Sinha (in Jamshedpur), B. S.
Mohan (in Bangalore) and Maya Shenoy ( a Doctor in Secunderabad).
I am trying to contact R.A. Krishna (Banking consultant)who was a couple of years senior to me –look like our reunion will span quite a few generations of Picketians!

Great..Thanks and we are looking forward to meet you at the reunion.Is there anything more that you would like to add?

Yes. Just to say a big thank you to Biswajit and the team for taking the initiative to spur on the Reunion effort!

Thanks for your time. Can you please share with us a picture of you and ur family.

I will try and send one – once I figure out how to get to blog! Or I will send one to you.

Identify the teachers !

2005-05-26T00:00:00.000+05:00

This is a picture that I picked up from the photos section of the Picket-1996 Yahoo groups.The picture was taken by a student of XII A (1996).
I have been trying hard but have not been able to identify a few of the teachers.

Let us see if you can help me identify them.

Starting from left.
1)
2) Beethi Biswas (English)
3)
4)
5) Nataraj (Biology)

If you want a bigger and better version of the picture, click Here

Leave your answers in the comments section.

Best days of my life !!

2005-05-25T09:18:00.000+05:00

A quiet and dormant yahoo group of KV Picket Alum suddenly burst into full action thanks to an email forward from a Picketian.A poem about the good old school memories touched the hearts of all Picketians.The poem is so sweet and touching that we had a lot of silent members of the group responding to the emails.

We post the poem again for our blog readers. Feel free to leave ur memories/feedback in the comments section.We would love to read them.

School Days

Gone are the days
When the school reopened in June,
And we settled in our new desks and benches.

Gone are the days
When we queued up in book depot,
And got our new books and notes.

Gone are the days
When we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays,
yet managed to line up daily for the morning prayers.

Gone are the days
When we chased one another in the corridors in Intervals,
And returned to the classrooms drenched in sweat.

Gone are the days
When we had lunch in classrooms, corridors,
Playgrounds, under the trees and even in cycle sheds.

Gone are the days
When a single P.T. period in the week's Time Table,
Was awaited more eagerly than the monsoons.

Gone are the days
Of fights but no conspiracies,
Of Competitions but seldom jealousy.

Gone are the days
When we used to watch Live Cricket telecast,
In the opposite house in Intervals and Lunch breaks.

Gone are the days
When few rushed at 5:30 to
"Conquer" window seats in our School bus.

Gone are the days
Of Sports Day, and the annual School Day,
And the one-month long preparations for them.

Gone are the days
Of the stressful Quarterly, Half Yearly and Annual Exams,
And the most enjoyed holidays after them.

Gone are the days
We learnt, we enjoyed, we played,
we won, we lost, We laughed,
we cried,we fought, we thought.

Gone are the days
With so much fun in them, so many friends,
So much experience, all this and more.

Gone are the days
But not the memories, which will be
Lingering in our hearts for ever and ever and
Ever and ever and Ever.

I hope you went back to your Golden Olden days..........

For a while..........as I DID!!

(This poem was forwaded by Antariksha Das who passed out of her 12th grade from KV Picket in 2001. She is currently pursuing her final year engg (Computer Science) and resides in Mumbai. She hopes to make it to reunion in December 05.)

The life that u miss??

2005-05-24T15:25:00.000+05:00

The image of being in school brings unbounded joy to my mind.. wish i could still be there..

The prayers and the classes and the run to the ground to play cricket by the time the next teacher comes in.. the sleepy Yoga classes (zzz.. do u all remeber?? ).. the lame excuses to miss mass pt.. The classroom sweeping excercise for the occasional star(my class hardly got one i guess ).. The news reading on stage or the weekly quiz on wed.. The CCA on saturdays.. and the annual reception duty.. Boy i really miss all that..

The essence of school is missin now and are mere memories.. hope to relive all of them at the reunion..

Does anyone know if things are still as good as they were before.. or have they totally changed??

Picketian at your help...

2005-05-24T13:36:00.000+05:00

Vishu hain naa !

Done with your engineering in India and planning to study abroad.?

In our own India, you have your friends and relatives but when you travel overseas for higher education, you could feel out of place.It takes some time to get adjusted to a new location, a new culture and a new set of people and you often wish if you had someone to guide you.

Fear not coz you have a Picketian to help you out now.

If you are a Picketian and planning to travel to the United States for higher education, feel free to contact Mr Viswanath (Vishu) Neelavalli.

Vishu is a Picketian who has spent 4 years in the school ('93 - 96).He was the Tagore House captain in the 12th grade.On completion of his schooling, he joined CBIT and then went to NJIT to pursue his masters in Computer Science.

Vishu is the president of the Graduate Student Association at NJIT and has a first hand experience of the difficulties a student faces on reaching a foregin destination.So, if you want to contact him for some guidance or help, drop in an email to indianblogger at gmail dot com and we will make sure that you get his contact info.

The Picket Alumn Association would like to thank Vishu for his this initiative.

The Morning Prayer

2005-05-23T14:28:00.000+05:00

A common factor that unites every Kendriya Vidyalaya across the globe is the morning prayer.Students from various classes form lines,close thier eyes and sing the prayer along with other students.Every single individual who studies in a KV has to sing/recite the morning prayer..

A few of us who have spent more than 2-3 years in KV must have sung it more than a hunderd times.... Back in those days, I remember, a lot of students (especially the girls) tried hard to understand the prayer and tell God that let happiness and peace be in the world.And the others ( read naughty folks) , after every 2 lines of the prayer were sung, would open their eyes to check if the folks around them had really closed their eyes!

Life is different now...I get up in the morning and head straight to my laptop to check any emails.or I glance through the newspaper to catch up with the news.But very rarely do I get up and say a little prayer to God thanking him for what he has given us.
Sometimes, I wish there was a morning prayer in office too...just like we had one in school so that all of us would be forced to stop our busy activities and spend some time to thank GOD for what he has given to us ....

Well,while I work on making sure that I tell a small prayer today, check ur memory to see if you still remember the School Prayer -

Asatomaa sad gamaya
(From Untruth to Truth lead us!)
Tamasomaa jyotirgamaya
(From Darkness to Light lead us!)
Mrityormaa amritam gamaya
(From Death to Deathlessness lead us! )

Daya kar daan vidya ka hame parmatma dena
Daya kar maa hamari atma mein shuddhata dena
Hamare dhyaan mein aao, Prabhu! aakhon mein bas jaao

Andhere dil mein aa karke, param jyoti jaga dena
Baha do prem ki ganga, dilon mein prem ka sagar
Hame aapas mein mil-jul kar, prabhu rehna sikha dena
Hamara dharm ho seva, hamara karm ho seva
Sada eeman ho seva, va sevak jan bana dena
Vatan ke vaaste jeena, vatan ke vaaste marna
Vatan par jaan phida karna, prabhu humko sikha dena

Om SahanaBavatu
Sahnau-r-bhunaktu
Sahviryam karavavaheh
Tejasvina-m-vadhitamastu
Maa vidvishavahe
Om shantih!!! shantih!!! shantih!!

Lamba Ho ho ho !!

2005-05-22T15:53:00.000+05:00

Back in school, how would a Picketian differentiate between a good boy and bad boy.?
The answer was quite simple.

Walk up to the boy and ask him if had visited the notorious Lamba theater.. and if his answer turned out to be a 'YES', he wasn' the kind of boy you should get urself associated with.!
Teachers and Mama always said that he was the boy who'll grow up to be a BAD Man!!

I still remember the days when there were quite a few dare devils in the school who had the courage to bunk classes and head to Lamba to see a porn flick.Yup,Lamba has been one of the most notorious theaters in the twin cities as it has been reported to screen a lot of porn films in the past. Such kind of movies are meant for vieweres 'Above 18', but one always wondered how on earth did the school kids make it to such places.

With a bad reputation that it had,Lamba never drew elite crowds. Expecting an entire family to visit Lamba was impossible.But in 1995, the whole of KV Picket went to Lamba..! Surprised..? ..Read on...!

An eductational film had to be shown to the school students and the kids from std 1 to std XII went to see it at Lamba.As a school vice-captain then, I thought it was foolish of the authorities to pick up such a venue for the movie.I still stick to that opinion of mine.The concenrened authorities had a tie up with the Lamba Theater owner and we all walked in groups ,lines and teams accompaied by our respective class teachers to watch "an educational movie" at a theater that had a lousy reputtation.

And did the students enjoy the movie?..I don't know about that ..but I still remember the kids giggling,laughing and discussing everytime they saw a poster of the 'other' kind of movie that was being screened at Lamba.

In the recent times,when mobile cameras have made an entry into schools and are being used for all kinds of purpose, I wonder how much of an impact is a theater like Lamba affecting the lives of Picketains.
All we can say now is..."Arrey O Lamba...Aur kitne bachon ko bigadega rey?"!!

PS:
I was trying hard to recollect the name of the educational movie'..Aargh !! I don't seem to remember ! If any of you do remember, please leave a message on the comments section.

Picketians Hall of Fame...

2005-05-20T16:08:00.000+05:00

Uday Kiran - The Tollywood Heart throb

During his K.V Picket days,he always told his mates that he wanted to become an Engineer.But deep down in his heart,he nursed a secret ambition- of making it big in the cine world.He never dared to talk about it coz of the "fear of being scolded.".
At the young age of 19 years,he entered Tollywood (The Telugu cinema industry) and striked gold.

Mr Uday Kiran, an established star of the Telugu Cine world is an alumni of Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket.This youthful and boyish actor of Tollywood made his debut in 2000 andwon the "Best actor award".I don't watch Telugu movies coz I don't follow the language.So I had no idea how big this Tollywood star is. So, I stopped by the desk of a Telugu movie aficionado in my office and asked him if he knew who this young man was.

His instant reaction."The guy had three successive hits ...and is exrtremely popular among girls".

Ahem..Ahem...Where did he learn this trick to woo the girls.. At Picket? ;)

Know more about Uday Kiran at the following sites:
http://www.telugupeople.com/cinema/profile.asp?artistID=11
http://www.ragalahari.com/interview.asp?whose=udaykiran

2005-05-19T23:04:00.000+05:00

This is fun for sure....reliving the cherished memories of good old school days!!!
Those days were all about pure fun, without realizing that what we had then were the best days.
Those were the days of waiting to get a free period and chatting away to glory...
We couldn't stop to have fun ...sometimes at the expense of others
We would have neverending conversations...baghya, geeta and me would talk all our way to the bus stop and then wait there till Geeta gets her bus and say good bye for the day....only to start again the next day...
I remember seeing the rain through the class windows....and couldn't wait to ride home in the rain
I remember working really hard to get the class cleanliness star everyday...
I remember hating saturdays as there use to be Mass PT....oh those were the days....
I could go on and on...but shall hold my thoughts for now...

(Daughter of an army officer, the studious and disciplined Deepa Mani passed out of her 12th grade in 1996. She went on to do get her Engineering degree from BIT,Banga'lore. She is currently pursuing her Masters Degree in the University of Missouri,US. She got married to a gentleman called Sumit Tayal last december.)

Another one for the alum meet in Dec05

2005-05-19T20:36:00.000+05:00

We had contacted Mr Mahesh Murthy earlier in the day ...asking him if he would be interested in coming down to Hyderabad for the Picket Alumni Meet.

And guess what..he said that he for "sure" will be there.
Great !!!

Wondering which batch is Mahesh from?
Here are some facts:
He Was in picket from 1979 - 1982.
He topped the 10th grade in 1980 and got his name inscribed on the School Board !!

The Principal during his time was Mr YRR Prabhakara Raju.
Maths was taught by Sankaran Sir.
English by Baljit Kaur.
Biology by Usha ma'am

Mahesh's brothers too did their schooling from KV Picket.
Muktesh Murthy passed out in 1985 and Mithilesh Murthy passedout in 1988.

Picketians Hall of Fame:

2005-05-19T16:23:00.000+05:00

Mahesh Murthy, The Marketing Guru

If you are an aspiring Entrepreneur, you wouldn't have to be told who Mahesh Murthy is
.And if you are a Picketian, you will hold ur head high and tell the world that you are from the same school as that of Mahesh.

Yes, Mahesh Murthy, is an ex-Hyderabadi, born and brought up in the twin cities: a product of K.V. Picket.His work ex includes being the CEO of Channel [V] India, Associate Creative Director of Ogilvy & Mather ( Hong Kong),creative consultant for MTV Hong Kong.

After long stints in India and Abroad, Mahesh has set up Passionfund (http://passionfund.com), India's leading angel investment fund.

More know about Mahesh at the following sites:
https://www.openbc.com/hp/Mahesh_Murthy/
http://www.reachouthyderabad.com/newsmaker/nm40.htm

We are proud to have a Picketian who has made it big in the corporate world.!!

Contacting the school?

2005-05-19T10:24:00.000+05:00

Contact Information of Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket:

Principal's office: 040-2784496
Administration office: 040-27846099

Email : kvpicket@yahoo.com

Welcome to the Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket Blog

2005-05-19T10:11:00.000+05:00

Dear Friends,

Seasons May Come And Seasons May Go,
Everything Withers In Due Course You Know,
But There's One thing that still blooms as fresh as the DEW,
The Memories Of K.V Picket You Still Have Within You.

Among the treasured memories of the past, the memories of our good old
schooldays are the most precious. It's the law of the nature,
that past cannot be brought back, but we still can Re-Live those precious
moments by staying in touch.

This is an effort to bring back those good old days of Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket.

Did you study at the old block or at the new block of Kendriya Vidyalaya Picket?
Do you want to get in touch with that old classmate of yours?
Are you looking for a particular teacher who taught you when you were a kid?
Do you need some advice and guidance from a school senior of yours?

You have hit the right place.

Join the ever-growing network of Picketians.
Be in touch.

Register yourself at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/picket_alumni

or send an email to
picket_alumni-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

For more information:
Visit: www.kvpicket.blogspot.com

If you are interested in blogging about your picket experience,
shoot an email to indianblogger at gmail dot com.