BACK TO SCHOOL

Almost 25 years after they passed out, students of A B Goregaonkar English School come together to do their bit for the institution that cemented their formative years, reports Vikas Hotwani

Sandeep Hardikar maintains a busy schedule, working almost ten hours a day, five days a week. However, after office hours, the 39-year-old’s work is far from over. He scans Orkut and Linkedin, sends out e-mails and makes phone calls. On weekends, when others unwind, he scours unknown neighbourhoods and goes knocking at stranger’s doors. The purpose of his chase: to touch base with 60 students of class X-D of A B Goregaonkar English School’s 1985 batch. “The idea was to bring the batch together and collectively initiate a plan to contribute towards the school’s betterment,” says Hardikar.

After months of persistence, Hardikar managed to reach out to most students, some from as far as US, Singapore and London. “It wasn’t easy though. There were no mobile phones back then, the landline numbers had changed, people had moved out of their old homes, so the school records couldn’t help much. Some women had adopted a different name after marriage making them almost untraceable,” he recounts.

Now that most classmates are in the loop, next on agenda for them, is to mobilise efforts for the school’s development, as a gesture of gratitude for everything that the school did for them over many years. Shripad Desai, Hardikar’s classmate says, “Our school, despite its humble resources, was undoubtedly one of the most proactive in motivating students to think beyond the curriculum. The soft skills we have today is the result of excellent teachers back then.” In fact, every year on August 15, Desai takes his son to the school’s project exhibition, partly out of nostalgia, and partly to have his child see what other students have come up with.

Of the many initiatives in the pipeline, one is to ask each student to contribute a small sum of at least Rs 100 every month for the school’s benefit. “Even if 50 students contribute, that’s Rs 60,000 annually. Not that it would solve all the problems, but it can certainly make a difference,” adds Hardikar. Repair work of the school premises, better seating facilities for students and advanced teaching aids are some of the current suggestions. “The final plan, however, will be decided in tandem with the school authorities,” he says.

Mid-October is when these ex-students, now working professionals, will come together for a reunion and facilitate their teachers and simultaneously, zero in on the action plan for the coming months. “The most important task at hand is to not to restrict ourselves to a particular class and pool in ex-students from other batches and divisions as well. More the resources, the better for our school,” smiles Hardikar.

Students of class X-D, 1985 batch