“D

id you stand when the national anthem was being played,” asked our principal from the three of us in the classroom. It was Republic Day. The school festivities were in progress in the playground. Three of us were unwell and had permission to remain in the class. Now, he wanted to know whether we had stood up when the national anthem was being played. Fortunately, all three had stood up.

That incident became a defining moment in my mind, about what the school stood for. We must have respect for the national anthem, even when we are unwell. Since that incident 53 years ago, even when the national anthem is played on TV and I am alone at home, I stand up.

A school is simply a brick and mortar building with classrooms, blackboards and benches. However, this clutch of rooms and blackboards can become a great institution due to the attributes of its teachers and students.

Nestled in the heart of Dadar, Mumbai, is a school started in 1851 by Dr Antonio Da Silva and Reverend John Braz Fernandees. It has produced businessmen, doctors, politicians, scholars and professional managers.

In this institution, 200 of us commenced our academic odysseys in the year 1955. It is now 50 years since we passed out.

Years later at university, I met classmates who had studied in elite boarding and finishing schools, situated in mountains, valleys, amidst clouds, green forests and exotic flowers in Ooty, Dehradun, Panchgini, Scotland and Switzerland. I never envied them. I was secretly thrilled that I had studied in a school surrounded by markets, grocers and vendors.

The school has Ranade Road on one side, overflowing with vegetable vendors and grocery shops. On another side of the school is the Portuguese Church Street laden with hardware and carpentry shops. The markets kept us grounded to everyday realities. In front is a Hindu temple that houses a Christian cross. Next to it is a mosque. The school is the place where I learnt my first lesson in secularism.

The faculty of the school taught us English, Mathematics, Marathi, Hindi, etc. They also imparted us valuable lessons in discipline, hard work