We didn’t realize we were making MEMORIES
We just knew we were having FUN
Recalling the golden days of Anjuman Panchgani Boarding School brings a smile to our faces and fills our heart with warmth and nostalgia of the modest era of the 70’s and the memories of innocent childhood and that of our antics in the school flashes across our mind of the days when ‘friends’ meant the whole world to us.
Stepping into the boarding school was not very pleasing in the beginning, though. Away from the comfort of home and love of parents, we were thrown into the dreadful world of strict teachers, authoritarian Head Masters and their regimental discipline. Little did we know that we had started off on a journey that was going to change our life forever for good.
With awe, we would watch school prefects, school captain and our seniors doing their duties. The routine of early morning cold baths, morning walks, self-study classes, academic classes, meal breaks and compulsory games after school hours, night study class would hasten one after the other and leave us weary and exhausted. The most frightening was to see somebody get spanking for their mischief and disorderly conduct. Caning was given generously and ceremoniously in the morning assembly! By accepting their punishment graciously our seniors earned a lot of respect in our naïve minds.
Through the tedious routine, we would always squeeze some time to freak out into the Lingra valley and bathe under the waterfall, intrude into Bhilar strawberry farms. Inter house and inter school activities were a tooth and nail fights. Anjuman’s incredible sportsmanship is worth mentioning. Our football matches on Table land would witness absolute business shut- down in Panchgani town. Every soul in the town would turn up to watch us play. Scouting out tens of miles on foot was normal. We would walk it out to MRA for a film show; Carnival, market outings, long walks were a great fun.
By and by, we were learning to live independently, responsibly and respectfully. The load of academic and extracurricular activities soon blew away the challenges off and we were gaining lots of life skills-adaptability, leadership, comradeship, team spirit, emotional maturity, which otherwise, we may never would have achieved.
From our seniors, we were inherited a sense of intense bonding with our friends, teachers and our Alma Mater. Our residential teachers were just not our mentors they were our parents. How can ever forget the those great soulsfor having helped us defining ourselves and moulding raw clay into well-rounded dynamic and responsible adults.
This Alumni Association is not just bunch of ex-Anjumanites but a caravan of pilgrim brothers, the product of intense unity and bonding our Alma Mater Anjuman bestowed on us! Long live Anjuman! Long live Anjumanites!!
