The Golden Jubilee Celebrations ,2010

The Golden Jubilee Celebrations ,2010

(Part 1)

Dear Old Nabhaites,

 The Golden Jubilee is now over a decade down memory lane. It was a resounding success…not only did Her Excellency The President of India grace the momentous occasion, but an unprecedented number of Old Nabhaites spread from Australia to California and all across India turned up for the special event .The icing on the cake was the presence of some of our popular former teachers. The special effort made by the VSOs who came all the way from the UK for the celebrations was much appreciated. The gathering was so large that it was impossible to locate a person you had just talked to if you left him/her for a moment.

This issue of The Eagle (brought out in parts) has material collected over the last two years and some of the information given herein may be out of place or even old hat. Nevertheless, I felt it was important to share everything with you. We have included the events like ONA Day “2k11” and “2k12” and the ONA Dinner to welcome the new team of Headmaster Jagpreet Singh and Bursar Brig GS Julka(J-101,1970) at The PPS. This is the first Part. I must acknowledge the contribution of Guridner Dhanoa (S-9,1964) and Ashwani Aggarwal (j-188,1974) who have made immense contribution while writing of this issue.

                                                Happy Reading!  Hope you enjoy it.

 At the outset, please accept my profuse apologies for not bringing out any issue of The Eagle after the 4-part  bumper  Golden Jubilee series of  April 2010. The reason is simple: we had exhausted  most  of  the researched material gathered for  the Golden Jubilee celebrations  in the  bumper  issue. Secondly, the hectic activity of  the preceding two years, collecting material from different sources for the  Jubilee celebrations and spending long hours on the computer with the work load led to extreme fatigue. It built a stout inner resistance to sitting at the laptop// PC ever again!

The Golden Jubilee also gave us a great opportunity to do some digging into the history of The  PPS. Some of the revelations that came our way were truly amazing.

Apart from the School Chronicle Editions (maintained in the School Library since 1960)  and the school photographs (which I had recommended for information and were mainly used by PPS for the Golden Jubilee Coffee Table Book), I was also assigned by Gen TK Sapru, Chairman of the Golden Jubilee Organizing Committee  to carry out  research from other sources:

1. The Records of the Post-War Reconstruction Fund ( PWRF). This is where we began, where the initiative for the establishment of the School was first taken. Col Tejinder (S-70, 1968) was of great assistance to me in this. He prowled around for a few days in  Departments of  the  Punjab  Government dealing with Defence-related matters  and ascertained  that the Fund had been amalgmated into a common Defence Fund and its  records  officialy destroyed in 1985. That was a huge shocker! It was as if  a parent of The PPS had expired !

Nevertheless, we were able to find out  that the Sainik Board Fund still provides scholarships to children of ex- Servicemen who join The PPS though the amount is probably a small fraction of the total fee. It also gives extra stipend in senior classes to those who excel in studies. After we brought this to the notice of The PPS, details of this concession are now incorporated in the School Prospectus. In the course of our research, it was brought to our notice by Col HS Bajwa(S-25,1966), that Gen Harbaksh Singh, a long-serving Board member in his book “A Soldier Remembers” has mentioned  that he fought tooth and nail for these funds meant for wards of ex-Servicemen which bureaucrats were bent upon, and ultimately succeeded in, diverting.

• Old School Records. This was the second source we tried to tap. It was most important for us to access the Minutes of the meetings of School Board of Governors  in order  to gain first-hand knowledge about what went on when the School was at the embryonic stage. I came to know that the Governor’s office did not maintain these records. So, our best bet was the Headmaster’s Office as the HM functioned as the Secretary of the Board. Ashwani Aggarwal (J-188, 1974) ,whowas requested to access and  study these, spent a few  futile days browsing old files. To our amazement, we could not locate properly documented minutes of the Board meetings despite enlisting the  help of everyone in the school.  We could find only the records of decisions without the agenda or discussion points. More surprisingly, even the files relating to Mr JK Kate, the Founder-Headmaster were missing. It made us realise how very important proper record – keeping was to any institution.
• Photographs of important events in The PPS. Our experience with photographs was similar.We found that The PPS had been very poor in keeping record of important events in its evolution. The photographs were neither dated nor were the names of personalities recorded. I think this is one area where the School authorities need  to make that extra effort in order  to preserve its history.
• Families of  Founder –Members. This was  another source. I had multiple talks with Mrs Karan Brar, the granddaughter of Col Naunihal Singh Mann and his grandson Inderdevmohan Singh Mann in Delhi. The latter was, incidentally, then preparing the Coffee Table Book of  his own alma mater,the Doon School. Both of them wanted to help us, but neither could lay  hands on any diaries or files of their grandfather relating to the PPS in the family homes in Delhi , Shimla  and  Muktsar. Some good, however, emerged from our earlier research — it was a revelation to  Inderdev  that his grandfather Col N.S Mann(then a Major) had been  Chairman of the UPSC in 1946 when it was located in Dehradun for a few months! By virtue of the same research, we also became aware that his Army rank was an honorary one bestowed upon him  by the British for his distinguished contribution to Public Service and the War Effort, confirmed by others.

    All this interaction was spread out over several months. Meanwhile, frustration set in….just when we thought we had a powerhouse of information within reach, it seemed to be slipping out of our hands.Our research had led us to  Gen Kalwant Singh’s daughter Amrita Bedi who showed me a personal file of the General relating to PPS marked 1959-1960. But she was reluctant to part with it and was  very possessive of its contents. I had to enlist the help of  her cousin and my batchmate Col Hardeep Dutta (J-64, 1967)  and request Lt Gen Sapru(S-42, 1964)  then  Western Army Commander (the position held by her father when he got associated with PPS) to make a call to her  before she personally made copies of the file’s contents for  me. (Not once did she let me handle the originals !). I also  took the opportunity to scan  some photographs and took some camera pictures of the family paintings.The papers in the file were not all connected– some were loose and incomplete and   others  were minutes of  a few meetings. However, putting the dates together and using  a Brain Trust of  a few ONs and discussing it with others like Col Harjit Chahal(J-49,1967), we were able to draw  a reasonable picture and timeline of how things unfolded in 1959 before the school opened in April,1960.These have already been  brought out in the special Golden Jubilee issue of “The Eagle”which you all have seen.

• We wrote to former teachers and Head Masters for their experiences during their terms in the  School. Many of them  contributed  to our research, but I feel the  most important information  came  from sketchy memories of the multi-faceted Mr OP Bhatnagar (Ex Hindi), as also from some good articles from Mr BS Bhatnagar (Ex-English),  Ms Leela Kak,  Mr Roger Miall, Ms Anita Williams(All Ex-Junior School) and Mr  John Mallon (British Council , ex-English). They also sent some delightful photographs from the respective periods of their stay in the School.
• It was a revelation that while JK Kate was honoured with a Padamshri for his services to education in the PPS,  Mr Michael Vodden ( English Head and author of  the School Song), the person Mr JK Kate admired most, was awarded an  MBE through  the  Queen’s Honour List in the UK for his services to education  in The PPS.
•  Many former teachers and some old Nabhaites sent in photographs.
• A very valuable document of the establishment of The PPS was easy to get as Mr JK Kate had written down the history of The PPS from beginning to the end of his tenure. This is an article called “The Pride of Punjab” which is in suit and leave a rich record of The PPS history. I have personally requested Gp Capt AJS Grewal ( his tenure was few days less than  Mr JK Kate) and Col Dr Khera (over ten years) to do the needful.

All this voluminous material (almost the equivalent of a large book) with photographs, was brought out by me in  four issues of The Eagle on the eve of the  Golden Jubilee celebrations. It proved to be  a timely  psychological move – it seems to have  created strong  motivation among Old Nabhaites to attend the  Jubilee celebrations in significant  numbers.There were other contributions by Old Nabhaites who were motivated by ONA to contribute to the Golden Jubilee effort. When we faced problems with making ties, momentos and students’ dresses, Old Nabhaite Ravinder Chopra (R-33,1966) was asked to help out. After samples brought by Headmaster Mr IL Syal were rejected in a number of meetings, it was Ravinder’s samples which were approved in one meeting and their modification in the second. Abninder Grewal(J-5) helped with the production of coffee mugs  and  donation of   a bust of Mr JK Kate to the School. Navin Talwar(S-70, 1969) , at the  behest of ONA, provided a visual delight with his photographic genius  by capturing all facets of the  PPS in a new light– buldings, grounds, activities et al. Undoubtedly ,the most outstanding feature of  The Coffee Table Book is Navin’s photographs reproduced in it — his heart and soul ,and his love for The PPS is clearly brought out in it.  My daughter Dilshad (a design graduate from CCAD, Columbus, Ohio) contributed to the design of  the School logo, stationary, backdrops and pocket design of the  School T- shirt (worn by students on the Golden Jubilee Day).

Her Excellency The President of India Smt Pratibha Patil signing the Golden Jubilee CTB.  She is flanked by Governor of Punjab H E Shri Shivraj Patil and CM Sardar Parkash Singh Badal

Progress made by ONA

This year we have launched a renewed website www.ppsona.com  with much wider content. We have just shifted it to a new Server.  After the expected teething problems are dealt with, we should be able to add more content.

To widen the reach and communication network of ONA, we have opened a Facebook account (onapps) for FB users and addicts of twitter for comments, and You-Tube account (onapps channel) to allow for uploading of  videos. In fact about 40 clips covering all events relating to the Golden Jubilee celebrations  have  already been uploaded on onapps channel . We expect that all communications in the ONA in future will be through the internet. This will facilitate instant sharing of The PPS and ONA-related information across the globe. It would be beneficial for all Old Nabhiates to have an email ID and be reasonably tech- savvy.

 Two more projects have been completed by us  last year:

1.  Digitalisation. Soft copies of all School Chronicles published since 1960 are being prepared so that these archives can be accessed from the ONA or School websites by any Old Nabhaite anywhere in the world. For this, I had requested  Mr Pushapraj (PA to JK Kate; now settled in the US) to help me out. Taking full responsibility, he has accomplished this task with utmost efficiency. You will find the first – ever issue of The School Chronicle  dated  June 1960 reproduced in a future issue.
2. Seriatim compilation of ONs.   A record of all Old Nabhaites who joined The PPS from its inception in 1960 commencing with No 1 of each House is being compiled.. This way we  intend  to create a unique identity for each Old Nabhaite who has passed through the PPS. This would prevent inadvertent use of wrong House numbers by ONs  in the future. It will also be very useful permanent record of its students for the School. The identity of anyone claiming to be an ON  can be checked instantly on a computer. This too has been given finishing touches by Ms Komal Sharma, present PA to the Headmaster. We now need only annual updates.

ONA owes a  strong debt of gratitude  to both Mr Pushapraj and Ms Komal Sharma.

The Eagle spreads news and information about ONs . So it is incumbent on all ONs to keep informing the ONA about any news concerning themselves, or any Old Nabhaite or Chapter. We will share it with others through the medium of The Eagle. Please do write to us at onapps@yahoo.com  . Without your “input”, there possibly cannot be any meaningful and informative “output”!

For the  future :

1. Online membership : Any Old Nabhaite around the world can become a Life Member with online payment.
2. Video conferencing: The President or any authorized office -bearer can set up video conferencing with Old Nabhaites around the world, interact with different Chapters and get wider perspective for running of ONA.

• Batch Coordinators:  In order to reach out to the maximum numbers of Old Nabhaites, ONA has recommended that  one or two identified members of each batch  act as Coordinators and collect data of all their classmates.This would include  Name, House No, year of passing out, present profession, location, Contact numbers , email IDs and postal address. This is the best way to stay in touch not only with your classmates or batchmates (you can also plan batch get-togethers) but also by sharing this data with ONA we can reach out to the widest range, if not all, of Old Nabhaites . We hope this is not just read and forgotten. Please get cracking and start collecting data of your batch right now or ask someone responsible to do it in your batch and share the information with us.
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The Chief Guest who came in from the Rashtarpati Bhavan

Post on FB by Ona Pps on Friday, September 16, 2011 at 9:47pm

Just for information of all of you out there 

The ONA and Old Nabhaites are contributing to PPS in many ways every now and then which may not be in knowledge of everyone or publicised.

Her Excellency the President of India Smt. Pratibha Patil came as Chief Guest at the Golden Jubilee last year because of two Old Nabhaites efforts. She had actually refused to be there on the given day. It was a prestige point for PPS as the school had been inaugurated by the President Rajendra Prasad in 1961 on April 11.

The President’s helicopter before landing on the PPS Grounds.

Firstly it was Lt gen TK Tej Sapru(S-42, 1964) who as Western Army Commander and ADC to the President pursued the case. Then after his retirement, just before Golden Jubilee, Pawan Munjal (S-163,1970) MD of Hero MotoCorp came in and had the issue clinched. But for Pawan there would have literally been a slip between the cup and the lip.

The interesting side angle to the story is: whereas in 2010 The President came in a helicopter escorted by two helicopters and Z security, in 1961, The President came in a Presidential train flying the Tri-colour and President was received at the Nabha Railway station by the School Board and the Headmaster. Security included  just a few military men.

Three Cheers! to Gen Tej Sapru and Pawan Munjal!!!

Dr Jashanjot (S-52,1967)

on behalf of ONA

Gen TK Sapru being interviewed by TV Channel at the Golden Jubilee  Lunch

Pawan Munjal (S-163,1970) flanked by Lt Gen RS Sujlana (B-134,1967) on his right and Col JS Panaich (R-110,1966) of Lal Path Labs Chandigarh on the left at the Golden Jubilee Lunch.

THE GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS AT THE PUNJAB PUBLIC SCHOOL, NABHA

I do not normally suffer from writer’s block. But when a distinguished Nabhaite, Dr Jashanjot Singh, asked me recently to write about my visit to our dear old school in 2010 to attend its Golden Jubilee celebrations I was stuck for several days as it was not easy to remember everything that had happened almost two years ago. I found it to be a tall order. Finally, after some hesitation, I reluctantly consented to write a little on what I felt attending the various events commemorating the 50^th year of the foundation of our school.

The last Founder’s Day celebrations I had attended was in 1973 when I was housemaster of Ravi House as, early in March the following year, I left for St Paul’s School, Darjeeling, to join as the first Indian Head of English there. So it was thirty seven years later that I was attending another Founder’s Day. I found that PPS had become bigger (in terms of the number of students and staff) and brighter (with impressive looking students and many erudite and excellent teachers), and more beautiful (greenery, flowers, immaculately kept campus, et al) than when I had left it for good. The presence of more than a hundred girls as resident scholars makes PPS unique in many ways. 

The girl students are a dominant feature of The PPS now

There were a large number of Nabhaites, many with their spouses and children, who it was a pleasure to meet. They belonged to four groups – ‘old-old’, ‘old-new’, ‘new-old’ and ‘new-new’ Nabhaites. Many of them did confront me with, “Do you remember me, Sir?” I said, of course, I did, as the faces had not changed beyond recognition. However, all the time I was thinking of the headmaster of a famous British public school who used to say, “In my initial years I knew all the names and all the faces and which belonged to which. Many years later I still remembered all the names and all the faces but had difficulty in deciding which belonged to which. Now that I am about to hang up my gown, I remember neither all the names nor all the faces.”  However, the fact is that there can in the final analysis be no doubt that our alumni, by their general conduct,  are the main reason for the good  reputation PPS has always enjoyed. Walking down memory lane with them was a great experience. I have been a teacher for more than four decades but the seven years that my wife, two children and I spent at PPS were the best in our lives. I wondered why the events of life become irreversible and yet a feeling of living the same moments again gets stronger by the minute. The loss in these years of our great Headmaster, Mr J K Kate and his dear wife, and my senior and popular colleagues, Mukut Tankha, I B Kakkar, O P Sharma and K K Katyal, and my favourite Ravian and School Captain, Major Harpal Singh, greatly saddened me, though.

PPS continues to be one of the best public schools of India. It was an excellent training ground – it may still be, but I am not sure, though – for both the boys and staff during Mr Kate’s headship. Among the best reason advanced for the extra-human good spirits of a public school boy is the fact that he has put public school behind him. Once his training is over, nothing in his future life can seem really irritating. Being caught in a cloudburst, having a bucket of paint fall on him from a scaffold, walking into a manhole, these strike him as but the normal contretemps of a perfectly ripping day. The peculiar qualities of discipline which Headmaster Mr Kate impressed on his students, (and staff), were force of character, a contentious and dominating temper, and the faculty of holding one’s own, and, sometimes, perhaps more than one’s own, in the struggle of supremacy. These are the characteristics which Nabhaites of those times have in common. At the Founder’s of 2010, all this I could see and feel on meeting the old Nabhaites of my PPS days.

The Old Nabhaites and Staff including VSO section of the audience

Attending the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the school I love made me prouder still of its achievements. As far as I know, PPS has produced more three star Generals and Admirals than any other public school of India, barring, maybe, Sainik and Military Schools and RIMC, but none can claim to have, among its alumni, a Chief of the Army Staff, and, a couple of years later, a Chief of the Naval Staff. I don’t have to name them, do I?

This is certain, though, that there is no school in India, I dare say, which was inaugurated by the President of India and, fifty years later, another President of India presided over its Golden Jubilee celebrations. So PPS is decidedly numero uno in several respects among the top schools of India.

April could be uncomfortably hot and humid in Nabha and it was no exception in 2010. Sitting in hot seats (sic!) under a shamiyana with the sun blazing mercilessly on it, and attending the 90 and odd minutes’ Founder’s programme, I remembered my prep school days. I discovered at my prep school that, in company with ninety percent of my fellows, I was prone to a physical condition that came on in the chapel with remorseless punctuality whenever a sermon lasted longer than ten minutes. I do not know its clinical definition. We used to call it numb bum.

At the end of the prize distribution and before the President of India addressed the gathering, we had a very welcome and heart-warming event making us all give a standing ovation to Lieut General Bikram Singh, PVSM, AVSM, UYSM, SM, VSM, ADC, (Ex Beas House), a distinguished Nabhaite and a top army General, when the President of India presented him with the Roll of Honour for his qualities of head and heart and for his achievements as an Indian Army officer. Now that he is the Chief of the Army Staff our hearts are filled with greater delight and pride.

Gen Bikram Singh before start of the Function with a guest

 An old Irish saying is applicable to General Bikram Singh. It goes something like this: Take a good look, my son, for once they are gone, you will not see their like again. Besides teaching I had, like my other colleagues, a few other duties to perform. I took over from Mr Bhave as the cricket coach a year before Bikram left PPS to join the NDA. I had seen him playing a stellar role in many a victory of Beas House cricket team. For more than six centuries, the very name of the game has epitomized British good sportsmanship. To say of any human behavior, “It’s not cricket”, American journalist T S Mathews once observed, “ is to damn it with the heaviest anathema known to the English soul.” As a student of PPS and then as an army officer, Bikram has said and done nothing which is not Cricket. We are all proud of him. We really are.

I feel privileged to have been on the PPS staff and for God’s gift of hundreds of outstanding Nabhaites.

A memento (shawl) full of affection and honour for ex Teacher Mr BS Bhatnagar and Mrs Bhatnagar , presented by Col HS Bajwa (S-25, 1966) on behalf of ONA at after dinner ceremony on the Golden Jubilee Day

May PPS grow onward and upward and continue to produce distinguished, eminent, honest and down to earth Nabhaites as it always has.

B S BHATNAGAR

(Formerly-in chronological order-PPS Staff (1967-‘74), Ravi Housemaster and Editor of PPS Chronicle; Headmaster, St Paul’s School, Darjeeling; Principal, The Daly College, Indore; Headmaster, The Lawrence School, Lovedale, Ooty; and, Founder-Principal, The Indian School, Al Ghubra, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.)

                                             _______________________________   

 Golden Jubilee Celebrations, April 2010, of The Punjab Public School, Nabha.

 THE year 2010 was a very special one for Nabhaites old and new! That April The Punjab Public School completed fifty grand years of its existence. And no Nabhaite worth his salt would miss being in school on that occasion either physically or in spirit! And that is how it turned out to be. The three days in April unfolded as a grand and huge extravaganza of remembrance, reunion and revival. It was just ‘Emotion Essence’, and  was so obvious from everybody I met. And I said to myself, “I would not have missed this for anything in the world!”

Easier said than done! I got the first email from Jashanjot on behalf of the school informing us about the Golden Jubilee Celebrations in2008.That set the ball rolling. What followed was like taking a walk down memory lane. Everybody got into the mood and there was a spate of emails from classmates from all over the world! It was such joyous time discovering each and everyone and catching up on their lives and reliving yours with them! It was great waking up each day and checking the email to know someone had been found! It was great fun marveling at what each one had achieved in life. There was so much bonhomie and fun as threads of information were gathered. And the class of ‘67 was born again! Next came the school photos ,each one of us trying to outdo the other in trying to recognize school mates and remembering houses and house numbers and of course all the incidents related with them.

The school meanwhile had its own agenda and was planning the mega event right from selecting and inviting the chief guest to the printing of the coffee table book. Thanks to a few enthusiasts like Jashanjot we were in the loop as to what was going on in the school.

 As for my family and the Kate Family the Golden Jubilee Celebrations were like a family function.  They had grown up listening about The PPS, the school boys’ pranks, the teachers, Junior School, Senior School, Miss Malkani, Balbir Singh, Mattie and a host of other stories from my parents, Vilas and me. Every time an ON visited us our ties with The PPS were strengthened. For me and Vilas –it was not just going back to school it was much more. It was home. And for my parents The PPS was their life and—message.

 Fortunately during this period my mother was in a position to appreciate all this and she shared many stories about the school and its early years. She experienced the Golden Jubilee Celebrations with a sense of pride and fulfillment.

 For my family the tempo was building up too. They realized it was a now or never situation. So there I was with my entire family, grand kids included, in the warm welcoming arms of the Punia family and The PPS.

The Junior School today

Arrival in Nabha

 What a welcome awaited us! The Senior School and Junior School looked even more resplendent. The whole place had a festive air about it. I always loved PPS and now I loved it even more. The beautifully manicured lawns, the flowers, the majestic buildings filled me with awe as always. It was a beautiful homecoming.

The Senior School (Kairon Block and The Headmaster’s Green)

The Celebrations

 The two days, 11th to 13^th April we spent in Nabha were surreal. It was like a page from the past. It was so wonderful to meet and greet so many ONs and teachers. And see all the teachers fit and moving around– And their memories as good as ever. We met Mr. and Mrs. B.S. Bhatnagar, Mr. and Mrs. Tandon, Mr. and Mrs. O.P. Bhatnagar. Mr. and Mrs. Ram Singh with his son, Mr. Onial, Mr. Sibal and the evergreen Pushpraj. It was so thrilling to meet so many V.S. O.s. Anita Williams (now Scamell) had come from England with her husband. We also met Roger Miall, Roger Burridge, Rob Clarke and Rigby. They had been kept in touch with the school by Jashanjot (who assured them of ONA help where The PPS could not help) and had made the special journey from U.K. It was enough testimony of their love and appreciation of The PPS and a true celebration of the spirit of The PPS.

It was also heartwarming to see students join in from all over the world. Mr. Katyals’s daughter Archana(R-307, 1978), all grown up now, had come from USA. Mr. Nigam’s daughters Seepja (J-388,1981) and Shika(B-293,1976) had come too.  Mrs. O.P. Sharma and Dr Batra’s wife meeting our school teachers and their families brought tears to my eyes as I remembered their love and dedication to The PPS. It was this reason which brought so many of us ONs to The PPS .It was a small gesture on our part to show the love and gratitude we felt for all the teachers and their families and the entire school, who served The PPS silently and sincerely always considering it their own.

It was this spirit that Lt. General Bikram Singh, who was our Chief Guest, conveyed in his warm and endearing speech to the school on the first day of the celebrations. The packed Pavate Hall listened with rapt attention as he encapsulated what The PPS meant to him and us; and how it had moulded and shaped our lives. It was a glowing tribute to Mr. JK Kate, the Founder Headmaster. The O.N.s showed their appreciation as Abninder Grewal’s (J-5, 1960) family donated a bust of Mr. JK Kate.

The Bust of Mr JK Kate presented by Grewal Family of Nanokey

Kate Family(Vilas, Mrs Vilas and Jyoti) on the left and Grewal Family on the right (Abninde(J-5), Gagandeep(B-678, 1987), Abdjinder(J-583,1989) and granddaughter (daughter of Gagan) all Old Nabhaites of three generations)

As a  fitting gesture Vilas handed over Mr. Kate’s Padmashri to the Headmaster Cmdr Syal. Being there on stage for me was a humbling experience.

 Looking back I feel my father’s dream and vision of having a boy from PPS become Chief of Army Staff one day had finally come true. He would have been a proud, proud Headmaster.  “Thank you, General!”

Lt Gen Bikram Singh(B-71) and Dr Jashanjot(S-52) share a joke at the Dinner after Variety entertainment, with Jatinder Randhawa(J-61) and others looking on.

 After the speeches and prize distribution and variety entertainment everyone went to the Junior School for dinner! The entire area was beautifully decorated and dinner was a lavish affair. But who had the time to eat! It was so lovely meeting so many ONs. Every body’s first sentence was,” Hi! Do you recognize me?”

It was truly fun and such a joyous occasion. From my class of 1976. I met Jashanjot (S-52), Bhupinder Grewal(S-50), Chhachhi(S-76), Dilip Bedekar(S-67), Harpratap(B-45), Hardeep Dutta(J-64) and their wives and two Generals, General Vinay Sharma(S-129) and General Rajinder Sujlana(B-134). Hard to describe how you feel when you meet school friends after 40 years.

My classmates from Class of ’67 and some seniors

The Grand Finale

 The next morning was the grand finale which took place on the school grounds. The President, Mrs. Pratibha Patil arrived with the Governor of Punjab, Mr. Shivraj Patil and took the Guard of Honour. It was with great pride we saw our ON General Bikram Singh(B-81,1968) get the Roll of Honour. Seated in the front row were General O.P. Nandarjog(B-1,1964); Admiral Satish Soni,(R-121,1971) Commandant of NDA; General Jatinder Bajwa (J-151, 1969)Pawan Munjal (S-163,1970) of Hero Group; Partap Bajwa(R-203,1973), Member of Parliament and Harpartap Ajnala(b-45) ,MLA and President of ONA.

The Horse Show put up by PPS riders was out of the world. Even the President wrote back complementing it after she had reached Rashtarpati Bhavan.

    In the evening there were many speeches and fitting tributes to teachers like Iqbal Koonar (R-19,1967)who had trained and taught so many Nabhaites and also to other teachers who had dedicated their lives to the school. We witnessed a slide show which brought back many memories .It was so wonderful to see Mr. and Mrs. Punia so enthusiastic and so involved and concerned about everyone .It was a wonderful evening. Everyone was more relaxed as the day’s events had gone off smoothly. The coffee table book was a big success. I got all the teachers to sign on my copy. The T- shirts, the mugs and wall clocks were also a big hit. It was an amazing evening and everyone seemed to sense it was a goodbye but nobody wanted to leave.

Vilas Kate, son and Jyoti  Kate Mahajan, daughter of Founder Headmaster JK Kate receiving their honour and gifts from Brig Chanderkant Sood and Mr Ruttury, Senior Master.

The two days we were in Nabha we will always cherish. Every function, every event showed that a lot of thought, effort and planning had gone into getting the Golden Jubilee Celebrations off the ground. It was no mean feat considering the scale of the events. The lunches and dinners were a never ending feast. Credit goes to the Golden Jubilee Committee headed by Gen TK Sapru (S-42,1965), which included Kanwar Sandhu(J-106, 1970) and I learnt that three of my classmates  were on the Golden Jubilee Committee ( Col BS Grewal, Harpartap and Jashanjot),  Cmdr IL Syal,  Headmaster (who was lucky  to be of Headmaster of The PPS  at time of its Golden Jubilee )  and Mrs. Syal for being such good hosts and the entire staff of The PPS, the students, the support staff and the ‘n’ number of ONs who helped to keep up the spirit of the school by putting their heart and soul into it to make it happen and make it worth for all those who were a witness to the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of The PPS. As always Onward and Upward!!

Jyoti Kate(R-52, 1967)

Golden Jubilee of The PPS 

( A reflection on the gathering, the visit of the two Presidents to The PPS and a thought for the future)

We were honoured and privileged to have attended the Silver Jubilee of PPS in 1985. It was a very satisfying get together among Old Boys with achievements of Old Nabhaites taking some sort of a back seat.Compared to the Silver Jubilee, Golden Jubilee 2010 was a great display of very significant Old Nabhaite achievements.

In fact, the brightness of Nabhaite achievements was over dazzling, some thing like Headlamps without dippers of an oncoming vehicle on the Highway.

The Dazzling Fireworks that brought the Celebrations to an end.

The tone was set  by the stature of the Chief Guest, the President of India ( a very proud sequel to the inauguration of PPS by Dr  Rajendra Parsad), first President of India. Dr Rajendra Prasad had come to Nabha by his Presidential Train ( Viceregal Train ). Mrs Pratibha Patil came by IAF Helicopter.

It was amazing to note the large number of Great Achievers among Old Nabhaites, Star Generals , World Renowned Industrialists , Doctors , Engineers , Politicians, Civil Servants , Teachers and much more.

But the truth which struck at the Golden Jubilee was that the   Crowning Glory of PPS on display was in reality the fruits of the saplings which were planted in the first 25 years of PPS. These Achievers  and Achievements were in the process when Silver Jubilee was held. These Achievements could only be seen  at the Golden Jubilee.

This brings us to the crucial question of looking in to the future Platinum Jubilee ( 2030 ). We hope and Pray that PPS showcases similar level of Nabhaite achievements. Onward and Upward  must not taper off with the Golden Jubilee.

Ashwani Kumar Aggarwal  (J-188,1974)