Joy to the world, The Lord has come

My thoughts on the tenth day of AtoZ Challenge, will, I bet, take many if us down the memory lane, for a lot of you are going to identify with the post.

Like all schools, morning assembly was mandatory at STS. All students had to attend the morning ritual. The cabinet members were responsible for making sure no one hides in the toilets or in the common rooms. Trust me it was a difficult task. Especially getting the "oh so happening" class twelfth students.

During rains, or extreme weather conditions, the assemblies were held inside the classes. We had a speaker in each classroom connected directly to the principal's room. So there was no escape, any day.

The assemblies started with hymns - songs on the praise of Lord. We had a hymn book. It's lying tattered somewhere in the big trunk at my mum's, where all my school treasures and memories are safe. It's a true treasure. I am definitely sure that I don't remember any school lessons as much as I remember the hymns. It's imprinted in my mind. Two of my favorites was "The Lord is my shephard" and "This little guiding light if mine". 

Christmas used to inject life in the assembly. Christmas carols, stories of bible, and a lot of other preparations (details in later post) was exciting. Cheer spread across the school. My all time favorite carol, which I remember is joy to the world. 

It goes like this:

Joy to the world

The Lord has come

Let earth recieve her king

Let every heart

Prepare him room

And heaven n nature sing.. 

It's a beautiful carol, implicating the joyous celebrations for the birth of of Christ.

Nowadays, these carols and hymns are not restricted for missionary schools. Instead a lot of schools have incorporated them in their school song books. But the vigour and empathy Thomasites exhibit while singing the hymns and carols, is definitely unique. 

I used to wait for the days when we sang Joy to to world in the assembly, and used to rejoice the whole day. Simple pleasures and treasures of childhood. 

My cousin and I used to decorate a Christmas tree every year (any potted plant from our grandpa's garden used to so the needful). She had learnt "joy to the world" reading it from my hymn book. We used to sing this, and eat home baked cakes. (No, I am not a Christian by birth, I believe that God is one). 

V sang the hymn - joy to the world, in his Christmas procession this year, and I watched him tearly eyed, as he imbibes the gratitude toward The Lord, the gracious Christ. 

This post is dedicated to the A-to-Z blogging challenge - the largest Blog Challenge in the history of Blogkind. My selected theme is "memories of St. Thomas' "- my Alma mater. This is the tenth post of the challenge, and is linked to the letter J - Joy to the world, The Lord has come.. 

Linking this post to UBC too. 

I am STS

I am a tree, I am strong

I am a boat, I sail along

I am a lamp, I glow

I am water, I flow 

I am Mariam, I am peace 

I am love, I am bliss

I am Durga, I am strength 

I am Lakshmi, I am wealth 

I am green, I am yes

I am red, I am STS

Lovely collage: Courtesy my super seniors @STS

This post is dedicated to the A-to-Z blogging challenge - the largest Blog Challenge in the history of Blogkind. My selected theme is "memories of St. Thomas' "- my Alma mater. This is the ninth post of the challenge, and is linked to the letter I - I for STS.  

Linking this post to UBC too. 

Helen Jerwood’s School – Houses within

For empowering woman, educate them

Save the female foetus, treat them a human

Feed them, clothe them, clean them, love them

School them, educate them, let them be a woman

Mrs Helen Jerwood, missionary from United Kingdom, worked for the purpose of education for girls in the days of British India.  She founded a couple of school in Delhi, St Thomas’ being one of them. With ideals and undying mission she went from house to house to kindle the light of education for the girl child.

Ms Helen Jerwood

Mrs Helen Jerwood’s vision and her untiring devotion have given St. Thomas' a glorious foundation. Since then, the principals – Ms Ayesha Jacob, Mrs Joy Michael, Mrs Cynthia Manoharan and Mrs Anuradha Amos have striven hard to follow her ideals.

As I take myself, and the readers through this journey, I realize that full justice is not being given to each post. Therefore I decided to carry on with the series after the challenge as well (not as frequent as AtoZ Challenge).

Anyways, apart from the founder’s introduction, H post will be incomplete without talking about the school houses. No prizes for guessing the house names.

Madam Curie (Red house) 


Marie Skłodowska-Curie (7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the only woman to win in two fields, and the only person to win in multiple sciences. (Source Wikipedia)

Chand Bibi (Yellow house)

Chand Bibi (1550–1599 CE), also known as Chand Khatun or Chand Sultana, was an Indian Muslim woman warrior. She acted as the Regent of Bijapur (1580–90) and Regent of Ahmednagar (1596–99). Chand Bibi is best known for defending Ahmednagar against the Mughal forces of Emperor Akbar. (Source Wikipedia)

Sarojini Naidu (Blue house)

Sarojini Naidu, born as Sarojini Chattopadhyay was a child prodigy, Indian independence activist and poet. Naidu served as the first governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh from 1947 to 1949; the first woman to become the governor of an Indian state. She was the second woman to become the president of the Indian National Congress in 1925 and the first Indian woman to do so. (Source Wikipedia)

Nightingale (Green house)

Florence Nightingale, (12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was a celebrated English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. She came to prominence while serving as a nurse during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was known as "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night. . (Source Wikipedia)

Each house has its own election, through a democratic process, where the students elect their house representatives – the house head and the two deputies. The houses compete with each other in several activities – academic, co curricular and sports.

In my early years, I was in Chand Bibi. But I was young, and did not understand the meaning of houses. Later on I was moved to Sarojini Naidu. And that was my house – the blue house. We had small badges which we had to pin up on our shirts every day. Scarves were introduced later, in 1990s.  Every Friday, we had to wear the house scarf, which was an additional matter of pride.

Proud STSers

Short note: Now I realize from where the feminism comes in me. 

This post is dedicated to the A-to-Z blogging challenge - the largest Blog Challenge in the history of Blogkind. My selected theme is "memories of St. Thomas' "- my Alma mater. This is the seventh post of the challenge, and is linked to the letter H - H for Helen Jerwood (founder) and school houses. 

Linking this post to UBC too. 

Gandhi, father of nation: Connection with my Alma Mater

I am proud of my alma mater. 

Who isn’t? She made us what we are. 

All schools have something special which is the reason of pride. STS has been special in many ways. Or that is what we Thomasites perceive and strongly believe. Mahatma Gandhi’s connection to our  school is one such underliner. 

Gandhiji (Mohandas Karanchand Gandhi), the father of Indian nation, was a prominent leader and freedom fighter opposing the British rule in India. Following his non violent ways, India regained her lost identity, and attained freedom. 

I learnt a few of life's lessons, where Mahatma walked

One of the many movements of Gandhi, was the campaign against untouchability. He renamed Dalits (untouchables) as Harijans (children of god), and worked towards their rights in the country. 

Residents of the Harijan Basti attending programs at St Thomas' Platinum jubilee celebrations

A small harijan basti exists in the bylanes of Gole Market, next to the St Thomas’ senior school building. A school gate opens to the basti as well. Gandhiji frequently visited the basti, and used to stroll in the school compound. The old red brick stage, in the school used to be his meditation ground. He used to love the school, where girls were educated. This dates back to 1930s/ 1940s. 

I do not have a further information about this. But our school chairperson, Mrs Manoharan, who was the principal in my times, may shed some light as well. She is a school alumni too.  I will try to update this post, if I get to meet her, in my next India visit, soon. 

In the picture: the school stage

This post is dedicated to the A-to-Z blogging challenge - the largest Blog Challenge in the history of Blogkind. My selected theme is "memories of St. Thomas' "- my Alma mater. This is the seventh post of the challenge, and is linked to the letter G - G for Gandhi, father of the nation. 

Linking this post to UBC too. 

Friends and Food - Thomasite Style

While thinking about writing on letter F, the first thing which came to my mind, or what would come in any of our minds would be “friends”. School friends. I am sure we can have a triology release about friendship tales in school. A small blog post cannot justify “friendship” memories. Therefore, I tried to extract a part of my memory. A summary of tales about “Friends and Food”.

As primary grade student, we were naïve. We started learning about relationships. Friendships. Those were the days, when I recall having a picnic lunch, a potluck as we adults prefer to call it. Venue used to be the school playground. A similar potluck was organized for the Christmas party as well.

As I grew up, and started middle school, the bonds of friendships grew stronger. There was no inhibition, no portrayals, no dramatization of the real self. It was pure, open simple, transparent – friendship. It still is. I am lucky.

In the pic: Class X C, 1995. One of the most notorious, yet loved my teachers. Mrs Rowena Gideon was our class teacher. Much about her in my later posts. :)

Class 7/8, year 1993. The lunch hours started witnessing commotion. No one was eating their own food. Atleast 8 hungry girls on each lunch box. Potluck became a daily routine. One chappati, split in 6 bites, fed six different mouths. This was just to exemplify the extent.

Astha’s mom used to make delicious tehri/ pulao. It was a plain dish – white rice, chane ki dal, with zeera and ghee tadka. Amazingly awesome. Astha used to get a big box of this. During lunchtime, a helping of this delicacy was put in the lunch box cover and handed over to me. The rest was gobbled up be the rest of the class.

Bharti Agarwal (love you honey!!) and her yummy bhujia patties – one was booked for me even before the box opened. And that was the only way I used to eat bhujia (Haldiram bhujia). I swear I never eat bhujia, neither then nor now. I don’t recall what used to be the contents of my lunch box, for I have never seen it. It was seen by my besties. I will ask them if they have any memory of what mum used to pack.

This food business slowly relinquished. Instead carrying food was considered oh so old fashioned. Unfortunately, not all could afford eating in the canteen everyday. So what was the way out. So simple, eat nothing, just have fun. After all lunch breaks are not meant to waste time. It is meant to do stuff which makes you famous or sometimes notorious. I stopped eating lunch from class 9 onwards. All I used to do was – teenage fun. Vandana Bhatia was my mentor, my guide – “Calling trouble by being naughty: for dummies”. Bhatia, please spare Sia from the mayhem you put me into so many times.

Bharti used to hand me the patty twice a week, which was sufficient for my tummy ad our friendship. We are still good friends, haven’t met for long, oh really long.

Mental note: Need to plan up with VB and BA soon.

Disclaimer: Astha, Vandy and Bharti are not the only ones who fed me/ unfed me, they are just top of my mind. For the sheer love in my heart for the three of you, your name showcases here. Feel proud girls. 

This post is dedicated to the A-to-Z blogging challenge - the largest Blog Challenge in the history of Blogkind. My selected theme is "memories of St. Thomas' "- my Alma mater. This is the sixth post of the challenge, and is linked to the letter F - F for friends and food. 

Linking this post to UBC too.