A Memorable Visit to Sanawar
By Prof Raj Kachroo

It would be silly of me if I started to describe the beautiful architecture, tradition and heritage and all other nice things that describe your school. I saw it briefly. I admire it immensely. I fell in love with it on the first sight. But all that I can do is envy you - who have lived it.

Sanawarians tell me that once a Sanawarian is always a Sanawarian. It can not be untrue. As a former Prime Minister said “Sanawar is not a school Sanawar is an institution”. I think it’s not only an institution but a home for generations of young boys and girls and there is no place like home. The teachers are the parents and the fellow students are brothers and sisters. It is a one big happy family.

The first time I met Mr Praveen Vasisht was courtesy NDTV studio.
I was in the studio and he was in his beautiful campus at Sanawar. I could see him and talk to him but not shake his hands.
He was trying to defend his action against the students whom he had rusticated from the school. I was trying to give him some moral support and reassurance that he was right in doing so. But I knew that it must not have been an easy decision for Mr. Vasisht to make. His students, including those he rusticated, are like his children. And for those students who, unfortunately, were rusticated, Sanawar, fortunately, still remains their home. I hope, in time, when the wounds are healed, you will invite them & welcome them to join the Old Sanawarians.

Any way, I still had the desire to shake hands with Mr. Vasisht and I believe the feeling was mutual. Mr. Vasisht invited me to be the chief guest for the school’s prize giving ceremony. I quickly accepted it. I did not give him a chance to change his mind and requested if I could bring my wife and two nieces together with me. He was very kind to extend the invitation to them too. It will again be silly of me to describe the hospitability that was extended to us by Mr & Mrs Vasisht and every body else in Sanawar. All I can say is that my wife was very worried on her way back to Delhi wondering if we would be in a position to reciprocate the care and attention to detail if Vasisht’s ever took up our offer of staying with us in our modest home in Gurgaon. My nieces were worried in case I had not made such a great impression & I may not be invited back.

For me it was a great pleasure to attend the function. I felt honoured to be the chief guest and, initially, slightly nervous because I am not used to being a chief guest and that too in a crisply ironed suit. I am more of a bush shirt and a trouser kind. The nervousness wore off within minutes when I felt the warmth of hand shakes of young boys and girls who aspire to be the leaders of our future generation. I quickly felt at ease and warm at heart. The suit did not over power me any more. The slogans, like ‘Never give in’, ‘ And “somebody’s got to stop the rot”, became the basis of my very brief speech to the students, who, I could see, had heard it many times, and where anxious to get out of their uniforms on their last day of the term. They listened to me but wanted me to cut it short. I was the same. I wanted to get out of my suit, sit in the beautiful lawn of the Head Master’s house and enjoy a glass of beer in the excellent weather that was there. The glass of beer never matured but I was equally happy to settle for several cups of ‘Kashmiri Qahwa’ with plenty of cardamoms and almonds. The saffron was missing but I don’t like it any way.

Mr. Vasisht, I found during various conversations over several cups of tea, a very spiritual man with real faith. He has definite ideas and I could not agree more with every thing that he said. We discussed, at some length, the culture of violence which, regrettably, is portrayed incorrectly as an expression of strength when it really is an expression of weakness. Minds that are weak can not be creative and can not contribute. We talked about leadership qualities that must go beyond slogans towards strategies. We tried to distinguish between the concepts of theology and spirituality and had a good, inconclusive, discussion on the difficult, yet necessary, concept that Saint Ved Vyas presented to us, some 2000 years ago in the Bhagvat Gita, about detachment and duty towards universal truth. We also talked, at great length, about the Aman Movement for eradication of ragging that I started 3 months ago after the tragic death of my son at the age of 19 due to ragging. I am grateful to Mr and Mrs Vasisht and all the Sanawarians, for their support for the cause. Please log on to www.amanmovement.org and support the movement. It is a worthy cause.

On the last day of our stay in Sanawar at the dinning table I felt like a little bit of mischief. I thought that there wasn’t much we disagreed upon and there wasn’t any thing that I could tell Mr. Vasisht that he did not know. So I popped the question. Sir, did you know that Mahatma Gandhi was a fashion designer and a successful one. Of course – not, was the firm answer. Here was my opportunity to give Mr. Vashist a lecture on fashion about which he knew nothing and I felt so great leaving Sanawar. I was one up on him.

Prof Kachroo holds a Phd in Engineering Hydrology. He is an academician, a fashion design consultant and social worker. He has taught in several universities around the globe.He has worked with number of International organisations namely WHO, UNESCO and World Bank.
He is presently working full time for Aman Satya Kachroo trust and Aman Movement for eradication of ragging in India.