Speech of
Shri Naveen B. Chawla,
Chief Election Commissioner of India
delivered at The Lawrence School, Sanawar
on 4th October 2009.
Coming after the Headmaster, this is not a very easy act to follow. But you know we've
seen the resilience of our school, I was sure that it wasn't going to rain through the
parade and barring the few drops on the bald head, which was not the problem with
Mr. Abdullah because he's got plenty of hair on his head, it all finished in perfect time
and we are now in Barne Hall. We've made the adjustments so quickly and I have to tell
you that yesterday when I was seeing the play, I was really wishing that I would love to
be on stage, because I spent so many of my years acting on the stage and compeering
on the stage, so while I am here today, the pity is that our students are not here and so
through parents and teachers and of course the Headmaster, I would like to wish them
well. They've done fantastically in the play, in the Tattoo and of course in the parade
this morning. And as I was watching the Tattoo last night, I saw the girls doing the Bugle
Band. I thought that this group of people should be in the Republic Day Parade. I don't
know how on the 26th of January all the children can be collected, but I am going to do
my best to be able to see that India's first All Girls Bugle Band is on Rajpath.
Before I go into my set speech, one is that our very distinguished member today who is
going to get our most distinguished award. I don't know him very well, but our lives are
intertwined in a strange sort of a way. I, today had the first proper conversation with
him for a few minutes which he will testify, but I was very insistent on doing the election
in J and K in November - December. The snows were falling; the climate and geography
were against us. I was just so insistent because of my own long history with the state at
the height of militancy. But who's to know the result? I mean, we do elections, we make
a level playing field, it's transparent, it's free and fair, but one can never know who's
going to win and who's going to lose. And I think candidates like him never know, more
than us, who's going to win and who's going to lose. So it's one of life's many ironies
that there should have been an Election Commission of which I was a part and which I
now head, which was insistent on that election and the winner who triumphed was also
a Sanawarian.
Now, you'll have to listen to me very patiently but not for very long with no repetition of
what the Headmaster had to say and the prize comes in the end as that is the
prerogative of the Chief Guest. So you'll have to hold your breath. I've got a lot of
lectures from my Old Sanawarian friends and I also have to fall in line but before that
just a few words.
The Headmaster, Mr. Vasisht, Members of the Board of Governors, teachers, staff, Old
Sanawarians,parents and students. It's a great honour for me to have been invited here
as Chief Guest. I mean, how could I have imagined when I left Sanawar that there would
be a day when I would actually be Chief Guest here. I mean that's impossible. So then,
more the honour, more the privilege. And for me a Red Letter Day, something that I can
never forget for the rest of my life, just as my nine years here and being in the hall are
unforgettable. I thank the Headmaster, the Board of Governors for conferring on me
this great opportunity.
From the Headmaster I've been keeping abreast of the progress of the school, always a
little distance, always in my own preoccupations, not directly connected as a parent and
not making enough time as I should have as an O.S. but from Brigadier Cheema,from
Mr. Vasisht who would very kindly come and see me sometime, I found that the graph
of the school was going up and up and up and it really made me happy to know that the
publication of Education World, to which the Headmaster referred that Sanawar has
gone up to the 4th place from the 6th place last year. And then in many ways more
importantly ranks number 5. in its list of academic reputation and a number 4 in the
core competence of its faculty which has also gone up and importantly for me and for
all of us in this Hall, from number 5 to number 3 in its ranking for honesty and integrity.
That's a big cheer to the Headmaster, to the teachers, the staff and to all you present as
parents, because you play such a pivotal role in that whole concept of honesty and
integrity in a school. So well done.
I spent nine years in this school from 1953-61, so I'm glad that the students are not here
because you know they can't seem to figure out those years, but the batch of 1959 is
here and they were my seniors, so that makes sense to at least them. I would like to
share a little of our background of our early years with you because they were a part of
our shared history. In the year 1953, when I was first admitted to the Prep school, it was
just six years after we gained Independence and the shadow of partition still loomed
over many of our parents and indirectly many of our lives. Yet it was a new awakening,
because although we were founded as a school in 1847, it was then a different school,
with a different ethos and for only British students. These were the children of British
soldiers largely, usually of the other ranks, who could not afford to send their children to
a school in England. But it was only after Independence in 1947, did Sanawar start to
acquire a different ethos and a different way of life. We became an Indian school for
Indian students, so while in many ways we are an old and historic school, we are also
comparatively a young school, with Indian students beginning to acclimatize both Indian
and Western values. Many of the O.S. present today, especially the group of 1959 will
have shared many aspects of these formative years growing up and beginning to
understand our new environment. Many important principles of my life were imbued
over those years and have hopefully stood me in good stead. In my speech today, I
would of course like to draw on my experiences as a student, and also to say that all of
us present today are equally committed to the school by a shared, special bond, that
would like the school and the students to excel even further.
If I was asked to point out some of the important lessons that I had learnt at Sanawar in
my formative years, I would summarise it in one sentence and I think most of you would
agree by saying that it was about how to play the game of life. In the game of life, there
are always winners and losers, but we were especially taught to be good losers. Not
everyone can come first, somebody has to come second and somebody has to come
last. We learnt never to belittle those who struggled to keep up. It was always natural
for us to look up to our achievers and even to this day I continue to have special regard
for the achievers of my class, irrespective of which station they find themselves in life
today.
We also learnt about truth and integrity often in an unspoken way. More in the
atmosphere that we imbibed through our teachers and more particularly through our
House masters, with whom we had a closer link. Also in an unspoken way we never
differentiated between castes or classes or religious denominations. It was a completely
level playing field which was and remains its biggest achievement.
It was only after I left Sanawar and even after I left St Stephen's College and then to
England that my English friends would ask me questions about caste and creed. But this
was never a part, ever, of the playing fields of Sanawar. We were truly secular, multi
cultural and multi ethnic. As true to the Constitution of our country as a school could
possibly be. I am confident that there would have been no dilution in these basic
principles of equality and fellowship. Like all of you I too learned to 'Never Give In'. The
School Song which we sang practically everyday of our school lives ingrained itself into
my consciousness so deeply and I believe saw me through life's ups and downs. If I had
to draw upon my learning I would of course stress these principles of equality and interdenominational oneness. Another great strength of our school from the start was
gender equality. Infact If there was any inequality all on gender issues; it was weighted
against us boys. So on that score Sanawar has always been ahead. I do remember some
of my teachers particularly Mr. B. Singh, who would encourage us to think more
creatively and inculcated in us both independent powers of thought as well as
something we all need to have for our children; a sense of curiosity. Scholarly
achievement was and is very important but every student also needs to be supported
and encouraged. I'm grateful to some of my House masters who gradually instilled
confidence in me and this is what I believe our school does, it prepares each student for
leadership and develop according to his or her particular genius. It doesn't matter which
field genius and leadership manifest itself, it can be business, it can be management,
government, armed forces, and since the internet has made availability of vast
knowledge so easy, it can help us to awaken our children's special interests in all these
in addition to pursuing their educational curriculum and the all-round development
through sports and hobbies and every aspect of extra curricular activities for which our
school is justly famous. So whether we aim to become great sportsmen, or musicians, or
astronomers, or archaeologists, or environmentalists or preservers of our heritage,
whether we go on to lead a 'Chipko' Movement or whether we become painters, or go
into seed farming, veterinary sciences or alternative medicine, our teachers would have
helped us recognize some of those talents and this is not possible without enlightened
parents. And parents and teachers could come together on some common platform to
be able to awaken the genius which lies in each of their children. Sometimes just a
single sentence of encouragement can develop into something big and special and the
magnificent. In Sanawar, we have always encouraged thoughtful and reflective learning
and I congratulate the Headmaster, supported by the Board of Governors and staff for
the ethical systems that are in place. Discipline has been strengthened in recent times
which is a development because an important lesson to be learned is the discipline and
hard work pay important dividends in that years to come. As a future leader your
children would also want to create around themselves a disciplined environment in
whichever walk of life they find themselves in. A good school must also be a
compassionate school. We require your support for our slow learners and for those who
may have learning difficulties. This support needs to come not only from the
Headmaster and staff but also from the prefects and senior students who should be
inculcated with that sense of responsibility to hand-hold some of the juniors who may
have adjustment difficulties. If we move in this direction which I am sure is happening,
that will also help in the pursuit of individual excellence as well as group dynamics and
camaraderie all of which are essential materials of leadership.
Before I close I have to share with you that I was privileged to have a twenty three year
old association with Mother Teresa from 1975-1997 when she passed away. I would not
be faithful to her teachings if I did not say to you that we must develop compassion for
other less privileged than ourselves. Our students are often reminded of their privileged
environment in which they study and they dwell. I believe that privilege goes hand in
hand with caring for those less privileged or less secure than us. Sometimes just offering
a helping hand to an elderly neighbour or to someone who is disabled and needs help, is
easy for us to do and becomes a wonderful way of using our privileged schooling to help
society in small and big ways. And I interrupt to say that one of the highlights for me this
morning, was a young Sanawarian, now in his third year in St Stephen’s College, he is in
a wheel chair, and he said to me that this year he went to vote and being on a wheel
chair all the practices that we have been trying to put into place made it easier; he was
able to vote without any help. The day before yesterday we celebrated Gandhi Jayanti.
Unfortunately I couldn't be here in Barne Hall that morning. But the celebration of
Mahatma Gandhi's life and values is perhaps the most important way of understanding
what our freedom fathers and many of your family members of your fathers' and
grandfathers' generation would have sacrificed their lives for. I would ask the
Headmaster's permission before I close to initiate three prizes which I would like to
endow:
For the students of class X who are hopefully now free of their Board Exams and the
Class XI and XII for the best essays written by a student of each of these classes on the
life and work of Mahatma Gandhi, which I as an O.S. would like .
Do I come to my punch line now or later? I have to tell you that in my own mind I was
really divided between one day which is mandatory and two days ,which is the
prerogative of the Chief Guest and I have decided to use that prerogative and give you
two days holidays. Well done and God Bless.
The Headmaster of the Lawrence School, Sanawar, Mr. Praveen Vasisht has conveyed
that on 4th Oct 2009, before Sh. Chawla had to deliver his speech, the Old Sanawarians
were marching and while he was taking salute, it started raining. The Headmaster
wanted to arrange an umbrella, and the security personnel got one. However, Mr Navin
Chawla refused to take it saying when everyone was watching the parade in the rain, he
could take the salute without an umbrella too. By then parents, many old Sanawarians
and guests had taken shelter under the covered passage, but Mr. Chawla stood like a
rock. It speaks very high of his character and does proud to those who associate with
him.
[As reported by Dr. V K Sharma, Dean of Faculty, Sanawar, 094180-77844]