After 5 years I have made my way back to the Adarsha Hindi Vidyalaya School High School located in the Alipore section of Kolkata. Principal Ashok Tewari greeted Dibyendu and I right at the front door of the school and he sent a few older boys to the car to carry all the heavy boxes into the school.

 

The first thing Ashok said to me was Welcome to our school. It’s been 5 years since you have visited us. We had a nice chat for a few minutes and then I went to each classroom to visit the students. As I entered each classroom I was given a very pretty red rose by one of the students. In each class I did my very best to tell the students that school is very important and that you do not understand it now because you are all young , but a good education is a key to a good life. You are now going to school everyday to learn and I know the school work is hard. I told them learn all you can as someday you are going to leave the school for your last time and what you take with you is the skills that you have learned in this building. Life can be very hard when school is finished ..Don’t be foolish, learn all you can and work your teachers hard to be Topps in your class.

 

I like this school very much and I have visited this school on every trip to India. The older students along with the staff remembered me from past visits.

One thing that I found very interesting in one of the bigger classrooms was that on all 4 walls were photos of famous people from the past who helped contribute to India being a great country such as Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. I found it very interesting to look at.

 

When it was time today goodbye to everyone I felt bad talking to the 12 grade students as I most likely will never see them again. I had watched them all go through all the grades at this school and grow up since small. I told the students if you ever see me walking the streets in Kolkata be sure to come to me and say hello. For now, I can only wish you The Best of Luck when you graduate school this year.

 

Ray O

 

Just as a footnote to this mail… after many hours of travel I have arrived back home. I am now in NH where I will quarantine for 10 to 14 days by myself to be sure that I do not have Covid or other germ’s because I have to keep my handicapped boy Raymond safe…..Thank all of you for your help and support for Children are Angels from Heaven .