Back to School: A Dream Fulfilled

Back to School: A Dream Fulfilled

There’s something magical about returning to the place that shaped you—especially when that place is school. Growing up, we all had our daydreams. Some wanted to be doctors, lawyers, or rockstars. Me? I wanted to be a fighter pilot. But I also had one more dream: to come back to my school as the chief guest for Annual Day.

This dream was sparked by one particular chief guest I still remember vividly—the Mayor of Bombay (now Mumbai). He had a way of making each student who walked on stage feel like they’d won the Nobel Prize. When I went up to receive my prize, he shook my hand, smiled warmly, and said something that made me feel ten feet tall. From that day on, I knew I wanted to be that person—to give students the same sense of worth and motivation.

Years later, my chance came. An email from my old school (Bharda – 135 year old institution) invited me to be the chief guest for their Annual Day. My childhood dream was about to come true.

On the day of the event, I walked into the familiar school auditorium with memories flooding back—detention rooms, scraped knees, and teachers who never gave up on me. My heart raced as I took the stage and looked out at rows of students who weren’t all that different from the kid I used to be. As I handed out awards, I made sure to shake each hand, make eye contact, and give words of encouragement, just like that mayor did for me all those years ago.

Midway through, a commotion caught my eye. I squinted through the lights and saw them—my chaddi buddies, my childhood partners-in-crime. They had come to surprise me! It threw me off my speech, but we all laughed. The ceremony transformed into a reunion of friends who had once ruled these very hallways.

After regaining focus, I shared a message not just for the kids, but for their parents: "Don’t stress too much. These kids are smarter, more resourceful, and creative than we were. Our job isn’t to shape their destiny but to support them along the way. Be their guide when they ask, and catch them when they stumble."

The event ended with my friends and I roaming the school, reliving old memories, and laughing about the pranks we pulled. Despite all our antics, we turned out okay.

As I left, I realized how right it felt to come full circle—not as a rebellious kid, but as someone shaped by these same walls. I wasn’t just the chief guest for a day. I was living proof of the patience and dedication of the teachers who never gave up on me.

Here’s to dreams that seem silly until they come true. And here’s to school—the place where we don’t just learn about the world, but about ourselves.