The Essence of Being an All Saints' Alum

For those of us who attended All Saints' High School, Hyderabad, being an All Saints' alumnus carries a profound and unique significance. The affinity we feel toward our alma mater is difficult to put into words. Perhaps this is because it served as a second womb, providing a safe, nurturing, and enriching environment where we could bloom to our fullest capabilities. No wonder All Saints' alumni are renowned globally for their leadership, compassion, and commitment to diversity and inclusion.

This is not an observation made lightly. I have lived through this experience from kindergarten to high school at All Saints'. From the very beginning, the welcoming environment set the tone. The teachers, for the most part, genuinely cared for their students. The school administration, while being strict on discipline, did a remarkable job of setting high expectations in academics, behavior, and extracurricular activities.

One unmatched aspect that laid the foundation for the success of many of my classmates was the school's tremendous religious diversity. Our Catholic school boasted an enviable mix of Catholics, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Agnostics, and Atheists. This diversity was never a barrier to creating lifelong friendships. The teachers loved all their students regardless of their faith or culture, and we seldom experienced discrimination from the school administration or teachers due to our different faith traditions.

As friends, we shared our lunches, mindful of our classmates' food preferences, especially those who were vegetarians. This never led to the formation of separate groups or ghettoization. The Victory Hall was a favorite place for elementary students to eat lunch together, while middle and high school students gathered on the rectangular lawn, regaling each other with silly antics after lunch. Sometimes, our teachers joined us for lunch, and we loved sharing our meals with them. Lunch not only satiated our hunger, it made us hungry to create more of these bonds of friendship.

In both academics and sports, we cheered our friends regardless of their religious background. We truly loved each other, forming lifelong bonds. Meeting our friends' parents was no different than meeting our own, and we treated them with the same respect and love.

All Saints' reflected the rich diversity of India and exemplified an amazing unity in diversity. When we passed our high school, India was beginning to experience ominous religious polarization. As we entered college, we noticed fissures in the social fabric that India's founding fathers had woven with great care and foresight.

As India convulsed in full-blown politically motivated religious polarization, many of us left the country for higher education in the United States. We watched helplessly from afar, alarmed by the unfolding developments, helpless to reverse the shredding of the social fabric.

To our utter dismay, the virus of religious hatred even began to affect alumni of prestigious schools like ours. It was unfathomable how lifelong bonds of friendship suddenly became tenuous. The ugly fruits of fascism played out in school WhatsApp groups, a sight that would make our teachers turn in their graves.

I have great expectations from my fellow alumni of this esteemed institution. We must revert to a time when our religious differences didn't matter and we loved each other as friends and human beings. We were nurtured in the august halls of All Saints', where we were all seen as one. Let's reclaim our past and wake up from this politically-induced coma.

All Saints' motto rings loud today: "Virtue Alone Ennobles." Rejecting hateful polarization is the essence of living this motto. Together, let's revive the spirit of unity and friendship that defined our school days.