Once a Soldier is Always a Soldier

I would like to share a glimpse of a real life story about a retired Air Force Officer. It is about true leadership, professionalism, discipline and never giving up attitude.

A brief about Principal Sir

After two decades, we (four classmates - Rajnikant Joshi - my business partner at 9series, Kalpesh Borasadiya - Scientist in ISRO, Yogesh Gajera - Professor in L D College of Engineering and me) decided to meet our retired principal Shri B S Udawat sir last weekend. Just to give the context, his real personality was similar to the character of Narayan Shankar, a role played by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan in Mohabbatein. He had taken charge of our school (JNV Alia-bada, Jamnagar) in 1994, and we got admission after a couple of weeks in the same year.?

We started on Saturday at 4am from Ahmedabad, Gujarat to Jodhpur, Rajasthan. As we settled in the car, we were guessing whether he would recognize us? What will be his first reaction? What will we discuss with him? And more such questions.

Principal Sir’s House

As we entered his home, we felt the same discipline, everything in the house was at its place. But, the mindset has changed a lot, he was joking and laughing like anything which made us relaxed, and after a few minutes of discussion, we asked “Sir, why and how did you join Navodaya?” That’s where his eyes sparkled and started telling his story before, during and after Navodaya.

Air Force to Navodaya

He retired from the Air Force in 1994 in Delhi. After retirement, he went to make payment for the house he purchased, and there he met a commissioner, who asked him about his further plans. He said that I want to go back home and take care of my farmland and family. The commissioner invited sir to meet him in his office the next day. Sir went there and commissioner explained that there are few vacancies in Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti for the position of Principal. You have to give exams and interview, and if selected it's a good opportunity, and NVS is looking for candidates like you. Sir gave exams and interviews, after a few days he got the call and was invited to complete the joining formalities.?

Taking charge of JNV Jamnagar

When he was asked about the place preference, he nodded for Jodhpur, but as the new principal just joined over there a few months before, he was asked to join Jamnagar. He packed his suitcase and started for Jamnagar. He shared his first experience of having Gathiya, Bhajiya and Dhokala at Rajkot station..and all of us were laughing. He took charge from the collector office in Jamnagar and reached the school - JNV Alia-bada, Jamnagar.?

There he asked a village man for the school address, and the villager took the luggage and walked with him to the school. It was monsoon season, there was no road to the school, soil of the village is black, his shoe heels got 4 times bigger ?? by the time he reached to school. In the school, he finds that there are no students, they were sent home because of heavy rain, there was no room for him to stay. On the first day, the librarian sir arranged a place for him in the library. He called the incharge principal and asked whether he communicated with any authority about giving leaves to the students. Asked him to call back students to the school. He checked the registers, and within a few days, he found that everything was not alright in the school. So, started taking steps one by one, and within some time he put everyone in discipline, including teachers. He used to take a round in classrooms after every period, participated in PT (Physical Training) in the morning, sports activities in the evening and monitored the activities in canteen during breakfast, lunch and dinner randomly. With the support of parents, teachers and local authorities, he added many flags to the school in the course of 8 years. He said that some other person would have left the school looking at the initial condition of the school. He stayed, because he loved to add values to the education system and wanted to build the school.?

Taking charge of JNV Jaffarpur - New Delhi

In 2002, he got a call from Delhi, and the authorities asked him to move to a JNV Jaffarpur in New Delhi. He said that once he joined a new school, he found that most of the principals were leaving that school in a short time because of the notorious students, and authority wanted a principal who can bring discipline to them. So, his first task was to address issues of students who didn’t care about the values of NVS, the expenses the Government of India was doing after them, eliminate the drug and drinking issues of girls & boys, and more. He called the parents' meeting and clearly said that if you want you can take the kids back to home or leave it to me, there shouldn’t be any complaint if we take strong actions on your kids. Parents were happy, because they also wanted to make their kids brighter and see a better future. With support, all the students fell in line within no time. He received calls from an MLA, but without fear, he asked him to get an appointment to meet him in person and discuss any issues. A school principal is nothing in front of MLA, but he didn't fear of him. He made that school a top school of the region in a few years.?

If we have principles to do good, don’t change it to take the benefits of the situation for personal or business gain. That’s what defines an individual or a business.

Today, despite the ageing issues, he still believes in never giving up, taking care of all his work himself.??

Without speaking about Kailash madam, this article will not be complete. She carries the exactly opposite personality of sir. A very cool, calm and always smiling face. Being a wife of a school principal, there is no responsibility for her to give any attention to school issues. But she always remained active whenever there was something to be done for students or any issues for girls.

We always need people like him in our education system, not just in India but everywhere.?

God bless to sir and his family, and all such people.

#leaders #leadership #professionalism #discipline #indianairforce #jawaharnavodayavidyalaya #jnv #governmentofindia