Life is a fascinating story and the more you delve in it, the more it reveals to you. Today our school is a well-established brand. Parents from across the city are vying with each other to get their children admitted here. We all too feel so proud to be part of the alumni – The Mother’s Blossoms.

Have you ever wondered how the story of our school began?

What were the earliest students like?

Are they still part of the alumni?

What about the teachers? Who were the ones who came first?

What did the school look like then? The swanky school building with the ashram complex has always been there? Or was it different?

These were some questions that were there in my mind as we, as alumni, started journey of knowing about the lost history of our school with a multi-pronged approach. Our endeavor is to bring together the different fragments of experiences and build the whole again. Hope it gives you an insight into the institution that we are all an integral part of. You may be out of MIS and moved ahead with your personal and professional lives, but a bit of this school will always remain with you.

A first in our series with the teachers at school I had the privilege of interviewing Mr Kiran Madhok, or simply Madhok Sir as he often called by his students. He was one of the initial faculty members who has seen the school transform from its infancy to one of the most reputed schools of New Delhi.

It was mix of serendipity and friendship which made a young lad of 24 years of age come to Delhi. He had an established job in Lawrence School, Sanawar, near Kasauli for some time thenf. However, when his childhood and college friend, our very own ‘Bhola Sir’, contacted him, it was an offer he could not refuse. Bhola Sir spoke to him about this splendid job opportunity in the school where he was employed currently. It was a relatively new school in Delhi but it would be like old times being together. The whole idea of being near a dear friend and his parents in Gurgaon sealed the deal. The lad packed his bags and came to our city for an interview with ‘Chachaji’ – the Chairman and Founder of our school Shri Surendra Nath Jauhar.

Who was this lad that I am talking about? Madhok Sir, of course.

Preeti, 1991 Batch

 

Me: How was the interview with Chachaji?

Madhok Sir: I was single then and when I was interviewed by Chacha ji, it was summer vacations at school. He asked general questions about my background, and I was quite at ease. The only condition that he put forth was living on campus. Since the day I joined to my day of retirement for 36 years I lived on school campus.

He soon shifted to his room in the ashram. It was an all-day work for him and the other teachers there. In the mornings, he took the Physics classes at school. (It was much later when the ED teacher Mr Verma retired that Madhok Sir started taking Engineering Drawing classes.) The afternoons and evening were filled with duties around the campus and looking after students in the hostel.

Madhok Sir was in-charge of the hostel. So, all after school hours activities and supervised studies of the students were monitored by him. He was also responsible for the guests who came and stayed at the ashram. Chacha ji saw to it that everyone was busy all the time, so he was given the additional responsibility of all electricity, transport work and school trips. It was quite a handful.   

 

Me : With so much of stress of work, where was the fun? Were you happy about the decision that you had made of shifting to Delhi?

Madhok Sir: We had our fun, me and Bhola. Soon other teachers also came in and we became a friendly group.

 

Me: Who were the earliest teachers to join school?

Madhok Sir: Karuna ji joined before me and of course Bhola ji. I joined on 14th July 1969 and Shekhar Sir joined in December. He was also a college mate. I remember Shekhar Sir was working with NCERT before joining MIS.

 

Me: So you all became friends.

Madhok Sir: Oh yes, at 9:30 in the night when all duties were over then we teachers would quietly slip out of the campus to a shop which was at the place Essex Farms is today. We would have cold drinks, sit around and have conversations with each other. I remember one time Chacha ji complained to the Principal of that time – Colonel Narang – ‘Shahzaade aapke raat ko ghoomne jaate hai’.

Madhok Sir chuckled at the memory as he related the incident to me.

 

Me: Sir, what was the school building like when you joined and soon after? Even we have seen some of the construction when we were studying there.

Madhok Sir: There was an old building which does not exist anymore. That building had a tin roof. There was no air conditioner, and the tin roof made the room unbearable during sweltering Delhi summers. On the other hand, during monsoons, we had to walk through the rain and teach – all drenched. These challenges seem so sweet as a memory now.

 

Me: And the new building?

Madhok Sir: Where you have the current main school building today, there used to be a plot for farming. I remember cauliflowers were grown there. It used to be managed by a farmer and the hostel boys would sneak in and pick some of the vegetables from there. As the Hostel in-charge I had to listen to the barrage of complaints from that farmer about my boys.

 

Me: (A smile came to me automatically and why not? The place which I dreaded going to every morning as a student had such endearing stories hidden in its pockets) Most of the school buildings that we see now must have been made during your tenure?

Madhok Sir : Yes, the main school, ashram, Mirambika all came up before my eyes. I was responsible for all the electric work done in all of these buildings. There was so much of work but there was a homely atmosphere. It made us stay there.

 

Me: Any special memories Sir?

Madhok Sir: Once I remember Chacha ji said something to me, I was so distraught that I went up to his room and kept the keys on his bed. It was a sign of resignation;

‘Doesn’t a father have a right to scold his children?’

He spoke to me like a father speaks to his son. He won me over and I couldn’t not continue working there.

Another part of the job was working during holidays. I never minded working during the vacations or on the trips to Pondicherry. There are so many special memories like suddenly during vacations I was called to the Nainital ashram to help Chacha ji. I remember the times I used to take 40-45 students together on bus to Pondicherry. It used to take us 7-8 days to reach and then back. I have gone 2-3 times on such road trips to Pondicherry and Nainital.

 

Me: So how is life different now Sir?

Madhok Sir: Life is very different. After living for so many years on the campus, first in hostel and then after marriage in family quarters, I love my retired life here in Gurgaon. I’ve been here since 2005. It offers me an opportunity to stay close to my sons and grandchildren.

Needless to say, this conversation offers just a glimpse of how hectic yet fulfilling professional life it must have been for Madhok Sir. I know we as students must have been tiresome, ridiculous, fun, verbose etcetera but together we created some happy memories at school with our teachers to last us a lifetime.

 

Me: Sir do you have anything to say to the alumni?

Madhok Sir: I wish the ex-students the very best, god bless. I wish them good health, ‘mehanat kare’ and may they all lead a happy life.

 

Disclaimer : This interview was conducted in a mix of English and Hindi, I have presented the conversation in the most honest way possible without losing the essence.

 

Here are some pictures of Madhok Sir with his family.