CEREMONIALITY TO CENTERED ACTION - STUDENTS COUNCIL 2023

Ceremoniality 2022-23

With a year gone, and ceremonial heads, notwithstanding their goodness (real good souls!) and talents, having remained literally ceremonial, and thus being a disappointment to me personally (I don't think anyone else feels thus), I look forward to another academic year with a greater involvement, engagement, participation of the democratically elected student council. 

A Platform for Democratic Leadership Practice

I think the election process, a training in democracy, as practised here, is a laudable one. It is not just anyone opts to contest, and the students vote, and s/he gets elected.  No.  There is a combination of factors taken into account, making it, to my mind, a more meaningful one. The students can submit nomination as prescribed.  All the portfolios are reserved for the senior batches - with 12th graders having the full office, and the XI graders as assistant.  The offices are Head Boy &  Girl, Captain, Cultural Secretary, and House Captains - altogether 16 posts. There are also 4 prefects each from  IX & X grades.  Except in the case of head boy and head girl, all other posts are open to any gender. Any violation of the election by-laws or even, regular school code of conduct, can disqualify a candidate.  At least one such instance occured during this election.  Then there is an interaction with a faculty team by the candidates and this is given a weighttage of 20% and their academic merit is given another 20%, and 60% weighttage is given to the student votes.  This time, there was big rush for contesting for the posts, which we deem as a healthy sign. The campaign also was vigorous, though, I feared at times, it crossed the set limits, and had a flavour of the typical politicians' campaigns with appeasing promises. 

I felt that prior to their taking the oath in the elegant and colourful ceremony, they should be called for a discussion on the norms and the roles they are expected to play, and the trends of violation that were observed during the campaign.  It was done, though I do not know what transpired there. 

The auditorium was decorated beautifully, but in a simple manner.  I was glad and thankful to see that the usual bunch of balloons was missing. With some element of marching to the drum beats incorporated, the system of leadership practice seemed to integrate fitness, discipline, talent, academic acumen and popularity. 

All those who held senior academic admin positions of the school were involved in investing the members of the council.  It was all well ordered with the physical educal department guiding the show. The march, the colourful sashes, the badges, the placard... the receiving and transfer of these symbols all added to the charm of the pageantry.  The section head Mr. Ben Antony in his prefatory note succinctly presented the purposes and the processes involved.  A video showcased the highlights of the process - with better planning some campaign elements could have been included. The compering team of Mr Regal and Ms Silvy placed the pieces in proper perspectives. Unstoppable was sung with great gusto by the school choir, and a dance on 'shiksha' added charm to the solemn gathering.  A video show on leadership was inspirational with APJ, Obama, Ratan Tata, Greta Thunberg appealing to the elected leaders! 

Investment with Great Expectations

1) My thinking for the day was about investment - while investing them with power and authority to act, we were also investing in them our hope for future leadership in various fields - 24 of them in various leadership positions. And the school, the management, the students, the parents all were investing their time and energy for them being thus invested. I hope they in turn become our investment for the common good and the good of the institution. 

2) I hope that they will go beyond the ceremoniality to practicality and innovative approach to identifying growth avenues and promote them. Today, the newspaper proclaimed the passing out of Qatar Foundation graduates in STEM mode, and claimed they possessed the attributes of innovation, problem solving, addressing the issues of climate change etc etc. I wish that these youngsters have that spirit infused  in them.  That they are able to think beyond the curriculum, class room and the school, to enlarge the scope of their learning to the outer brighter world. 

3) I hope they will find opportunities to widen their horizons by engaging with organisations and people for sustainability especially by basing their actions on the goals, the school has planned to work on for the year,  of removing hunger (food), climate action (reducing the carbon emissions) and establishing collaborations with local and international organisations. Big dreams!!

4) I hope they will also show leadership in compassion starting with campus where no one is left behind, but going beyond the border to establish their solidarity with the suffering and the deprived segments of humanity, while we are privileged to live in peace! Be it Rwanda where 127 people have been engulfed by the fierce force of floods, or Belgrade where 8 young lives and a teacher have been lost to the bullets of a fellow student, or the Ukrane where the children have lost their childhood and education, and at times, lives, on account of the war, or Sudan where thousands are on the run due to civil strife... I hope their leadership will find a way to connect the campus with such segments in solidarity. 

5) Finally, today's newspaper presents to me a great leader - none other than the football god Messy - but being censored by his club for having violated the rules laid down for him, for having travelled to Saudi Arabia without permission.  At least, good for us to remember that systems meant for all have to be adhered to by the leaders as well! I hope that will be remembered by the invested leaders that individuals, while each of them being important and as such irreplaceable, still, irrespective of all that they are, should not deem themselves above the law, and are also replaceable!!

Stepping Stones to Leadership: An Open Text Book of Hard Earned Experience

Mr S Xavier Dhanaraj, the first secretary in charge of visas, passports and community affairs gave the investiture address, which we also termed as the inaugural address of our version of 'TED talks' - Rajagiri Excelsior Lecture Series (RELS).  With my first meeting, I felt that his experience could inspire and challenge students and teachers.  He began by presenting the very  significant tasks he performs in his office to contrast them from the background from which he came. He shared his experience of growth into leadership - of his being struck by the predicament of his father who could not get for his son, a sought-after branch of studies on account his low score; of being inspired by a teacher who taught Tamil and generated interest in the subject in him; of identifying his strength; of recognition by a teacher motivating him; of the importance of passing on information on opportunities and the role of the school in it; of being determined not getting dissuaded by failures; of accepting failures and identifying one's weakness and working on it, of incessant and repeated practice; and  of intelligent strategies targetting your potential promoters. He felt proud to present himself as the son of literate (merely) parents who are still pursuing agriculture, but still was able to rise to the top leadership cadre of the nation -  thanks to the one great leveller, education! 

I felt good that he shared his experience that at least a few would have a thought in that direction, but more than that the challenging role of the teachers to inspire, to mirror a student potential through recognizing that in him,  to motivate and to inform him that he grows and blooms!  That is the challenge. 

In spite of the sharing going beyond the typical attention span of school children, the audience behaved - primarily, I think, because, the honest and touching experience was the text, secondly,  they decided to keep up the honour of the school. There was sustained applause when he stopped - which is unusual, and standing ovation is not yet a spontaneous reaction in Indian culture. I feel grateful - both to Mr. Xavier for his valuable time and  the open text book of his experience earned the hard way, and to my students for their matching up to the occasion! 

As usual, our board member, Dr Aju had his words of wisdom to match the occasion. His stress was on experiential learning, for which this election process was a case in point.  He listed the leadership qualities that should emerge out of such experiences, including creative thinking and the ability to experiment, and accept that some experiments may fail. The experiential learning is also to serve as a lesson in teamwork, involving and inspiring others. 

Now the floor is set and open, it is up to the student body to think, visualise, and take steps that would make their titles. Reiterating, I would rather,  they take up the school framework for action this year - of sustainable development goals 3 (no hunger), 13 (climate action) and 17 (collaboration) for their innovative thinking and action, and make an effort in the direction of the school being an eco-school.  I hope the team becomes 'unstoppable' in finding avenues for creatively spreading goodness.