From the Desk of the OSA President
Dr. Ritu Varma

A journey begins when life comes into shape, but the purpose of the journey takes shape when you live in a world to which you belong. And for me the journey of life began, in 1976, when I joined Springdales School in Std IX. At that time, little did I know, that a life time relationship with Springdales and my teacher, Principal and Mentor, Mrs. Rajni Kumar was starting to take shape.

Through years in school, I enjoyed every extra-curricular activity from Dancing to Singing (Dr. Jyoti Bose tried to teach me to sing but alas failed), to Sports and Environment and to being a part of every Club in school. As a member and later Secretary of the Gorky Club, I learnt about the Socialists and the Communists, and came to believe that a Government that provides, food, healthcare and shelter to its people is to be respected. As a member and later the President of the Africa Club, I learnt the value of freedom and democracy, to treat all as equal and respect the rights of all citizens. As freedom House Captain and Prefect, I worked hard to keep up the standards of the school.

Imbibing the spirit of Vasudeva Kutumbakam , I worked towards being a good, enlightened, giving and compassionate Springdalian, respecting and caring for members of the larger Society. That is how my journey took shape. Ideas, dreams, the will to put those ideas into shape and fulfill all my dreams.

Jesus and Mary College was a Cultural Shock,  after the fun and activity at Springdales, but I enjoyed each moment of it and was the representative of my Political Science Department.

Marriage changed the course of my life, but with the support of my husband Vinay and my parents and parent-in-laws, I went back to college. I did my M.A. in Political Science, then my M.Phil followed by Ph.D. in Political Science all from Delhi University. Of course I took longer to finish my studies than a regular student as I was also a wife, a daughter, a daughter-in-law and a mother to my two children Uday and Vani. But above all I was a Sringdalian and the relationship with my alma-mater had grown stronger with my involvement in the Old Springdalian Association.

Under the new structure of the OSA, I became the Vice Chairperson of the Community Projects Committee with Mr. Zakki Somar as Director and Mr. Virender Khullar as Chairperson. It was a learning experience and the most meaningful of the OSA Committees. With Mr. Niranjan Ajwani as President and Mr. Kishore Thukral as Vice President, the OSA was on the right track. I was to become the Chairperson and the Director of this Committee and enriched it with my feelings and emotions to extend a helping hand whenever and wherever required.
Change and new learning for me started when I became the Hon. Secretary of the OSA with Dr. Jyoti Bose as President. Undoubtedly that was a glorious period for the Alumni, the Principal and Director of Springdales was at the helm of the alumni, and that meant new and highly organized programs.

Before the Golden Jubilee in 2006, I took over as Director, Golden Jubilee under the leadership of President Mr. Rajiv Gujral and Secretary Mr. Atul Gulati. The success of the OSA events during the year was the result of Mass Enthusiasm and Participation and the perfect organisation and coordination by Mrs. Rajni Kumar along with the two Principals Dr. Jyoti Bose and Mrs. Ameeta Wattal. OSA was at centre stage, applauded for its participation, welcomed by all Springdalians and appreciated by even our somewhat critical spouses.               

Homeward Bound was an OSA initiative to link all Springdalians around the globe and welcome them back to the “HOME” – their school. Under the able leadership of President, Mr. Brij Chopra with whom I had already worked during the Golden Jubilee. We were able to put a highly successful program into action. The Coordinator Mr. Ashwani Nanda’s efforts brought results, Homeward Bound brought back Springdalians from the last 45 batches of school. Working with Lt. Gen. Arvind Mahajan, Mr. Arvind Malhotra, Mr. Girish Arora, Mr. Atul Batra, Mr. Sanjay Vohra, Mr. Pramod Kohli, Mr. Rajesh Jagtiani,   Mr. Navneet Malhotra, Mr. Naveen Talwar, Mr. Anil Sethi, Mr. Roopak Seth and so many others was a pleasure. The joy of working with 86 Springdalians Volunteers for Homeward Bound was an experience of a life time.

This year 2010, brought a special surprise for me. I was to be the new and the youngest President of the Old Springdalians Association. The announcement caught me by surprise and I felt like I was back in Std XII and at an assembly where my name was being announced for becoming a prefect.

It has been a long journey, an enriching one, making me the fulfilled, dedicated, hard working person that I am today. Thank you Springdales. Thank you OSA Trustees, Mrs. Kumar, Dr. Bose, Mr. Ajwani, Mr. Mahajan, Mr. Gujral and  Mrs. Shalini Sikka for your support and faith.

Thank you to the Apex members that I have had the pleasure to work with. Thank you to the OSA Governing Body Members to whom I am Ritu Aunty, Ritu Didi or simly Ritu. And a special thanks to Mr. Brij Chopra, a friend and a support system always.

Where do we go from here ?

The OSA is at it’s pinnacle, with 3500 members and ever growing family of younger Springdalians with 70% of our members belonging to the 90’s and 2000 batches. We are growing and it would not be out of place to say that among day schools in the country, we have the strongest connected and the most committed Alumni. Our bonds extend beyond our own world. We will all work diligently towards making the OSA a comprehensive, strong and meaningful organisation.

The new young OSA has new goals, new plans and new heights to achieve. Our programs will be broad based, covering a larger spectrum, reaching out to a larger social structure and enriching it with ideas and experiences of  Springdalians around the globe.

In our out-reach program we will go across our shores with our International Chapter. The fun and frolic, the bonding and the commitment, the sensitivity towards the larger society, all this will continue. Participation and Interaction will increase, we aim for quality par excellence. We will continue to strive for a better, more humane and peaceful world. In the OSA we have learnt that no dream cannot be realized if we have the will, the passion and the determination to fulfill it.

With my warm personal regards,  

Ritu Varma PRESIDENT, 20010-12