Old boys get together

It’s a school that has produced alumni who have spread across the country and are pioneers in their respective fields. One of them is the person responsible for the safety of Delhiites. Neeraj Kumar, Commissioner of Delhi Police, has the Sainik School in Tilaiya to thank. 

Though the school is far away from the Capital, Delhi has more than one reason to thank it. Apart from Neeraj Kumar, Commissioner of Delhi Police, Lt. Genl. A.K. Choudhary, Director General [Military Operations], Tripurari Saran, Director General [Doordarshan], director Prakash Jha and Justice Shivkirti Singh, Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, are all the alumni of this school. 

And now, this centre of excellence is celebrating its golden jubilee on 15-16 September. To celebrate the occasion,  Sainik School Tilaiya has called out loud for its alumni to come back. 

Nestled in the valley of Tilaiya Dam, Sainik School Tilaiya is far away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It’s alumni consists of more than thousand officers of the Indian Armed Forces and many more officers and corporate leaders.

The Tilaiya Dam and the Damodar Valley Corporation [DVC]’s local colony which looked after the Tilaiya Dam are the closest neighbours of Sainik School.

The school started on a humble note in 1962 just after India’s defeat in the hands of China. The then Defence Minister M.G.K. Menon mooted the idea of Sainik Schools which could prepare, train and educate young minds for becoming an officer in the Army. 

The primary mandate of the Sainik Schools is to prepare for the entrance competitive examination for the National Defence Academy. The Sainik schools are administered by the Sainik School Society of Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India.

The whole curriculum of the school is based the day-to-day life of armed forces. Physical training in the early morning, followed by a healthy breakfast comprising eggs, buns, porridge, chhole and bread, make the life of students tough as well as pleasant. Classes start with assembly. 

Great academicians joined as teachers in this school. In 70s and 80s, it was very unusual to have an English or Hindi laboratory in the schools, which this school had. History and geography are also taught  scientifically. Its high quality of extracurricular activities like compulsory sports and NCC [with weekly parade], debates, declamation, dramatics, art, craft etc. help produce great leaders.