Mrs. Ambily Prabhat

It is rightly said that “Determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence- will enable you to attain the success you seek.”.

Navodaya Kannada Seva Sangha (NKSS) the guardian body of Navodaya English High school and Junior college has literally proved the above quote. It is due to the strong determination and commitment of NKSS, hard work of dedicated Headmistresses, teaching and non-teaching staff, and moreover their perseverance to achieve success, today we see the fully bloomed Navodaya English High school and Junior college spreading its fragrance far and wide.

I have been seeing the progress of this institution for the last decades since I joined here as a teacher in the year 1989. At that time, limited infrastructure was the main problem faced by the school. Within the limitations too the school was working efficiently. It was one of the best schools in that area even at that time. The quality education to the students, execution of various cultural events, competitions, sports, etc have always wondered me. I was falling in love with this institution. Great people to work with, a learning environment coupled with my passion for teaching were the keynotes on which I was enjoying the early days of my career.

“When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses-only results”. This was the stand of our respected retired Headmistresses Jagadamma madam and Latha madam. Under their guidance, I was molded to a TEACHER. In the year 1993, we got our new primary school building. Soon the secondary building was renovated. Adjoining to the secondary school building, the junior college building was constructed. The long-term dream of navodayaites “Junior College” came into existence. I salute the school management and the headmistresses for their hardships to make a dream, reality.

By that time Navodaya was connected to the world through it's own website. Alumni was formed. The teaching-learning process using technology- E-learning-- was started. Spacious classrooms, well-equipped science laboratories, library, canteen to students, auditorium etc. are the added features of this institution today. Continuously achieving academic excellence in Board exams has become a permanent golden feather on the cap of this school. It is the hard work of the teachers behind this success.

As a Science teacher and head of the Science department, I could do my part to bring scientific fervor, attitude, and enthusiasm among students. Science club was formed in the school at different levels and various programs such as competitions, celebrations of scientifically important days, Science exhibitions etc are being organized by our students. It is truly amazing to see the young scientists of Navodaya in their making !!!

Apart from quality education, Navodaya students are well benefitted with a number of facilities such as training in various art forms, maths, sports etc. Students get exposure to their talents through various intra and inter-school competitions, talent search exams etc. The school magazine, the pulse of the school, Archives captures the academic prowess and accolades received and also provides an outlet for the student's creativity.

The school management has always been keen in motivating teachers and making them creative educators. Hence Teachers’ training programs, seminars, etc have become common events at Navodaya which boosted the self-confidence of teachers and updated them with the best teaching skills and methods. Health care insurance policy for the entire staff and their families was started by the school management. Salary packages of the staff started rising. I started my career here as a primary teacher and I was retired as a secondary teacher with additional credit of teaching experience in Junior college for two years. Heartfelt thanks to NKSS from the bottom of my heart.

Yes… Navodaya has been always on the path of evolution and I am sure, it will be continued.

Today, when I look back, I feel contented and proud that I could be a part of this institution and I could do my bit for the progress of my dear Alma matter.

Alma matter of us all
Navodaya our school
Humble we come to flock
In your lovely hands...

These beautiful lines are still echoing in my ears which fill my heart with ecstasy. Dear Alma matter, your memories will be cherished by me forever down memory lane.

Mrs. Mary John

Navodaya English High School has been functioning like a well-oiled machine for over 50 years now and I am happy to have been a part of that journey.

Looking back, I can say that the journey has been no less than extraordinary. Although it started off as a small school on a small piece of land, the generosity, hardwork, and determination of the management helped it reach newer heights in no time. The pillars of this institution were further strengthened by the dedication and sincerity of the various HMs, supervisors, and teachers.

It was amazing to see how despite having space limitations, we always managed to organise the Sports and Annual day celebrations, year on year. The success of these events was no doubt the result of the concerted efforts of everyone involved, including our dear students. The seeds of hard work that were thus sown have today grown up to become a large tree, sheltering and nurturing more little birds each year. Yes, our dream of having a Junior College finally came true!

It's not only the students who have benefitted, Navodaya has helped teachers like me groom and develop myself to help our students become better citizens of the world.

In my 28 years of service, I have seen Navodaya helping teachers become "all-rounders," helping each to explore their strengths and develop further. My heart fills up with joy and gratitude to have had the chance to be part of such a team.

Led by management that values punctuality and discipline and with the dedicated efforts of a team of teaching and non-teaching staff, Navodaya English High School is ready to play a pivotal role in grooming many generations of responsible citizens.

Mrs. Jalajakshi B Uchil

I, Mrs. Jalajakshi B Uchil, retired teacher of N.E.H.S, joined this school as an Asst. teacher in the year 1983. I was surprised to see a two-storey residential type building with a board N.E.H.S. Normally the schools have vast infrastructures, playgrounds, and many other facilities. Even though this Institution was lacking some educational facilities, the strength of the school increased year by year. Today, a five storey building called NAVODAYA SADAN came into existence with efforts of professional management. I feel proud to see the same N.E.H.S. as a reputed educational institution in Thane city which has reached its great height as a junior college in the vicinity. It is now growing into a giant educational citadel, because of the constructive effort, persistent willpower, solidarity, and implementation of proper planning by the management and the dedicated staff. The school has its own vision and mission with pre-planned goals to render quality education and to ensure the overall development of students. It aims at developing a strong foundation for the learners in creating the ideal citizens and tries to provide a learning environment. It also encourages and undertakes measures to provide professional benefits to its faculties.

Here the academic program is supported by field trips, camps, and excursions. Students are supported to participate in local and national activities, exams, and competitions by esteemed faculty.

Although I joined and served as a teacher, I got to learn many things over those 33 years of a long journey. I am honored to be a part and parcel of this great Institution.

Mrs. Purnima

Memories are like the music that touches our heartstrings time and again producing several notes of the mellifluous melody, filling our souls with a whole range of emotions that make us feel alive. After all, what are we, other than an accumulation of memories?

It has been two years since my official ties with Navodaya have been severed. But not the bond, that still keeps me connected to this great institution. I still sometimes dream about those classrooms, corridors, staffrooms because they are so deeply embedded in my subconscious thoughts. The quality time spent with my soul sisters at the staffroom, sharing the closest thoughts with a bosom friend, peals of laughter, rapturous swells of joy, thunderous applause in dusty wintry mornings at the stadium, scintillating lights and voluptuous music with gyrating figures at Kalidas auditorium, calm serene patriotic mornings solemnized with prayer – all are etched in my mind and ring in my ears because I have left a part of me there, forever.

I did not have a career plan. It was the sheer will of God that made me land up in Navodaya Sadan on an April morning for an interview, having blundered through the narrow lanes of Kisannagar for a while. Little did I know that I had found my destiny! Landing upon a teacher’s job might have been a matter of chance, but my being a teacher is purely a matter of choice. Within a month I realized that I had found my true calling. Then there was no looking back.

What struck me the most was the work culture of Navodaya, something that was beyond my imagination. Navodaya is like a Gurukul, in the 20th century, where every child is the personal concern and responsibility of the teacher, right from junior KG to the tenth standard. The bond between the student and teacher extends far beyond the arena of the classroom. Every teacher is aware of all the ups and downs in a child’s life and stands by him/her while every child can reach out to the teacher as a friend and mentor.

Apart from academics, students and teachers work relentlessly as a team during the Science Exhibition, Sports Day, Annual Day, magazine publication, trying to deliver the best, in spite of multiple constraints. I do not know if it is a common occurrence that during the preparatory leave before Board Exams, the weakest of the weak student receives personalized attention from every teacher for hours extending to the very morning of the exam!

As I look up, it fills my heart with pride that our students have grown up to be not only academically proficient, professionally accomplished, shining stars, but also good human beings with the right attitude, values, compassion, and affinity to their roots. A brilliant engineer from a top college gives up a lucrative job to teach innovative mathematics to children of lower strata of society. A group of successful professionals comes together to lay the foundation of an NGO to sponsor the education of the underprivileged. A group of chirpy commonplace collegians instead of indulging in the usual fun and frolic, typical of college days, think of providing winter wears to the inmates of old age homes. A successful doctor settled abroad calls up to offer financial help to the needy students of his Alma Mater. During the pandemic, the doctors, good Samaritans serve hundreds in distress voluntarily, just with the intention of giving back to society. If school is a workshop of man-making, then Navodaya certainly produces true human beings.

Thirty-one years of my life that I have spent in Navodaya have been the most enriching, fulfilling experience of my life which gave me an identity, a purpose to live on. I have never been part of a race that has no end. One has to drop out of it someday. But the footprints remain. Life is all about leaving those footprints in the sand of time. This is one’s greatest treasure and harvest one can dream of – enough to last a lifetime.