My Home

Like most other kids, I had an enjoyable childhood with my family, so naturally, making the tough decision to join a boarding school 2,359 long kilometres away from home was an emotional one. But by fate or by chance, I landed at CIRS in 2022 after almost a year of online classes due to the pandemic, and since then, I've had quite the experience of a lifetime.

Joining in 6th grade as a shy young boy who played too much Minecraft and coming to a beautiful campus filled with so many other boys and girls my age hailing from all over the country and world, whom I would literally have to live with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the majority of each year, was an experience like no other. Some would argue that it's the best part of a boarding school - the friends you make and the family you learn to live with.

Fast forward 4 years, and now that my journey is nearing its end, I can't help but remember all the good times I've had, from the weekly pleasure of paneer and the bustling economies that thrive with it, to the Sunday morning Yuvakendra classes. From my liberal and romantic encounter with the rules and regulations to the joy of fast-paced quizzing for the school team, from the light-hearted moments on the tennis court to the heavier ones in the last few nights before Anand Utsav. From the innocence of Govindalaya, the laughter of Krishnalaya, and the love of Keshavalaya to the home I've found in the prime real estate of the office.

Above all, I feel the best part about this school is the abundant opportunities given to all who are willing to take them. The opportunity to be stronger and faster, gain more experience, participate in and perform in competitions, sports, quizzes, debates, and so on. But the most unique opportunity, and arguably the one that matters the most, is the opportunity to become spiritually strong, patriotic, and culturally grounded. This is a school run on the values and the vision of Gurudev by his followers, and after joining here, I've become more aware of the glorious past of this nation and more patriotic towards its promise of the future, and that has made me a more genuine and better person than I was to begin with. And for that, I will forever be grateful to this school.

At the end of the day, the rising sun must set at dusk, for the golden dawn of tomorrow. I understand that this journey has come to an end, and that all that is left to do is embrace its course and keep it in my heart as I go. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll be packed and boarded back to Gurugram for the last time as a student on the 10th of March, and I'm beginning to realize how much I'm going to miss my second home, the beautiful hills (that I hoped to climb), the unique excellence of our Annakshetra, the worn tiles of the crossroads, the dorm rooms, the wilderness of the C-sectioned classrooms, the charm of the tennis court, the clean air, the cool pool, the dusty tracks, and of course, the people that bore me through 5 years.

A school is beyond its mere infrastructure, and becomes a home to so many people because of everyone who studies, teaches, and stays there. And to all of them, my teachers, mentors, dorm parents and friends I am forever grateful. Thank you!