‘My daughter has also studied and passed out from this school’

Meet Pankaj Banthia, who passed out of Apeejay School, Faridabad in the year 1992. This alumnus takes immense pride in the fact that his next generation (his daughter Sumedha) is also from the same school. In a candid interview during an alumni meet, the doting father shared all about his never-ending association with the school.

How do you feel after coming back to your alma mater?

It is always a nostalgic feeling whenever I come back to my school. Lots of pleasant memories are associated with the institute, and loving teachers who were always supportive and helpful. My daughter Sumedha is also an alumnus of this school who passed out from here in 2019.

What are you doing professionally now?

I graduated from an engineering college in Bengaluru after passing out of this school. I belong to the batch of 1992 here. Since then I have started an automobile manufacturing workshop, where we manufacture sheet metal components for the automobile industry.

What does your typical day look like?

My day till sometime back started at 3:30 am/late night hours. The reason being I had to take my daughter to her sports camp which was conducted in Noida, Gurgaon, and other far-off areas. So during that time, my whole schedule revolved around how to make my child reach the destination by sharp 5 am daily. After reaching, my daughter used to practice skating for two hours and then we would rush back to school.

Any sweet memories you recall of your school days?

One of the fond memories that I still remember was an incident that happened in the Biology lab class. Final exams were going on and that day we had our practical exam for Biology. Since I had opted for PCMB, I was assigned to do a rat dissection. I was one of the masters of dissection in my batch and everyone used to look forward to the procedure of dissection I used. That day while the dissection was on, to my horror I found that the female rat was pregnant and there were babies inside. On seeing that I completely freaked out. But teachers rushed to my rescue. Later the teachers cheered me up since I was extremely upset with what had transpired. Luckily I recovered soon and was able to give my viva after the practical exam.

How do you feel Apeejay has shaped you up for life?

My school has played an unbeatable role in shaping my personality and growth to take the challenges of life ahead with full grit and determination. It’s been three decades now since I graduated from this school, and when I saw the auditorium today, it was such an overwhelming feeling. The building has even failed any fancy arcades and I am so happy to see the progress my school has made.

What are your comments on the brain drain trend?

I am not against this trend. In my view, if a child gets an opportunity to pursue academics or a profession abroad after knowing that the same isn’t available here then there is no harm in that.