‘My skills were perfected at this school’

He is now a decorated officer with the Indian Navy and keeping the country guarded and safe at all times. Meet Himanshu Kapil, who passed out from Apeejay School, Noida in 2004. In a candid interview, Kapil proudly calls his alma mater the inception of all his personal growth. 

Tell us about yourself.

I completed my schooling at Apeejay School Noida in 2004. Currently, I’m serving in the Indian Navy and presently posted at one of the Indian islands protecting our waters. 

What does a typical day look like?

A typical day involves trying to get up in time for a morning workout. This is followed by office work till evening after which I spend my time either watching TV or socialising. 

Tell us about your school life.

School life was fun if I think of it now (maybe didn’t seem so then). Great to have learnt a lot and developed lasting friendships. At this juncture in life, I can confidently say that schooling had a great role in moulding my personality and helping me develop social skills.

Share a few nostalgic memories from Apeejay.

It’s been 20 years since I last walked the Apeejay premises as a student, but there are plenty of memories. Some of the best memories include samosa at the school canteen, playing football on the grounds, and Annual Appreciation Day preparations (no classes for a few days). Countless others are a part of my beautiful nostalgia.

How were the teachers at Apeejay?

A teacher’s worth can be gauged by how his/ her students turn out to be. I’m sure a lot of Apeejay students have done well in life, which is a testimony to the outstanding set of teachers we had. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been taught by the best and am grateful to all my teachers at the school.

What are your dreams and goals?

My dream is to have a content life without regrets. I have quite a few short-term and long-term goals. Some change depending on the situation, while some get fulfilled and I seek new goals to keep myself going.

Any message for the students of the school.

There’s no substitute for hard work. Enjoy your time at school and make use of every opportunity to learn. Skills acquired in your school days will help you immensely later in life.

Your comments on the brain drain trend.

I feel plugging the brain drain would require good opportunities in the domestic market for highly skilled professionals who are passing out of Indian universities in large numbers every year. That would require the expansion of industries and new businesses taking form. Start-up growth is a good thing to happen in India. This is my personal opinion and may or may not be entirely accurate. 

How did Apeejay help you hone your skills?

Building blocks of knowledge were developed at the school itself. I would say that Apeejay didn’t help hone my skills, rather I developed most of my skills there.