Alumni Speak
‘School provided opportunities early on’
Apeejay School, Saket alumni shares why he believes his batch was among the privileged ones
Varun Khanna trained for a career in hotel management, but the sports field at Apeejay School, Saket kept pulling him back. A vice sports captain who represented the school in cricket, Varun worked in hospitality before realising his heart lay elsewhere. Today he works in sports management. In this conversation with the Class of 2005 alumnus, he looks back at a simpler school and the friendships that have lasted two decades.
What are some of your closest memories from Apeejay School, Saket?
There are many, but I think it’s the school friendships we formed at that time. The school was much smaller when we passed out. I’m still in touch with some of my schoolmates. The friendships and relationships from school life are probably what I’ll remember forever.
How would you rate the infrastructure, schooling, and teachers during your time?
I passed out in 2005. The schooling system was very different from what it is now. A lot more people knew each other. The teachers knew each and every student in the class, spent time with them and made sure they understood. We didn’t have many requirements in terms of infrastructure. It was basic infrastructure, but that was enough for us at the time. I don’t think I needed anything else from my schooling. By not being exposed to many of the things available to students now, I think we were the privileged ones to have passed out at that time.
What kind of opportunities did you get to explore, participate in and win at school?
I was active in sports and played many of them in school. I represented the school in cricket and volleyball, and once or twice in badminton as well. I was more inclined towards sports and not so much towards cultural activities.
What is your current job role, and where are you working?
I work in the sports industry, in sports management. I’m part of a company that does a lot of golf management. Golf is one of our premier areas of focus in terms of the service we provide, but we also do other sports, including pickleball, badminton, tennis and table tennis.
Do you think your interest in sports was shaped or pushed by Apeejay?
It did, though there were two things behind it. One was the school providing opportunities. The other was my parents, who also gave us those opportunities. My brother and I were both into sports. My brother was in fact the sports captain, and I was the vice sports captain of the school. That helped guide us towards where we were headed.
After school, I actually did hotel management. I went into a completely different line. It was only after I worked in a hotel that I realised I needed to switch careers. And that’s how the move into sports happened.
