Alumni Speak
‘Teachers here shaped my life in ways I can never thank enough’
The alumnus from Apeejay School, Saket calls his school days as the most cherished chapter of his life
He is in one of the most sought after professions – an anaesthesiologist who save lives. Meet Dr Gaurav Dhakate, who passed out in 2000 from Apeejay School, Saket. In a heartfelt interview, he reminisces his school days which is nothing short of the golden period.
Read edited excerpts here.
What are you doing professionally now?
At present, I am working with Max Healthcare as a senior consultant in the Department of Anaesthesia. On a typical day, I wake up at 5 am. Before I leave for work I manage to pack in quick workout and dropping my kids to school. The roster at the hospital is decided a day in advance. I generally manage surgeries in a single operating theatre ranging from multiple quick surges to more challenging and exhaustive ones like cancer surgeries and transplants. We generally leave for home by 6. However there is one 24 hour night duty per week wherein as the name suggests the schedule for an entirety of 24 hours is laid out.
Tell us about your school life.
The time that I spend at Apeejay Saket, was undoubtedly the best chapter part of my life. The friendships made at school have evolved into more fruitful relationships over the years. We have social media to thank for building those bridges back for us. However, we make sincere efforts in keeping this connect kindled offline that is instrumental in keeping us sane.
Share a few nostalgic memories from Apeejay.
There are too many to reminisce such as our lunch time were would share our food, planning each other birthdays and surprising each other as much as we could, missing school buses only to play some cricket. However, If I am to pick one I remember an after school Computer Science assignment. After submitting the assignment we had long volley ball sessions. These sessions were so much fun and still bring a smile to my face.
How were the teachers at Apeejay?
I feel thoroughly blessed to be part of a school where the teachers were well equipped both professionally and emotionally to partake in providing us skill set and laying out a foundation stone that we still rely on. While, we were held with utmost care and love, discipline and respect never took a backseat. Being a parent myself when I look back now, I understand their predicament and thoroughly appreciate my teachers even more.
What are your goals?
Goals are far too many to be worded. But I definitely aspire to be a well-rounded person who can continue to fuel my own curiosity and further hone into my professional skills.
Any message for the students of the school.
In present times, we see that career trends are shifting fast and the competition is crazy. However, the opportunities at hand are also at their all time high. It is important to be aware of ones strengths and plan their career path accordingly. The times where student age ended with school/college are way beyond over. To flourish professionally it is important to keep learning as we go along through different career phases. From where I see, careers in future will be way more diverse and enriching than the previous generations can ever fathom.
Your comments on the brain drain trend.
Priorities in life for every individual are different. I for one can see the life abroad getting more difficult over the last two decades. Numerous of our friends that choose to move away did come back to India. In addition, I think, increased number of people in our country only gives us so many problems to solve and therefore so many opportunities to explore. To sum it up, I reckon, as students we should further our skill set that is in alignment with their interests and projected career path up to a point where city/country to live will only be a choice to thrive and not a necessity to survive.
How did Apeejay help you hone your skills?
Discipline , encouragement and character building are core that the school continues to work on intently. I am certain that focus on academics and emotional development at school is central to my career growth and achievements so far.
