Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Ente Vidyalayam - St. Catherine's H.S.S

St. Catherine’s School recreated from my memory as a painting as well as some real photographs of the school with some descriptions about my school (“Ente Vidyalayam”) :



{Thanks to Abins (JoseAbins Joseph) for editing this picture and Kuttan (Sumod Sebastian) for writing this poem on the piece of paper}



St. Catherine's school has a very important role for almost 95% of the population living in Payyampally as well as the nearby locations like Palvelicham, Aarattu Thara, Padamala, Cherukattoor and Koileri. It is the place where most of these people may have completed primary education or till the 10th standard.






The path which I used to go to school during my childhood.

Even Though I was a student of St. Chatherine's only for a period of 4 years(7th Standard to 10th Standard) my family and me was bounded to this school in a deep manner. Because there was a time when my father and mother were working in the school as teachers and my two yelder brothers were students of this school all at the same time.Unfortunately, during that time I was studying in a different school.







The entrance to the school. Students used to stand some where here to watch out which teachers are present and absent to calculate the amount of free time.

One by one, we moved out of St. Catherine's High School. My big brother Biju V mathew first, followed my next yelder brother Babu V Jacob. Next was my father's (T M Varkey) retirement from the school and during the same year, I completed my S.S.L.C from St. Catherine's High School. My father was the head master of the school before retirement. Then my mother (P.C.Mary) was left alone in the school as a teacher. She retired after 3 more years. Even though none of us are a part of St. Catherine's anymore, we feel that we are.


The "Vaka Maram" which stands is the only one left now, two more were there which exists no more; cut for some reasons.

St. Catherine's Higher Secondary School, Payyampally; reached many heights during its evolution from a lower primary school to a higher secondary school. The higher secondary division got added the next year, I passed out of the school, so I didn't get a chance to have my higher secondary education there. The school always stood first in most of the district level "Yuvajanotsav" as well as in accamdemic performance. I wish to go back to those golden days again, and be a student of St. Catherine's Higher Secondary School.


This is the place were we stood in queue for the 10-O-Clock assembly (behind the mango tree) , and we wished for the assembly to last some more time, so that we will be free from the first period.

The mango tree and the "Vakamaram" in the pictures above stands still there holding the memories of past 65 years of life of the school. Parents and grand fathers of the present students of the school have completed there education here in St. Catherines.


The Statue of Saint Catherine. The school is named after her.




The new Plus Two Block, which was built in 2000. (Added on the request of Ashraf Uppy who completed Plus Two from St. Catherine's HSS.)


Update on 2nd Feb 2007



As I have promised to all readers of this page and X students St. Catherine’s Higher Secondary School, here are few more photos of our school. I took these pictures during the Easter Sunday afternoon of 2012 (8th April 2012). The summer rain that showered shortly before I reached the school premises gave a relief over the boiling heat.

You can see that the mango tree and Gulmohar tree (Vaaka maram) is intact as it was, but the silver Oak tree that was there in the middle near the steps is replaced with a new planted tree. I remember that the Silver Oak was cut down during my tenure in the school, when it turned old and was about to fall. Old students including my batch mates will find that the step-fence construction around the mango tree and the Vaaka maram is new.

In the picture above, X Students may find at least three new things. 1) The Silver Oak tree is replaced with a new tree planted at the same place. 2) There is a construction around the Vaka Maram. 3) The Higher Secondary school building can be seen behind the old building. The higher secondary division started around 2 years after I passed out S.S.L.C.

In the above picture the stage (also used as a class room) can be seen which was constructed during the golden jubilee celebrations of this school. During that time, I was not a student of St. Catherine’s School, but I was a participant of one of the external program (group break dance) conducted as part of the celebration. My father was then the head master, and my mother was teacher and brother (Babu) studied in the school then.

For old students there is nothing new in this picture above other than the stage constructed along with the golden Jubilee of this school. But the view point from where I took this picture tells a different story. The old LP school building stood at the view point which was destructed as it turned to be too old to sustain. A new concrete two storey building is constructed instead of that which you can see in the pictures below. The students might remember that old building that you can see behind the stage is the hall used for all movie screenings as this was the only hall that could me made dark by covering all the windows and light inlets.

In this picture above you can see that the old LP school building is demolished and that location is converted to a basketball court. You can see the new two storey concrete building constructed instead of the old LP school division standing behind the basketball court. I remember being part of the leveling task force of this basketball court – a program organized on behalf of the organization – K.C.Y.M when I was doing my engineering degree.

The above two pictures does not need any comment, the long corridor of the high school division where the office of the head master as well as the staff room was running turned out to be too nostalgic when the corridor appeared to be deserted as it was summer holidays. I believe that everyone will become a poet or a writer if he or she goes to their old school during such a hot summer vacation.

This building is new to most of the old students. This is the new plus two (higher secondary school) building. The building is surrounded by lush green trees and is a beautiful scene. There was another Vaaka maram (Gulmohar Tree) at the view point of this picture which was cut down at some point of time.

31 comments:

  1. Wonderful posting Deepu...
    I think this is one of the best that u've posted so far...
    bundled with memories which r truly cherished....

    wonderful !!!!

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  2. If we make a list of the things they don't teach you at our school.We can see that they don't teach you how to love somebody. They don't teach you how to be famous. They don't teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don't teach you how to walk away from someone you don't love any longer. They don't teach you how to know what's going on in someone else's mind. They don't teach you what to say to someone who's dying. They don't teach you anything worth knowing. Besides all these we love our school life. Nice work....Excellent pictures, particulary the first one.

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  3. This takes me back to a fine rainy morning day of the Month of June 21 years back, when I started my formal learning journey at this vey School. I could spend only 2 years there (1st and 2nd standards)- I feel Great. We (me and my elder brothers) used to walk to St.Catherines from our home at Cherukattoor. Thrilling good old cherished memories - crossing over flowing 'Kabani Nadi' (River Kabani), first assembly - enliven my academic thirst still. I still feel the good words I heard from Kurian Sir (my first teacher)and Annamma teacher (2nd standard) are more prescious than the good words I heard about me at International Conferences both in India and abroad, where I presented papers.

    St. Catherines, way to go!!!

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  4. i cant believe this,this is simply great deepu..u hav made this blog absolutetly beutiful ..i m in debt of words..gives a nostalgic touch of school days ..i m waiting for a similar article of GECW ...
    luv
    runcy

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  5. Dear Runcy,

    Thanks for the comments. Hope that very soon I will be able to visit GEC Wayanad and prepare an article on it on the gec blog. I want to do it in a different way, welcomes all your contributions towards it.

    Hi Sabah,

    Thanks for putting the comments on the blog, as you said we all love our school life and the school we studied during our child hood. Like Binoy Augustine said, the words which I heared from many of my teachers are the essence of my life. You will find out how much important are the words teachers speak out, because you will find that it is difficult to convince your own child something different from what the teacher told. For the students, teacher is the ultimate person for any reference. During our evolution, it is those values which makes a lot of difference between others and us, and those values taught by them leed us how to live, how to love, what to say to a dying person, what to tell to a person we don't love any more, how to become rich and poor.

    Dear Binoy,

    I am very glad not only becuase you visited and left the comments on my blog, but you studied in St. Catherines H S S for a while. Thanks for the time you spent on my blog during your busy schedule. I wished if more people who were students of St. Catherine's H S S visit this blog. Your memories about Annamma teacher and Kurian sir reminded me about Thankamani teacher and Rosi teacher. Even though I was not their student, I remember I got 4 or 5 chances to sit(not attend) in their classes.

    Dear Sunitha,

    Thanks for the comments and support. Hope I can make this blog more and more beautiful in the future.


    --Deepu George

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  6. Dear deepus,
    Really great ...one amoung the best that u have posted till now.you made me to feel nostalgic about my (our) school days..thanks a lot for taking my words into account.this is a lovely one. all the photos that you posted are simply wonderful...and u have created this in such a way that who ever reads this will feel some nostalgic feelings about their own school days (child hood).....
    Regards;
    Bestson Ronald Boss K

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  7. Hi Bestson,

    As you said, you inspired me to do this posting, thanks a lot for the comments. I love falling in Nostalgic thoughts about my childhood.

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  8. Well done my dear boy.
    Quite accidently got into the blog.
    Am a good old student of that great institution.1974 outee.
    Thanks for taking me to a nostalgic tour..
    -mkaugustin@gmail.com

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  9. Deepu, Really great to see about our school! Good photos...Nice work!!

    Best Regards,
    Viji Varkey
    IBM India Pvt Ltd,
    Bangalore.
    Email - viji_varkey@yahoo.com

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  10. Hi Viji,

    Thanks a lot for visiting my blog and leaving the precious comments.

    Hope our School will cherish in its fame through the generation of future citizens.

    --Deepu George V

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  11. HI DIPU,
    ITS REALLY WONDERFUL,NOSTALGIC....
    U TOOK ME BACK 2 MY SCHOOLDAYS...REMINDS ME OF MY BELOVED TEACHER(UR BELOVED MOM)
    REALLY REALLY GREAT WORK.
    THANKS AND BEST OF LUCK...
    NISHA MATHEW

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  12. Hi Nisha,
    Thank you very much for visiting my blog and for leaving the comments.

    Hope this blog article about our dear School St. Catherine's will reach more x students from St.Catherine's.

    Hey Nisha, are you sister of Jisha Mathew who was my class mate in SCHSS?

    --Deepu George V

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  13. HI Deepu , snaps r amazing.wonderful photography.
    my sisters name is jimsha mathew. i was there in SCHS 1994 batch.
    hope i can meet more x students through this blog.
    god bless
    nisha

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  14. Hi Nisha, Hope what you wished would come true. Today I think I saw your profile in Orkut,com. I found Dominic John from the scraps. Wav!! see the change, an online community of X students from Payyampally is slowly getting build up.

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  15. cant believe.... its really amazing deepu chetta........ aftr seein all f des... ifeel i wana go der nw itslf

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  16. Thanks Anisha for visiting the blog and reading the comments..

    Please visit again.

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  17. deepu,

    you must be a really wonderful person.

    i was on the net doing a search on tirunelli temple ..read your write up...wanted to know more about you..(liked what i could gather)..and next ended up on the page on your school...

    it's very touching..the way you have described it ...i actually get the feeling of having walked through the place...

    and the way you love and strongly connect with your birth place , we share the same feelings there

    i think i would'nt be able to sleep today without going through your entire site... it's very addictive

    bye ..will write to you later

    ruby

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  18. Hi Ruby,

    Thank you very much for leaving the comments on my blog. Your appreciation made my day.

    Hope you too are from Wayanad..

    One of my wish that I always keep in my mind is going back to Wayanad to settle in Wayanad in my retired life at least or if possible, sooner than that.

    Please visit again.

    --Deepu George V

    Please visit

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  19. Hello Deepu,
    I was a student of St Catherine's who also started from class 7th and continued upto class 10th. I was taught by both your parents.My aunt Mrs. Eliyama John and my uncle John sir were teachers there. Its nice to see my school and cherish all the memories of the past.I passed 10th in the year 1979. Thankyou for making this page.

    K J Paul

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  20. Hi Dear Paul Chetta,

    First of all,let me say thanks for visiting my blog and leaving the comments.

    I feel so happy when I see a comment on this article from somebody who learned in this school, or related to this school.

    Wonderful coincidence that you too Joined SCHSS to 7th standard. When I joined 7th standard, Eliamma teacher was my Math's teacher, and I loved her class a lot. Math's was one of my favourite along with Physics.

    John sir retired from the school before I joined. Most of the time, when I visit my home in Payyampally, I use to see Eliamma teacher and John sir (during Sunday Mass).

    Where are you now? I am currently working in Bangalore.

    --Deepu George V

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  21. Hi Deepu,

    Nice to hear that you remember my aunt. Presently I am a Designing Engineer working in Mumbai.Every year I come to Kerala. I loved your blog and I feel nostalgic remembering the old days. Do you know Dominic John my aunt's son who is now working with Mahindra And Mahindra in Nasik. My house is in Kartikulam (Kokkandathil).

    Thanks Once Again.
    K J Paul

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  22. Dear Paul Chetta,
    I know Dominic chettan very well. He and my brother Babu was in the same class in St. Catherine's I believe. Dominic's sister Jisha was my class mate.
    Hope you are doing fine.

    Looking forward to see you at some point of time in Payyampally.

    --Deepu George V

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  23. Hello Deepu,
    I just chanced upon this blog while searching for pictures of St. Catherines's School. What a great write-up, brilliantly done. I was a student of this school from grade 1 to 10 (passed out in 1984 and all my 5 siblings were students of the school too) and and we live very close to the church. Your parents were my teachers too and i have very fond memories of them and the school.It's such a nostalgic feeling..

    My name is Lissy KV (now Lissy Sabu), house name is Kanjirakattu. I am a chartered accountant, living in Abu Dhabi and whenever I come to Payyampally, i make it a point to pass by the church and school and feel so wonderful about the good old days!!!

    Thanks once again for bringing back these beautiful memories of my school..

    Kind regards
    Lissy

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    Replies
    1. Dear Lissy Chechi,
      So happy that you visited and left comments on this post.
      I believe I know your house, your house (Kanjirakkattu) is located near the 3 way Junction and the cross (Kurissu) near Payyampally Telephone exchange right?
      St Catherine’s is celebrating the 75th or 80th anniversary (do not know exactly) this year and Alice teacher (Kodakkachira) is the current Head Mistress. A souvenir is about to be published along with this and she requested old students to contribute articles for it. Actually I sketched the two paintings on the old-main building of our School (placed in the first part of this post) for the souvenir, later I thought I will put it here also along with the original photographs. Five teachers are retiring this year (might be postponed due to the change in rule of retirement age announced in 2012 Kerala Budget).
      I am so happy that along with you many elders visited my blog and left their comments inlucidng K J Paul (1979 SSLC), Ruby,Nisha Mathew (1994 SSLC), Viji Varkey, M K Augustine (1974 SSLC), Bestson Karuthedathu, Binoy Augustine Madathikunnel.I also know that many other X-Students from our school visited this page who left without commenting but conveyed their happiness directly when we met together later at Payyampally.
      I understand that many x-students of St. Catherine’s High School (now St. Catherine’s Higher Secondary School) visit this page on search of photos. Most of them will be away from Payyampally for a long time and would like to see how the school looks now. The school changed a lot now and then, the face of our school changed a lot even after my term, and even during my term in the school. This Easter when I visit my home town, I will try to get some more pictures of our school and update it on this page.
      Please visit again to see newly posted pictures of our school.
      --Deepu George V

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    2. Dear Lissy Chechi,
      As promised, here are few more pictures of our great school that I took during the Easter Sunday of 2012. I talked about you to my mother and she remembered that you were a sport star of our school :)

      --Deepu George V

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    3. Dear Deepu,
      Thanks for uploading more pictures of our beloved school. Truly, the school has changed a lot since my time at the school..and it's nice to see some old sections of the school, especially the back side which runs down into the paddy field...

      Nice to know that your mom remembered me...my kids (2 boys aged 14 & 9) never believed me when i told them that i was a sports champion at school..now they do :) I was good academically too :)

      You are right about the location of my house..how is Mary teacher? hope she is doing good healthwise.

      Keep up the good work of keeping alive the memories of our dear school and all the very best.
      Regards
      Lissy

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  24. its like a feeling that touch my heart while seeing your posting thank you so much deepu. keep on posting such a memorable pictures.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Dear Reader.
      Hope you too did your schooling from St. Catherine's School.

      ~Deepu George V

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  25. Tank you Deepu,thank u so much for creating such a wonderful blog. It's really a nostalgic

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    Replies
    1. Thank you very much Soniya for visiting my blog.
      Hope you were also a student of St. Catherine's as me.
      --Deepu George V

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