Where knowledge, values and talents flourished

Many former students and staff of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Higher Secondary School (BHELHSS) near Hyderabad are reuniting on their erstwhile school premises today i.e., the De-cember 22, 2024, to reminisce fond memories of their time there.

BHELHSS which made a modest beginning on July 1, 1964, was closed two decades ago, signify-ing the ‘End of an Era.’

Affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and run on the pattern of ‘Kendriya Vidyalayas Sanghatan (KVS) schools, it provided ‘The Best of the Quality Education’ in English medium. The first batch of three students appeared for AIHSC Examinations in 1969.

Y Padmavathy who joined in June 1967 as the school principal, administered, controlled, and handled the school matters, shaping it as an exceptional institution, and was known to be ‘Friend, Philosopher and Guide’ to the students and the staff alike. Consecutively, the school achieved cent percent results with distinctions and first divisions. Former students excelled in several professions such as defense services, politics, civil services, government service, medi-cine, engineering, legal, business, IT etc.

Selection into National Defence Academy (NDA), a rare feat from a school in a civilian organiza-tion was an annual affair. Thus, it produced a large number of successful NDA officers. Specially to be mentioned is Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari, the former Chief of Indian Air Force, who was commissioned into the Fighter Stream of Indian Air Force, on December 29, 1982. He was selected for NDA, when I was working in the school as the librarian. Air Marshal B Chandra Sekhar, Group Captain Ravi Bhate (also a good athlete), Group Captain WV Rama Rao, Commodore A Srinivas, Air Vice Marshal A Suresh, Group Captain Shiva Ram, Commander T Srinivasan, Colonel Krishna Prasad, Colonel V Laxman (good basketball player), Group Captain Berkeya, Group Captain Madhu Venu Gopal, Colonel Shashidhar (Kargil fame) etc., are the other successful NDA officers who studied in BHELHSS. Another special mention to be made is that Squadron Leader N Uttam Kumar Reddy, now Minister in Telangana Cabinet and a former Indian Air Force Pilot. He was thrice MLA and once MP.

Madhusudhan Reddy (Engineer in Chief, R&B), Varada Rajan (Executive Director, BHEL), K V Ra-mana Murthy (Executive Director, Indian Oil Corporation), Milind Koppikar, Sundar Rao (Income Tax Deputy Commissioner), Anuradha Raman (Doctor), Aizaz Ahmed (Doctor), R Vineel Krishna (IAS, Commissioner Land Records-Odisha), Vishnu Vardhan (Doctor, Pediatrician), Shridhar (Doctor, Radiologist), Ravi Verma (ONGC, and basketball player), Ravuri Srinivas (Doctor, Pedia-trician), K S Kiran (Doctor, Yashodha Hospital), Uma Krishna (Principal, Jyoti Vidyalaya), Dadi Srinivas (SE in TS Genco) etc., reached significantly higher positions in their professions. The ‘Golden Girl,’ a title conferred on VKV Satyanarayanamma, then a 13-year-old BHELHSS student by Principal Padmavathy on her being declared as ‘The Best Girl Athlete’ at the 13th All India National Rural Sports Meet held at Shimoga in Karnataka in October 1982, studied in BHELHSS. Satya ran along with the legendary ‘PT Usha’ in the final heats of sprint in the na-tionals once, representing Andhra Pradesh. She also represented AP as BHELHSS student in the sprint event in competition with Ashwini Nachappa (an international track and field athlete) at Rabindra Sarovar Stadium Kolkata, and stood third. In addition, Nalini Reddy, Shailaja and Usha, represented AP basketball team in the Bihar Inter-state Basketball Championship. BHELHSS student D Babu represented India in World Railway Basketball Championship held in Russia, as Captain, and bagged the bronze medal. P Manoj Kumar working in SBI represented India in Shuttle Badminton Internationals. Another student Chandrasekhar Goud, Customs and Central Excise Officer, played in an international tourna-ment of volley ball, and Anand Kumar Somashila of BSNL was an international referee in swimming. These were the proud moments to me also, like for others, having worked as the librarian in BHELHSS.

The person behind all this ‘Magical Success of BHELHSS’ was Y Padmavathy who possessed an excellent academic record of MA (English Literature), MA (Economics) from Madras University, and Diploma in Educational Administration, besides being a continuous learner. She played a key role in shaping the school’s early and later development. She was instrumental in setting up the academic framework of the school, by bringing with her a commitment to high educa-tional standards, particularly focusing on building a strong foundation in science, mathematics, humanities, and languages, that aligned with dovetailing technical education and social scienc-es.

I worked as the librarian at the school for 12 years, over 10 years when Padmavati was the principal, and less than 2 years after Malathi Gopalakrishnan succeeded her. Padmavati's lead-ership qualities, administrative skills, authoritative presence, and control over school affairs in-cluding keeping the top BHEL management at a distance from interfering in day-to-day school affairs were exemplary, enabling the school to reach greater heights. Padmavathy was known for instilling a culture of discipline and academic rigor among both students and staff. Her lead-ership style ensured that the school quickly gained a reputation for its structured environment, making it a sought-after institution for quality education, though it was meant to BHEL Em-ployees’ children.

Academic record, competence and commitment of teachers as ‘Role Models’ influenced the success of the school. Seldom we find such a high quality of staff recruits, around 150. The li-brary had the best of approximately 7,000 volumes, besides magazines and journals. Ready Reference Information was made available on any topic of students’ interest. The morning prayer meet prior to commencement of regular classes was a remarkable experience. Every day, a student or a teacher would speak on the ‘Thought for the Day’ which was genuinely thought-provoking. They would have become an ‘Encyclopedia of Thoughts’ had they been compiled. The school developed a rich community life of its own and provided adequate and satisfactory opportunities for students to participate in it and help in organizing it. The teacher was a medi-ator of learning. The library was a central pillar of the school's academic environment. As the librarian, I did not miss any opportunity in my little contribution to the growth of BHELHSS, and for the enhancement of knowledge, skills, and attitude of school students, through placing at their disposal, and encouraging them, to read the vast collection of books, magazines, and other useful reading material. In every outside academic competitions, BHELHSS always stood as the number one. Even 40 years after my leaving the school, with a few exceptions, many students remember me, and I am in touch.

After ‘Twelve Long Years’ in BHELHSS, (July 1974-January 1986), when I was offered a job in Chetana Rural Development Organization headed by Governor Kumud Ben Joshi, I resigned. I still stay connected with my former colleagues. Among others, I fondly remember late Manyam Jaganmohan Rao (a knowledgeable person in science and a positive critique of Telugu litera-ture), Vice Principal C Vasanta, Suryaprakash, Ramasharma, Akkalakshmi, Usha Thakur, Jameela Sayeed, Chandramukhi, Suhas Chaudhari, Late David, KM Prabhavati, Innaiah, Nageshwar Rao, Indrani etc. The closure of BHELHSS signified the ‘End of an Era in Quality Education and Community Bond-ing,’ and implied a profound loss to the educational and cultural landscape. It nurtured count-less achievers across professions under visionary leadership, fostering excellence, discipline, and values. Though its doors have closed physically, its ‘Transformative Legacy’ endures time-lessly to inspire lives and communities.

The then BHEL employees, however big in the hierarchy they might be, treated BHELHSS as a temple of learning, and never allowed their personal inhibitions, if any, to intervene in whatev-er small punishments were inflicted on their children for their better prospects. It was a ‘Com-munity Hub’ that played an important role in the social fabric of the township. Despite the clo-sure of the school, its legacy is being taken forward by its ‘Alumni’ together with values and all-round education they received benefiting professional and personal lives. Working in BHELHSS was a great unforgettable experience. It is an ‘Alma Mater’ to me as well, with a feel of Student.