My second choice for my Outstanding Alumni Series, Padma Bhushan 54er/58er Rahul Bajaj, is another person who shared two alumni with me - Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai and St. Stephen's College in Delhi University.
Rahul was appointed as a Prefect in Standard 10 in school, an honour whim ch two 59ers, late Ashok Kapur and me, share with him. Like me, Rahul was also House Captain - of Savage House!
Unlike me, he was also brilliant in studies. I was certianly deeply interested in sports but I was a very average student. I was fortunate to do well in my studies. I was no where near becoming 9th rank in the whole of Bombay State, as did Rahul! This is well evident in that Rahul has used his academic brilliance to build his industrial empire and received the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and in 2016 stood 722 in the Forbes List with a wealth of around $2.4 billion!
This is a revealing quote from Rahul which appeared in 2008:
"1946, we shifted for business purposes from Wardha to Mumbai. From then, till I passed out my senior Cambridge, I was in Cathedral School.
I did very well at school and passed out in 1954 with a distinction securing 9th rank in the whole of the then Bombay state. I learnt a great deal at Cathedral. The teaching methods were very good and there was a lot of personal touch.
I became a Prefect in Standard 10 and a Prefect and House Captain in Standard 11 and my classmates always wondered how I could be so good at studying and yet fulfill all these responsibilities. I was also the School Captain in table tennis and boxing. I also debated." (India Today April 4th 2008.)
When I arrived in Cathedral School from Bangalore in January 1954, I observed many of my seniors. Being my House Captain, Rahul was an immediate hero in my life. 54ers Antony Ramsinh, Ravi Jaitly and School Captain Sonawala were three others that made a deep impression on this new Cathedralite!
When I joined St.Stephen's College in 1960, when I told the staff, including the then Principal Sircar and Dean Rajpal, that I was from Cathedral School, Bombay, they all told me that I had big footsteps, those of Rahul, to fit into!
When I arrived in Cathedral School from Bangalore in January 1954, I observed many of my seniors. Being my House Captain, Rahul was an immediate hero in my life. 54ers Antony Ramsinh, Ravi Jaitly and School Captain Sonawala were three others that made a deep impression on this new Cathedralite!
When I joined St.Stephen's College in 1960, when I told the staff, including the then Principal Sircar and Dean Rajpal, that I was from Cathedral School, Bombay, they all told me that I had big footsteps, those of Rahul, to fit into!
Rahul's accomplishments are recorded on the Wikipedia page about him.
I was greatly honoured when I visited Delhi with Annikki in 2009, 64er Deeepak Deshpande organised a get together of Delhi Cathedralites as a token of his respect for me. It was well attended, but what was the greatest tribute was that Rahul, then a Rajya Sabha member, who normally returned to Pune for the weekend, stayed on to attend this evening event. Rahul took the time to ask me a few pertinent questions about my life in Finland and also what India could learn from this small country which was then considered to be the most Innovative in the world!
