Walking into Don Bosco School, Liluah, on the bright morning of 6 April 2010 one could sense the euphoria among the students that is characteristic of the onset of a year – the thrill and excitement of a new beginning – new year, new books, new classrooms, new friends etc. Father Joseph Pathickal, Rector & Principal of DBL addressed a beaming assembly. Telling them about their new diary with the rising sun imprinted on it, a symbol of hope and prosperity.

After the assembly, the boys filed to their classes to receive their own copies, only to assemble in the auditorium some time later for the inauguration of the new academic year 2010-11. What followed was the traditional lighting of the lamp, by representatives of each section of the school and a prayer dance. Fr. Rector delivered his message to the students through a reading from the Bible and welcomed Dr. Rudrangshu Mukherjee, the Editor-in-Chief of the Editorials and the TTIS, to deliver the key-note address.

The erudite gentleman spoke to his eager audience about the immense potential of reading that opens up wide vistas of experience and urged them to remain happy. The students then, with their right hand raised, pledged to remain devout students and promised  their allegiance to the school norms and rules. Br. Jose , the Vice Principal gave the vote of thanks then and the boys dispersed after singing the school anthem.

Towards the latter half of the day, Mr. Mukherjee addressed the teachers, ending reciting a poem each of D.H.Lawrence and Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, delineating the student-teacher relationship, the teacher being the solid trunk to which the vines cling on and the soft tendrils cleave to for sustenance. The secret of being a successful teacher that he shared with the teaching fraternity of DBL was to always go prepared to class. An astounding ratio that his teacher gave him was that for an hour’s class, he spent six hours on preparation. To show the light of education to students, this was an astonishing statistics he left the teachers to ponder over.

The day ended with a staff meeting where in the vision for the new year was shared with all the teachers.