Some new pictures of Sarada Vilas High School

I was passing by Sharada Vilas High School recently (Dec.2, 2009). Since I had a camera in my pocket, I thought of taking a few shots. I had spent 3 years between 1970-73. There were a few changes in the quadrangle. The Head Master's room was shifted. In the old place there were some new rooms. Classes were on and except for the peon (seen in the picture below) in front of the HM's room none was out. It looked silent and deserted, though some boys near the windows tried to see what I was doing there! The classrooms looked crowded as teachers were doing their duties. I did not walk through everywhere, but just took a few pictures and moved out.

The quadrangle.

Another view of the quadrangle.

What was the backdoor entry to the field in our days is now the main entry to the school premise. Note the college structure standing right in front of it!!

We used to have our 10th sections here. Some of us used to bring our bicycles occasionally and they were parked here in this corridor in front of our classrooms. There was no cycle stand in those days! Since most of us came by walk there were just a few bicycles in total and putting them there was not a hindrance for our playful running in this corridor.

Classrooms had ventilators below the windows and now they are all closed up. But the little pipe that is provided to take out any water from the rooms are still there. It is through these pipes mischievous boys used to put their mouths and make a loud sound that took everyone aback. The teacher would then rush up to the window shouting "yaavano avanu muttaaLa" only to find nobody there - obviously the rascal would have gone close to the wall and "vanished"!

This is the vast playground from where we tried to escape home for lunch as the 'games' slot was just before luncheon. Later in the evenings during my college days in the same institution I used to come for tennis ball cricket here in the same field. A few years later I played one of my earliest cricket matches with the cricket ball here on this ground - there is no regular cricket pitch now because the institution has grown up with new facilities. The one in the background is/was the Girls High School.

The stone protection is a new addition. Earlier there was only soil. Erosion might have prompted them to come up with this. Tree roots were then not visible then.

As it now looks from the far field. The right side building that has come up is of the college. Ealier there was an open space with a nice gap between the college and the school buildings.

At this high school, which was a very reputed one in the 1930s and 40s, both my father and uncle also studied.