WINGS OF DREAMS

Life and works of

a reformer educationist,
Principal
Samir Kumar Bhattacharya

Vikram Anand
First published in India in 2010 by CinnamonTeal Publishing

Copyright © 2010 Vikram Anand

ISBN: 978-93-80151-47-2

Vikram Anand asserts the moral right to be identified as the author

of the work. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be
produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means without the prior written permission of the author, nor be
otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in
which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on
the subsequent purchaser.

Photographs: Author's own

Cover Design: Vikram Anand

CinnamonTeal Print and Publishing,

Plot No 16, Gogol, Housing Board Colony, Margao Goa 403601
http://cinnamonteal.dogearsetc.com
 Foreword

It’s said, ‘Education makes the man!’ History is replete with

examples to elucidate this fact. Unfortunately, our academic setup
is oriented towards imparting education only for grades and not
for the enlightenment of minds! But ultimately, it’s education with
the purpose of enlightenment that has made a difference to this
world.
‘Education for enlightenment!’ has been the foundation
of modern society. Dr. Radhakrishnan, Mahatma Phule, Dr.
Ambedkar are a few individuals who used their formal schooling
to educate society. For these great people, education wasn’t just
about accumulating knowledge but a means of bringing about a
sea-change in contemporary society.
In this era, where teaching itself has become a lucrative business,
where the emphasis is plainly on ensuring that students get the
best of grades, where the teacher is least bothered about how the
child performs in the overall tests of life, we have amongst us an
educationalist who has demonstrated by his personal example that
the perfect way of imparting education is by empowering children
with life’s core values. The professor we speak of is Mr. Samir Kumar
Bhattacharya, with whom my association started when he was the
Principal of Nand Vidhya Niketan School of the Essar Group at
Jamnagar, Gujarat. Inspired by his extraordinary contributions to
the field of school education, this book is my humble attempt to
script the biography of a man who has always given wings to his
dreams!
Principal Bhattacharya observes that the perfect way of living
a meaningful life is by way of an excellent education. Indeed,
education helped him to discover the purpose of his own life:
giving his students a sense of direction, so that they could make
a difference in the world around. He has been promoting this
purpose first as a teacher, then as a principal.
Principal Bhattacharya, himself has been the student of the

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legendary educationist, Padmashree JTM Gibson, or Jack Gibson as

he was popularly known. The foundation of Samir Bhattacharya’s
life was set during the glorious years of his schooling at the famous
Mayo College, which is also known as the Eton of the east. His
association with Mr. Jack Gibson, the then Principal of Mayo was
so close that Mr. Gibson, in his book-‘As we saw it’, has devoted
more than thirty pages to his favourite student’s struggles and
achievements during his early days.  
Life moves on in phases, filled with good times, bad times and
mundane times. But every phase of Mr. Bhattacharya’s life has been
a thrilling experience.
When we define an individual, we identify him by his merits and
his shortcomings. Principal Bhattacharya’s finest aspect has been
his deep connection with childhood that has made him recognized
beyond the merits and shortcomings of his personality.
He firmly believes that there’s a child in each one of us. Miracles
happen when one gives wings to that child. In the pages that follow,
the beautiful journey of Principal sahab’s life offers some of life’s
greatest lessons. It’s the unbelievable tale of a village boy earning
a place in one of country’s best known school, growing up with
unusual experiences, following his heart to choose the purpose of
his life, inspiring all those associated with him to make a difference
in the world, doing things that are considered impossible, but at the
same time not losing that vital connect with the child in him
That’s Principal Samir Kumar Bhattacharya for you, the
recipient of the American Medal of Honour for his extraordinary
contribution towards education; a Samaj Shree for using education
as a tool for bringing about revolutionary social reform, and a rare
educationist featuring in the Limca Book of Records for his path
breaking social initiatives with the help of the school children.
A humble request to the reader:
The incidents recorded in this book are based on Principal
Bhattacharya’s life. If there has been any error in documenting
certain events, please bring it to my notice so that corrections can
be made in subsequent editions. My unconditional apologies for
the same.
Please note that few names, especially of the government
officials have been changed for security reasons.
Read on.

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 Chapter 1

The Felicitation Ceremony

“E ducation has been the backbone of our civilization, and had

helped in the evolution of man since Stone Age. Irrespective
of culture, geography and time, the motive of education has
always been the same – to bring about a change in the mindset
of contemporary society and to take human civilization to the
next level of evolution. For this reason, progressive changes have
been made in the methods adopted to impart education. In every
nation there are committees working on the improvement of the
educational system by incorporating periodic alterations. But here
we have one man with us who has redefined the standard education
system and used it as a tool to bring about revolutionary changes in
the society. Through him, education has become synonymous with
fostering leadership. Never before has the innocence of childhood
been used as a powerful medium, to awaken contemporary society
towards sensitive social issues like drugs menace, child labour, and
religious disputes.
For his revolutionary contribution in the field of education,
American Biographical Society is happy to confer the American
Medal of Honour to Principal Samir Kumar Bhattacharya.”
There was a thunderous applause as Mr. A.T. Simmons, the
U.S. Consulate General invited the Principal to receive the honour.
The function was being held at the American Embassy Mumbai.
Several dignitaries were present to grace the occasion.
“Thank you for this honour!” was the humble reaction of Mr.
Bhattacharya, on accepting the medal and the award certificate.
“Oh! The honour is ours, sir!” Mr. Simmons greeted him with
a warm handshake.
Then facing the audience, Mr. Bhattacharya began his address.
“Thanks to the blessings of Goddess Kali, I’m standing here,”
Principal Bhattacharya seemed overwhelmed upon receiving this
great honour. “It’s a wonderful feeling. Thank you.”
The audience once again cheered him.

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 Wings of Dreams

“I wish to share this award and the honour with all my teachers
who went out of their way to support me, then with my friends
who always stood by me, and most importantly, with my dear
students and their parents. Without their wholehearted support
and participation, none of my ideas would have been successfully
concretized. I owe them my success as a teacher, as a principal, an
educationist and as the recipient of this honour.” His eyes turned
moist with deep feelings of gratitude.

Principal Bhattacharya receiving the prestigious American Medal of

Honour from Mr. A.T Simmons, the U.S. Consulate General

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 Vikram Anand

The Distinguished Leadership Award certificate

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 Wings of Dreams

The American Medal of Honour certificate presented to Principal

Bhattacharya.

As the function ended, numerous people from different walks

of life greeted Principal Bhattacharya and congratulated him for
his glorifying contribution to education.
In the audience was an aspiring writer, Vikram Anand. Vikram
was attending the function along with a journalist friend who had
briefed him about Principal Bhattacharya and his work. Since
Vikram was interested in causes related to children, he was very
keen to meet the founder principal of Chandrabala Modi Academy,
Ankleshwar Gujarat.
When Principal Bhattacharya was about to leave, Vikram
sneaked in, breaking the barrier of dignitaries surrounding him.
“Congratulations sir! I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Thank you,” the Principal replied, wondering who that gentleman
was.
“Sir, I’m Vikram Anand, a freelance writer.”
“Pleased to meet you, Vikram.”
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 Vikram Anand

“Sir, there’s something I want to take up with you, if you can

spare some time.’
“What is it regarding?” Principal Bhattacharya was curious.
“Right now, with so many dignitaries around, it would be
difficult to talk. Sir, can I get an appointment with you, when you
are free?”
Mr. Bhattacharya sensed the honesty in Vikram’s words. “All
right, young man! I’m in Hotel Regency. I’ll be leaving tomorrow
by the morning flight. You can join me for dinner tonight.”
“Thank you so much, sir!” Vikram shook hands with Principal
Bhattacharya and left the embassy hall, excited.

At 7 pm Vikram reached Hotel Regency.

“I’m looking for Mr. Samir Bhattacharya. I had an appointment
with him.” He inquired at the reception.
“Oh Bhattacharya sahab? He’s out there in the lobby. You can
catch him there.”
In the lobby, it was bit of a surprise to see Mr. Bhattacharya
engrossed in a storytelling session with a few kids. They were
laughing and clapping their hands and enjoying their interaction
with him.
“Good evening, sir! Can I join you?” Vikram butted in.
“Hey Vikram! How are you doing? Please do join us.
It’s wonderful to be in the company of children. I tend to forget
myself when I’m with them. Just made these new friends! Okay
children, another friend of mine has come. I’ve to go. See you!”
“Bye uncle. We enjoyed your stories.” They seemed to be thrilled
following their interaction with their ‘storyteller friend’!
“You know, Vikram, children love stories and I love storytelling!
That’s how the equation goes.” Mr. Bhattacharya continued
speaking, as they moved towards the Hotel’s cafeteria.
“It’s bit cold outside. I would recommend a spicy soup. You’ll
love it.” They grabbed a cosy table.
“‘Sure sir! Thank you.”
The ambience was quite relaxing. “Ideal place to talk!” Vikram
thought.
As they waited for their soup, Principal Bhattacharya broke in.
“So what brings you to me?”
Vikram explained, “Sir, first of all, thank you so much for

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 Wings of Dreams

giving me your time. I’m a freelance writer. I keep writing articles

and poetry, and updating blogs. Of late, I was exploring the idea of
writing a book. I tried various subjects ranging from philosophy
to fiction. But each time, after penning a couple of pages, I would
tear them off and consign them to the dustbin. I haven’t had the
motivation I desire to complete the task at hand.”
The Principal was intently listening as Vikram continued, “But
when I heard about you and your revolutionary initiatives in the
field of education, I finally found my inspiration. I’ve been studying
your work, and I know I can have complete faith in my gut feeling.
My inner voice is compelling me to go ahead.
Sir, please allow me to pen down your life’s experiences. I’m sure
to find a lot of inspiration, which I intend to pass it on to society
through my humble attempts by scripting a manuscript based on
your life.”
Principal Bhattacharya was engrossed in thought.
“So you want to write about me? Interesting! I never thought
that someone would come to me with this odd request.”
“Sir, please give me a chance. You’ve done so much for
education! You’ve brought reforms in the system and changed the
thought patterns of society, that too all with the help of children. In
fact, you’ve given a newer and bigger dimension to childhood and
school education.
Sir, not many people know that your name figures in the Limca
Book of Records or that you are a ‘Samaj Shree’ awardee or that you
have been presented with the latest American Medal of Honour.
How will people get motivated by your story, if it remains under
wraps?
That’s why I believe that a biographical account on your life and
work would serve a big social purpose. Trust me sir; the society
needs to know about it!”
Vikram was so convincing that Mr. Bhattacharya was left with
no choice but to agree.
“All right, Vikram. You win!” is all that he could say.
“Thank you so much, sir!” Vikram’s excitement knew no
bounds.
Principal Bhattacharya interrupted, “But I cannot stay here for
more than a day. I don’t mind giving you time. But I’ve to go back
tomorrow.”

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 Vikram Anand

“No problem, sir! I would be happy to go with you and see your
style of functioning in your school.”
“Okay then. We’ll fly back tomorrow. Chandrabala Modi
Academy would be happy to welcome you!”
“I’m ready! Thanks a ton again!” That indeed made Vikram’s
evening and he had an enjoyable supper with Principal
Bhattacharya.

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