Divisional Commissioner goes down memory lane

Almost six weeks after he joined as the Divisional Commissioner in Jalandhar, IAS officer Pradeep Kumar Sabharwal on Friday paid a visit to two schools. He visited Sai Dass Anglo-Sanskrit Primary School, Ali Mohalla, and Sai Dass AS Senior Secondary School, Patel Chowk — where he had studied during his childhood days.

Right at the entry, he sat down and bowed before these temples of learning. He then took a tour of his schools.

Along with his old classmates Vipin Sabharwal, Ashok Bheel and Keemti Lal, he sat on the same benches in the classrooms where they once studied. Sabharwal said that he enrolled in Class I at the primary school in 1970. After passing Class V, he was admitted at Sai Dass AS Senior Secondary School, Patel Chowk, in 1976. He said it was due to these educational institutions that he was able to achieve this position.

Learning about the current needs of these schools, he assured them of his support. He also expressed happiness at seeing modern facilities there.

Spending time with the schoolchildren, Sabharwal encouraged them to work hard to achieve success in life. He also advised the students to use social media with caution. He recalled a memory of Class VIII, when a teacher asked them to name the Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar. Only Sabharwal knew the answer and his teacher had then predicted that one day he would also go on to become a Deputy Commissioner.

Sabharwal fondly remembered his political science teacher and mentor, KK Ghai, and said that he played a crucial role in honing his talents. He also announced an annual scholarship of Rs 1 lakh for meritorious students of both schools, in the memory of his mother Raksha Rani, his father Prem Pal Sabharwal, and his brother Surinder Kumar Sabharwal, a PCS officer.

The school management honoured Sabharwal. School superintendent Ashok Wadhawan, Principal Rakesh Sharma, primary school in-charge Meera Puri, teachers Sanjeev Sharma, Navneet Sharda, Neerja Sharma, Rajesh Mehta, Sudip Jain, and a large number of students were there at the campus to greet him.