SaikapiansAbroad

I think it was early in 2010 that I was introduced to Sukhjit who blogged by the pen name of Mithrandir on http://bibliophilscribe.blogspot.com. The first of his writings that I read was “Incorrigibles”. I immediately knew that Sukhjit is a storyteller. I later read a couple of others, “Bypass to Bypass”, “ A Magical Realm” and put on the web site for all the Saikapians to enjoy.

Sukhjit has been a bit quiet on his blog for the past little while. Little did I know that he has embarked on a grander project of writing a book based on his experiences at the school. This book was released on the Old boys (or as Sukhjit would rather call it the Alumni Association – refer “Bypass to Bypass”) Golden Jubilee Celebrations held at the school from 23^rd to 24rth December 2011.

I have not had the opportunity to read it yet so I would reserve my comments on how the book fares for the general public but given how he nurtures his thoughts into words and then threads them in sentences, I bet the book would be a great reading for all Saikapians.

The book is titled “Those Black Trunks of Memories” and is available for online purchase at Flipkart (Click here for direct navigation to the book page on flipkart). The book would also be available on www.ebay.com, www.indiaplaza.com and www.amazon.com within the next week and in book shops in India within 6-8 weeks.

You can visit Sukhjit’s blog at http://bibliophilscribe.blogspot.com (though blogging itself is on the backburner for a while) and publisher’s website at www.leadstartcorp.com.

For the book cover and a brief description click the "Read more" link below.

_{^{News Report By: Punjab Newsline Network}}

Sainik School Kapurthala has a glorious past. It has rendered a yeoman service in the field of education to the nation in general and the people of Punjab in particular for the last five decades. The youth of the State, who are known for their diligence  and love for adventure, have benefited immensely from its military- oriented education coupled with a high standard of discipline and vast array of co-curricular activities carried out for their all-round personality development.

Expressing these views while speaking on the historic occasion of Golden Jubilee Annual Celebrations of the Sainik School, the Punjab Governor, Shivraj V. Patil said that the school has commendable record of producing more than 750 distinguished officers for the Armed Forces and bagging the coveted Defence Minister’s Trophy for nine times including seven times in succession for sending maximum number of cadets to the National Defence Academy.

Appreciating the performance of the cadets and sincere efforts put in by the staff and the management of the School for imparting an excellent training to them, Patil said it was a momentous occasion for all the Saikapians settled across the globe as their alma mater has completed five decades of its glorious existence and dedicated service to the nation and is marching steadily in its pursuit of excellence.

Patil said, “We have to understand the purpose of life. Parents and teachers should mould the minds of the youth and create desire in their mind to also know about spiritual values and inner knowledge along with education. Patil said that today our society is facing numerous challenges. Evils like rampant corruption, communal discord and fast erosion of our age-old values are threatening the very basic fabric of our society. In such a scenario, the role of leading educational institutions like the Sainik Schools has become all the more important.

Exhorting students to face the challenges of the outside world with a positive attitude, Patil said that the focus of students in this competitive age should be to enhance their capabilities and confidence to achieve excellence through commitment, vision, determination and hard work.  He said that we must utilize all resources available at our disposal to explore and develop the potential of our students by stretching their abilities through innovative programmes.

Patil also gave away prizes to cadet who excelled in different fields. Patil also released silver trophy a replica of Sainik School.Col. Satbir Singh, Principal of the School after his welcome address also presented a school report. Religious songs, play and Punjabi Folk Dance Bhangra were also performed by the students in a cultural programme.