St. Mary’s School House Badge

Since this is my first official pin post of the blog, I think it’s fair to start with arguably the first pin I ever got. I present to you, in all its glory, my St. Mary’s School Gandhi house pin: 

I know. That last sentence meant nothing to a lot of you. So, let me tell you about my first home away from home, St. Mary’s School, Mumbai. St. Mary’s, or Mary’s as we affectionately called it, is an all-boys school founded in 1864 by members of the Jesuit Society. The 156-year-old school is one of the oldest education institutions in the country and for me, it was familial. My dad went there. His brother went there. My brother went there. My mom’s brother went there. The Marian spirit was in my blood. So, in 2004, when I was all but 5 years of age, I joined St. Mary’s. This was different from Kindergarten. There was no more naptime after lunch. Suddenly I had to wear a uniform to school (white Shirts with navy blue ties, white shorts till the 5^th grade, white trousers from there onwards). Suddenly, I was surrounded by boys much older than me. Suddenly, I was one in a class of almost 100. And yet, I felt right at home. 

The school was gorgeous. An oasis in a bustling city. To the outsider it may have looked like just a brick building surrounded by dirt and stones, but to us it was our entire world. It was far more than a school. Not to be dramatic, but St. Mary’s made me who I am, in every sense of the word. I picked up my love for stories there. Ms. Marie Martin’s rendition of Roald Dahl’s ‘The Giraffe, The Pelly and Me’ is seminal to the stories I’ve written. I found my love for sports playing football at 6 am on the muddy grounds during the monsoon. I discovered my love for acting when I became the first ever 5^th grader to have a role in inter-house dramatics. I would not be in film school right now if it wasn’t for the things I learnt in those buildings. 

I left St. Mary’s in the 5^th grade to go to a newer, fancier, international school. But I never forgot the things I learnt there. Till today the most important value I was ever taught came from Mary’s. You see, St. Mary’s was not an expensive school. Students came from all backgrounds, but none of that mattered. It did not matter who your parents were, or what religion you were, or where you lived. All that mattered is that you wore the same white shirt and blue tie as me, and that meant that you were one of my own. We were all the same. St. Mary’s boys. 

So that’s what this badge means to me. That’s what this badge represents. The sense of pride I feel when I put on this pin is unparalleled. It may be scratched and the paint may not stay between the lines, but, just like the school, the badge is gorgeous to me. Our school motto is ‘Immaculata’ – which means pure in Latin. Pure – like the love we boys have for St. Mary’s School. 

Just for fun: Let me know if any of can spot 5 year old me in this picture. Hint: I only got my glasses when I turned 6.