Goodbye Nidhi- My Trusted Friend! .

The first two ladies who manned the Principals office at Dps Jaipur , after Niti Sharma left for the US were Paayal and Nidhi. Paayal was a post graduate in Philosophy whereas Nidhi was a post graduate in English.They were as different in their persona as oranges are from apples .But they had one thing in common though –they  had great presence .Like Paayal, Nidhi  walked into my office -a imposing personality standing nearly 5ft 8inches tall.With a penchant for wearing lovely cotton salwaar kameez,big and artistic looking  ear danglers, and a aversion for sarees and jeans ,she had sensed that since ours was a growing school ,there might be a vacancy .It was this sixth sense of hers which made her stand out from the rest of the pack .After having talked with her for a few minutes ,I asked her to join .Raviji was a very clear headed man –he allowed you to do anything –and especially the selection part . “You have to lead the team Mr Kain –and you must select it .And that also means you are accountable for everything”.,he would say.!I was able to pick up a fabulous team .All of them stayed till I was there .All of them delivered .We produced the best results in the city ,we won each and every tournament in the West Zone DPS meets ,we won all the tournaments and competition in Jaipur ,we were able to create two fabulous properties –The CL Jaipuria Cup and Taal Tarang where all schools came to participate,we put up Annual Functions as glitzy as the Oscars and which were graced by the Governor ,CMs and the top brass of the government,started grand Winter and Spring Carnivals ,started the Shiksha Kendras for the underprivileged children(she was the incharge )!!  –there was not a thing we did wrong .And all that in a short span of 8 years .Nidhi was a key player in the teams efforts .

"Nidhi's Corner "!!

Where Paayal tended to be  boisterous, Nidhi was sedate ,where  Paayal at times was rhetorical then Nidhi was more of substance ,where  Paayal laughed and smiled a lot then Nidhi was was serious and could freeze you with a look .They were as different as any two people could be  and they occupied seats next to each other !!.I am sure there must have been differences between them at times ,but at most times it was amazing how they got along.

Nidhi was a genius with computers and the latest cell phones .There was not a thing she could not handle as far as technology was concerned .Gifted with a mind which could  think clearly and logically ,she was the brain behind every projection about the school-be it the teachers who would  be required after 10 yrs ,or the number of rooms that would have to be added taking into account the growth pattern of the school ,analyzing the board results ,downloading the results of other schools to bring out comparisons ,making and refining advertisements ,bargaining for better deals for tours and travel, organizing gifts for farewells and for guests who came to school ,organizing taxis –well you name it and Nidhi had it on her finger tips .Many times ,I tried to delegate her work to someone else –but it was just not worth it .People like Nidhi are not regular –their work cannot be given to someone else .Can you ask someone else to bat like  Sacchin Tendulkar or sing like Lata Mangeshkar ?.Nidhi made sure I got enough time for meetings with the staff and the children .She did just about everything for me .I would come  to my office and  find small stickers on my tables with short and  precise instructions written on them.She reminded me about dates for the payments of my insurance policies,credit card balances,flight tickets ,marriage receptions –everything .She never took any leave .She knew everyone and everyone knew her .As a staff member put it the other day –she was a swiss knife .!!I remember travelling in the Czech Republic many years back .Suddenly I got a call from my good friend Ajit because he wanted some school related work at short notice and did not know I was abroad .I told him I would get back to him .I phoned up Nidhi –somewhere from some forest area near near Karlovy Vary .I tried to explain what I wanted for Ajit “Sir ,don’t worry ,I will get in touch with Ajit Sir and if need be will get in touch with you .How is your holiday going ?How is Maam ?And please enjoy yourself and don’t worry about anything”!!.And the work was done –even today I don’t know how she got it done without my signatures .!!That was Nidhi !!

.She was  fiercely loyal and incomparably brave .The school was challenged many  times ,but like Churchill she took the fight to the seas ,oceans,hills,grounds , trenches and beaches .She made sure that the school became a impregnable fortress safe from any attack. Anyone with less commitment would have taken the softer option and may have  colluded .The school had  mischievous elements within its own ranks .It had powerful people outside who wanted a stake in the glamorous brand .They tried to scratch the underbelly of the school –Nidhi –expecting it to be soft .But they were disappointed .They came up against a woman who was as  tough as nails .That is why her work needs to be chronicled and never forgotten .Any one who forgets that would only do it at their own risk .

She stood by the school and me through thick and thin .I remember the days when I fell ill and was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Delhi .The doctors had kept visitors away and were very strict about people meeting a seriously ill patient .The moment they became lenient  about visitors , Nidhi and Paayal drove down from Jaipur to meet me .My sister Indu asked me to guess who had come to meet me .With tubes all over and hardly being able to speak ,I blurted out ‘Nidhi-Paayal’.How did I know that ,she cooed ‘I knew they would come’, I said .I am sure they were shocked to see me in the state in which I was ,but lied  perhaps for the first time to me ‘Sir ,you look so good .You look perfectly fine’.!! And as always –I wanted to believe them .!!It was this complete faith in them that saw me fight many a battle and come out victorious .You cant succeed if your mind is cluttered with suspicion about people who work immediately next to you .That is what makes their jobs so important and valuable .That is why loyalty becomes so important in profiles of people who man your office .And they were dead honest .They would die rather than be dishonest .And they would die but not beg .They had loyalty, honesty and pride is huge quantities .How can anyone not be close to people like them?

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Paayal got married and surprisingly never came back even as a visitor to the school .Nidhi blossomed into a terrific resource and helped do nearly everything .There was not a thing she got wrong .She worked late ,she came early –her mantra was –finish the work .She was a regular on Sundays as well and I was forced to come to office ,because I felt guilty that she was sacrificing her Sunday and so should I ..The school had by now grown to  a strength of  3000 and more  .There was a teaching staff of nearly 200.

My time was drawing to a close .I left Jaipur .

I never went back to DPS Jaipur .Nidhi stayed on .I don’t know what happened in the two years that have gone by after I left.I met her only once in January last year when I had gone to Jaipur to attend a wedding .She appeared different .She had grown her hair long (she previously had very short hair –shorter than mine !!), the danglers were missing ,and did not appear to be too bothered about how she looked .But she  appeared disturbed .I am also told that she had started wearing sarees and jeans . !!She obviously was struggling with many issues.Working with different bosses can be very cruel and tough for a job like the one Nidhi was doing.Ask any I.A.S how he/she feels when a government changes.Its difficult to run with the hare and hunt with the hound .I could make out that she would not hang on –she was not the type to stay at a place that interrupted her breathing process.She left yesterday .Meticulous to the end she wrote a small note to me thanking me for everything .This blog is my reply to her note.

If and when I ever go to DPS Jaipur,then I would surely be reminded of these lines of Thomas Gray ,as I pass by the room where Nidhi and Paayal once  sat 

“Now fades the glimmering landscape on the  sight,

And all the air a solemn stillness holds,

Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight,

And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds;

Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire;
Hands, that the rod of empire might have sway'd,
Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre.” Thank you Nidhi for everything .I am glad i was not there to give you a farewell .It would have been like being in the midst of a raging storm .And for  me you were always a rainbow -never the storm .God bless ,