The Four Houses

Apart from being divided into various classes, Sem was also divided into four houses. We just loved being identified with our respective houses and enjoyed competing with each other. Sometimes it was more than just competition- it was a brutal fight till the end for the winner's shield. Man! How we swelled with pride on being awarded the 'Cock House' shield at the end of an academic session. Winning a race on Sports Day(Annual Athletic Meet) was an honour.

The four houses and their motto:-

Pant(Green) House - Ever to Excel
Nehru(Yellow) House - Faithful and Brave
Tagore(Red) House - Onwards and Upwards
Gandhi(Blue) House - Act Manfully

The houses were formerly named as St. Patricks(Pant), St. Francis(Nehru), St. Pauls(Tagore) and St. Peters(Gandhi.)

How many of us still remembered the motto of our respective houses? I am sure not many. And this is what this blog is all about- Remembering the days and ways of our Alma Mater, the Good Old Sem.

I was in Nehru House. During my days in Sem(1991-1998), it was Pant House that generally stood first in various competitions.

Interaction with Ex-Students

During my time in St. Joseph's College, Nainital we had not many but some interactions with the ex-students in the form of football matches. I still remember the day when the students from the ICSE' 94 batch visited Sem in 1998 during the football season- 19 June 1998 to be precise- to play football against the College 'A' team. According to the excerpts of my personal diary, the Semites won by 4 goals to 3. Kuldeep Negi, Piyush Bisht and Manish Upadhaya were amongst the '94 batch that had come to SJC.  What was surprising was that not all of them were star footballers during their stint in Sem. This evidently showed how they loved Sem and loved to play on the field where it had all started.

Interactions such as these are always important and welcome in our Alma Mater. Perhaps, ex-students can go beyond the football matches to interact with the students in Sem and also guide them in choosing their career and in pursuing their dreams. One can easily infer from the Sem Yahoo group that Ex-Semites are not too happy with the recent tidings in Sem.

However, what are the old boys doing? A Trust for Sem is underway to ensure proper and effective participation from ex-students to help regain the glory of Sem. This is going to be an epoch-making event in the annals of Sem's history. Let's wish the Trust all the luck and hope it achieves what it plans to in the coming years.
Certa Bonum Certamen.

The investiture programme for the Board of Trustees is being held on 23 January 2012 at Taj Palace, New Delhi. Ex-students who wish to know more or meet the Trustees may contact Mick Hogg via email at mick@projectlighting.com.au