Bidding Adieu

Bidding Adieu

                               (Excerpts of the Head Girl’s Farewell Address)

Hon'ble Headmaster, Mr. Navin Kumar Dixit, DHM Mr. Anil Bajaj, distinguished guests, dear teachers, the farewell planning committee, and my fellow peers—a very good evening.

To recount twelve years at YPS is both a daunting and cherished task. How do I begin to summarize the place that shaped not just my education but my very sense of self? And yet, here I stand, hoping my words will do justice to this journey.

To begin with an intriguing fact—if all the DNA in our body were unravelled and laid end to end, it would stretch over 10 billion miles, far beyond the solar system. Imagine that: within each of us lies a universe of endless potential. We are, indeed, cosmic.

This is what YPS has taught me—to go beyond boundaries, to reach for the stars. Whether we were preparing for debates, or writing college essays, we were always dreaming and daring to imagine what’s possible.

But reaching for the stars isn’t easy. It takes guidance, support, and sheer willpower. And for that, we owe our deepest gratitude to our teachers.

Newton did more than contemplate the fall of an apple; he revealed the force of gravity, Kapil sir, thank you for unveiling the mysteries of physics and reminding us that we are all stardust—uncertain but full of potential.

To study the composition of matter was possible only because Bajaj sir guided us through organic chemistry equations, while Deepa ma'am turned chaotic lab experiments into enlightening discoveries.

Mathematics, too, was never just about numbers. Thapliyal sir and Sukhneet ma'am, thank you for making calculus and probability effortless and for tolerating my most silly errors of addition and subtraction.

Parveen sir, you showed us how to navigate the technological world, while Sukhman ma’am, you helped us dissect the workings of the mind. From being under Neha ma'am’s care in Class I to having Sanjay sir as my class teacher for the past two years, my heartiest gratitude to all my fond class teachers who have been my guidepost.

Language found a new meaning under Navin sir’s guidance. It wasn’t until our last English class, when sir read Malcolm’s words, “Thank you to one and to all,” that I realized how much I would give for just one more lesson from our very own Shakespeare. Mangat ma’am, thank you for every opportunity that made my years at YPS better by inches and miles.

There were countless teachers whose interactions brought simple joys—the sheer gladness of answering Duggal sir’s questions correctly or discovering the significance of archives and folklore through HKD ma’am, and learning from Sukhpal sir when acting as the ‘Amma’ in the Punjabi play, or when crafting sundials under Rahul Sir.

Thank you, teachers, for bringing so much light into our lives.

A few months ago, shortly after I became Head Girl, a seventh-grader approached me and asked if she could wear my badge for just a moment. "It’s your childhood asking you," she said. In that moment, I saw my own journey unfold—one of seeking growth and having the time of my life. I thought back to my starry-eyed first-grade self, when expression meant reciting poems at the amphitheatre, knowing nothing beyond simple words. Now, here I stand, still starry-eyed but filled with gratitude and nostalgia, trying to make sense of time and memory.

I remember years of recitation, debating, making art, reading, writing, and simply learning. But, I assure you, this isn’t the last time I stand before the Yadavindrian family  to speak.

Well, it all passed by soon, as we are at the cusp of new beginnings, we question - where does this all lead? What will become of us? It leads to each other. We become ourselves. We forge bonds of friendship as we step forward as the ISC Class of 2025.

These memories are made even more precious by the kindness and camaraderie of friends – be it stressing before examinations or rushing to tea-counters during breaks.  

And the stars are ever within our reach.

As I conclude, let me borrow Margaret Atwood’s words:

"Eating fire is your ambition:

to swallow the flame down take it into your mouth

and shoot it forth, a shout or an incandescent tongue,

a word exploding from you in gold, crimson,

unrolling in a brilliant scroll.

To be lit up from within, vein by vein,

To be the sun."

Class of 2025, I wish you the gold and brilliance of the sun. But above all, I wish you joy.

Thank you so much.

This is Divroop Kaur Sandhu, your Head Girl for 2024-25, officially signing off.