Date:18/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/18/stories/2008111857910200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Personal anecdotes and universal value of honesty

Staff Reporter

Savitri Ammal Oriental School celebrates its golden jubilee

— Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

HONOURING SERVICE: Savitri Ammal Oriental Higher Secondary School Secretary B. Madhavan confers the title of ‘Dharma Chintamani’ on Infosys Chairperson Sudha Murty at the golden jubilee celebrations of the school on Monday. She is flanked by District Education Officer R. Arumugam (left) and TNERC Chairman S. Kabilan.

Chennai: Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murty enthralled students of Savitri Ammal Oriental Higher Secondary School with personal anecdotes on the value of honesty at the golden jubilee celebrations of the school on Monday.

Ms. Murty told the students that they would have to learn to be forthright right from their schooldays. She narrated an incident that happened about 20 years ago when she went to buy postcards and stamps along with her son, who was then a little boy. The postmaster had, by mistake, returned change for Rs.100 when she had given only Rs.50.

Ms. Murty realised the mistake when she had reached home and asked her son to return the change immediately. “My son wanted to know why we should give the money back. I told him that taking something that did not belong to us was equal to theft,” she said. She encouraged students to succeed in their chosen field by dint of hard work and integrity and not “through connections.”

The school conferred the title of ‘Dharma Chintamani’ on Ms. Murty for her academic excellence, managerial skills and social service. She was felicitated by Daya Balu, grand daughter of K. Chandrasekharan, who was Secretary of the school during its formative years.

S. Kabilan, Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission Chairman, exhorted teachers to continue their dedicated service to the cause of education. Savitri Ammal Oriental Higher Secondary School, located in the Sanskrit College premises in Mylapore, was started on September 1, 1958 and presently has 950 students.

School Secretary B. Madhavan said that most of the students are from less-affluent families and are offered free education as the school is supported by State Government grants. Headmistress S. Manimekalai presented the school report.

Chief Educational Officer M. Palanisamy, Central Chennai District Educational Officer R. Arumugam and Meenakshi College principal K.V. Ramanamma also participated in the celebrations.

Students staged a play titled ‘Parvathi Kalyanam.’

Corrections and Clarifications

The caption of the accompanying photograph in a report "Personal anecdotes and universal value of honesty" (Chennai city, November 18, 2008, page 2) incorrectly referred to Ms. Sudha Murty as the Infosys Chairperson. She is, as mentioned in the text, the Infosys Foundation Chairperson.