Nandita Parekh

“I was born into a close-knit family with a broadminded father, a strong and loving mother, and an adorable elder sister.”

The siblings, Amita and Nandita, barely two years apart, were inseparable. They went to the same school, the same college, pursued the same profession, had a common group of friends, and even shared the same wardrobe. Amita did an articleship in the same firm, stood All India sixth in CA Entrance and fourth in CA Final. Life took them on the same trajectory till Nandita got married to a CA, just as Amita had done. “I reveled in all hand-me-downs - clothes and books. Having books underlined by Amita and having her solve all doubts made the gold medal achievable.”

The days were rich and memorable, many of which had to do with their father’s travel, photography, and music interests. Pradeep Shah frequently took them around, shot photos in his Rolleiflex, and filled the house with melodious music. “We used to host musical evenings, where our family friends would gather late evening and sing songs till the wee hours of the morning.”

Nandita went to The New Era School, a place where both her parents had studied.

“We were taught in our mother tongue, Gujarati, till Grade 5 and slowly transitioned to English, one subject a year, while retaining Gujarati as a higher-level language.”

There were no exams until Grade 8, which meant kids never fought over ranks and always enjoyed learning. Prominent people addressed the assembly: poets, freedom fighters, journalists, and sportspersons.

Yes, some of these were boring to the young ones, but a few things stuck in the deep recesses of their mind and became lifelong habits.

It helped Nandita build her identity and thoughts.

There was a lot of encouragement to go on-stage: poetry recitations, debates, quizzes, and drama, not to speak of summer camps and field trips. Nandita vividly remembers one such outing where they visited Thakurwadi, a village in interior Maharashtra, and learned how the tribal community lives there. It was experiential learning at its very best.

“The school encouraged diverse activities amidst an environment of secularism, gender equality, and social responsibility.

The school was fun with unusual bonding experiences between students and teachers, stargazing, campfire performances, late-night truants, nature trails, bird watching, and more. It nurtured Nandita’s interest in the simple pleasures of life, in nature, and in travel.”

No one had much of an inkling of her academic brilliance until she wrote the class X board exam, where she finished 49th in the State.