Tribute to our Guru, the nonagenarian, Shri G D Kale Sir.

The day started with an extremely sad news - received in our Sainik School Batch group - that our beloved Guru, the nonagenarian, Shri G D Kale Sir, aged 91, had breathed his last, this morning around 10 AM. For all Ajeets – the students of the Sainik School Bijapur, where Kale Sir served as a teacher- Shri Kale Sir has always been that quintessential ‘Guru’, whose significance has been defined in that age old Sanskrit hymn; “Acharya Devo Bhava”. In the Indian traditions, the Guru (teacher) is equated with God and is placed on that same high pedestal, which is reverentially reserved for the Gods/goddesses in the Indian society. Kale Sir was that Guru, described in those times less Sanskrit scriptures, for all of us - the Ajeets – spanning all batches (1963-2022). He remained connected to every single Ajeet who studied and passed out from the Sainik School Bijapur, until his last breath. For every single Ajeet, Shri Kale Sir resonates with all those Gurus - Dronacharya, Kripacharya or Vashisth - who have been immortalised in our age old scriptures and so will he be for all of us and the entire Ajeets family. 

 He was a moving encyclopaedia, a computer in true sense, who strived all through his nine decades of his enduring life to create and continue to update an encyclopaedic data base of all the Ajeets, tracing them with their roll numbers, batch, year of passing out, date of birth, their current postings and many more data related to each and every Ajeet. He would call up most Ajeets and commandingly address each of them by their first name and most importantly with our roll numbers. He would make it a point to trace every single Ajeet and update their whereabouts in a database which he would share with respective batches.

 The Ajeets Alumni Association ( AAA) and the website of the Sainik School Bijapur alumni - www.ajeets.org which has connected all Ajeets, cutting across continents, owes its Genesis to our beloved Guru, who was befittingly felicitated during the Diamond Jubilee of our SSBJ at the hands of the Honourable President of India, late Pranab Mukherjee. Today every single groups of Ajeets - which are more than fifty for sure - have poured out their emotions and tributes to our beloved Guru and there was one point which was constant in remembrance of our Guru. Almost every one of the Ajeets had received a call from him which ensured that, even today, the Ajeets, stood up speaking to him on phone, such was the respect and reverence that he commanded from all of us all through his life. May 14, 2022, was the last major events of Ajeets - the Ajeets Knowledge Forum event - which Kale Sir attended. 

 I join the entire Ajeet fraternity in praying for the noble soul of our beloved Guru, father figure to all of us ( grand father to the youngsters) to rest in peace in the heavenly abode which is now home to him and May he continue to bless us all. Kale Sir and his memory and his unparalleled service to the Sainik School, Bijapur and to the AJEET Alumni Association will remain eternally etched in golden letters in the annals of the history of SSBJ. Ajeet Hain Abheet Hain.