AMIT NEWTON DOHA THE new, plush, hi-tech and sprawling campus of Birla Public School was inaugurated in the presence of School Patron Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al Thani and School Founders, Basant Kumar Birla and Sarala Birla, in Doha, on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, octogenarian philanthropist Dr Sarla Birla expressed joy at the growth of the school, the seeds of which her husband and she planted eight years ago. “We need to take the present generation of students to a level at which the world will sit up and take note of them. When I see Birla Public School and the work being done here, I feel very happy,” she said.

School Patron Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al Thani (also the secretary-general of the Qatar Olympic Committee) lauded the efforts of the school management and of all others involved in the construction of the new 20,000 square metre school building. “Without hard work and application, you can’t achieve anything. This building is proof of that,” he said to resounding audience applause.

He also congratulated the school for the exponential growth it had witnessed in the last eight years, where it began with just 230 students, to now boast of a strength of 6,200 and a huge waiting list of those wishing to get in.

Earlier, in a simple but tastefully conducted ceremony, the new school building, as also the Basant Kumar Birla Auditorium – where the evening’s proceedings were conducted – was inaugurated by unveiling plaques.

Doing the honours were Sheikh Saoud, BK and Sarla Birla, the Indian Ambassador to Qatar HE Deepa Goplan Wadhwa, and the board of directors of the school governing body.

Congratulating the Birla Public School fraternity, Wadhwa expressed happiness at the well-rounded personalities of its students, saying how today’s times demanded it and not scholastic aptitude alone. “What this building says is that if you have a dream and make an effort, you can achieve it,” she said.

Earlier, welcoming guests and dignitaries to the function, Principal AK Shrivastava expressed heart-felt thanks to all those who contributed to the new school building.

Gracing the ceremony were Board of Governors’ Chairman CV Rappai, First Chairman Dr Mohan Thomas, Vice-Chairman L Chacko, Finance Director Aarti Oberoi, Member Gope Shahani and Governing Council Member RK Dalmiya, among others.

Later, a cultural programme was held in honour of the visiting dignitaries and to mark the occasion. Put up by the school students, it was a wonderful depiction of India’s cultural mosaic.