26 May People with passion: the Bhandari family
In her ongoing series Hazel Ebenezer, Development Associate, Journalism, was asked to choose a Woodstock family for her latest People, Passion and Potential story. Hazel, a year ten student who began at Woodstock in ECP opted for the Bhandari family. Read her latest journal and see why this family was her choice to represent the People, Passion and Potential of Woodstock and the remarkable community in which we live and study.
What is a home? Is it a place you’ve been for years and made your own? Is it a place where everybody knows who you are and accepts you? Or is it a place where you feel secure enough to build your future and raise a family? For the Bhandari family, Woodstock meets all these criteria to qualify as their home.
Working here for half a century across two generations, the father and sons have become an integral part of the Woodstock community. And now a third generation of Bhandaris have joined our family as well! The Bhandaris are born and bred Mussoorie-ites and have been part of the Woodstock Community since 1962. Now, three generations later, Shailander and Dharmender Bhandari, working in the ICT Department, share their family’s story with us.
The senior Mr Bhandari worked as an assistant in the high school office until 2000, staying just long enough to see his older son, Shailander, join the school and work with him in the high school office. After working there for three- and- a-half years, he moved to the ICT section and is now the network manager for our school. Three years after Shailander joined the Woodstock Community, his younger brother, Dharmender, joined the ICT office.
Originally from Tehri, both these brothers studied in Mussoorie and are now settled here with their families. Though their childhood dreams were to join the Indian navy and the police force, they say that being staff at Woodstock is more than they ever wanted. Seeing Woodstock as a unique place that is undoubtedly home, their dreams now are that their kids will do well in this school, get ahead in life and achieve their dreams. Both Shailander and Dharmender love the variety, culture and diversity that Woodstock has and believe that, along with being the best international residential school in India, it is heading towards becoming a top IT school as well.
Completely dedicated to their jobs, these two sons make their father and their Woodstock family proud through their commitment to their job. Being known to have worked weekends and past school hours, they do their hardest to rectify crises that we complain over while sitting comfortably in our homes (you know you’ve done it!). Being born in Landour community hospital, working in Woodstock and having their children in ECP, and grades 4 and 6 of junior school, no one can question their place in the Woodstock family. Shailander also says that he doesn’t realise how much he loves it here until he’s gone and craves to come back.
They are truly a Woodstock family – a proud father, two hard working sons and four happy children, all part of the Woodstock community. Truly, there is nothing more that we could ask for. Woodstock has been touched and shaped by all the souls passing through it – whether a student, a staff member or alumni. And without each and every one of those people, it would not be the amazing place that it is today.
No Comments