Change has brought us to Panchgani - a hill station in the Sahyadris. The Sahyadris are the northern part of the Western Ghats, so automatically there is a connection with Lovedale, which lies in the Nilgiris, and which is towards the southern part of the Western Ghats. You cannot escape this connection - it is everywhere and affects all people. Billimoria High School, Panchgani, where life has brought us, reminds us a lot of Lawrence School, Lovedale. Not in the tangibles, so much as in the intangibles. The same fresh, clean air, the towering eucalyptus and the mighty silver oaks - some of them really ancient. You again feel the connection with those that have gone before, who walked under these trees, who read and studied here, and who made this their home for many years. We need to learn from the old. Not to emulate what has gone before, but from what it teaches us. This, I guess, is where the challenge lies - to blend the old with the new. Not to look back in regret, but to look forward in hope; not to bend under the weight of tradition, but to use the weight of tradition to soften the contours of the new. Nature is the best and only teacher we have, and this is the best gift that we can ever give our children - to appreciate, love, nurture and draw their strength and inspiration from Nature. As teachers, we are mere facilitators in the learning process of children. If we can surround our children with the force and beauty of nature, they will better absorb the subjects that we assault their senses with. We are all creatures of Nature. Somewhere along the way, we adults seem to forget this. We allow ourselves to get caught in the illusory trappings of daily living, and the even more illusory trappings of money. Yes, the basis of all life is the economics of it, but we must never, ever, allow this to replace or take us away from the soil and air and trees and flowers and birds......The best part of the day is the early morning, when it is still dark, and the dawn is flickering on the horizon. Allow the whooshing sounds of the swaying trees and leaves in. They will clean out all the recesses of your heart, even the darkest corners. Tune your heart and mind to the birds, and let your soul rise with the notes they warble. You would have given your soul the nourishment it needs for the whole day. You will be able to face whatever challenge life throws at you, and if, at the end of the day you feel down, you know that when you wake up, you can once again draw from the bounty of Nature, for Nature will never let you down. She will pick you up, fill your heart with beauty and reality, and send you off on your way, to live another day.