ROYAL VALUES

The year was 1958….. It was my cricketing debut, and I was preparing to open the innings for Royal Primary School, when our master in charge of cricket,
Mr William drew our attention to a Board erected outside the boundary line. It had the following all familiar inscription on it.

“When the one great scorer comes to write against your name, he writes not that you won or lost, but how you played the game.”

Fifty one years later, on the 4th of January 2009, I stood alongside my classmates of Royal’s Group of ‘59 at the Navarangahala Hall, at a memorial service, in solemn remembrance of fifteen departed colleagues, and realized the extent to which that priceless inscription had influenced the lives of my fellow Royalists and me.

True to our watchword “DISCE AUT DISCEDE”, we learnt of books and of men, and most importantly we learnt to play the challenging games of life, keeping our cherished values intact.

We learnt when we were barely knee high to our Teachers, to differentiate between right and wrong …….. and that the two could never meet.

We learnt to emulate the strong, but didn’t forget to protect the weak.

We learnt that every right implied a responsibility and that effective leadership required exemplary conduct.

We learnt that success in governance, in any field, was synonymous with accountability.

We learnt that not all men are just……… not all men are true….. but we also learnt that for every scoundrel, there was a hero.

We learnt that a life with dignity, required integrity.

We learnt when we stumbled, to ascertain why we fell, and not look at where we fell.
We learnt to be gracious in defeat and humble in victory.
We learnt that next to life, God’s most precious gift to us was our conscience.

We learnt that there was no greater peace of mind, as the contentment reposed in a clear conscience.

As we approach that prestigious and phenomenal landmark of 175 years in 2010, we Royalists past and present can all rise as one, and say proudly to our fathers, “YES SIRS,……… WE KEPT THY FAME INVIOLATE”

May that one great scorer continue his writing………


S SKANDAKUMAR