Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray goes down memory lane; regales audience with school tales

It is very rare that the Chief Minister of a state gets a break from the rough and tumble of political life. Such an opportunity presented itself to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray on Monday afternoon when he visited his alma mater Balmohan Vidyamandir. On this occasion, he along with his Cabinet colleague Jayant Patil were felicitated.

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Deriving its name from Lokmanya Tilak's first name 'Bal' and Mahatma Gandhi's 'Mohan(das)', this renowned school has produced several distinguished alumni such as Amol Palekar, Raj Thackeray, Sandeep Patil, Asha Bhosle, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, and Poonam Mahajan. While Uddhav Thackeray passed out in 1976, Jayant Patil followed suit in 1977. During an informal interaction with another alumnus Ajit Bhure, Thackeray made a candid admission about how he would help his classmates copy during his school days.  

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Reliving school memories

Recalling a hilarious incident, Thackeray stated that one boy was so “perfect” that he even copied the name of the other boy while reproducing an essay on ‘Myself’. Thereafter, he fondly remembered the invaluable contribution of Dadasaheb Rege, the school founder. According to the Maharashtra CM, Rege helped develop their personality and taught them to distinguish between right and wrong.  

He also revealed that his father Balasaheb Thackeray had postponed his schooling by a year after he raised tantrums while going to school on the first day. To the amazement of the audience, the Shiv Sena chief remembered the names of class toppers and achievers of the school. Thereafter, Patil claimed that he reassured his party NCP on Uddhav Thackeray’s name for the Chief Ministerial post owing to his belief that a Balmohan Vidyamandir alumnus would never sully the name of his school.  

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Besides the teachers, staff, and management, around 75-80 batchmates of the two leaders listened to this free-flowing interaction. The Maharashtra CM’s wife Rashmi and son Aaditya Thackeray were seen smiling in the front row. After the felicitation ceremony, Thackeray and Patil had a brief interaction with the classmates and other people present there. 

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