[ Bengia Ajum ]

YAZALI, 7 Aug: Prem Raj Tyagi, a former student of the Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) here in Keyi Panyor district, recently travelled all the way from New Jersey, USA, to visit his alma mater.

During the visit, he not only interacted with the students and teaching staff but also donated sports kits to the school along with his friends.

Prem Raj Tyagi studied at GHSS Yazali from 1991 to 1997 and passed Class 12 from the school.

His father, SC Tyagi, a TGT (social science), served as a teacher at GHSS Yazali from 1991 to 1998 and retired from service in 2016.

After completing his higher studies, the younger Tyagi moved to the USA and is currently employed at Optum Technologies Inc (UnitedHealth Group), New Jersey, as director of software engineering. He oversees several critical platform migration initiatives with teams spread across the globe.

However, his longing for his alma mater and his love for Yazali brought him back to the state where the journey of his life began.

"Returning to GHSS Yazali, our alma mater, was an incredibly emotional and humbling experience. This is the place where our dreams took shape, our values were nurtured, and the foundation of our lives was built," Tyagi told this daily.

He said it was an emotional moment to walk through the same corridors where he had studied and where his father had taught.

"It was a privilege to walk through the same corridors once again and reconnect with the place that gave us so much. We will always remain grateful to GHSS Yazali, and it will be our honour to support and contribute to our alma mater in any way we can in the future. Once a student, always a part of the GHSS Yazali family," he added.

He also credited Dr Joram Muthu, Joint Director of Higher and Technical Education, who has been his friend since their school days, for making the visit possible.

"I received so much love from everyone. It was a true honour to meet our respected Principal Taba Nepa, the dedicated teaching staff, and the bright students. Sharing our journey and experiences with them brought back countless cherished memories and reminded us that no matter how far life takes us, we can never forget our roots," said Tyagi.

He also said that he looks forward to visiting GHSS Yazali again in the future, and added that the school would always remain close to his heart.