SAMIR SHARMA
A Ecologist. An Organizer. A North Pointer.
NP 81 to 89
He was in the Laenen House (not the best of colours to be seen wearing but that’s another story) and during the final year also managed to win the 100 meters relay.
Everyone passed that year …ergo… everyone busy studying ….ergo…. no one to run ….ergo.… you do the math.
Anyway, as was the custom, he also got a “Sursum Corda” cake that, in his own words, was worse than Ghuramiya ko Mitha Roti. We probably have to take him at his word on that because he has never run since.
He was also in the school gymnastic team (a young Samir in white tights jumping on parallel bars… what more could the LC girls ask for.?) and he insists that this profile should mention that he has been very very flexible since then!
All throughout his LD life he bravely jumped through the Rings Of Fire on Independence Day Shows. Incase you are wondering, it wasn’t for the benefit of the LC girls but rather because of the fear of Mr Wangden Lama.
Whoever said “fear gave him wings.." probably knows Mr. Lama well.
If running the relays, jumping hoops and donning tights wasn’t enough he challenged his machismo ever further by played the role of a mother in the Centenary Nepali School Play. Who was the poor boy chosen to be the ‘son’?
Our very own Search Specialist Vishant Gurung. While on the set he was soundly scolded by Mrs Jiwan Kala for performing with his Naughty Boy shoes - in a saree!
The play however gave also him a glimpse of the human side of Mr. A.C. Rai who was the director and even (insert gasp here) cracked jokes on set… can u believe that??!!
He studied Science in St Joseph’s College at the +2 level and then pushed off to Chennai and Calcutta after that for graduation in 1991. There is no data available about whether he continued to don white tights and sarees while in Chennai & Calcutta.
He began his career as Asst. Administrator for the Maitreya Project in Bodhgaya in 1996 and lived in Bihar for the next 7 years becoming the Project Administrator and hobnobbing with the likes of Lalu Prasad, Sharad Yadav, Nitish Kumar and Richard Gere. (Julia however was a little busy to make it)
And for all you doubting Thomas’s there, for your kind information, Samir can speak perfect Bihari (Magadhi).
Ka bhaiya, gharwa na jaimey??? U figure that out yourself.
No Bihar story is ever complete without a mugging and Samir too got looted by dacoits at the project site and was made to live in pyjamas (???) for a week. The poor idiots took all their laptop bags and left behind the laptops…
Bihar hai bhaiya…computer samputar kaa cheej hai??? Hai???
Suitably chastened, he then organised the Kalachakra initiations for 3 consecutive years for His Holiness The Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya and that is where the Event Management skills were born. He says he owes a great deal of all his spirituality, beliefs and life skills to those days.
“Everyone needs believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer.” - Anon
Came back to Darjeeling in 2002 after 11 years of ‘banbash’ and started freelancing for Statesman Newspaper as a photo journalist (talk about diversity in portfolio). Started one of the first video studios in Darjeeling with NP batch mate Bhasker Thami called Studio69.
Bhasker apparently is still making sexy music videos with all those lovely chicks of Darj and Sikkim, and how could he not with a studio name so apt.
He also promoted Mantra and The Reincarnation and shot the first ever music video from Darjeeling to be aired on Channel Nepal ( Mantra’s Timi Bina).
He did numerous pro-bono work for all the music bands of Darjeeling -
“Samirda album cover ko lagi photo khichi dinos na…”
Joined Mercy Corps an American non profit org in Aug 2003 as Office Manager and worked in 12 villages around Darj on building community initiatives and energizing the rural youth.
In late 2003 he met Shasheesh and Ajoy and that, as the cliché, goes changed his life forever. They started the Darjeeling Carnival and the rest as they say is history…
He then initiated the Darjeeling Initiative, a group of like-minded locals, mostly in their youth, from diverse backgrounds, coming together with the aim to make a positive impact on the socio-economy of the Darjeeling Hills.
Taught photography to Mass Comm. students in St Joseph’s College for a short while in 2006 / 2007 and if you check you will probably find him still listed as one of the teachers of the department in the College Diary!
Started Darjeeling’s first ever Lounge Bar “OMNI” (http://omnilounge.blogspot.com) and was running it before heading for Dubai. (Talk about a concept for us in Dubai. All in favour raise your hands)
He is presently working in Dubai with IIR Middle East as Special Events
Coordinator, organizing Gala Dinners, Awards, Golf days, Fashion Shows and is apparently loving it. (How can anyone not love a job which involves fashion shows? Duh!!)
He loves to blog and is very passionate about photography and keen on development issues.
His strength (according to him) lies in initiating and energizing people for new ventures, networks and social causes.
He is happily married to Namrata (Loreto 89 batch) and thanks to all the gymnastics in school, is blessed with the most well behaved kids, Natasha & Nikunj who he misses like hell…
“You can take the boy away from North Point but you cannot take North Point away from the boy…”
Vishant says, Samir is : “…an energetic soul, talented, passionate about his job and could do
wonders with a bottle of booze”
and Norden adds; "Not old, not young....has to be cooked only in a pressure cooker (60 whistles) but still organised. That's Sam in Dubai
Amen to that.
SURSUM CORDA
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