by Katherine Allen
December 1-2, 2012
When I arrived with my family at William Bissell’s Sewari farm house near the school on Thursday evening, Nov 29th via Udaipur,Sandeep Dutt, new Chairman and Executive Director of the BAT Board was there to greet us and join us for dinner. This was my first time meeting Sandeep in person and we spent the following four days becoming good friends, enjoying the various 20th anniversary events with each other’s company. Immediately I was impressed by Sandeep’s dedication to the school and deep interest in getting to know everyone involved from top to bottom.
During his visits to the school over the past two months since he joined the BAT Board, and throughout his 5 days at the school during the 20th celebration, Sandeep amazed me by his approach. He took the time to personally sit with every possible stakeholder related to the school: faculty, staff, students, parents, local school board members, alumni, special guests and local politicians. He made himself accessible to all with the utmost respect and appreciation for everyone’s opinions, trying to fully understand the past and current situation of the school. He even went so far as visiting other schools in the area to understand the caliber of local talent and teaching methods. Our talks together about his findings and suggestions for improvement gave me great respect for his approach, insights and integrity. My time with Sandeep left me with great hope for the future of the school.