An old boy reflects on how his school trained him to be a scholar, sportsman and a gentleman.

Last Sunday, I attended the Victoria Institution Old Boy's Association (VIOBA) Annual Dinner cum Fund Raiser. Held in the school's quadrangle, the annual dinner coincided with the 2015 Tattoo which consisted of performances by the school's uniformed bodies, including the famed VI band.

Victorians, past and present were on site. As I under the porch past the main hall, I ran into various luminaries of the school, among them, Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam, former Deputy Secretary-General of the Finance Ministry; Tan Sri Zulhasnan Rafique, former Federal Territories Minister; and Dato' Yusli Yusoff, former Bursa Malaysia Chairman.

Also present were Tan Sri Mani "Flying Doctor" Jegathesan, who was once upon a time Asia's fastest man; Datuk Sieh Kok Chi, Honorary Secretary of the Malaysian Olympic Council; as well as Nur Adrina Mokhtar, daughter of the late Mokhtar Dahari, legendary Malaysian footballer (and after Tuesday's 5-1 trashing by Vietnam, we certainly need someone like him back in the midst).

The annual dinner's theme was 'Honouring Sports Personalities', and these Victorians, as well as those mentioned above, have certainly left their mark in Malaysian sporting history.

Observing all these amazing Victorians, I couldn't help but feel proud to be associated with them. The school's motto is "To Be A Sportsman, Scholar and Gentlemen". Sure enough, many Victorians are deserving of those labels.

During the dinner, I sat with Ms. Shanti Purushothman, who is into her 19th year at VI. She was my English teacher who was also in charge of the VI drama team. Back in 2003, she coached us the way to the national championship. We beat many renowned schools, Convent Bukit Nanas being one of them (St John's was never a worry).

The victory required a lot of hardwork and sacrifice. Long hours were spent after school rehearsing and preparing. Ms Shanti did our make-up, helped us get our costumes (some of the boys had to wear bras - it was a boys school after all but our play had female characters) and prepared our props. She was with us 99% of the time.

I recall that during a class, one of the boys used the f-word. It wasn't aimed at Ms Shanti but a classmate. And it wasn't malicious, but in jest. You know, the discovery and usage of curse words was cool at that age.

Nevertheless, Ms Shanti would have none of it. For the next half an hour, she went on a (well-intended) tirade about manners, respect and proper usage of the English language. Most of us were surprised (we don't usually see that side of her) but the message was well drilled - never effing use the f-word.

Anyway. some way through the VI band's performance of Indiana Jones (which was quite impressive), Ms Shanti had to leave for home. "So soon?" I asked.

"Yeah. I cannot leave too late. Seremban awaits, and it'll still take me about an hour by cab and bus to reach home," she replied (she doesn't drive).

I had forgotten that she lives in Seremban and that it was almost 11pm on a Sunday night with Monday's duties a few hours away. We bid farewell to each other.

After she left, a realisation hit me. Who I am, and will become, has been influenced by Ms Shanti, as well as all my teachers in VI. From Cikgu Darlilah, the science teacher who never let us lean our heads against our hands for it was a sign of laziness "Kepala atas leher!" ("Heads only on necks!") she'd shout as us; to Pn Jeya, the physics teacher who knew I was an arts person despite taking pure science (When I scored badly she'd look at me, smile and say "It's OK, Danial. I understand. We can work harder together"); and to Ustaz Ridhwan, the history teacher infamous for his 'Quiz Maut' (the Death Quiz - which had nothing to do with death but involved us running the length of the quadrangle with our chairs for failing to answer history questions - but was effective), all of them played a role.

So, as I again looked at the Victorians, old and new, who were present that night, I felt a greater sense of appreciation for the teachers who were there for them.

I realised that becoming a 'Sportsman, Scholar, and Gentlemen' was not only a school motto, but the mantra that would drive VI's teachers, who are very much Victorians in their own right. May the new Victorians, match with old Victorians. And belated happy Teachers Day, to all my teachers.

Danial Rahman was at the V.I. from 2000 to 2004. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Incorporated (ASLI), a non-partisan not-for-profit think-tank, owned and governed by the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation. Having started his career as a human rights and constitutional law lawyer, Danial's professional journey has traversed policy, education, media and technology.

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