All about a girl: ‘Still remember that first day — there was complete silence when I walked into the class’

Shekinah, 18, volition beryllium the archetypal miss to postgraduate from the schoolhouse successful implicit 50 years. Ask her however pugnacious it was to beryllium the lone miss past successful a schoolhouse of implicit 200 boys, and she says, “Of course, it was pugnacious — for the boys.”

Before Shekinah, the past a miss had been successful the schoolhouse was successful 1969. “Shekinah is not the archetypal miss kid we person had. The archetypal miss pupil we had was successful 1940 and past we had others, they were each unit children. But aft 1969 determination was a agelong spread of implicit 50 years earlier Shekinah joined,” says headmaster S K Tyagi.

Set up successful 1926 by Colonel William Brown, an Irish service officer, and his wife, the schoolhouse volition beryllium celebrating its 100 years successful 2 years. It counts among its alumni erstwhile PM V P Singh, histrion Joy Mukherjee, euphony composer Madan Mohan and, much recently, world TV prima and dentist-turned-singer Meiyang Chang.

Shekinah Mukhiya with her member Enosh astatine their Dehradun home. (Express photograph by Devyani Onial)

Shekinah inactive remembers that archetypal day. “There was implicit soundlessness erstwhile I walked into the class. Not 1 lad seemed to cognize rather however to respond to this caller carnal successful their habitat. Then, the boys made immoderate adjustments, arsenic did I. To beryllium honest, we are inactive making them. But I consciousness it was harder for them than it was for me. They were successful their ain zone, and past I came,” says Shekinah.

Her classmate interjects. “We speech to her, we chit-chat. In the opening we were a spot shy, what should we accidental successful beforehand of her, we had to negociate that. Now we are managing well, we are friends. She’s similar america only,” says Asad Ansari.

“What bash you mean conscionable similar you,” laughs Shekinah. “Maybe she’s go excessively overmuch similar them,” quips her begetter Vikas Mukhiya.

For him, her leaving the country messy is 1 of the things that puts her successful the boys’ club. She whitethorn beryllium 1 of them, but determination are things she misses astir not being astir girls. The creation of conversation, for one.

Shekinah’s begetter Vikas Mukhiya, a teacher, shows a video of her quality successful a world TV show. (Express photograph by Devyani Onial)

Shekinah, who was named by a household person and whose sanction means ‘glory of god’ successful Hebrew, says, “Boys tin conscionable speech connected 1 taxable astatine a time, portion girls tin determination from 1 taxable to another. Also, boys don’t spell into topics in-depth, portion girls are much astir the details.”

“Initially, the boys would little their dependable erstwhile I would travel adjacent and alteration the taxable of discussion. Any lad I would beryllium adjacent to oregon prosecute successful a speech for agelong would beryllium the butt of relentless teasing later. But soon capable it each settled down,” says Shekinah, who wears the aforesaid azygous arsenic the boys — greenish trousers, green-and-white striped shirt, and achromatic shoes.

Over the years, they person some learnt a spot of give-and-take. The boys person learnt not to curse astir her and she has learnt however to springiness them narration advice. “They inquire maine however to speech to girls they similar and I counsel them arsenic if I cognize everything,” laughs Shekinah, who is passionate astir singing, and has been a portion of a fig of concerts and world shows.

Shekinah with her classmates astatine the school. (Express photograph by Devyani Onial)

Music, successful fact, is what led her to Colonel Brown School. After participating successful Voice India Kids, a singing world TV competition, successful Delhi and Mumbai, and winning a golden medal successful Superstar Singer connected Sony TV astatine the property of 11, erstwhile Shekinah returned to Dehradun, the schoolhouse she was attending past refused to beforehand her from Class 6 to the adjacent citing debased attendance.

“I had specified a pugnacious clip getting immoderate schoolhouse to judge her adjacent though we are teachers. It was precise disheartening,” says Mukhiya.

He and his woman yet turned to Colonel Brown, wherever helium taught euphony and she taught History and English but which they hadn’t considered antecedently since it was a boys’ school. The schoolhouse opened its schoolroom to Shekinah. Now, aft her, 3 much girls, each children of unit members, person joined the school.

The schoolhouse excessively had to marque immoderate adjustments. The greeting assembly astatine the schoolhouse that began with the words “Good greeting boys” was tweaked to “Good greeting students,” successful deference to their caller ward. “She’s precise level-headed, assured and competitive. Her parents unrecorded connected the schoolhouse premises, truthful she’s rather astatine location here, literally,” says Tyagi.

Another peculiar proviso made for her, says Anil Sharma, a teacher and location master, was to let her to usage the unit country toilet arsenic determination was nary abstracted washroom for girls.

The boys and the girl, meanwhile, person learnt to marque immoderate changes. “Before I came, each the miss roles were played by boys. Even aft I joined, the boys inactive played pistillate roles. There are definite boys who privation to play pistillate parts. I excessively play antheral parts,” says Shekinah.

Shekinah with her member Enosh and their parents, Vikas and Deera, some teachers astatine Colonel Brown School. (Express photograph by Devyani Onial)

There whitethorn beryllium a level playing tract erstwhile it comes to theatre and music, but competing with boys successful sports is tough, says Shekinah, taking a interruption aft kicking immoderate shot with her classmates.

“When it comes to sports, I judge the boys play it harmless erstwhile I play with them. I utilized to play hoops and I observed that erstwhile I was not connected court, they would play ace rough. When I would join, past the harmless mode would travel on,” says Shekinah.

Her father, meanwhile, has been watching her back. The boys successful schoolhouse person had their stock of crushes connected her and a pupil from Thailand adjacent projected to her. “I told him you spell and found yourself, and travel back,” laughs Mukhiya.

A singer, instrumentalist and lawsuit manager, Mukhiya gave up his occupation arsenic a euphony teacher astatine the schoolhouse to enactment her singing and travel her to concerts and recordings extracurricular Dehradun.

“Initially, we were worried. We would inquire teachers to support an oculus retired for her, but it’s been fine. The schoolhouse has been precise supportive,” says Mukhiya who, on with Shekinah, has been utilizing their euphony to rise funds for societal causes, beryllium it for a cancer diligent successful Mumbai oregon a widow with nary enactment successful Dehradun oregon a beleaguered schoolhouse successful a colony successful Kalimpong.

But helium does inactive deliberation astir what she whitethorn person missed retired connected by being successful an all-boys’ school. “I consciousness atrocious sometimes that I couldn’t springiness her that atmosphere, I often deliberation astir what she has missed by not having girls astir her oregon by being successful a co-ed school,” helium says.

Shekinah, meanwhile, is engaged balancing her studies with her music. “Though her attendance is ne'er much than 50-60 per cent owed to her euphony commitments, she’s been a topper each done including successful her Class 10 boards, wherever she scored the highest successful the schoolhouse astatine 95.6 per cent. The expectations from her are precocious but determination is nary unit from our broadside arsenic we spot arsenic overmuch value connected euphony arsenic connected studies,” adds her parent Deera.

Shekinah, who likes Queen, The Beatles, Elvis and, person home, Amit Trivedi, is looking astatine a vocation successful music. (Express photograph by Devyani Onial)

Shekinah, who likes Queen, The Beatles, Elvis and, person home, Amit Trivedi, is looking astatine a vocation successful music, having done a duet with Shaan, sung for Himesh Reshammiya and having worked with well-known euphony directors, including Anand Milind and Shamir Tandon. She has 136K subscribers connected YouTube and 166K followers connected Instagram.

Her begetter and she are moving connected an medium that they anticipation to instrumentality retired erstwhile she completes school. Till then, it’s backmost to people and the casual banter with the boys that has not changed successful the past fewer years.

“The lone happening is that present the boys person changeable up to 6 feet and I americium astatine 4’11”. So I get ragged astir that by them, particularly erstwhile they spot maine wearing Size 4 shoes sold by a kids’ brand,” she laughs.