Dr. Arvinder Sethi

Dr. Arvinder Sethi, Pen name ‘Pehchaan Soney Dr Arvinder (N.D),’ All India Lyness Chandrajyot Secretary (Activity), Psychodynamic Psychotherapist, counselor, and social reformer empowering underprivileged women, students, and youth. All with a smile.

Dr. Arvinder’s story in her own words:

"I am second among my four siblings, blessed to have been born to doting parents, Iqbal Singh Sethi and Perduman Kaur. My Daddy was a decorated Indian Navy veteran who served for 20 years, from 1949 to 1969. He was honoured for his role in the 1961 Goa Liberation War and the 1965 India–Pakistan War.

We moved to Chembur after Daddy retired from the Indian Navy in 1969. The reason we came to Chembur was that we’d been allotted two barracks in lieu of our Rawalpindi haveli when my Daddy’s family migrated to India during the partition.

I was not even six years old back then, and today, after 57 years, I’m still a proud Chemburkar. In fact, I never left this place, not even after my marriage.

My schooling began at Kendriya Vidyalaya (Colaba), as Daddy was serving in the Indian Navy, where I completed my Junior KG. Then Daddy got transferred to Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in 1967, so I completed my Senior KG and first standard there, from the first batch of Kendriya Vidyalaya (Andaman and Nicobar). In 1969, after we moved to Chembur, I joined St. Sebastian’s High School directly in second standard and studied there till I completed SSC in 1978. For junior college, I went to AFAC Junior College and completed my graduation from Khalsa College, Matunga.

I remember, during our childhood days, we used to walk from our house in the barracks to where Cubic Mall stands today. The roads wore an empty look then, no autorickshaws, no bikes, few private vehicles, and absolutely no traffic. Daddy would say, “Yaha par Basant Talkies banega.” (Nadiadwala Studio used to be behind it.) And within a few years, Basant Talkies was ready in the early 1970s.

The first movie released there was the mythological Bollywood film Sampoorna Ramayana, and the second was a Hollywood film, Where Eagles Dare. From then on, every Sunday, Daddy took us there to watch blockbusters. Laurel and Hardy, Crazy Boys, and many more.