Doon Online - The Rosebowl Dec 31st, 2000 - 11 Headmaster’s Founder’s Day Speech

The Rosebowl Dec 31st, 2000

If there is an area in the school’s activities which has won respect both in and outside, it is our social service programme. The year under review saw a proliferation in the number of projects undertaken and we are proud of the commitment shown by our boys in this regard. In April a contingent of 35 boys accompanied by Dr. Joshi and Mr. Chalasani, worked in Batoli village towards building a community centre with the assistance of members of the Himalyan Trust. We have an ongoing interest in this village and are working in liaison with the NGO in acquiring land for resettling displaced villagers and arranging means to generate a sustainable livelihood for them. Another group of 16 boys accompanied by Dr. Saraswati and Mr. Dargan, went to Orissa in aid of people affected by the Orissa cyclone in April 2000. Participants built a classroom and carried out community services in the area. We also surveyed the area for the next phase of our project in December, when we will be joined by representatives of Round Square Schools around the world. We had the assistance of Round Square International in district Ukhimath last December and worked on building an earthquake resistant hall for use as a class room and vocational centre. I would like to place on record our appreciation of the initiative shown by Dr. Madhav Saraswat, of our teaching staff, in coordinating all these welfare projects.

In September this year Dr. Saraswat and the Headmaster accompanied by 7 boys were delegates at the Round Square Conference in Apple by College, Canada, between the 29th September and 5th October. The valuable experience of interacting with communities from five continents was augmented by inspirational talks by speakers who had faced personal challenges and initiated change around the world.

Exploring the value of exposure overseas 18 boys undertook exchange programmes with schools in Australia, New Zealand, UK, Canada, Germany and Cyprus and we received students from UK and Australia. Among teachers Miss Jenifer Hewson, formerly teaching in the Netherlands, is teaching English in our D and C Forms. We had a brief reciprocal exchange program with Millfiled School in the UK when Dr. Jeremy Hill taught Chemistry here in August and Mr. Deepak Sharma of our Economics Department was at Millfield for a month.

Continuing another cherished tradition of the school, a mountaineering expedition set out on its annual adventure at the end of My. On the 12th of June Justin Burrett, Sahil Kapoor, Pranav Chanchani and Tapas Biala, along with Dr. S.C. Biala and Mr. Pankaj Joshi, climbed a peak at 19000 feet. The following day the seniors, Karan Singh and Varun Sharma, accompanied by Dr. Biala and Dr. Shukla climbed Kalidhang at 20,8000 feet. We would like our boys and masters to know how deeply our community appreciates their commitment to mountaineering. It will be recalled that half a century ago masters and students of the school were the pioneers of Indian mountaineering. We will shortly be able to commemorate 50 years of mountaineering. We will shortly be able to commemorate 50 years of mountaineering with the Doon School in a book that is to be published at the initiative of Mr. Nalni Jayal, and edited by Amir Ali, entitled, ‘For Hills to Climb’.

An Assembly Prayer asks for hills to climb and hard work to do. So we have been engaged actively over the last four months in a massive overhaul of the kitchen of our Central Dining Hall. I do believe that our unflautterable Catering Manager, Sanjay Makhija, has logged a few bonus points for his next Avtar by working over that time under very trying circumstances, and yet keeping the six hundred diners fairly content. Our appeals to mothers (and the occasional fathers) to send us recipes to alleviate the predictability of CDH meals have not been answered, which may suggest that everyone is happy with the food. Of course, we are aware now that, with a spanking new kitchen, expectations will be soaring.

We have also managed to deal with the problem of antiquated electrical installations through a major over haul of the external connections in the school. Neither the kitchen nor the electrical project would have been implemented with half the quality had it not been for our dynamic Controller, Brig. B.N. Singh. Over a tenure of seven years Brig. Singh as Controller (which is a more intimidating name for Bursar) has been a centre of major infrastructural change and renewal at the Doon School. An old boy himself and a formidable wrestler in his day, he has grappled with huge administrative challenges and almost succeeded (but not quite) in making the work of the Headmaster a sinecure. Brig. B.N. Singh leaves us in December this year with the finances in good fettle, the buildings in good shape and the administration running smoothly. Ladies and gentlemen join with me in thanking Brig. B.N. Singh for his faithful service to the school and wishing him continuing happiness and fulfillment in the future.

At the same time to gives me much pleasure in announcing the appointment of Mr. Samir Katre as Controller at the Doon School from December 2000. Mr. Katre comes to us with the rich experience as an administrator having worked as Bursar of the Assam Valley School from its inception.

We had a few changes on our teaching staff this year. Mr. P.N. Mahesh of the Physics department resigned for personal reasons in December ’99 and Mr. D.M. Sharma, Commerce teacher and Housemaster KB, resigned in June 2000, to take up the post of Vice Principal in a Delhi School. Mr. G. Daniel of the Physics department designed in June and accepted a post with Lawrence School, Lovedale.

We welcomed to the school Mr. J.T. John in the Physics department in March and Mr. A.T. Bhowmick as Art teacher in April this year.

The last year saw the demise of a number of well loved former members of our staff: Mr. A.Z. Khan who taught Art in the Doon School from 1981 to 1999, on the 3rd November, ’99, shortly after retirement. Mr. C.J. Miller, former Headmaster of the Doon School from 1966 to 1970, on the 11th December ’99, Mr. S. Muinuddin who joined the school with the first batch of boys in 1935 and left in 1940, this summer in Lahore, Mr. D.N. Varma who taught Chemistry from 1962 to 1991 and was Housemaster of TB and later Dean of Studies, on 12th September 200.

The school was saddened to hear of the passing away of Mr. Mumtaz Ahmad on the 9th of January 2000. Mr. Ahmad was a member of the Board of Governors from 1990 to 1997 and Chairman of the Board from 1995 to 1997. He is remembered for his initiative in augmenting the Doon School Scholarship Scheme and for his leadership in completing a number of key projects in 1997.

Founder’s Day is a sentimental occasion for the Doon School as it brings the past and present together. Our good wishes are extended to the Class of ’50 and the Class of ’75 who celebrate respectively their Golden and Silver Jubilees this year. We greatly appreciate your presence here and trust your return to the school will be filled with nostalgia and joy.

Two years age the Class of ’75 decided their gift to the school would be an Archives section. Today, our Chief Guest inaugurated this ambitious project. The archives consists of a records room containing reference material field for easy access and selectively covering the period 1922 to the present, and a computer section, where at a touch one may recall personal records, and pictorial and written reports of school events from the beginning of its time. This prodigious effort of collation was only possible because the batch was unrelenting in their resolve to give their school the best, and the most sophisticated way of preserving its records. Selected by them to coordinate the work was Dr. Sidiqui, former Regional Archives Officer, UP State Archives, Lucknow, whose expertise and sincerity have been invaluable in establishing standards and defining objectives. Dr. Siddiqui and his team of assistants deserve praise for the quality of the Doon School Archives section today and the Class of ’75 our thanks for this magnificent gift.

At this time it is my joyful responsibility to acknowledge the many ways in which the old boy community contributes to the growth of the school. I would like to thank Mr. Deepak Nirula, President of the Old Boys’ Society for his concern for the school during his tenure as President. We acknowledge the generous contribution of Rs. 17 lacs to our scholarship fund from old boys in the United States of America, received recently through the DSOBS.

As the school gears itself preparing young people for the millennium we are fortunate to have a dynamic governing body that works like a think tank. Board meetings at least one item on the agenda has a futuristic application. Each Board member makes an individual contribution in the planning of initiatives and it is, therefore, unavoidable for us to feel a sense of loss when they complete their tenure and move on. This is how we feel now as Mr. Madhavrao Scindia, Vice Chairman, leaves office. Despite his many responsibilities Mr. Scindia has been regular at Board Meetings and a great help to the school. We will miss his inspiring leadership.

We are also losing Mr. Harpal Singh who has completed his tenure as Governor. In his role as Hony. Treasurer he has brought the school finances on to a sound footing and given us the confidence to challenge the future boldly with our enterprise.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all parents for their positive interest in the school and their confidence in the decisions we take a move the school forward. We are fortunate to have a good teaching faculty and a deeply loyal service staff. And with boys such as these what more can we wish for than the opportunity to serve them all our days.

John Mason