The Doon School Weekly (September 7, 2019)
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Established in 1936 The Doon School WEEKLY “I sketch your world exactly as it goes.” -Arthur Foot September 7, 2019|Issue No. 2546 BACK IN THE DAY... THE DUKE’S COURT ENGLISH CLASS Old Boys reminisce about experiences A satire on a politically vibrant A poem on the antics of a certain shared with some of their masters. Humanities class. Master. Page 3 & 4 Page 5 Page 5 A Master Recalls Mr. Philip Burrett reflects on the life of a Doon School Master. When Teachers Day comes around, in Chandbagh in 1985. One and tea, many of us would return to I am reminded each year of the walk around School with Mr the Houses to meet the boys again, teachers who inspired and supported Ramchandani and I was offered sign chits, and watch over music me when I was a school boy. Mine a teaching assignment. Things and other practices, only to flop was a very austere, all boys boarding were very different back then; two into bed exhausted. And yet, life at school where sport, music, art, and Dosco masters who had known Doon was far simpler back then. the outdoors played a large role me from our days in Delhi had We had more time to reflect, read, in shaping us. Yes, we had to pass recommended me to GR, and that play, and enjoy the life we had come the academic hurdles and sit those was more important than any other in search of. Today, apart from exams, but what I remember most qualifications!. all that, changing times, increased vividly is those who cheered me on, At Doon, the fit needs to be right. bureaucracy and the academic load always willing to help me outside of Teachers need to believe in and love have placed heavy demands on class with my problems, and were at the life of a master; they need to teachers and students alike. the finish line to applaud – they also be good at more than one aspect I have seen these changes, sat told me where I was wrong without of the job- even if that happens to through workshops to accept them, ever making me feel worthless. be classroom teaching. Someone yearning for older days. But, that’s Some of these men were excellent at teaching may not be not how life is lived — we must instrumental in me becoming a suited for Doon and vice versa. I’m change to stay alive. teacher as their lives and dedication not saying I was the perfect fit but In the 80’s, there were only 35 were inspirational to a young 16 I tried to grow into what School teachers on the staff, and yet it year old. needed. was the genuine student–teacher The canvas I call Chandbagh is As a young teacher, I often left relationship that made Doon so embossed in my mind like a collage my house at 7.30 AM and returned special. There was ample time of changing colours, images and following post-lunch House to sit and talk, to laugh and to challenges. visits to my tutees, after having play together. Mid-terms were I had had 11 years of teaching supervised my STA and played far tougher (some did slip off to experience when I arrived more than one sport. After a bath Delhi and Chandigarh as they do now), and PT as well as Mid-term treks were done right till the last term of SC form. Academics were fun and taken in one’s stride, and there were always those aspirational students who did their A-level year in England, going on to Oxbridge. Careers guidance was nonexistent and the food, abysmal. YC giving and receiving was taken seriously and prefects were debagged by the HM at Assembly. The long walk to (Continued on Page 3) 2 the doon school weekly the greatest service 25 Years 10 Years Ashad Qezilbash Mohd. Istemdad Ali Rahul Luther 20 Years Pankaj Joshi 5 Years Kamal Ahuja Aanchal Negi Ankur Khare 15 Years Aseem Tripathi Manoj Pandey Mohit Sinha Debasish Chakarbarty Anand Mandhian breaking every wave Cultivating talent The Inter-House Swimming Competition took School hosted the Junior Football Tournament place from 17th August to 26th August. Following from August 27-31, 2019. The School team were the are the results: Winners of the tournament. Juniors Mediums Kudos! 1st: Hyderabad 1st: Oberoi 2nd: Kashmir 2nd: Jaipur azure athletes 3rd: Tata 3rd: Hyderabad Varad Singh Mann and Vijayaditya Singh Rathore 4th: Jaipur 4th: Kashmir have been awarded the Games Blazer. 5th: Oberoi 5th: Tata Congratulations! Seniors House 1st: Tata 1st: Kashmir Around the World in 80 Words 2nd: Kashmir 2nd: Tata Indonesia announced the change of its capital from 3rd: Jaipur 3rd: Oberoi Jakarta to East Kalimantan. Hurricane Dorian hit 4th: Oberoi 4th: Hyderabad the Bahamas, and is now heading towards the United 5th: Hyderabad 5th: Jaipur States. Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong, has agreed to withdraw the extradition bill that had Congratulations! sparked the months-long protest within the city. The world’s first artificially-cultured corneal transplant, Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at derived from STEM cells, was carried out by Osaka twenty“ or eighty. University, Japan. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lost in a voting to withdraw Britain from the EU. Henry Ford Words of Wisdom Anant Ganpathy Saturday, September 7 | Issue No. 2546 the doon school weekly 3 (Continued from Page 1) my Headmasters left to open rooms after a victory over the boys the HM’s office was like one to the educational consultancies (a are all etched in my mind. The gallows. hitherto unheard of profession). election of the School Captain was Today’s Doon is a gentler, more This led to masters leaving to only introduced about 13 years ago; humane place where students wish head other schools that were before Dr Bajpai introduced the teachers, know a lot more than boys mushrooming all over the country. ballot boxes, the Headmaster just back then, and have stopped using Their departure was a break from picked his captain and that was that. derogatory words from the Doon what I had been told when I first I know I am old from the way I lexicon on fellow Doscos. joined- that teachers don’t leave can’t stop rambling on about Doon. One change that hurt me, Doon, they are just carried out It is, beyond doubt, a beautiful however, was the abolition of the horizontally, feet first! This big school which has tried to keep ahead UP Scholarships that allowed boys change left spaces that were quickly of the curve and grow and change from humble backgrounds, from filled by others and people were while other legacy boarding schools within the state, to join Doon each challenged to grow. Older teachers have chugged along, sticking to year. They were called the ‘Scholars’, mentored the newer ones and made tradition, doing what they have and were easily picked out by place for them by giving them always done. All we are asked to do their limited skill with the English opportunities to grow. I remember is to take care of School while we language. These boys were worth Mr. A.N. Dar calling me over to his are here, and to give back to it as their weight in gold and not only did residence and telling me I should we go, a lesson that Doscos have they excel in sport and academics get ready to run soccer in School. taught me. (one even went on to be the Chief Somebody else gave me the IAYP At the end of the day, no matter Editor of the Weekly), they were (The Duke of Edinburgh’s Scheme, what happens and whatever the disciplined and appreciative of the in those days and a darn side more marks on our transcripts, it’s opportunity they had been given. difficult to get than the currently the quality of interaction, the The Scholars pushed the others watered down IAYP). opportunities taken, the friendships in class so hard that struggles for The School was challenged to forged, the number of times we the Markers Cups were cut-throat. recycle its paper, run its own have picked ourselves up, and the These lads were a teacher’s dream in ambulance service, and keep the lessons learned for life that truly class, for good students make good Junko moving. The staff Art Gala matters--and often it is our teachers teachers. as well as the boys-staff doubles that help us along. So perhaps today A significant change began badminton tournament, and the is a good day to spare a moment to in the early 90’s when two of staff teas in S.R. Das’ drawing think of them! Back in the Day ... In an attempt to celebrate all those individuals who have shaped the lives of generations of Doscos, the Weekly presents the memories of a few Old Boys who wrote in for this special issue. My English teacher SJD (Sunil John David) who taught me in C-Form is one person who left a lasting impression on me and changed the way I would approach English for the decades to follow! To be fair, all the English teachers who taught me were wonderful and that includes Henny, AND and later RPD who incidentally was also my Housemaster at my years at Tata-A! SJD was extremely approachable and really helped with my thought process plus grammar and showed the right direction as far as writing articles was concerned — all very patiently!! At that point of time, I was writing for 5-6 School publications and I would always go to him with my rough draft where he would make the corrections and show me the way things were meant to be done.