16 TheIndianEXPRESS

NORTH AMERICAN Newsline DECEMBER 4, 2009 Indian public school alumni relive old times

to the alumni and their guests. Left: Bollywood Although most of the alumni filmmaker Anurag present were from School, Kashyap (center) with Gwalior, there was representation SOBA members also from , ; (left to right) Doon School, Dehradun; Lawrence Manmohan Uttawar, School, Sanawar; Lawrence School, Dhirendra Tiwari, Lovedale; , ; Jitendra Muchhal & SKV, Gwalior; MGD, ; and Ujjwal Dhoot Rajkumar College, . Below: Kashyap It was befitting that the Scindia felicitating alumni alumni took the lead in organizing Brij Raj Singh this unique meet. At the first meet- (center) and ing of the Indian Public Schools’ B Vishwanathan Conference (IPSC) held at Simla in June, 1939, under the Chairman- Scindia alumni — was ship of J.P. Sargent, Educational filmmaker Anurag Commissioner with the Govern- Kashyap, a Scindia ment of India, eight headmasters of School, Gwalior schools attended, including F.G. alumni (1989 batch), Members of the alumni and guests outside the Pearce from , who had traveled to at- Chrysler building where the event took place Gwalior, who was credited with ini- tend the Mahindra tiating the meet. Indo American Arts SUJEET RAJAN public schools converged under one The IPSC declares on its website Council film festival New York roof at the Chrysler building. that an Indian Public School is one earlier in the week. The Pan-Public School Alumni which is a member of the IPSC. To- As a mark of re- T could easily have turned out Networking Event and Reception, day, there are 79 schools under its spect and in continua- to be a get-together to stoke up as it was billed, was conceived by umbrella, including Sainik Schools tion of the name of his I age-old rivalries on the debat- four members of The Scindia Old and Military Schools. The Indian latest movie Gulaal, Kashyap ap- youngest attendee was a 2003 grad- ing floor and sporting field, boastful Boys Alumni Association (SOBA) Public Schools are mainly residen- plied a gulaal tika to Brij Raj Singh uate. Alumni from 9 states of USA, taunts of one’s illustrious alumni — Jitendra Muchhal, Niraj Lal, tial schools with an independent of Daly College (1955 batch) and Canada, India and one even from over the other and heated discus- Dhirendra Tiwari and Manmohan Board of Governors. Dr. B Vishwanathan of Scindia Thailand were present at the event. sions on the merits of one school Uttawar. It was hosted by the law The chief guest was India’s Con- (1956 batch), the two senior most Pride in studying at one of the over the other. Instead, it was all offices of Moses & Singer — who sul General of India in New York alumni present at the event. best schools in India resonated in jocular bonhomie as around 100 decorated their offices in Indian Prabhu Dayal, but the star attrac- The event had a span of 50 years the room throughout the evening as alumni from some of India’s leading theme and served Indian delicacies tion at the meet — at least for the of Public School alumni as the guests bandied and reminisced.

NORTH AMERICAN EDITION