The Development & Alumni Relations Office Newsletter OCT 2017 The Development & Alumni Relations Office Newsletter need to rely on your generosity – and it is creators of virtual reality worlds, the school and deep understanding of the and to help us think more broadly than Message from the Chairman tting that we ask you to contribute to need for creativity and “out of the box” Message from Dosco psyche, my orientation to Doon has the day-to-day of running a school preserve the pre-eminence of the School thinking are increasingly important. been all that I could have hoped for. sometimes allows. This committee is a true Fundraising Committee that gave us so much to be thankful for. The school urgently needs a world the Head Master complement to the 74 teachers working class Science and Technology It was also important to me that the board at Chandbagh. There is no shortage of very good uses for Complex and also a world class had a system of governance in place that Dear Fellow Doscos, your money. You will have seen the many Performing Arts Complex so that It has been almost 15 allowed it to be independent of The Scholarship and Bursary Committee, improvements in Chandbagh over the last future generations of Doscos can months since I left personalities. In terms of making things chaired by Deepak, ensures that we are It gives me great pleasure few years, ranging from the much-needed continue to excel in these elds. Germany to move to India happen, the committees of the board are able to live up to our promise to nd and to be writing to you in my improvements in the physical and The Doon School. dynamos for the school. develop boys from all backgrounds. With capacity as Chair of the infrastructure on campus, including the You will all be hearing from us as we When looking for a new more than 5 Cr. to disburse in nancial aid newly constituted new classrooms and much improved attempt to enlist your support for these school as a Head, nothing The CDC, under the leadership of the committee asks the questions that Fundraising Committee of the Board of teacher accommodation. Work on bold endeavours as and when the Board matters more than the quality and Sumanjit, has managed more school help get the bursaries to the boys who Governors. upgrading the Houses has already has approved them. Along with our operation of the Board of Governors. infrastructure improvements in one year need it and support our efforts to bring in commenced and should be completed DSOBS Fundraising partners we will be than I have seen in ve at most schools. geographical, economic and social The rst question that you are all going to over the next couple of years. But there is continuing to approach you to see in what I had been looking for a not-for-prot The level of input, trust and contribution diversity. ask is – “Why does the school need a still an urgent need for funds that must ways you might wish to contribute to school with a Board made up of from all of the members of the CDC is Fundraising Committee given that the come from sources other than fee income. School. Whether it is participating in the volunteers with passion and capacity, free inspirational. Achievements includ the Over the past months, I have also enjoyed nances appear to be in much better many campaigns that DSOBS will run in of the personal interest that one often completion of the masters' housing and working with and learning from the (I) The School is lacking a world class shape than they were some years ago?” raising money for the School, or engaging nds on elected or parent led boards. the complete renovation of the traditional DSOBS, particularly with its president, Bull. indoor Sports Centre. Given how with one of my partners on the Board What I found is a Board which is a model bench and table teaching spaces into A more committed, passionate, school- important sport and physical This is a very good question. Thanks to the Fundraising Committee for the larger for school governance that any school in smart 21st century classrooms which focused advocate for the boys past, education are in the School's ethos, great efforts of outgoing Chairman donations, we promise to make the the world could learn from. make for world class learning and present and future, I have never come and the importance of “mens sana in Gautam Thapar and other members of the process as easy and as fullling as possible. teaching. across. I'm delighted that the school, IPSS corpore sano” which is how the Board of Governors, notably Mr Indresh A Board like this exists when it is carefully and the DSOBS have a working ancient Roman poet Juvenal prayed Narain, the School's nances are now on a With all of our donors we promise that (i) and thoughtfully led by a Chairman whose The TAC, under the watchful eye of Indresh, relationship that is communicative and for a healthy mind in healthy body, much sounder footing. There is now a we will make it clear what your funds will values are aligned with the values of makes sure that we are using the income mutually supportive. this is something that needs to be clear understanding of the requirement to be used for (ii) we will provide you with a service to others before self and of from fees and donations for the benet of addressed very soon. Many Doscos balance the books on an operational basis. full rationale for all the fundraising needs meritocracy above nepotism. the boys in the most sensible and It is wonderful to see that the DSOBS are now turning to professional sport This has been done - and it is worth and (iii) crucially, we will continue to economic way. The committee also works exemplies aristocracy of service to as a viable career aspiration – and this noting that for the education the school provide you with regular updates on the The relationship between a head and the to insure that we nd the funding for things society at all levels. will occur increasingly in the future – provides, our fees are still extremely improvements to School and the great chair of the board is a special one and the that allow us to exercise our imagination and it would be remiss of us not to competitive with other Indian schools that increase in the aspirations and health of the institution depends very and innovation in pedagogy, service, sport, In this sense the circle is complete; we acknowledge this dramatic change in have similar educational aspirations. I am achievements of future generations of much on the health of that relationship. In adventure and activities to keep the school have a mission, a board, a staff, a body of possibilities for future generations of bound to say that we do not charge any Doscos that your generosity will enable. Gautam, I have had a mentor and a current, relevant and adaptable. students and a society of old boys who Doscos. premium for the unique and priceless cultural guide since we met in early 2016. work together, live together and learn education that Doon provides and for (ii) Very little public funding remains for I look forward very much to working with His clarity, insight and wisdom have been The Education Committee, chaired by together to serve a meritocratic India. which my brothers, my cousins, I, and I am enabling able boys to come to The all of you in my second term on the Board a source of learning like no other. Coupled Shashank, is a sounding board and an sure all of you, will be forever grateful. Doon School if they cannot afford the of Governors under the Chairmanship of with his humour, un-wavering love for advisory group for me to bounce ideas off Matthew Raggett fees. My dream is that we, like Harvard Mr Sunil Munjal. I hope we can appeal to Why then the need for money? One of the (with whose network Doscos are your generosity to take The Doon School best things I learned in Doon was that it often compared), should operate a to ever greater heights. was never enough to rest on one's laurels. fully needs blind admissions policy, The striving for continual improvement, of such that no boy who has the Ravi Bulchandani (609 KA, 1979) trying to be the best that one can be, of potential to be a Dosco is denied setting higher standards for oneself is a admission because his parents cannot key element of being a Dosco. It is also a afford the fees key element of the School's philosophy. (iii) As with sport, a whole world of Although we have had great success in possibility awaits the truly talented in maintaining our status as one of the pre- the media and cultural industries. eminent global schools we can and From games programmers to the should do much more. In this, we will 02 03 The Development & Alumni Relations Office Newsletter need to rely on your generosity – and it is creators of virtual reality worlds, the school and deep understanding of the and to help us think more broadly than Message from the Chairman tting that we ask you to contribute to need for creativity and “out of the box” Message from Dosco psyche, my orientation to Doon has the day-to-day of running a school preserve the pre-eminence of the School thinking are increasingly important.