Established in 1936 The Doon School “I sketch your world exactly as it goes.” -Arthur Foot February 16, 2019|Issue No. 2526 Letter to the editor Slicing my way out REFLECTIVE WRITING A response to the assembly talk on A report on B form’s community A new section featuring essays Social Service. service duties. given as corrective measures. Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 The Essential Doon Aryan Bhattacharjee writes on how procedure has lent rigidity to a Dosco’s life. “How much more opportunity of critical. Is structure a rigorous audacity of our boys and masters wandering in this lonely countryside will set of processes, encompassing in implementing new, seemingly the future bring?” even the most passing detail in its radical, ideas that pushes us -Doon School Magazine (1937) scheme of how things ought to forward day after day. It was in this spirit perhaps be done, or can structure also be a It is now that I fathom, as limitedly that Mr Holdsworth, who was set of guiding principles that steer in extenet as my faculties would (for those of us who are yet unfailingly one’s conscience? allow, the genius of the founding to learn) in numerous ways fathers of our School. I see now the ideal Doon School master, that their decision to refrain discovered the Valley of Flowers It is the utter from setting in stone a rigorous wandering through the heart of structure, rife with bureaucratic the Himalayas one day. He did audacity of our procedures, was because of their so because he refused to stick to boys and masters in deep understanding of the Indian the trail and follow the maps; he’d context, and their far reaching rather explore freely the riches implementing new, vision. Sir Harry Haig in his that Dun offers to one sensitive seemingly radical, address at our first anniversary enough. said, “The idea is to reproduce in There is a shimmer of the same ideas that pushes us India the spirit of a public school, soul in the words of AE Foot as forward day after day. but not to copy mechanically he addresses an infant Doon at the unessential details or those the first Founders programme, which are based on peculiarly “It’s good to see how the activities English conditions.” He said so, in School are developing thanks to The answer may lie perchance in I think, because he recognised the sheer spirit of both boys and the words of a former headmaster that our culture strongly prefers masters”. For in both there is the of Eton College, Tony Little, spontaneous bursts of creative freedom of innocent spontaneity, when he says, “The truth is that expression and doesn’t care the kind you’d see in a child as he this [school] operates well (and as vehemently for the robust walks around the garden in search indeed operates at all) because the archival instinct and rigorous of something interesting, and pupils want it to work. They have institutionalisation as I would like indeed that is the cornerstone of to trust the school.” One gets here to believe exists far more rigidly in the Dosco, the explorer. To allow the sense that it is largely the latter; the West. the thriving of such freedom, that it is a largely fluid confusion What is ironic, though, is that however, must exist an ecosystem of things that falls by some eighty years after Mr Foot wrote that cares most not about systems miracle in wondrous harmony in the Weekly, major multinational but people, and strives to bring which is the nature of our School. firms have realised the value of out the best in them within the It is evident that our School putting human beings before framework of our institution. In doesn’t run, nor did ever, on the operating procedures; and eighty order to allow for that freedom basis of procedure; and though years after Mr Foot envisioned without slipping into anarchy, one’s procedure too is imperative for organic and autonomous perception of structure becomes any large institution, it is the utter (Continued on Page 3) 2 the doon school weekly masters of the podium oratory excellence The following are the results of the Inter-House Karan Sampath, Aarsh Ashdir, Raghav Kediyal and English Debating Competition, 2018: Aryan Bhattacharjee took part in the Indian Schools Juniors: Debating Society’s National Selection Camp in 1st: Hyderabad 3rd: Jaipur and Oberoi Chennai between the 29th of December and the 2nd 2nd: Kashmir 5th: Tata of January 2019. Aarsh Ashdhir made it to the Top 30 shortlist, Raghav Kediyal made it to the Top 24 Seniors: while Karan Sampath was selected to represent India. 1st: Kashmir 3rd: Tata and Jaipur 2nd: Oberoi 5th: Hyderabad Well done! leaders of tomorrow House: Following are the appointments for the year 2019-20: 1st: Kashmir 4th: Hyderabad 2nd: Oberoi 5th: Tata Nand Singh Dahiya 3rd: Jaipur Lost Property Office: Entertainment Committee: Karanvir Singh Mann Rishi Shrishrimal Congratulations! Photography STA: Photography SUPW: Gautam Singhal HAT TRICK Trophy Squad: Pragnay Nevatia Games Committee: Adhiraj Singh The following are the appointments for the Score for Technology Council: Shreyas Minocha the year 2019-20: We wish them a fruitful tenure! Editor-in-Chief: Anay Shah Editor: Ishaan Agarwal Chief-of-Production: Armaan Thapar Around the World in 80 Words 186 Islamic State militants were captured in Iraq for We wish them a fruitful tenure! the terrorist attacks they committed. The Mexican drug lord El Chapo was convicted after a three-month drug trial in New York. 37 CRPF personnel died in an attack by a suicide bomber of the group Jaish-e- Everyone tells you what“ to do and what’s good Mohammed on the Jammu-Srinagar Highway. The for you. They don’t want you to find your own Supreme Court granted interim bail to businessman answers. They want you to believe theirs. Rajiv Saxena, who is one of the accused in the Rs 3,600 crore Agusta Westland VVIP chopper scam. Socrates Manchester City beat Chelsea 6-0. Gone for a Toss Anant Ganapathy Saturday, February 16 | Issue No. 2526 the doon school weekly 3 (Continued from Page 1) that are vested in him. bolstered the reputation of our development, inspired by an Moreover, what is needed great school has undoubtedly Indian way of life, Pepsi and above all else to serve today a been whispered this secret. Google move from having finance meritocratic India is to be able Where does that leave us? What departments and operations to be adaptable to unforeseen must we now do to revive this departments to project teams situations. The world outside mysterious spirit of yore? In a with far greater autonomy. these walls is changing far too word, we must bring it upon To me, that is precisely what quickly for even a shred of the ourselves to push forward, each made it possible for us to fulfil mundane to persist over the next day, our own selves and the our mission statement: to serve few decades. Spontaneity gives people who look up to us, and a meritocratic India. You see, onto an individual immunity from to undertake even the seemingly what sets apart a Dosco from a the deadly disease of remaining most impossible ideas; for it is mob is not so much his academic within one’s comfort zone, which in doing the unimaginable that brilliance, though that too is is something decisive when it our soul lies.It is only when, at amply present, nor his expertise comes to success in the world that every moment, we are guided by in a sport, but the interpersonal we are set to enter, I believe. It our conscience, and steered by (people) skills that he has is also that spirit of the explorer the ideals we hold by our hearts, developed in his time here. For and adventurer that is the essence striving to live to the fullest each in these six years, he has learned of the pioneer, who chooses to moment that we will, truly, be the value of self regulation and walk down the road yet not tread; Doscos. responsibility that are born from and any Dosco of significance the vast independence and trust who has, in these past 83 years Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, community has started correlating boys go out every week under This letter is with reference to the Social Service with food. It the pretext of renting DVDs for School Social Service Secretary’s wouldn’t be entirely true if I Saturday Night Entertainment. address to the School community. said that people who go out for The talk did blemish the Last week, the School heard community service outings do not reputation of the activity and an alarming perspective about eat but this is not reason enough boys who are enthusiastic about community service in School. He to disregard all the genuine work it. Considering that most boys highlighted the negative aspects they have done. involved are not doing it for the of the activity and how it was his recognition they will still be less prerogative to help mould the inclined to participate in the community’s opinion about the The talk did activity since its credibility has activity. been diminished. Community service has always blemish the As stated by the Secretary, the been a core tenet of our school’s reputation of the sole purpose of the talk was to curriculum and as the secretary propagate the idea of this noble rightly stated, it has been one of activity and boys activity in School.