Special Section

The Dosco Doodle has always been a quintessential part of all Saturday breakfast discussions for years and has held a place in the hearts of Doscos till long after they pass out. A creative outlet for budding cartoonists and illustrators to showcase their talents, the doodles have served as the perfect platform to provide a satirical and uncensored commentary on various events in School. Many Masters and Doscos have shared a laugh over these illustrations and caricatures (often of Masters) and the doodles have long served as an emulation of the outside world to generations of Doscos by allowing freedom of press and the liberty to express one’s opinions publicly. This kind of freedom and this absence of censorship is rarely found in similar establishments and is what makes our cartoons and publications special.

In this Special Section, we cover the evolution of the doodle and the various stages it has gone through.

the 1930s & 1940s

With the formation of the Weekly by Arthur Foot in 1936, the 30s and 40s saw some of the first cartoons made in School. Masters like Jack Gibson and John Martyn actively encouraged cartoonists and this was visible in the quality of the cartoons published. We can see simple and humorous caricatures and a chronicling of events that took place in School. Sketches by Masters were also present and taken in good humour by all. The cartoons were affectionately executed even when highlighting an idiosyncrasy. A caricature of Mr Gurdial Singh was a particularly famous one at this time.We get to see a very different Chandbagh through these illustrations. The cartoons reveal what school was like back in those days.These years laid down the groundwork for decades to come and are the building blocks for skilled cartoonists of the later generations. Freedom of expression and minimal regulation were important concepts in Arthur Foot’s vision for School and that is what allowed these cartoonists to flourish.

The 1950s shifted away from the rudimentary illustrations to detailed caricatures of several School masters. These caricatures provided greater depth and detail and instantly connected with the viewers’ minds. They were more mature compared to the earlier more simplistic versions. This decade also saw a few notable contributors to The Weekly, such as B G Verghese, Editor of Indian Express (1982–86), The Times of India (1986–2005) and Mani Shankar Aiyar, a former Union Cabinet minister for Congress. This decade was also when Mr Rathin Mitra, an art Master, joined the School. He would encourage young cartoonists and organise cartoon competitions in search of fresh talent in the School.

the 1950s

the 1960s

In the 1960s, the Dosco Doodles were not a regular feature in the Weekly or any other publication. However, the publications were not strictly full of text. Accompanying cartoons with the articles written made the publications much more enjoyable. These cartoons did not use the yet to be born Dosco penguin, but they were caricatures of the students or artistic interpretations of the articles’ subjects. In 1967, The Weekly started to feature doodles regularly in their publication, which was met well by the students of The Doon School. The cartoons focused on the current affairs of Chandbagh at that time. Some articles contained educational doodles that attracted Dosco’s attention first and then there was a better chance for the article to be read, too!

Off to a good start, the Dosco Doodles were getting more popular by the day. With its substantial influence, many publications started featuring these doodles in their editions. Over this decade, Dosco Doodles were given great importance in The Weekly with every edition having a cartoon about either an event in school or a take on controversial matters. Around this time, there was also a ‘Puzzles Section’ in The Weekly, where students could solve Sudokus and crosswords. For this section as well, doodles were kept to make the section stand out and capture the attention of the students.

the 1970s

the 1980s

The 1980s had a great impact on the history of The Doon School. The 1980s saw the first Dosco Penguin. Made by Mohit Jayal, the penguin is now a representation of the ubiquitous Dosco and is featured in various publications and even on certain merchandise of the School. It contributes greatly to the ethos and character of Chandbagh. The 15th of September 1984 was the first time the iconic Dosco penguin was featured in The Doon School Weekly under its own section. Now, for around 40 years, Dosco cartoons have been featured in every edition of the weekly. Through the tough times in School, the penguin has always been there to lighten up the weekend. Every Saturday breakfast is highlighted with the quirky innuendos and cleverly crafted cartoons that put a smile on every face in the CDH. The cartoons in this decade were comprehensive and of great detail, portraying the general difficulties in the life of a Dosco in a humorous way, while also mocking a few instances of the past week from time to time. I had the good fortune of being in the same house / class as Sarit Chopra, a Dosco Doodle illustrator during my time at school. Sarit, and his many caricatures of us ‘Penguins’ (Doscos), always up to some antics against ‘Grolly’ (Mr. Ramchandani), ‘Bond’ (Mr. Vohra), Gangoo, Omi and so many others were the cause of much delight and easily the first thing we were all drawn to in The Weekly. If one had to capture the spirit of The Doon School, one needn’t have looked further than the Dosco Doodle. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

- Rohan Bulchandani (Batch of 1990)

The Dosco penguins’ reign! After the designing of the iconic penguin in the 80s, we see the implementation of them in the cartoons in the 1990s. The doodles were still mostly based on caricatures, but the revolution of the penguin had begun! As India was going through a series of conflicts, the boys presented that in their own way with the use of topical doodles. The 90s saw a range of satirical jokes among the boys of Chandbagh, along with thinly veiled commentaries about ‘Socials’ held with the Wellham girls. In true Dosco nature, this was a way to create a healthy banter among the students. This period was a rich and creative time for doodles, with innovative new ideas, and witty comments. The more “old school” caricatures were changing, and the contemporary cartoons were evolving.

the 1990s

the 2000s

The world was entering the 2000s - a brand new century.Development around the globe sped up as the years went by, and the case of Chandbagh was no different. Cartoons in School have always been a portrayal of events and concepts that people do not generally discuss openly. They have always been a depiction of witty anecdotes of Masters and students, exciting events, and a lot is said between the ink strokes. The first decade of the new century was the time the penguin took full flight, featuring in the Weekly and Yearbooks like never before. Aman Dubey and Tapojoy Mandal created memorable works during this decade. These little penguins were a treat hidden among the text loaded pages. The cartoonists’ pen frequently included the Headmaster, several Housemasters, CDH food and the latest rules. Cartoons were also featured regularly in Weekly opinion polls.

After a short lull in the number and frequency of cartoons and doodles in the Weekly, the 2010s started this culture again with a bang. This decade saw some of the more contemporary and modern cartoons that accurately depicts School pre covid. The cartoons cover everything from School traditions to new developments such as the introduction of the IB curriculum. The Dosco doodle was ever evolving and ever popular. The Dosco sports shirts, in grey and white, were also designed during this time with the Dosco penguin in two colours on the left side of the chest in front and the word DOSCO written on the back. These exist till date.

the 2010s

“It is with little doubt that the Dosco Doodle was the main attraction of The Weekly, and almost always what Chandbagh discussed after the much-awaited Saturday breakfast. During my time on The Weekly, I saw it being used as a creative outlet to comment and bring attention to themes by (often) anonymizing individuals, hence allowing uncensored views to be seen. Due to this, the Doodles could always be counted on to be a true record of what Chandbagh was feeling at the time. It was a great tool to condense important school events and issues into concise comics that were read by all. Definitely one of the most impactful features of The Weekly, the doodles are something that I enjoyed working on the most.” - Arjun Kamdar Editor-in-Chief of the Weekly, 2014

the 2020s

In the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, institutions worldwide moved their operations to the virtual medium, as they were forced to shut down due to lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of the virus. When the School closed in March 2020, the Weeklies started to get published online and subsequently, the Dosco cartoonists adapted to this unprecedented situation with creativity and new ideas. The setting of the doodles changed from Chandbagh to laptop screens and virtual platforms. The topic of the doodles transformed from events in School to funny things happening during online classes and exams. The fascinating part about the transformation of doodles in their online form was that now they were coloured which gave the Dosco doodles a completely digitised new look. This new avatar of Dosco doodles, not only represented the innovative spirit of Doscos but also became a symbol of our perseverance and the determination to face challenges. While the covid-19 pandemic has shown us that there is nothing certain and permanent in the world, the Dosco doodle continues to assure us that it will keep on evolving with time, as the future unravels.