The Doon School Yearbook 2010 by The Isis Lifestyle

THE YEARBOOK 2010

CONTENTS Editorial From the Headmaster Activities Committees Publications STAs SUPWs Student Exchange Prefectorial Body Expedition

Social Service RSC Reports RSIS Reports

Creative Sports Hindi Staff Tribute House Reports Founder’s HM’s Speech School Captain’s Speech Chairman’s Speech Chief Guest’s Speech English Play Production

Special Section SC Leavers In the making

Editorial Holding the Yearbook 2009 in our hands is a bittersweet memory. DS-75 was underway and we had worked hard, really hard. And as we held the Yearbook in our hands it felt more heavy than usual. The entire atmosphere of Founder’s was one which was radiating energy and the incessant congratulations added to the festive feel of the entire affair. Amidst all of this there was something else keeping us both smiling broadly. Jayant and Abhishek saw us and immediately understood the reason. After all, we were the new boys in charge now! The 75th Founder’s concluded and so did our final exams. What followed was worse than our nightmare. Not one of us could’ve imagined that the Yearbook photographs would encourage such a reaction from us, but they did! Waking up in the cold Dehradun November to set up chairs for the photographs was not a memory we would like to relive. Fixing collars and tying shoe-laces became a part of our daily regime and the data/material began to pile up. We had finally begun to feel like the chiefs!

Meetings outside the CDH became a routine affair. One could see the “Yearbook dudes” hovering like honey-bees around the dining hall at all meals. After gathering all we needed, which was by no means little, we began the designing and the layout. But wait! What was required before that was the shortlisting of a publisher! What seemed like an easy task assumed titanic proportions when we realized how tremendously unexciting it was! Going through endless files of designs and costs and tenders was by no means a pleasant task. However, it had to be done. And it had to be done soon! After hours of brain-storming sessions deciding which publisher to opt for we were able to shortlist one and move ahead. Heading the Yearbookh has taught the two of us a lot of things. Onslaught of criticism became plenty and we learnt to sieve the important from the unimportant. We realized the many merits of the much talked about ‘delegation’ along with ‘Improvisation’ when faced with a dearth of options became a necessity and so did an efficient management of time.

Much to the horror of our parents and housemasters, it became normal for us to stay up till two in the morning putting the Yearbook together. Today, a year later, when we look at the Main Field, we see a familiar sight. Tents are being put up for DS-76. In retrospect, working on the Yearbook board, be it as correspondents or as editorsin-chief has been a great learning experience and now as our term nears an end, a permanent closure, we are filled with a sense of lament. Lament, not because we did not achieve our goals but because we have reached the final step. There is no going further from here. No late nights. No chaotic brainstorming sessions. No frantic rush to meet the deadlines. And no excitement of holding ‘our’ Yearbook in our hands at the next Founder’s. The feeling we experience today is bittersweet, too. -Anmol Jamwal and Udai Bothra

The year 2010 was an extraordinary one for an extraordinary school: the seventy-fifth anniversary of The Doon School. I shall remember it well for a number of reasons, not least the jubilee celebrations themselves, but also for the fact that this was my first full year here. I had joined the School halfway through 2009, so I had only a partial glimpse of the full cycle of The Doon School annual calendar. That was also a blighted glimpse because swine flu, the cancellation of Founder’s Day and the security scare dominated that first autumn term of mine and made it one of the more unusual, challenging and interesting terms in the School’s history and in my own career as a teacher and Headmaster. But if I had any illusions that 2010 would be smooth sailing, these were quickly dispelled by the realities of preparing for the largest event the School has held in its entire history – DS75.

FROM THE HEADMASTER

The plan was to have over 5,000 boys, parents, Old Boys, friends of the School and guests meeting at Chandbagh in late October. The challenge was immense, not least because expectations for the event were sky high, and because we were an operational school with 500 boys still needing teaching, living accommodation and feeding on the run up to, and during this great landmark in the school’s history. Had we been a conference or convention centre things would have been simpler! One of the things that will stick in my mind is, besides the question of what there would be to eat, was how often I was asked at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and every other occasion under the sun, “Who will be the chief guest at DS75?” Everyone had an opinion as to who would be, and especially who would not be, a suitable chief guest for DS75. Boys’ favourites ranged from sports icons to film stars, from Sachin Tendulkar to SRK, from President Obama to Bill Gates, from the oldest living Dosco to great captains of commerce and industry, from Amartya Sen to the President of China. The debate raged on and on throughout the year. In the end, the list of guests who did attend was quite astonishing. I can think of no other school in the world that could have on stage together at one time the President of the world’s largest democracy, a king, the nation’s Minister of Education, its Minister of Roads and Highways, the Governor of the state and its Chief Minister.

What also made 2010 extraordinary for me was my journey around the world to meet the alumni chapters during the jubilee year. The Board of Governors asked me to do so to encourage Old Boys to attend DS75, and if they were unable to do so, to bring them up to date on developments at the School and the vision for its future. Although it was very difficult being away from School so much, I had the great pleasure of meeting Old Boys in Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Toronto, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, London, Singapore, Dubai, Bangalore and Kolkata. Their pride in being Doscos was tremendous and their memories of their time at Chandbagh almost tangible. Many of them were inspired to make donations to the school to help us to fund the next stages in our development. By Founder’s Day itself, some 45 crores had been pledged to the DS75 Fund and I was able in my speech to launch with confidence a campaign to raise 120 crores for scholarships, building projects and faculty development purposes. One of the saddest events of the year was the untimely death of one of The Doon School’s great masters, Mr. Sheel Vohra, just days before the jubilee. There was an outpouring of grief amongst the entire Dosco community, not least because he and so many of the Old Boys who revered him were looking forward to meeting at Chandbagh for this very special Founder’s together. For so many he was a link to the halcyon days when The Doon School had just emerged as the nation’s most admired and respected school, and to the earlier generation of great masters such as ‘Holdie’, Mr. Vohra’s mentor. As I write this, months after he passed away, I still cannot believe that I will not be able to wander down to the Main Field of an afternoon and see him sitting on his favourite bench close to the foot of Mr. Holdsworth’s memorial. His spirit certainly lives on in The Doon School and will never die.

When the great celebration eventually came, it was experienced as a huge success by almost all those who attended. Our greatest worry was getting 5,000 people on to the estate without long delays, preventing a huge buildup of vehicles around the School, feeding them, seating them for the main events and speeches,providing security for the President and all our guests, and ensuring that they enjoyed themselves and met treasured friends and acquaintances. Of course, what we had not counted on was a hurricane hitting the Main Field on the Friday night of the celebrations and pitching the jubilee into crisis. The gods waited until the Pagal Gymkhana was over, then hurled rain, lightning and high winds at the huge and elaborate structures needed for an event of such magnitude, prestige and complexity. We watched as the vast stage, and the coverings and awnings required for the presidential visit, were ripped apart, not once but twice, by vicious thunderstorms. Lesser schools would have cancelled the celebrations, but, in true Dosco spirit, everyone rallied round and, after a wild, sleepless night for us working on campus, the President of India, the King of Bhutan, Shri Kapil Sibal, Shri Kamal Nath, Governor Margaret Alva and Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, were all able to sit on the podium in an MPH transformed from an emergency rainproof party venue for the Old Boys’ Gala Dinner into a speaking venue fit for a President. It was one of the proudest moments of my life to see DS75 rise phoenix-like from the carnage of the Main Field within a few hours.

Of course, the jubilee was not the only event of the year. As the pages of this excellent yearbook attest, there were myriad other activities taking place, and, despite the huge time pressures, these not only continued but flourished. It is a testimony to the boys’ skills and talents, and the dedication of the masters, that so much went on to such a high standard unabated despite the demands of DS75. By 2010, The Doon School, at seventy-five still a young institution by world and even Indian standards, had made a disproportionate contribution to the history and life of this nation and, indeed, the world. That larger contribution has been made up of myriad smaller contributions by individual boys, masters and the other employees year on year over the decades. Each yearbook that records the individual achievements of the boys is a physical building block in the history of this great School. It is always an honour to be the Headmaster of such a school during one of its anniversaries, and I am no exception in feeling fortunate to have been so myself in 2010. But, as ever, The Doon School is about boys and their masters, and I should like to congratulate the editorial team on being those chosen to create this important publication and the historical record of our platinum jubilee year.

Shayan Italia, an Old Boy of the School himself, sang on a reconstructed stage on Main Field on Founder’s Day itself of ‘Doscos forever and brothers for life’; these pages are proof of what makes his sentiments so true.

ACTIVITIES Committees Publications STAs SUPWs Student Exchange Expedition

ACADEMIC COUNCIL Scholarati

Secretary Mr Prabhakaran Nair

Sitting (L to R): Mr Arvindanabha Shukla, Mr Pankaj Joshi, Mr Prabhakaran Nair, Dr Peter McLaughlin, Mr Philip Burrett, Mr Piyush Malaviya, Mr Vinay Pande Standing (L to R): Mr Aloke Tirtha Bhowmick, Mr Rajesh Majumdar, Mr Ambikesh Shukla, Mrs Namrata Pandey, Mr Rahul Luther, Mr Debashish Chakraborty, Mr Ajit Bajaj, Mrs Priya Chaturvedi

ENTERTAINMENT COMMITTEE Show Starters

Master-in-Charge Mr Ashish Dean, Mr Aaron Jacob Boys-in-charge Shatrunjai Rai Dewan, Uddhav Prasad

Sitting (L to R): Mr Ashish Dean, Rohan Shriram, Rahil Badhwar, Mr Aaron Jacob Standing (L to R): Sparsh Batra, Vihan Khanna, Sambhav Sethia, Prahlad Singh

GAMES COMMITTEE Game On

Chairperson Mr Deepak Sharma Secretary Arnav Sahu

Sitting (L to R): Mr Anjan Kumar Chaudhary, Mr Samik Das, Mr Manu Mahlothra, Mr Michael James, Mr Deepak Sharma, Arnav Sahu, Mr John Xavier, Mr Nitin Chauhan, Mr Vishal Mohla, Mr Anand Kumar Mandhian Standing (L to R): Arvind Sharma, Rajdeep Deobanj, Neel Madhav, Kanav Mehra, Shreyvardhan Swaroop, Sumaer Sandhu, Aseem Kumar, Devansh Khaitan, Uddhav Prasad, Vahin Khosla, Karanbir Singh Dhariwal, Angad Bawa

LIBRARY COUNCIL Books and More

Chairperson Dr Peter McLaughlin Secretary Saarthak Singh

Sitting (L to R): Mr Vinay Pande, Mrs Priya Chaturvedi, Mr Kamal Ahuja, Dr Peter McLaughlin, Sarthak Singh, Mr Pankaj Das, Mr M H Farooqui, Mrs Meeta Sharma, Mr Ambikesh Shukla Standing (L to R): Akshat Garg, Krishna Lohiya, Manas Poddar, Arnav Joshi, Kunal Kanodia, Shashank Peshawria, Jai Singh Yadav

MESS COMMITTEE Catering to our Needs

Chairperson Mr Philip Burrett Secretary Shekhar Bishnoi

Sitting (L to R): Mrs Sarabjit Sandhu, Mr Sanjay K Makhija, Mr Sameer Katre, Shekhar Bishnoi, Mr Philip Burrett, Mr Skand Bali, Mr Vidhukesh Vimal Standing (L to R): Arvind Sharma, Nakul Talwar, Vedant Khanna, Utkarsh Gupta, Milind Pandit, Tanuj Kumar, Vahin Khosla, Madhav Dutt

SCHOOL COUNCIL The Lok Sabha

Chairperson Dr Peter McLaughllin Secretary Aseem Kumar

Sitting 1st row(L to R): Aamir Shah, Divyant Sapra, Abhishek Kakkar, Parth Vohra, Rishav Raj Das, Suyash Raj Shivam Sitting 2nd row(L to R): Mrs Ranjit Kaur, Mr Ashad Qezilbash, Mr Prabhakaran Nair, Mr Philip Burrett, Arnav Sahu, Dr Peter McLaughlin, Aseem Kumar, Mr Sameer Katre, Mr Mohan C Joshi, Mr Deepak Sharma, Ms Priya Chauhan, Mr Anjan Chaudhary Standing (L to R): Sambuddha Naha, Jayant Mukhopadhyay, Harsh Verma, Itihaas Singh, Umang Nevatia, Saadman M Chowdhary, Jai Khanna, Aayush Jain

TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL En route to Silicon Valley

Chairperson Mr Ambikesh Shukla Secretary Arjun Verma

Sitting (L to R): Mr Sandip S Mann, Mr Ambikesh Shukla, Dr Peter McLaughlin, Mr Vishal Mohla, Mr Varun Walia, Mr K C Maurya Standing (L to R): Ishaan Khanna, Viren Kapoor, Arpan Aggarwal, Raghuraj Rathi

THE DOON SCHOOL LIST The Directory

Master-in-Charge Mr Ambikesh Shukla Editor-in-Chief Arvind Sharma

Sitting (L to R): Aashray Bathra, Mr Ambikesh Shukla, Arvind Sharma Standing (L to R): Chirag Mittal, Sarvshresht Singh, Durgesh Aggarwal

DOON SCHOOL ART MAGAZINE Creative Hands

Master-in-Charge Mr Alok Tirtha Bhowmick Editors-in-Chief Shivam Katyal, Devansh Khaitan

Sitting (L to R): Sarthak Singh, Shivam Katyal, Mr Alok Tirtha Bhowmick, Devansh Khaitan, Jayant Mukhopadhaya Standing (L to R): Apurv Aggarwal, Sparsh Bathra, Neel Madhav, Chirag Ambekar, Anshuman Bhargava

THE DOON SCHOOL INFORMATION REVIEW Ravishing Reviews

Master-in-Charge Mrs Priyanka Bhattacharyya Editor-in-Chief Shoumitra Srivastava

Sitting (L to R): Uday Shriram, Shoumitra Srivastava, Mrs Priyanka Bhattacharya, Piroune Balachandran, Sachit Taneja Standing (L to R): Kanishka Malik, Rohan Nath Behl, Kunal Kanodia

THE DOON SCHOOL WEEKLY Black and White Forever

Masters-in-Charge Ms Stuti Bathla, Mrs Priya Chaturvedi Editor-in-Chief Vivek Santayana

Sitting (L to R): Kanishka Malik, Mrs Priya Chaturvedi, Vivek Santayana, Ms Stuti Bathla, Shashank Peshawaria, Mr Aravindanabha Shukla, Chandrachuda Shukla Standing (L to R): Abhinav Mittal, Yuv Vir Khosla, Arifeen Chowdhury, Shashvat Dhandania, Madhav Dutt

ECHO It ain’t Rocket Science

Master-in-Charge Mr Rajesh Majumdar Editor-in-Chief Uday Shriram

Sitting (L to R): Revant Nayar, Arjun Sethi, Udai Shriram, Mr Rajesh Majumdar, Shashank Peshawaria, Utkarsh Gupta, Jayant Mukhopadhaya Standing (L toR): Madhav Dutt, Rohan Nath Behl, Arifeen A Chowdhury, Alawi Singh, Sparsh Batra, Rohan Shriram, Sachit Taneja

ECONOCRAT Business Sense

Master-in-Charge Mr Mohammad Istemdad Ali Editor-in-Chief Shivam Katyal

Sitting (L to R): Udai Bothra, Shivam Katyal, Mr Mohammad Istemdad Ali, Kanishka Malik, Dhruv Sirohi Standing (L to R): Shashvat Dhandhania, Eeshat Tiwary, Arifeen Chowdhury, Kunal Kanodia

INFINITY Beautiful Minds

Master-in-Charge Mr Anjan Chaudhary Editor-in-Chief Arjun Sethi

Sitting (L to R): Arjun Sethi, Mr Anjan Chaudhary, Vinayak Bansal Standing (L to R): Spandan G Agarwal, Revant Nayar, Varun Gupta

SRIJAN PRAYAS For the Love of Language

Master-in-Charge Mr Ambikesh Shukla Editor-in-Chief Arvind Sharma

Sitting (L to R): Nilesh Agarwal, Sanat Kumar Thakur, Mr MH Farooqui, Prateek Agarwal, Arvind Sharma Standing (L to R): Vidit Sadana, Shubham Dhingra, Tanmay Kapoor, Madhavan Saklani, Uma Shankar Goswami, Abhishek Pande

THE CIRCLE What goes around, comes around

Master-in-Charge Mr Shatam Ray Editor-in-Chief Umang Newatia

Sitting (L to R): Saarthak Singh, Uday Shriram, Mr Shatam Ray, Shashvat Dhandania, Bharat Ganju Standing (L to R): Abhinav Mittal, Manas Poddar, Sachit Taneja

THE YEARBOOK The Year That Was...

Master-in-Charge Mrs Priya Chaturvedi Editors-in-Chief Jayant Mukhopadhaya, Abhishek Jain

Sitting (L to R): Anmol Jamwal, Nilesh Agarwal, Mr M H Farooqui, Abhishek Jain, Mrs Priya Chaturvedi, Jayant Mukhopadhaya Mr Skand Bali, Uddhav Prasad, Ms Stuti Bathla Standing (L to R): Siddhant Sachdev, Vigya Singh Dhiman, Arjun Khaitan, Rohan Nath Behl, Agni Raj Singh, Devesh Sharma, Sanchit Thakral, Udai Bothra, Eeshat Tiwary, Rohan Shriram, Sachit Taneja

YUV ARPAN Young Offerings

Master-in-Charge Mr Md Hammad Farooqui Editor-in-Chief Prateek Agarwal

Sitting (L to R): Uma Shankar Goswami, Mr M H Farooqui, Prateek Agarwal Standing (L to R): Yash Raj Agarwal, Gaurav Garg, Sanat Kumar Thakur, Abhinav Kejriwal

YUV BHARTI Yuva Shakti

Master-in-Charge Mr Vidukesh Vimal Boy-in-Charge Ritesh Shinde

Sitting (L to R): Mr Vidukesh Vimal, Ritesh Popat Shinde, Mr Devender Kumar Mishra Standing (L to R): Yash Raj Agarwal, Anshul Tibrewal, Yash Upadhyay, Shubham Dhingra, Vidit Sadana

ART The A Team

Master-in-Charge Mr Alok Tirtha Bhowmick Boy-in-Charge Chandrachuda Shukla

Sitting 1st row (L to R): Ashwin Solanki, Abhinav Kejriwal, Arush Sood, Sarthak Gupta, Digvijay Gupta, Vibhav Maheshwari, Vibhav Gupta, Yash Dhandhania, Rishavraj Das, Ashutosh Goyal, Nitin Sadana, Amartya T Bhowmick Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Animesh Gupta, Mr Sanjib Kalsi, Sarthak Singh, Nitish Saini, Mr Tapan Barui, Mr Aloke T Bhowmick, Mrs Mohua Bhowmick, Mr Arnab Mukherjee ,Chandrachuda Shukla, Arvind Sharma, Ms Banita Bhau, Shivam Katyal Standing 1st row (L to R): Apurva Agarwal, Sparsh Batra, Aseem B Sahni, Shrish Srivastava, Saransh Seth, Alawi Singh, Dhruv Goel, Arifee Chowdhury, Sambhav Sethia, Arjun Mahajan, Gursahej Singh Oberoi, Saptarishi Biswas, Neelansh Khurana, Anshuman Bhargava Standing 2nd row(L to R): Vishal Tumalla, Abhijit Karwa, M Preetham, Yash Upadhyay, Saket Golyan, Sagar Karnawat

THE ASTRONOMY SOCIETY Star Struck

Master-in-Charge Mr Rajesh Majumdar Boys-in-Charge Utkarsh Garg, Rishi Agarwal

Sitting 1st row(L to R): Ritvik Kar, Hussain Haider, Sajal Bansal, Aashim Bansal, Ashutosh Goyal Sitting 2nd row(L to R): Prahlad Singh, Mohit Gupta, Chirag Ambekar, Utkarsh Gupta, Mr Rajesh Mazumdar, Rishi Agarwal, Vaibhav Bahadur, Revant Nayar, Tushar Mohan Standing(L to R): Himanshu Todi, Karan Chabbra, Farhan Anis, Shivam Goyal, Parth Gupta, Varun Narain Sinha, Shrey Aryan, Yash Upadhyay, Vatsal Agarwal, Dhairik Fuletra, Shourya Kishorepuria

BUSINESS CLUB Biz Whiz

Master-in-Charge Mr Mohammad Istemdad Ali Boy-in-Charge Prateek Agarwal

Sitting (L to R): Udai Bothra, Mr Mohammad Istemdad Ali, Shubham Agarwal Standing: Sparsh Batra

HISTORICAL CIRCLE H π r2

Master-in-Charge Mr Piyush Malaviya, Mr Rashid Sharfuddin Boys-in-Charge Saarthak Singh, Arjun Sethi

Sitting (L to R): Tanuj Kumar, Chirag Ambekar, Mr Rashid Sharfuddin, Arjun Sethi, Mr Piyush Malviya, Bharat Ganju, Arvind Sharma Standing (L to R): Udai Bothra, Anmol Jamwal, Angad Singh, Devesh Sharma, Shrish Srivastava

JUNIOR ENGLISH DEBATING SOCIETY The Argumentative Doscos

Master-in-Charge Mr Debashish Chakrabarty Secretaries Utkarsh Jha, Vikramaditya Kapur

Sitting 1st Row (L to R): Varun Pais, Abhinav Kejriwal, Parth Aggarwal, Yash Dhandhania, Yasharth Goyal, Vrindam Nagpal, Yuvan Kumar, Pranay Raj Kapoor, Parth Vohra, Aditya Vir Roy Sitting 2nd Row (L to R): Anshul Tibrewal, Jai Khanna, Rahul Srivastava, Utkarsh Jha, Mr Debashish Chakrabarty, Vikramaditya Kapur, Madhav Dutt, Nakul Talwar, Vishal Tummala Standing (L to R): Udbhav Aggarwal, Yuvraj Nathani, Farhan Anis, Raghuraj Rathi, Agni Raj Singh, Rishabh Tusnial, Devesh Sharma, Arnav Joshi, Kunal Kanodia, Manas Poddar, Shikher Chawcharia, Ritvik Kar, Sachin Mehra, Siddharth Sethi

MATH COLLOQUIUM JUNIOR To Infinity and Beyond

Master-in-Charge Mr Pankaj Joshi

Sitting (L to R): Atharva Matta, Shivam Goyal, Mr Rahul Luther, Mr Pankaj Joshi, Mr Sudhir Thapa, Manas Poddar, Saumil Agarwal Standing (L to R): Rahil Arora, Suyash Raj Shivam, M Preetham, Chirag Ambekar, Aditeya Lochan Singh, Tanuj Kumar, Ritvik Kar, Ayush Tripathi, Abhinav Kejriwal, Pulkit Agarwal

DOON SCHOOL MODEL UNITED NATIONS JUNIOR Young Delegates

Master-in-Charge Mrs Purnima Dutta

Sitting 1st row (L to R): Kunal Kanodia, Manas Poddar, Husain Haider, Pulkit Agarwal, Suyash Raj Shivam, Rahul Srivastava, Guruansh Gambhir, Aditya Bhattacharya Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Shrish Srivastava, Shashvat Dhandhania, Arnav Sahu, Mr Rashid Sharfuddin, Mr Shatam Ray, Shoumitra Srivastava, Siddhant Sachdev, Mr KV Arjun Rao Standing (L to R): Sookrit Malik, Rayhaan Imam, Utkarsh Jha, Arifeen Chowdhury, Ujjwal Dahuja, Abhishek Bansal, Nabeel Shah, Arjun Parmar, Aditya Gupta

DOON SCHOOL MODEL UNITED NATIONS SENIOR Suited Up

Master-in-Charge Mrs Purnima Dutta Secretary General Arnav Sahu Boy-in-Charge Shoumitra Srivastava

Sitting 1st row (L to R): Abhinav Mittal, Aashray Batra, Sachit Taneja, Rohan Shriram, Shashank Peshawaria Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Uday Shriram, Mr Shatam Ray, Vikram Kejriwal, Arnav Sahu, Mr Rashid Sharfuddin, Mrs Purnima Dutta, Shoumitra Srivastava, Bharat Ganju, Mr KV Arjun Rao, Sumaer Sandhu Standing (L to R): Kanishka Malik, Vivek Santayana, Gursehej Singh Oberoi, Varun Rai, Revant Nayar, Milind Pandit, Gaurang Ahuja, Dhruv Sirohi, Ashwat Kunadi, Piroune Balachandran

MUSIC SOCIETY Ministry of Sound

Master-in-Charge Mrs Priya Chaturvedi Captain Shatrunjai Rai Dewan Secretary Uday Shriram

Sitting (L to R): Mr Partho Roy Chowdhary, Mrs Rita Sinha, Shatrunjai Rai Dewan, Mrs Priya Chaturvedi, Mr Abhijit Chattopadhyay Standing (L to R): Divyam Agarwal, Uddhav Prasad, Sidhharth Bathla, Arpan Agrawal, Uday Shriram, Yashashvat Kapur

THE NATURE CLUB Reduce. Reuse. Recycle

Master-in-Charge Dr Raj Kumar Gupta Boys-in-Charge Arvind Sharma, Arjun Sethi

Sitting 1st row (L to R): M Preetam, Rahil Arora, Parth Vohra, Vibhav Gupta, Yash Agarwal, Ahustosh Goyal, Aditeya Lochan Singh Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Bharat Ganju, Varun Rai, Neel Madhav, Arjun Sethi, Mr Raj Kumar Gupta, Arvind Sharma, Uday Shriram, Shivam Katyal, Sagar Karnavat Standing (L to R): Aashray Batra, Jaskrit Singh, Neelansh Khurana, Ujjwal Dahuja, Devesh Sharma, Dhruv Goel, K Sambhav Sethia, Gursahej Oberoi, Amaan Kazmi, Siddharth Dhanda

QUIZ CLUB Guess Who?

Master-in-Charge Mr John Xavier Boy-in-Charge Shoumitra Srivastava

Sitting (L to R): Saadmaan Chowdhary, Tanuj Kumar, Sarthak Singh, Mr Rahul Luther, Shoumitra Srivastava, Mr John Xavier, Mr Varun Walia, Jayant Mukhopadhyaya, Uday Shriram, Abhyun Chatterjee Standing (L to R): Rahil Arora, Shrish Srivastava, Tushhar Thakral, Shubham Agarwal, Gursahej Oberoi, Aditya Bhattacharya

RLSS Saving Our Swimmers

Master-in-Charge Mr Sanjiv Bathla Boys-in-Charge Shivam Katyal, Nikhil Narain

Sitting (L to R): Nitish Dev Saini, Nikhil Narain, Mr Sanjiv Bathla, Shivam Katyal, Varun Rai Standing (L to R): Sparsh Batra, Sambuddha Naha, Angad Singh, Jai Veer Jakhar, Saib Ahmad

SENIOR ENGLISH DEBATING SOCIETY Ignited Minds

Master-in-Charge Mrs Priyanka Bhattacharyya Secretary Vivek Santayana

Sitting (L to R): Milind Pandit, Uday Shriram, Shoumitra Srivastava, Arnav Sahu, Mrs. Priyanka Bhattacharya, Vivek Santayana, Bharat Ganju, Tanuj Kumar, Shashank Peshawaria Standing (L to R): Aashray Batra, Sachit Taneja, Rohan Shriram, Shashvat Dhandania, Vihan Khanna, Alawi Singh, Revant Nayar, Anmol Jamwal, Dhruv Sirohi, Vikram Kejriwal, Piroune Balachandran, Aditya V. Gupta, Siddhant Sachdev

OTTAWA DEBATES Passage to Canada

Master-in-Charge Mr Debashish Chakrabarty Secretary Vivek Santayana

Sitting (L to R): Mrs Priyanka Bhattacharya, Mr Debashish Chakrabarty, Mrs. Priya Chaturvedi, Mr Shatam Ray Standing (L to R): Shoumitra Srivastava, Piroune Balachandran, Revant Nayar, Vivek Santayana, Vikram Kejriwal, Shashvat Dhandhania

VIDEO CLUB Lights, Camera, Action!

Master-in-Charge Mr Sandeep SIngh Mann Boy-in-Charge B Dinesh Reddy

Sitting (L to R): Neel Madhav, B Dinesh Reddy, Mr Sandip Singh Mann, Angad Bawa, Chirag Ambekar Standing(L to R): Rishabh Sharma, Aditya Gupta, Pranjal Bhatt, Sparsh Batra, Arjun Singh Mann

VIRTUAL STOCK EXCHANGE Easy Money

Master-in-Charge Mr Mohammad Istemdad Ali Boy-in-Charge Prateek Agarwal

Sitting (L to R): Rishi Agarwal, Arvind Sharma, Prateek Agarwal, Mr Mohd Istemdad Ali, Shantanu Agarwal, Chirag Ambekar, Udai Bothra Standing (L to R): Anshul Tibrewal, Saud Khan, Vatsal Modi, Aviral Gupta, Gaurav Garg, Tanmay Kapoor, Imroz Suri, Vidit Sadana

AEROMODELLING Touching New Heights

Master-in-Charge Mr Ashish Dean Boys-in-Charge Aayush Jain, Ishaan Khanna

Sitting 1st row (L to R): Lakshay Varshnay, Sajal Bansal, Vrishank A Parmar, Aaryaman Panwar, Ayush Sarawgi, Parth Agarwal, Rishabh Badhwar, Vibhav Gupta, Karan Sethy, Rishit P Agrawal, Krishnamit Bhargava Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Sookrit Malik, Prahlad Singh, Mr Praveen Dwivedi, Aayush Jain, MrAshish Dean, Ishaan Khanna, Mr Sandip S Mann, Prashant Bhandari, Shivam Goyal Standing (L to R): Rishabh Agarwal, Sabharsh S Sidhu, Ruhaan D Tyagi , Arjun Khanna, Krishna Dadoo, Jai Khanna, Shubham Agarwal, Nipurn Datta, Shrey Aryan, Aditya Bhardwaj, Arnav Goyal, Ashish Verma, Yash Agrawal

CHESS Ebony and Ivory

Master-in-Charge Dr Raj Kumar Gupta School Chess Captain Uday Shriram

Sitting (L to R): Mukund Nyati, Uday Shriram, Mr Raj Kumar Gupta, Ujjwal Dahuja, Shourya Gupta Standing (L to R): Sarthak Gupta, Shourya Agarwal, Gopal S Mann, Prahlad Singh, Prashant Bhandari, Chaitanya H Agarwal, Yash Agarwal

COOKING Spicing It Up

Master-in-Charge Mr Sanjiv Bathla Boy-in-Charge B Dinesh Reddy

Sitting (L to R): Chirag Ambekar, Mr Sanjiv Bathla, Mr Harendar Chakhaiyar, Shourya Gupta Standing (L to R): Atharva Matta, Gaurav Kothari, Udit Rungta, Imroz Suri, Aditya Vir Roy

CYCLING Live Strong

Master-in-Charge Mr Manu Mehrotra

Sitting 1st row (L to R): Ayuushman Aroraa Sitting 2nd row(L to R): Abhishek Pai, Shreshtha Verma, Mr Manu Mehrotra, Eeshat Tiwary, Abhishek Kakkar Standing(L to R): Raghav Bansal, Vatsal Agrawal, Devang Mehra

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY Innovations Redefined

Master-in-Charge Mr A R Singh Boy-in-Charge Arvind Sharma

Sitting 1st row (L to R): Aditya Vir Roy, Karan Sethy, Aditya V Dhingra, Yash Dhandhania, Nikunj Agarwal, Shubham Sikaria Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Furkan Khan, Hari Om, Saransh Seth, Mr Augustin Rajan Singh, Arvind Sharma, Mrs Malvika Bhatt, Sidhharth Bathla, Vijay Kumar, Virein Chabbra Standing (L to R): Arjun S Mann, D Prasanna Rajan, Husain Haider, SM Amaan Kazmi, Nihal Sharma, Aditeya Lochan Singh, Deepanshu Upadhyaya, Avik Gugalia, Chaitanya Fatehpuria, Yash Agarwal

ELECTRONICS Electrifying

Master-in-Charge Mr Ahmed Kamran Boy-in-Charge Arjun Verma

Sitting 1st row: Ashwin S. Solanki Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Utkarsh Garg, Mr Ahmed Kamran, Mr Ashish Dean, Vaibhav Bahadur Standing (L to R): Tanmay Gupta, Abhayraj Jain, Sookrit Malik, Ruhaan D Tyagi, Arjun S. Mann

ENGLISH DRAMATICS JUNIOR Act One, Scene One...

Master-in-Charge Mr Shrey Nagalia

Sitting (L to R): Yuvan Kumar, Rahul Srivastava, Mr Shrey Nagalia, Mrs Ritu Behl Mohan, Deepanshu Upadhyaya, Ritvik Kar Standing (L to R): Yasharth Goyal, Aamir Shah, Vibhav Maheshwari, Namanshree Jain, Vikramaditya Kapur, Rakshit Sinha, Anant S Mann

ENGLISH DRAMATICS SENIOR Dramatic Debuts

Master-in-Charge Mr K V Arjun Rao Boy-in-Charge Uday Shriram

Sitting 1st row (L to R): Farhan Anis, Aditya V Gupta, Nivit Kochhar, Nakul Jaidka, Malini Malviya, Akanksha Mohan, Arjun Khaitan, Bipasha, Devesh Sharma, Waseefullah Khan Sherwani Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Rohan Shriram, Vihan Khanna, Akshay Sharan, Shashank Peshawaria, Mr K V Arjun Rao, Uday Shriram, Mr Ashad Qezilbash, Viren Kapoor, Raghav Puri, Dhruv Sirohi, Sachit Taneja, Standing (L to R): Shiva Gururani, Nilesh Agarwal, Abhyun Chatterjee, Vahin Khosla, Anmol Singh Jamwal, Varun Rai, Shivam Pal, Tanuj Kumar, Sanchit Thakral, Madhavan Saklani, Abhishek Jain, Sharan Seth

HAM RADIO Dit. Dah. Dit

Master-in-Charge Mrs Meeta Sharma Boy-in-Charge Viren Kapoor

Sitting (L to R): Tanuj Kumar, Arjun Sethi, Mr Ashish Dean, Arvind Sharma, Mrs Meeta Sharma, Viren Kapoor, Mr Sandeep S Mann, Chirag Ambekar, Milind Pandit Standing (L to R): Mahak Sharma, Apurv Aggrawal, Shivam Goyal, Harshvardhan Singh, Aviral Gupta, Neelansh Khurana, Pranay Raj Kapoor, Ashutosh Goyal, Yash Agrawal

HINDI DEBATING Eloquence Unlimited

Master-in-Charge Dr Arvindanabha Shukla Boy-in-Charge Chandrachuda Shukla

Sitting (L to R): Abhishek Patel, Mr Vidhukesh Vimal, Chandrachuda Shukla, Mr Aravindanabha Shukla, Revant Nayar, Mr Manoj Pandey, Tanuj Kumar Standing (L to R): Uma Shankar Goswami, Tarang Saxena, Ujjwal Dahuja, Sanat K. Thakur, Abhinav Kejriwal

HINDI DRAMATICS High Histrionics

Master-in-Charge Mr Md Hammad Farooqui Boy-in-Charge Samarth Jaiswal

Sitting 1st row (L to R): Yash Raj Agrawal, Sachin Mehra, Akshay Sarawgi, Ritesh P. Shinde, Manas Poddar, Yash Upadhyay, Himanshu Poddar, Anshul Tibrewal, Sudhansh Agarwal, Tanishq Agarwala Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Saud Khan, Smitha Nair, Mr Shamik Das, Mr Md Hammad Farooqui, Samarth Jaiswal, Mr Vidhukesh Vimal, Mr Devender Kumar Mishra, Shivam Pal, Divyam Agarwal, Chirag Ambekar Standing (L to R): Udit Kapoor, Siddharth Dhanda, Tarang Saxena, Uma Shankar Goswami, Abhijeet Nagar, Saif Ali, Anshuman Bhargava, Shubham Dhingra, Vidit Sadana

JUNIOR CHEMISTS Taking the Acid Test

Master-in-Charge Mrs Meeta Sharma

Sitting (L to R): Yash Agrawal, Mr Manish Pant, Mrs Meeta Sharma, Mr Anand Kumar Mandhian , Pranay Raj Kapoor Standing (L to R): Guruansh Singh Gambhir, Shubham Sikaria, Suhel Karara, Ashutosh Goyal, Shashank Mittal

PHOTOGRAPHY Who took this one?

Master-in-Charge Mr Sanjiv Bathla Boys-in-Charge Nilesh Agarwal, Shourya Gupta

Sitting 1st row (L to R): Kunal Verma, Shivam Sharma, Aditya Dhingra Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Rohan Nath Behl, Gaurang Ahuja, Saib Ahmed, Mr Sanjiv Bathla, Shourya Gupta, Nilesh Agarwal, Mr Ashad Qezilbash, Sparsh Batra, Dhruv Mahajan, Shreshtha Verma Standing (L to R): Uday Rathore, Vedant Agarwal, Kartikey Kardam, Sartaj S Sidhu, Raghav Gupta, Varun N Sinha, Aditeya L. Singh, Rahul Srivastava, Nakul Talwar, Dhananjaya Bansal, Abhishek Pande, Yash Dhandhania

PIN AND THREAD Sewing it Up!

Master-in-Charge Mr Devendra Kumar Mishra Boy-in-Charge Agastya Bellad

Sitting (L to R): Rishavraj Das, Rohan Agarwal, Abhishek Kakkar, Shivank Singh, Mr Devendra Mishra, Himanshu Todi, Ritesh P. Shinde, Sachin Mehra, Shubham Agarwal Standing (L to R): Arnav Jain, Ishu Lather, Sabharsh Sidhu, Kartikey Luthra, Kunal Kanodia, Kartikeya Jain, Ritesh Devnani, Azan Brar, Nitin Sardana

TRINITY GUILDHALL Virtuosos

Master-in-Charge Mrs Priya Chaturvedi

Sitting (L to R): Sumer Sehgal, Harshvardhan Bansal, Uddhav Prasad, Mrs Priya Chaturvedi, Rachit Malik, Yuv Vir Khosla, Yash Mall Standing (L to R): Krishna Lohiya, Rishabh Pande, Aditya Malik,Saumil Agarwal, Imaan Mehta, Agni Raj Singh, Akanksha Mohan , Shourya Kishorepuria, Hamza Khan, Bipasha

STUDENT EXCHANGE

Sitting (L to R): Raghav Puri, Vikram Kejriwal, Mr Ambikesh Shukla, Tushar Gupta, Gursehej Oberoi Standing (L to R): Anmol Jamwal, Vihan Khanna, Sumaer Sandhu, Udai Bothra, Karmanya Malhotra

Exchange Schools Vihan Khanna - St Edwards’ School , UK

Raghav Puri - St Philips’ School , Australia

Sumaer Sandhu - St Edwards’ School , UK

Varun Gupta - St Stithians’ School , South Africa

Anmol Jamwal - Schule Schloss Salem, Germany

Udai Bothra - Regents’ School, Thailand

Tushar Gupta - Hutchins’ School, Australia

Spandan Agarwal- Brookhouse International School, Kenya

Karmanya Malhotra - Hutchins’ School, Australia

Vikram Kejriwal - Eton College , UK

Gursehej Oberoi - Bridgehouse School , South Africa

Our Experience Having the freedom to do what one wants in school is a privilege, but knowing just what to do with it that is what makes an exchange so devilishly brilliant. - Vihan Khanna People call it ‘an experience of a lifetime’, but I would call it an experience which will become a guiding stick in my life for the experiences yet to come. The exchange programme hammered and carved out of me, a more mature and a more prudent Varun Gupta out of what I was. - Varun Gupta I never expected that the first country I’ll visit abroad would be Germany but Salem having such diverse cultures and ideals, provided me an atmosphere that was so welcoming and cooperative that I felt at ease the moment I stepped inside the campus. - Anmol Jamwal It was an experience I will cherish and save up for life. - Sumaer Sandhu It was something unpredictable but in the end it was right. I had the time of my life. - Gursehej Oberoi It was living life in a different culture, in a different environment, and with totally different people. Exchange was truly amazing and a once in a lifetime opportunity. - Spandan Agarwal How wrong I was to think that Eton would be aristocratic and snobbish, as those two awesome months were made up of new friends, sailing and festivity. - Vikram Kejriwal Student Exchange was an experience which would forever remain with me for the rest of my life. The diversity of students I encountered on my exchange is what stands out the most in my experience. It taught me a lot and added a whole new dimension to my personality which I believe had never existed before. - Udai Bothra Exchange felt as if it passed in a moment. But then, it was a moment full of memories. - Karmanya Malhotra Exchange was two months of pure bliss. I’m just happy that it happened. - Raghav Puri An unforgettable experience, memories from Exchange will always remain fresh. - Tushar Gupta

Expedition

Mont Blanc Located on the border of France and Italy was our final destination ‘The White Mountain’. Leaving the Indira Gandhi International Airport with high hopes and expectations was a group of 14 Doscos, accompanied with two expert hikers, mountaineers, teachers and above all friends. After a detour via the Helsinki airport (with the famous lost passport and ‘aachar’ incidents) we arrived at the Geneva airport from where we took a couple of vans to reach our destination, a little village called ‘Argentiere’. After a short debriefing session most of us watched the much-awaited final of the soccer World Cup. Groups were made on the basis of previous experience with a guide allotted to each group. On the first day we were taught how to traverse through ice and snow with the help of ‘crampons’ and ice axes. The next three days were spent in training and acclimatizing for the final ascent. On the fourth and fifth days we took a trip to Italy to climb a peak for practice known as ‘Grand Paradiso’. Only the summiteers were allowed to make an attempt to climb Mont Blanc. While a group of boys accompanied by PKJ attempted to climb the famous 4,810 meters, the others did canyoning, paragliding and rock climbing. Meeting the level of the expectations, the main group completed the summit attempt within the timeframe of two days. After a hectic and tiring stretch of seven days the group left for Paris for two days of leisure and recreation. In Paris, after viewing the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, The Louvre and the famous Champs Elysees, we returned to India with fond and happy memories of a wonderful trip. Prahlad Singh

Sitting (L to R): Rohan Nath Behl, Nilesh Agarwal, Mr Aravindanabha Shukla, Shivam Pal, Mr Pankaj Joshi, Jayant Mukhopadhaya, Dhruv Mahajan Standing (L to R): Abhijit Karwa, Shubham Agarwal, Siddhant Dixit, Alawi Singh, Raj Surana,Animesh Jain

SOCIAL SERVICE

AUDIO VISUAL SQUAD Mic Check Under the able leadership of the newly appointed Boys in Charge Viren Kapoor, Shatrunjai Rai Dewan and Devansh Khaitan and the able Masters in Charge Mr Sandip S Mann and Mr Ashish Dean this year the squad reached heights never reached before even though there were some drawbacks due to one or two ‘jammed up’ events. With the highlights in the four plays performed under their leadership and the tour to Delhi and to Bombay with the juniors. Due to the hard work and dedication put in by the boys involved in the various plays we saw amazing technical direction in both the Hindi and the English plays. There was mass participation this year in this activity. There was new talent found in new faces like Ritvik Kar and Guruansh Singh who helped the squad with their dedication. The strength of the squad has gone from 52 to 81 in the span of this year showing the increase in the popularity of the AV Squad in school. Master-in-Charge Sitting 1st row(L to R): Ritvik Kar, Chirag Mittal, Guruansh Gambhir, Arjun Singh Mann, Durgesh Agarwal Sitting 2nd row(L to R): Prahlad Singh, Neel Madhav, Jayant Mukhopadhaya, Devansh Khaitan, Mr Ashish Dean, Viren Kapoor, Mr Sandeep Singh Mann, Shatrunjai Rai Dewan, Chirag Ambekar, Vaibhav Bahadur, Sachit Taneja Standing(L to R): Apurva Agarwal, Jai Ahuja, Hamza Khan, Sarvashrest Singh, Shantanu, Sanchit Thakral, Devesh Sharma, Vedant Khanna, Rahul Srivastava, Arjun Khaitan, Nivit Kochhar, Shubham Dhingra, Aamir Shah

Mr Sandeep Singh Mann, Mr Ashish Dean Boy-in-Charge Viren Kapoor, Shatrunjai Rai Dewan, Devansh Khaitan

ARCHIVES Keeping Track

Master-in-Charge Mrs Abia Qezilbash Boy-in-Charge Utkarsh Gupta

Sitting (L to R): Utkarsh Garg, Mrs Abia Qezilbash, Utkarsh Gupta, Mr Sunny, Rishi Agarwal Standing (L to R): Apurv Agarwal, Aditya V Gupta, Sanat K Thakur, Prahlad Singh, Vaibhav Bahadur, Arjun Khaitan

BOYS’ BANK AND TUCKSHOP Reserve Bank of Doon

Master-in-Charge Mr Manoj Pandey, Mr Sandeep Adhikari Boy-in-Charge B Dinesh Reddy, Chirag Ambekar

Sitting (L to R): Shubham Agarwal, Mr Praveen Dwivedi, Mr Sudhir Thapa, Mr Sandeep Adhikari, Chirag Ambekar, B Dinesh Reddy, Mr Manoj Pandey, Mr Samik Das, Mrs Malvika Bhatt, Vatsal Modi Standing (L to R): Anshul Tibrewal, Nakul Talwar, Ritesh Shinde, Avik Gugalia, Neelansh Khurana, Gaurang Ahuja, Saransh Seth, Udit Rungta, Rishi Agarwal, Divij Batra, Jai Singh Yadav, Abhishek Pande

CHILD EDUCATION Each One, Teach One

Master-in-Charge Mr Pankaj Joshi Boy-in-Charge Tanuj Kumar

Sitting 1st row (L to R): Sarthak Gupta, Arush Sood, Vibhav Gupta, Vatsal Goenka, Digvijay Gupta Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Akanksha Mohan, Mrs Meeta Sharma, Mr Kamal Ahuja, Mr Pankaj Joshi, Tanuj Kumar, Mr SudhirThapa, Mr Srinivas Swamy, Mr Manu Mehrotra, Mahak Sharma Standing (L to R): Suyash Raj Shivam, Abhinav Kejriwal, Devesh Sahai, Yash Upadhyay, Aviral Gupta, Aditeya L Singh, Nipurn Datta, Kunal Kanodia, Ashutosh Goyal, Shubham Agarwal, Abhijit Kejriwal

FIRST AID Dial 108 First Aid is an activity which is of high importance. It requires technique and a calm mind. This year, under the guidance of the School First Aid captain, Bharat Ganju, the activity was very successful. 108 students attended the First Aid training and got certificates from the National Safety Council, USA. 104 students were awarded the First Aid label. In the Inter House First Aid competition, Hyderabad House was placed first. Rohan Shriram was adjudged the best First Aider. Master-in-Charge Dr Lanka Amar Captain Bharat Ganju

Sitting 1st row (L to R): Apurv Agarwal, Saib Ahmed, Shubham Agarwal, Bharat Ganju, Dr Lanka Amar, Animesh Gupta, Virein Chhabra, Rohan Shriram, Aashray Batra Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Abhishek Pai, Himanshu Todi, Sparsh Batra, Aditya Vikram Gupta, Gaurav Kothari , Madhavan Saklani, Parth Gupta, Karan Chhabra, Lanka Adarsh Sitting 3rd row (L to R): Arjun Khaitan, Udai Vir Lakhanpal, Eeshat Tiwary, Sanat Kumar Thakur, Arifeen Chowdhury, Alawi Singh, Abhijeet Karwa

IMPLEMENT STORE Tool Toll Master-in-Charge Mr Skand Bali Boy-in-Charge Shreyvardhan Swaroop

Sitting (L to R): Aashray Batra, Shreyvardhan Swaroop, Mr Skand Bali, Arvind Sharma, Saib Ahmad Standing (L to R): Eeshat Tiwary, Sambhav Sethia, Jaskrit Singh

LOST PROPERTY OFFICE Friendly Finders

Master-in-Charge Mr Prabhakaran Nair Boy-in-Charge Pranav Agarwal

Sitting (L to R): Pranav Agarwal, Mr Prabhakaran Nair, Vatsal Goenka Standing (L to R): Varun Pais, Arjun Kamdar, Suraj Bishnoi, Aditya Gupta

PAPER RECYCLING Paper Maché Makers

Master-in-Charge Mr Srinivas Swamy Boy-in-Charge Arvind Sharma, Arjun

Sitting (L to R): Shivam Katyal, Vinayak Agarwal, Arvind Sharma, Mr Srinivas Swami, Arjun, Nilesh Agarwal, Virein Chabra Standing (L to R): Vireshwar Singh Sidhu, Madhav Dutt, Saib Ahmad, Varun Rai, Shreyvardhan Swaroop, Eeshat Tiwary, Pratyush Bharti, Uday Rathore

SOCIAL SERVICE Making a Difference

Master-in-Charge Mrs Amrit Burrett Secretary Angad Bawa

Sitting (L to R): Mr Ahmad Kamran, Mr Sudhir Thapa, Mr Rahul Luther, Mrs Ritu Behl Mohan, Mr Mohammed Istemdad Ali, Mrs Amrit Burrett, Mr Vidhukesh Vimal, Mrs Mona Khanna, Mr Ambikesh Shukla, Mr Praveen Dwivedi Standing (L to R): Vrindam Nagpal, Prabnur Singh Bal, Harshvardhan Singh, Udai Bothra, Aviral Gupta, Vatsal Modi, Vigya Singh Dhiman, Chirag Ambekar, Shubham Dhingra

STAGE COMMITTEE Centre Stage

Master-in-Charge Mr Shrey Nagalia Boys-in-Charge Trivikram Singh, Manik Garg

Sitting (L to R): Anmol Singh Jamwal, Mr Shrey Nagalia Standing (L to R): Abhijeet Karwa, Aditya Vikram Gupta, Nakul Jaidka

TROPHY SQUAD Shining Bright

Master-in-Charge Mr Anand Kumar Mandhian Boy-in-Charge Shivam Katyal

Sitting (L to R): Neelansh Khurana, Raghav Nath, Mr Anand Kumar Mandhian, Shivam Katyal, Mr Pankaj Das, Anshuman Bhargava, Suyash Bishnoi Standing (L to R): Aditya Dhingra, Sabhya Katya, Shivam Goyal, Palash Kanwar, Rishab Chadda, Dhruv Prasad, Sachin Mehra

WEBSITE MAINTENANCE Cyber Lamp

Master-in-Charge Mr Vishal Mohla

Sitting (L to R): Spandan Agarwal, Mr Vishal Mohla, Ishan Khanna Standing (L to R): Ayush Tripathi, Sparsh Batra, Nivit Kochhar

RSC & RSIS REPORTS Katta Patthar

A primary school run by the Maharaja Kumar Jaunt Shum Memorial Trust is located in village Katta Patthar, district Vikas Nagar. It is recognized by the State Education Board. The school has been in existence since the past 16 years. There is a government primary school and a higher secondary school in the village. The school attempts to fulfill the needs for an English medium primary education for the community, with an emphasis on the girl child, and serves as a feeder school for the government schools. There is a requirement for a school of this nature as the closest English medium school is in Vikas Nagar which is 14 kilometers away. The three classrooms that the school functioned out of were once cattle sheds on the original Trust property. It was proposed by The Doon School to take this school project as a Round Square project under which the following efforts were required: a) b) c) d)

A new building. Since the condition of the existing school was rundown, it was decided that a new building would be made in place of the old. To bring in quality education, workshops for teachers would be organized. Workshops for parents to understand the change that would take place in the coming time. Workshops for students.

Last summer the first Round Square service camp was organized. By then the old building was demolished. It was nice to see students from various parts of the world not just helping in the construction but also assisting in conducting classes. The camp lasted 10 days. Our students have been visiting the site as and when they can. Tutors have taken their tutorial groups for ‘night outs’ and helped in various activities happening at Katta Patthar. The new building is now ready and the classes have shifted back into the building.We have started with the second phase of our programme: the teachers workshop. So far we have had four different workshops for them and all were conducted in Dehradun. On 26th November a workshop was organized at Katta Patthar. The aim is to create another John Martyn school and bring quality education to the local community. AMB

The Australasian Junior Round Square Conference United World College, Singapore (June 17 – 29, 2010) ‘Round Square’ is indeed an intriguing term. The name was derived from a seventeenth-century building at Gordonstoun School, Scotland, which was a square for horses, carriages and equipment for the estate built in a circular design. The Doon School is a member of the Round Square organization. There are many common principles of education that the Organization shares with the School. In fact, our second Headmaster, John Martyn, had made a reference to Kurt Hahn in one of his addresses at Founder’s Day. This year, ten of us, escorted by AKS, visited United World College, Singapore and Tioman Island, off the east coast of Malaysia, for the Australasian Junior Round Square Conference. We joined ten other schools for the Juara Turtle Project as a pre-conference trip, which is, according to the brochure, “an environmental conservation project aimed to rejuvenate the sea turtle population and habitats of Tioman Island in the most natural way possible”. The pre-conference session comprised a short trek (which we found rather easy, owing to the rigours of our midterms), building a hatchery as part of the Turtle Project in the hot, tropical climate of Malaysia, some kayaking, snorkelling, tours to a nearby village and an amusing variety show in which all of us were made to perform. After the pre conference, we convened at The United -World College campus which, though built on a modest (twenty-seven-acres) area, housed a luxurious hostel for the students. Our routine throughout the conference comprised keynote speeches, tours of Singapore, games, workshops on global issues and a whole lot of fun. We also visited Sentosa, Singapore’s popular resort island. But what I remember most vividly from the conference is the ‘Global Village Banquet’, towards the final days of the conference. We were informed on one of the days that there would be a grand banquet instead of a regular lunch. Our excitement was second only to our hunger. However, when the banquet was laid out, we were surprised to see only 100 plates of food for the 168 delegates. We were put in three groups, blue, green and red, the significance of which we understood later. 92 out of 168 delegates were in the red group with only 4 sandwiches and some fries to share, whereas the green group, which had 50 delegates, had 10 sandwiches. The blue, comprising 26 delegates, shared 86 sandwiches. Obviously, this exercise represented the disparity in the demographics of the world.

Developing nations have a scarcity of resources which is grossly insufficient to sustain their population, while developed nations live in abundance. In India, after the recent monsoons, there are silos full of grain that is rotting rather than being distributed, while millions are still starving. The ‘banquet’ showed us that such staggering paradoxes are realities, and we often take our comfortable lives for granted. Kurt Hahn was an educationist, prominent in the early decades of the 20th century. He believed that young people should be taught through motivation and incentive and not through punishment. He also laid great emphasis on outdoor adventure. He believed such teachings combated the ‘Six Declines of Modern Youth’: Decline of Fitness, Decline of Initiative and Enterprise, Decline of Memory and Imagination, Decline of Skill and Care, Decline of Self-discipline, and Decline of Compassion. In retrospect, much of our life in School (such as midterms, games, SUPW, STAs and the Independence Day social service) and many of the activities of the conference (adventure sports, trekking and service activities) reflect similar (if not, the same) principles: we are reminded of the other side of reality, that there are many not as fortunate as us. Indeed, modern youth runs the risk of callous indifference and self-indulgence, but these activities and conferences remind us of the value of physical labour, our responsibility towards the world at large and, most importantly, the joy of serving society. The Global Village Banquet had a message that all of us are aware of, but too easily forget. Devesh Sharma

RSC Thailand 49

Last month, seven S-formers- Suyash, Vigya, Rishi, Sagar, Gursahej, Divij and I were selected to represent the School at the Annual Round Square Conference at The Regent’s School, Pattaya. We were being escorted by MCJ and AKS and were really looking forward to the ten-day outing, especially after the intense DS 75 preparations at School. However, after reaching the airport, we were disappointed to discover that the expiry date of Gursahej’s passport was not too far away. Sadly, he headed home and we boarded the flight without him. We spent the first day exploring Bangkok and its exquisite temples. The following day we headed off to The Regent’s School. The school is located on the outskirts of Pattaya and it looked magnificent with its huge buildings and a lush green field surrounding it. We were then escorted to our comfortable boarding houses where we stayed with delegates from other schools. Following this was the welcome ceremony in which the host school put up a great music and dance performance after which the schedule of the conference was discussed. The opening ceremony was held the next day in which our School flag was held high by Divij Budhiraja. The patron of Round Square, HM King Constantine of Greece, along with a Headmaster of The Regents’ School then introduced the theme of the conference: We Walk Together. All the key speakers, Mr. Dalgish, Mr. Louis, Mr. Khun Mechai and Father Joe gave inspirational talks and shared their varied experiences. We were also divided into barazza groups in which we discussed the various issues brought up by the keynote speakers. These barazza groups gave us a chance to voice our opinions and make suggestions on how to address problems. Later that evening, the Annual General Meeting was held, during which the programmes and activities undertaken by the Round Square were presented and discussed. The second and the fourth day of the conference were the service days as this year the theme of the conference was based on the ‘S’ of the ideals (i.e. service) of the Round Square. Everyone was assigned to a group and I went to the Camillian Social Centre in Rayong on the first day where I met with HIV patients. I was extremely disturbed to learn of their hardships yet heartened to know that I could be of some use. On the second day I went to the Pattaya orphanage where more than 800 children of different age groups lived together. All of the delegates carried presents for the children there and we interacted and played with them.

We also had an evening named We Express Together in which the interested schools were asked to put up a performance. Our School was applauded for its performance on the theme Vande Mataram, which had been choreographed by Gursahej. Other schools also put on praiseworthy shows, especially the host school which performed a ‘glove dance’ based on the theme of the conference. An exhibition of art pieces also took place and the money raised was to go to the Prince Alexander Fund for Round Square International Service projects. On the last day of the conference, I, on behalf of the School went for the Prince Alexander Fund lunch (I had to starve there as there was nothing except sea-food and I am vegetarian!) to present our School’s contribution to the fund and was thanked by HM King Constantine. The last event was a party at Nung Noch Resort in Pattaya. The night was characterized by delicious food, friends and a band. The night drew to a close with everyone promising to keep in touch, clicking photographs and exchanging email addresses and Facebook contacts. The Round Square family had to break up now. The next day we travelled to Bangkok where we spent our last two days ‘relaxing’ and shopping. We returned to School just two days before the commencement of DS-75 and threw ourselves once again in its final preparations. Utkarsh Garg

The Round Square International Project, Ladakh (July 9 – August 3.2010)

Ladakh: the name spells natural beauty and it didn’t disappoint. This July, Hemang, ANJ and I participated in the RSIS Project Ladakh. The project began on July 9 and ended on August 2. This was the first time that any of us was participating in a Round Square Project, whose objective was to help construct a library for the children of The Lamdon School in Sumur. What was to be a fruitful and exciting time in Ladakh started off with a bumpy and scary landing followed by applause by the passengers aboard when the plane made a skilful landing at Leh airport. What struck us first was the feeling of breathlessness because of the altitude. The two-day acclimatisation phase is compulsory if you go to Leh. Leh and its outskirts were spectacular. We were to stay in Leh for a few days before leaving for Sumur. Leh is a small town full of tourists, mountaineers, with clothing and handicrafts shops doing brisk business. It was in Leh really that we first got to know the entire RSIS team. There were 28 students from all over the world and 5 adults. We stayed at a well-furnished hotel and were served delicious food (better than I had expected). During the first few days of acclimatisation, we visited a number of monasteries and previous years’ worksites. The people in Ladakh are mostly Buddhists and so it came as no surprise to see so many beautiful monasteries in the region. The six-hour long drive to Sumur from Leh was an exhilarating experience: crossing the Khardung La Pass: the world’s highest motorable road at a height of 18,380 ft. We were given a warm welcome on reaching Sumur by the trustees of The Lamdon School. Our campsite was in a shrub forest and we had the entire kitchen crew serving us hot food which was most welcome. The plan for each day was to work at the school in two shifts of three hours each, one in the morning and one in the evening. We had been divided into five groups, out of which each day, four groups went to work at the worksite while one group had a day off. ANJ’s was called ‘Hidalgo’, while my group called itself ‘LGD’ (Yeah, I know it sounds cool). Our free time was mostly spent talking about life elsewhere – our schools and homes; walking to the river, playing cards, Frisbee and, most interestingly, talking about our futures. I liked the discussions and the random chats that we had every day. There is no better place and platform to get to know culturally different people than an international project. I thoroughly enjoyed being in the company of new people as it helped me learn a lot of new things as well as learn to look at things from a different perspective. The purpose of the project was to assist the locals in the construction of a library for the children at The Lamdon School. The work at the school comprised laying down the foundation for the walls, lifting heavy rocks, preparing mud-mixture, carrying sand, and collecting huge logs of wood. It was extremely hot during the daytime and working for six to seven hours under the scorching sun was by no means an easy task. However, the human chain or the “chain gang” as we liked calling it, made our work of lifting heavy material much simpler and less tiring. It is these small instances of working together towards a common goal that instil in an individual the ideals of unity, teamwork and unselfishness.Apart from working at the school, we also opened an eye clinic for the villagers. Harsh Verma

ANJ, Hemang and I were the official translators. It was a pleasant experience at the eye clinic. Teaching the children at The Lamdon School was another entertaining experience. It was a good feeling going to other villages and being recognised by the same children that I had taught a few days ago. During our stay in Sumur, we were lucky enough to get a chance to see and hear His Holiness The Dalai Lama, who was on a visit to Ladakh. I remember one of his talks in which he said that Buddhism was not about only visiting monasteries but about understanding the interdependent nature of things around us. It was an unbelievable experience to be in the presence of such a radiant personality. Some of the other memorable experiences include the camel ride on the Bactrian camels, watching the World Cup Final at a garden café, taking long walks down the roads clicking pictures, riding on a lorry full of wood through the rocky mountain roads with high snow peaks all around us and bathing in the freezing streams. The trek phase of the project was hampered at many stages due to the many team members falling sick because of high altitude issues. It was disappointing when the trek route was changed; however, the picturesque setting of Ladakh compensated for the disappointment all through the trek. Our motto through the trip was ‘positive attitude’. On reflection, the Round Square Project ‘Ladakh’ was a truly enriching experience and we are immensely satisfied with the kind of exposure we got. It was definitely worth the time away from the too-well connected world and its hustle-bustle.

Regional Round Square Service Project Pathways World School, Gurgaon (June 5 – 14, 2010)

51 Ten boys, escorted by PVD, met at Pathways World School for the project. We were received with a warm welcome by a former master of School, Sumit Durgan (SMD), who gave us a short tour of the campus. Afterwards we were briefed about the work to be done followed by an ice-breaking session. Early the next morning, we visited the project site, a dry percolation pond. Work began almost immediately: we were to dig a larger water bed and several canals leading to the pond. This was part of an irrigation system that we had to get operational before the monsoon set in. We were to head to the site twice a day, morning and evening, each session being three to four hours long. In addition, we had a workshop every day, during which we had to rehearse a play about water conservation for the locals. Through these many activities, we got to know each other. In fact, we worked so well together that we did more than what was assigned to us: we built a dam out of stone and mud as added protection for the pond. The last two days of the project were spent digging a shallow trench for a pipe to go through to a local school. As the school did not have any direct water supply; we were to provide water to the school from a water source. We interacted and played some games with the children. A student from St George’s School, Switzerland, also volunteered as a ballet teacher, and all of us tried our hand (and feet) at it. On the final day, we performed our play (after rather haphazard preparation) which was received very well. The village school children put up a brilliant display of ballet for all of us. During the trip, we did a lot of social work, but we also relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. All the facilities of the host school were open to us, and film screenings and lavish dinners were organized frequently. Participants also had the opportunity to tour Old Delhi one day- we visited the Red Fort, had lunch at the world famous Karim’s restaurant in the Jama Masjid area, and also rode on the New Delhi Metro. The project eventually came to an end, much too soon for our liking. We made new friends, met old ones and returned home, exhausted but content. Arifeen Chowdhury

CREATIVE WRITING

Bakhle Memorial essay prize test We must first establish what we intend to ‘measure’ when we measure a civilisation. When we assess a civilisation, we examine the prosperity of the people at large and the collective quality of life. Archaeologically speaking, we must, through whatever we excavate, assess the quality of lifestyle in a civilization through systematic conjecture. Creating an Art-Science divide in such a field is a reawakening of our post-enlightenment dilemma: which one truly is superior, art or science? In my essay, I will aim at proving conclusively that it is truly art by which we can ‘measure a civilization.’ In order to do so, I shall look briefly at what it is that we really assess and how it is reflected in art. I shall then demonstrate how art is a more fidelous representation of the zeitgeist by highlighting a couple of artistic movements: Romanticism and Dadaism specifically, following which I shall demonstrate the insufficiency of assessment of scientific progress. Finally, I shall highlight the indivisibility of art and establish the grounds for the fidelity of art to the zeitgeist. In order to have progress, we must have our most basic requirements fulfilled. This brings us to Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’, which stating it briefly, establishes that only after man has fulfilled his basic needs will he strive for self-actualization and progress of society. Economic stability and the basic livelihood is a prerequisite for a civilisation. Once this has been fulfilled, the civilisation will aim at progress in commerce, science and art. Thus any progress in art or science will imply sufficiency in the standards of living. Coming to my first premise, when we aim at measuring a civilisation, we take into account their overall quality of life. Any higher pursuits of religion and literature will only be possible once the primal necessities are fulfilled. The ‘science’ of a civilisation will provide the medium through which the civilisation facilitates its provisions it itself: it is the method of satisfying one’s appetite. Science will provide the amenities and conveniences desired. After these desires are fulfilled, the people will pursue art in its various forms. Only if the overall quality of life is sufficient will we have art. Therefore, art indicates prosperity of a civilisation and reflects the overall prosperity of the people.

Building further, art is not only an indicator of prosperity but also a reflection of the zeitgeist. Artistic freedom allows one to represent his realities through his creation. This brings me to my second premise: art is a fidelous representation of the zeitgeist (German for ‘spirit of the time’), the collective intellectual inclination and the realities of the period. I had mentioned the enlightenment earlier, which was a period after The Industrial Revolution where the intellectual inclination was more classical (or scientific). Scientific understanding had overtaken aesthetic or emotional perception. As Keats had said, “Newton had unwoven the rainbow.” We lost all notions of the human identity in our existence. The Romantic Movement, one of the founders of which was Immanuel Kant, aimed at the rediscovery of human identity and awakening our powers of emotional perception once again. The Romantic movement of literature, for example, reflects this. I had quoted Keats earlier, who was a renowned romantic poet. His works are highly lyrical and they emphasize an “impressionistic” beauty of a fleeting instant. This is a true representation of the world after the Enlightenment. People seeked to rediscover the infinity within themselves and realize the extent of human existence. This also led to the growth of the ‘novel’ form of literature. Dadaism was a different representation. It was an artistic movement that debased art as protest to the First World War. Art was reduced to absurdity, as the Dadaists held the war to be absurd. Dada spat on everything. In modern times, many works of art reflected movements in history, for example the protest music during the Vietnam War or the literature of Africa. Such works of literature or music become generation be users, like David Copperfield or Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or even travelogues of explorers which highlight trade and commerce. Were we to assume scientific progress was the objective of society, and that scientific progress was what reflected the civilization’s prosperity, we have to understand the PostModern evolution of the Blank State Theory. It was held that the human mind was a blank slate. It could be rewired to forget aesthetics and emotions. This was reflected to a great extent in European architecture of the time. This has led to discontent.

The human mind was not a blank slate. The Theory did not hold. This was my third premise, that science is truly insufficient to measure a civilization, because science isn’t the real representation of progress. Again, one can revert to the hierarchy of needs. Science will not be the real picture. While it is true that art is a higher need, science is equally indivisible. Science gives us the required foundation for intellectual pursuits by fulfilling our basic needs. Art is indivisible because our minds are not blank slates, as I have established. We have mental faculties to pursue art. Because we aim to pursue art, we assume a freedom, an artistic freedom by which we express our realities. Our expressions come from our experiences. The artist will represent his reality. Because of this freedom, art will be a fidelous representation of culture and the quality of life. This is also why, in a totalitarian regime, art is censored. It is free and it is the collective mindset. Hence art is the true representation of a civilization. Throughout my essay, I have highlighted the means of measuring a civilization. I have discussed how art is what reflects the true lifestyle of the people. Therefore, it is through art we can assess a civilization and ‘measure’ it. Measurement of a civilization will, however, remain abstract. An issue that could be considered is the qualification of these measurements. If novels and travelogues showed trade and commerce with distant civilizations, it is left to conjecture how much wealth was truly gained. I had also discussed the origin of the art-science dilemma and demonstrated the insufficiency of science. I had also used various historical movements to further demonstrate the fidelity of art to the zeitgeist. Therefore, it can be conclusively deduced that art truly is a more fidelous measure of a civilization.

Bakhle Literature prize test “I wish we could do something really sinful. “This statement made in the ‘Farewell of Arms’ truly depicts a very central aspect that pervades Modernist literature. That is, its irreverence for the conventional notions of morality or ethics in any guise whatsoever. Modernist art and literature, in many instances, is deliberately supposed to be sinful, or to question our notions of ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Modernist writers, very intentionally, re-examine and question pre-existent norms and notions, especially include those of morality, ethics, and conscience. And this leads me to question the rather hasty assertion that I must consider in this essay; that writers are the conscience of the world. You might ask, “What is this conscience, anyways?” there is no precise or unambiguous definition of conscience. For even though the Oxford English Dictionary may contain one, people’s notions of conscience, and the light in which they regard it, differ immensely. For Socrates, human beings had a fixed notion of the ‘wrong’ and the ‘right’ injected in them from birth, as innate characteristics. But Sophists felt that it was molded by the environment and experience. Later, too there is seen to be a rift between those who felt that it was innate, and other reductionists who believed that it originates from experience. Plato and the neo-Platonists belong to the former category, and stoics such as Bertrand Russell belong to the latter. In the psychological sense, Sigmund Freud first analyzed it as being a component of the personality, which he called the Super-Ego. In my essay, I take conscience to mean the traditional sense of ethics and morality as depicted in the scriptures. Let me remind those who support the assertion that writers are the ‘conscience’ of the world, that history is replete with examples of writers who are reductionists, and have not only questioned, but also rejected the idea of the conscience altogether. We are not living in the medieval era, in which this act was considered to be blasphemous. Rather, the unconventional questioning of these norms has been promoted and encouraged; something, that has been incorporated in Modernist art and literature. Hence, not all writers are the conscience of the world. I have given an account of books by two authors, one that does display a distinct sense of conscience, and another that does not at all do so.

I would first like to contemplate ‘Farewell to Arms’. Please consider its depiction of sexuality, which is rather open and uninhibited. Will the priest call it scrupulous? According to the system prescribed by most religions and scriptures, matrimony is a holy activity which must be indulged in, before babies are conceived. Marriage, under the supervision of a priest or any such moral authority is a moral necessity, and for an unmarried couple to conceive a baby is clearly a sin surpassing any other. Yet look at how the central character of the story regards it. Unmarried to Catherine Barkley, Henry makes her conceive his baby. He says,” People have babies all the time. Everybody has babies. It’s a natural thing.” Moreover, he and his love, Catherine, actually rejoice at this illegitimate child and Hemmingway depicts it in a very positive light. His negation of conscience doesn’t end here. Hemmingway is prominently known for his unabashed and incautious representation of this act in his worth, and his language is often such that it invokes sensual imagery. The orthodox Christian may have called it vulgar, and hence devoid of conscience. Henry, besides, in the very beginning of the book, strikes his relationship with Catherine Barkley due to sexual pleasures that it may provide. He regards love as clearly being a ‘game’, and those who are involved in it, as players. It is pretence or a show that is performed by him, to face relief from the horrors of war.”I did not love Catherine Barkley nor had any idea of loving her. This was a game, like bridge, in which you said things instead of playing cards. Like bridge you had to pretend you were playing for money or playing for some stakes. Nobody had mentioned what the stakes were. It was all right with me.” And later, even Catherine says that they are playing a simple ‘game’ of love. Does conscience, in any definition of the term, regard love as a mere game? Is conscience not supposed to enunciate the ideas of ‘true’ and ‘faithful’ love for only one person? The fact that the two fall in love later on is a completely different story. I am merely referring to the initiation of the relationship. Further, I will ask you to contemplate the depiction of God, this being another notion very closely linked to the conscience. In fact, conscience is supposed to be a creation of god, and in a place in which god himself has no place, how can conscience have one?

Most of the characters in the novel are atheists, and assert their atheist ideology in a rather casual manner. Consider Henry’s conversations with the priest. Despite his veneration with respect to the priest, he persistently puts up arguments against both religion and god. The priest says, “You understand but you do not love god “Henry only replies by saying that he does not understand God, and shows no inclination to do so either. Moreover, he also says,” Only in defeat do we become Christian.” He insinuates, by this, that only those who don’t have the power to oppose the church allow themselves to be subjugated by it. Hence, the conscience is absent, and Hemmingway maintains a rather casual and indifferent approach with respect to this entity. He in no way sides with the priest who does hold conscience in high regard and adheres to it. His depiction of the priest is merely an indifferent and objective account of the conscience as something he observes as a diminished entity possessed by only very few people. “Every time I see that glass I think of you trying to clean your conscience with a toothbrush.” Catherine’s statement also portrays another pervasive theme of the book. That is, how people attempt to clear their conscience in order to make themselves guiltless, and after failure to do so, eventually surrender. And this surrender is natural in the book, the author in no way urging people to attempt to adhere to the conscience. Hemmingway hence displays a typically immoral Modernist writing style, devoid of conscience. “Here we, the African people…were faced with this conflict between the law and our conscience.”I will now turn to the other book, “No Easy Walk To Freedom”, written by Nelson Mandela. His writing was such, which actually invoked the conscience of the people; in fact, pricked and pierced better describe it. Mandela used various media to communicate the atrocities that were being committed against his fellow countrymen, and his book was simply one of them. It was an attempt to stir people into action; to create African individuals, infused with such indignity and such fervor arising out of faith for their cause, that the government would be compelled to submit. The fact that he regards all the unjust and inhuman laws in extreme loathe is testimony to

his social conscientiousness. This book, in fact, is directly intended to be the voice of conscience and indignity, showing the people what is wrong. He is sensitive enough to judge when any law that seems justified and beneficial at first, is actually intended to commit even further oppression against his countrymen. His countrymen, for instance, could have been grateful for the government that is established, with all its supposed claims of justice and equality. They could have been content with the meager 13%of land that they were provided. They could have been content with the Bantu Education Bill, prescribing separate education for the Africans. Mandela, however, with his unwavering conscience and his true idea of equality and justice, could judge these moves as mere tactics for inflicting repression in a much more subtle manner. The intentions of the whites were transparent in his eyes. He felt so strongly, and was so indignant where these matters were concerned, that he raised a hue and cry in protest at these clearly repressive measures. In the book, he points out the bare truth; stripped of all the false promises and the apparent sensitivity shown by the whites. The conditions of the Africans as deemed by him are not compatible with his conscience, which is sharply roused in any instance of perceived discrimination. The book is how he upholds his conscientious notions and expresses them very blatantly and clearly. He expounds on how the Bantu Education Bill is detrimental to the shaping of South African commoners, and is another pretext for keeping them in subordination. Besides, the oppression is to him so self-evident and unambiguous, that he can argue with immense conviction, displaying fine rhetoric. In his conversations with representatives of the government, he is extremely sharp to discern when they attempt to avert a point that he brings up, or subtly evade it. It is clear that his conscience is a guiding factor in the conversations that he makes, and leads him not to accept the half-hearted excuses that the government makes, and yet be persistent in pointing the flaws out. In fact, Mandela directly commands the people to uphold their beliefs in accordance with their conscience, and not let the law override it.

Plato would have said that Mandela, like many writers, has actual access to the actual eternal ‘ideas’ that are embedded in the conscience, such as perfect peace, liberty, and equality. Hence, he is sharp to perceive how the imperfect representation of these ideas on Earth, is flawed. Thus, from the neo-Platonist viewpoint, too, Mandela upholds the conscience. “The people are too poor to have enough food to feed their families and children…The recent state budget made provision for the increase of the cost-of-living allowances for Europeans and not a word was said about the poorest and most hard-hit section of the population - the African people.” Everyone knew what was happening, and everyone knew that the policies of the government were ‘insane’ and ‘tarnished the spirit of mankind.’ Yet, it was only when these feelings were expressed in words, that the true essence of something that is unreasonable, is grasped. When writers articulate the unjust and the oppressive in words, it is then that the indignity of the masses is truly roused. That is especially if the writers can wield language and rhetoric, effectively like Mandela. Hence, there are those writers who urge the people to exercise their conscience, free of conformity to the law and other norms that may be being followed. This is because it is through language that reason can be best communicated; reason, which is clearly motivated by the conscience. Then again, Freud said that the super-ego of a person (in other words, his conscience) allows him to uphold any belief, in the face of heavy oppression. He had said defiance is a key aspect of the activation of this entity. The very fact that Mandela speaks of ‘defiance’ of the authorities too implies his sense of conscience. Under his leadership, “Factory and office workers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, students and the clergy; Africans, Coloureds, Indians and Europeans, old and young, all rallied to the national call and defied the pass laws and the curfew and the railway apartheid regulations.” All of them, of course, lost their jobs but it was their super-ego which propelled and steered them on to what was indeed no easy walk to freedom. It was he who pointed out when the government took measures to silence the Congress, and how this showed, in effect, that they were willing to crush all voices expressing expectation of freedom.

He expounded on the need for newer political tactics when circumstances did not favor the old ones any more. “ Long speeches, the shaking of fists, the banging of tables and strongly worded resolutions out of touch with the objective conditions do not bring about mass action and can do a great deal of harm to the organisation and the struggle we serve.” This statement made by him clearly elucidates the fact that he does not defy revolt or revel for the sake of doing so. It shows that he does, in fact, have a sublime image and ideals which he works towards. And he is ready to do anything and employ any tactic which he objectively deems to be necessary for the fulfilment of the cause. It is not out of vengeance and spite that he opposes the rulers, but out of a very genuine sense of the need to attain freedom. This is because, freedom is firmly embedded in his conscience and through his writings, he wants to infuse it in the conscience of the masses too. He wishes that they be guided by their conscience, than by the law or even their notions of revenge and malice against the governments. He illustrates the most practical and hence the most effective measures to attain an exalted status for the sake of his people. The very fact that some books uphold the conscience, while some do not revere it, is a product of the fact that ours is a rich culture. For it was only in the Medieval Era that anything contradicting traditional notions of God and conscience was blasphemous. I shall hope to encounter more such books, belonging to both categories.

Gombar Speech Religious Practices and Godly Ways - Bharat Ganju When a daughter asks her mother the most dreaded question of all, how was I created she usually gets two answers. Either, your father and I loved each other a lot and we prayed to god and we got you. Or, the mother gives the longest possible answer ever with the most technical terms as possible so as to ensure that the question is never posed again. In the same way when I was a child, did I ask my father, “How was the world created?” I got the long answer and the only words I got out of it were ‘big’, ‘bang’ and ‘universe’ in it. This definition left me confused and when I consulted a local priest I got a simple three letter word as an answer. That word satisfied my hunger for the truth at that time but as I grew older I realised something. That very word and the story behind it is just a story; an oral story that has been passed down through word of mouth from father to son to grandson and so on. Somewhere down the line, the growing, changing story was written down. This piece of writing was then copied and copied and copied. Soon, the codified story was then translated from Hebrew to Arabic to English and so on until we, the believers, get the final book which is, at the end of the day, a translation of a translation of a translation of a copy of a copy of a copy of an oral story passed down through countless generations. And yet, we give so much importance to the three letter word and the story behind it. The word for which religions were founded; the word which gives a reason to kill another; the word for which wars were and still are declared. The word God.

For centuries the progress of man has been strangulated by so called ‘believers’ whenever there was a chance of science overturning belief. Today, the belief in god has been confused with the practice of religion. The distinction which was once present is now blurred by fanatics who preach that the amount of times you pray per day, the sacrifices you make, the amount of pain you can endure in God’s holy name and so on are the measures of your belief. Religion is not just a belief anymore, it has become a way of life. How can people now believe that barbaric acts can be justified if they are done in the name of god? How can something give a reason for men to commit mass murder and genocide? How can something tell us to listen to and obey the commands of a select few who have been given the title of a priest or guru? How can a god who taught love now have a religion created after him that practices cruelness to those who do not belong to it? Those are my questions. God is a spirit and hence one has to connect in spirit and truth. It doesn’t matter how big your Christmas tree is, how many crackers you burn on Diwali or how many goats you slaughter on Eid. What matters is how you engage in godly activities. People, this disease is so widespread, the fact is that it is a complete misnomer that god causes people to hate and kill one another. The fact is that god is an embodiment of love, a source of goodness, kindness and compassion. It is religion, which is man-made that

causes a divide among people, and these two things are completely divorced from one another. Ladies and Gentleman, I want to drive home this very point today, that the compulsory following and practice of religion to show that you do have a belief in god is wrong. And it is due to this very confusion that, bit-by-bit humanity is slowly tearing itself apart, starting from the destruction of a city’s skyscrapers all the way down to the bombing of a bakery. Frankly, the practice of religion has happened not because it is needed, but because people have perceived it to be. Because just like coldness is the absence of heat, just like darkness is the absence of light, the practice of religion to uphold a belief in God is the absence of reason. Artwork credits : God the Father by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo

Our reservation policy has done more damage than good - Saarthak S ingh| Historial Circle Essay “A representative government is better than an efficient government” These are the very words of the founding father of the Constitution of India, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and the most resonant figure who fought for reservations for the backward classes, as early as 1932 and single-handedly designed independent India’s first reservation policy. However, after about six decades of laying down of the Constitution, which effectively institutionalised reservation for the backward classes, it is the effectiveness of this reservation policy that has increasingly come into question and needs a serious re-think and a re-consideration, even as it comes to dominate almost all aspects of one’s life, from education to the workplace. This debate on the reservation policy of India, comes in the light of such incidents as the ongoing Gujjar imbroglio over OBC status in Rajasthan, which witnessed massive damage to public and private property , and the unrest caused by the anti-reservations protests at AIIMS and other premier educational institutions of the country in 2006 , as well as the wave of protests triggered by the Mandal Commission Report all over India in December 1990 . Our reservation policy, therefore, is vital to the heartthrob of the multi-cultured society we live in, and can have very serious repercussions if it is not well formulated or implemented. Reservation is a system of affirmative action whereby a certain percentage of seats are reserved by a quota in the parliament, state assemblies, union and state government departments, and public and private educational institutions, among other places, for the socially backward communities. This may be caste-based, gender-based, or religion-based, amongst reservations based on other criteria which are not part of the government policy. Though women’s reservation and reservation based on religion do come under the ambit of the topic, but here I have chosen to delimit space to caste-based reservations, as this is the major issue at hand.

A reservation policy is a well-planned course for action that is to be taken over a period of time for providing adequate representation to the backward classes. The ‘damage’ or ‘good’ stated here is primarily concerned with the effects on the very government departments and educational institutions in which these reservations have been made, as also on the human resources of the country. First of all, one must consider the purpose of reservations. Reservations were instituted as a means of providing adequate representation to the underprivileged classes that were grossly underrepresented, to diminish the prevailing historic sense of social inequity and put them at par with the rest of the people, so that they have equal access to all opportunities. They were meant as a tool to uplift the marginalised sections of society and to provide them a level playing ground along with the rest of the society. Reservation is provided to an individual as a representative of the community and not on an individual basis. Those who benefit from reservations must in turn help their communities to come up. In other words, they are accountable to the public—their own community and the nation itself. The roots of the problem that prompted the need for reservations recede beyond history to the age-long caste system, integral to the rigid Hindu societal structure, which was clearly delineated and stratified with hierarchical boundaries between the different ‘varnas’ , subcastes and other sub-denominations. Power and privilege remained with the higher classes. This feudal system operated rigidly for almost 3000 years. Under the British rule, the situation gradually started improving post-1857, with the Bengal Renaissance movement, which witnessed an intellectual awakening and mobilisation of more and more people from the middle and lower classes. Yet, there was an overwhelming majority of people still deeply entrenched in the rigid caste system and society was rife with the practice of untouchability.

The people were still not politically, socially, culturally, and educationally empowered to break away from the caste system. The British policy of Divide et Impera was what sowed the principle of reservation in Indian governance. Right after the 1857 uprising, the British redoubled efforts to exploit the fact that the Indians had not been united at that time and tried to exacerbate the cleavages between the Hindus and the Muslims. Later, Lord Curzon partitioned the Bengal province in 1905 on the pretext of “merely readjusting administrative boundaries”, but in fact as the prominent Muslim scholar Abid Hussain put it, “it sowed the seed of division in the heart of the people that was one day to divide the whole country.…” The Indian society was further divided when the British ordered a census in 1911, which sub-divided the Hindus and Muslims. This was followed by the Communal Award in 1932, granting separate electorates to the Muslims, Sikhs, and the ‘depressed classes’. Ironically, reservations were first called for by the privileged classes themselves, for an adequate representation to the Indians among the British, as far back as 1882, when the Hunter Commission was appointed to look into Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phule’s demand . With the implementation of provisions for the ‘backward classes’ in the Govt. of India Acts, 1909, 1919, 1929 and 1935, the colonial legacy of reservations and the quota system had been firmly nailed into the Indian system of governance, by the Indians themselves. On gaining independence, the framers of the constitution sought to establish a democratic and egalitarian society by integrating the entire society into the mainstream, into one national identity. They were well aware of the deep seated divide that the entire concept of reservation had brought into society under the British rule. The reservation system therefore was so designed that reservations were nothing but an enabling provision, a discretionary power

of the state, and not a Fundamental Right of an individual as such. Caution was sounded that ‘reservation must be given in such a way that efficiency of administration must not be impaired’. These were just supposed to be exceptions to the general, and were only to be a temporary matter . In fact, Sardar Patel and Nehru had moved the parliament to abolish separate electorates and reservations altogether. Sardar Patel had said in a parliamentary discussion on reservations “that the object of the House should be, as soon as possible and as rapidly as possible to drop these classifications and bring all to a level of equality”. Therefore, the reservations were initially minimal for the SC’s and ST’s and were to be reviewed after a period of ten years. The Constitution of 1950 prohibited all discrimination on grounds of race, caste, sex or religion, and provided special provisions “for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes”, apart from providing ‘equality of opportunity’ for all citizens . Today, however, reservations have ceased to be what they were probably first purposed to be—a means to emancipate and provide social welfare to the underprivileged—but have come to be a necessary evil. “The society is unfortunately not only divided into reservationists and anti-reservationists or sometimes retentionalists and abolitionists, it has also accentuated the cast consciousness, making caste the biggest political party in India.” --Marc Galanter, COMPETING EQUALITIES (1983) The Constitution clearly stated the principle for uplifting the marginalised as “equality of opportunity” , and not “equality of outcomes”, the exact polar opposite which seems to have been

derived out of the Constitution by the present-day politicians, Dalit/SC/ST leaders, government legislators and implementers of the reservation policy. Today, India is actively pursuing a policy of reservations by simply turning a blind eye to merit and reserving a large number of seats for the SC’s, ST’s, and OBC’s. Moreover, India’s reservation policy comes under the ambit of Directive Principles and not the Fundamental Rights. Article 46 only allows for a greater access to education and does not refer to reservations as a means to achieve the same. Emphasis, therefore, must be laid on primary and secondary education, rather than provide caste-based population-proportionate reservations to backward communities in higher education institutions. The meager allocation of GDP for mass education programs seems to be getting usurped by the beneficiaries of the reservation system itself. Over the years, after the initial reservation policy was framed, it was reconsidered, committees and panels were set up, and amendments to the constitution were brought, increasing the quota of reservations for all backward classes in education as well as employment. In 1953, the Kalelkar Commission was set up to determine the criteria to identify a caste as a “backward class”, to investigate into their social conditions and to make recommendations as to how the state should improve their socioeconomic condition. The recommendations were submitted in 1955, but the government was not fully satisfied and no action was taken. Then, in 1979, the Mandal Commission was appointed to determine the criteria for classifying the backward classes, to present recommendations as to what steps the state should take for the advancement of these communities, and if it was desirable to reserve seats in public services. The report was submitted in 1980, and 11 indicators were evolved to classify a community as backward. The recommendations were finally implemented in 1991, amidst massive protests across the country, with a student of Delhi University even attempting self-immolation.

27% reservations for the OBCs, as identified under the Mandal Commission Report, were made, taking the total reservation in civil posts and services to 49.5% (including reservation of 22.5% for the SCs and STs). The rationale provided for this was that the OBC’s constituted more than 52% of the country’s population, and since the Constitution did not allow for reservations to exceed 50%, they were kept at 27% only. This argument that reservation for the backward classes should be in accordance with their population, is simply a case of reductio ad absurdum, as the sole criterion for being backward seems to have clearly been translated as ‘under-representation’ and not ‘unequal access to opportunities’ (or inequity) as mentioned under the Constitution. The fact that the leaders of Dalits and other backward classes who have been hankering for population-proportionate reservations in education, employment and other government posts, clearly makes the purpose behind reservations redundant. Equality of opportunity can only be provided by assuring quality primary and secondary education to all and additional tuitions if needed. The problem cannot be countered by simply increasing the reservation quota vis-a-vis a community’s strength (pun intended!) . In early 2006, the Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh introduced 27% reservations for the OBCs in all public and private unaided educational institutes, including the premier higher education institutes of the country, such as the IITs and IIMs, AIIMS, and other deemed varsities. This lead to a great hue and cry all over the country, with the AIIMS doctors and medical students going on strike. In 2008, the Supreme Court finally pronounced its verdict on the reservations proposed for the OBCs, upholding the reservation of seats in educational institutions. The impact of these reservations for the underprivileged ‘majority’ of the country in higher education has been immense.

The underlying rationale for this reservation seems to be that all ‘backward classes’ ( which is about 74.5% of the population, including the SCs and STs, according to the Mandal Commission Report) are underprivileged and disadvantaged and all ‘forward classes’ are good enough to gain admission by their own labour. Firstly, these reservations will trigger an acute shortage of quality teachers in the higher education institutes and universities. What make the IITs and other prestigious institutions tick is their student-faculty ratio of about 6:1 that enables the students to interact one-toone with a high-caliber faculty. This is what will degenerate under the pressure of these reservations and the increased intake of under-graduate students to compensate for reservation, bringing the ratio to about 14:1. Consequentially, the quality of education will also be seriously affected. Secondly, these prestigious institutions would have to undergo a merit compromise, a compromise which they cannot afford at any cost. The quality of students they churn out will only decrease with the increase of low-quality input. I’m not saying that all reservation-category students would be “low-quality”, but only that the odds of the same would be much greater. Moreover, the very identity and USP(Unique Selling Price) of these institutions would be reflected in the quality of graduates they would deliver. If there are reservations where merit is not even a criterion, then this is bound to affect the ‘merit’ of these very institutions. Reservations of seats at such prestigious institutions will not only dilute standards but also lead to loss of private players investing in the education sector, and all this at a time when India is looking to become a leader in the global knowledge economy. The introduction of reservations in higher education has already unleashed a spate of unprecedented damage, not only to the quality of these institutions, but also to the faculty and the graduates which reflect the same. Not only this, it has also reinforced and encouraged corruption. Rather than labour for an admission into

a college of institute, people would be tempted to tread the easy path by producing a certificate to ‘verify’ their OBC status by foul means and get admission into some of the prestigious institutes of the country. Not only does this dilute the value and purpose of reservations, but also deprives the actual OBC aspirants with little or no financial resources. The beneficiaries of this reservation policy would then be granted jobs in the government or the public sector based on reservation, which would do nothing to enable empowerment, but on the contrary, hand them crutches for life. In knowledge-intensive sectors, it will be the quality of the organizations that would be compromised. Customers would have to accept diluted standards of service just because of a highly-hypocritical reservation policy that applies to the person providing the service. Again, I am just stating that the probability of someone making use of reservation just for making it to a job and then providing a slipshod performance would be much higher. Such great deviations in professional competency and skill can have an adverse effect on society itself. To address this issue, the government must invest in education at the grassroots level itself, providing access to primary and secondary education for all children below 14, an objective clearly stated in the Directive Principles, that yet needs to be met. Instead of just making reservations for the OBCs in higher education, quality primary as well as secondary education must first reach the economically weaker sections of society, irrespective of caste, with the additional facilities like free books, extra-coaching, food, and access to extra-curricular activities. By doing this, the government would be providing the underprivileged the tools for their own empowerment and only then would it be able to ensure that there is ‘equality of opportunity’ as stated in the Constitution. There is an age-old aphorism (rephrased here to suit the context): “Give a man food and he will be grateful yet poor. Give a man the means to earn his food and he grateful and financially independent.”

The present reservation policy, a consequence of the Mandal Commission appointed by Morarji Desai and the subsequent V.P. Singh government and the Narasimha Rao government that had a hand in the implementation of the report, and the reservations for OBCs in higher education proposed by Arjun Singh, represents a greater political agenda than to just bridge the gap of inequity. For one, the OBCs constitute the majority of the electorate and it follows that a political party aligned with them would automatically receive obvious political gains. Newspapers and magazines are still rife with speculation as to why Arjun Singh played the reservation card—was it a political gimmick? Or was it to genuinely serve the OBCs? The Mandal Commission Report too was alleged to have been doctored, for it is said to have generated a whole vote bank of OBCs for the Janata Dal. The damage done here by introducing reservations for communities according to their population, to possibly achieve political ends, is irreparable. In trying to achieve narrow political gains regional parties have aligned along caste, class, and religious lines, sub-dividing the backward classes and supporting their backwardness as also their demands for greater reservation, instead of bringing development and education to them. The social disharmony and the whole communal debate generated by the politics of reservation are here to stay. This hankering for reservations by the so-called ‘backward classes’ and regional parties has come to prove the fact that reservation is no more an affirmative action or a tool for overcoming backwardness but has become an objective in itself. Take, for example, the Jats in Rajasthan, who were historically against the very idea of reservation, but got themselves enlisted as OBCs on the promise by the BJP government. The Gujjars violently seeking ST status seem to be no different. This is one of the most glaring loopholes in the reservation policy - the usage of reservation to perpetuate backwardness. The Supreme Court famously said the following in this very context: “Nowhere in the world do castes come

up, classes or communities queue up for the sake of gaining backward status. Nowhere else in the world is there competition to assert backwardness and then to claim we are more backward than you.” Today, the rigidity of the caste system, with its hereditary, region-specific and occupation-specific features has more or less dissolved. There are porters and rickshaw-pullers who are Brahmins as well. So, the reservation system, which has caste-based distinctions, does not effectively create ‘equal access to opportunities’, irrespective of caste or creed. There exists a severe poverty amongst the upper classes as well, who do not have a certificate that verifies that they are economically backward. On the other hand there are the relatives of the ‘backward community’ leaders like Babu Jagjivan Ram, Mayawati, Lalu Prasad, R. B. Paswan and Shibu Soren who are legally entitled to reservations. This is yet another glaring limitation of the reservation policy—“equity” has been substituted for “equality” and the historical ‘backwardness’ (or ‘forward-ness’) has been taken to be synonymous with economical backwardness. Our present reservation policy, therefore, forces us to question the efficacy and the very essence of this system: do we really need reservations and quota in higher education and government posts and services? Doesn’t this reservation policy strike at the very roots of the moral postulate that the framers of the Constitution had in mind? Reservation in higher education and employment does not, as our leaders envisioned, merge the multi-cultured identities into one national identity, and it cannot achieve this moral objective, for the very plain and simple reason that it propagates these identities. Moreover, the more pertinent question that arises is that wouldn’t the beneficiaries of reservation (and the non-beneficiaries) be encouraged to designate themselves as ‘backward’ instead of at least striving hard for admission into educational institutions or jobs on their own merit? Would the people be even half as motivated to perform their best

in educational as well as professional fields if they know that they can have it easy with the reservation policy in place? These are only some of the issues that must be looked into so as to achieve the actual purpose of this affirmative action.

• The nature of the reservations—uniform for all classes or tailored for different groups; • The necessity of conducting certain tests to bind the loopholes in the policy that are liable to exploitation by people - political or otherwise; • The limitations of the policy—to primary and

Wouldn’t the communities which fall under the OBC category feel discriminated against when they have been elevated on the basis of being ‘backward’ and not on individual merit? Then there is also the issue of discrimination that the poor amongst the upper caste people suffer due to reservation for the more well-off lower castes. Caste- and religion-based reservations may also create animosity amongst the different economically backward classes themselves.

secondary education or to higher education and employment; • The need to provide financial assistance to the economically backward instead of just making a provision of a fixed quota for a caste-based reservation; • The need to regularly identify the “creamy layer” and gradually removing the communities that have benefited from the list of reserved category; • The extent and duration of the reservations, the potential of the underprivileged sections of society

Looking at the reservation policy from a different perspective, one would clearly see that the “principle of equity” behind the affirmative action for the underprivileged sections of the country seems to have translated into “equality” and “population-proportional representation” in higher education and jobs. What was sought by the framers of the Constitution was that there should be ‘equal access to opportunity’ for all. This is where the policy-makers needed to make a clear distinction between the notion of equity as opposed to equality as also between personal gain and public accountability. Though there is a fine line between the two, equality does not always translate into equity, which is being just and systematically fair. There also needs to be a clear distinction between the personal gain that an individual using reservations benefits from and the accountability to his community and the country at large that the individual is morally subject to. The policy-makers must first focus on developing a comprehensive strategy to determine the criteria that should be used for affirmative action for the upliftment of the economically backward communities. Issues such as: • The very purpose of reservations—for equity or just to present a picture of diverse representations;

for eligibility to higher education and employment; • The strategy to counter bias and prejudice in educational institutions and the workplace; and • The means to gain support of the non-beneficiaries of reservation policies, and the basis of quantifying progress, growth and benefits from the policy.

must be studied in depth and researched upon to be able to arrive at a reservation policy that can effectively provide the level playing ground that the framers of the Constitution probably had in mind. The only possible way to mitigate the effects of the damage—both direct and collateral—in terms of the impact on education, especially the premier institutions of the country, the impact on the public sector services, as also the escalation of social tensions and strained social harmony, is to shift the focus to the gradual reduction of dependence on affirmative action altogether. Reservation must be used as a tool and not an objective in itself.

B.G. Pitre Science Short Story contest - Shivam Goyal

We were still hoping while the rest gave up. It was all over. News turned out to be nothing new. Everywhere it said the three letter word, by which I was sick and tired of. It was war. The third world war was at its maximum. It was on the rare chemical compound, scarcely found. It was on H2O. Mom clicked on the button in her couch and the newspaper flashed out. She moved her hands across the 4-D newspaper in order to get more vivid details about it. She got shocked. She couldn’t believe it. I said “What’s the matter mom?” She replied with a thin, low voice that read this. She pointed over to one of the article. I read. It said, “The battle is set between two strong powers... the Europeans who are superior in terms of finance and the Non-Europeans i.e. Asians and Americans who are superior in terms of grey cells... It is predicted that the consequence of the war will turn the earth under one dictator. “Well, that’s said in the bible”, I said. I had work pending. So without wasting much time, I had to reach the headquarters as soon as possible. I glanced through the messages. There were 7 of them, 6 from boss and 1 from a stranger. Curiously, I opened the message sent by the stranger. It said, “Mr. Fredrick, let me tell you that your family is in danger. Your intentions do not seem good and do hamper my way. I sincerely request you to not interfere me with my business, as it would be good for the well being of you and your family. From- Mr. XXX” I closed the inbox without looking at the other six. I had a strange feeling that something fishy is going on and I am slowly being dragged to it. I took out my car. It was the latest version of the Ferrari been gifted by the boss as a reward to my sincere hard work and research. That research could turn one a billionaire. And also, one could also turn most powerful in the field of military. That’s antimatter.

It took me precisely 9 years 4 months and 11 days to create such a thing. I still remember the day when I created it, the glory, and the pride which it brought along. Well, it’s so hazardous that with 1 gram, it can destroy our Manhattan. And with around 2.15 Kg, it can destroy our mother earth. It is the most reactive thing ever found till now. It immediately explodes when it comes in contact with matter, which is highly vigorous. Therefore, its storage is bit of a problem. It is currently stored in a symmetrical cylinder, totally vacuumised and the antimatter is in a state of equibrilium. Two powerful electromagnets magnets of equal strengths are placed at the top and the bottom of the cylinder thus causing the antimatter at the centre of the cylinder. Dad, made a remark to my discovery which I still remember. He said, “Son, the world would be soon turning anti-, such as antimatter, antigravity, antidote, etc but soon there will be time when we would be producing antitime, or antihumans, etc . I reached the office. I entered the office. Everyone greeted me. I sat down, in my cabin. I was working on my new theory. Everything was going well. Suddenly, everyone got panicked and started running in one direction. I also followed them without knowing the reason. After some time I got to know that my boss died. His hands were cut and his eyeballs were missing. It was quite strange. Firstly, my boss wasn’t having bad terms with anyone. And secondly, why would the murderer take his eye balls? Without loosing much time, I took out my Ferrari and I took the boss to the hospital. After few hours, the doctor came out saying, “You have brought him at the right time, and a minute delay would have caused a lot of problems.” Immediately, I got a call. It was from the office. I picked up. “Oh my god!”, I cried. The antimatter was found to be missing! I drove back to my office as quickly as I can. Everyone was surrounding the room where it was stored and some called the police too, but it didn’t cause any effect to the case. The cylinder was missing. Mrs. Hanna, an Indian friend of mine who supported me throughout my research, came saying that she saw a note being left behind when they had left.

It could either be intentional or by mistake. This could actually help us to trace the robber(s). I took the piece of paper from her. It was a scribbled piece of paper somewhat like this:

At the very first instant, I could not figure out anything of it. It was just dots all around. In order to crack the code, I gave the piece of paper to a symbologist. Well, immediate results were required in this case other wise the world wouldn’t be existing. For the first time in my life, I came through that patience is not the key to success. Without loosing much time, I sprinted back to the chamber, where the antimatter was stored. Everything was turning out to be clear. The murder of the boss, was entirely for his eyeball, so that the murderer could access the chamber. The password of the chamber was either my eyes or my boss eyes. But actually no one knew that our eyes were the password to the most expensive thing ever invented on this mother earth. Without wasting much time, I called out the best spy service in the world, in order to look into this matter. I suddenly got a call. It was from the symbologist. I picked it up. He said, “I have been getting a lot of combinations and words from that sheet. I will just fax it to your mobile phone and you can probably interpret different meanings from it.” It was good to here from him saying that. I immediately got the fax. It was like this:

Nothing could be actually be figured out from this. I could just figure out Swiss from the first and sorsi from the third. Sorsi meant nothing. I looked at my watch. Only 5 hours left. I immediately received a message. It was from Mr. XXX. I opened it. It said, “ I am open, flying freely around the world. I could see a huge white range of mountains, exotic of the highest magnitude. Let me give you a hint. I am in a European country, famous for something which we all eat worldwide.” No one could trust him as who knows that he is telling the truth. We somehow had to believe him and his sayings. I immediately called Mrs. Hanna. She came running. I told her the story. She shocked with an element of surprise. We started making immediate conclusions without realizing the fact that the world depends upon us. We took chances and eventually came out to be Switzerland. I called up the pilot immediately. There were only 4.5 hours left for the battery to discharge. He told us that it will take 3 hours to reach Switzerland one way, if the plane is at it maximum speed. Well 3+3+1(to chase the thief), that makes it 7 hours in total. We had not time to waste. We immediately loaded the plane and took off to Switzerland. I (in the meantime) started scanning the place from where the message has come. It was from Bern, the capital of Switzerland. Luckily, nature favored us and thus we reached 30 minutes before schedule. Which thus leaves us with only 1.5 hours. We were clueless on the streets of Bern. Unfamiliar place, unfamiliar atmosphere and unfamiliar people. The biggest problem was that we could not detect antimatter, as our machines could only detect matter. Suddenly, a guy with a big moustache started running. We thought that he is the culprit and suddenly followed him. Only five minutes were left. After some time, he threw the cylinder up in the sky. Boom! Earth got tore into pieces. Only one human from the entire race survived, who had gone to moon!

Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma English Essay Writing Contest - Revant Nayar On contemplating this topic, the first thing that comes to mind is a vision of crestfallen artists; emotionally wrecked by the horrors of a certain war; lamenting and preaching the futility of life. It is an image of despondency and of frustration, and a cry expressing the utter absurdity of human life. It is a cry that deifies all forms of theism and divine belief ; which is meant to propel the individual in his quest to discover ‘meaning of life’. It is a lament that defies the very premise of Romantic art; which proclaims that man has volition, and that the attribute of ‘heroicism’ can indeed be attributed to him. And, though you might be tempted to think otherwise, this statement is also opposed o the ‘Existentialist’ school of thought, which prides itself in coercing us that life is meaningless. Let me for now return to the sentence given above. It deals with the notion of an arbitrary storyteller reading out a tale, which unfolds as it is having read out, or conceived of. Moreover, that storyteller is declared to be an idiot; a blind senseless consciousness that governs the story of each man, with no end and no purpose. Consider the implication of this. The implication is a defiance of man’s ability to shape his own life and destiny, which an individual might have; describing him to be a helpless victim of Blind Fate, which can be thought of as being an artist creating an arbitrary assortment of events, thoughts and experiences; which of course, are not art. All human passions, desires, sufferings and triumphs have been reduced to mere ‘sound and fury’; an incoherent babble which cannot be deciphered or interpreted. This line provides a simple, though complete answer to a question which confronts an individual at least once during his lifetime. And that is the question of whether he possesses volition in terms of thought and deed; whether the universe allows him to shape and choose his own destiny.

From his personal experience, using his ability of cognition, an individual answers this question to himself, whether in conscious or subconscious terms. Various schools of thought have come up with various shades of answers, expressed mostly subconsciously, by the ‘feel’ or the ‘sense’ of pieces of art it produces; this ‘sense’ being the prime philosophy expressed by that piece of art. This statement answers the question with a vehement ‘No’. Now there has been (and maybe still is) a school of thought which answers the same question with an equally defiant ‘No’. After the Second World War, these disconsolate artists despaired over an event that defied all reason and nationality that the world had held. The world became a chaotic mess with no form of ‘reason’ guiding the actions of men; no ‘Hegelian Spirit of the World’ revealing to men the ultimate Truth; no beauty in the various shades of human emotions. There was a mere mindless ‘absurdity’, created by an imbecile ‘idiot’. Amid the clang of swords and the ‘sound and fury’ that reigned, they could not discern a meaning or pattern any longer. So, they felt, the only option left to them was to counter absurdity with absurdity; hence the term ‘Absurdism’ has been ascribed to this school of thought. It was, indeed preceded by the ‘Erustentialist’ school of thought. But while ‘Erustentialism’ contended that man possesses volition of thought but not of deed, allowing for a minimalistic attribution of meaning to life; Absurdism did not believe in volition at all. It did not believe in reason. It did not believe in ‘beauty’ , which Plato linked to the ‘truth’ so diligently. It is said that all philosophy bears footnotes to Plato; Absurdism definitely doesn’t. This statement can also be thought of as an attack directed at the artist; proclaiming him to be the foolish storyteller. All the insight which the artist shows in expressing the joys, hopes and fears of mankind, is supposed to be futile and unnecessary. Art is meant to be a “selective recreation of reality according to a ‘pattern’ in events or in psychology.”

Absurdism claims that there is no pattern to be discerned or represented. That reality is not worth recreating. That reality is not worth re-creating.That all ‘pure’ and ‘sublime’ emotions, motivations and traits; all the dignity, suffering and poignancy of human; all struggle and victory; all progress and reason;is a meaningless illusion. In George Orwell’s ‘1984’, the author explains how exactly society is based on a foundation of lies; how the individual is a helpless victim of society; how there is no heroicism possible in the desperate ‘sound a fury’ he enunciates; of how it ‘signifies nothing.’ The concept is the same. It is just that the imbecile who writes the story of our lives in this case is Society; and that no one can escape its evil clutches, and the way it writes the story of the world; like a blind insensible beast, with no consideration for human life. Then there is also ‘Waiting for Godot’; a distinctly ‘Absurd’ play, with no orientation of time and space; lack of meaning, reason and motive; with no purposeful progression of logically interrelated events’ which forms a plot; no ‘theme’ and no concrete sense of ‘identity’ in its characterization. Here the blind idiot is, simply, Fate. Or a malevolent and ‘Byronic’ universe, which is hostile towards the human spirit. All that can be said about those who advocate such Absurdism, is that they are escapists; running away from all reason and meaning, as if from a malevolent ‘idiot’, dragging the rest of the world along with them.

SPORTS

Athletics

Sitting 1st Row (L to R): Adhiraj Singh, Tushar Gupta, Udai Bothra, Vahin Khosla, Uddhav Prasad, Mr Manu Mehrotra, Saarthak Singh, Virein Chabra, Aditya Vikram Gupta, Raj Kumar Vijay, Arjun Midha Sitting 2nd Row (L to R): Karan Shinghal, Banda Maan Singh Lamba, Arjun Parmar, Rohan Gupta, Nikhil Narain, Adhiraj Singh Thakran, Dhruv Agarwal, Rahil Badhwar, Prabhjot Singh, Aishwarya Karan, Vikram Singh Gill Sitting 3rd Row (L to R): Rishavraj Das, Gaurav Kothari, Yasser Iqbal, Aditya Vikram Gupta, Ayush Tripathi, Khalid Amin Alawneh, Anmol Singh Jamwal, Vigya Singh Dhiman, Madhav Dutt, Nipurn Dutta, Siddharth Sarin, Rakshit Sinha, Suhel Karara Athletics in School this year witnessed a very enthusiastic participation from all forms. Even though the season was cut short because of the preparations for DS-75 preparations, Doscosmanaged to put up spectacular performances in the inter-house competition and otherwise during the season. Students were dedicated and eager to get on the field, and one could see them sweating it out as soon as the clock struck three. More than three-quarters of the School participated in Marching. Afterpractising for weeks, the various House marching squads left the spectators awestruck with the high level of coordination amongst themselves. All in all, the athletics season this year was a very good one and will forever be remembered by the students of the School. The inter-house athletics competition exhibited high amounts of talent this year. Tata House emerged victorious in the Juniors category. Rajkumar Vijay was awarded the Best Junior Athlete trophy for the second year in a row.

In mediums, Tata House walked away with the trophy. Competitiveness was increased by athletes like AdhirajThakran, DhruvAgarwal and ArjunMidha amongst others. The Kashmir House team has been winning the Athletics trophy for the last four years and kept up the record by winning the Senior trophy for the fifth year. Athletes like Tushar Gupta, UdaiBothra and Vigya Singh played their parts in getting their House the senior cup. VireinChabbra made the field events all the more interesting to watch with the number of stunning performances he put up. Tushar Gupta broke the Seniors high jump record and set it at an unbreakable 1.76 meters. He also won the Mumtaz Ahmed Trophy for the Best Senior Athlete. All in all, the athletics season this year was a very good one and will forever be remembered by the students of the School.

Captain – Uddhav Prasad Half Colours – Aditya Gupta, Adhiraj Thakran, Adhiraj Singh, Arjun Midha, Aditya Gupta, Rajkumar Vijay Full Colours – Saarthak Singh, Udai Bothra, Tushar Gupta, Virein Chabra

Badminton

69 Sitting 1st row (L to R): Abhishek Parasrampuria, Arjun Khaitan Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Vidit Sadana, Kabir Sethi, Sidharth Sehti, Mr Nitin Chauhan, Aditya Gandhi, Saket Golyan, Shashwat Agarwal With rigorous practice and dedication shown by players, the School Badminton Team had a very successful year. The year began with the Individual Badminton Tournament in which emerging talent was shown by juniors in the form of Arush Sood and Devang Mehra. In the second term we participated in the IPSC Tournament in which the U-17 team emerged victorious in all categories and the U-19 team emerged Runner’s Up. This was one of the best victories the team has ever had. After a break for a couple of days, the team participated in the District Championship where mass participation was shown by juniors. The senior team performed well by reaching the quarter-finals in the U-17 and U-19 categories. The secret behind this season’s success was the effort put in by Arjun Khaitan, Abhishek Parasrampuria and Vaibhav Gupta, who all showed immense dedication to the sport. Even without a captain, the team, under the guidance of Mr Nitin Chauhan and Mr Ashish Patanjali reached great heights. Their encouragement to juniors, their participation and love for the sport, signals a bright future for badminton.

Basketball

Kneeling (L to R): Rohan Gupta, Vikram Gill, Arjun Midha, Shekhar Bishnoi, Siddhant Dixit, Vihan Khanna, Adhiraj Singh Thakran, Aditya Vikram Gupta, Divyam Agarwal Standing (L to R): Shiva Gururani, Abhinandan Rajan, Rishabh Chatterjee, Mr John Xavier, Aseem Kumar, Mr Ashish Dean, Shivam Pal, Anmol Singh Jamwal, Tushar Gupta

Basketball at Doon is not just a sport, it’s a phenomenon. A phenomenon born out of blood and sweat, a phenomenon that matured out of dedication, a phenomenon that will live on due to the love and respect it commands at Chandbagh. Basketball as a sport requires tremendous perseverance and a strong will power. Basketball players also need to have a high level of physical strength, agility and co-ordination. Over the years, the sport teaches us to be mentally strong and resilient. It is this mental strength, which enables us to play a full forty minutes of the game with the same gusto and energy. The School Team had a fairly successful season this year. In our very own Afzal Khan Tournament, the School beat The Doon International School (62-21) in the first round. The School Team then beat the Sri Ram School, Delhi (51-32). The School finished third in the Tournament beating Bishop Cotton School, Shimla and the Lawrence School, Sanawar, losing to the Welham Boys’ School in the semi-final.

At the Woodstock Tournament, the School Team beat Bishop Cotton School again, Wynberg Allen and the host- Woodstock School. However, somehow jinxed, we lost to St.George’s School in the semi-final.

Captain: Aseem Kumar

However, due to the continued hardwork, dedication and our never say die-attitude, we broke this jinx later on in the season. The School Team participated in two more tournaments this year- the U-18 District Tournament and the 3-on-3 U-18 Tournament, in which more than a dozen teams participated. The Doon School emerged victorious in both tournaments, ending the season on a very high note. The inter house basketball competition was a success. Jaipur House emerged victorious in the junior section and Kashmir House in the senior section. Agni Raj Singh, Kushagr Singh, Rishabh Tusnial and Waseefullah Khan stole the show in the junior category. In the senior competition, commendable performances by Saarthak Singh, Vikram Gill, Aishwarya Karan, Adhiraj Thakran, Arjun Midha and Siddhant Dixit were witnessed.

Full Colours: Rishabh Chatterjee,Tushar Gupta, Shivam Pal, Abhinandan Rajan

Half Colours: Shekhar Bishnoi, Anmol Jamwal, Shiva Gururani

Boxing

71 Sitting (L to R): Vahin Khosla, Dipankar Tiwari, Abhinandan Rajan, Trivikram Singh, Mr Michael James, Arvind Sharma, Mr Sunil Rawat, Arjun Sethi, Faraz Khan, Nivit Kochhar Standing (L to R): Sanat Garg, Aaryaman Scindia, Shantanu Seth, Akshay Sarawagi, Siddhant Sachdev, Ashwin Dokania, Vigya Singh Dhiman, Pranoy Bohara, Vikram Kejriwal, Aditya Vikram Gupta, Prahlad Singh The year started off with Arvind Sharma being appointed the School Boxing Captain. Like every year, the boxers put in a lot of hard work into their training. But unfortunately, because of the lack of time due to the DS-75 celebrations, the two lightest and heaviest weight categories were cancelled. Rigorous training and weight loss began in the month of September for the forthcoming inter-house competition. This year’s competition was very exciting with our undefeated veteran boxers such as Vahin Khosla and Abhinandan Rajan, and emerging talent in the form of juniors like Sidharth Sarin and Aaryaman J Scindia. It was heartbreaking not to see our school boxing captain, Arvind Sharma perform as he was given a walkover in his weight category. The most electrifying bout took place between Shantanu Seth and Nivit Kochhar. The consequence of this bout was Nivit Kochhar and Shantanu Seth picking up the Best Loser and Most Scientific Boxer awards respectively. The junior cup was won by Jaipur House and the senior cup was won by Tata House.

We saw a great rise in the standards of boxing in our school. One would be optimistic of them rising ever higher in the future.

Captain – Arvind Sharma Half Colours – Vikram Kejriwal, Aditya Gupta, Pranoy Bohara, Vigya Singh Dhiman Full Colours – Abhinandan Rajan

Cricket

Sitting 1st Row (L to R): Rohan Gupta, Shreyvardhan Swaroop, Itihaas Singh, Mr Anjan Chaudhary, Rajdeep Deo Bhanj, Mr Deepak Sharma, Uddhav Prasad, B Dinesh Reddy, Bharat Ganju Sitting 2nd Row (L to R): Siddhant Sachdev, Vihan Khanna, Devansh Khaitan, Chandrachuda Shukla, Neel Madhav, Vigya Singh Dhiman, Vahin Khosla, Pranoy Bohara, Ashwin Dokania, Sumaer Sandhu The year’s cricket season began with the appointment of Rajdeep Deo Bhanj as the School Cricket Captain. This coincided with the departure of Mr Gursharan Singh as master-in-charge and the baton was handed over to Mr Anjan Chaudhary and Mr Deep Singh. The new leaders had the challenging task of living up to the high standards and expectations set in the previous years. In order to do this, practices started in early February itself. The seniors had a fairly good amount of experience due to the fact that they had played many inter school matches in their junior forms, courtesy Mr Rashid Sharfuddin. This year, the School Team also traveled to The Scindia School for an inter school 25-over tournament. It was here that we were truly tested against scorching conditions and adept teams. We were unfortunate though, as even after winning our match against YPS Mohali, we failed to qualify for the semi-finals by a costly four runs. There was also the much awaited day-night match against Old Boys of the School, at the Abhimanyu

Cricket Academy, Dehradun. Our team emerged victorious against the Ex-Doscos in the competition winning the trophy for the first time. We got another chance to prove ourselves by winning the RL Holdsworth cricket match against the Old Boys. We also played the Pilibhit team but unfortunately lost.

On a concluding note, the School Team had a very successful year, winning eight out of eleven matches.

The team’s strength lay in its solid batting line up which went till seven down. We saw a few half centuries coming from the top order and the batsmen lower down too contributed much-needed runs in the dying overs of the game. There were fifties from Rajdeep Deo Bhanj and Itihaas Singh, with Rajdeep going on to make a century.

Full Colours – Rohan Gupta, Itihaas Singh, Uddhav Prasad, Shreyvardhan Swaroop, Aazam Jauhal

Our bowling attack too produced good performances, with our opening bowlers often denting the other team’s line ups and the spinners augmented the attack. Special mention should be made of Rohan Gupta and Shreyvardhan Swaroop. Uddhav Prasad and Aazam Jauhal also deserve to be acknowledged for being great fielders and excellent all-rounders.

Captain – Rajdeep Deo Bhanj Half Colours – Ashwin Dokania

Golf

73 Sitting 1st row (L to R): Kartic Sharma, Nikhil Narain, Mr Sanjiv Bathla, Bharat Ganju, Prahlad Singh Sitting 2nd row (L to R): Sartaj S Sidhu, Anant S Mann, Karan Singhal, Shashvat Dhandhania, Alawi Singh, Shivam Goyal, Devansh Agarwal, Yash Dhandhania

This year the DSOI golf course saw an increased amount of participation from the Dosco amateurs. Pinnacles like the trip to Hong Kong helped maintain the standard of the sport at school. Albeit, golf has still not been accepted as an official sport at school in terms of awards and appointments due to certain issues with the required criterion, the coming years will surely see it surface with a captain and if possible, an inter house competition also. This year the school golf team practiced, like before, at the DSOI club near Chandbagh. Numerous juniors tried their hands at golf and quite a few of them were successful. We all know that the School has arguably one of the strongest and most widespread alumni communities in the country. This is exactly why the DSOBS staged an inter house golf tournament, a 1000 miles from Doon, in Hong Kong!

Mr Sanjiv Bathla deserves a special mention for constant guidance and hard work for the team. Without his will the sport would never have been started at school. For now, we can only hope that golf will continue to rise in the years to come.

Gymnastics

Sitting 1st row(L to R): Vigya Singh Dhiman, Shreyvardhan Swaroop, Neel Madhav, Mr Michael James, Abhinandan Rajan, Animesh Gupta, Siddhant Gupta Sitting 2nd row(L to R): Sanat Garg, Siddhant Sachdev, Nivit Kochhar, Rahil Badhwar, Sagar Karnavat, Harshvardhan Bansal

Gymnastics is a sport which requires skill, determination, and most of all, practice. It is a sport which physically and mentally refines one. This year the spirit of the inter house gymnastics competition was revived due to the rise in the standard of the sport. Due to the presence of a coach, the gymnasts managed to pull off backflips and somersaults with ease; a sight which used to be rare a few years ago. The Trials being held right before the inter house competition didn’t prove to be a big barrier as the competition was perfectly executed. Neel Madhav and Vigya Singh performed exceptionally well throughout the competition. Young talent was shown in the form of Nivit Kochhar, Sanat Garg and Harshvardhan Bansal. In the Senior Cup, Kashmir House lost marginally to Hyderabad House with the School Gymnastics Captain, Neel Madhav being awarded the Best Gymnast Trophy. In the Junior section, Jaipur House dominated the competition as both representatives were jointly awarded the laurel of the Best Junior Gymnast.

In the parallel bars section, stunts such as shoulder stand rolls were performed while in the vaulting horse section, most of the gymnasts were able to execute hollow backs like never seen before. In the floor exercise section, Vigya Singh Dhiman emerged victorious due to his skill and agility. Special credit must be given to MLJ and the coach for supporting the team at all times and taking the standard of gymnastics to new heights. Though not a popular sport among students due to the academic pressure and the level of physical fitness required, gymnastics always provides a jaw-dropping source of entertainment. On a concluding note, the School Team had a very successful year, winning eight out of eleven matches.

Captain – Neel Madhav Half Colours – Sagar Karnawat, Nivit Kocchar, Shreyvardhan Swaroop Full Colours – Arjun Sethi, Abhinandan Rajan, Vigya Singh Dhiman

Hockey

75 Sitting 1st row(L to R): Uddhav Prasad, Harsh Verma, Shivam Katyal, Karanbir Dhariwal, Mr Aravindanabha Shukla, Shiva Gurunani, Vahin Khosla, Trivikram Singh, Pranoy Bohara Sitting 2nd row(L to R): Siddhant Sachdev, Lakshit Joshi, Aditya Gupta, Abhishek Patel, Abhishek Jain, Neel Madhav, Kartic Sharma, Jayant Mukhopadhyay, Bharat Ganju, Yuv Vir Khosla, Dhruv Agarwal

Hockey is a sport which requires speed, stamina, skill, coordination and most importantly, a never-say-die attitude. The School Hockey team displayed all these attributes and more, which led to one of the most successful seasons in the past few years. Practices began towards the end of the cricket season in order to make sure that the side was at its best by the time all competitive fixtures came around. This year, the School team adopted a more fluid passing style of play under the guidance of Dr Shukla. All house hockey captains, along with the School Hockey Captain and ASH went to Delhi to witness the Finals of the Hockey World Cup, gaining exposure to new strategies and styles of play. The new rules on display here were implemented during the inter house competition as well. The School Team won nine out of the twelve matches that they played in the season, having a high success rate. We reached the finals of the Kandhari Memorial Hockey Tournament at Welham Boys, and emerged victorious in the Councils Hockey Tournament.

Vahin Khosla was the highest scorer for the side. Budding talent was also on display in the form of Dhruv Agarwal and Yuv Khosla. Special credit must be given to NTC, MMR, KAR and SSW for ensuring that the Medium and Junior School teams practised thoroughly. MLJ and his ground staff also deserve mention for keeping the grounds in impeccable condition throughout the season. Our Dean of Sports, DKS, also provided us with constant support from the word ‘go’. Finally, our master-in-charge, ASH, deserves special appreciation for revolutionizing the way hockey is played at Doon, and also finding professional coaches to felicitate our improvement. We really could not have done it without him. Hockey, though much like a fallen warrior throughout the nation, still hasn’t lost its popularity in School and the way the future looks, it is set to remain an integral part of life at Chandbagh for years to come.

Captain – Karanbir Singh Dhariwal Half Colours – Pranoy Bohara, Uddhav Prasad, Trivikram Singh Full Colours – Vahin Khosla, Shiva Gurunani, Harsh Verma, Shivam Katyal

Physical Training

Sitting 1st row(L to R): Karanbir Dhariwal, Viren Kapoor, Faraz Khan, Mr Michael James, Shreyvardhan Swaroop, Abhishek Jain, Shivam Katyal Sitting 2nd row(L to R): Nikhil Narain, Vivek Santayana, Itihaas Singh, Bharat Ganju, Trivikram Singh, Arvind Sharma, Aseem Balraj Sahni, Kartic Sharma, Kanav Mehra

Physical Training is an activity which requires coordination, discipline, order and a lot of practice. The school curriculum sets and fixes time for various activities throughout the day, keeping us fully occupied. With PT being the first on the agenda, it rejuvenates the students for a new day. PT teaches us the essence of teamwork. This morning activity requires an immense amount of collective effort from the entire School. This year, after three months of hard work, all Houses were ready to prove their mettle.Under the leadership of Shreyvardhan Swaroop, the School put up a magnificent performance in the 75th Inter House PT Competition. We saw exceptionally high standards of synchronization and coordination from the participants. First up was Oberoi House, and their perfect coordination set the bar for the other Houses. Then came Hyderabad House, who led by the School Senior PT Leader, performed a dazzling display of the table. Kashmir House followed suit, astounding the audience with their clinical precision. Jaipur House, determined to win the Gong for the third year in a row, raised the bar even further. The last to perform was Tata House, and their flawless act was much applauded.

The Junior Cup was shared by Hyderabad and Tata House. The Gong was won by Jaipur House for the third year in a row. Shreyvardhan Swaroop bagged the award for the Best PT leader in the competition and Viren Kapoor was later adjudged as the Best PT Leader of the year. To conclude, this year’s PT Competition ended with much anticipation and we expect to see such finesse on the field in the years to come.

Senior PT Leader – Shreyvardhan Swaroop PT Commendations – Kartic Sharma, Aseem Balraj Sahni PT Jerseys – Shivam Katyal, Karanbir Dhariwal, Abhishek Jain, Arvind Sharma, Faraz Khan, Viren Kapoor

Soccer

77 Sitting 1st Row (L to R): Udai Bothra, Anmol Singh Jamwal, Shivam Katyal, Karanbir Singh Dhariwal, Mr Michael James, Vahin Khosla, Mr Deepak Sharma, Shiva Gururani, Neel Madhav, Dhruv Sawhney, Tushar Gupta Sitting 2nd Row (L to R): Adhiraj Singh, Bharat Ganju, Yuv Khosla, Rahil Badhwar, Shreyvardhan Swaroop, Trivikram Singh, Uddhav Prasad, Dipankar Tewari, Nikhil Narain

The School Soccer Team faced many challenges in 2010 but seemed to overcome every obstacle in its way. Due to lack of time and other commitments for DS-75, the selections for the soccer team started immediately on return from summer vacations during the first week of August. This year the team was fully revamped which included eight new members joining the team. Vahin Khosla, the School Soccer Captain led the school team by example and determination. The School Team started with local matches against schools such as RIMC, Aryan School, Welham Boys and many others. It was successful in keeping a winning streak. Unfortunately, due to the lack of time, we could not go for the annual tournament in Lawrence School, Sanawar, but managed to play against three Delhi schools on their home grounds. The School Soccer Team defeated Vasant Valley and Pathways but facing stiff competition from Modern School, they managed to secure a draw. This was an extremely successful year for the School Team as they were undefeated throughout the season.

The inter house competition this year was an eye-opener for new talent. The experienced Oberoi House with its team of 9 School Team members predictably won the Senior Cup and the Junior Cup went to the determined and worthy Hyderabad House. During the inter house competition, the School spotted budding talent in Shivaan Seth, Aahan Menon and Ashish Rao. The season all in all was a great spectacle and evidently a huge success.

Captain – Vahin Khosla Half Colours – Anmol Jamwal, Tushar Gupta, Udai Bothra, Yuv Khosla, Dhruv Sawhney and Shekhar Bishnoi. Full Colours – Shivam Katyal, Karnbir Dhariwal and Neel Madhav. Full Colours (Re-awarded) – Shiva Gurunani

Squash

Sitting (L to R): Saarthak Singh, Nilesh Agarwal, Sumaer Sandhu, Mr Deepak Sharma, Arvind Sharma, Vinayak Agarwal, Jayant Mukhopadhaya, Mr Baghel Magedelon Standing (L to R): Sudhansh Agarwal, Sanat Garg, Ishan Sandhu, Vihan Khanna, Shourya Kishorepuria, Kabir Sethi, Sidharth Sethi

Squash, known to be the second fastest sport in the world requires agility, quick reflexes, precise movements andan immense amount of stamina. The game reflects the players’ talent and elegance. A great deal of determination and will-power is required inorder tomaster thesport. The School Squash team sweats it out on the courts everyday and practises diligently throughout the year. The year began well for the School team as it convincingly defeated both the Vasant Valley School and the Pathways School, Delhi. The senior players of the team such as Sarthak Singh, Arvind Sharma, Nilesh Aggarwal and Vinayak Aggarwal played an important role in both victories. The team then went on and took part in the IPSC tournament held at RIMC School,Dehradun. The School team defeated DPS RK Puram but later lost to the host school and was knocked out of the tournament. Jayant Mukhopadhaya played extremely well throughout the tournament. The School team also participated in the Nationals, which were held in Chennai, and gained great exposure.

The School also saw a lot of budding talent in the form of Ishan Sandhu, Kabir Sethi and Siddharth Sethi who played in many friendly fixtures against RIMC and Welham Boys’ School, Dehra Dun. Captain – Sumaer Sandhu Half Colours – Ishan Sandhu Full Colours – Sarthak Singh, Nilesh Aggarwal, Vinayak Aggarwal , Arvind Sharma, Jayant Mukhopadhaya

Swimming

79 Sitting (L to R): Aditya Vikram Gupta, Apurv Agarwal, Darshdeep Singh Hora, Varun Rai, Mrs Anez Katre, Angad Bawa, Mr Samik Das, Nitish Saini, Shivam Katyal, Sambuddha Naha, Zorawar Whig Standing (L to R): Nivit Kochhar, Shivaan Seth, Animesh Jain, Lakshit Joshi, Aditya Gupta, Jai Veer Jakhar, Angad Singh, Vinayak Chaudhari, Rana Chowgule, Yash Jalan, B Damodar N Pai, Rakshit Sinha, Rohan Agarwal, Sudhansh Agarwal, Ritvik Kar This year the inter house swimming competition was full of excitement and nail-biting photo finishes. The contestants, as well as the spectators, were brimming with excitement and enthusiasm all through the event. Every day, during the duration of the event, students poured into the area near the pool and cheered for their respective Houses and close friends. Another amazing aspect of this year’s inter house swimming competition was that even those swimmers who had been overlapped by the others on numerous occasions never gave up. They continued to swim with all the determination they had in them till they reached the finish line. The spectators cheered them on, shouting and jumping till the last boy reached the finish.

The events in the senior section were full of excitement and the crowd could be seen roaring and running to the edge of the pool numerous times. Such was the excitement that numerous whistles were blown in order to control the excited mob. The nerve-racking duel between Sambuddha Naha and Rana Chowgule in the pool deserves to be mentioned. Performances by Angad Bawa, Varun Rai, Darshdeep Hora and Angad Singh also deserve a special mention.

Also, a lot of new talent was spotted this year while the ‘experienced swimmers’ rose to new heights and came close to smashing records. Some actually broke records. This year the Senior Cup was lifted by Oberoi House, who won by a fair margin with Jaipur House swimming in second.

Oberoi House managed to lift this year’s Junior Cup with some excellent performances by its team. Jaipur House once again clinched the second spot.

Aditya Vikram Gupta of Kashmir House smashed the 50 meters breast stroke record and earned himself a lot of acclaim. Overall, the competition for the Mediums Cup was very heated and the battle was closely fought.

In the Juniors Cup a lot of upcoming talent was seen, which only goes to show the future of swimming in School in the coming years.Abhishek Pai, Yasser Iqbal and Rakshit Sinha deserve a special mention in this category. Even though no new records were set, there was ferocious competition amongst the Houses. It would be only fair to say that this year inter house swimming reached new heights. There was a right mix of excellent swimming, upcoming talent and some excellent display of good sportsmanship. Captain – Angad Bawa Half Colours – Zorawar Whig, Apurv Aggarwal, Aditya Vikram Gupta Half (Re-awarded) – Sambuddha Naha, Nikhil Narain Full Colours – Angad Singh, Varun Rai, Darshdeep Hora, Nitish Dev Saini, Shivam Katyal

Table Tennis

Sitting 1st Row (L to R): Abhinav Mittal, Nikhil Narain, Devansh Khaitan, Mr Anand Kumar Mandhian, Abhishek Jain, Ujjwal Singhal, Yash Jalan Sitting 2nd Row (L to R): Chaitanya Agarwal, Shrey Raj Kapur, Yuv Vir Khosla, Rishab Chaddha, Sanchit Thakral, Rishab Sharma, Shivan Tandon

During my six years in School, I have seen Table Tennis grow from a two-man team to at least a twelve -man team in the last couple of years. This year was no exception, as the sport saw mass participation. The year kicked off with practice for the inter house competition which was keenly contested in both juniors as well as the seniors category. In the end, Kashmir House along with Tata House won the Junior Cup while Tata House again saw themselves lifting the Senior Cup. The annual IPSC Table Tennis Tournament was held at The Phoenix School, Belgaum. Playing so far from School, braving terrorist attacks as well as conjunctivitis, made the boys eager to perform well.The Under-17 team represented by Raghav Kothiwal, Shivan Tandon and Rishabh Chaddha were adjudged Runners-up. The Under-19 team comprising Devansh Khaitan, Abhishek Jain, Nikhil Narain and Ujjwal Singhal reached the semifinals.

Abhishek Jain reached the semi-finals in the Individual category and he along with Raghav Kothiwal were selected to represent IPSC at the national level. I can proudly say that this was the best achievement inthe IPSC tournament ever.

Captain – Devansh Khaitan

In the intra school individual competition, Raghav Kothiwal lifted the Junior Trophy, closely beating Shivan Tandon while Yash Jalan beat Devansh Khaitan in the final to win the Senior trophy. This led to the end of yet another extremely successful year In Table-Tennis.

Full Colours – Ujjwal Singhal

Half Colours – Abhishek Jain, Nikhil Narain Half Colours (Re-awarded) – Yash Jalan

Tennis

81 Sitting (L to R): Piroune Balachandran, Divij Budhraja, Mr Vishal Mohla, Kanav Mehra, Mr Piyush Bhardwaj, Hemang Agarwal, Raghav Nath Standing (L to R): Arush Sood, Akhil Ranjan, Devang Mehra, Yash Jalan, Kanishka Tyagi, Yuvraj Nathani, Ruhaan Tyagi, Shivan Tandon, Siddharth Bhardwaj

This year the School tennis team had a very successful run. The team, led by Kanav Mehra, took great interest in the sport and showed immense dedication. The team participated in a number of tournaments, including the States and the IPSC tournament.

In school, Kanav Mehra emerged victorius in the Sardar Mohammed Tournament while Arush Sood stood first in the S R Vohra Tournament. Hyderabad House stamped their authority in the Inter House Competetion by winning both the Senior and the Junior cup.

Captain – Kanav Mehra Half Colours – Hemang Aggarwal, Raghav Nath, Yash Jalan, Arush Sood Full Colours – Divij Budhraja

In the IPSC tournament’s team events, the U-14 team reached the pre-quarters, while the U-17 and U-19 teams both reached the quarter finals in their respective categories. Kanav Mehra, Raghav Nath and Arush Sood reached the quarter finals in their respective categories. In the States tournament, the U-19 doubles team, namely Kanav Mehra and Divij Budhraja, emerged victorious. Kanav Mehra also went on to win the U-19 individuals section. The future of the sport was secured by Arush Sood and Devang Mehra, as they too won the U-14 doubles category. Arush Sood also won the individuals section of the U-14 category.

दन ू स्कूल अमृतोत्स्व अपनी वाणी अपनी बोली

दन ू

स्कूल

वार्षिकी - दो हज़ार दस

कुछ ठाठ कुछ ठिठोली मंचन संवाद सृजन प्रयास युव अर्पण अभिव्यक्ति छोटे से बालक ने कंकड़ी फेंक कर ताल को कंपा दिया ताल को नहीं अनंत काल को कंपा दिया - केदारनाथ

अग्रवाल

सतत ्, सक्रिय, सार्थक - 2010 हिन्दी विभाग, दन ू स्कूल संयोजन : हम्माद फ़ारूक़ी साभार : समकालीन कवि और कविता

वाक् प्रसंग न ठे ठ हिन्दी, न ख़ालिस उर्दू, ज़बान गोया मिली-जुली हो अलग रहे दध ू से न मिश्री, डली डली दध ू में घुली हो (नारायण प्रसाद बेताब - नाटक - महाभारत में सूत्रधार का संवाद - 1913)

तरं ग सक्सेना ओबरॉय आवास

रे वांत नायर टाटा आवास

अंतर आवासीय हिन्दी वाद-विवाद प्रतियोगिता संरक्षक- डॉ. अरविंदनाभ शुक्ल संयोजक - श्री विधुकेश विमल सहयोगी - डॉ. मोहन चन्द्र जोशी, श्री मनोज पांडे, श्री दे वेन्द्र मिश्र

वरुण गुप्ता जयपुर आवास

उज्जवल दहूजा है दराबाद आवास

उप प्रधानाचार्य - श्री फ़िलिप बरे ट

श्रीमती कमला जीवन अन्तर विद्यालय हिंदी वाद-विवाद प्रतियोगिता - 2010

चंद्रचूड़ शुक्ल, सनत कुमार ठाकुर, रे वांत नायर प्रधानाचार्य से सर्वश्रेष्ठ वक्ता एवं सर्वश्रेष्ठ दल का अभिवादन स्वीकार करते हुए

सूत्रधार - डॉ. अरविंदनाभ शुक्ल मुख्य सहयोगी - श्री विधुकेश विमल विभागीय सहयोगी - डॉ. मोहन चन्द्र जोशी, श्री मनोज पांडे, श्री दे वेन्द्र मिश्र

छात्र - वक्ता आर.आई.एम.सी

छात्राएं - वेल्हम गर्ल्स स्कूल डॉ. पीटर मॅक्लौघ्लिन से चल वैजयंती ग्रहण करते हुए

बाल रं ग - कर्म चिड़िया आएँगी हमारा बचपन धूप की तरह पंखों पर लिए हुए - अशोक वाजपेयी श्री विधुकेश विमल के निर्दे शन में बाल - नाटक ' वह बोल उठी ' – रोज़ बॉल में मचन

अंतर आवासीय संभाषण कनिष्ठ प्रतियोगिता - 2010 प्रभारी अध्यापक श्री मनोज पांडेय

अंतर आवासीय हिन्दी काव्य-पाठ प्रतियोगिता प्रभारी अध्यापक : श्री विधक ु े श विमल

प्रतीक अग्रवाल ओबरॉय आवास

तनुज कुमार कश्मीर आवास

मेरी कंु ठा रे शम की ड़ोंरी सी ताने बाने बुनतीं तड़प तड़प कर बाहर आने को फिर सिर धुनतीं - दषु ्यंत कुमार

अभिषेक पटे ल टाटा आवास

विनायक अग्रवाल है दराबाद आवास

उप प्रधानाचार्य श्री फ़िलिप बरे ट से पुरुस्कार ग्रहण करते हुए

सज ृ न संसार हिन्दी विभाग दन ू स्कूल का सृजन कर्म

सृजन प्रयास 2010 पश्य दे वस्य काव्यं नममार नजीर्यति

सृजन

प्रयास

रं ग प्रसंग साकार चीज़ों में यही तो एक गड़बड़ी है की वह ख़रीदते बिकते दिख जातीं हैं निराकार चीज़ों के साथ यही अच्छाई है कि वह बिकती हुई नहीं दिखती जैसे ज़मीर

स्थापना दिवस - दन ू स्कूल अमृत महोत्सव DS 75 पर मंचित नाटक ‘अंधायुग’ परिकल्पना एवं निर्दे शन : श्री हम्माद फ़ारूकी

यव ु अर्पण झूठ वाले कहीं से कहीं बढ़ गए और मैं था कि सच बोलता रह गया आंधियों के इरादे तो अच्छे न थे ये दिया कैसे जलता रह गया - वसीम बरे लवी

युव अर्पण शारदीय अंक - अक्तू बर 2010

कथा सज ृ न दन ू स्कूल छात्रों द्वारा (1952 -2009) तक लिखी गयी कहानियों का चयन "रास आएगा तनवीर इसी मुल्क का मौसम है धूप यहाँ तेज़ मगर छाँव घनी है " - हबीब तनवीर

STAFF

Admin Heads and Managers Managing Chandbagh

Sitting (L to R): Mr M M Purohit, Mr Sanjay Makhija, Mr Debashish Brahma, Mr D K Srivastava, Mr Sameer L Katre, Col D Chaturvedi, Mr Surinder Jeet Singh, Major Himanshu Rautela, Mr Madan Lal Kothari

Administration Ministry of Internal Affairs

Sitting (L to R): Mr Sachin Goyal, Mr Rajesh Uniyal, Mrs A Sabharwal, Mr Sameer Katre, Major Himanshu Rautela, Mr Yusuf Khan, Ms Mitali Sharma Standing (L to R): Ajay Kumar, Rakesh Malasi, Atul Singh Pundir, Udai Vir Singh Chauhan, Sewak Singh Bisht, Neeraj Rautela Kumar, Ashish Thapa, Ram Gopal Maurya

Careers Department Going Places

Sitting (L to R): Mr Vijay Kumar, Mrs Namrata Pandey, Ms Sonia Sharma

Central Dining Hall Four Square Meals

Sitting (L to R): Lakhpat, Rajender Singh, Meherban Singh, Mahipal Singh, Subhod Nautiyal, Mr Sameer Katre, Mr Sanjay Makhija, Mr Vishal Anand, C B Rana, Ali Baksh, Manoj Upreti, Kamal Nayan, Rajender Singh Standing 1st row (L to R): Ashok, Shuklanand, Surinder, Rajesh, Gajinder, Jagat, Bhagwan Das, Kishorilal, Dharmender, Ram Bahadur, Mahender, Kamal, Ashok, Virender Standing 2nd row (L to R): Vinod Kumar, Radhe Shyam, Shyam Dev, Chotte Lal, Mahaveer, Vikram Singh, Subhash, Deepak, Surinder, Mohar Singh, Kamal, Mahipal

Dames Care Unlimited

Sitting (L to R): Mr Sameer Katre, Mrs Priyanka Majumdar, Mrs Anuroop Jouhal, Mrs Meenakshi Tripathi, Mrs Neeru Vaishnav, Mrs Ranjit Kaur, Mrs Sarabjit Sandhu, Mrs Aditi Chakhaiyar, Mr Ashad Qezilbash

Deans At The Top

Sitting (L to R): Mr Ashad Qezilbash, Mr Sameer Katre, Mr P K Nair, Dr Peter McLaughlin, Mr M C Joshi, Mr Deepak Sharma, Mr Piyush Malaviya

Finance Money matters

Sitting (L to R): Pankaj Goel, Mrs Manju Sharma, Mr D K Srivastava, Mr Surinderjit Singh, Dilip Arya, Abhijit Kumar Bagchi Standing(L to R): Arvind Kumar Verma, Rakesh, Y S Rawat, Akhilesh Upadhyay, Subodh Kumar, Brijlal, Ritesh Kumar Sharma

Fundraising Minting Machines

Sitting (L to R): Mr Jayant Harihar Lal, Mr Peter McLaughlin, Ms Anupama Rawat Standing: Rajesh Koti

HM’s Secratariat The Office

Sitting (L to R): Mr S C Sharma, Mr Bhupinder Singh, Mr Philip Burret, Dr Peter McLaughlin, Mrs Jagjit Bhatia, Mr Madan Lal Kothari, Ms Neema Rawat Standing (L to R): Anand Mani, Manoj Maurya, Rajesh Singh

Hospital The Healing Touch

Sitting (L to R): Mr KC Tripathi, Major Lanka Amar, Ms Karma Sangmo Standing (L to R): Mr Anand Maurya, Mr Praveen Thapliyal, Mr Pradeep, Mr Subhash

Housemasters On The House

Sitting (L to R): Mr Biren Kumar Chamola, Ms Stuti Bathla, Mr Harendra Chakhiyar, Mr Arvindanabha Shukla, Mr Philip Burrett, Mr Peter McLaughlin, Mr Ashad Qezilbash, Mrs Purnima Dutta, Mr Sanjiv Bathla, Mr Debashish Chakraborty, Mr Anjan Chaudhary Standing (L to R): Mr Vidhukesh Vimal, Mr Manu Mehrotra, Mr Rashid Sharfuddin, Mr K V Arjun Rao, Mr John Xavier, Mr Skand Bali

Human Resources Scouts

Sitting (L to R): Ramesh Chandra, Mr Ashish Jain, Mr Debashish Brahma, Ms Sonia Negi

Library staff Bookworms

Sitting (L to R): Mrs Abia Qezilbash, Mr Pankaj Das, Ms Saira Bano Standing (L to R): Subhash Masand, Shyam Singh, Sunny Kumarand, Shyam Singh, Sunny Kumar

Maintenance - Workshop Ship Shape

Sitting (L to R): Shiv Charan, BP Tiwari, Manohar Daniel, R B S Gill,Parvez Iqbal, Mr M M Purohit, Mrs Sampati Negi, Pankaj Nautiyal, Shri Ram, Tripat Ram, Azhar Khan Standing 1st row (L to R): Brij Mohan Negi, Badri Prasad, Preetana Chand, Rakesh Panwar, Prem Singh, Satbeer, Puran Chand, Ramesh, Sanjay, Bharat Thapa, Yashpal, Mohan Yadav Standing 2nd row (L to R): Om Prakash, Bahadur Verma, Mukesh, Baldev Singh, Baldev, Ashok Thapa, Anil Tamang, Rakesh, Pardeep, Kanhya, C. Shekhar

Malis The Green Revolution

Sitting (L to R): Arvind, Des Raj, Hriday Ram, Shiv Bal, Mrs. Roshni Jacob, Ram Naresh, Shiv Prasad, Jamanand, Hari Sharan Standing (L to R): Harish Chand, Dharam Raj, Dinesh Kumar, Kuldeep Kumar, Bhagwad, Ram Sagar, Rakesh Kumar, Pujari Lal, Harish, Sandeep

Projects Due Date

Sitting (L to R): Mrs Suman Rawat, M M Gairola, Col. D Chaturvedi, Sanjay Rajput, Girish Uniyal, Ritu Kumar Saini

General Store and Book Store Knowledge and Necessities

Sitting (L to R): Mr Yudbhir S Rawat, Mr Abhijeet Bagchi, Mr Pankaj Goyal Standing: Siya Ram Maurya

Teachers’ Center Imparting Leadership

Sitting (L to R): Mrs Anez Katre, Mr Philip Burrett Standing: Naeem Khan

Teaching Staff Showing us the light

Sitting (L to R): Mr Debashish Chakrabarty, Mrs Purnima Dutta, Mr Sanjiv Bathla, Mr Piyush Malviya, Mr MC Joshi, Mr Philip Burrett, Dr Peter McLaughlin, Mr K Prabhakaran, Mr Deepak Sharma, Mr Ashad Qezilbash, Mr Biren Chamola, Mr Anjan Kumar Chaudhary, Ms Stuti Bathla, Standing 1st row (L to R): Mr Skand Bali, Mr Manu Mehrotra, Mr John Xavier, Mr Ajit Bajaj, Mr Aravindanabha Shukla, Mr Vinay Pandey, Mr Pankaj Joshi, Mr Rajesh Majumdar, Mr AT Bhowmick, Mr R Sharfudin, Mr KV Arjun Rao, Mr Rahul Luther Standing 2nd row (L to R): Mr Michael James, Mr Kamal Ahuja, Mrs Malavika Bhatt, Mr Avijit Chattopadhyay, Mr Sandeep Singh Mann, Mr Sandeep Adhikari, Mr Samik Das, Mr Rajkumar Gupta, Mr Vidukesh Vimal, Mr Pankaj Das Standing 3rd row (L to R): Mrs Rita Sinha, Mrs Mohua Bhowmick, Mr Ambikesh Shukla, Mr Anand Kumar Mandhian, Mrs Ritu Bahl Mohan, Mr Arnab Mukherjee, Mr MohdIstemdad Ali, Ms Banita Bhau, Mrs Amrit Burrett, Mr Sanjiv Kalsi, Mrs Meeta Sharma, Mrs Anez Katre Standing 4th row (L to R): Mr Anupam Chowdhury, Mr Tappan Bariu, Mr Sandeep Khanna, Mr DC Bhatkoti, Mr Devender Kumar Mishra, Mr Manish Pant, Mr Praveen Dwivedi , Mrs Namrata Pandey, Mr Augustine Rajan Singh,Mr Partho Roy Choudhury, Mrs Jasbeer Kaur Anand, Mrs Priyanka Bhattacharya Standing 5th row (L to R): Mr Lawanshaibha Kharmawlong,Mr Nitin Chauhan, Mr MH Farooqui, Mr Ahmad Kamran, Mr Deepak Arora, Mr Ashish Dean, Mr KPS Tomar, Mr SudhirThapa, Mr Srinivas Swamy, Mr Shatam Ray, Mr Aaron Jacob, Ms Priya Chauhan

Sheel Vohra (1936 - 2010)

Sheel Vohra (1936 - 2010) On the 13th of October, 2010, when I received the news that Mr Sheel Vohra was no more, I was stunned. It took me time to visualize a Doon without ‘Bond’, cricket on Main field without that familiar figure on the bench. I suddenly felt the loss of that vast resource of history and information of the school and I realized that I would have nobody to turn to when I needed advice that required experience of the school and its alumni. Schoolmasters are immortalized by the lives they have lived and the lives they have touched and like Mr Chipps and so many stalwarts who have become institutions in themselves at schools; Mr Sheel Vohra was synonymous with The Doon School. I had heard of Mr Vohra long before I arrived at Doon and when I met him in 1985 he was exactly what I had imagined, a large looming figure who struck fear in the hearts of the bounders, and a personality that matched his large frame. His love for mathematics, his spirit of adventure, his omnipresence at school functions, his uncanny memory of facts and figure and his passion for cricket were what stood out. He had an anecdote for every situation and could recall details of cricket matches from his encyclopedic mind. I shall always be grateful for what he taught me when on Mid Term with him and when I ran cricket in school for 3 years. Teachers too need mentors and I was lucky to have senior people like SKV who showed me the ropes and shaped me into a public school master. Mr Sheel Vohra was a secretive man in that apart from the fact that he was born in Lahore and studied the Law at Agra University nothing more is commonly known about him apart from his involvement with boys in school and old boys. This just goes to show how intrinsically his live revolved 103 around Doon. There are many records set by SKV that nobody in Doon or from Doon could ever break. Some of them are: The number of cricket first eleven matches umpired by a teacher. The number of weddings of Old Boys that a teacher has attended. The length of service of any teacher at Doon. Going with the cricket team to play Roshnara on Saturday after class and walking in for his 1st school on Monday. Attendance at school functions. At the back of my head I may have had this childlike belief that Bond would live on forever. Mr Vohra was this enigma who never used hot water and never drove anything more than his old Vespa. A simple man who shunned ostentation and things normal and so I believed he would go on and on that is why when the news arrived it took time to reconcile with. He was truly a legend in school and is spoken of in the same breath as Gibson and Holdsworth and of him one could say, ‘you could neither get Bond out of school nor the school out of Bond’ or again’ Old soldiers never die they just fade away’. I shall never forget you, Sir.

- PBR

HOUSE REPORTS

Foot House

Sitting (L to R): Kanav Gupta, Kishan Bhaiyya, Mr Avijit Chattopadhyay, Mrs Aditi Chakkhiyar, Mr Michael James, Arnav Jain, Mr Debashish Chakrabarty, Parth Agrawal, Mrs Namrata Pandey, Mr Ashish Dean, Ranjit, Ravi, Viren Agarwal Standing 1st row (L to R): Shish Pal, Subhan, Sabir Singh, Arjun Kapur, Nachiket Jain, Lakshya Varshney, Sajal Bansal, Karan Sethi, Vrishank Parmar, Yogesh Agarwal, Anandita Luther, Chatanya Agarwal, Ruhan Dev Tyagi, Rishab Agarwal, Sabharsh Sidhu, Rajinder Standing 2nd row (L to R): Arth Gupta, Nihal Dhillon, Yasharth Goel, Aryaman Panwar, Akshaj Garg, Aviral Garg, Umang Gupta, Yash K Mishra, Aditya Maheshwari, Yash Dhandhania, Shashank Mittal, Samrat Rawat, Krishnamit Bhargava, Vivek Vishwanathan, Rishab Badhwar Standing 3rd row (L to R): Pratyush Bharti, Navraj Randhawa, Shrey Aryan Singh, Shashvat Aggarwal, Arjun Khanna, Shaurya Kishorepuria, Fateh Partap Singh Phoolka

It has been an eventful year at Foot House, with a completely new team at the helm of affairs - new Housemaster, new tutors, and a new set of D formers. While I joined in February 2010, the new set of tutors took over from the former team comprising of Mr Sandip Mann, Mr Sahdeep Adhikari and Mr Aaron Jacob after the Spring term in 2010. Ms. Namrata Pandey is the only tutor who has continued. The Autumn 2010 team of Mr. Michael James, Mr. Ashish Dean, Ms. Namrata Pandey and Mr. Abhijit Chattopadhyay mentored the D-form of 2010. In January, the Foot House team was bolstered by the experience of Mr. Vinay Pandey and the youthful enthusiasm of Mr. Arnab Mukherjee.

39 students joined the Foot House in April 2010—38 boys and one girl (day scholar), Anandita Luther. In C Form another 12 boys joined the batch. The young batch of boys went for their first mid-term to Camp Redstone, near Maldevata. The midterm, however, was completed with a stay at Cloud’s End, Mussoorie. The year also saw a lot of initiatives being taken by the House management and the School. For the first time ever, the Foot House started a alf-yearly publication. It was christened, Footprints. The first edition had carried articles by the C-form boys who left the House on 25th March. The D-Form of 2010 saw their articles in print in the DS-75 Founder’s issue of the Footprints. The House started its first library with a subscription of 9 magazines and a cachet of books, funded generously by the parents of the 2010 batch of DForm. The year also saw the donation of a Home theatre system by the Kashmir House as a token of appreciation for the work done by the Foot House boys for the K-House pagal gymkhana in 2009. The generous gift was handed over by the outgoing House master of Kashmir House, Dr. Arvindanabha Shukla.

The year also saw the beginning of new rituals, the rangoli done by boys during Diwali and PTM as also the origami done to decorate the House Common Room. The boys’ excellence in sports and activities saw them find their feet in the junior school teams. Shashvat represented the school in Badminton, Sourya, Fateh, Sajal, Karan and Nihal are in the school basketball team, Ruhaan led the House tennis team as did Chaitanya in TT. Naciket and Rishabh got into soccer teams. Arjun, found his place as a batsman-keeper in Cricket. While Arth explored his calligraphy and Origami, Umang honed his skills in Carrom and Yogesh and Rishabh excelled academically. While Nihal wrote poetry, Akshaj just would not stop reading. Each of the 50 students in the House chose his niche and developed it.

It is said that childhood is a short season when essentials are shaped for good. At Foot, we all celebrated this season heartily in the past year hoping that the firmness of character, evenness of temper, an analytical mind and a keen reading habit were some of the essentials that were shaped for good.

107

Martyn House

Sitting (L to R): Mrs Priyanka Bhattacharya, Nitin Sardana, Mr Aaron Jacob, Nikhil Saraf, Mrs Priya Chaturvedi, Ayush Sarawgi, Ms Stuti Bathla, Mr Devendra Singh, Kartikey Kardam, Mrs Priyanka Majumdar, Arya Tamrakar, Mr Nitin Chauhan Standing 1st row (L tor R): Anvay Grover, Kunal Verma, Vivek Sinha, Udbhav Agrawal, Arnaav Bhavnani, Siddhant Gupta, Naadir Singh, Devang Agarwal, Vallavi Shukla, Sahir Chowdhury, Kartikey Garg, Govind Singh Sandhu, Tanmay Gupta, Samarth Juneja, Nikunj Agrawal, Tanay Agrawal Standing 2nd row(L to R): Avnish Agarwal, Krishna Lohiya, Vedant Agrawal, Rishit Agrawal, Akarsh Tibrewal, Akhil Ranjan, Aditya Bhardwaj, Kismat Chopra, Varun Gupta, Ishmam Chowdhury, Manan Pradhan, Saksham Garg, Samarth Makhija Standing 3rd row (L to R): Raghav Gupta, Shyamu, Krishna Dadoo, Ravi, Daksh Bhatia, Raj Singh, Azan Brar

Come March, I receive a list from the Admissions office with the names of the new D-form boys who are to join the School on April 1st. As I scan the unfamiliar names, I wonder how long it will take me to connect the names with a face and vice versa. It appears to be an impossible task. But the wonder of it all is that that process takes surprisingly little time and before one knows it, one is calling out to the right person with the right name! And the impossible becomes possible, once again. The D-Form batch of 2010 posed a similar challenge and it was overcome in much the same manner. The midterm outing with all the boys and tutors, which happens almost immediately on their arrival, is the breaking ground. The academic, the musician, the happy soul, the sportsman, the helpful, the introvert, the reader and the star-gazer, the thinker and the do-er, all reveal themselves bit by bit and a recognition of each individual personality emerges.

The thing with a Holding House report is that one cannot sum up the year with listing the achievements and accolades won by its residents in the academic, extra-curricular or sports arena. It is more about the achievement of having learnt to live away from home for the first time (only a fraction of them have previous boarding school experience) and managed their time and belongings responsibly, shared community meals( not to mention community baths!), made new friends and kept up with the rigours of school life. There are many surprises and unfamiliar practices to contend with. It is only with each passing week that a boy begins to feel at home and adapt to the way things are at Doon. To my mind then, each member of the D-Form batch of 2010 is an achiever, for in the span of this one year he has grown into a much more independent, confident and able young man. The 11 new C-formers who were added to the batch in February, 2011, settled in seamlessly and in a short space of time, contributed their own colour and character to the House.

I would think that the many experiences the boys underwent while in Martyn House assisted in this growth. Be it the day outings and night outs to Kalsi and Carberry Acres, or the more strenuous midterms, the lessons learnt while waiting impatiently on the sidelines of the Games field or lifting the cup of victory, the valuable interactions with tutors, the exchange of stories and personal histories ( short as they are yet!) or the jointly getting into trouble and learning the pains of collective responsibility-- all of the above helped forge their characters and prepared them for the life in the Main Houses. Many of the boys have revealed budding talents in various fields and I look forward to witnessing their successes in the years to come. It was a joy to see these 51 different personalities collide, communicate, cohabitate and co-exist! Each is his/ her own person and I expect them to do us proud in their own individual ways.

Awards will be won and milestones celebrated as this batch moves up in the School. They will grow tall, sprout beards and their voices will turn gruff, but to those of us who took care of them in their first year in School, the image of them as excited, young D-formers will be the first one that will come to mind.

109

Hyderabad House

Sitting (L to R): Arjun Verma, Neel Madhav, Mr Rahul Luther, Mr Kamal Ahuja, Shreyvardhan Swaroop, Mrs Meenakshi Tripathi, Arvind Sharma, Mr Mohammad Hammad Farooqui, Jayant Mukhopadhyay, Mr Biren Kumar Chamola, Shivam Katyal, Mr John Xavier, Uday Shriram, Mr Prabhakaran Nair, Uddhav Prasad, Mrs Meeta Sharma, Shashank Peshawaria, Kanav Mehra, Aayush Jain, Shourya Gupta, Devansh Khaitan Standing 1st row (L to R): Aashray Batra, Rohan Shriram, Ayush Agarwal, Rahil Badhwar, Anshuman Bhargava, Saransh Seth, Neelansh Khurana, Shreshta Verma, Virein Chabra, Sambhav Sethia, Vinayak Agarwal, Varun Rai, Shatrunjai Rai Dewan, Jaiveer Mehra, Dhruv Goel, Karan Gulati, Raghav Chandra, Agni Raj Singh, Mukund Nyati, Eeshat Tiwary, Vedant Khanna Standing 2nd row (L to R): Devesh Sharma, Shantanu, Siddharth Dhanda, Raghav Dhanda, Saib Ahmad, Vihan Khanna, Sookrit Malik, Satvik Narain, Divyank Sharma, Suyash Bishnoi, Aditeya Lochan Singh, Ujjwal Dahuja, Abhishek Bansal, Raghav Nath, Shivam Goyal, Nabeel Shah, Yash Jalan, Sanat Verma, Amaan Kazmi, Yuvraj Nathani, Durgesh Agarwal, Dhruv Prasad Standing 3rd row (L to R): Preetam Mohan, Kabir Sethi, Devang Mehra, Rajkumar Vijay, Palash Kanwar, Varun Narain Sinha, Imaan Pariat Mehta, Sarvshresht Singh, Rahul Srivastava, Uday Rathore, Madhav Mundra, Nayan Manchanda, Arnav Joshi, Pranay Raj Kapoor, Shikha Kothari, Divyansh Goel, Yash Agrawal, Aamir Shah, Pulkit Agarwal, Vibhav Gupta, Guruansh Singh Gambhir, Rahil Arora Standing 4th row (L to R): Sartaj Singh Sidhu, Duraiswami Prasanna Rajan, Siddhant Sachdev, Jaskrit Singh, Parth Vohra, Rishabh Nautiyal, Pritika Sandhu, Chirag Mittal, Arush Sood, Vireshwar Singh Sidhu

House Colours: Uday Shriram Devansh Khaitan Kanav Mehra Vinayak Aggarwal Shreyvardhan Swaroop Varun Rai

The happiness of the boys and girls in a house is the true measure of the house’s success. Happiness is governed by a host of factors such as victories on and off the field, the senior – junior relationship in the house and the discipline of the boys and girls. This year the House of Lords found the perfect combination and thus was successful in every way. The seniors led the house effectively by setting a great example both on and off the field. Having won the Academics cup at the start of the year, the boys were determined to prove that the win was not pure luck. The Sc’s achieved the highest number of distinctions in the house while performing admirably in the inter house cricket and hockey competitions. Thus they set the bar quite high for the rest of the house. But the juniors did not disappoint, winning the inter house junior cricket, hockey and the elusive PT competitions. The monumental joint effort of the entire house was showcased in the incredible one-act play performance staged by the house which won us the competition as well. We ended the first term on a high note with a win in the gymnastics competition as well.

The House rumbled into the next term with a phenomenal near clean sweep at the Music competition winning five out of eight categories. The hard work put in by the boys for the month preceding the competition paid off and with our morale high we prepared for another successful term. The juniors kept their winning streak going with a victory in the inter house junior soccer competition and hence brought home the junior grand slam as well. The house also went on to win the inter house tennis, chess and first aid competitions. At the end of the term we had quite literally another sweet taste of victory with the marching cake coming to the house after many years. The year saw the renewal and growth of the House spirit which had been lost for some time. This brought the entire house together and evoked in each one of the boys the desire to give his heart and soul into each activity. We strive to achieve in every field that we take part in. With this grit and determination we were able to overturn the stereotypes of being intellectually challenged and uncoordinated that were associated with the house by winning the academics cup and the Junior PT and the Marching competitions.

But winning was not our main aim. We wanted to enjoy participating in these activities. This enjoyment was clear in our performances in the Music competition where each boy was just happy to be on stage and making music. We cultivated a strong sense of brotherhood in the entire house. This also helped the bonding between seniors and juniors. The relationship progressed in leaps and bounds which was reflected in the contentment that the juniors exuded. This also led them to perform better in every field. With a lot of hard work, fun and discipline, Hyderabad House was able to create an environment that was very conducive for the overall development of the boys and success of the House.

111

Jaipur House

Sitting (L to R): Arpan Agarwal, Samarth Jaiswal, Mr Srinivas Swamy, Siddhant Gupta, Ms Priya Chauhan, Hemang Agarwal, Mr Mohan Chandra Joshi, Bharat Ganju, Mr Rashid Sharfuddin, Kartic Sharma, Mr Sanjiv Bathla, Arnav Sahu, Mr Vidhukesh Vimal, Trivikram Singh, Mr Pankaj Joshi, Ashvath Kunadi, Mr Praveen Dwivedi, Manik Garg, Mr Ahmed Kamran, B Dinesh Reddy, Milind Pandit, Prashant Bhandari Standing 1st row (L to R): Ishan Khanna, Yashasvi Havelia, Rana Chowgule, Nipun Batra, Varun Gupta, Raghav Puri, Ishaan Nagpal, Varun Goel, Angad Bawa, Abhyun Chatterjee, Angad Singh, Prabal Jindal, Dhruv Sawhney, Sharan Seth, Akshay Nihalani, Akshay Sharan, Ashwin Dokania Standing 2nd row (L to R): Divij Batra, Shubham Khemka, Gaurav Garg, Zorawar Whig, Aayush Tripathi, Uday Lakhanpal, Varun Goel, Karan Kairon, Jai Kairon, Karan Singh, Arnav Matta, Udit Rungta, Madhavan Saklani, Raniz Bordoloi, Khalid Alawneh, Saksham Agarwal, Saif Ali, Dhruv Singhal, Waseefullah Khan Sherwani, Standing 3rd row(L to R): Sanat Garg, Mahaanaaryaman J Scindia, Hamza Khan, Gopal Singh Mann, Siddharth Kaul, Karan Shingal, Ritesh Popat Shinde, Shivaan Seth, Yash Upadhyay, Gaurav Kothari, Saumil Agarwal, Utkarsh Jha, Marut Garg, Dilsher Brar, Imroz Suri, Dhruv Agarwal, Shantanu Seth, Zahaan Qureshi, Uday Goyal, Vibhav Maheshwari Standing 4th row (L to R): Aditya Vir Roy, Sumer Sehgal, Atharva Matta, Ayush Tripathi, Rohan Agarwal, Josh Pasricha, Suyash Raj Shivam, Gursher Chabba, Harshvardhan Bansal, Anubhav Agarwal, Advait Jha, Aditya Gandhi, Saket Golyan, Rakshit Sinha, Abhishek Parasrampuria, Sachin Mehra, Zayaan Khodaiji, Abhinav Kejriwal, Arjun Singh Mann, Anant Singh Mann, Anirudh Gupta, Bipasha

For yet another time, the winter is settling in, nights are turning longer and the blankets have rolled in…Yes! It is evident that life moves on in it’s cycle, and the time of the Batch of 2011 has come to an end. Some people have become nostalgic at this moment, but I feel happy and energized because of what this institution, what this house has turned me into. I have spent six years here and I have seen toil, faced ups and downs, been through misery, felt the hole in my heart which my family occupied, yet there is something that makes me cling to the house. It’s hard to explain this feeling but those who are associated with it know it best. This place has made me believe in myself, realize my talents, socialize, talk and other innumerable things which are not possible for me to pen down. Unlike other years, the boys this year chose to specialize in their strengths. Well! I guess this was the major reason for our success. The term started with cricket, where we won three out of four House XI matches which equalled the percentage of the winning house, we thereby finished a close third. The highlight of the spring term was our winning the PT Gong. Yes! The Eagles

had done it for the third year in a row. Yet again we displayed our coordination, teamwork and unity. The second term started with boys enrolling themselves in the much awaited soccer tournament and the Inter house music and Dance competition. In soccer, like always, the Eagles’ enthusiasm was sky high. In hard fought matches, displaying the best of skills, we finished second in both seniors and juniors. All in all, I would like to say that it’s been a pleasure and honour to have had to lead a house such as this. Competition, achievements, awards are only a small picture of us, and the big picture is that we here at Jaipur House are one big, happy group!

House Colours: Kartic Sharma Milind Pandit Dinesh Reddy Ishaan Nagpal Prashant Bhandari Angad Bawa Bharat Ganju

113

Kashmir House

Sitting (L to R): Mr Manish Pant, Chirag Ambekar, Mr Manoj Pandey, Utkarsh Gupta, Mrs Sarabjeet Sandhu, Harsh Verma, Mr Alok Tirtha Bhowmick, Mr Deepak Sharma, Shivam Pal, Mr Anjan Kumar Chaudhary, Aseem Kumar, Mr Aravindanabha Shukla, Abhishek Jain, Mr Manu Mehrotra, Viren Kapoor, Mrs Ritu Bahl Mohan, Faraz Khan, Mr Sandeep Singh Mann, Divyam Agarwal, Mr Ambikesh Shukla, Animesh Gupta, Mr Vishal Mohla Standing 1st row (L to R): Vigya Singh Dhiman, Lakshit Joshi, Rishi Agarwal, Vaibhav Bahadur, Tushar Gupta, Prahlad Singh, Rohan Nath Behl, Anmol Singh Jamwal, Aishwary Karan, Dhruv Babbar, Saadman Mahmood Chowdhury, Tushar Thakral, Tanuj Kumar, Vinayak Bhandari, Shoumitra Srivastava, Harshit Tiwari, Udai Bothra, Utkarsh Garg, Piroune Balachandran, Kanishka Malik, Sparsh Batra, Shaurya Sinha, Sachit Taneja, Apurv Aggarwal Standing 2nd row (L to R): Kunal Kanodia, Raghuraj Rathi, Aahan Menon, Shreyas Keyal, Suhel Karara, Shrish Srivastava, Sanchit Thakral, Prabhjot Singh, Dhruv Sirohi, Shubham Agarwal, Arifeen Chaudhary, Alawi Singh, Nihal Sharma, Arjun Khaitan, Rishab Tusnial, Abhishek Kakkar, Namanshree Jain, Tushar Mohan Standing 3rd row (L to R): Diksha Makhija, Arnav Goyal, Ishu Lather, Aditya Bhattacharya, Sabhia Katiya, Raghav Bansal, Aditya Vikram Gupta, Madhav Dutt, Anmol Jain, Siddharth Suri, Vatsal Agrawal, Devash Sahai, Avik Gugalia, Jai Ahuja, Nivit Kochhar, Kunal Kanodia, Orijit Chattopadhyay, Malini Malviya, Pulkit Bansal Standing 4th row (L to R): Shivam Sharma, Aayushman Arora, Ashim Bansal, Digvijay Gupta, Abhishek Pande, Shubham Sikaria, Yash Malhotra, Apekshit Goel, Ritvik Kar, Pranjalya Shukla, Yash Mall, Abhijeet Karwa, Nakul Jaidka, Harshil Agarwal, Sarthak Gupta, Shubham Agarwal, Jai Singh Yadav, Siddharth Popli, Mihir Kiran, Sanjeet Suhag.

House Colours: Aseem Kumar Shivam Pal Harsh Verma Viren Kapoor Anmol Jamwal Harshit Tiwari Tanuj Kumar Faraz Khan Utkarsh Gupta Saadman Chowdhary Shoumitra Srivastava Vinayak Bhandari Vigya Dhiman Dhruv Babbar Udai Bothra

“I do not know anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but it will get you pretty near” -Margaret Thatcher. It was indeed a privilege to take over the house and celebrate 75 years in the same year when our school celebrated DS 75. When I look back at my career in school so far I feel that my life has played out of a script. It was here that in 2004, I started my journey as a tutor and then went on to take over Assistant Housemaster in 2007. As I write these lines, now as the Housemaster of Kashmir House, I wish to share my personal vision for the House as well as the year gone by. Kashmir House has been known in the fraternity as the “House of Gentlemen”. I have a strong belief that this cannot be taken for granted. Over years, the House has gone through a transformation in its social and economic profile. The demands in pastoral might not have changed with times but there are concerns which we are all aware of. My vision of the house is to instill in boys the values of life and to ensure that they grow relationships which are unselfish. My aim is to develop the human resource potential to the maximum in the house. Mediocrity in today’s world is unacceptable and I am definitely going to make an effort to make students realize their strengths but at the same

time explain to them the need for a balance. Career prospects are fast becoming a growing requirement and I completely agree with my current Headmaster that the discussions need to start as early as the B form. This is one area where I wish to achieve some ground in the days to come. In my opinion a happy house draws comfort where there is strong communication and mutual respect. Respect cannot be achieved only through fear and I am of the belief that one is respected when s/he invests a lot of his time. I want to see that Kashmir House boys as “True Gentlemen”; are humble in victory and gracious in defeat. I really draw inspiration from the lines of A.E. Foot, our Founder Headmaster, who in 1935 laid emphasis on an aristocracy of service. I think as we have traveled 75 years in the school, we need to revisit his visions and try our level best to work sincerely on his Footsteps! I would now highlight some of the moments of the house for the entire year. The debating team under some inspirational leadership and some active speakers brought the senior cup to the house. PT competition was a huge success for the house and our house emerged second. The junior table tennis team won the cup which reflects bright future

in the house. In this term, the team gave all it could in music and we emerged second again. The house basketball team was almost the school team and amidst some hard fought matches, we emerged victorious. Athletics practice was hampered due to preparation for DS 75 but our senior athletes rose to the occasion and we emerged victorious. Tushar Gupta broke the school high jump record with a jump of 1.76 m. Quiz has been also been a trade mark event for Kashmir House and we emerged runners up in a nail biting finish. Keeping these achievements aside, I would also want to add that there has been some good leadership and that has been the actual success. I strongly feel that it is the job of the torch bearers to leave the torches in good hands. I am happy with the successes and I am looking forward to some inspirational leadership in the future. It is important now to look at the future and concentrate on the juniors. I also want to add that my interactions with old Kashmir House boys during DS 75 were equally some significant moments in the year of Kashmir House. This year was significant for Kashmir House for another reason. Dr Arvindnabha Shukla, my old Housemaster retired from the post of HousemasterKashmir House. He successfully completed his tenure of ten years which I definitely feel has left a lot of imprints on

which we need to work. My memories with him in this house will be permanent and I wish him all the best. I would also welcome Mr Manu Mehrotra as the Assistant-Housemaster of the House and I am sure that we will work together to strengthen the House through our own plans in the future. My gratitude towards my tutors who have constantly shared valuable inputs that has truly been beneficial for the boys in the House. I want to take this opportunity to thank my House Captain Aseem Kumar and the team of prefects with whom I have shared a lot of my own vision. The team has really gone out of their way to help us out in the day to day running of the House. I would also shower my appreciation towards my monitors who really though in the back seat sincerely help out the prefects in the day to day running of their duties. Thank you gentlemen.

115

Oberoi House

Sitting (L to R): Mr Mohammad Istemdad Ali, Mr Partho Roy, Darshdeep Hora, Mr Anand Kumar Mandhian, Deepankar Tiwari, Mr Dinesh Bhatkoti, Rachit Malik, Mrs Anuroop Jouhal, Saarthak Singh, Mr K V Arjun Rao, Shekhar Bishnoi, Mrs Purnima Dutta, Shiva Gururani, Mr Piyush Malviya, Vahin Khosla, Mrs Mona Khanna, Nikhil Narain, Mr Ben Dawes, Vivek Santayana, Mr Devendra Kumar Mishra, Nitesh Saini, Mr Samik Das, Shantanu Agarwal Standing 1st row (L to R): Karmanya Malhotra, Abhinav Mittal, Saud Khan, Tushar Khurana, Sambuddha Naha, Pranjal Varshney, Jaiveer Jakhar, Ujjwal Singhal, Ateendra Pande, Gaurang Ahuja, Smitha Nair, Siddharth Bidasaria, Chandrachuda Shukla, Aseem Balraj Sahni, Prateek Agarwal, Abhinandan Rajan, Dhruv Mahajan, Uma Shankar Goswami, Vaibhav Gupta, Vatsal Modi, Tarang Saxena Standing 2nd row (L to R): Arjun Kamdar, Akanksha Mohan, Kanishka Dev Tyagi, Shreshta Khaitan, Nipurn Dutta, Adhiraj Singh, Rishab Kothari, Arihant Arora, Siddhant Dixit, Vikram Gill, Vinayak Chawdhary, Rohil Mehrotra, Yash Johri, Pranjal Bhatt, Tanmay Kapoor, Kartikey Jain, Harshvardhan Singh, Ritesh Devnani, Varun Vasudev Standing 3rd row: Aditya Malik, Nakul Talwar, Armaan Imam, Shikher Chhawchharia, Animesh Jain ,Yash Agarwal, Suraj Bishnoi, Rishabh Chadda, Shreyansh Chedda, Himanshu Poddar, Rishab Verma, Yuv Vir Khosla, Rayhaan Imam, Manas Poddar, Mudit Agarwal, Prabnur Bal, Rishabh Pandey, Anshul Tibrewal, Sarthak Srijan Katiyar Standing 4th Row(L to R): Adarsh Lanka, Vatsal Goenka, Vidit Sidana, Sai Swayam Samal, Pranav Agarwal, Tanishq Agarwala, Akshay Sarawgi, Sudhansh Agarwal, Shubham Dhingra, Divyant Sapra, Beerban, Deepchand, Vishal Tummala, Siddharth Bhardwaj, Abhijit Kejriwal, Rishav Raj Das, Varun Pais, Ashish Verma, Vrindam Nagpal, Siddharth Pahuja, Adtiya Vikram Gupta

House Colours: Prateek Agarwal Shekhar Bishnoi Shiva Gururani Vahin Khosla Vivek Santayana Saarthak Singh

The year kicked off with the appointments of the prefects – Shekhar Bishnoi was to lead the house with support from Vahin Khosla, Saarthak Singh and Shiva Gururani. Vahin was also appointed as the School Soccer Captain. Soon after, came the cricket season. After our victories over the previous two years, a lot was expected from the Oberoi House team. Sadly though, we were unable to repeat the feat and retain the cup. The failure in cricket prompted us to work even harder and we eventually finished the term with the Hockey Cup in our hands, with the Khosla brothers, Vahin and Yuv spearheading the Oberoi House attack. The Board results were one of the best that the House had seen in the recent past. The SC Leavers received very high marks, with nearly ten students scoring over 90% and were rewarded by placements in top colleges, in India and abroad. Singapore seems to have become a popular choice with five of our Leavers moving abroad to study there. The S formers scored a record form average of 90%. Spandan Gopal Agrawal was the school topper with an average of 96.2%. The Juniors did us proud by winning the Inter House Junior English Debates for the first time in the history of the House,

groomed by Vivek Santayana, the House Debating Captain. The House also witnessed another successful run at the Inter-House Hindi Debating Competition, led by the acerbic Chandrachuda Shukla, who also mastered the art of grooming younger students and built a legacy that we all hope will live on. We started the second term exactly where we had left off at the end of the first term. The house also emerged victorious in the Inter House Shanti Swaroop Science Essay Contest, led by Saarthak Singh. Oberoi House swam to glory in the Inter House Swimming Cup, ably captained by Nitesh Dev who won all of his events as well. The House also won the Soccer Shield, led by Shiva Gururani, with the Khosla brothers again spearheading the offence. The highlight of the Athletics season was watching Saarthak Singh hold his own in the long-distance categories, outrunning the hardest competition. There was great representation of the House at the school level and the boys of Oberoi House stood out on the Basketball Court with Vikram Gill and Sidhant Gupta representing the Dehradun District, as well as in Badminton, where Vaibhav Gupta represented the State.

The House also saw a change in the House Colours Scheme. As opposed to using points tallies and schemes as seen in the past, the decision to interview all senior students of the House, providing them with feedback, has been a welcome change. The year wound down with a last house feast where we bid farewell to our Housemaster Ms. Purnima Dutta, who always encouraged and motivated us to reach greater heights and always give in our 100%. Oberoi House had a very successful year and we all hope that the swan will keep flying higher and higher!

117

Tata House

Sitting (L to R): Arjun Singh Sethi, Mr Shrey Nagalia, Nipun Mohan, Mr Arvindanabha Shukla, Umang Newatia, Mr Sandeep Adhikari, Yashaswat Kapur, Mrs Ranjeet Kaur, Rishabh Chatterjee, Mr Skand Bali, Karanbir Singh Dhariwal, Mr Harendra Chakhaiyar, Itihaas Singh, Mr Ashad Qezilbash, Rajdeep Deo Bhanj, Mrs Malvika Bhatt, Akshat Kumar, Mr Vinay Pande, Arjun Vilas Mahajan, Mr Sudhir Thapa, Siddharth Bathla, Mr Sandeep Khanna, Abhishek Patel Standing 1st row (L to R): Saptarishi Biswas, Kr Avanindra Singh, Vinayak Bansal, Nikhil Bhushan, Pranoy Bohara, Gursehej Singh Oberoi, Aditya Gupta, Vikram Kejriwal, Suyash Agarwal, Divij Budhiraja, Yashvardhan Singhania, Revant Nayar, Mohit Gupta, Udit Kapur, Sagar Karnawat Standing 2nd row (L to R): Kushagr Singh, Ishan Sandhu, Sanat Kumar Thakur, Shivank Singh, Adhiraj Thakran, Rohan Gupta, Mohit Seth, Sumaer Sandhu, Abhijeet Nagar, Arjun Midha, Aviral Gupta, Arjun Parmar, Ashish Rao, Zorawar Singh, Farhan Anis, Kartikey Luthra, Harshvardhan Singhania Standing 3rd row (L to R): Shaurya Agarwal, Vikramaditya Kapur, Shawn Kapur, Adit Handa, Himanshu Todi, Jairaj Singh Sadana, Banda Mann Singh Lamba, Parth Gupta, Kartikey Pandey, Raghav Kothiwal, Sidharth Sethi, Shivan Tandon, Sehaj Singh Jouhal, Jai Khanna, Dhairik Fuletra, Siddharth Sarin, Arjun Sharma, Karan Chabbra, Shashwat Dhandania, Agastya Bellad Standing 4th row (L to R): Aditya Dhingra, Paramdeep Singh, Shrey Raj Kapoor, Dhananjay Bansal, Eshaan Bhardwaj, Amartya Tirtha Bhowmick, Yaseer Iqbal, Mahak Sharma, Chaitanya Fatehpuria, Ashutosh Goyal, Abhishek Pai, Udbhav Agarwal, Mrigank Khemka, Sayuj Dhandania, Siddharth Gupta, Husain Haider, Rishabh Gupta, Rishikant Sharma, Rishi Raaj Khan, Yuvan Kumar

House Colours: Rishabh Chatterjee Arjun Mahajan Karanbir Singh Dhariwal Umang Newatia Yashashvat Kapur Akshat Kumar Itihaas Singh Arjun Sethi Siddharth Bathla

This year was an amazing one for the House of Steel. To mark the beginning of the year, we won the Cricket cup and the newly introduced T20 cricket cup. After the departure of Mr Arvind Chalasani, the position of Housemaster was taken by Mr Harinder Chakiyar. Mr Skand Bali replaced Mr Debashish Chakrabarty as Deputy Housemaster. The house is thankful to both the masters for their contribution to the house and wishes them the best of luck in their future. The house was led by Karanbir Singh Dhariwal as House Captain and his able team of prefects. If we didn’t win, we still tried our best and were rewarded for our efforts, as

well as for our rigorous play and music practices that took place almost every night and took a lot of time and effort out of our boys. We came in a close second in hockey and won the junior and medium section of athletics. We won the Art cup and performed very well in various other fields like Table Tennis, Badminton, and swimming. High performance in various fields showed the true potential of the house as a whole. Also, the House lived up to previous accomplishments and performed well in the field of academics. The tutors and dame were essential for the smooth functioning of the house but

credit must go to the SC’s for shaping the house the right way. It was the essence of ambition and josh that made the year a memorable one. It was an example for years to come that they will be missed next year but I am sure the current S formers will live up to their reputation. The discipline of the house was something we really worked on and tried to keep the standards as high as those of previous years. The prefectorial body set new bars in their ability to keep the house as one. They brought out the unity of the house, which is something to be immensely proud of.

At last, we can end this year on a high note, knowing that the House of Steel is only growing stronger and has a bright future.

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FOUNDER’S

SPEECH BY THE HEADMASTER DR PETER MCLAUGHLIN FOUNDER’S DAY 2010 Shri Kapil Sibal, Honourable Minister for Human Resource Development, Dr. Sanjeev Chopra, distinguished guests, Mr. Chairman and members of the Board of Governors, masters and boys of The Doon School, ladies and gentlemen, good evening once again. Before I speak, I should just like to take a moment to thank all those who worked so tirelessly to make our programme tonight possible. To my mind our event managers, Maven Media, are heroes for the extraordinary effort they put into resurrecting DS75 from the carnage wrought by the storm last night, and I should also like to thank Mr. Sameer Katre and his team, as well as all the masters and other employees who helped us to rise like a phoenix from the ashes, for their extraordinary efforts as well. It is a true tribute to the Dosco spirit that we are able to gather here at all tonight. This morning, in the gracious presence of our President, I spoke about the past and proudly paid homage to it. Now I shall speak not of what we have done over the past seventy-five years, but of the future and what we are going to do in the decades ahead: not what we are going to talk about, but what we are going to do. Over the past few years the Board of Governors has revisited The Doon School’s Mission and has now laid out a vision for the future of our School. To cut to the chase, The Doon School is setting out to become one of the world’s great educational institutions, and this is what our mission will be: The Doon School will attract and develop exceptional boys and teachers to serve a meritocratic India in a global society; transform boys into educated men; inspire them to be just and dutiful citizens; and train them to be wise and ethical leaders…and our vision is of India’s top school joining the ranks of the world’s great schools, a school that leads other institutions into newer and more relevant methods of teaching, learning and leadership development, a school that other schools will want to come to and learn from.

You will notice that I said ‘boys’. I do not know what the penalty is in India for not following a Presidential edict, but The Doon School will remain a school for Indian boys in India who will serve the nation at home and abroad, and we shall not becoming a co-educational school admitting girls. Since I am now probably living on borrowed time, I suppose that I should move on rapidly and tell you what the future holds while I still have some time! As a great international educational institution, The Doon School will have: Enduring core values – those we have built over seventy-five years and still cherish; A strong sense of purpose and mission that we shall live out; the vision statement will not just be for decoration or for marketing purposes, but a living document; An ability to face the facts about ourselves without ever losing faith in, and affection for, our School. To give you an example, this year we have had the best-ever ISC and ICSE results in the School’s history, but our IB results were problematic and we have been addressing that issue honestly without losing faith in ourselves; Inspirational leadership and governance, and in that respect we are already fortunate to have a dynamic and ambitious Board of Governors and visionary Chairman; Great teachers and role models, such as Mr. Sheel Vohra to whom I have already paid tribute earlier this evening; A dynamic and supportive alumni association; A continued commitment to serving India at home and abroad, to serving the nation in a global context.

As we have set out to take on the world, we have asked the question, “What will we be the best in the world at?” In answer to that question, we shall be offering excellent, even outstanding, academics and university and college placements, but will not set out to be an examination factory or grades hothouse; excellent sport and outdoor activities, but as the estate is limited in size, with no room for an all-weather running track, indoor Olympic pool, floodlit astroturf, and so on, we will not aim to be a sports academy; and we shall offer every boy the opportunity to explore his full potential as a human being through a continued commitment to an all-round education. We commit ourselves to being the best in the world at three inter-related things: training world class leaders based on our proven track record in this field - and many of you attending our celebrations are proof of the School’s ability to produce such leaders; genuine social service of the type The Doon School introduced to the world and that is part of our DNA, not photo opportunities for students to turn into sentimental powerpoint presentations to make themselves feel good, but authentic social service to help the needy; and initiating boys into the world’s strongest and most supportive alumni association. The School believes that the core values and characteristics of modern leaders should be inculcated in a boy and taught in a conscious and systematic fashion from his first year at Doon onwards. These characteristics and values are intellectual character and courage, with a positive disposition to learning in and out of the classroom; integrity, including sportsmanship and academic honesty; creativity, underpinned with a deep understanding and appreciation of Indian culture, history and heritage; a strong sense of justice and empathy, and a clear understanding of what is right and wrong; and great physical, moral, spiritual and mental strength gained through a rich, active, all-round education.

The Doon School will also ensure that its students have excellent prospects and can gain substantively from excellent college and university education. As students and learners in and out of the twenty-first century classroom, they will be: Open-minded Inquiring Knowledgeable Thinkers Communicators Principled Caring about others Risk-takers Balanced Reflective To carry out its mission and fulfill our vision, the School will create a culture of exceptional people - masters, boys, alumni and parents - who will keep faith with, and preserve the core ideology of The Doon School and at the same time create a culture of stimulating progress. Our masters will be inspiring role models – for today a master has to be both a great teacher and a strong role model for teenage boys - who will also educate our boys into the top universities and colleges in India and abroad, and train them to be ethical and responsible leaders. Together the men and women working in and for the institution and with the boys will give them pride in their nation and its culture, history and heritage; a commitment to serving their fellow human beings; a vibrant and relevant curriculum for the twenty-first century, with no distinction between what a boy can learn inside the classroom and outside it; a ‘crucible of character’ - to use that wonderful phrase coined at The Doon School in the past - and leadership through an all-round education; and an opportunity to work and play with exceptional boys of diverse social, economic and geographic origins.

We shall give the boys top placements in universities and outstanding future learning and employment prospects; first class pastoral care that supports learning and character development; an excellent infrastructure for teaching, learning and living; and an international reputation for excellence. The full roadmap laying out our route to our future includes the fundamental documents one would expect for such a great enterprise. We have an analysis of how the School came to be where it is today and the challenges facing it in the external environment in which we now exist; an almost-completed strategic plan, including a ten-year financial plan; a campus master plan that has been and is being reviewed and developed; a new marketing, admissions and communication function to reach out to our own parents and stakeholders and beyond; the rapid development of our careers counseling and college placement function; a major fundraising effort to build a substantial endowment; an acknowledgment that fees will need to keep pace with rising costs, thereby requiring major support for the scholarship and bursary programme to retain our demographic and social diversity; “academic infrastructure” renovation, including teacher selection, training, the use of technology, and the management structure needed to embed best practice; reconstruction of the curriculum, including the possible introduction of the IGCSE as a more appropriate foundation for IB studies and university education; physical infrastructure projects, including teaching and boarding accommodation. In order to achieve our goals, the School has set out to raise Rs. 120 crores in the next decade, most of it in the next 5 years. Our Chairman, Mr. Analjit Singh, a little later in his speech will tell us of who has already given substantially to this ambitious initiative and our progress to date. We need those funds for the following purposes:

Rs. 70 crores to add to our scholarship and bursary programme to enable us to raise fees to cover operating costs, especially faculty salaries, while ensuring the social, economic and geographic diversity that is at the core of our purpose as a school; Rs. 35 crores for capital projects, notably for new masters’ housing that will enable all our faculty to live on the estate and play a full part in the boarding life of the school, as well as for teaching spaces and science laboratories, and other buildings we need. Rs. 15 crores to recruit, train and develop first class faculty, and enhance our provision and services, such as careers and other counseling. These words are easy to say, but they represent an enormous amount of work in the decades ahead of us. There are no ‘silver bullets’ or ‘quick wins’. The fulfillment of our mission and our vision will take a level of determination, discipline, sheer hard work and investment that The Doon School has not undertaken in its history. We have a long, tough road ahead of us – it will feel like ‘the mother of all mid-terms’ - which will mean something to many of you here with us this evening. Everyone here tonight, all of our stakeholders both in India and abroad, must commit to this vision wholeheartedly if we are to succeed. Together we shall need to mobilize all of our skills, financial and human resources in order to see the School remaining pre-eminent in India, and reaching its rightful place alongside the great educational institutions of the world.

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SPEECH BY THE SCHOOL CAPTAIN ARNAV SAHU FOUNDER’S DAY 2010 Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to The Doon School Platinum Jubilee Celebrations. Seventy-five years it’s been and still growing as an institution. I would like to extend my gratitude to the Honourable President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil, for gracing us with her presence today. After all, it is quite an honour to speak after the President. Six years ago, I remember walking through the Main Gate as a D-former. All I was given were a blazer, a tie, a spartan bed and a nondescript welcome letter on my first day. I soon learnt of the rules regarding no cell phones, no tuck, no money, and to add to my misery were changesin-break, P.T and communal baths. Was this what they called the best school in the country? Moreover, the emphasis on the number one continued to haunt me through my first year. One break share, one phone call allowance, one hundred lines, one locker, one holiday in a week, one blazer and one tie for the entire winter season. But after six years, I realized how wrong I indeed was. The Doon experience is also one in a lifetime. It is the number one that infuses the spirit of egalitarianism, for wherever you come from, whatever your parents might be, at The Doon School everyone is given that one blazer and that one tie only. The only one difference that matters is what you do in School and how much you extract from the plethora of activities that this institution provides. Ladies and gentlemen, the fact is the Dosco is constantly developing. From doing changes-inbreak to giving them, from running rounds during morning P.T. to taking them, from standing in lines to making them, it is this transition from that intimidated D-former to a confident SC former, that makes the Dosco stand out. Every Old Boy present in the audience, I’m sure, has his own tale to tell, had his own story to script and has his own version of that hierarchical ascent. The journey from a nobody to a somebody makes The Doon School ethos so unique, so incorruptible in its foundation.

I was walking across the Main Field the other day, pondering over life after Doon. Six years, the same buildings, the bells, the fields, the uniform, the friends, the routine, the monotony. I remembered my favourite quote from the movie Shawshank Redemption where Morgan Freeman, a prisoner says “These walls are funny. First you hate them, then you get used to them. After long enough, you get so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized.” I think this holds true for every student who passes out from Chandbagh. For the Dosco is not just an individual, he isn’t just flesh and blood but is a symbol. A symbol that stands for leadership, individuality, unity, and most importantly, brotherhood and fraternity. For why would an Old Boy come back after 50 years to a campus that looks completely different from his time? What are the buildings and structures made of save brick and mortar? It is the people that make an institution and not the buildings. It is the bond between fellow students that has sustained our School for 75 years. As we stand here at our platinum jubilee celebrations, the inevitable question arises: What does the future hold for us as a school? Today, an average university demands nothing less than a 90% percent. Sadly, life has become about marks, Board examinations, colleges and job placements. How do we adapt to the changing global needs? Any other school will let you sail through all these tests, but what of the test of life? At Doon, the House spirit inculcates loyalty, social service-altruism, leadership-responsibility, punishments-discipline, tutorials-mentorship, public speaking-confidence and personality, captaincies-governance, art-creativity, electionscitizenship. I ask you what 95% will give you the above life skills?

Shiv Khera once said that winners don’t do different things, they do things differently. The fact that the same beliefs and values of The Doon School are as valid today as in 1935 is proof of the immutability of our philosophy, that of true learning. A Dosco may fail his tests tomorrow, but I can assure you he will not fail the test of life. And in that lies our biggest challenge: the challenge to preserve our ethos and philosophy in a rapidly changing society, a philosophy society does not value anymore. When a student walks into this institution, he must know that The Doon School is not a reflection of society, it is an exception to it. Arthur Foot once said that The Doon School does not make scholars out of boys; it makes men out of them. I hope we continue to make such men as we have in the past. As that D-former, I had dreamt of Doon. I had heard of it. And after six years, all I have to say is that I’m proud to be a Dosco. Thank you and I hope you are having a great time at Chandbagh.

CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS ANALJIT SINGH OCT 23 2010 Good evening, The Doon School, Mr. and Mrs. Kapil Sibal, Dr. Sanjiv Chopra and his wife, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you have had an enjoyable time and appreciated the splendor of nature and Chandbagh! I would like to take the next fifteen minutes or so and share some information about the working of the School, the Indian Public Schools Society, and related matters concerning the governance and management of the School. Let me begin by saying that after almost thirty-eight years, we have an expatriate Headmaster, Dr. Peter McLaughlin. Mr. C.J. Miller was the last English Headmaster back in 1970. Last year, I did not have an opportunity to formally introduce our new Headmaster and his wife Elizabeth as the Founder’s Day celebrations had to be cancelled due to swine flu. Dr. McLaughlin and his wife joined School full-time on July 14, 2009, prior to which Peter made three short visits to Dehra Dun. I would now like to say a few words about governance-related matters of The Doon School:- Mr. Mahesh Sahai and Mr. Vikram Lal will be completing their six year term at the close of this Founder’s Day and Ms. Abha Adams has opted out of her second three year term due to preoccupation with other activities. Mr. Ranjit Sikand, 247 T, class of 1956 and Mr. Sumit Bose, 364 J, class of 1970, have been appointed as new members on the Board of Governors in place of Mr. Mahesh Sahai and Mr. Vikram Lal. I welcome them. Abha Adam’s replacement is yet to be identified. It is likely that a person with international experience will be identified to fill this vacancy which necessarily must be filled with a person from an education stream. For your information, about 40 to 50% of our passing out class goes abroad for college education and therefore, reasonable integration and compatibility with school education abroad is important. Let me add that whilst we continue to aim at sending our boys to leading colleges in India, similar emphasis has recently been given to international placements of our students in America and the U.K. If the Private University Bill and Foreign University Bill ever sees light of day, perhaps the emphasis on our kids going overseas may come down.

The second member of the Board of Governors, with an education background is Prof Dipankar Gupta. Dipankar has offered himself for re-appointment and I am pleased he will continue for three more years. Vipin Malhotra is a co-opted member on the Board as the President of The Doon School Old Boys’ Society and will be leaving the Board on the closing of the DSOBS AGM tomorrow. In his place, we welcome Kishore Lahiri, the President-elect of the DSOBS. I would now like to share some information about the working of the Board of Governors: - First, let me say that the role of a Governor, since my predecessor, Mr. Dhruv Sawhney served as the Chairman of the Board, has changed significantly. From being more of an informal Board, this forum now works like a serious governing and managing body. Considerable time and energy is spent at Board meetings, offline as also on various visits to the School. Why has the role and responsibility of the Board and the Headmaster changed considerably? Think of the pressure on academics and results; placement of students; stringent and meritocratic-based admission process; challenge of attracting, developing and retaining faculty; regulatory and compliance issues; continuous improvements in infrastructure and technology; reporting standards; security matters, and of course fund-raising and so on. All these matters require close discussion and review. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in thanking the entire Board for the effort each one of them has made giving readily of their time and involvement. I am most thankful to Mr. Mahesh Sahai for serving as the Honorary Treasurer and as Head of the Finance Committee for two years. We admire him for his experience and proficiency as he leaves the Board and Vikram Lal for his wise counsel and guidance relating to a wide variety of matters. . The integrity of their opinion has always been most valuable and we will truly miss both of them. Mr Rohit Handa has been a very active Head of the Architecture and Project Committee, with unparalleled attention to detail of capturing historical elements of design, costs etc.

He has worked painstakingly in recreating and building a lot of the infrastructure you see in School. Thank you, Rohit. Please also thank Mr. Vivek Pandit for painstakingly driving the initiative on the future roadmap of The Doon School, and Mr. Gautam Thapar for leading the fund raising effort over the past two years. In some sense, both go hand-in-hand and both of you have done an outstanding job. Thank you. SubCommittees aside, I wish to thank Mr. Vikram Lal again and Mr. Vikram Mehta for their wise counsel. These two gentlemen have been solid advisors and I depend on speaking off-line with them very often, on complex matters. It’s sort of “Let me call the ‘Vikrams’”! Dipankar, thank you for your usual 360 degree view and it is great to have someone who provides one with a ‘life’ view of things. And of course, Prof. A Lakshminath, who has a great way to cut to the chase and often gives me his input saying, ‘Dekho, Sahib - - aisa hai’. And last, but not the least, Vipin Malhotra, who has been instrumental in creating a renewed collaboration between the DSOBS, IPSS and School. Ladies and gentlemen, please give them a big round of applause. Now, coming to the year ahead of us: Gautam Thapar will take over from Mahesh Sahai as Honorary Secretary and head the Finance Committee. However, in view of DS 75 accounts, we have requested Mr. Mahesh Sahai, and he has agreed, to continue as an invitee to the Finance Committee till December 31, 2010. Mr. Sanjeev Mehra will hereon serve as Head of Fund-Raising from New York. Mr. Ranjit Sikand will head the APC Committee and being local, this will help considerably, for close monitoring and review of projects. Mr. Vivek Pandit will continue to head the Roadmap Sub-Committee working closely with the Headmaster and the Board.

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Now about the School: 1. An exhaustive review of the current landscape makes it clear that we cannot rely on the legacy of our history, our past accomplishments and the brand of The Doon School. This alone is not sustainable. This has been born out of the Roadmap exercise and the process of appreciative inquiry that started in late 2008. 2. At the same time let me assure you that the bedrock of the School and its fundamentals will remain the same. For example, we will continue to focus on an all-round education and comprehensive development and growth of the boy through focus on pastoral care, community living, sports, team-play and social mindfulness by stressing on the correct thinking, correct speech and correct ideology packaged with compassion and sympathy. 3. The erstwhile strength of the School of very high quality faculty will necessarily have to be recreated considering the challenge of scarce talent pool, retention, and distinguishing teachers from masters. 4. Regarding our ICSE / ISC / IB programme we had the best-ever ICSE and ISC results in the School’s history this past year and I can assure you this will not lead to any complacency. The IB had a strong start with the first batch in 2009. The experience of the second batch threw up some challenges which the HM is actively addressing. Both programmes will run parallel and be strengthened, starting immediately. 5. For the first time, a proactive marketing initiative of the School is being launched. We will be working towards setting a targeted profile for admissions of new boys to attract that category of boy who would best benefit from a School like ours. This will also help bolster the applicationadmission ratio which currently stands at 1:4.5. 6. Further, a brand-new emphasis on placement of our students, both domestic and international, is an imperative in the current times. This process has just begun.

7. A renewal of comprehensive authority of Housemasters supported by Dames has to be revitalized. The boys must go to them first and not bypass the system by going to Mom through the internet! 8. Similarly, leadership and integrity of boys with responsibility must come through and not get marginalized and confused with team-play and temptation to be branded a nice chap to attain false popularity. 9. Accelerating our infrastructure programme is a must so we can be done with it. Pending works are renovation of Tata, Hyderabad, Kashmir and Oberoi Houses; construction of a brand new Chemistry Laboratory; renovation of the Main Building and modernization and upgradation of classrooms; renovation of the Swimming Pool Complex and Squash Courts including solar heating of the pool; provision of a centralized power backup, and upgradation and modernization of our water supply and delivery system. This will follow on the back of the following projects already completed: -Re-construction of the Chakrata Road boundary wall -Construction of Kilachand Music School -Several Tennis Courts -Glass-back Squash Courts -Computer Networking Project -Basketball Courts -Martyn House re-construction -Foot House re-construction -Masters’ Houses at Chestnuts, Hathi Khana and off the Main Field -Extensive renovation of Jaipur House -Renovation of the Library -Repair and renovation of the CDH -Renovation of Chemistry Laboratory for IB -Provision of a vermi-compost facility -A brand new Art and Media School -Installation of a hydro-pneumatic system -Renovation of the Rose Bowl -Re-construction of the School Boundary Wall -Effluent Treatment Plant -Vacation of Staff Quarters at Tata Field and Jaipur Lines -A brand new Cricket Pavilion.

10. And finally, whilst a rather sharp rise in fees will be unavoidable, fund-raising will be critical to support the above future development of the School. No education institution can survive on revenue from fees alone. A substantial part of the fundraising will be focused on scholarships to make the School accessible for kids from diverse backgrounds. We all know and appreciate that this is one of the key strengths of the School which must be preserved, i.e. the diversity of the student body.

11. A few comments about the necessity and rationale of fund raising: - School ran on a deficit for sixteen out of the previous twenty years. - In a sense we went through School at a discounted rate of fees. - Depreciation was not provided for an increase in fees during the ’60s – ’70s – ’80s – ’90s were negligible, not even accounting for inflation. - This imbalance came to haunt us in the early 90s as we began to face competition, challenges from an ageing infrastructure in School, higher operating costs due to steep inflation and sharply increasing personnel costs. - Therefore, fee hikes were inevitable, supported by fundraising etc. These are natural milestones of the School’s journey and seldom are these holes-in-one. Just to give you a feel of our fund raising effort: Collections now stand at approx Rs.22 crores and a fresh collection drive is afoot towards a new target of collecting an additional Rs. 45 crores in the next twelve months. In this regard, I am pleased to announce, that a sum of Rs. 35 crores has already been pledged to the School of which Rs. 10 crores will be received by 127 the School by November 15. This is now! The balance, in twelve months from now. Major donors to this fresh fundraising effort have been DSOBS, Gautam Thapar, Anoop Bishnoi, Sanjeev Mehra, Sanjiv Sharma, Jaideep Khanna, Supreet Suri, Analjit Singh, contributing between 1 crore to 4.5 crore each. In 2008 – 2009 some of the major donors were the House of Tata’s, Vodafone, The Oberoi Group, Vikram Malhotra, Mr. Tishi Khanna, Vinit, Nalin and the Khanna family, Dhruv Sawhney, Hong Kong Old Boys and Varun Berry, the Kilachand family, R.P. Goenka and the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Ladies and gentlemen, in conclusion, let me say that whilst the agenda for the improvement of the School is, and feels large, your School is in good hands with the Headmaster and the Board of Governors. Thank you for coming to DS 75 and I hope your being here has rekindled your continuing bond with The Doon School. Thank you, Headmaster, Philip, Jayant, Samir and all our staff and boys for your tremendous effort behind putting DS 75 together. Sincere thanks to all the panelists who participated in The Chandbagh Debates; Dhruv Sawhney and Old Boys and of course all our BOGs for their support in so many areas relating to the School. Enjoy the rest of your time and God bless you!

PRESIDENT’S SPEECH Honourable President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am extremely pleased to be here in Dehradun, a beautiful city, flanked by the Himalayas and where many well known national institutions are located. I take this opportunity to convey my warm greetings to the people of Uttarakhand. His Majesty, the King of Bhutan is amongst us today. I attended his Coronation Ceremony two years ago, when as a young King he enunciated his vision for the progress and development of Bhutan. He has shown wisdom in his youth and demonstrated a mature, sensible and humane approach in his thinking. I wish him all success in his endeavours.

I am happy to participate in the 75th Founder’s Day Celebrations of the Doon School, a well known and reputed school of our country. Its founder, Satish Ranjan Das sought to set up a school, which while imparting the best that a public education could offer, would also inculcate in the students a sense of the heritage and culture of India. A great emphasis was placed on training boys in the art of leadership and the fundamentals of democracy. I congratulate the management, teachers, staff, old boys and young students of the School for this very important landmark of 75 years. I am informed that at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Doon School in 1985, Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi had participated.

He was an alumnus of this School. He was a dynamic, enthusiastic and young Prime Minister and used to say “India is an old country but a young nation.. I am young and I too have a dream, I dream of India - strong, independent, self-reliant and in the front rank of the nations of the world, in the service of mankind.” I believe that a nation where citizens are driven by a vision has the potential to overcome constraints and achieve great success. India stands at a crucial stage. It has many advantages including a predominantly young population and one of the world’s fastest growing economies. All across the globe there is interest in India as an emerging global power.

In these inspiring times, the biggest challenge is to prepare the youth who are educated and capable, with skills and the intellectual capacity to meet the various needs and requirements for developing the nation. We have to be able to compete with the finest minds in the world. In this, education occupies a crucial position.

The education system must strengthen adherence to secularism, inclusiveness and pluralism. These are the great values enshrined in our Constitution and developed by our civilization. These give strength and sustenance to our diverse multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-lingual society.

Primary education is now a fundamental right for children in the age group of 6 to 14 years. This was a significant decision of the Government, and I would like to appreciate the efforts of Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development, who is here with us today. We are moving towards the universalization of education at the secondary level. Higher education is being accorded priority. This would require commitment and performance on the part of all stakeholders.

The third aspect which is important, is to build a spirit of working together constructively. In this, sports play an important part. Apart from physical fitness, sports develop qualities like team spirit, striving for excellence and learning to accept success and defeat. Similarly, extra curricular activities help build a spirit of social service. Often talent can be discovered when working in areas of interest.

The education system must look at the holistic development of the youth of the country. In this context, I would like to emphasize three aspects which are very important for the overall development of children. One, education is about knowledge. Children in schools must be introduced to the world, its history and its dynamics. They must be acquainted with science and its wonders. They should learn about society and its evolution. Languages will help them in building their communication skills. Mathematics, environment and other subjects are all very important. Hence, the curriculum has to be crafted in a manner which gives students an understanding of the world. Second, knowledge without values is incomplete. It is a value system that can prepare the younger generation to become responsible citizens who contribute to the welfare of society and advancement of the human race. Values provide an anchor in life as well as the ability to take decisions, however difficult. They make you strong and capable of withstanding the greatest storms. Concepts of peace, harmony and tolerance must be learned in school. We are a democratic nation, which means, there must be willingness to listen to the other’s point of view, and to have respect for differing perceptions.

The Doon School has to its credit, that it has focused on all- round education. Students here achieve academic excellence and at the same time have strengths in art, music, drama, debating, public speaking, publishing and writing. The School pioneered some key educational practices including Socially Useful Productive Work, which gives labour quotas to students. Dignity of labour and pride in your work will stand you in great stead in life. I am told that the Doon School has supported village development projects for many decades. This focus on social service makes one sensitive to the needs and feelings of others. I would like to tell the students of Doon School that you are students of a great institution, and have the opportunity of studying, playing and living in this most beautiful environment. It must definitely generate love for nature and make you aware that we have to work to preserve and conserve the resources of the planet. These are the most wonderful years of your life when you are learning and absorbing knowledge, when you are forming friendships, which will act as bonds for the rest of your lives. Apply yourself with your full concentration and energy, so that you can get the maximum benefit. The foundations that you lay today will remain with you throughout your lives. The School is also fortunate to have had excellent teachers.

From Mr. Arthur Foot, the first Headmaster to the present Headmaster all have been persons of high standing, rich experience and a deep commitment to education. Teaching is a profession of great responsibility. It is said, to teach is to touch lives for ever. The success of the work of teachers is reflected in how their students enrich society. The alumni of this school have contributed to the political, economic and social life of the country. How many schools can count a Prime Minister, several Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and Chief Ministers of States; novelists and artists; prominent journalists and broadcasters; diplomats, civil servants, and officers in the armed forces at the highest levels; social activists and business CEOs; lawyers, and doctors amongst their alumni. The students of today must also become contributors to India’s advancement in the twenty-first Century, as also good citizens of the world who set high standards. Remember the words of Gurudev Tagore that, “Men, at their highest, are path-makers. They make paths not for exclusive profit, not for power, but paths along which the hearts of men can come into touch with the hearts of their brothers.” With these words, once again, I wish all present here progress and prosperity and the Doon School many, many more years of success. Thank you. Jai Hind!

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A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM FOUNDER’S DAY ENGLISH PLAY

It rained today. It was cold, dreary and gray all around Chandbagh, blue skies a memory of the past. And nothing is more frightening for a director of a play that is to be staged in The Rose Bowl than the thought of rain. And try as you might to be optimistic (“of course it’s going to stop!”) and encouraging (“whatever happens, this show will go on”), nothing sends shivers down your spine more than that fist drop of rain. But more on that in a while. Standing in the pouring rain (there it is again!), one evening back in 2003, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was all I could think of the first time I saw The Rose Bowl. This space seemed to be designed for just this show! The forest, in the Dehradun monsoon, was abundant and green. The old Kidney had overflowed with water, reminding me of the swamps that the lovers would all fall into. And there, by the three mysterious statues on the far left, was Titania’s bower, draped with foliage, keeping the fairy queen’s bed dry and free from prying eyes. And suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw this movement. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? Was it the light? Or was Puck peeping from behind the bamboo grove? The romantic notion of that muggy evening was what DS 75 meant for me and, dare I say, for everyone involved with this show. Rehearsals began in August as always and things certainly looked up. The cast slowly became more familiar with their roles and with each other and bowers were created in classrooms all over the Main Building. The Mechanicals and the Lovers had the cast in splits throughout and it was often tough to figure out when they moved seamlessly from dialogue to despair (for the director!). Daily visits to The Rose Bowl were made and elaborate ideas for the creation of fairyland began to form. In our show, elements familiar to most of us as

Indians featured prominently, especially in the forests, through magnificently designed costumes by the meticulous Abia Qezilbash. Anez Katre and Shrey Nagalia helped me create the ancient gardens that I was increasingly become obsessive with. And, as always, Ashad Qezilbash found the weirdest carpenters to design what only they could have thought resembled Roman columns. The AV Squad led by the brilliant Sandip Mann and Viren Kapoor brought The Rose Bowl alive like never before. When the lights in the forest came on and the audience started clapping, I swear I could have started crying. And I almost did. Two days before, DS 75 was struck by lightning (well, at least by thunder and a lot of rain) and the cast, painted and ready, dhotis tied tight, lines being quietly mumbled and the crew were told by their straight faced director that show would not be happening that night. As stages collapsed on the other side of campus, our show was slowly washing away with every drop of rain. My greatest memory of that evening is not sitting in The Rose Bowl, nearly ankle deep in water, or the constant flow of people telling me that they had really, really wanted to watch this show but was seeing the boys and girls who had poured their heart and soul into this show and were watching them flow away like the tears streaming down their cheeks. But then, I woke up the next morning to find the sun streaming into my bedroom window, probably in anticipation of the President, and I thought to myself, “If anyone says anything about irony today, I will physically hurt them.” But the day passed and I ignored all the looks of pity and forced myself to look away when a member of the cast or crew looked my way. And then, towards the end of the day, I was told that the show was definitely going to happen. We were going to be the grand finale to DS 75!

As the audience gathered in The Rose Bowl that Sunday evening, I was pleasantly surprised to see nearly 800 people there. I heard people mumbling about the Shatabdi to Delhi being delayed and I saw a number of students who brought their parents to watch the show, giving up a large part of their only evening with them. And, for the first time at DS 75, I genuinely smiled. The show began and I looked up and saw the stars shining and then when I looked down I saw the magnificent Uday Shriram bound around the stage. Uday overplayed a brilliant Bottom to perfection. For every slap that Dhruv Sirohi received, he ensured he sucked the audience dry of every laugh they could possess. Raghav Puri and Bipasha were the unlikeliest of lovers and like everything else in this play, fit in beautifully. Akshay Sharan worked harder than anyone else in this cast and grew into his role as Hermia seamlessly. Vihan Khanna as Oberon and Aakansha Mohan as Titania did not have this wild, passionate relationship but one that appeared to hinge on a mutual respect that comes from spending immortality together. And then there was Shashank Peshawaria as Puck. Uninhibited and brilliant, Shashank is every director’s dream and I sincerely hope he will never lose his gift and will continue to dazzle audiences in the future. And then, as is with these things, it was over. The audience filled the Green Room area and the cast beamed as they were congratulated. The candles were put out and the lanterns slowly lowered. The Roman columns were dismantled and taken away. And The Rose Bowl bereft of its players once again rests. I went to see her today, ‘Rosie’, and I think I felt her smile. I lowered my umbrella and let the rain fall on my face. I whispered as I walked out, “I’ll see you soon,” and felt a soft breeze in return. We had lived the Dream. And will, someday, sleep again. - K V Arjun Rao

SPECIAL SECTION

DS 25

1960

In December, 1960 the school celebrated its Silver Jubilee. The school had its first headmaster as its chief guest, Mr. Arthur Foot. On Saturday Mr. Foot was requested to declare the schools new chemistry lab open. Later that day, on the main field, Founders Day was held. The Headmaster addressed the gathering followed by speeches from Mr. Foot, Mr. C.D. Deshmukh and the chairman of the Board of Governors.

During the founders day celebrations many royal families and individuals were present along with people from the government and the armed forces. A P.T. display was put up by the school along with various exhibitions such as in art, photography, physics, chemistry and biology. On Friday December 16th the Dehat Sabha organized a function at Tunwala, in which many neighboring villages took part. After Mr. Foot declared the School crafts exhibition open the cross country races were run. - Reported by newspapers published in 1960.

DS 50

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1985 DOSCOS DOWN THE MEMORY LANE - The Himachal Times

Mr GK Khanna, director and senior vice-president of Oberoi group of hotels and president Mercury Travels is one among the first batch to the Doon School way back in 1935. Today he is one among the first to join the golden jubilee celebrations of the school. Mr Khanna’s two sons are also Doscos. One of them is Rajiv Khanna, the glamour boy of the sixth Himayalan Rally, could not participate in the functions yet to complete some of the formalities with regard to the rally from which he dropped out due to engine failure of his car. The values that Mr Foot, the headmaster, taught us have been the great asset of the Doon School education. For us it is a lifelong gratitudeto the school and the teachers.

Three brothers, all Doscos, are included in the 50 odd members of the Pak contigent, which arrived here to attend the golden jubilee celebrations of the Doon School. They are, Mr Afsal Khan, Mr Asis Khan, and Mr Zafar Khan.

Mr Khanna was studying at St Paul’s when the announcement about the establishment of the Doon School came in the Hindustan Times. He left St Paul’s and joined the Doon School which ‘we thought the best school’. And so it proved.

“Dehradun has changed beyond imagination”. This was Mr Afsal Khan’s, the eldest among them, first comment after alighting from his car. The champion of his time, Mr Afsal Khan said that it was a pleasant experience to come back to India and to school once again with the joy of re-union, he said that the golden jubilee celebrations promised a lot of excitement and thrills.

“It is a matter of great pride for all of us that our school has produced one prime minister. Mr Rajiv Gandhi’s success as the youngest prime minister if India in such a short period of time is a living example of what a Doon School boy is upto,” said Mr Arun Bharat Ram, managing director, Shri Ram Fibres Limited, New Delhi and president, old Boys’ Society.

Mr Arun Bharat Ram, son of Dr Bharat Ram, member and former chairman of the IPSC, which owns and operates the Doon School was a student from 1952-1958. At present, his two sons are studying here, He is attending the golden jubilee celebrations in his twin capacity as a Dosco and as a parent. He was attracted to the Doon School due to its good reputation and secular character.”We were taught the best values of Indian culture fully equipping us to meet the challenges of modern life,” Mr Bharat Ram said, “It is pure mugging in our country to-day, not learning. But, in the Doon School things are totally different.” Defending the school, he said that it was very unfair to judge the school as an elite institution. “In fact, I feel it is the other way around”. Cost of education is low in the Doon School as compare to other public schools. One important change may be the absence of fighting spirit between the boys of different houses. “I think that the main reason for this is that now the students eat their food in a common dining hall and mix up. Previously, in our times, each house had its own diniing hall and the boys ate there. It helped create a spirit of rivalry among the students. This helped us further advance our search excellence”

The Doon School Golden Jubilee Special Edition | Part I - Times of India It is sad that schools like the Doon School are so popularly disliked by the general public. Listed under such derogatory terms as ‘elitist’ the school has been defamed by innumerable cynics who are ignorant of what the school actually offers. From the rising bell in the morning until the tine he goes to sleep the Doon School boy practices total secularism and democracy in every sphere of activity he undertakes. There is no discrimination in any form. What is followed by one is followed by all. No one is given special treatment, whatever his social background may be. It is this that is the true merit of the Doon School, not its academics and extra- curricular programs. Every boy in the school has equal rights and equal responsibilities, both to himself and the community. One of the principal concepts of the school is that the boys would look after the boys. Thus, the system of student authority was born. Prefects and monitors would enforce the rules; boy leaders would run all SUPW’s (community service- a very major role in the school); boys would conduct society meetings and student councils would play a major role in all policy decisions concerning the life for the boys in the school. It is strange that so many people feel that a DOSCO education kills the national feeling inside one, creating a completely westernized, social misfit.

I say, strange, because exactly the opposite is what actually takes place. On leaving the school the average DOSCO can blend perfectly into any strata of society a situation may lead him into. He feels perfectly at ease sipping the finest Darjeeling tea in Buckingham Palace which he would just as relaxed drinking ‘chay’ from an earthed cup squatting on the floor of a village mud hut. There is no formal education conducted to create this being, it is something one becomes through experience. A DOSCO is probably more nervous chatting in the Headmaster’s house than he would be in Rashtrapati Bhavan. The change of westernization is absurd. One of the most emphasized points in school is that one is an Indian and to always be proud of that fact. In assembly every morning the entire school sings a patriotic song by such greats as Tagore and Iqbal, after listening to a prayer. The entire lifestyle inspires a national sprit amongst the students. One of the greatest things followed by the school is true community service in the form of SUPW’s and other voluntary organized activities. Among others, these include assisting the handicapped and village development. Near here is a home for the handicapped and the aged, which boys visit often to do odd jobs like writing letters, or maybe just to talk and provide company. The village development boys literally go out to an undeveloped village and help build drain and buildings. Hard work, no doubt, but work that will teach a boy the true value of labour. Probably the fastest thing one learns in school is the value of money and goods. Because finance is limited to a set amount of pocket money, even a slight bit of small is an amount not to be taken lightly. After all, a few coins could later mean the difference between obtaining an item or not.

Of course, that doesn’t make the student very popular in town with the restaurant waiters. The second they see the uniform, they know that no tip is likely to come their way. In the same way one learns very quickly not to be fussy when it comes to food. There is no force feeding in the Dining Hall. There is no compulsion to eat anything. If someone states that the food is inedible, he receives an almost standard answer5- “you don’t eat it. No one is forcing you.” However, by the third meal, hunger overcomes all fussiness and food is wolfed down. It’s said that on the first day of term, every student’s taste buds get anaesthetized remaining so until the time to go home finally roles around once more. But the most important factor that makes the Doon School and thus the DOSCO unique is the spirit of ‘healthy’ competition. From the day he joins, a DOSCO is taught to strive and achieve. However, the whole concept of the school is that each boy must compete with himself and try to be better tomorrow, than what he is today. The idea of competition is not to be better than the guy next to you, but to better one’s own standards. In all games, in all sport activities the philosophy followed is that it is not winning or losing the match, completion or tournament that matters; it is the playing of the game itself that is important. To be able to say “We played our hardest and lost” is better than “We didn’t play very hard but luckily we won”. To play fairly, sportingly and with immense spirit is what is important.

All these factors merge together forming a mould. A mould that takes six years to create its final product but in that time takes an immature twelve- year- old and develops him into a grizzled, worldly wise veteran who proudly dons a blue blazer adored simply with lamp, and proclaims to the world “I am a DOSCO”. A mould that is unique in its construction, incapable of being duplicated. A mould the world knows as the Doon School.

Ajoy C. Mahtab (School Captain 1985)

The Doon School Golden Jubilee Special Edition | Part II - Times of India When I look back at my years in Doon School, with the benefit of thirty years of hindsight, my memories are suffused with one dominant emotion ‘fear’. I was afraid of the bigger boys all around me, many of whom seemed almost incredibility uncouth. I was afraid of being late for classes, afraid of not making my bed properly, afraid of not keeping my clothes tidy, of not being turned out neatly, afraid of saying the wrong thing and afraid above all of showing my fear. From the moment on the grey morning of February 1, 1950, that the bus from the station deposited us in front of what was then Mr Gurdial Singh’s house on the drive beside the main field (where the central dining hall now stands) my brother, four years older than I and already in ‘S’ form, on whom I had relied to shield me from the travails of this strange new world, somehow walked away. “ Go and report to the marathon straight away”, he said, and then peering down at me short- sightedly through his spectacles from his superior height of 13 inches, he asked, “You’ll be all right, won’t you Chhote?” I then saw no more of him for the next 12 hours. Perhaps most frightening of all was the abrupt transition from an environment in which there were adults (and loving adults at that) to advice, console and admonish me , into one in which no one cared what happens to me. The masters at The Doon School were a distant, and it seemed, forbidding lot. The one lesson that my brother had dinned into me, before we joined the Delhi batch at the railway station had been that one NEVER tells tales to a master. That was one sure road to ostracism.

I was soon to find out what this meant in practice. Returning to Kashmir House that grey afternoon after doing my form placement tests I was accosted by an aggressive young man a few yards from the house. “Are you a freshman?” he asked me belligerently. “Yes”, I replied. “Well, I’m in my third term”, he said automatically establishing his ascendancy over me. “What is your name?” “Prem Shankar Jha” I replied. “Jha…. Jha….”, he said ruminatively. Then a triumphant gleam lit his eye. “Jhadoo” he yelled triumphantly. “You are a Jhadoo (broom)”, a fit of blinding rage swept over me and I hit him in the midriff with all my weight. The next moment I found myelf on my back on the path, and his knees in my chest.

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SC LEAVERS

Arnav Sahu 341-J “My journey from a nobody to a somebody” He was the School Captain. He was the Secretary of the DSMUN, Senior English Debating Society and Games’ Committee. Arnav was the boy- in-charge of DSMUN. He was an associate editor for the Weekly and a senior editor of the Circle. He was also a member of the ‘Vision Statement Committee’.

He was awarded the Scholar’s’ Blazer. He won many Best Speaker awards at various debating competition and also won best delegate awards at various MUN Conferences. He achieved the second position in the Shanti Swarup Essay Competition. Arnav was also awarded the Bronze and Silver medals in the LAMDA examinations.

He represented the School as the Valedictorian and at the Athenian School for exchange. He also represented the School at various debates and Model United Nations. He represented the House in soccer, basketball, cricket, athletics, debating, First-Aid, Shanti Swarup Essay and Hindi poetry recitation competition.

Arnav was a thorough gentleman and as School captain he ran a tight ship. While he was keen on sport and supported his House teams. It was in debating and MUN that he made his biggest mark. The respect he had from juniors as well as peers came from his ability to speak with confidence. His address to the Founders gathering which included the King of Bhutan and the President of India, must surely be the highlight of his six years in School. His admission into Cornell on a Full Scholar’s’hip indicates the caliber of the young man. - PBR

Devansh Khaitan 423-H “Let us be thankful for the School that we have experienced.”

He was the School table tennis captain as well as the editor-in-chief of the Doon School Art Magazine. He was also the boy -in-charge of the Audio Visual Squad. He was also the House art and table tennis captain.

He completed all standards of the IAYP as well as the Bronze and Silver levels of LAMDA. He was given the ‘Most Adventurous Midterm’ award as well as various art awards.

He represented the School in cricket and table tennis. He was in the cast of the Founder’s Day Play in English and the inter-Houseone act play. He represented the House in cricket, table tennis, swimming, basketball, soccer and hockey.

The gentleman of the House.He always carried himself with poise and dignity. An extremely good soul who will be missed by everyone here. -BKC

Bharat Ganju 380-J “To have experiences and friends that only a few others have ever had and will have, and as you leave School’s hallowed gates, to know that there is always someone to rely on, and who can rely on you.” He was a School Prefect, School First-Aid captain and SEDS recording secretary. He was the boy-in-charge of the sunrise club, chief of production of the Circle and senior editor of the Weekly and the DSIR. He was the House debating captain, House PT leader and the House swimming captain.

He was awarded the Scholar’s Blazer and House Colours. He was given the trophy for the Best FirstAider and the First-Aid label. Bharat was awarded LAMDA Gold Merit, Silver Distinction as well as Bronze Distinction.

He represented the School in soccer, hockey, cricket and debating. He also represented the School in various MUNs including Harvard MUN and DSMUN. Bharat also went for exchange to St. Stithians School, South Africa. He represented the House in soccer, hockey, cricket, debating, swimming and athletics.

Bharat’s energy and level of commitment baffled many, but won him many admirers. A boy who always believed in doing things to the best of his abilities, Bharat has left behind a powerful legacy in Jaipur House. -RSF

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Shivam Katyal 363-H “Always evolving, never standing still!”

He was a School Prefect. He was Boy-in-charge of the Trophy Squad. He was the editor-inchief of the DS-75 Cartoon Book, Econocrat, and the Doon School Art Magazine. He was the House hockey, basketball and swimming captain.

He was awarded the Games’ and IAYP Blazer. He was awarded School Colours, House Colours and Full Colours in hockey and Soccer. He was also awarded the First-Aid label and the RLSS awards for Life Guard and Lifesaver.

He represented the School in hockey, soccer and swimming. He represented the House in hockey, soccer, swimming cricket, basketball, athletics and music.

A delightful student, a tremendous sportsman and a quality leader, Shivam was a boy who never turned his back to any challenge. Always carrying a cheerful face, he will always be remembered for his contributions to the House and School. -AAQ

Aayush Jain 368-H “My journey from a nobody to a somebody”

He was the House quiz captain and the boy-in-charge of aeromodelling. He was also a Senior Representative in the School Council.

He topped the School in the ICSE Board Examinations. He received the Mahindra Trust Scholar’s’hip, the Mehra Family Scholar’s’hip and the Nikhil Gupta Scholar’s’hip. He was awarded the IAYP Blazer, the Dipankar Sen Science Trophy, the First-Aid label and the Bronze award of the LAMDA examinations.

He represented India at the International Aerospace Summer School organized by Eurofighter Typhoon Consortium at Cranfield University, United Kingdom. He represented the School in quiz. He represented the House in cricket, soccer, athletics, hockey and quiz, English debating and dramatics.

A scholar who made us proud, his lively presence in School will always be remembered. An avid member of the quiz team, he brought numerous laurels to the School. A thorough gentleman! - AAQ

Aseem Kumar 370-K “To be a Dosco to me means freedom….”

He was the House Captain and the School Council Secretary. He was the School basketball captain. He was also the House football captain.

He was awarded Half Colours in basketball. He was a member of the winning teams in the State and District level basketball tournaments. He was awarded House Colours.

He represented the School in basketball, swimming and gymnastics. He represented the House in athletics, gymnastics, basketball, swimming and football. He was in the cast of the Founders’ Day play in English.

Aseem had a full life at The Doon School. The one thing that impressed me most was his desire to quest for new experiences even in his SC form. A brilliant academician, a passionate basketball player and a true leader. I would encourage Aseem to keep an open mind and keep up his thirst for knowledge in his future endeavors. I wish him all the best for his future. - ANC

Arpan Agarwal 426-J “To be a Dosco means to be smart, selfless, intelligent, and a brave leader. In other words, a true gentleman.” He was the School Western Band Leader. He was the House music captain, and a senior representative in the Technology Council.

He was awarded School Music Colours, Best Musician of SC form, merit in the Trinity Grade 2 Music Exam for guitar, Bronze and Silver awards in IAYP, First-Aid label, and he stood first in the game designing category at SAJA, Kanpur.

He represented the School in the Raahat Charity Concert in Dehradun, IT festival in Gwalior, IT festival in Kanpur, CSI quiz at ONGC and the Vasant Valley Multimedia Contest. He represented the House in hockey, soccer, debating, and music.

A positive thinker who never failed to be generous enough to lend his time to others. A brilliant guitarist whose music never failed to touch hearts. - AAQ

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Varun Goel 388-J “Once in a lifetime opportunity. It has made me what I am today. Thank you, Doon!!!”

He was the House Hindi debating captain and the editor-in-chief of Where Eagles Dare (Jaipur House magazine).

He was awarded the Bronze and Silver awards in LAMDA and the Bronze award in IAYP.

He represented the School at the RSIS Project at Pathways School and was a member of the editorial boards of the Yuv Arpan, Srijan Prayas and Yuv Bharti. He represented the House in Hindi debating, Hindi poetry, Hindi declamation, table tennis, badminton and FirstAid.

Varun is an easy going and good natured young man who is fond of English literature. - AAQ

Siddhant Gupta 412-J “Doon is a journey from a gawky teenager to a refined man. Dosco is the essence of this very journey. Dosco is an integral part of my identity; I will always be a Dosco!” He was the House Council Secretary, the House gymnastics captain and House dance coordinator.

He was awarded the Bronze IAYP award. He received the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards of the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School in gymnastics and dance. He represented the House in hockey, table tennis, First-Aid, inter-Houseone act play, debating, PT and athletics.

Siddhant always had a bagful of stories and a joke for every circumstance. His role as the secretary of the common room is widely appreciated by everyone in the house. - RSF

Kanav Mehra 343-H “Doon has taught me, ‘Life is like a tennis match, if one wants to win; one has to serve well... return well... play crucial moments coolly... and remember... it all begins with LOVE ALL.’ These six incredible years will be my most cherished moments for life.’” He was the School tennis captain. He was the House tennis and table tennis captain. He was the House Junior PT leader and the Head of Administration in DSMUN.

He was the winner of the U-18 Uttarakhand State Championship and the Sardar Mahommad Tennis tournament. He was awarded Full Colours in tennis, Bronze medal in IPSC and the S Rawlley Trophy for ‘Most Promising Tennis Player’. He was also awarded the Headmaster’s Cup for Accounts and House Colours.

He represented the School in tennis and table tennis. He represented the House in cricket, tennis, table tennis, hockey, athletics, chess and music.

A brilliant young man and a good sportsman, Kanav would have you in splits with his rustic sense of humour. - BKC

Jaiveer Mehra 336-H “A status which can never be erased.” He was the House computer room and common room incharge.

He received a medal for Engineering Excellence at the NASA Space School.

He represented the House in cricket, hockey and basketball.

Quietest of them all, an extremely patient and well behaved young man. - BKC

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Shourya Gupta 390-H “A prestigious stature of being a leader in all spheres of life.”

He was the boy-in-charge of photography. He was the House chess captain and dance coordinator.

He received the ‘Best Photographer’ award. He also received the Bronze award in IAYP and the Silver award in the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School in chess and at various photography competitions. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, athletics, chess and dance.

Debonair and dashing Shourya with his cheerful outlook lifted the spirit of others. A well balanced and positive young man. - BKC

Arvind Sharma 342-H “Great contacts forever.”

He was a School Prefect. He was the School boxing captain. He was the boy-in-charge of design and technology, paper recycling, IAYP and science society. He was the editor-in-chief of the Doon School List, senior editor of the Srijan Prayas and Infinity. He was also the House boxing captain squash, badminton and First-Aid captain. ,

He was awarded the Scholar’s’, Games’ and IAYP Blazers. He was awarded School Colours. He stood second in the BP Chandola Hindi Essay Competition and was awarded the English Markers’ Cup. He received the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards in LAMDA. He also received the award for the Most Scientific Boxer and the Best Carpenter.

He represented the School in boxing and squash. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer, athletics, basketball, badminton, squash, boxing, swimming, art and First- Aid.

A gentle person with the spirit of a fighter, he is also remembered as a true gentleman. He left a mark in whichever activity he was involved in, and those were many and varied. - PDT

Shreyvardhan Swaroop 330-H “It was a roller coaster ride. The twists and turns made me the man that I am today. ”

He was the School Senior PT Leader. He was the boy-in-charge of motor mechanics. He was the House athletics and Hindi debating captain. He was also the Head of Administration in DSMUN.

He was awarded the Games’ Blazer and the PT Jersey. He received Full Colours in cricket and gymnastics. He was also awarded the ‘Best PT Leader’ award.

He represented the School in cricket, soccer, hockey, athletics and gymnastics. He represented the House in cricket, soccer, athletics, hockey, basketball, gymnastics, boxing and Hindi debating.

Shreyvardhan would always appear out of the blue and cheer us up with his hilarious jokes. A brilliant sportsman and leader! - AAQ

Arjun Verma 372-H “An ideal Dosco is a thorough gentleman. Therefore, being sincere and honest towards one’s work and compassionate towards people in general should be his greatest quality.” He was the boy-in-charge of electronics, robotics and paper recycling. He was also the secretary of the Technology Council.

He was awarded first position in the Dipanker Sen Science Quiz.

He represented the House in music, marching and PT.

The little genius- gifted with a scientific bent of mind , will surely carve out a special niche for himself with some major breakthrough in the area of science and technology. Mature, composed and dignified, I loved the way he carried himself throughout his time at Doon. - BKC

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Saarthak Singh 353-O “A responsibility bestowed upon few for the betterment of society.”

He was a School Prefect, Library Council Secretary and the boyin-charge of the historical circle society. He was also the chief of production of the Doon School Art Magazine and the senior editor of the Circle. He was the House athletics, quiz and Shanti Swarup Essay captain.

He was awarded School Colours, Full Colours in squash and athletics. He was also awarded the Games’’ Blazer, and won the 5000m race during the athletics competition. He was also placed first in the Historical Circle Essay Writing Contest.

He was in the School basketball, squash, athletics, boxing, and quiz teams. He represented the House in hockey, soccer, athletics, basketball, boxing, squash, quiz, art and Shanti Swarup Essay.

His penchant for using the most difficult synonyms for the simplest words in the language has often sent people around him scrambling for cover – or for the thesaurus for the more intellectual kinds. Otherwise, Saarthak Singh is a perfectly good friend and a committed scholar with a soft corner for fish and a irrepressible sweet tooth. This ‘human’ side of Saarhtak of course is revealed only to a fortunate few and we thank him for sharing these dark secrets with us! - PDT

Nilesh Aggarwal 416-H “Doon was a flawless life which made me perfect for the real thing.”

He was the House squash and athletics captain. He was the boy-incharge of photography. He was the chief of production of The Yearbook and a senior editor of the Yuv Arpan and Srijan Prayas.

He won the State Squash Tournament. He stood second in the U-15 Individual Squash Tournament. He also received the ‘Best Photographer of the year’ award. He was awarded the IAYP blazer.

He represented the School in Squash and at SPEAC, France. He was also a part of the expedition to Mont Blanc, France. He represented the House in squash, athletics, cricket, hockey, soccer, basketball, badminton and art.

Beneath the surface of his wild antics, Nilesh is a sensitive person with remarkable creative abilities. A look at his wide range of photographs speaks volumes of his depth of perception and his aesthetic sense. - PDT

Uddhav Prasad 344-H “A batsman in a cricket match whose form is temporary but class is permanent.”

He was the School athletics captain, the School Orchestra leader and the boy-in-charge of the entertainment committee. He was the House cricket captain and a House Monitor.

He was awarded the Games’ Blazer, School Colours, Full Colours in cricket and athletics, Half Colours in Hockey, House Colours and School Music Colours. He received the Silver award in the LAMDA Examinations, Bronze award in IAYP and the ‘Best Musician’ award. He stood first in Pentathlon.

He represented the School in cricket, hockey, soccer and athletics. He represented the School in DIAMUN. He represented the House in swimming, basketball, choir, dance and music.

Dedication and diligence were an intrinsic part of Uddhav`s personality and these were the qualities that came to the forefront , whether at the piano keyboard or on the athletics track. He was driven by the determination to always give of his best, no matter what the cost. Yet he was always gentle and compassionate in his dealings with others, and remarkably modest about his talent and achievements. A gentleman to the core. - PCH

Abhishek Jain 386-K “Being a Dosco has defined me as a person and will keep redefining me throughout my life.” He was a School Prefect. He was the editor-in-chief of The Yearbook and the Producer of the inter-Houseone act play. He was the House swimming and table tennis captain. He was also the House Senior PT leader.

He was awarded the Scholar’s’’ Blazer, House Colours, PT Jersey and First-Aid label.

He represented the School in hockey, swimming and table tennis. He also represented the School in the expedition to Everest Base Camp. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, table tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball, chess and dance.

A strong and focused individual, Abhishek has had a good stint at Doon. His presence in the house was comforting and reassuring for me as a housemaster. It was also a wonderful experience to work with him during mountaineering challenges. Apart from his achievements in sports, activities and academics; his clarity of thought, firmness with a rare blend of tenderness and independent thinking impressed me the most. - ASH

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Jayant Mukhopadhaya 367-H “It’s like cheating on the test of life: an unfair advantage.”

He was the House Captain of Hyderabad House, editor-in-chief of The Yearbook, the graphic editor of the DSAM, editor of Echo and was the House music captain.

He was awarded the Scholar’s’’ Blazer, Markers Cup for IB HL Physics 2009 and 2010, merits in the Trinity Music Exams from Grades 1-4 and LAMDA Bronze and Silver levels. He was also awarded School Colours. He was also awarded Full Colours in squash.

He was part of the School and House hockey, squash and athletics teams. He was a School Council representative and represented his House in cricket, soccer, PT, marching, quiz, debating, dramatics, Shanti Swarup Essay Contest, FirstAid, western band and choir.

Abundantly talented with a great stamina for multitasking. He could get you to do anything with that brilliant smile of his.I am sure he will do great things and go places in life. - BKC

Vinayak Agrawal 405-H “It means a lot to me as this word carries a lot of meaning inside and outside School. It feels proud being a Dosco and I am very thankful to god that he made me one.” He was the House boxing captain.

He was awarded the IAYP Blazer, House Colours, Full Colours in squash and the First-Aid label.

He represented the School in squash. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, squash, athletics, hindi debating, First- Aid and music.

An epitome of simplicity - one who would always brighten up your day with his childlike enthusiasm and cheerful disposition. - BKC

Abhyun Chatterjee 411-J “To be guaranteed of a place where one can have the best time of his life.”

He was the producer of the interHouse one act play, House Shanti Swarup captain and the Editor-inchief of Where Eagles Dare (Jaipur House magazine).

He was awarded the First-Aid label and the Bronze and Silver awards in the LAMDA examination.

He represented the School at the RSIS Project in Thailand in 2009 and at the RSIS Project in India in 2010. He was a member of the School quiz team, the associate editor of The Circle and a contributing editor of the DS 75 Cartoon Book. He represented his House in dramatics, cricket, hockey, soccer, basketball, English debating, quiz, table tennis and Shanti Swarup.

I shall remember Abhyun for writing the longest sentences ever written by a boy in my class! Abhyun can probably give the Oxford Dictionary-wallahs a complex, repository of SAT words that he is. Abhyun is a fatal combination of bright and impossible, a combination that had me either in tears of laughter, or tears of exasperation! I’ll miss him--nobody will ever write “X is a lugubrious nonentity caught in an existential crisis that coagulates his confidence...” again!!! He’ll be lethal wherever he goes. All the best, Abhyun!! Go on; fox your new teachers like you foxed me! - PKB

Shatrunjai Rai Dewan 347-H “Being a Dosco is more than our food, outings, YC’s or busting bounds. It is the exclusive sense of oneness, the relationships we build no matter how different we are, and where we may come from.” He was the School music captain and the boy-in-charge of the audio visual squad and entertainment committee. He was also the House Popular Band leader.

He was awarded the Best Musician award and the Best Instrumentalist award.

He represented the School in music. He represented the House in soccer, hockey, swimming and music.

Shatrunjai made music with the same joy and whole-hearted enthusiasm that he did everything that engaged and held his interest in School. In so doing, he brought a great deal of joy to us all. His happy-golucky nature went hand-in-hand with leadership qualities, and he was able to inspire and motivate many young musicians in School. He was ever-generous with his time and his talent. - PCH

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Neel Madhav 348-H “Quintessentially, respect.”

He was the School gymnastics captain. He was the House soccer and gymnastics captain. He was also an editor of The Doon School Art Magazine.

He was awarded the Games’ Blazer and Full Colours in soccer. He received the Silver and Bronze awards of the LAMDA Examinations. He also received the ‘Best Gymnast’ award.

He represented the School in cricket, hockey, soccer, gymnastics, athletics and boxing. He was a member of the School Orchestra. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer, gymnastics, athletics, boxing, swimming, basketball, dance, Western Band and choir. He was in the cast of the interHouse one act play.

A charming , exuberant young man with a lot of positive energy around him. Wherever he goes , he will always have lots of friends and admirers around him. - BKC

Varun Rai 339-H “The six most cherished years of my life.”

He was the House swimming captain and the House social service secretary. He was the Head of Administration in DSMUN. He was also the producer of the inter-House one act play and the Inter- House Dance Competition.

He was awarded House Colours. He won the Bronze award in IAYP, First-Aid, Lifeguard and Life Saver label and a Gold medal in the Councils swimming meet. He received various certificates in photography and art.

He represented the School in soccer and swimming. He also represented the School at the RSIS held in Thailand. He represented the House in hockey, soccer, swimming, tennis, badminton and basketball.

The smooth operator has been great company with his presence of mind and wit. The great fixer- he always had a solution to every problem. Great organization and people skills. - BKC

Vahin Khosla 360-O “The word “Dosco” summarizes my life till now. I believe I was born the minute I entered this campus and part of me shall remain here forever.”

Vahin was a School Prefect and was the School soccer captain. He was the House hockey captain and the producer of the inter-House one act play. He was a member of the Games Committee. He was also a representative to the School Council, House Council and the Mess Committee.

He was awarded the Games’ Blazer. He was also awarded Full Colours in soccer and hockey.

He represented the School in soccer, cricket, hockey, boxing and athletics. He represented the House in soccer, cricket, hockey, boxing and athletics.

What sets Vahin apart from the many others is his humility and willingness to learn from others. He is unassuming yet firm, open-minded and considerate. Although he has his own views, Vahin is always willing to review his own ideas. Vahin the gentleman and the sportsman will always kindle warm memories in the minds of all of us here, long after he has walked out of the gates of Chandbagh. - PDT

Uday Shriram 350-H “A first class ticket to the journey of success.“

He was a School Prefect. He was the School chess captain. He was the boy-in-charge of the Nature Club and Dramatics. He was the editor-in-chief of the Echo, Senior editor of the Circle and DSIR. He was the Secretary of the Music Society and a Chairperson in DSMUN. He was the House Debating, Drama and Chess captain.

He was awarded School Chess and Dramatics Colours. He received the Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Play and Best Director award in the Inter- House-One-Act Play. He received the Bronze and Silver awards of IAYP. He received the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards of the LAMDA Examinations. He was also awarded the Marker’s Cup for Hindi.

He represented the School in chess, debating, quiz, MUN and drama. He was a member of the School Orchestra. He went for an Exchange Programme to Harrow School, United Kingdom. He represented the House in hockey, cricket, chess, drama, quiz, debating, and music.

His histrionics and critical bent of mind surpassed everyone and will take him places in life. An extremely gentle soul with a sharp intellect he surely is on his way to something in life. - BKC

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Shashank Peshawaria 417-H “Doon...a whirlwind of laughter and sadness that ended as abruptly as it started.”

He was the House Debating captain. He was also the editor of the Weekly and senior editor of the Echo.

He was awarded School Dramatics Colours. He received the award for the ‘Best Supporting Actor’, ‘Best Play’ and ‘Best Director’ in the interHouse one act Play. He received the Best Supporting Actor in the Founder’s Day Play in English. He also received the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards of the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School in MUN and the SciencesPo Conference. He was a member of the School Choir. He represented the House in music, debating and dramatics.

Behind Shashank’s ‘ little boy lost’ appearance hides a person who is mature, sensitive and resolute, unafraid to speak his mind and firm in his convictions, Shashank has been a person that one cannot take lightly. - PDT

Angad Bawa 392-J “Daring… Omniscient… Spirited… Creative… Obliging.”

He was the School swimming captain and the School social service secretary. He was the House monitor, swimming and table tennis captain and the Senior Representative in the School Council.

He was awarded various certificates for swimming, Best actor in a supporting role, First-Aid label, swimming Full colours and House Colours. He was also a certified life guard.

He represented the School in swimming, cricket, and gymnastics. He represented the House in swimming, cricket, hockey, soccer, athletics, basketball, table tennis and dramatics.

A taskmaster who always works in -Angad ka paoon-fashion and passion. He possessed a good sense of humour in reasonable tone and was a committed actor and dedicated director. - MHF

Kartic Sharma 354-J “A Dosco to me means a person who can stand out from the rest at any instance.”

He was the House Captain and the House basketball, PT, squash and athletics captain.

He was awarded House Colours.

Kartic represented the School in hockey, tennis, PT and golf. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer, athletics, tennis, basketball, badminton, swimming, music and in the inter- House one act play competition.

‘’Sir, it will be done’, and it was done! This is Kartic Sharma for you. A House Captain of very few words, Kartic let his actions speak for himself. I admired his brisk and businesslike way of dealing with things and a sense of humour that remains unparalled simply by its absence. - RSF

Ashwath Singh Kunadi 338-J “Every man is born almost equal. It is experiences like these which make him who he is. Being a Dosco was one such experience which has moulded me the way I am” He was boy-in-charge of the Yoga STA and House social service secretary.

He achieved distinctions in the Gold and Silver levels of LAMDA. He won the awards for the Best Yoga Student from the year 2007 to 2010 and he was also adjudged runners up in the clay face making competition.

He represented the School at the KAMUN, the DSMUN and the SPEAC. He represented the House in hockey, soccer, cricket, gymnastics, boxing and table tennis, Hindi elocution, debating and Shanti Swarup Science Essay Contest.

Ashvath’s ability to see the lighter side of any argument and his sense of humour enabled him to carve for himself a very special place in the House andin the hearts of his peers and juniors. - RSF

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B Dinesh Reddy 413-J “Being a part of an indomitable faith that has no set dogmas or rules. Anarchy in the hands of Democracy.”

He was the boy-in-charge of the Boys’ Bank, Video Club and cooking STA. He was the House cricket and quiz captain and also the House Monitor.

He was awarded House Colours.

He represented the School in cricket. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer and quiz.

Reddy’s sense of humour and the ability to see the lighter side of an argument amused me as well as left me exasperated. I would like to remember him as a responsible, honest boy with a strong character. Do well! - RSF

Hemang Agarwal 385-J “Being a Dosco is a tough life which makes a young and smart MAN from an immature and irresponsible BOY in a span of six years.” He was a School Prefect and the House tennis and badminton captain.

He was awarded House Colours and he won the Under-17 Individual Badminton Cup.

He represented the School in tennis. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer, basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis and chess.

Hemang believed in keeping things easy and simple for himself and for everyone else. A Prefect with a very keen sense of responsibility and engagement, Hemang believed in setting a very high standard for himself and for people around him. - RSF

Ishaan Nagpal 381-J “Follow rules- never, get nabbed- sometimes, get away with it- ALWAYS.”

He was the House soccer Captain.

He was adjudged the best delegate at the DSMUN conference and was awarded the Dehradun Council of School’s Association Award for getting the highest marks in Sciences in the ICSE examinations and the Marker’s Cup for Economics. He was also awarded IAYP Bronze and silver awards and he completed the Bronze and Silver levels in LAMDA.

He represented the School in DSMUN, soccer, gymnastics, and athletics. He represented the House in hockey, soccer, athletics, gymnastics, swimming, PT, and debating.

Ishaan has all the virtues a successful citizen of the world needs. - AAQ

Rajdeep Deo Bhanj 355-T “The beginning was scary, the end is sad, but in between are the best years I’ve ever had.” Rajdeep was a School Prefect and the School cricket captain. He was the House athletics and table tennis captain.

He was awarded the Best All-rounder Award for cricket. He was awarded the Man of the Match award in the AMQ Memorial cricket match. He was awarded House Colours.

He represented the School and House in cricket. He also represented the House in badminton, table tennis, soccer and hockey.

A boy of very few words, Rajdeep believed in letting his action speak for him. Humility, patience and modesty are the virtues that impressed me most in my association with him for six years. Undoubtedly the best opening batsman School has seen in many years, Rajdeep would make any teacher proud of his profession. Well done Raj! - RSF

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Nipun Mohan 391-T “It means to stand from everything that you think is not right.”

He was the School Art Secretary. He was the House chess and art captain.

He received various art awards.

He represented the School in various art competitions and round square projects. He represented the House in art, swimming and hockey.

A man of few words, Nipun made up for his reticence with his art, which communicates an astonishingly wide range of emotions and feelings. Also, an infectious sense of humour that always lurks behind the sombre exterior often catches one off guard and never fails to surprise pleasantly. - PDT

Manik Garg 345-J “It was like packing a parachute… after jumping off the plane you think, “What would I have done without it?” He was the boy-in-charge of the Stage Committee and the House First-Aid captain.

He was awarded the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards in LAMDA and the Headmaster’s Cup for English.

He represented the School in RSIS Project in Kenya. He represented the House in Hindi debating, FirstAid, Shanti Swarup Science Essay Contest, swimming, PT and art.

Still waters run deep.’ Manik is soft spoken, calm and extermely reliable. - AAQ

Milind Pandit 361-J “One in five hundred in a world of billions.”

He was the House athletics captain.

He completed the Bronze, Silver and Gold standards of the IAYP, LAMDA and the reading awards. He was awarded the First-Aid label and he received the Mahindra Scholar’s’hip. He was also adjudged as the best delegate in the DSMUN conference.

He represented the School in DSMUN, DIAMUN Dubai and RSIS Project in Thailand. He was a member of the School U-17 soccer team. He represented the House in soccer, cricket, hockey, athletics, basketball, swimming, chess, FirstAid and debating.

Sentimental, soft, caring, quietly confident with a clear focus on goals are a few words that describe Milind. He was firmly planted on the ground-modesty personified! A gentle man in the best sense of the word. - MTS

Prashant Bhandari 356-J “Being a Dosco, it wasn’t six years of life but a life of six years.”

He was the House music and chess captain.

He completed the Silver level in LAMDA and the HAM Radio grade II examination.

He was a member of the School orchestra. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer, athletics, music, chess and Shanti Swarup Science Essay Contest.

A good musician and a true gentleman, Prashant was well loved by all those who knew him. - PDT

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Samarth Jaiswal 414-J “To conquer everything I want.”

He was the boy-in-charge of Hindi dramatics and motor mechanics.

He was awarded the Silver award in LAMDA and Dramatics Colours.

He represented the School in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship. He also represented the School in Hindi and English dramatics. He represented the House in Hindi and English debating, tennis and in the inter-House one act play competition.

Samarth is a cheerful and sincere young man. He has come a long way in School. He is a multi talented pupil. He has a passion for acting and cars. He has done a number of memorable performances on stage. He has also taken to motor racing in a big way. I am confident that in a few years time, Samarth will carve a niche for himself in the world just like he did in School. - KLA

Shoumitra Srivastava 362-K “Dosco to me is more than some character restrained by a few attributes. It is a spirit that helps you transcend all impediments that you otherwise thought were impossible to cross.”

He was the Secretary General of the DSMUN, the secretary of the School Quiz Society and the editor-in-chief of the Doon School Information Review. He was also the House Debating and Shanti Swarup Essay captain.

He was awarded the Scholar’s’’ Blazer, the Senior GK cup, the prize for the best overall speaker in the inter-HouseEnglish Debates. He stood second in the SR Das GK Prize Test and the Inter-HouseHindi poetry competition. He received the prize for the best speaker in the second round of the Frank Anthony Debates and various prizes in the inter-HouseHindi Declamation competition.

He represented the School at the Harvard MUN, DSMUN, IISPSC Canada Debates, the Chuckerbutty Debates, the Welham Boys’ Quiz competition and the RIMC quiz competition. He represented the House in quiz, English debating, Hindi poetry, Shanti Swarup Essay, First-Aid and squash.

Shoumitra had been a great force behind the success of MUN in School in the last few years. He has a very mature head on his shoulder and did things for the sheer pleasure of doing it not for any accolades or awards. - RSF

Harsh Verma 376-K “Doon is a dream that makes me want to sleep again.”

He was the House hockey captain and a House Monitor.

He was awarded Full Colours in hockey and House Colours.

He represented the School in hockey. He was a Senior Representative in the School Council. He represented the House in soccer, hockey, cricket and basketball.

Soft-spoken, straightforward, sincere and a highly talented sportsman Harsh enjoyed an excellent stint at the Doon. It is still a mystery for me as to how he attained distinctions without spending too much of time in his study. In the hockey field, it was amazing to see him controlling the midfield with ease and authority. I still remember his expressive pre-School Council election speech, and in that context I want him to know that no one ever though that he was a ‘slack’. All students and teachers had very high regard for his potential and behaviour in School. - ASH

Harshit Tiwari 323-K “A person who is a true gentleman.”

He was the House chess and squash captain.

He was awarded the IAYP Bronze award, First-Aid label, Reading Awards, House Colours and chess Colours. He was the Runner up in the Individual Chess Competition and in the inter-School Chess Competition.

He represented the School in soccer and chess. He represented the House in soccer, chess, squash, cricket, hockey, basketball and First-Aid.

Harshit Tiwari was a boy of few words who always lets his ‘code’ do the talking. Harshit had exceptional programming skills and always saw problems from different perspectives. He was also a gifted chess player and I still remember that he helped School ‘B’ Team almost outperform School ‘A’ Team in the Bansidhar Inter School Chess Tournament. - VSM

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Divyam Agarwal 404-K “Dosco is a word that always brings energy and spirit in me. For me being a Dosco is a matter of pride and honour.”

He was the House music captain and the School Orchestra leader.

He was awarded Music Colours, the IAYP Bronze award, the Bronze Reading award and a Scholar’s’hip from Spicmacay. He received the ‘Best Musician’ award, the Pandit Surinder Kumar Memorial Trophy for the ‘Best Senior Tabla Player’ and various awards in basketball.

He represented the School in basketball. He was a member of the School Orchestra and also took part in the Annual Hopetown Cultural Fest. He was in the cast of the Founder’s Day play in . He represented the House in soccer, hockey, dance, and cricket.

Divyam had a smile for everyone and never a hard word for anyone. He took his responsibilities as School Orchestra Leader very seriously, and, in the process, was responsible for the growing musicianship of many of his juniors, to whom he was a mentor and an always approachable senior. He used his talent to serve the School community with humility and sincerity. A fine sportsman, his skill on the playing fields was equalled by his sporting spirit. - PCH

Shiva Gurunani 326-O ‘Playing your heart out, chilling with guys, staying back in holidays for tuitions, organizing loads of parties and in the end studying for boards.’ He was a School Prefect. He was the House soccer captain and the inter-house one act play director.

He was awarded the Games’ Blazer, Full Colours in Hockey and Soccer, Half Colours in Basketball and House Colours.

He represented the School in soccer, hockey, athletics, basketball and gymnastics. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer, athletics, basketball and gymnastics.

With his knack for making one burst out laughing when the intention was to give him the sharpest lecture for yet another one of his countless antics, Shiva’s charm can surely melt the coldest of hearts. We wish him continued success with that as well as with everything else that he sets out to do. - PDT

Abhinandan Rajan 403-O “Doon taught me how to live life the right way!”

He was the House Dance Coordinator, the House boxing captain as well as House gymnastics captain.

He was awarded the Games’ Blazer, Full Colours in basketball, boxing, and gymnastics. He was adjudged the ‘Most Promising Player’ of the Afzal Khan Basketball Tournament. He also received the award for ‘Excellence in Sports’ by Uttarakhand.

He represented the School in boxing, gymnastics, basketball and dance. He represented the House in hockey, athletics, basketball, gymnastics, boxing, and dance.

One just needs to scratch the surface to find the caring and affectionate person hiding under that brusque exterior. Add to that a sense of humour that makes an appearance at the most unexpected moments and one has the perfect recipe for a loyal, lovable and enigmatic person that Abhinanadan really is. May good luck and success follow you wherever you go, in whatever you do. - PDT

Trivikram Singh 377-J “Being a high voltage, adrenaline pumped person who drinks life to the lees.” He was the boy -in-charge of the Stage Committee. He was also the House boxing and hockey captain and the House senior PT leader.

He was awarded the Games’’ Blazer, the PT Jersey and the award for the Most Scientific Boxer. He was also awarded Half Colours in hockey and boxing.

He represented the School in boxing, hockey, soccer and athletics. He represented the House in boxing, hockey, soccer, athletics, cricket and swimming.

Trivikram inspired the boys of Jaipur House to excel in outdoor sports. He believed in leading from the front and by example. - RSF

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Karanbir Singh Dhariwal 373-T “I always knew that I would look back at the times I cried and laughed, but I never knew that I’d look back at the times and I’d laugh and cry”

He was the School hockey captain. He was also the House hockey, soccer and athletics captain.

He was awarded Full Colours in soccer, PT Jersey, Games’’ Blazer and House Colours.

He represented the School in hockey, soccer, athletics and boxing. He represented the House in hockey, soccer, athletics and boxing. He was in the cast/crew of the inter-house-one act play.

A trustworthy, hardworking and energetic young-man, Karanbir showed his brilliance especially in the hockey field. I was closely associated with Karnbir as the master-in-charge of hockey during his S and Sc forms. I have no doubt in stating that with time, our relationship became much more than a coach and a player. What impressed me the most about him was his fearlessness, which never left him in the toughest of the situations either in the field or off the field. I want to say “thank you” to Karnbir for leading a wonderful and almost unbeatable School hockey team. - ASH

Shivam Pal 359-K “Dosco is not just a word but an energy that flows in the blood of every student that spends the six most wonderful years of his life in this institution.” He was a School Prefect. He was the inter-house-one act play director and the House dance coordinator. He was the House basketball and athletics captain.

He was awarded Full Colours in Basketball.

He represented the School in basketball and athletics. He represented the House in hockey, soccer, basketball and dramatics.

An avid mountaineer, cheerful individual and a focused student, Shivam Pal had a productive stay at Doon. His participation in sports, dramatics and public speaking will be remembered for a long time. I was fortunate to have him in my House under my care for six wonderful years. Those loud laughters which we had in the housemaster’s study, in the house corridors, sports fields and the mountains can never be forgotten. - ASH

Faraz Khan 421-K “A Dosco is someone who can relate to and manage people. ‘Jugaad’ is a Dosco’s greatest weapon, and weilds it well.”

He was the House Junior PT leader. He was the House boxing captain.

He received the Gold Reading Award and the PT Jersey.

He represented the School in the All India Map Quiz. He represented the House in soccer, hockey, First-Aid and boxing. He was in the cast of the Inter-House-One-Act play.

Faraz will always be remembered as a well read person. He has been an etremely valuable presence in my life. The quotes that always use to brighten his notice boards will be there in Kashmir House forever. I wish him all the success in life. - ANC

Viren Kapoor 332-K ‘It is something which runs in my blood and no one can take it away from me!!” He was a School Prefect, boy-in-charge of the AV Squad and HAM radio. He was the House social service secretary and the editor-in-chief of the Chinar.

He was re awarded School Colours and awarded the IAYP Blazer. He received the Bronze award of the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School at the CMS Biotechnology Fest in Lucknow and at the RSIS India. He represented the House in soccer and hockey.

Words defy as I sit to pen down a few words for Viren. It was never possible for me to decide which words are befitting to describe him. If I were to choose a few, the ones that come to mind are dedicated, honest, hardworking, trustworthy, articulate, the list is endless. In short, he is a child who was dear to me. I wish him all the success and happiness. God bless! - SSM

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Utkarsh Gupta 410-K “A life-making and life-changing experience that I never grasped fully. Unfortunately, it was over before.”

He was the editor of the Srijan Prayas, senior editor of the Echo and boy-in-charge of Archives. He was the House tennis captain and the chief of production of Chinar.

He was awarded the Gold Reading award, second place in Gombar Speech Trophy and House Colours. He received the Silver award of the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School in the exchange programme to Hutchins School, Australia. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer, tennis and dance.

Utkarsh is a soft spoken and mild mannered young man. I found him to be an articulate and thoughtful pupil. He has a passion for publications and contributed to the School in a positive manner. I am confident that in years to come, Utkarsh will achieve a number of laurels. - KLA

Dhruv Babbar 349-K “When a Dosco flourishes, everyone flourishes”

He was the House Common room in-charge.

He was awarded the IAYP Bronze award, House Colours and the FirstAid label.

He represented the House in soccer, hockey, cricket, chess, music, First-Aid and badminton.

Dhruv is a very cheerful person, Full of energy. He bursts into laughter, generating happiness all around him. He is a very sincere, dedicated, determined and hardworking boy. Once he sets a target, he works towards achieving it. - MLB

Tushar Thakral 340-K “The best decision of my life.”

He was the House badminton captain.

He stood second in the SR Das GK Prize Test.

He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer, badminton, tennis and table tennis, music and First-Aid.

A humble, sincere, and well-mannered boy who amused us with his great sense of humour. - AAQ

Vinayak Bhandari 366-K “One who will always find solutions one way or the other.”

He was House table tennis captain.

He was awarded House Colours.

He represented the School in the RSC held in Ajmer. He represented the House in cricket, soccer, hockey, table tennis and badminton.

With his good humour, undying optimism and gentle manners, Vinayak made some lifelong friends at Doon. - AAQ

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Saadman Chowdhury 379-K “Friendship and party.”

He was an associate editor of the Econocrat and a Senior Representative of the School Council. He was the House quiz captain.

He won the SR Das GK Prize Test for two consecutive years. He received the First-Aid label, IAYP Bronze award and the Bronze and Silver awards of the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School in U-17 soccer. He represented the House in soccer, cricket, hockey, basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis, athletics, music and First-Aid.

I still remember the joy on Saadman’s face when he informed me about the attainment of a special Prize in the SciencePo Conference 2009, held in LeHavre, France. It was pure satisfaction to share something of importance with someone he appreciated. His participation in sporting activities remained appreciable during his tenure in school. He was one of the active members in School Council as a house representative. He will always be remembered as a pleasing personality. - ASH

Chirag Ambekar 418-K “A Dosco to me is being like an ALIEN, the School being the home planet. It nurtures you to tackle, conquer and rule the universe i.e. the World outside.” He was the boy-in-charge of Boys’ Bank and Tuckshop. He was the House First-Aid captain and a senior editor of the Doon School Art Magazine.

He received the ‘Best Midterm Party’ award. He was awarded the IAYP Bronze award and a ASOC Ham Radio Grade II License.

He represented the School in the International Aerospace Summer School held in UK. He represented the House in cricket, chess and First-Aid.

Chirag would always have something for everyone. Boys like him are hard to find. - AAQ

Tanuj Kumar 425-K “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive/And to be a Dosco was very Heaven!”

He was the boy-in-charge of child education. He was the House debating and music captain.

He was awarded the IAYP Bronze award, House Colours and Distinctions in Trinity College Exams for Piano (Grade 2,4 & 5). He also received the Silver award in the LAMDA Examinations and the HAM Radio Grade 2R award.

He represented the School in quiz and debating. He was a member of the Founder’s Day play in Hindi. He was a member of the School Western Band and choir. He also represented the School in the expedition to Everest Base Camp. He represented the House in Hindi declamation, Hindi poetry recitation, and music. He was also in the cast of the Inter-house-one act play.

As a student of literature, Tanuj was a joy to teach. He was one boy who developed a true love for reading and I saw him develop year after year due to his commitment to learning. - AAQ

Animesh Gupta 400-K “Doon was a never ending train ride, the best experience of my life.”

He was the House athletics, gymnastics and art captain.

He was awarded Full Colours in gymnastics, First-Aid label and various awards in art.

He represented the School in quiz, gymnastics and athletics. He represented the House in basketball, swimming, First-Aid, art and music.

Animesh has excelled in sports at The Doon School. His contribution in art has also been of a good standard. My involvement with Animesh as a House master has been rewarding. I wish him all the very best. - ANC

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Smitha Nair 399-O “Life in School was great and whatever I received in School will always be cherished.”

She was the girl-in-charge of the Sunrise Club and art STA. She was also the House social service secretary.

She received the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ award and Dramatics Colours. She was also awarded the ‘Best Sculptor’ award.

She was in the cast of the Founder’s Day Play in Hindi. She was a member of the Founder’s Day Music Production and the School Orchestra. She represented the House in art and dance.

Her carefree spirit and her creativity found expression in her dance, paintings and with her involvement in theatre. Her sunny disposition never fails to brighten up the spirit of all those around her. - PDT

Aseem Balraj Sahni 329-O “Being a Dosco is like being in a brotherhood of dauntless, competent and yearning leaders, closer to each other than blood brothers.” He was the House Junior PT leader.

He achieved the Bronze level of the Standard Test and was awarded the First-Aid label. He was awarded a PT Commendation and the Bronze and Silver awards of IAYP. He also received the Silver award of the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School in gymnastics. He represented the House in soccer, cricket, hockey, athletics, First-Aid and gymnastics.

Aseem’s final year in School was one marked by his coming out of his shell. It gave me tremendous pleasure to see him becoming a man, speaking like one, sounding like one and, I’m glad to say, a man that we in Oberoi House can be proud of. I would like to believe that he is leaving us with no regrets, having tried his hand at everything that he wanted. I wish him all the best. - KAR

Chandrachuda Shukla 401-O “It’s not six years of life, it’s a life of six years!”

He was the School art secretary and the Hindi editor of The Doon School Weekly. He was the House athletics and Hindi debating captain.

He was awarded Art and Hindi Debating Colours. He won the Naveen Chandra Best Hindi Debator’s Cup, ‘Best Supporting Actor’ award in Hindi plays and the Gold medal in the Districts Athletics Competition. He was awarded the First-Aid label and Half Colours in athletics.

He represented the School in cricket, athletics, art and hindi debating. He also represented the School at RSIS, Thailand and an expedition to Everest Base Camp. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer, athletics, dramatics, First-Aid, swimming, music, art, and hindi debating.

Chandrachuda joined Doon after having lived in Chand Bagh for more years than most Doscos! This was his campus well before it belonged to anyone in his Form and will continue to be so long after they leave. He did so much despite being a day-scholar and did not allow that to become the only tag by which he was known. I hope that someday he will begin to feel as proud of Doon as it does of him. - KAR

Nitish Dev 396-O “Being a Dosco is living a life that ends in six years, only to know that the larger part of one’s life still lies ahead… but it is the Dosco spirit that remains with one all his life.” He was the boy-in-charge of the art SUPW. He was the House swimming and art captain.

He was awarded the IAYP Blazer, Art Colours and Half Colours in swimming. He was awarded the First-Aid label, the Silver and Gold award of the LAMDA Examinations. He was also awarded the Lifeguard and Life Saver labels and various medals in Inter-School Swimming Competitions.

He represented the School in swimming and art. He was in the cast of the Founder’s Day Play in Hindi. He represented the House in hockey, athletics, basketball, swimming and First-Aid.

An excellent swimmer and a great leader, Nitish is also a very good painter. In my interactions with him, I have found him to be a responsible and caring individual who led his House team to great heights. - SKD

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Shantanu Agarwal 357-O “I feel different from other people. It does not mean that I am better than them but I feel I am better prepared for life.”

He was the boy-in-charge of The Doon School Stock Exchange and the House cricket captain.

He received the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards in LAMDA Examinations and the First-Aid label.

He represented the House in cricket, table tennis, swimming, and First-Aid.

There comes a time in everyone’s life that they are forced to rethink and reconsider everything for which they stand. For me, this happened after one conversation with Shantanu two years ago in November. I would like to believe that this is something that I have been able to remedy and I have finally done good by him. Enjoy the rest of your life, Shantanu, and remember, never forget to pass the rice! - KAR

Prateek Agarwal 382-O “Life in Doon was the perfect poem I lived through- filled with bittersweet memories, heart aching sentiments and innumerable experiences.” Prateek was the founder and secretary of The Doon Stock Exchange. He was the editor-in-chief of Srijan Prayas, Yuv Arpan, the House Magazine and the editor of the Econocrat. He was the House tennis captain and the House Council Secretary.

He was awarded the IAYP Blazer, Scholar’s’ Blazer, House Colours and the Mahindra Scholar’s’hip. He received the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards of the LAMDA Examinations, the Headmaster’s Cup for Commerce and Economics, FirstAid label.

He represented the School in Hindi debating and tennis. He represented the House in cricket, athletics, Hindi debating, chess, English debating and tennis.

From being ‘home sick Balak’ to the aggressive market expert, the one thing that has not changed about Prateek is his love for poetry and his loyalty as a friend. His cheerful smile has lightened up many a dark moment for many of us – friends, juniors and teachers alike. We are glad to have had you with us, Prateek! - PDT

Dipankar Tiwari 407-O “Six years of eternal bliss”

He was the House boxing captain.

He received the Bronze IAYP award.

He represented the School in cricket, athletics, art and hindi debating. He also represented the School at the RSIS, Thailand and an expedition to Everest Base Camp. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer, athletics, dramatics, First-Aid, swimming, music, art, and hindi debating.

Responsibility, sportsmanship and decency are the first three words that come to mind when I think of Dipankar. He has always shown concern for the welfare of the others, never afraid to voice his opinion even if that was against the views of the majority if he thought that was in the best interest of the larger community. The efforts of the star crooner of Sc Oberoi 2011 will be appreciated for years. - PDT

Siddharth Bidasaria 374-O “It’s like being an exotic fish in the most exotic pond in the world.” He was the House squash captain.

He received the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards in the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School in squash. He represented the House in cricket, soccer, hockey, athletics, Shanti Swarup Science Essay Contest and First-Aid. He was in the crew of the inter-house-one act play.

‘Bida” to many of us, I taught Siddharth in D form, where he was a gentleman to the hilt, and then again in S and Sc forms, where he was always a gentleman, first and foremost. Bright, focused and committed, Siddharth was a teacher’s delight. Tear his answer apart, and he’ll smile and fix it, instead of going into a “wronged genius” sulk mode that many 17 year olds find fashionable. I’ll miss his gentle presence, his perceptive comments, and yes, his neat handwriting! All the best Siddharth! You’ll be a star wherever you are! - PKB

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Darshdeep Hora 351-O “When you call yourself a Dosco, you are accepting the responsibility of representing your School. ‘Do nothing that will dishonor you or your School.”

He was the House First-Aid captain.

He received the Bronze Standard Test award, First-Aid label and the Silver and Gold award in the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School in swimming, hockey and gymnastics. He represented the House in the Shanti Swarup Science Essay Contest, hockey, gymnastics and swimming.

Many here in Chandbagh would be sharing my fondness for Darshdeep for his cheerful disposition and his unbeatable enthusiasm. It is sometimes difficult to fathom Darshdeep though- the ‘fun guy’ in the House who turns deadly serious in his commitment to help his juniors and peers with anything that they might ask of him. We will miss his absurd comments at the most solemn moments that lighten up even the darkest moods. - PDT

Nikhil Narain 364-O “You win some, you lose some, but you keep your friends, and that’s what counts.”

He was the RLSS boy-in-charge. He was the House table tennis captain, House Senior PT leader and senior editor of the House Magazine.

He was awarded the Games’ Blazer. He received the Bronze, Silver and Gold award of the LAMDA Examinations and the Headmaster’s Cup for Computer Applications. He was also awarded Half Colours in athletics, table tennis, swimming. He was awarded House Colours.

He represented the School in soccer, swimming, table tennis, athletics, debating and golf. He represented the House in table tennis, hockey, soccer, swimming, dance, First-Aid, debating, chess, dramatics, athletics, tennis and Shanti Swarup Science Essay Contest.

If there was going to be the “Most Charming Gentleman of the Year” award, Nikhil would win it hands down. With his Buddha like smile and his grown up airs, Nikhil charmed his way into the hearts of all those he interacted with. His achievements in the swimming pool and on the golf course as well as his achievements as a Scholar has made him a role model for many and we wish him the same success and popularity in the future. - PDT

Rachit Malik 419-O “Doon has made me what I am today.“

He was the House music captain.

He completed the Trinity Grade 6 music exam for the guitar.

He represented the School in squash and at the RSC held at Mayo College. He represented the House in cricket, hockey and squash.

Rachit truly found himself in his final year at Doon. He became a musical leader, one who allowed others to offer him advice without being bogged down by it. I can already see him, a few years down the line, sitting in the middle of a circle, surrounded by friends, leading a great sing-song. I just hope that the Math does not get in the way! Good luck! - KAR

Shekhar Bishnoi 406-O “Nothing but the best...”

He was the House Captain. He was the House basketball and chess captain. He was also the Secretary of the Mess Committee.

He was awarded House Colours, Half Colours in basketball and soccer. He received the Bronze and Silver awards of IAYP, the First-Aid label and the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards in the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School in soccer, basketball and debating. He represented the House in cricket, football, hockey, basketball, music, dramatics, debating, swimming, boxing, athletics, First-Aid and chess.

Despite his height and his best efforts to appear grown up, Shekhar has retained his childlike innocence and bubbly enthusiasm. At the same time, his efforts to help and guide the juniors has ensured that he will be remembered by everyone who interacted with him even though the Baby is finally grown and flown the nest. - PDT

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Vivek Santayana 369-O “The hum of the Main Building bell as it fades into the morning.”

He was the editor-in-chief of The Doon School Weekly, Secretary of the Senior English Debating Society and Secretary of the LAMDA society. He was the House English Debating captain and Senior PT leader. He was the winner of Bakhle Essay prize, SD Sharma Essay prize and the English Literary Society Short Story contest. He was the Best Speaker in the Gibson Memorial All-India Inter-School debates, the Best Speaker in the preliminary round of the chuckerbutty memorial all-india inter-School English debates, second-best speaker in the national finals of the Frank Anthony memorial all-India inter-School debating championship, distinction and merit in the LAMDA grade eight examinations.

He was the runner up for the SD Sharma essay prize;English literary society poetry prize, BP Chandola essay contest,in the impromptu speaking category of the International Independent Schools’ public speaking competition. He was also awarded House Colours, Debating Colours and the Scholar’s’ Blazer. He was awarded the trophy for the‘Best Debater in English’ and the Shivindu Mehta Trophy for the‘Best Assembly Speech in English.’

He represented the School in the international independent Schools’ public speaking competition at Ashbury College, Canada, the chuckerbutty memorial debates 2010, the Samuel Slater memorial debates2010, at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, stages i, ii and iii of the Frank Anthony memorial inter-School english debating championship 2010, the Gibson memorial debates, 2009 and student exchange to SchuleSchloß Salem, 2009. He represented his House in debating, Shanti Swarup, and athletics.

“Almost intimidating when he decides to debate an issue, Viveks’ sheepish admission of goof ups and his loudly proclaimed love for PBJ sandwiches give away the child that lurks behind the bespectacled and ‘the queen is not amused’ demeanour. I hope he will retain all the traits that earned him the affection and admiration of all those who know the scholarly gentleman.” - PDT

Abhishek Patel 395-T “It was something unpredictable, but in the end it was right, I certainly had the time of my life!!!”

He was House Hindi debating and music captain. He was a House Monitor.

He was awarded House Colours and the First-Aid label.

He represented the School in hockey and Hindi debating and was a member of the Western Band. He represented the House in soccer, hockey and athletics, choir and dance. He was also a part of the cast and crew of the inter-House one act play.

“Abhishek, although a quiet person, is Full of energy. A helpful boy with a positive attitude, very calm and never loses his patience.” - MLB

Arjun Sethi 337-T “To be the best at something but to be modest about it.”

He was the Editor-in-Chief of the Infinity and the Tata House Magazine. He was a House Monitor. He was the boy-in-charge of LAMDA and Nature Club. He was the Secretary of the Historical Circle. He was the House gymnastics, boxing and debating captain.

He was awarded the Scholar’s Blazer and the Shantam Seth Trophy for the Most Promising Naturalist and Full Colours in boxing. He was placed first in the Vikram Seth Poetry Recitation competition.

He represented the School in boxing. He represented the House in gymnastics, boxing, debating, athletics, and First-Aid.

Arjun Sethi ‘was the noblest of them all.The elements so mixed in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, ‘This is a man!’ - JKA

Akshat Kumar 398-T “25 words for the meaning of being a Dosco would be an understatement.Being a Dosco means much more than being a part of this School.Being a Dosco means being a part of the world’s future” He was the House Council Secretary, House Shanti Swarup Essay captain and a senior representative in the Technology Council.

He was placed first at an individual event in the Comfest held at Kanpur. He was also awarded second prize at the CSI Comp Quiz and in the photo editing competition held at the Scindia School.

He represented the House in hockey, soccer, swimming and athletics.

Sincere, intelligent, and a gentleman to the core. - AAQ

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Siddharth Bathla 358-T “The experience of a lifetime, allowing me to believe in and thank god everyday for this wonderful blessing.”

He was the School Choir Leader and the House social service secretary.

He was awarded School Music Colours, House Colours and the IAYP Blazer. He received the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards of the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School in choir and Western Band. He represented the House in soccer, swimming, hockey and music.

Sensitive and thoughtful, Siddharth`s inner fire gave him the ability to meet any challenge and face it head- on. A musician who brought both style and passion to his drumming, a capable leader who conducted the School choir with confidence and skill, he always managed to surprise with the seriousness of purpose that underlay his radiant smile. He has the Dosco spirit in abundance! - PCH

Arjun Vilas Mahajan 378-T “Undeniably the best time of my life”

He was the House tennis captain.

He was awarded House Colours.

He represented the School in music, tennis and at the RSIS Project held in Thailand. He represented the House in cricket, hockey, soccer, athletics, art, music and tennis.

The first thing that strikes you about Arjun is his infectious smile. A cheerful, friendly, energetic youngster Arjun enjoyed every bit of his school life. A die hard Barcelona fan that he was he could not but help himself talking about this great football team even if there weren’t any listeners around. He even entertained the thoughts of playing for Barcelona one day! Our conversation often revolved around my Inter Milan and his Barcelona. Life in school was a joyous mixture of fun and games for Arjun. - JNX

Umang Newatia 387-T “To become self-sufficient.”

He was the editor-in-chief of the The Circle, editor of Srijan Prayas, and the senior editor of Yuv Arpan. He was the House Quiz captain and the inter-house-one act play director.

He was awarded the Scholar’s Blazer, House Colours and First- Aid label. He received the Bronze and Silver awards of the LAMDA Examinations and the Best Delegate Award in DSMUN.

He represented the School at the MUN held in Dubai. He represented the House in soccer, hockey, cricket, basketball, debating and First-Aid. He was in the cast of the inter-house-one act play.

When Umang’s face comes to mind, I recollect the two years that I was his Tutor. Umang is one of those Doscos who always keep a low profile yet are some of the most contributing members of the School community. He continues to be quiet, soft spoken and curteous as he was five years back. However, he has changed in terms of his maturity, decision making capacity and is more assertive. It was a pleasure to be his mentor. - VNP

Itihaas Singh 324-T ‘Another turning point, as we go out to the road, Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go, For what it’s worth, it was worth all the while, It was something unpredictable, but in the end was right, I know I had the time of my life…’ House Senior PT leader. He was the House cricket and First-Aid captain. He was the inter-house-one act play producer and a senior editor of the Tata House Magazine.

He was awarded Full Colours in cricket and House Colours. He was the winner of the BP Chandola Memorial English Essay Competition and the Literary Society Short Story Competition. He received the Silver and Gold awards in the LAMDA Examinations.

He represented the School in cricket. He also represented the School at the RSIS Project held in Fatehpur and at the Model United Nations held in Dubai. He represented the House in cricket, soccer, hockey, basketball, athletics, debating and First-Aid.

Itihaas’s obsession with 92 and his ability to churn out stories left me rather amused for the last six years. With him around one can be rest assured of not a single dull moment. His pull and cover drive would be remembered for a long time by all those who witnessed him play some memorable knock for the School cricket team. All the Best and do well! - RSF

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Yashasvat Kapur 335-T “A Dosco is a person who never gives up. He is always true as steel.”

He was the Secretary of the School Music Society. He was the House music, badminton and swimming captain.

He was awarded School Music Colours and House Colours. He received the Best Junior Tabla Player and Best Tabla Player award.

He represented the School in badminton. He represented the House in table tennis, soccer, hockey, tennis, badminton and music.

As a D former, Yashasvat was Full of mischief, and though he matured into a reticent and serious young man, he never lost his sense of humour or his ability to find something to laugh about in any situation. He honed his musical talent with great dedication, emerging as a fine tabla player who performed with flair at many concerts. Loyal and trustworthy, his dignity and grace under pressure were qualities that earned him respect in School, and qualities that will stand him in good stead in the years ahead. - PCH

Rishab Chatterjee 383-T “Being a Dosco is to live like the elite, to have every spark of life within you and to be an idol for the rest of world!”

Rishabh was a School Prefect and the House basketball captain. He was the House dance Coordinator and the Junior PT leader.

He was awarded the IAYP blazer. He received various medals in district and state level basketball.

He represented the School in basketball and dance. He also represented the School in the basketball U-16, U-17 and U-19 Nationals tournaments. He represented the House in dance, basketball and athletics.

His moonwalk and his three point shots are going to be remembered for a long time to come. His sense of humour made him popular with friends. - PDT

Games’ Blazer

Sitting (Lto R): Tushar Gupta, Shreyvardhan Swaroop, Vahin Khosla, Shiva Gururani, Mr Deepak Sharma, Uddhav Prasad, Abhinandan Rajan, Neel Madhav, Karanbir Singh Dhariwal Standing (L to R): Saarthak Singh, Shivam Katyal, Vigya Singh Dhiman, Arvind Sharma, Trivikram Singh, Nikhil Narain

Scholar’s Blazer

Sitting(L to R): Jayant Mukhopadhaya, Vivek Santayana, Itihaas Singh, Mr Prabhakaran Nair, Arnav Sahu, Abhishek Jain, Bharat Ganju Standing (L to R): Sachit Taneja, Revant Nayar, Arjun Sethi, Arvind Sharma

Prefectorial Council

Arnav Sahu

Jayant Mukhpadhaya

Aseem Kumar

Kartic Sharma

Shekhar Bishnoi

Rajdeep Deo Bhanj

Arvind Sharma

Saarthak Singh

Shivam Katyal

Bharat Ganju

Shiva Gururani

Viren Kapoor

Uday Shriram

Vahin Khosla

Abhishek Jain

Hemang Aggarwal

Shivam Pal

Rishabh Chatterjee

School Colours

Jayant Mukhopadhaya

Udai Bothra

Vivek Santayana

185

Arvind Sharma

Saarthak Singh

Shivam Katyal

Uddhav Prasad

Viren Kapoor

Shivam Pal

In the Making...

school colours or prefect?

you missed a spot

picking the cornfield

waiting for the world to change...

veni. vidi. vici.

socked!

bringing it together

expedition?

the real slim shady

great minds at work

the green room

the league of extraordinary gentlemen

187

Editors-in-Chief:

Senior Editors:

Associate Editors:

Senior Correspondents:

Anmol Singh Jamwal Udai Bothra

Vigya Singh Dhiman Rohan Shriram Sachit Taneja

Arjun Khaitan Eeshat Tiwary Siddhant Sachdev

Agni Raj Singh Devesh Sharma Rahul Srivastava

Correspondents:

Chief-of-Production:

Faculty Advisors:

Special Thanks:

Guruansh Singh Ritvik Kar

Rohan Nath Behl

Purnima Dutta Stuti Bathla Md Hammad Farooqui Skand Bali

Shubhojit Chatterjee Himanshu Tomar Sparsh Batra Saib Ahmad Aditya Dhingra Orijit Chatterjee

Lighting the future