THE YEARBOOK 2010
2
Editorial
3
From The Headmaster
4
Activities
6
Social Service
34
Creative
44
Sports
50
Hindi
66
Staff
74
House Reports
90
Founder’s
106
Rose Bowl
116
Sc Leavers
124
FROM THE HEADMASTER 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.
3
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. 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 onstage 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 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.
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.
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 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.
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 Main Field within a few hours.
4
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 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.
Arnav Sahu “My journey from a nobody to a somebody"
Arnav 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 Committee'.
Arnav was awarded the Scholars Blazer. He won many Best Speaker awards at various debating competition and also won best delegate awards at various MUN Conferences. He achieved the first position in the Junior Shankar Dayal Essay Competition and the second position in the Shanti Swarup Essay Competition. Arnav was also awarded the Bronze and Silver medals in LAMDA.
Arnav 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. Arnav was a meber of the house soccer, basketball, cricket and athletics team. He also represented the house at Debating, First Aid, Shanti Swarup Essay Competition and at the Hindi Poetry Recitation Competition.
Devansh Khaitan “Let us be thankful for the School that we have experienced."
Devansh was the School Table Tennis Captain as well as the Editor-in-Chief of the Doon School Art Magazine. He was also the Boyin-Charge of the Audio Visual Squad. He was also the House Art and Table Tennis captain.
Devansh 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.
5
He was in the School Table Tennis and Cricket team. He was in the cast of the Founder's Day English Play 2010 and the cast of the InterHouse One Act Play. He was in the House Cricket, Table Tennis, Swimming, Basketball, Soccer, Hockey teams.
6