NEWSLETTER_2

Issue02,VolumeI,Jan-March 2020 QuarterlyNewsLetterofOldBoysofBishopCottonSchool,Simla Inside Editorial NewsfromSchool FromPensofOCs SocialNews/Parties Remembrances OCsAroundtheWorld OCAIndia&itsChapters “Fillinthepaperwiththebreathingofyourheart” EditorinChief -WilliamWordsworth AnupamThapa Editor K.VijaySingh Compiled&Published byAshVirk

FromtheEditor’sDesk, Itisindeedapleasureandhonourtobringoutthe2ndissueofPatinaTimes.Its ahistoryinthemakingthatinOCA'sexistenceof109yrs,wehereatOCADelhi havetakenthecouragetopublishthisnewsletterforOC'saroundtheworld. R.K.VonGoldstein,ourHeadmaster,announcedonedayinthechapel,thatno matterwherethealumniofthisgreatinstitution‘BishopCottonSchool’,wentor interactedwiththesociety,weweretheAmbassadorsandourMotto“OverCome EvilWithGood”,wouldbetheguidinglightforusandtheworldinwhichwe wouldwalkinthefuture.BeinganOldCottonianisabadgewewearwithpride andhonourandonthatfatefuldaywhenthetrainleavesthestation-forallthose whoaregraduatingfromitshaloedhalls-nevertoreturnagainasstudents,but asOldCottonians-itisamomentforreflectionandalsoforsorrow. However,asOldCottonianswenowhaveadutytostandandassistourSchool andfellowCottonians. Overtheyearswehavebeguntoloosetouchwitheachother.TheMitre,inprint, wastheconnectinglinktoallthosefarflungOCsandthatkeptusintouchwith thehappeningsandtheactivitiesoftheSchool.AstheMitrehasnowgoneoutof print,wehavetoconnectontheelectronicandSocialmediaandre-startatradi- tionthatisasoldastheschoolitself.WithPATINATIMESweplantohavea quarterlycoherentcommuniquefor&fromOC'sacrosstheglobe. LetusallputourheadsandheartstogetherandmaketheOldCottoniansAssoci- ationastrongandinteractiveoneagain. Youarewelcometosendemailsto: [email protected] K.VijaySingh Lefroy,1958-66

ArticlesfromOCs Edition:Jan-March2020 Page:3 WhatissoPreciousaboutbeingPrecious? SureshSethi(I1961-66) RecentlytherewasanewsitemintheBBCthatatribal WhetheryouwenttotheBogsonceadayorthricea ofTanzaniahadfoundashinyrockinhisbackyard.The weekitwasuptoyou.Itwasnotuncommontofind tribalmanwassoamazedbytheshineofthisrockthathe somesneakyguysliftingmattressesandpillows tookitsomegovernmentofficialtoshow ofhisfind. whennooneelsewasaroundtofindoutwherethe Thisofficialaskedhimtoshowtherock tothemining guyhadhiddenhis'Boff'!Imyselfwasapproached authoritieswholateronconfirmedthatitwasindeeda manytimesbysomedesperateIbbetsonians:Sethi, preciousdiamondofsorts.Muchtotheamazementof canyousparemesome'Boff'?Becauseyouseethe ourtribalmansoonfoundhimselftobeanovernightmil- official quotahardlylastedusformorethan3-4 lionaire!Thisincidentledmeintothinkingthattheword days.Thenaguyhadtomakedowithsubstitutes. 'precious'isaverysubjectivething. Anythingwoulddo. IrememberthatinthedormsofIbbetsonHousethemost Newspapers and magazines from the House preciousthingforusguysthenwas'Boff'.Fortheinfor- CommonRoom,oldcopybooks,adesperateguy mationofthoseyoungCottonianswhomighthave willnotstopatanything.ButtheSeniorshadnosuch joinedBCSonlyrecently,theterm \"Boff'wasusedfor problem becauseafteralltheywereSeniors!The toiletpaper.Iknowthatthepresentconditionsof\"Bogs' youngerlotofCottoniansjustcannotimaginehow haveimprovedconsiderablysincetheearlysixtieswhen precious\"Boff'wastousinthosedays. Iwasinschoolandtodaycottoniansmaynothaveeven DuringthelastfewyearsIhavedonealotoftravel- need\"Boff'. linginEuropeandNorthAmericaandonething ButIcanassureyouguysthatinmydays\"Boff'wasthe whichamazedmewastheabundanceof'Boff'inthe mostpreciousthinggoingaroundinourdorms.Itwasas Bogsinthehotelsthere!MyGodIhaveneverseen scarceasthediamondrockthattribalmanfoundinTan- somuch'Boff'inmylife. zania!Everyweekalltheguysinthemainschooldorm IonceaskedafellowIndiantravelertravelerwhathe usetostandaroundourHouseCaptain(andIshould thoughtaboutthetoiletsinCanada?Hesaid:\"Sethi knowbecauseIwasone)whowouldbeholdingarollof Sahib,thereisnowateranywhere.Onlytoiletpaper. 'Boff\"inonehand. Iamhavingaverytoughtime!\" Thenhewouldwithhisotherhandrollsome\"Boff'afew Soyouseethisthingaboutbeing`precious'isavery timesaroundhisfingers andthentearingitfrom the subjective thing.You musthave allheard the mainrollgiveeachoneofusourshareof'Boff'forthe saying:\"Ahorse,ahorse,akingdomforahorse.\"In week.Thenitwasuptoushowtomakethebestuseof mydayshuntingforsome'Boff'waslikehuntingfor thisverypreciousstuffforthewholeweek. anenemyspy!

ArticlesfromOCs Edition:Jan-March2020 Page:3 Reminiscences RobinGupta(Curzon1965) BorninDelhiin1948,soonaftertheBritishRajinIndia thesummercapitaloftheBritishEmpireinIndiaand cametoanabruptendand,broughtupinsprawlingmili- withitselegantcivilservants,wellturnedoutmilitary taryCantonmentbungalows,toaKingsCommissioned officers,bejeweledprincesandthepoliticalagentsto officeroftheI.M SwhohadspentalongtimeinEngland nativestates,theGaietyTheatre,FishingFleetand beforehewasenrolledasFellowofTheRoyalCollegeof TeaDances;indeedareplicaofVictorianEngland. SurgeonsofEnglandin1933,andthereaftercommis- Therewasnoschooloreducationalinstitutions. sionedintheBritishIndianArmyin1936and,toama Withtrepidation,Ienteredtheschooltofindthemas- jestic,tall,handsomemotherdescribedbyhercontem- ters,mostofthem Englishbachelorsinlongblack porariesasanoutpostoftheRaj;withanIrishNannyto cloaksovertheirtweedjackets,virtuallyrunning superintendmygrooming,Igrewupintheimmediateaf- downthecoveredcorridorsforanykindofdelayor termathoftheRaj,imaginingallexcellenceflowing lackofpunctualitywasconsideredaninexcusable fromthehomecountry—England;wheretheRoyalStan- crime. dardflutteringoverBuckinghamPalaceproclaimedthat StudentsatBCShadadequatefacilitiesfortheirper- themonarchwasinstationandtherefore,allwaswellin sonalcomfort;luxuriouslivingwasunknownand avastEmpireoverwhichthesunneverset. lookeddownonforastudentintheprocessoflearn- Mummyandasmall,selectedladiesclubwerecloseto ingthepacesoflife.Thecurriculum washard,and theVicereneandduringtheirmorningridesandcoffee theday’sroutinecouldevenbecalledpunishing.The breaksneartheJamunariver,learntthatscionsofall otherteachers,AngloIndiansandIndianChristians BritisharistocratsandroyaltyweresentuptoEtonor wereadeterminedlotvyingwitheachothertobring Harrowforbeingproperlyschooled.Theyalsoalludedto outthebestintheirwards.Parentswerenotpermitted aschoolupintheSimlamountains,mannedbyEnglish- toindulgetheirchildreninschooland,overalltheex- mentowhichsomeBritishboyshadbeensentupand aminationresultsoftheschoolintheSeniorCam- hadshownverygoodresults. bridgeexaminationsatthenationallevel,wereexcel- SomyparentstooktheroadtoBishopCottonschoolin lent.Thestudentsbelongedtothewaferthinupper SimlawhichrecommendeditselfasEtonoftheEast,to crustofIndiansociety.Wehadinclasstheprincesof getmeadmittedintheinstitutionaboutwhichitwassaid Faridkot,Patiala,Kapurthala,Bharatpur,Alwar, thatitwaseasiertogetajobinBritishIndiathentogain laspur,NepalandPunjab’sJagirdarsamongothers. admissionintothehallowedprescintsoftheschool‘On Simla’streecrownedhill’.Thenarrow roadleadingto theschoolwaslined,onthehillsidesandvalleys,with centuriesoldconifersandpineswhoseshadowshadwit- nessedthehighnoonofBritishIndia.Theschoolgates andtheGothicbuildingswiththeivycoveredchapel withexquisitestainedglasswindowsandararewall organ,gaveonetheimpressionthatthebuildingswehad sofarseenhadbeenliftedoutofEnglandthroughsome magicalaccident.B.C.S,theoldestandthebestpublic schoolinAsiawasestablishedsoonaftertheQueens proclamationannouncingthatIndiawoulddirectlybe administeredbytheCrownafterthelastvestigesof MughalruleinIndiahadvirtuallybeengroundintothe dustwiththe17thandlastMughalEmperorBahadur ShahZafarexiledtoRangoonwherehedied,whilehis successors,thedirectroyalfamily,wereactuallystripped nakedbeforebeingshotdeadbyCaptainHodson.Delhi hadbecomeagraveyardofpainfulmemories.Onthe otherhand,LutyensDelhiapart,whichtoo,wasdeserted duringthelongIndianSummermonths,Simla,became

ArticlesfromOCs Edition:Jan-March2020 Page:5 BritishIndiawasrepresentedbythesonsofseniorarmy officersandscionsofthehallowedICS.Howeverthe rodwasappliedwithequalintensityforrecalcitrantstu- dents.BCSneverlackedinessentialinfrastructureeven inthosedayswehasalovelyswimmingpoolvirtually carvedintothehillside.Itisherethatveryclosefriends metintheeveningsandthisisisthespotwhereIwrote someofmyearlypoetry,asaschoolboy,alwaysinastate ofwonderment.Thisstrainofwritingcontinuedallmy lifeevenwhenconfrontedwithbonedryproseofgov- ernmentalnotings.Iwroteseveralbookspublishedbyre- putedpublishinghousesinIndiaandabroad,including thebestseller‘AndWhatRemainsinTheEnd’. Iwasalwaysinclinedtowardsclassicalhistory,literature musicandpoetryandIwrotemyfirstpoem ‘Conflict’ whenIwas14yearsofage.LaterIwasEditorofthe schoolmagazine---‘TheMitre’andcontributedregularly tothemagazine.Ididwellinschool,passingoutinthe FirstDivisionintheSeniorCambridgeExaminations.I wonthefullschoolblazerforacademicsaswellasthe WilliamShakespearePrize. HoweverInanBritishpatternedpublicschoolitwasthe playingfieldortheboxingringwhereheroesweremade anddiscarded.ThoughIdidwinthesecondplaceinthe breaststrokeandwasacreditableswimmer,I,alongwith proceed;aboveall,ittaughtustostayonthestraight theacademictypeswasinthe‘Slop’category.Strange andnarrow,atalltimesandtobemenofcharac- arethewaysofGod,theathleticheroesofyesterday,I ter.Cottonians,theworldover,haveearnedlaurels foundhadturnedphysicallyflaccid;the‘Slops’onthe andhonourswiththestrayexception,perhapsof otherhandbecameDonsatOxford,civilservantsandthe BrigadierGeneralDwyerwhoorderedthemassacre rulersofmodernIndia. ofaninnocentcrowdofIndiansgatheredattheJalli- ImustadmitthatitwaswithsomesatisfactionthatI anwalaBaghonBaisakhidayandhasrightlygone foundthechestthumpingboxersstandinginflaccid downinhistoryasthesoleblacksheepwhoschooled framepleadingwithmystaffforanappointmentwithme atBCS. inthedifferentdivisionswhereIservedasCommission- ThelastheadmasterofBCS,ColonelFVonGold- er.NonethelessinmyschooldaysatBCS,itwasthetall, steinwasanartistinallhedid.Hedressedhishand- handsomeboysinathleticstridewhowereworthyofad- somepersonwithsuchcareandelegancethatitwas miration,ratherthan‘slops’likeme.BCShadaformi difficulttopasshim bywithoutacknowledginghis dablelibraryandIwasappointedPrefectofthelibraryas presence.MrGolsteinspokeEnglishandtheclassical aresultofwhich,Ihadlegitimatereasontobeinthevast languagewithperfectdictionandavastextentof booklinedhallsformostoftheday.IjoinedtheIndian knowledge.HewouldreadPsalm 23from theBible PoliceServicein1972andchangedtothetheIASto withmesmericeffect.Abachelor,hehaddevotedhis whichIwasselectedin1974.ThefriendsImadeat entirelifetobringingexcellencetoeducationandac- school,tothisdatecontinueasasourceofstrength, ademicsandsharpeningthemindsofgenerationsof wheneverdifficultsituationsinlifeovertakeone,Theca- studentstostandbytheschoolmotto:FactaNon maraderieandgoodfriendshipsfashionedinschoolhave Verba.ManydecadeslaterwhilepostedasFinancial lastedalifetime.Whenonemeetsanoldcottonian,there Commissioner,inthePunjabGovernment,whilepre- isamutualrecognitionaswellasasenseofdutytodothe sidingovertheschool’sRepublicDayFunction,I bestforhim.Itisalmostasifthelongdecadesthatpassed finelyrecalledmymostmovingmemoryofschool inbetweenvanishtorevealschoolboysintheprimeof relatingto1961.ReverendDustan,thethenheadmas- youth.During the old days,our schoolassocia- terwhileteachingmetheoctavesofthe5thSympho- tions,helpedusovermanyadifficultbridge,which nyofBeethoven;withtheopeningbars,gavemea wouldotherwise,havebeendifficulttocross.B.C.S, penetratinglook:-‘This,mydear’,hesaid‘isFate aboveall,taughtustheprinciplesonwhichlifeshould knockingatthedoor’.