DEHRADUN : The Doon School celebrated its 87th Founder’s Day on 14th and 15th of October. The Chief Guest for the occasion was Lt-General Ravin Khosla, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (IS & C) and alumni of The Doon School from the batch of 1981. He was also the School Captain during his time at Doon. Lt-General Khosla was commissioned into 1/5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) on 14 Dec 1985.
The event saw enthusiastic participation from students, staff, parents, old boys, various other schools and the larger The Doon School community. An English play ‘Gaslight’ written by Patrick Hamilton was presented by the boys for parents and students and was well received by an enthralled audience. The main event started off with the exhibitions put up by the Science, Art, Design and Technology, theme for the exhibitions was ‘sustainability’. The exhibitions also included a street play, yoga with aasanas depicting sustainability. The Science exhibition was a confluence of science and technology, featuring various projects from the domains of Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy.
From innovative projects on hydroponics, energy generation, toys from trash, robotics and organic alternatives to chemical processes to making use of technology to reduce environmental impacts, the wide scope of this exhibition was quite exciting for the visitors.The members of the Doon School Old Boys Society interacted with the parents. An exciting RL Holdsworth Cricket match, traditionally played between the Old boys team and the present School team took place and the present School Team won the match.
The Chandbagh Debates a regular and most looked forward event of the Founders that takes place between Old Boys Team and the current debating team of the School was an exciting event this year as well.
The topic for the debates was ‘This House believes that the days of Boarding Schools are numbered’ and was won by the current boys team who opposed the motion. Tejas Sharma was adjudged the best speaker and Gurmehar Singh Bedi was awarded the most promising speaker. The two day also witnessed several inauguration of various facilities at the School that have been generously supported by the Old Boys of the School. This included indoor gymnasium and common hall at the newly constructed sports complex, Classrooms, Science labs and several other facilities. The students presented the Hindi play titled ‘Taj Mahal ka Tender’ at the School’s iconic open air amphitheatre – The Rose Bowl. The performances were a sheer delight to witness and the audience found the play extremely entertaining.
The final day of the event kickstarted with Pagal Gymkhana- an entertaining fete hosted by Oberoi House of the School. Several cultural performances enthralled the onlookers like the traditional Chholiya dance from Uttarakhand performed by a professional artists. There were several food stalls and game stalls that were a rage amongst children and adults alike. A stall on Doon Lore attracted a lot of current and ex-students that presented interesting trivia about the Doon School. Other stalls included some social service initiatives and local handicraft as well.
Several other events took place simultaneously as the campus was abuzz with interactions and meetings involving Old Boys and the Governing body. The Chief Guest interacted with the Doon School’s marquee publication’s team – The Weekly and later also with the senior boys of the School. The event concluded by inspiring speeches by the Chief Guest Lt-General Khosla, Chairman Anoop Singh Bishnoi, Headmaster Dr Jagpreet Singh (who was also the master of ceremonies) and School Captain Raghav Mundara. Lt-General Khosla reminisced his time at Doon and narrated some inspirational incidents of life journey. The event concluded with the scintillating Music programme – Swaranubhuti presented by the Orchestra and Choir of The Doon School at the Rose Bowl.
The campus looked resplendent in all its glory.
