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Bishop Cotton School has stood test of time
Govt officials accused of misusing power to corner advertisements
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Couple enters wedlock at Ramleela stage
Poor attendance of govt officials at BDC meetings irks members
Himachal diary
vignettes
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Bishop Cotton School has stood test of time
Shimla, September 29 BCS is one of the oldest boarding schools in Asia, founded on July 28, 1859, by Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton, son of an army captain. Bishop Cotton School played in the development of public schools since pre-Independence days. BCS was the first school to start the house system, organised games and introduced the prefect system, which were begun almost at the same time as they were developed in England. The school till date maintains those standards as boys from India and abroad excel not just in academics but also sports, debate and other co-curricular activities, preparing them to make a mark in their respective fields as they step out of its portals. As the Bishop of Calcutta, it was on July 28, 1859, that Bishop Cotton conducted a service for the foundation of a public school at a hill station. Collections were made in most of the Churches of the Diocese to fund the school at Jutogh. The land and the buildings were a gift from the Viceroy and the school started in three private houses purchased by Bishop Cotton out of the India Public School Fund for Rs 17,000. The strength of the school rose to 65 students by 1864. Since this was the highest number the buildings and grounds permitted, a change of the site was deemed necessary. Finally, it was decided in 1864 to shift the school to south-end of Knollswood spur, which belonged to the Raja of Keonthal. After lengthy negotiations the site was acquired through the intervention of the Viceroy and the foundation stone for the new buildings was laid on September 26, 1866, by the then Viceroy, Sir John Lawrence. Unfortunately, a fortnight after laying the foundation stone, Bishop Cotton drowned in an accident on October 6, 1866, while touring Assam in the Governor's yacht in the Gorai river. The name of the school was changed to Bishop Cotton School in 1867 to perpetuate the memory of its founder. BCS grew from strength to strength under its first Headmaster Samuel Slater, who went on to serve for 22 years, transforming the school into a prestigious institution, which attracted students from abroad as well. During World War- I in 1918 the school strength fell drastically with most of the staff having been mobilised for war. Since fresh staff members were not available it was decided to close BCS and turn it into a preparatory school for the Army. The old boys were up in arms and met the Lt-Governor of Punjab and the Viceroy to oppose the proposed change, which finally did not come through. Practically, every structure on the sprawling campus of the school has a history. Be it the War Memorial, Irwin Hall or the Chapel in the school. Still considered a place of pride, the War Memorial was unveiled on Founder’s Day on July 28, 1925, and was dedicated in memory of old boys who sacrificed their lives during World War- I. The soul of the school lies in its well-preserved chapel, with beautiful stained glass, polished pews, parquet flooring, pulpit and grand piano all intact. The stained glass on the chapel behind depicts Good Shepherd, presented by the Old Cottonians Association in honour on the 50th Jubilee of the school in 1913. As the school prepares for week-long celebrations from October, 2, old students who passed out more than half a century ago will relive the moments they spent here as young boys. Having done exceptionally well in every sphere of life including sports, medicine, politics, bureaucracy, journalism, the present students sure will have a lot to gain from their experience and achievements.
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Govt officials accused of misusing power to corner advertisements
Mandi, September 29 One of these government officials is Rajinder Rajan, who is posted as deputy director, director information and public relations. He is running Iravati magazine since 2004 and has gathered government advertisements worth Rs 27,500 in 2009; Rs 10,500 in 2008; Rs 3,500 in 2007; and Rs 5,000 in 2005 for his magazine. Incidentally, Rajan is in charge of advertisement section and is also a public information officer under the RTI Act. The RTI Bureau president, Lawan Thakur, charged two other government servants - Gurmeet Bedi, DPRO, Una, and DK Gupta, an HAS officer - with running Hindi literary magazines Parvat Raag and Setu, respectively, in the name of their wives. President of the PWA Dinu Kashyap alleges that these magazines have been turned into family business as their wives are publishers. “They are misusing their official position to collect advertisements and do not pay a single penny to contributors. They are charging Rs 25 to Rs 30 per copy and are using these magazines for self promotion”, he alleges. Thakur asserts that the RTI Bureau has lodged a complaint against them with the government, but no action has been initiated so far. “Iravati had published an ad in a Hindi newspaper on November 8, 2008, seeking a female business representative which clearly proves the business angle of the magazine”, he says. Rajan, however, claims that the then director public relations has approved Iravati, Parvat Raag and Setu magazines for giving them ceremonial advertisements. “I am not an editor of Iravati and I am not printing or publishing it,” he claims in his defence. On the other hand, DK Gupta claims that there is no bar on government servants for editing a literary magazine. “I am an editor of Setu, but it is being published by the Creative Writers’ Forum”, he adds. The officials claim that they are running the magazines to promote Hindi writing and literature. These magazines are being published on a no profit, no loss basis, they add. Direction public relations BD Sharma says the department has recently not given any advertisements to these magazines nor did it approve literary magazines. “The department approves of only weekly or daily newspapers”, he adds.
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Couple enters wedlock at Ramleela stage
Nurpur, September 29 The club artistes had to act for the marriage of Lord Rama with Sita, but at the same time, marriage rituals were undertaken to solemnise this wedlock. Significantly, the club solemnised both marriages at the same stage with a difference. The real marriage ceremony of Pawan Kumar of Salah village in Chuwari tehsil of neighbouring Chamba district was performed with Shakuntla Devi of Danni village in this subdivision. The ‘baarat’ (marriage party) of bridegroom Pawan Kumar was given a warm reception in the Ramleela pandal by the club members, along with the hundreds of residents who assembled there to see Ramleela. All marriage rituals took place in a proper manner. Moreover, refreshment and dinner were also hosted by the club for the members of the ‘baarat’. After performing all marriage ceremonies, the bride was given a tearful send off (vidai), along with a number of gifts. According to Gulshan Mahajan, chairman of the club, and Rajinder Kumar, president of the club, this social event was successfully performed with the cooperation and financial assistance of the locals. They told that the club had also announced to perform one such marriage of a poor couple next year, too.
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Poor attendance of govt officials at BDC meetings irks members
Nurpur, September 29 Around 24 members of the BDC met after three months here recently. In the meeting, which was presided over by BDC president Sahib Singh, the members expressed their anguish over the absence of representatives or officials of most of the government departments in the meetings. The BDC unanimously resolved against the official apathy and decided to submit a complaint against departments, which had been showing their indifference in the BDC meetings, to Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Rural Development Minister Jai Ram Thakur and local MLA Rakesh Pathania. They pleaded that the attendance of department officials or representatives was mandatory. The members lamented that while the state and the union governments had been taking a keen interest in strengthening the panchayati raj institutions, the government departments were ignoring the BDC meetings where the elected representatives had to review the ongoing works and formulate new development projects for the Block development officer NR Thakur clarified that it was mandatory for officials of the government departments to attend BDC meetings which were convened after every three months. However, in a recent meeting, barring two, all departments failed to send their representatives, he added. He said the BDC members had also expressed resentment over the failure of the PWD and IPH departments to start work on projects submitted under the NAREGA programme. “They have also expressed their anguish over the sudden withdrawal of pension to beneficiaries in the rural areas. The pension was being disbursed by the social justice and empowerment department after approval in the gram sabha meetings”, he added.
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Relying on music for bonding with tribals
The band performance by a group of youths from Mizoram and other North-Eastern states here was their unique way of bonding with other tribals, be it from Jharkhand or Kinnaur and Lahaul Spiti in Himachal. It is with the message of universal brotherhood, peace and amity that they performed in Shimla and Kasauli. It is their rich culture replete with ancient traditions that makes them so distinct and unique. “With music practically being a way of life for these youths, they chose this medium to create awareness about the importance of ecology and the dire need to protect it,” said Baljit Malik, coordinator of the Kasauli Bachao Andolan. The members of the band rendered old and new songs with perfection with focus being on environment protection. The youths who are passionate about music want to use it to send across a strong signal against issues like global warming, climatic changes, deforestation and excessive urbanization in the form of haphazard construction activity. Busy in their respective professions or pursuing their studies, they are more than keen to take out time for such ventures that help bond with people in any part of the country.
Ghalib’s death
anniversary
The Munir Cultural Club, Shimla, staged a play based on his life and works. The stage depicting the life, struggle and unexceptional talent of Ghalib was a treat for theatre aficionados who enjoyed the Urdu play compiled and directed by Parvesh Jassal. He along with other members of the club have been organising cultural activities in the town for the past 16 years. The play not only focused on the life and times of Ghalib but also on the strong secular message that the great poet always tried to portray through his works. Jasal has been inspired to stage the play by the popular serial of well-known Bollywood lyricist and poet Gulzar on Ghalib. He did a marvellous job with his team of 25 male and female artists and six backstage assistants and his effort was won accolades from the audience. The dialogues were in chaste and rather tough Urdu, which not many could comprehend but the actors and directors explained it all with their theatre skills. With the throwing open of Gaiety Theatre after six long years of restoration and conservation work, cultural activity has resumed with plays, exhibitions and other cultural activities at the theatre practically everyday. Multi-storey car parkings
The constraint of space had forced the government to explore the possibility of constructing modern computer-operated multi-storey car parkings in congested towns like the “Queen of Hills” and Baddi. The cost will be 50 per cent higher than the reinforced concrete structure but the biggest advantage of the proposed parking supported by a steel-frame structure is that the project could be completed within 90 days, says Dr Arun Sharma, director of tourism. The vehicles will be lifted to various storeys through a computer-controlled hydraulic system. The initial investment will be quite high but such projects are the only way out in congested hill towns where space was a severe constraint. The first such parking lot is proposed to be built near the state secretariat on a pilot basis for which talks were on with a private company. If the pilot project is a success, six more such parking lots will be built in the state capital and one each at Baddi and Shoghi.
(Contributed by
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The poet Viceroy
by Shriniwas Joshi Edward Robert Lytton was the son of Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, an English author and politician. He inherited the traits of his father and penned five books of poetry under the pen name of Owen Meredith. Robert was short but ‘very handsome with large dreamy blue-green eyes, dark, curly hair and beard, and the look of a high-strung thoroughbred man.’ His childhood was miserable as his mother, Rosina, had left the household for good when he was five and his father, Bulwer, remained busy in producing novels, plays and illegitimate children. John Forster, a drama critic, substituted himself as the father for him and introduced him to Charles Dickens, Leigh Hunt and other littérateurs in whose company the poesy in him got nursed. Robert, first, fell in love with Harriet Wilson, who had violet eyes, yellowish-brown hair and an annoying husband. This unsuccessful love affair resulted in his first book of poems published in 1855. Robert then met and married 11-year younger but taller than him, Edith, in 1864. He appreciated the ‘golden balm of Edith’s cheerful disposition and her companionship. A stanza of his poem ‘Twins’ unpublished in his lifetime reads, “The woman that I love has other ways, / Is passionate, spontaneous, quick, intense; / No social code her wild warm will obeys,/ Nor moral sense.” Was it addressed to Edith? Edith arrived in Shimla on. April 16, 1876, 10 days earlier than Lord Robert Lytton, Viceroy of India. They stayed at Peterhoff which to Lytton appeared as ‘a hideous little bungalow. Lord Salisbury, who was then India Secretary, sanctioned a sum of 100,000 pounds for its rejuvenation. The life at Peterhoff, after improvements, was warm and informal. The Lyttons were good hosts. The children’s game—’consequences’—of drawing humorous sketches and card game of ‘whist’ with adults were routine after dinner. Whist got a setback when a donkey bit the private part of the Viceroy’s ADC, Captain Harcourt Rose, a reputed whist player. He was castrated and quickly left for England. The poet in Lytton was visible in his official write-ups as these were lyrically phrased and embellished with metaphors and similes. It is claimed that once he wrote an official letter in verse. Queen Victoria relished the unconventional officialese. Lytton was a philanderer. He flirted with two prettiest women of the then Shimla - Mrs. Batten and Mrs. Plowden. And wrote a poem ‘The Modern Wooer’ for Edith to read between the lines, “She must never coquet/ With young frivolous fellows. / If I flirt, she may fret, / But must never be jealous.” It was during his stint as Viceroy that Queen Victoria was declared as the Empress of India on January 1, 1877. He had worked hard to raise structures in Delhi for the great day but Marian Fowler writes: “One wonders if he should have stuck to his poetry, bad though most of it was; still words are cheaper than large iron structures.”
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