The Doon School is a boys-only academically selective boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, founded in 1935 by Satish Ranjan Das [1] The school's first headmaster was Arthur E. Foot, who had spent some nine years as a science master at Eton College, England. [2] The old boys of Doon are known as Doscos, and the alumni body is represented by The Doon School Old Boys' Society. Admission to the school is based on a competitive entrance examination and an interview. [3] [4]
Doon remains a boys-only school despite continued pressure from political leaders to become coeducational. [5] However, girls are admitted in case they are daughters of the school staff (see entries for sculptor Latika Katt and actor Himani Shivpuri). [6] [7] Although the total number of Doscos is relatively small (estimated at 5,000 since the school was founded in 1935), they include some of India's prominent politicians, artists, writers, social activists and businesspeople. [8]
Note: The sub-headings are given as a general guide and some names might fit under more than one category
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Rajiv Gandhi | 1962 | 6th Prime Minister of India | [9] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Mani Shankar Aiyar | 1958 | Minister of Panchayati Raj, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports | [10] |
Jitin Prasada | 1991 | Minister of State for Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas | [11] |
Jyotiraditya Scindia | 1989 | Minister of State for Ministry of Commerce and Industry, from Madhya Pradesh | [12] |
Arun Singh | 1960 | Minister of State for Ministry of Defence | [13] |
C.P.N Singh | 1952 | Minister of State for Ministry of Defence | [14] |
Dinesh Singh | 1943 | Foreign Minister & Commerce Minister | [15] |
Karan Singh | 1949 | Rajya Sabha member, Former Indian Ambassador to the United States | [16] |
R.P.N. Singh | 1982 | Minister for Road Transport and Highways | [17] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Naveen Patnaik | 1964 | Former Chief Minister of Odisha, earlier Lok Sabha member and cabinet minister | [18] |
Amarinder Singh | 1960 | former Chief Minister of Punjab, also Lok Sabha member | [19] |
Kamal Nath | 1964 | former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Lok Sabha member | [20] |
Lt. Gen. Ghulam Jilani Khan | 1943 | Governor of Punjab, Pakistan | [21] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Wajahat Habibullah | 1969 | Civil servant | [37] |
Parameswaran Iyer | 1977 | Civil servant; led the Swachh Bharat Mission | [38] |
Uma Shankar Bajpai | 1936 | Foreign Secretary, Ambassador to Canada | |
Vinod Kumar Grover | 1953 | Foreign Secretary, Ambassador to Netherlands | [39] |
Inder Pal Khosla | 1954 | Foreign Secretary, Ambassador to Afghanistan | [40] |
Dalip Mehta | 1958 | Foreign Secretary, Ambassador to Bhutan and Turkmenistan | [41] |
Nagendra Nath Jha | 1964 | Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ambassador to Ireland and Turkey | |
Aftab Seth | 1959 | Ambassador to Japan, Vietnam and Micronesia | [42] |
Jamsheed Marker | 1940 | Pakistan's Ambassador to nineteen countries | [43] |
Vinay Sheel Oberoi | 1972 | IAS officer; Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development | [44] |
Khursheed Marker | 1941 | Minister of Water and Power, Pakistan | [45] |
Abhinav Kumar | 1991 | IPS Officer, Director General of Police- Uttarakhand, India | [46] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Kobad Ghandy | 1969 | Communist activist | [47] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Brahma Nath Katju | 1942 | Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court | [48] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Lakshman Katre | 1944 | Air Chief Marshal, Chief of Air Staff | [49] |
B C Nanda | 1949 | Lieutenant General | [50] |
Brijesh Dhar Jayal | 1953 | Air Marshal | [51] |
Trilochan Singh Brar | 1943 | Air Marshal, Vice Chief of Air Staff | [52] |
FN Billimoria | 1952 | Lieutenant General | [53] |
Kuldip Singh Brar | 1954 | Lieutenant General | [54] |
Adi M. Sethna | 1942 | Lieutenant General | [55] |
Deepak Summanwar | 1963 | Lieutenant General | [56] |
Sukhjit Singh | 1949 | Brigadier, Maha Vir Chakra | [57] |
Bhawani Singh | 1949 | Brigadier, Maha Vir Chakra | [58] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Swaminathan Aiyar | 1960 | Editor of Financial Express, The Times of India, correspondent for The Economist | [78] |
Inderjit Badhwar | 1969 | Executive editor of India Today, writer | [79] |
Vikramaditya Chandra | 1985 | CEO, NDTV | [80] |
Prem Shankar Jha | 1965 | Editor of Hindustan Times, The Economic Times and The Financial Express | [81] |
Peter Mukerjea | 1971 | former CEO, STAR TV | [82] |
Aroon Purie | 1960 | Founder of the India Today Group | [83] |
Prannoy Roy | 1964 | Founder of NDTV | [84] |
Tejeshwar Singh | 1965 | Publisher and Newscaster | [85] |
Karan Thapar | 1971 | Broadcaster, Journalist - CNBC & CNN-IBN | [86] |
Rakesh Wahi | 1975 | Founder - CNBC Africa & Forbes Africa | [87] |
B G Verghese | 1958 | Editor of the Times of India, Magsaysay Award winner | [84] |
Abhinandan Sekhri | 1992 | CEO of Newslaundry | [88] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Shyam Bhatia | 1967 | Writer (Goodbye Shahzadi, Bullets and Bylines, Brighter Than The Baghdad Sun, "Nuclear Rivals in the Middle East) | [89] |
Pushpindar Singh Chopra | 1959 | Writer (Touching the Sky) and various other books about aviation and military history. Founder Vayu Aerospace and Defence Review. | [90] |
Mahmood Farooqui | 1990 | Writer, Artist (Besieged: Voices From Delhi 1857) | [91] |
Ramachandra Guha | 1973 | Historian, Writer (India after Gandhi) | [92] |
A. N. D. Haksar | 1950 | Writer, Scholar, Translator of Sanskrit texts | [93] |
Shiv Kunal Verma | 1976 | Writer (The Long Road to Siachen: The Question Why and The Northeast Trilogy) | [94] |
B G Verghese | 1958 | Writer, Journalist (Agenda for India) | [95] |
Amardeep Singh (independent researcher) | 1986 | Filmmaker, Writer (Lost Heritage: The Sikh Legacy In Pakistan and The Quest Continues: Lost Heritage - The Sikh Legacy In Pakistan) |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Vikramaditya Chandra | 1983 | Writer (The Srinagar Conspiracy) | [96] |
Amitav Ghosh | 1972 | Writer, Ibis trilogy and The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable | [97] |
Vikram Seth | 1969 | Writer, Poet (The Golden Gate, A Suitable Boy) | [92] |
Vishvjit Singh | 1964 | Writer (Kuch Shabd Kuch Lakeerein) | [92] |
Ardashir Vakil | 1978 | Writer (Beach Boy) | [98] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Sohrab Hura | 2000 | Photographer | [113] |
Anish Kapoor | 1970 | Sculptor | [114] |
Latika Katt nee Sharma | 1966 | Sculptor | [115] |
Vivan Sundaram | 1961 | Painter | [116] |
Abhishek Poddar | 1986 | Art collector; founder, Museum of Art & Photography | [117] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Martand Singh | 1962 | Textile conservator, curator, cultural historian | [118] |
Rohit Khosla | 1976 | Fashion designer | [119] |
Tarun Tahiliani | 1980 | Fashion designer | [120] |
Sandeep Khosla | 1981 | Fashion & Interior designer | [121] |
Manoviraj Khosla | 1985 | Fashion designer | [122] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur | 1987 | Filmmaker, conservator, founder of Film Heritage Foundation | [123] |
Ali Fazal | 2005 | Actor | [124] |
Sudhanshu Saria | 2004 | Screenwriter, Film director | [125] |
Ashvin Kumar | 1991 | Oscar-nominee Film director | [126] |
Rajiv Rai | 1972 | Film producer and director | [127] |
Ashwin Mushran | 1990 | Actor, Voice-over artist | [128] |
Roshan Seth | 1960 | Actor | [129] |
Imaad Shah | 2004 | Actor | [130] |
Vivaan Shah | 2008 | Actor | [131] |
Chandrachur Singh | 1986 | Actor | [132] |
Dan Dhanoa | 1974 | Actor | [133] |
Satyadeep Misra | 1991 | Actor | [134] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Himani Shivpuri (née Bhatt) | 1973 | Actor | [135] |
Rajeev Siddhartha | 2004 | Actor | [136] |
Neel Madhav | 2011 | Illusionist, Actor | [137] |
Roopak Saluja | 1993 | Ad director | [138] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Bhaskar Menon | 1972 | President, EMI Group | [3] |
Nazir Jairazbhoy | 1945 | Musicologist at University of California, Los Angeles | [139] |
Sahej Bakshi | 2005 | Electronic music composer, as "Dualist Inquiry" | [140] |
Hari Singh | 2000 | Singer, music producer, co-founder Hari & Sukhmani |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Rahul Akerkar | 1976 | Chef, restaurateur, founder of Indigo | [141] |
Deepak Nirula | 1968 | Restaurateur, founder of Nirula's | ? |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Abhinav Bindra | 2000 | Beijing Olympics 2008 Gold Medalist (Air Rifle) | [142] |
Nandu Jayal | 1942 | Mountaineer | [143] |
Bunker Roy | 1962 | National Squash Champion | [144] |
Samarjitsinh Gaekwad | 1986 | Cricketer | [145] |
Michael Dalvi | 1962 | Cricketer | [146] |
Sam Agarwal | 2009 | Cricketer | [147] |
Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Miangul Aurangzeb | 1946 | Crown prince of Swat | [148] |
Mukarram Jah | 1951 | Titular Nizam of Hyderabad (1967–1971) | [149] |
Hso Khan Pha | 1956 | Titular Saopha of Yawnghwe | [150] |
Rana Hemant Singh | 1969 | Titular Maharaja of Dholpur (1969–1971) | [151] |
Sawai Bhawani Singh | 1947 | Titular Maharaja of Jaipur (1970–71) | [152] |
Pragmulji III | ? | Titular Maharaja of Kutch (1991-2021) | [ citation needed ] |
The class years of the alumni are sourced principally from the following:
Rajiv Gandhi was an Indian politician and the Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the assassination of his mother, then–prime minister Indira Gandhi, to become at the age of 40 the youngest Indian prime minister. He served until his defeat at the 1989 election, and then became Leader of the Opposition, Lok Sabha, resigning in December 1990, six months before his own assassination.
Mani Shankar Aiyar is an Indian politician and former career civil servant diplomat. He is a member of the Indian National Congress Party.
Amarinder Singh, is an Indian politician, military historian, former royal and Indian Army veteran who served as the 15th Chief Minister of Punjab. His father was the last Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala. Before starting his political career, Singh was an officer in the Indian Army, where he served from 1963 to 1966.
The Doon School is a selective all-boys private boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, which was established in 1935. It was envisioned by Satish Ranjan Das, a lawyer from Calcutta, as a school modelled on the British public school while remaining conscious of Indian ambitions and desires. The school admitted its first pupils on 10 September 1935, and formally opened on 27 October 1935, with Lord Willingdon presiding over the ceremony. The school's first headmaster was Arthur E. Foot, an English educationalist who had spent nine years as a science master at Eton College, England.
Jitin Prasada is an Indian politician from Uttar Pradesh. He was appointed Cabinet Minister by the Government of Uttar Pradesh on 26 September 2021. Earlier, he has been the former Minister of State for Human Resource Department, Government of India. He was representing Dhaurahra of district Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh in 15th Lok Sabha, where he won by 184,509 votes. On 9 June 2021 Jitin Prasad quit the Indian National Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal.
Vinay Pathak is an Indian theater and film actor. He has starred in many films including Khosla Ka Ghosla,Bheja Fry,Island City and Johnny Gaddaar and had a supporting role in movies like Jism, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and My Name is Khan.
Thakur Vishva Narain Singh was the first braille editor of India and an eminent journalist. He served as braille editor in the publication section of the National Institute of Visually Handicapped in Dehradun. After his retirement, he continued to write and worked with local dailies in the city.
Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh or R. P. N. Singh, is an Indian politician and former Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He was the Member of Parliament for Kushinagar constituency in the fifteenth Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014. In the 2014 General Election, despite an increase in his own votes, he was defeated by Rajesh Pandey (BJP). He lost again in 2019. In September 2020, Singh was chosen for AICC in charge of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Christopher J. Miller was an English academic, professor and scholar. He served as the third English headmaster of The Doon School, India from 1966 till 1970 and the last English one before the appointment of Matthew Raggett in 2016. He had an MA from University of Cambridge. During his tenure at Doon, his protégés included: Vikram Seth, Karan Thapar, Amitav Ghosh, Ramchandra Guha.
Eric Joseph Simeon (1918–2007), was an Indian school educationalist. He was the headmaster of some of the distinguished schools of India from 1960s to the mid-1980s. He served as the headmaster of La Martiniere Calcutta, The Doon School and Cathedral and John Connon School.
St. Edward's School is a premier convent school located at Milsington Estate, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India. It is a boys-only day school. St. Edward's has been ranked among the top schools in India. It was initially affiliated to CISCE but was changed over to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) system in 2008. Today the School is managed by Simla Chandigarh Educational Society, under the Bishop of Simla Chandigarh Diocese. The school offers education from Nursery to Class XII.
Gurdial Singh was an Indian schoolteacher and mountaineer who led the first mountaineering expedition of independent India to Trisul in 1951. In 1958, he led the team that made the first ascent of Mrigthuni . In 1965, he was a member of the first successful Indian expedition team to climb Mount Everest.
The Doon School Weekly is a student newspaper produced by and for the students of The Doon School. It was established in 1936, a year after the school's founding, by the first headmaster Arthur Foot. The Weekly is the oldest and flagship publication of the school.
The Doon School Old Boys' Society is the alumni society of The Doon School, an all-boys boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, founded in 1935. It is considered to be among the most influential old boys' networks in India, with its alumni including a former Indian prime minister, politicians, diplomats, officers of the defence forces, writers and artists. The first president of the society was the Englishman Arthur Foot, who was the first headmaster at Doon. Alumni of the school are known as Doscos and after graduating gain life-membership to the society.
Matthew Jonathan Raggett is a British educator, writer and the former Headmaster of The Doon School, the all-boys boarding school in Dehradun, India. He succeeded Peter McLaughlin in 2016, becoming the tenth headmaster of the school. Raggett left Doon in January 2020 and returned to Germany. He was the fourth Englishman in Doon's history to head the school and was a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, UK. Jagpreet Singh succeeded him as headmaster, and joined the school in June 2020. He is currently the Director of the Thuringia International School (ThIS), Weimar, DE.
Manoviraj Khosla is an Indian fashion designer based in Bengaluru who retails under his eponymous label. He also works as a costume designer, whose work has featured in Indian films like Lessons in Forgetting.
Hari & Sukhmani is an Indian folktronic duo comprising Hari Singh Jaaj and Sukhmani Malik, who are known for fusing traditional folk music of Punjab with electronic music, and incorporating elements from Sufi poetry of Bulle Shah, Baba Farid, Kabir, and Shah Hussain, in their compositions.
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has generic name (help)But late in the day, a new name has appeared: Doon School-educated C.P.N. Singh, 43, the Union Minister of state for defence production.
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has generic name (help)It was good to see two Doscos amongst the cast as they make their way in the world; Aditi Joshi played the bride in the first episode and Neel Madhav played Karan's younger brother in two episodes.