The Doon School Old Boys' Society

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The Doon School Old Boys' Society
AbbreviationDSOBS
Established1939
Type Alumni association
Legal status Non-profit organization
Location
Members
c. 5,000
President
Sameer Dingra
Vice President
Junaid Altaf
AffiliationsIndian Public Schools' Society
Website dsobs.net

The Doon School Old Boys' Society (informally DSOBS) is the alumni society of The Doon School, an all-boys boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, founded in 1935. [1] [2] 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. [3] [4] [5] The first president of the society was the Englishman Arthur Foot, who was the first headmaster at Doon. [6] Alumni of the school are known as Doscos and after graduating gain life-membership to the society.

Contents

In the media, it has often been described as "elitist", and in 1985 the Washington Post reported: "[It] raises the question of who should run India, and whether it is healthy that a minuscule elite exerts such influence on a democracy whose founders were determined to break from its caste-ridden, imperialist past." [7] In another report in The New York Times , Steven Weisman wrote: "Not surprisingly, Doon School people are sensitive to criticism that they are sharpening the worst tendencies in a country long burdened by caste and social hierarchies." This was followed by a quote from Ajit Narain Haksar, an old boy, who stated: "We are not an elite in the conniving sense...Merit is still the basic criterion." [8]

History

Although the society met ever since the first cohort graduated in 1939, the Memorandum of Association of the Society was formulated in 1945 and it was registered under the Societies Registration Act in 1946, with Arthur E. Foot, the then headmaster of Doon, as the founder president. The second headmaster J.A.K. Martyn succeeded Foot in the post. After Martyn's retirement, Surender Kandhari became the first 'old boy' president of the society. The society is officially recognised through memorandum of association under Indian Societies Registration Act. The motto of the society is An Aristocracy of Service, borrowed from Arthur Foot's statement at the formal opening of the school on 27 October 1935: "Truly, we mean that the boys should leave the Doon School as members of an aristocracy, but it must be an aristocracy of service inspired by the ideals of unselfishness, not one of privilege, wealth or position." [9]

Dosco Register

John Martyn conceptualised the first 'Dosco Register' in the 1970s, inviting responses to a questionnaire from alumni across the world. It was to include details of every Dosco, Doon School Old Boy, graduated ever since the school opened in 1935. The register was first published in 1979 and is still in print today. [10] [11] It is continually updated and the fourth, and latest, edition was published in 2013. [12]

Rose Bowl

Named after the Greek-styled amphitheatre on campus, Rose Bowl is the magazine for alumni of The Doon School. It is distributed to about 4,000 Doscos around the world. Articles cover news about the alumni (births, deaths, obituaries), subjects such as current affairs, history, literature as well as the school itself. Contributors have included many Doon School alumni, such as the writer Amitav Ghosh, Karan Thapar and Kobad Ghandy.

In the February 2014 issue, alumni wrote a letter in the Rose Bowl campaigning for the release of Kobad Ghandy, who had been imprisoned in Tihar Jail for four years without a conviction, and charged for being a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). [13] The campaign was reported in the Indian media. [14] [15]

Organisation

Today the society plays an important role in keeping ex-Doscos in touch with one another. There are currently some 5,000 members worldwide. It regularly organizes sports and social events for the alumni body around the world. [16] Places outside India which host regular Dosco meet-ups include: London, Toronto, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney; in India, they are: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Jaipur and Dehradun.

Fundraising

The society also raises funds for educational, philanthropic and charitable causes. [17] The funds have helped relief efforts for 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, [18] the 2013 North India floods, [19] and COVID-19 pandemic in India. [20]

Controversies

In 2014, billionaire meat exporter Moin Qureshi, then serving as the president of the society, was charged for tax evasion by the Enforcement Directorate. [21] He consequently resigned from his position as president. [22] The DSOBS came under the scanner, along with the alumni society of St. Stephen's College, Delhi (Qureshi's college), when a senior ED official told the newspaper Sunday Guardian : "Qureshi’s political and bureaucratic network is still working for him and most of his friends from his school days, mainly lawyers, are even trying to halt the investigation." [23]

In 2017, the society's Foreign Contribution Regulation Act's licence, which allows an organisation to receive funds from outside the country, was cancelled by the Union Home Ministry, due to the failure of filing annual returns for five consecutive years. [24] [25]

In 2018, the society threatened legal action against The Times of India , after the newspaper reported a rape and murder case in a Dehradun school using the words "Doon school" in its headline, implying a school located in the Doon Valley. [26] The newspaper corrected the headline to mention "Dehradun school", and included a disclaimer stating that the school mentioned in the story had no connection with The Doon School. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

An old boy network is an informal system in which wealthy men with similar social or educational background help each other in business or personal matters. The term originally referred to social and business connections among former pupils of male-only elite schools, though the term is now also used to refer to any closed system of relationships that restrict opportunities to within the group. The term originated from much of the British upper-class having attended certain fee-charging public schools as boys, thus former pupils are "old boys".

The terms Old Boys and Old Girls are the usual expressions in use in the United Kingdom for former pupils of primary and secondary schools. While these are traditionally associated with independent schools, they are also used for some schools in the state sector. The term is also used for those who attended schools in the Commonwealth realm, a few universities in the UK and, to a lesser extent, schools in Australia, Canada, Republic of Ireland, South Africa and Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Doon School</span> Boys boarding school in Dehradun, India

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.

Kobad Ghandy is an Indian communist activist and ideologue. He became involved in revolutionary politics whilst a student in England in the 1970s, and worked as an organizer for the civil rights movement in India. He was a founding member of the Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights. He was arrested on the accusation of being a politburo member of the underground Communist Party of India (Maoist) in 2009. He was acquitted and released after almost a decade in jail in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh</span> Indian politician (born 1964)

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.

Gulab Ramchandani was an Indian educator. He served as the headmaster of The Doon School from 1979 till 1988. He is credited with bringing about several notable educational reforms in the Indian education system.

Arthur Edward Foot CBE, was an English schoolmaster, educationalist and academic. He was a science master at Eton College from 1923 to 1932. In 1935, he was invited to India to head a newly opened all-boys boarding school, the Doon School, where he was the first headmaster from 1935 to 1948. He then returned to England as head of another new school, Ottershaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Martyn (schoolmaster)</span> English schoolmaster, scholar, academic and Himalayan mountaineer

John A. K. Martyn OBE (1903–1984), was an English schoolmaster, scholar, academic and a distinguished British Himalayan mountaineer. He was the second headmaster of The Doon School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher J. Miller</span>

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.

Chand Bagh School is an independent boarding school for boys at Muridke in the Sheikhupura District of Punjab, Pakistan, approximately 40 km north of Lahore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurdial Singh (mountaineer)</span> Indian mountaineer (1924–2023)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Gibson (schoolmaster)</span>

John Travers Mends Gibson was an English schoolmaster, scholar, academic and a distinguished British Himalayan mountaineer.

<i>The Doon School Weekly</i>

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.

<i>Dazed in Doon</i> 2010 Indian film

Dazed In Doon is a 2010 film written and directed by Ashvin Kumar, who was invited by The Doon School to create a fictional film set in the school to mark the school's 75th Founder's Day in 2010. It has since become controversial as after the initial screening during the occasion, the school authorities moved to suppress the distribution of the film on the grounds that it "doesn't give the School a good name", referring to the scenes of bullying depicted in the film. The film runs to 55 minutes and was made in just four months, from the start of pre-production on 20 June 2010 to the first screening on 23 October 2010.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Raggett</span> British academic and private educator

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.

The role of The Doon School in Indian mountaineering describes the formative links between The Doon School, an all-boys boarding school in Dehradun, India and early post-Independence Indian mountaineering. From the 1940s onwards, Doon's masters and students like A.E. Foot, R.L. Holdsworth, J.A.K. Martyn, Gurdial Singh, Jack Gibson, Aamir Ali, Hari Dang, Nandu Jayal, were among the first to go on major Himalayan expeditions in a newly independent nation. These early expeditions contributed towards laying the foundation of mountaineering in an independent India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Doon School Model United Nations</span>

The Doon School Model United Nations (DSMUN) is an annual model United Nations conference run by The Doon School, an all-boys boarding school in Dehradun, India. Founded in 2007, it is one of India's largest MUNs in terms of number of delegates and committees. It is held on the school campus on a weekend in August. The conference receives students from all over the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, as well as in recent years from Dubai and Oman.

References

  1. ↑ Steven R. Weisman, Special To the New York Times (12 November 1985). "India'S Old School Tie: Harrow By The Himalayas - The New York Times". The New York Times . Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  2. ↑ Jaiswal, Kamya (5 September 2011). "Doon School: Old boys' clubs of Doon School, IITs, IIMs, Harvard and others mean more than just databases - The Economic Times". The Economic Times. Economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  3. ↑ Raghavan, Anita (4 June 2006). "The Andover of India? Graduates From Doon Score Top U.S. Jobs". Wall Street Journal– via www.wsj.com.
  4. ↑ Bumiller, Elisabeth (24 November 1985). "Where India's Elite Were Boys Together". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "How the most influential alumni network in India Inc works". The Economic Times. 5 November 2010.
  6. ↑ "Doon School is popular for building an 'aristocracy of service' - Academy - DNA". Dnaindia.com. 5 June 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  7. ↑ Bumiller, Elisabeth (24 November 1985). "Where India's Elite Were Boys Together" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  8. ↑ Weisman, Steven R.; Times, Special To the New York (12 November 1985). "India's Old School Tie: Harrow by the Himalayas". The New York Times– via NYTimes.com.
  9. ↑ Bumiller, Elisabeth (24 November 1985). "Where India's Elite Were Boys Together". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  10. ↑ Sanjay Srivastava, Constructing Post-Colonial India: national character and the Doon School (London: Routledge, 1998), Bibliography: "The Dosco Record: An annual register of Doon School alumni initially compiled by its second headmaster John Martyn and first published in 1979 by the Doon School Old Boys' Society"
  11. ↑ "DoonSchool". store.doonschool.com.
  12. ↑ "Every single Dosco that is registered... - The Doon School Old Boys' Society". Facebook. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  13. ↑ Aarefa Johari (15 February 2014). "Doon School magazine speaks up for alumnus Kobad Ghandy, alleged Maoist lodged in Tihar jail". Scroll.in. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "Kobad Ghandy Release Appeal: Dosco boys push for Kobad Ghandy's release | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 19 February 2014.
  15. ↑ Agencies (2 December 2013). "Doon School classmates speak up for jailed Kobad Ghandy". Millenniumpost.in. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "Bonding over cricket: Yesterday once more at The Doon School - dehradun". Hindustan Times. 16 December 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "At school, forever - The Economic Times". Economictimes.indiatimes.com. 5 November 2006. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  18. ↑ "The Old Boy Networks - BW Businessworld". Businessworld.in. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  19. ↑ Raju Gusain (1 October 2013). "Doon boys give up break for Uttarakhand flood victims' aid". India Today.
  20. ↑ "The School Networks: What Is Done What Is To Be Done | Newsx". YouTube. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  21. ↑ "Moin Qureshi: Who is Moin Qureshi? Know why agencies are after an alumni[sic] of Doon and St. Stephen's - The Economic Times". Economictimes.indiatimes.com. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  22. ↑ "Meat exporter Qureshi quits Doon School alumni body". Indianexpress.com. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  23. ↑ Kundan Jha (7 October 2017). "Doon, StephenБ─≥s old boysБ─≥ networks try to save Moin Qureshi". The Sunday Guardian Live. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  24. ↑ "Centre Cancels FCRA Licences of JNU, DU, IIT Delhi for Alleged Non Compliance". The Wire.
  25. ↑ "JNU, Delhi University Among Organisations That Can't Get Foreign Funds". Ndtv.com. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  26. ↑ Sarkar, Gaurav (19 September 2018). "Doon School Old Boys Society threatens to take legal action against TOI". Newslaundry.
  27. ↑ "Dehradun school covers up gang rape of minor by seniors, asks her to abort | Dehradun News - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
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