I

THE CATHEDRAL & JOHN CONNON SCHOOLS

BOMBAY.

eo11tents 65

reports and reviews

features, articles and stories
the old boys' magazine
statistics

3-40
. 41-67
68-74
. 75-80

.,..

the magazine incorporates the old girls' school magazine & the borderer and
tc> demand, at the school offices, outram road, bombay-l.

available, subject

T , B. M cA rthur,
M.A A ).I.

Photorr1phy by
Assist3nts

AN AND and t.,e Ca mc ,.a C lub

M andira Banerji
Fra iny

Arde~hi,.

Hilla Khursedji
Ak eel Bilgrami
D ilip P atel
Ranjit Malk ani

Pr nted by J R D'Souza for J...doni Pr.nters. Bombay-a

Tel C 74~27

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

THE REV . G. RIDDING M.A. (OXON) Dip. Ed .

PUPILS, STUDENTS, CHILDREN, SCHOLARS-AND, IN THE U.S.A., 'CONSUMER

TRAINEES'-WHY SO MANY NAMES AND WHICH IS THE RIGHT ONE?
The last name warns sc,hools to scr utinise the aims of modern industrialised society.
Th q other names describe the complex aims cf school. A PUPIL i s a mi nor w ho i s
under the authority of the teacher; a school mmt pass on the gathered experience of
past gen erations. A STUDENT devotes time 11nd thought to acquire infor mation; a
sr hool must discipline its stndents to sustain ed effort in study. Pupils and student s are
a?so CHILDREN, members of the families from which they sprang ; a reminder to the
t cocher that he shares the responsibility o education with parents, and that he must
prcore children to live in society.
1-Vhat of the SCHOLAR ? Th e scholar is u, pupil and student w ho has become a l earned
nw ,i-bained in the special t echniques of Cl field of the study in A r ts or Scie nce-Cl"pablc of sustained effort-able to work creatively in.a special field and act 1cisely
as citizen and parent, as man or w oman.

E very parent has a right to ask how well ou r Schools are help i ng h is child to become
a S('holar in this full m eaning of the word.

Louk at buildings, the most obvious a11d

pel'inanent element of our schools. In 1964
there were three school buildings. In 1965
there are four. Malabar Hill School fourrded h 1965 with 218 pupils, joins the Boys
School, with 730 pupils, the Girls' School
with 360 pupils and the John Connon Sch0ol
with 200 pupils.

The M.,}abar Hill School was the result of

cardul planning by my predeces or , Mr .
Gunnery, and the Board of Governors, and
was finarrced by the vigorous fund raising
of par~ nts and old students of the schools.
Nl~dle!'s to say, this new school is full.
Perhaps parents are attracted by t he contrn1pori;.ry design of the building. But any-

_,...

lecrec!. The Boys' ~chool library book,;

disgr:i.ce a school of this size and standing.
gr-:.;si\e as the architec'.:ure. These methods Ill a . chool, a :n crcry bu incss ancl instih:?Ye b<'<'n described ii. the last nc\\sletter.
tution. prriodic increases of salaries of staff
A ne\\. \iing is being built in the Boys a r incdtablc c:rpcnsc in an inflationm 11
chool. It will rest en stiits so that none of pc,.;od. Without these increases of salar1J
om 1:'.lready inadequate open space is lost. tltc qun.lity of teachers who will enter thr
Th<! whole first floo1 of the new wing, 42 employment of the schools will deteriorate.
foei by 70 feet, wi!l contain the new libraty. In out vrcscnt financial situation, it is imThern will be an Art Studio, a \\ell-equipped possible to consider an increase in teachers'
Ge,>gtaphy room, ;:mtl two more classrooms S(J/arics, but the co11scqucnce must be c::con: foe second floor. This ne v building will pcct'cd.
Sl!ppiy basic needs, not luxuries.
Ag:i.in on the material side, a longstandi11g
The financial position of the Schools is cr!deficic:ncy is about to be remedied by leasti<'si. The popular idea of the wealth of thf'
ing a plot of land on Colab:i. Point for use
Calhdral and John Connon Schools is a
as a playing field: th;s, after several yea1s
myth. Why has this crisis been allowed to
of patient negotiation.
develop? Not through mismanagement by
So far the parent should feel content. But
the Board of Governors. The cause is orre
new buildings are dependent on finance; and
which affects all independent schools that
the new school and the other additions to
r<:!fusr: to lower educational efficiency for
meet longstanding needs, have more than
the s:i.ke of profit or economy. The tuition
exhausted the School's capital reserves. The
fees have not risen as fast as the cost of
sec0n;:i floor of the new wing in the Boys
livi1~g, and surplus can no longer be expectSchool with four much -needed classrooms
ed from this source to finarrce schemes of
will innain unbuilt unless Rs. 2 lakhs is
capit",l development in the Schools.
raised quickly. The playing field site cann0t b levelled until Rs. 40,000 are found. What can be done, first to supply the capiThl: school has no capital to meet these tal, some 7 lakhs of rupees, needed for escharges. A projected third floor in the new- sential development and renovation during
wing to provide staff flats and so enable us the next five years, and seconcUy to balant;e
tc, recruit good teachers who live outside the annual budget?
one ,,!Jo Yisits the classes inside the builc!iJ:g will find the teaching methods as p1u-

Bombay. would cost Rs. 2 1':! lakhs. Redcarrd renovation of buildings, furnitur-- :mtl equipment, will cost another Rs. 2
lakt!S.
C" . tion

THE JIYTH OF WEALTH

Nor is shortage of capital the only weak

fe:i.turc of our Schools' financial position.
The annual accounts for last year showed a
small deficit. The budget for 196!1-66 anticipated a small surplus that will be swallowed up by steeply rising costs. Further, it
is oi::vious to anyone who walks round the
Scho0~5 that marry essential and expensive
j0bs are long overdue. The systematic decoration of classrooms, and gradual replaccme11t of antiquated furniture has been neg-

Capital cannot be borrowed as a business

hous') borrows capital, because the Schools
ar'.) non-profitmaking. The Government
givt:s us the priceless r!ght of educational
independence, and cannot also be expecte:d
to grant financial aid. The members of the
Board of Governors are mostly expatriates,
who give liberally of their time to the
m:.<.nagement of the Schools, but lack wealth
to give money in the grand manner which
the situation demands.
Whac about the parents and old students,
the people who owe most to the Schools and
g-:merally care most for their welfare? In
spite of other demands on their generosity,
in spitf of the current financial stringcnc~,

I haYe no doubt that they could subscribe

the necessary capital twice over. But it is,
as history shows, foolish to expect subsidies
from those who are derried control of policy.
THE BASIC PROBLEM

This is the basic problem, which must be

solved during the next few years, if the
Schools are to retain their place among the
leadi!~g schools of India.
This problem
lie~ at the root of our financial crisis: it
lies also, I think, at the root of much of
the controversy over my plan to integrate
and co-educate.
The acquisition of capital is outside the responsibility of the Principal, but he is responsible for day to day solvency. Here I
have taken two steps. I was loaned the
S'~rvicE>s of two 'Operations and Methods
Study' experts. I am implementing their
recommendations, and increased administrative efficiency is now countering the effect
or the rise in prices. But this sort of savir:g cannot improve our economic situation
radica!ly. So I proposed to take a second
stL"p, the integration of the Schools which
would, I hoped, reduce the Schools' annual
expenJiture by at least Rs. 50,000, while at
the same time improving the education
given by the School. For the financial am1
educational aspects of the Schools depend
upon each other. All plarrs must be judgerl
first by educational criteria.
SIZE OF CLASSES
A~ I said last Speech Day, no
school can
educate children well if there are more than
thirty pupils in a class. I promised parents
tl:L.n that the reduction of the size of class
in the Boys' School from more than 40 iu
rr.:i.ny classes to not more than 30 was m~
fir::;t practical aim.
I admit now, as I shall have to admit next
Speech Day that I have failPd to achiev<:!
this first vital aim. In the Cathedral a11d
Jo.in Connon Schools it is true that it is

better to be a girl than a boy. For i11 the

Gii'ls' .'~cl1ool classes average 30; so a girl
rccrivP~ far more individual teaclli11g t1w11
a boy.

At the preserrt level of tuition fees-the

Schools have not yet justified a further increase by improving their education-and
witnin the present financial situation I can
fii;d only one way of reducing the ~ize of
cla::;se::; and improvirrg the education we
off<:r. The Boys' and Girls' Schools should
be integrated educationally, as they are already integrated in management and finance. I have sent to all parents a description of the plan of integratiorr and explained
why I consider it urgent and beneficial. I
ki.ve discussed the implications of the plan
with many parents both publicly and privately. After much debate and controversy, the plan for integration has been postponed by the Board of Governors, after it
had been informed that legal action would
be taken by a parent to stop the planned int gration. This delay does not apply to the
reorganisation of the Kirrdergarten Section
at Malabar Hill and John Connon, which
will be carried out as planned.
It is vital for the interests of our children
that all parents should know the main details of the critical situation whjch irrtegration alone can solve. For the sake of clarity. I tabulate the main factors:1. I cannot reduce the size of cla ses
in the Boys' School by reducing the annual intake of boys. Apart from the
justifiable opposition of the parents of
the excluded boys, the loss of fees would
ruin the Schools. By my integrating
the 75 boys and 50 girls of each annual
intake into four streams. cbsses will
have 31 pupils each without any increase
of staff or loss of revenue.
2. As a result of the establishment of
Malabar Hill School, the annual intake
of girls has been raised from 30 to 50.
This increased flow of girls begins to
come into the Girls' School from 1falabar Hill in one month"s time. in January
1966. But all the classrooms in the
Girls' School are already fully used. In
five years' time there will be a shortage
of fi~'E' classrooms in the Girls" School.

The Schools canrrot afford to build these

extra classrooms in the Girls' School at
a cost of about Rs. 2 1 2 lakhs. Only by
ieorganisation of the Kindergarten Department and the integration of the two
Senior Schools, can the increased intake
of girls be accommodated in the available classrooms.
3 . Integration of the two Schools will
have further advantages, cumulatively
formidable, resulting from the better
utilisation of staff, laboratories and
scientific apparatus, libraries, film projectors and taperecorders, visual aids.
To take one example, the Schools have a
limited number of highly qualified and
gifted teachers in each department. At
present, such teachers are available to
both boys and girls only in Science. In
other subjects they can at present teach
either boys or girls . The fo\ly of equipping two senior libraries, of buying two
copies of every book needed, is obvious.
Without integration it is inevitable.
GO-EDUCATION
It is paradoxical that no one, in all the

age-group, will continue to be taught in segregated playgrounds, as at present. But

they will use the same buildings, the Senior
Standards at Outram Road, and the Junior
Standards at John Connon and Napier
Road. This degree of mixing between bo:,s
and girls is so minimal as hardly to deserve
to be called co-education.
In this way most of the advantages of my
original plan would be retained, enough to
stave off the educational and financial disaster which confronts us enough to improve
at once the education of our children. There
would be no immediate reduction in the size
of the boys' classes. The enrichment of
education which comes with co-education
would also be delayed. But a phased programme of co-education, starting with the
junior classes, would eventually bring these
benefits to the children of the middle standards as they are at present available, entirely in the most ji,mior, and partly in the
senior standards of the Schools.
This modified plan has been suggested to
come who opposed the original plan; but
there may be others who have not heard
about it. Speaking, not only as a headmaster, but as a parent with my owrr children in both the Senior and Junior Schools,
I would urge those who have declared their
intention to oppose the implementation of
the original plan, to consider carefully
whether they might support this modified
plan. Co-educatiori is rrot the main problem
of our Schools, nor must it be allowed to obscure the urgent need for integration at
least on the modified lines I have suggested.

discussions, public and private, that I have

had with parents, has objected to the integration of the Schools. But integration is
linked with co-education. And co-education has been strongly opposed by a few
parents. I recognise that the merit or demerit of co-education is a matter of debate.
where informed arrd reasonable people may
agree to differ, and to respect each others'
differences. As headmaster, I must heed
the views and wishes of all parents. When
a group of parents, however small in num- PARENT-TEACHER LINKS
The lack of adequate consultation betber, oppose co-education strongly and rationally, I must try to find a way to recon- ween the Schools and the parents has uncile their view with the acceptance of co- doubtedly contributed to the current imeducation by the majority of parents and passe. But communication requires a chanmy own view of the benefits of co-education nel, and as you will read in the article by
Mrs. Merchant on another page, the Parents
and the urgent need for integration.
Such a reconciliation of vie,vs is possible. Association is about to become the Parent
Integration can be separated almost entirely Teachers Association. I hope that every
from co-education. Let me <:xplain how. parPnt will give this new Association full
Roys and Girls of the same sta1~rlard and ~nd active support so that it may cffccti-

vely serve the educational needs of our

children, by providing ways for parents and
teachers to co-operate, each in their proper
spheres, for the benefit of our children.
So much for the pressing needs of the prescn t and the challerrge of the future. What
now of the Schools' activities this year?
The solid work of preparing for external
examinations is as good as ever, as the results show. The range of extra-curricular
activities, games and excursions is ever
widening to achieve the full education of
the complete scholar. Details of these multifarious activities, in which the staff arr.:l.
senior boys and girls have worked with
skill, energy and enthusiasm, appear elsewhere in this magazine and in the newsletter.
THE RECENT CRISIS

The National Emergency did not interrupt

the normal activities of the Schools. We
began work earlier; we collected money and
goods for the jawans and refugees. We contirmcd to train boys and girls in first-aid
and encouraged them to join the Small Savings Movement.
The major contribution of a school to the
nation is always in the future, by the way
in which the children of today are taught
the great deeds of the nation's heroes and
leaders; and by the way irr which democratic habits of discussion, tolerance and service are developed.
So that our senior boys and girls may know
more about their own great city of Bombay, they will spend the last fortnight of
this term, discovering Bombay for themselves, by reading in libraries. by visiting factories, docks. historic buildings, by interviewing leading citizens, by studying the
plans for developing Bombay. The results
0f this intensive research by nearly one
hundred students will be analysed and presented in the full-scale exhibition to be held
from December 14 to 16 in one wirrg of the
Beys' School.
I hope that parents will visit this exhibition
on 'Bombay-Our City', to sec what our

sen.ior scholars can achieve, and to support

their effort to raise funds to help the Schools.
I look forward to meeting you all at this
Exhibition. I hope that those parents whom
I have not so far had the pleasure of meeting, will come and introduce themselves
as they visit the Exhibition.
Mrs. J. CABRAL, M.A., T.D. (Edin)

Looking back on 1965, ;1c find that the

year opened differently from any other in
the School's History-with our Junior
School Branch at Malabar Hill. The attractive new buildirrg house Stds. III, IV, and V
who shared as fully as distance allowed in
all the activities of the Girls school.
It is fashionable in this age to reduce
everything to initials, and our new school
has not escaped this. You will find that it
most often was referred to as M. H. School
although its full title is The John Connon
and Cathedral Girls' High School (Malabar
Hill Section).
But, what's in a name? The main fact is
that the girls in the new school building did
well in: work and play. Next year they will
return to the 'old' school in the John Connon
Building when the Kindergarten will move out.
The Magazine endeavours to give insight
into the day-to-day life of the School. From
reading the contributiorrs, drawn from every
class in the School, some idea of the variety
of the activities and curricula can be found.
The spirit of helpfulness and unselfishness is one that we try to inculcate in our
girls. Even although many activities are in
th..! form of competitiorrs, they aim at producing this quality. Our girls learn how to
be good losers, which is a much more difficult thing to be than a good winner.
None of the events described in the Magazine would have existed had it not been for
the hard work put in by the Staff. Their organization and powers of leadership have
served as examples to the girls.
We are confident that next year the Gi1 l~'
School will continue to flourish, as a result
of the forward-looking planning and leadership of our Principal, the Rev. G. Ridding.

STAFF
NOTES

There were many major changes in the Here in Bo:>'lbay, she has taken an active
staff of the School this year. The School lost interest in the Indian Cancer Society and
the valuable services of Mr. B. Gunnery. Mr. the work of the British Women's AssociaGunnery had been with us for the past tion.
twelve years. He was a well-known and wellWilliam, Caroline and George, the three
loved figure in Bombay. For his meritorious children, ;:i,rc now well-known around the
work here in India he was awarded the school premises, being respectively this year
0. B. E., by the Queen. His was a great loss in Stds. VII, V and IV.
to the School, for in his time he had done a
lot to improve its standard.
Another los~ to the school was the valuable
services of the Vice-Principal Mr. C. J.
Our new Principal has had a varied career
since his own schooldays at Winchester Col- Oliver (see below\
lege, where re was in the Athletic Team and
won the School Fives Cup.
From school he went straight into the
A1 my in 1942, serving irr France, Germany,
Palestine and Egypt, receiving his commission in the 15 19 Hussars and being demobilised in 1947 with the rank of captain.
l<'rom '47 to '50 he read Modern History
at Oriel College, Oxford, gained a Blue for
cross-country and athletics arrd a Half-Blue
for Fives. He also obtained his Diploma in
Education while at Oxford.

Mr. V. Deshpande the Ht!:id of the Science

department left to take a post in St. Paul'!>
Darjeeling. Mr. T. Subramaniam, Vice-heaC.
of the English department, left India for
further studies in the U.K. Miss C. Suterme1ster left to get married. We wish her all
God's blessings in her married life. Mrs. S.
Abraham left to settle in Canada. Mrs. P.
Lynsdale left, ~s her husband had been posted by the Army to one of tne border areas
The School shall miss their valuable services, as they gave of their best. Yve wish
them all the best in their new posts.

As an assi~tant master at Oundle Sch'1ol

he taught English and History and organiserl
In the course of the year we have welathletics for seven years and then went on comed to the School three new teachers from
to the post of Senior Lecturer in Education the U.K. They arc D. R. Hawkey, T. B.
at St. Luk 's Training College, Exeter. McArthur and J. F. Fuller-Sessions. We
While at St. Luke's he was ordained as a hope that their peciod of service with us will
pnest of the Anglican Communion in 1962.
be a happy one.
Mrs. Ridding, who has also taught, attended the University of Wales in the town of Mrs. B. Pruce
Bangor. Her subjects were English and
In a school with about eighty teachers
History and she enjoys reading very much and fifteen hundred pupils, it is difficult
Netball and badminton were her college for the children to becornp acc1uainted with
games, for which she retains her enthusiasm. all of the teachers and impossible for a
0

teacher to know most of the pupils. An ex- School during that time will carry in his
ception to this is Mrs. Beatrice Pruce, the mind some picture of C. J., whether as a
Kindergarten Senior Mistress who is re- kind but firm master, or a friendly adviser,
tiring in December after twenty-five years or as a sportsman, magazine editor, stagedirector, "Free Booter" or debater.
of loyal service.
The mention of a name of a boy or girl
Few teachers in their time can turn from
in the School is enough to prompt Mrs. English lessons to Hindi, then to Physics
Pruce's memory of him or her as a Kinder- and Chemistry, then to Civics, and finally
garten pupil. She takes a very keen interest have a hockey or cricket match to round
in each of her children, not only while they things off. Yet C. J. took on or took part
are with her but throughout the whole in these and many other activities on beschool; and is always rightfully proud to half of the School. Readers are invited to
hear of their successes in all walks of life. turn to the Old Boys section of this magazine where he reviews some of the events
Mrs. Pruce had the advantage of an exduring his long and devoted life with C.B .S.
cellent training for her work in the Isabella
Thorbeen College at Lucknow. After gainMr. Olliver became Vice-Principal of the
ing experience in smaller schools, she came School in 1962, after Mr. Pharaoh, but bein June, 1940 to our Kindergarten which fore that he had paved the way with such
for the last 25 years has had the benefit posts of responsibility as Chief Supervisor
of her teaching skill. AP, a teacher and for the Senior Cambridge Examinations,
Senior Mistress, Mrs. Pruce has not been in- Chief Judge at the School Athletics and
terested only in the bright and intelligent Swimming and many other sporting and
children, she has a great gift of being able scholastic activities. We are extremely
to bring out a child's latent talent, and this proud that his assistant headship here has
has been a great asset to the School. Over in turn led to the post which he now enthe years, a countless number of children joys-Principal of St. Peter's, Mazagaon.
have had individual help from her, enabling
Among his parting words to the Staff was
them to master their difficulties.
a comment that school life should never be
As Senior Mistress of Red House, Mrs, dull. There should be plenty of jokes and
Pruce has had an opportunity of extending fun. Something that typifies his feelings
the scope of her activities beyond the about fun might be the old boot, loyally
K. G. Her kindly manner and sound ad- painted purple and black, which he offered as
vice are always available to the girls of this a prize for the Quad Football matches that
he initiated. That was the Free Booters'
House.
Mrs. Pruce is leaving the School but the League, and the game was played with a
termis ball. When it caught on, he started
25 years of continuous and dedicated service
Quad Cricket, with presumably th~ same
which she gave to it will always remain as
ball but evidently not the same prize, and
an example to Staff and Pupils. She takes
ar~ed cogently that such pastimes gave
with her all our best wishes for a happy rethe boys a "good eye" for the game.
tirement.
Such ability to combine the joy of living
with the skill of imparting knowledge is not
Mr. C. J. Olliver.
often found. C. B. S. has certainly been lucky
In June this year the School lost the serto have held C. J. so long and our ~o~_ow
vices of its well-known and much loved
at parting is combined with our reJoicmg
Vice-Principal, C. J. Olliver, after 19 years
for
St. Peter's.
of service. Everyone associated with the

-reception for a new principal

-the girls' school staff

-malabar hill staff

-the boys' school staff

Mrs. M. H. Merchant

THE PARENTS
ASSOCIATION

The Cathedral Schools Parents Association was started in 1961 by a barrd of

enthusiastic parents to foster better understanding between parents and teachers.
The aims and objects of the Association
are:
1.

To promote understanding of the

aims of education among the parents
and guardians.

2.

To foster co-operation between parents and guardians and school.

To organise social, educational, recreational and other useful activities
among the members, their children
or wards and the school authorities.
To assist the school authorities.

3.

4.

Even at that time it was felt that the

proper thing would be to have a parentteacher association. However, it was decided to make a beginning with the Parents
Assocation, get the co-operation and support of the other parents, to work for it
and win over the support of the teachers
and the school authorities and therr gradually to form the Parents Teachers Association. I am glad to say that we have
achieved our goal in the short period of 4
years, thanks to the interest taken by Rev.
Ridding and the support that he has given
us in all our projects.
Another activity of this year was the
Art Competition arranged by us. I am glad
to say that it was a great success. The

12

number of participants was 240 in all. The

Junior, Middle and Senior Schools had participated. The competition was divided into
4 sections-KG., Junior, Middle and Serrior.
There are 4 prizes in each sections as well
as 3 certificates of Merit for each of these
sections which were distributed at the Art
Exhibition which was organised on 13th
November 1965. As a side attraction to
raise funds for the Jawans, the class representatives ran a tea-stall at the Art
Exhibition.
During the last two years the Parents
Association has been giving 4 prizes in
Hindi ( 2 for boys and 2 for girls) to the
pupils who have made the best progress
throughout the year. These prizes have been
instituted to encourage Hindi amongst our
children.
Every year on Teachers' Day we show our
appreciation of all that the teachers do for
our children by getting suitable useful gifts
for their staff rooms. This year we presented to the schools a fan and a wall clock
and a hot plate. At the begirming of the
Second Term a Symposium on the Advantages of Parents Teacher Association was
also arranged. The guest speakers were Mrs.
Alreja, Mrs. Jai Godrej and Mr. Manning
Hawthorne.
It is gratifying to report that the various
class representatives with the assistance of
the teachers have been arranging a number
of visits to places of interest.

Let me take this oppo1tunity of exhorting

those parents who have still not joined our
Association to do so now and assist us in
our programmes. I also take this opportunity to thank Mr. Reynolds, Mrs. Gupta and
all the teachers for all their assistance and
co-operation in all our efforts.
All this would not have been possible but
for the hard work, co-operation and
assistance of the various office-bearers,
members of the executive committee and
other willing workers.

and the confidence that he placed in us

was truly inconceivable. I am sure that
the Prefects will always do their best and
stand by him at all times.
The other innovation was the formation
of the school committee. This representative body deals with all the ins and outs
of school life and although it is barely a
month old, I can see it taking a great deal
off the shoulders of the staff and developing a sense of responsibility and duty
amoLgst the boys.
There is just one other thing on which
we would like to express our views-the
problem of co-education. After a careful
deliberation the Prefects are all in favour
of such a scheme. This is also, by and
large, the opinion of the senior school and
it is our ardent hope that the scheme will
be implemented. Boys and girls will stand
to gain educationally and will be the better
able ".;o equip themselves for later life.
'J'he last thing that I ought to mention is
our taking over the running of the tuck
shop and very creditably at that. Godrej
has taken a great deal of pains over the job
and has made an admirable manager. The
slight profits were <>pent on lime juice during the house matches.
Before I conclude I must say how deeply we all miss Mr. Oliver and how greatly
we appreciate the trust and backing that
he gave us. I would also like to thank Mr.
Ill!

s
c
H

0
0
l
Meena

Shivdasani
Tt is extremely difficult to define the function of a school prefect for there is no
scope of school activity that is beyond his
re<:1ch. He forms a vital part of the institution and is the hinge on which the progr~ss of the school revolves. Consequently,
he holds a very important aud demanding
position in the school.
The Prefects have responded to their task
admirably. They have shown a mature undersbnding of school problems and have
attempted to deal with them to the very
best of their ability. With greater backing
and support from certain of the staff and
the boys, their accomplishments would have
been infinite. I do not mean to say that we
have committed no mistakes. We have made
errors and we have our individual faults
but each one of us is genuinely concerned
about this school, its welfare, and its fair
name. The Prefects have displayed a fine
sense of balance and the ability to judge
quite fairly between right an~ ~ro~g .. I
think they have done a splendid JOb in instilling school and house spirit, whch have
attained new heights this yea!'.
The first of the two great innovations of
the year was the advent of Mr. Ridding as
school principal. We are extremely fortunate to have him with us and have developed a deep respect and loyalty for him.
We could never hope for greater support
than that which he whole-heartedly gave

N
0

T
E

Albert
Aboody

l - - -~ - -~'--

13

Timmins for the e11couragemcnt and suppol'l

he \\as eYe1 ready to give anti Mr. Abrah<:!m, the bursar who is an ex-head boy. for
his excellent and helpful ad\'ice. Last but
not least I thank my \'ice-Captain, H .
AdYani, and all the other prefects with
whcm I have thoroughly enjoyed working
ar.d who have manfully borne my shortcomings. The very best to the school and to
you, captains and pref cc ls of the future: I
am st1re that you will keep up the glorious
traditions and rrame of this grea.t school.
Albert .-!boody

BOYS SCHOOL CAPTAI:-;.

I would like to thank everybody for making thi.> year the most memorable one in my
whole school career. To say I have been
honourtd is putting it mildly. and I hopl'
that I haYe succe<:'ded in doing justice to my
badge.
The last days in school have been one of
the yea.ming, looking into the past and
hope for the future. and I look back on my
life in school with satisfaction and gratification. I wish my successor all the best
and hope that she too will have an enjoyable period of office as I have had.
Mcena Shivdasani , H)65
BARHAM HOUSE NOTES.

HEAD GIRL'S REPORT

December 18th, 1964 was the day of days
in my life. Like most other school girls
my cherished dream was to become Head
Girl; this was fulfilled on that day.

Senior Hoii..sc Master: ?v1r. J.P. D'Souza

Junior House Master: Mr. D. D. Mackenzie
Ii ousc C111ptain:
Albert Aboody
Housr Vicc-Captwin:
Saleem Baakza
Adi Vakil
./lotto:
"Ad Augusta Per Angusta ...

Congratulations anJ v:ell done~ After

fifteen Jong years of sweat and toil, of hope
and despai1, we have won the most keenly
contested Championship in school history.
We are the 'cock' house at last' However,
our victory this year was not an easy one.
with Palmer and Savage in the running till
the very end. Only true team spirit, enthusiasm and perseverance could have seen us
thrnugh and it did. Each member of the
1965 was an e\entful year. We started House played his part in our triumph and
off by saying good-bye to our Principal Mr. we can now look back together on a joh
B. Gunnery, who had spent a long and suc- well accomplished, and share the hard-earncessful span of years v.'ith us, and welcom- ed prize.
ing the new Principal, the Rev. G. Ridding.
Two or three significant points a1ise from
Our activities and events during the year our performance this year which is all the
have been bright and encouraging. We more remarkable considering that we fared
participated in various inter-school matches badly in the vital work points. Our Juniors
with keen sportsmanship. Our Malabar Hill offered some compensation for 1.he poor show
School was officially declared open by the of our Seniors but if we are to retain our hold
Governor of Maharashtra. The Easter on the Championship it is essential that we
'Choral Concert,' as mmal went off with a win the work cup. Nevertheless, I am pleased
'bang!' The introduction of 'Career Talks' with the Seniors, because I feel, somehow,
which have become a feature in the school, they have tried. With an even harder effort
have been most helpful to all girls who are next year, there should be a creditable improvement in these match-winning marks.
leaving school.

As I was called upon the stage to be presented with the coveted badge of HeadGirl, I knew that my task was an important one, and I pledged to do it to the best
of my ability. If I have succeeded, it has
been due to the guidance and support from
my Head Mistress, Teachers, and Prefects
and the co-operation of the girls in the
school.

The other important factor was that we RED HOUSE NOTES

played all our matches in the proper spirit. House Mistress:
Mrs. Downey
The manne1: in which the game was played
Mrs. Pruce
was more important to us than the result. House Captain:
Elizabeth Eapen
Consequently, we were either triumphant Vice Captain:
Phiroza Shroff
in victory or glorious in defeat. Here I would Motto:
Service Before Self
like to recall our football matches this
This year, I find it imperative to begin the
5eason and in particular the one in which
we defeated the rest of the school. This was House Notes on a reproving note. I dislike
adequate proof of our teamwork and we re- doing this, and it may prove unpleasant for
gard it as one of our most meritorious you, so the quicker it's over, the better.
achievements. It was this same "spirit" that
During the first term, most of the House
won us top-honours in every major game (figuratively speaking) hunkered down to
except for Hockey and Swimming, where we watch the interesting proceedings, which
resulted in the House's failure. Our standard
fared as best as we could.
It was gymnastics that provided the real of work was deplorable. It is not as though
crisis of the hour. We had to win both the our House consists entirely of thick-headed
Senior and Junior competitions to emerge girls-most of you are quite intelligent and
a.s house champions-that we managed this can work, so that both the House and you
was due largely to hard practice during the carr be rewarded.
In the athletic competitions, we have nol
holidays and to the untiring efforts of A.
Chadha who did a magnificent job as coach done very well. There is an excuse for this,
and put a sterling display in the contest, as all of us cannot be Atlantas. In the Andespite an injured leg. This revealing ex- nual School Sports we achieved 3rd place,
ample of genuine hoU.Se interest was charac- with Gloria Mitra winning the Junior Individual Championship. In Netball we came
teristic of many of our boys.
third in the Seniors and third in the JuFinally, I must thank all of you for the niors. This was in spite of hard work and
support you gave me when I most needed it
practice under K. Mody.
and for allowing me to leave school with
In the second term, I think most of the
one of my greatest dreams fulfilled. The cregirls developed a greater feeling towards the
dit goes to every one of you, to the house
House, and we gained House Points in the
prefects arrd to Mr. D'Souza and Mr. Macvarious
competitions. In the General Knowkenzie for the advice they were ever ready
ledge competition M. Banerji grabbed the
to give and for the hard work they put into
First Place in the Seniors. In the Zoe Bebtheir efforts. We must now keep up the
bington and Klein Essay, a number of girls
team work and win the championship again
next year by training hard and giving of appeared among the first twenty names
with E. Wood first in the Juniors and E.
our best.
Eapen in the Seniors. I was rather optimisLet me say how sorry I am to leave, and tic about the Marathi Reading Competition
yet how happy I am now that we have won. results, and I was justified when M. PhadYou shall always be foremost irr my thoughts ke and A. Shah walked away with first
as I reflect on my school career and I shall and second places in the Juniors, and S.
forever cherish memories of Barham House Wene and S. Samarth in the Seniors.
and of this, our finest moment together, th~
In the English Reading Competition J
culminating reward of endeavour. Good luck Singh came first in the Juniors and E.
and the very best. You have a great future Wood and P. Shroff, second in Intermediahead.
ates and Seniors respectively. In the Open-

16

BARHAM

-Cock House, CBS, 1965

House Masttrs : Mr. J . P. D'Sou:ia & Mr. D. D. Mackcuzic
House Captain : Albert Aboody
Vice Captains 1 Saleem Baakza & Adi Vakil

Singing Competition we scored first place

in the Seniors and second place in the Juniors. It is this individual effort as well as
team-work which moYes towards the imprO\ement of the House. In the Badminton Tournaments we came third in the Seniors and Juniors, with K. Mody as runner-up in the Senior Championship. In
Table-Tennis our Juniors came third. Special mention must be made of R. Malani,
K. Pandit, M . Nevaskar and K. Mody who
contributed their efforts to the Tournaments. The former three have great potential and with more practice may reach perfection.
In the Swimming Gala, Red House did
exceptionally well running a fairly close
second to the winner and won the Junior
and Intermediate relays. Susan Nestor won
the Intermediate Championship and both
she and Mina! Nevaskar swam excellently.
\Ve owe much to our swimmers.

SAVAGE HOUSE NOTES.

Senior House Master:

Mr. C. Smith

Junior House Ma.stcr:

Mr. T. Frowd.

House Captaitn:

K. Mukerji

House Vice-Captain:

J. Godrej

Motto:

"Palman Qui Meruit Ferat".

An exciting and eventful year has come

to an end, a year marred by two things.
Firstly, Mr. Timmins, who had been House
Master since 1945 long before any member
of Savage was born left us in the second term
to take up his office as Vice-Principal of the
school. Mr. Timmins, who first came to
Cathedral in 1941, has taken a very keen
interest in the House and has led it to victory
five times. All those who had worked with
him during his period as House Master will
never forget the help and inspiration he gave
the House. Mr. C. Smith, who had been our
Junior House Master, has now become our
Senior House Master, and we are very

18

happy to have him. His popularity is eviderrt

from the fact that the members of the
Junior House keep asking him to return to
them.
The second disappointment was that we
lost the House Championship by a very
narrow margin of 5 points. I am sure that
a little extra effort sometime in the year
would have won us six missing points, which
meant the Championship. But though we
were iu for a disappointment this year, we
have learnt a lesson and should in future try
very much harder. This year we had the
best teams and consequently the best
chances of winning. But in a few unfortunate cases the spirit was lacking and so
the efforts of the other members of the
House were of no avail.
The year began very favourably for Savage when we won the Senior Athletics. The
Juniors however disappointed us by losing
miserably with points acquired only from
standard timings. Shortly afterwards we did
badly in Hockey and Boxing to catch up only
slightly in Cricket. In Badminton we fared
quite well though we had chances of doing
better.
The second term began rather unfavourably when we came last in both Senior arrd
Junior Debating. But we did well in TableTennis. On paper we had the best football
team and yet we only managed to tie with
Barham for the first place in Seniors. The
Juniors, under Tyebjee's captaincy, were
however, more successful, winning all their
three matches. Although we had not expected to do very well in Swimming, we
were quite surprised when we found that
we had a chance of winning it. Had we won
the Senior Relay, the Championship would
have been as good as ours. We came second
by a margin of only two points which could
easily have been made by standard timings.
Gymnastics was by far the most important
activity this year as it meant the Championship to the wirrning House. A great effort

was made, in the last few days, to win the

event. The Juniors disappointed us with a
third place making the task in store for the
Seniors very much tougher. They made a
valiant attempt against opposition and lost
the gymnastics by only four points. The remarkable thing was that all the five Serrior
gymnasts were among the ten best.
All through the year our Juniors worked
well on the academic side and equally well
in sports, with the exceptions of Athletics,
Boxing and Debating. The Seniors fared as
well, coming last in only Hockey arrd Debating.

..

GREEN HOUSE NOTES.

House Mistress: Mrs. Ezekiel

Mrs. Dev
llouse Captain: Shirin Pestonjee
Vice-Captain: Edwina Keidan
Motto:
"Excelsior".
1965 has been for us a jumble of good and
bad, our Vice-Captain, Gloria Hine Butler,
emigrated to the United States. Her place
was adequately filled by Edwina Keidan.
Throughout the year the standard of our
games appears to have been higher than
any other of our activities, and in future
years it would be well if we put more effort
into these other fields.

As for individual performances, mention

must be made of R. Solomon who was best
The first house event was the sports 111
Senior Athlete, who won his weight in Boxwhich we did not fare too badly, as we came
ing, captained the School Football team and
Second. The sports were followed by the
in spite of a hurt leg managed to retain his
place as Best Serrior Gymnast, thus equal- Netball Matches in whic:1 we made off with
both the Senior and Junior Champiorrship.
ling the record set by D. Vimadalal of holdGeeta Antony and Asha Razdan proved exing this position for three years in succesceptionally good and were a credit to the
s ion. Solomon also took part in the I~terna
team.
tional Maccabiah games, in Israel this year,
The new term brought with it a whole
where he won a Bronze Medal for Boxing.
Other outstanding members of the House load of competitions and matches . Here,
were H. Bhedwar who worr the Lovji Cama I fear, we did not fare very well. In the
Inter-School Elocution Cup for 1965, K. General Knowledge, Zoe Bebbirrgton and
Vachha who won the Junior Dhanjibhoy Klein Essay Competitions, regrettably few
Cup for Table-Tennis and H. Chaiwalla, names of the Green House girls were among
who was the Best Junior Gymnast. I hope the top ten. In the Singing Competition too
other members of the House will take their we scored no success whatsoever, but the
example and work harder than before so Reading Competition brought about a welthat the Championship will once again be come change, in that Lilla Ajgaonkar, who
read with spirit and expression, did exours.
tremely well and stood first.
I would like to thank Mr. C. Smith and
We did rather well in the Badminton too ,
Mr. T. Frowd for their faithful interest in arrd Monica Chudasama and Gopika Saran.
the House and their valuable advice with- playing together won the Junior Championout which we would not have come as far ships, whilst the Seniors lost )n!y to I3luc
as we did. And lastly I would like to thank House. Edwina Keidan won the Individual
the prefects and the members of the House Championship, howeve1 and Gopika Saran
won the Junior Division. Our Table-Tcrm1s
for their co-operation.
results were not quite as good, for though
Work hard, Savage .... And better luck E. Keidan again and Geeta Antony was Jul'Cxt time!
nior runrrers-up our Senior team came second

19

and Juniors third, though J. Timmins and

G. Antony played very well.
The swimming sports which came near
the end of the year were very disappointing, and we failed to secure any worthwhile place. I feel that this failure was due
only to the lack of individual swimmers,
for as a team, we did rather well, coming
second in all those events. We have, however, some good swimmers, E. Keidan, G.
Saran, J. Timmins and L. Petigara among
them who helped considerably.
Our main drawback, however, on the
whole is a lack of stars and marks. This
weak point imariably pulls us down. A
little more effort on the part of every Green
House girl could easily remedy this. We do
have some girls, however, who regularly do
excellent work and bring in many of the
dsired marks. These are Jeri Bapasola, Pervin Kavarana, Firoza Homji, Madhu Nariman and Zarin Kotwal.
I know that once the academic work improves, the house will do much, much
better.

My thanks are due to, firstly Mrs. Ezekiel and Mrs. Dev for their encouragement
and praise, secondly E. Keidan, Shirin Bhagat and Shahnaz Pundole for their support,
and also to every girl for her co-operation
and willing help. Thank you all very much.

F'rom the very beginning of the year', we

realised that we would have to work vfJry
hard to keep the Championship. And our
failure I attribute not to lack of practice or
hard work but to lack of concentration in
L'"le senior House.
Though we did well in the Cross-Country, we came third in the Athletics. J. S.
Bilimoria, our ex-House Captain and R.
BUEh ran very well. The senior athletes were
a big disappointment. In the Badminton we
stood third and the same position was reserved for us in the senior Cricket though
J. S. Bilimoria and J. Wadia played well.
'fhe Elocution was our bright point.
Though the serriors were very unsuccessful
the juniors did remarkably well, winning
fur us the Inter-House Elocution 9uP The
Boxing proved a fair success as we stood
second in both junior and senior sections.
At the close of the first term we were 14
pointfl behind the leading House-Barham.
We were determined to make up the lead
and it was sheer hard work and determim!tion that brought us to the leading position
up to the last moment, when our Senior Gym
team did badly and lost our position.
The Debates were very badly managed
and in spite of G. Desiraju and B. Bayley
doing well, we came third in both Junior
and Senior sections.

PALMER HOUSE NOTES

Senior House Master: Mr. J. N. Pantle
J1mior Hause Master: Mr. R. Smith
House Captain: B. Bayley
House Vice-Captains: M. Daryanani, S. Jain

Throughout this year, I found the boys

were willing and able but the captains of
the various games were much less so. Our
Table-Tennis and Swimming Captains were
indeed great helps and A. Sutarjo, did the
best he could training our junior Gym side.

This has been a most thrilling year, one

of much excitement, much disappointment,
What really brought us to the top was
and much hard work. Never before has our junior Cricket. We won it hands down
the House been so aware of following its but quite unexpectedly. Our Middles team
motto-'Nil Desperandum' as it has been did excellently, though some of the playing
this year. However, there is much to be was very erratic. S. Sathi, B. Shroff, N.
done by the way of fostering a keener Munim and N. Seth were the chief execuspirit a.nd a serious attitude in the senior- tors of this success of ours. Congratulamost classes.
tions!

The Gym proved to be the vital game this

year. Work and training having brought us
first we were relyirrg on our Gym sides to
do well. The position was very critical and
we ha<l to be very careful. Our Junior team
was third in the individuals. It all depended
on Senior Gym-whether we came first or
third in the Championship. As we did badly
here, we came third.
But Palmerites should never be discouraged about this our failure. They should remember that we led till the last and fought
well, as we should do in the forthcoming
years.
My thanks go to Mr. Pantle and Mr.
Sm1t..li., the House Masters, my two House
Vi~e-Captains and Games Captains, to N.
Pathvardhan, who stood behind me in everything we did and to the entire and marvellous house for fighting so well till the end.
Tharrkl> a lot and good luck in all the future
years.
ORANGE HOUSE NOTES
House Mistress: Miss Oliver

Miss Carlier
House Captailn: Sunita Goyel
Vice-Captain:
Motto:

Victoria Gubbay
Zeal is Everything

1965 has been a very successful year for

Orange House.
We started the year wonderfully by scoring the first place in the sports. We also
managed to win the Senior and Junior inter-house relay, and our thanks go to Ruma
Roy who worr the Intermediate Individual
Championship and Homai Billimoria who
gave us quite a few points. Keep it up
Girls, and I hope you all do just as well
next year.
Where games are concerned we have not
fared badly as we managed to secure the
second place in the Junior and Senior irrterhouse netball matches. In badminton we
came second in the Juniors and third in the
Seniors. With some practice I'm sure we
can achieve success next year. We fared

better in table-tennis by coming first in the

Juniors, and our thanks go to Parviz Merchant and Sunita Shivdasani. Irr the Seniors
unfortunately we came Second although
Mackly Cama and Yasmin Mukhi put their
best foot forward . In swim.ming we did exceptionally well and came first. Anticia
Milos won the championship gave us the
most points and broke many records. Juli&
Clift and Vieyra contributed towards the
house points as well.
In essay writing it seems that our talents
never shone and Dolly Grewal was the only
one who gave us some poirrts in the intermediate. There seemed to be no nightingale
either in our house as we came third both in
the Juniors and Seniors. With a little more
practice Orange House can improve.
Dinaz Cooper and Chitra Sen proved very
successful irr the General Knowledge, as
both came first, in the Juniors and intermediate respectively. In the open Readin~
Competition Anita Cambata read excellently
in the intermediates and came first whilst
Dirraz Cooper came second in the Juniors.
This was very creditable on their part.
Where studies are concerned Orange
House has been coming second throughout
the year. With a little more concentration
and hard work, I am sure we will manage
to obtain the first place.
Much of our success is due to Miss Oliver
and Miss earlier our House Mistresses who
have unstintingly offered their help to the
house. Before I end I would like to thank
my vice-captain and prefects whose aid has
been invaluable.
WILSON HOUSE NOTES

House Master:
House Captailn:
Vice-Captains:
Motto:

Mr. R Karkaria
H. Advani
S. Banerjee
W . Gardner
Per Ardua ad Astra.

In athletic and other irrter-house c~mpeti

tions, Wilson House has come last this year,

but in house spirit and sportsmarrship she

i - much higher on the list. It is easy to
provoke house spirit, sportsmanship and
leadership when a house is winning or close
to the first position. But to find these qualities in a house whose only secure position
is the last place, is truly an achie\'ement
which no other house can boast of this year.
In almost e\ery activity Wilson has fared
badly. The one notable exception was in the
Debates, where with the help of the t\\"O
vice-captains Wilson House brought-off a
splendid surprise by winning. Yet I feel
even in the other events our losses were not
due to a lack of enthusiasm, organisation
or effort. We first did not have the talent,
the few who can win glory for their house.
But does the House that has that small
group of athletes justify more spirit and
sportsmanship? I do not think so.
Howeve1-, I do not want to imply that I
am entirely satisfied with our effort this
year. There have been some disappointments
among a few of our Senior members. Their
lack of spirits and selfishness have been
quite obvious. They have offered the house
nothing, in return they shall receive less for
they missed a great opportunity.
Nevertheless these boys have been the
exception and not the rule. I have had great
pleasure in watching some of the Std. 10
boys blossoming into future leaders of the
House and special credit must also be
given to the more Junior members of the
House who made a sincere effort, and have
brightened our prospect for the future.
I do not think it is necessary to give a
detailed account of our activities, the house
points on the board speak for themselves.
I would like to quote the football as an example of our effort. We had the weakest
P-enior team yet every match was keenly
contested and no boy stopped trying till the
final whistle. AB for our Juniors I think they
r-ven rivalled the first eleven in the number
of practices they had. Our efforts has not
gone to waste. The boys have gained valu-

22

able experience and have also learned to

lose with grace and honour. Next year Wilson shall learn to win.
I would like to end by thanking my House
r.iaster Mr. Karkaria for his advice and encouragement. I think the biggest thanks
are due to the Prefects and the boys who
have made the task of Captaining Wilson
House a tremendous pleasure.

BLUE HOUSE NOTES

House Mistress: Mrs. Navalkar
Mrs. Nargolwala
H011.Sc Captains: M. Shivdasani
K. Jcsudian

Motto:

He who works
the Palm

Deserves

I 965 has been a very successful year.

Blue House did not mamtain her standard on the Sports field, but we managed
to secure 2nd place in the Senior House ;clay, and thanks go to K. Jesudian who won
the Senior Championship.
In netball we
did fairly well, securing 2nd place in the
Seniors.
During the second term we achieved full
honours in the Senior badminton and TableTennis tournaments. Our thanks go to K.
Jesuclian and U. Rwa, F. Ardeshir and T.
Tyebjec. We regret to say that the Juniors
have failed considerably, but we hope with
more hard work and practice they will
achieve some success next year.
The results of the General Knowledge and
Klein Essay were rather disappointing. We
would like to mention N. Pradhan, L. Moolabhay and R. Sen Gupta who helped to give
us housemarks. In the Marathi Open Reading, we gained 3rd place in both Seniors and
Juniors, and thanks go to T. Tyebjec and
K. Balsc.
We had a great surprise in store for us
when we secured 1st place in the Juniors and
2nd place in the Seniors for the Singing
Competition. But we were not as successful
in the Open Reading Competition.

- The House Com peti tion in the Boys' School

in the Swimming and we do hope that next

Miss Gair, who had been our house mistress for several years, left for Canada at the

year they will improve their standard

end of the first term.

Unfortunately Blue House did not do well

of

The whole house

misses her and the valuable guidance she

swimming.

gave us.

We would also like to express our

As far as work is concerned, we have

deepest thanks and gratitude to Mrs. Naval-

proved our worth by achieving the 1st place

kar and Mrs. Nargolwalla for their unfailiT!g

help and advice at all times. We would also

in all three mark readings. Our profound

thanks go specially to our Juniors, who

like to thank our prefects for their assistance

have contributed the most house marks and

and ever-readiness to help us.

stars.

Special thanks go to T. Ismail, N.

Pradhan and S. Ghasvalla.

Well done! We

Last, but not least, we thank the girls fo1'

some

their co-operation and for helping to make

more effol't and hard work. S. Bhat (a new

girl) deserves due praise as she has gained

this year a happy and successful one for us.

Best of luck girls for the future, and always

a number of housemarks.

remember - 'He who Works

feel that the Seniors need to put in

Samyukta!

Keep it

up

Deserves the

Palm.'

_,
")'

Sports Bay

Mr. J . Jameson , Deputy Commissioner of

Po lice , a warding a cup fo r Table Tennis to
J . Ardeshir.

M rs. S. Jameson rm arding rlze shield fo r

the S enior Relay to M. Shi1>dasani.

Left
Sheer effort winning the
day in the Boys' Smior
Relay.

Right
A dramaric mom ent in
the Girls' Senior Three/egged Race.

SPORT
FOOTBALL
Unfortunately our foot.ball season was
not an impressive one this year although
we had one notable victory to our credit
when we beat St. Sebastian, the Bomb:i.y
School League Champions. We fared very
poorly ir; our other outings, in particular
against Mayo College where we received a
bad drubbing, but to the credit of our opponents it must be mentioned that they were
far more fit and expert. _ Although we lost
to Barnes as well in our annual fixture, the
team played as well as was expected of them
and really tried hard. Our lack of succe3s
was due to insuffic:cnt practice aITJ generally indifferent play. Except in one or two
matches (and especially in our anncial
match against the staff) we played lethargically and deserved to lose.
Th :) forward
l'nc in particular was inclined to play Eelfishly and there was no proper co-ordination or systematic play in our matches.
With harder practice next year, we ought to
fare much better for it is not talent that
we lack.
In the house matches this year Barham
and Savage were joint winners in the seniors with Barham and Savage winning the
intermediate and junior sections respectively. The matches were keenly contested
and the standard of play, especially in the
iun;ors was quite high. If these juniors train
hard enough, we ought to have a crack 1st
XI in a few years' time.
Finally I would like to thank Mr. Vint
for arranging our football matches, and Arif
Hussein for assuming the captaincy during R. Solomon's absence in Israel, \'.'here
he won two bronze medals for boxing.

BOXING
R. F. Bilirnorio

This year the standard of boxing was low.

This was due to the poor respon.;e of the
competitors, some walkovers and less entries.
After a decade Barham House secured
top honours in both the Junior and Sen:or
divisions, and walked away with the Championship, in the Inter-House Compet ition.
In the Junior Division, a good boxer was
J. Chirroy, who outclassed his opponent M. Munirim. The other was the
bout between I. Sofaer and N. Reporter.
From the beginning the pace was fast and
furious, neither boxer giving respite to the
other. I. Sofaer narrowly managed to prove
himself superior, and in the process hauled
home the trophy for the "Most Scientific
Boxer" irr the division.
In the Senior Division the only notable
and praiseworthy fight was the one between
A. Sutarjo and J. Berkley-Hill. Both were
hard and fast hitters. By virtue of his technique, J. Berkley-Hill won the bout and the
"Most Scientific ~enior Boxer" Trophy. A.
Sutarjo was adjudged "Best Loser".
For the second time, the two friends, A.
Vakil and J. Godrej, clashed in the finals. J.
Godrej repeated his last year's victory. His
main attack was his clean straight punch.
The highlight of the evening, the Senior
heavyweight bout H. Dadabhoy won the
crown, beating A. Kapur on points.
All the honours for arranging and executing the bouts should be handed to Mr. Morecroft and his aids. Our gratitude is also extended to the referees, judges and timekeepers, without whom this tournament
could not have been made possible.

25

ATHLETICS
Jimmy S. Bilirnoria

Univer:::ity Grounds which are available to

us throughout the season, for only with
hard training will the standard of our athletes improve.

This year's athletic season opened with

the cross-country which was held at Vihar
Lake. R. Bush won the junior event and
he was closely followed by last year's winn<>r G. Thomas. In the senior event all the
houses were well represerrted and in the end
it was Jal Bilimoria who had practised hard
wno won the event.

Tn conclusion, I would like to thank Mr.

Morecroft for his guidance and for his untiring efforts in organising the various
events.

:.'er the first time we were unable to use

the Brabourne Stadium, as the ground was
berng prepared for the cricket test match,
and as a result our sports had to be held
at the University Stadium. Most of our
athletes did not train sufficiently and as a
resilt there was an appreciable fall in the
athietic standard. This can be seerr from the
fact that only one record was broken. This
achievement went to H. Dadabhoy who
broke his own record in the triple jump.

This year our annual swimmirrg competition against Mayo College was revived. In
the Juniors we had a fair share of success,
but Mayo with their better balanced team
had the edge on us. D. Khatau, our outstanding junior, won his events, but he did
not receive sufficient support from the rest
of the team. The Mayo team proved their
all round ability with their superiority in
the diving; here we were outclassed.

Among the seniors R. Solomon excelled

in th0. field events and secured the Senior
Irr:livio.ual Championship. The track events
m,L1 jumps were shared amongst A. Vakil,
Jal Bi!!imoria and J. Godrej. Savage House
proved to be the best represented and were
followed by Barham, Palmer and Wilson.

The Seniors proved themselves superior

to the Mayo team and the only event in
which they rivalled us was the diving. A
large measure of our success was due to
R. Bush who carried all before him except
in the diving where he had to play second
fiddle to his team mate J. Root.
In the annual House Swimming competition B. Carter was the junior champion, but
only after he staved-off a. stiff challenge
from J. Feher. I. Kovacic and D. Khatau
were the main contenders for the middle
championship but Kovacic narrowly clinched it.
In the seniors R. Bush had everything
his own way. J. Godrej and J. Jehangir
are two of our up and coming seniors and
should do well for themselves in the future.
R. Bush also swam in the National Championship, where he won three events arrd
broke two records, thereby proving himself
as one of our country's foremost junior
swimmers.

In the juniors R. Bush walked away with

the Junior Individual Championship. The
only competition he received was from V.
Kumar in the sprint events. Here Barham
scraped past Palmer whilst Wilson and
Srcvage followed.

The only athletic competition the school

h:;,d was against the C.O.B.A. This year the
Old Boys managed to win by the skin of
their teeth-they proved superior by a mere
two pJints. This year a new event was intrc.duced in the competition, the Tug-o' W<i1. Here any eight school boys were faced
ag-ainst the eight heaviest Old Boys. Howev,;r, after much excitement the fitter
school boys managed to pull their opponents across the line.
In the following years I would like to see
our boys taking more advantage of the

26

SWIMMING

H. Advam

Special thanks are due to J. Godrej for

captaining the team at Mayo and to Mr.
Morecroft for his capable management.

Mrs. Cabral congratulates the Boys School

Champion, Roberr Bush .

J . Gray, Savage House, diving

from the sma ll board.

Mrs. Pruce presents the cup to Anticia Milos,

the Girls School Champion.

Neetu Wot1111111// performing 1he

high dive.

GYM ASTLCS
Gymna tics this year saw a vast improvement, purely because-for the three Houses,
Ba1ham, Palmer and Savage-the results of
this last event of the year were to decide
the Championship. So close we1e the points
and so ur1certain the outcome that each
[-louse put in a great effort in preparing for
the event.
Serious gymr1astic practice oegan about
a fortnight before the October holidays.
And as the competition was to be held just
a week after school reopened, the Houses
iealised the necessity to train during the
holidays. Everyday of the two weeks,
gymnasts were practising hard. And despite the fact that the instructors were not
there to help in the trairr:ng the boys did
a good job by themselves. This was evident
from the fine performances at the competit:on.
For the last few years there have bee:1
constant changes in the system of the competition. This year the system has bee:i
changed orr(!C again, ~.nd has finally found
the approval of both judges and gymnasts.
It is therefore hop ~d that this system is
here to stay.
The new rules I was referring to state
that one exercise on each apparatus is compulsory. A further two exercises must be
done by each competitor, and can be chose:1
from a list of exercises of varying points.
This gives scope for variety as well as the
cham:e to do more difficult exercises than
have been done so far, thus raising the
standard of our gymnastics. Last year's
rule that five boys represent the house still
stands.
There were considerable difficulties this
year, mainly because we had no proper
gymnasium. The school hall provided a
poor substitute; it was too small for an apparatus like the Horse, which requires a
long rurr. Besides such apparatus as the
Roman-rings and Horizontal bar had to b ::!

28

left out, due to Jack of space. To compensate for this, Ground-work was included. It
turned out to be a tremendous success and
so it sh1ll be continued in future.
If the standard of gymrrastics could rise
so much without a proper gymnasium, how
much better w:Jl it be next year when the
gymnasium in the new building is completed.
The pre2ent system of includ ng an extra
period for educational activities has played
an enormous part in: boosting the standard
of gymnastics. More toys get a chan:::e to
practise during school hours and do not
have to do so after school is over. The
additional period provokes a greater interest
in this sport, which previously never got
the attention it deserved. This was hardly
surprising, because nobody got sufficierrt
practice. About forty boys constitute a
class and there are forty minutes to a
period. Hence each boy gets two minutes
of practice a week-as each class has two
P. T. periods a week.
Finally, on behalf of the gymnasts, I
would like to thank Mr. Morecroft, Mr.
Muzumdar and Mr. Karki for their tireless
efforts arrd co-operation in making this
year's gymnastics such a success.
K. Mukerji,

XII A.
HOCKEY
Jimmy S. Billimoria

Std. XII
'lhc hockey season started as soon as
school re-operred at the beginning of the
year. The new-boys, th:s year, did not sho""
their usual interest and abiLty for the game
and as a result the school team had to be
built up of boys who were re.iected from the
previous year's team. This year's team had
as many as seven new players. However,
through constant practice ("ncluding morning training) the boys played good hockey
and gave the team the appearance of a
strong Cathedral First Eleven.

KITTY KITTY-an important traditional sport .

This year's 1st eleven seemed to have a game with both teams trying hard. In the
bottomless appetite for practice. Through- end our opponents proved the better side by
out the season the team was playing mat- scoring twice. I sincerely hope that these
ches on three evenings a week plus attend- friendly inter-school fixtures continue.
ing regular morning practices. I am certain
We played outside games against Our
the good standard that we managed to Lady of Dolours, St. Stanislaus and Christ
attain, at approximately in the middle of Church schools. Against the first two teams
the season, was due to nothing but these we lost by the odd goal whilst we beat
very frequent practices.
Christ Church. We also defeated a strong
This year games were re-started with L.I.C. team by 3 goals.
Bishop &hool, Poona. In the under-14
The house matches were an exciting
match our opponents scored first and appear- affair: Palmer winning the honours in the
ed to be the stronger side, but our juniors, seniors followed by Barham, Savage and
playing a very determined game, clinched Wilson. In the juniors \Vilson and Savage
the issue by 2 goals to 1. The senior game tied for first position and Palmer and Barstarted off brilliantly with both teams play- ham for third position.
ing a fast and intelligent game. However,
Arr outstanding feature in this year's
our boys combining effectively proved to be hockey was that the "Cathedral Past and
the much superior side by netting three Present" entered in the senior Aga Khan
good goals.
Tournament. Five of us: S. Jain, H. Sathe,
We played against a C.O.B.A. eleven J. P. Billimoria and J. S. Billimoria were
which was strerrgthened by the inclusion of selected to represent the team. We played
a couple of masters. The game was well against a strong Indian Navy side and alcontested with the Old Boys scoring first though we lost convincingly the game provbut then the school struck back by striking ed an excellent opportunity for the boys.
the board on three occasions. With these
At the end of the season 'colours' were
successes the boys, bustling with confidence, awarded to two members of the 1st eleven:
faced the Staff in the official game. We had vice-captain H . Sathe and J. P . Billimoria.
defeated the masters in a couple of practice
Before I end I must take the opportunity
games but then in the vital match I wonder in thanking Mr. J. Pande who has taken a
personal irrterest in promoting the sport
how the Staff do it!
In the first week of April Barnes School, and adding to its popularity amongst our
Deolali, came to play us. It was a good boys.

29

CLUBS
THE SCIENCE CLUB
The ScieP.ce Club was opened for boys
and girls from Stds VII, VIII and IX in June.
The main object of the club is to provide
facilities for out of class activities connected with any ~spect of Science of Technology.
The Chemistry group has been making powder, scents , soap etc. The Electronics group
sets and even an amplifier. A Science Gazette has been produced three times by journalistic scientists. On Wednesday evening8 ,
the laboratory has been full of dissected
frogs, wireless noise, telephone commumcations, excitmg brews bubbling over bunsens and Gazette editors heatedly discussing the next issue!
THE SCIENCE EXHIBITION ,
The Exhibition was held just before tht:.
Diwali holidays. All the activities of the
Science Club were represented. Over 1500
people visited the Exhibition, including our
own students, some from other schools, ~a
rents, and teachers.
Burmah Shell photographers also came to
photograph a model oil refinery which boyc;
and girls had made. A very popular item
was a frog's heart which was made to beat
artificially by dripping a special solution
through it. Radio programmes could not only
be heard from crystal sets but seen on the
cathode ray oscilloscope. Collections of
pressed flowers and insects were on display
as were some ingenious geographical
models, a hydroelectrically lit village and
many beautiful charts. There were many
other exhibits all of which contributed to a
very happy and exciting week. We hope
that with more publicity next year's exhibition will be even more successful.

30

REPORT ON INTER-SCHOOL
ELOCUTION
This year the school Elocution team excelled themselves in the Inter-School Elocution contests organised by various organisations of Bombay. These competitions are
held annually and all the leading schools in
Bombay participate in them. These competitioas are organised to give students t.he
art of public speaking. Our competitors were
definitely of a higher standard than any
other school. They were commended on their
high standard and their natural way of
speaking. Although the competition from
certain schools was stiff, our boys had
more grace, poise and eloquence than any
other competitors. This was proved by the
fact that for every competition they entered, they won.
The first competition was organised by
"Youths Own Union". There the team A.
Aboody and R. Singh won the trophy for
the school. The second was organised by
the "Nowroze Baug Play ,C entre" for the
"Bai Jerbai K. Modawala" challenge trophy.
This was won by Homi Bhedwar for the
school. R. Singh was placed third. Homi
Bhedwar went on to win the coveted, "Lovjl
Cama Memorial Trophy" for the school. A.
Aboody was placed third. These two created a record by scoring 187 out of 200
points.
The year was a good year for the school
in this field, as the teams brought great
credit to the school. The credit goes entirely to the boys and I congritulate them for
their creditable performance during the
various competitions. I am sure that this
is only the beginning of such successes for
the school.

CATHEDRAL CAMERA CLUB

The C. C . C., guided by Mt". R. Smith, came
nto existencP at the beginning of the second
term this year with an mitial membership
of around sixty hoys mostly from the middle
and l'enior school. Its aim is to encourage
interest in learning photographic processes
and takil1g good pictures, and lo introduce
beginners co a new and absorbing hobby.
Thanks to the generosity of members and
their parents, we haYe been able to set up
a darkroom equipped with two enlargers
and all other necessary equipment, with the
result that many members are now able to
develop and print their own negatives. In
addition, nearly all members with box
tameras have learned how to produce 'Con
tact' prints, and recipes for new und ever
more rapid developing solutions are being
tried out in the Chemistry Laboratory.

a.a.a.

The next pru.Ject rs the building of our

own enlurger. The largest developments are
the division of the Club into two sections,
Seniors and Juniors, and the monthly publication of our best photographs before the
end of term.
HINDI LIGHT MUSIC CLUB
A. Malani (SecretMy)

Std. X.
The Hindi Light Music Club was formed by
Mr. J. N. Pantle in order to help the boys
who admire and play Hindi music. This
well-organised club has a chairman, secretary and a representative from every class
to aid it in its functions. The four masters
who are members are Mr. Pantle, Mr. Khandakar, Mr. Hazarrris and Mr. Pandey. It is
open to any boy who can play Hindi music.

members at work in thp School Dark Room

31

Modern Mu$ic catches

011

quick among the Senior boys (and girls

GEOGRAPHY CLUB VISIT

M. Goghavala

STD X.
In the Geography Club meeting we were
told that we would be going on a trip to the
Phoenix M:i!ls. On 5th November we went
after lunch with Mrs. Karat and Mr. FullerSessions.
At the mills we were shown around by a
guide. First we were taken to the mixin15
room where the guide explained how they
mix the different types of cotton into different percentages. The cotton is then taken
to the blow-room where it is spun into fine
thread at different stages.

32

1)

This thre?.rl is then passed through a sizing machine which strengthens the thread;
it is then spun irrto cloth or looms. These
looms are automatic, eight looms can be
looked after by one man. The guide showed
us how the cloth is passed through a J-box
which blearhes it. It is then sent to the dyeing room where it is dyed different colours
or printed into various designs. The cloth
is then dried with a steam dryer after which
it is sent to the packing room, where it is
stamped and packed ready for the market
or export.
The guide therr took us to the mills canteen where we were served with refreshments.

Scie:::n..ce C1-u..b
Geogzaaphy C1-u..b
1"-1:-u..sic
.,

The
The

C1-u..bs

Ca~ezaa

C1-u.. b

B o y Sco-u..t s

T h e S.P.C . .A.. C1-u..b

Dzaa::n:i.atics
Do your bit to add to these clubs and activities in 1966 !

The Satellites one or our very own groups-swing into orbit at school socials
and other events.

SCOUTING
B. Bayley T IL.
To a casual observer in the school hall
or at the front gate, it would seem that
the scout troop has been doing very little
active work. This impression is caused by
the small number of scouts in the troop.
Never has the enthusiasm to join the scouts
betn so low. This is perhaps one of the
drawbacks of having a voluntary scout
troop. Ours is the smallest troop to date,
and the beginning of the year, when we
were faced with more recruits tha r: actual
srcuts, we thought it to be the most incftlcient. But all our expectations proved otherwise. For its size and capacity, our troop
has done very well.
The first activity of the year was the
CRmporee in March. Here our scouts showed 5Teat promise by standing fourth out of
all th~ troops in East Bombay. The youngsters responsible show great signs of devEloping into a good senior troop in a year's
time.
The second term opened with much more
work on our hands. We were determined co
make ail our new recruits Tenderfoots within the first two months and the sessions,
notebooks, demonstrations, knotting tests
and all began irr a big way. Now we have
only 4 non-Tenderfoots who should complete badgework by December.
Having brought the entire troop to a
Tenderioot Level, with the exception of
ah.mt 6 Second Class boys, we began training the scouts in Second Class tests-signalling, first aid, trailing, pioneering. 1966's
troop should be a solid one.
Our investiture ceremony was the bigge'lt wa had to date. Hitherto, it has been
a private affair between scouts, T[L and SIM
but thi;; year we invited the Parents and
the School Staff to attend a more organised investiture. Here we invested seven
Tenderfoots and two First Class Scouts. The
cup for the Best Scouts of 1964 was shared by A. Aboody, our ex-T \L, and B. Bayley.

34

As far as our relationship with the East

Bombay District Association is concerned,
we may not have attended all their camps
but we actually helped as much as we
could, buying tickets and procuring advertisements for their film show "ON THE
DOUBLE" in September this year. It was
a gooci show and a good effort.
At the close of the patrol Championship
the winners were a mere five points ahead
o~ the second patrol and our final meeting
dEeide,i the winners-the Eagle Patrol.
Th'~ Best Scout Trophy this
awarded to F. Deboo.

year

WliS

My thanks are extended to Mr. Frowd,

our S IM who gave up much of his time for
us; the P lLs Bhedwar, Sanjana and David
who in spite of their exam work kept in
close contact with the boys; and the boys
themselves, however few, for responding to
us this year.
Good scouting to you all.
LIBRARY NOTES
Secretary: N. Godbole Std. XI B
Vice Secretary: X. Colah Std. XI B
In spite of the limited space in which the
library finds itself, the number of our patrons has not decreased appreciably. Although the books are arranged in a more
or less haphazard manner, the same pleasure is obtained by reading them, as can be
testified to by the many boys who wend
their way towards this "literary haven," as
a former secretary so lovingly calLed it,
when the Educational Activities period
begins.
With teachers demanding more factual
knowledge about diverse subjects than ever
before, the old, dusty Encyclopaedias have
suddenly become popular. Situated above
them, Blackshirt, Perry Mason. the Toff
and Gideon, former favourites, glare with
horror and disapproval.
The magazines are still the most-read
material in the Library. Old, well-thumbed
numbers of "Post", "Punch" and "Sport

and Pastime" lie scattered all over the place, er to collect fines and other dues, but distemptirrg the casual passer-by to recline in pensed with the services of a Joint-Secrean armchair to peruse their contents.
tary. The Middle School Library system
This year, Mr. McArthur took charge of continues in its usual, inefficient manner.
the Literature Section, leaving us with more
In conclusion, I would like to thank all
modern books. New reading material is con- the monitors, among whom David Sassoon
tinually arriving, thanks to Mr. D'Souza, to and Kuldip Gurtu deserve special mention,
fi ll some of the creaking cupboards, left for their collection, and Messrs. D'Souza
bare by the removal of Dickens, Trollope, McArthur and Mehta for their untiring
and the other "old timers".
efforts to make the Library function sueWe decided to contirruc having a Treasur cessfully.

Glimpses of
Speech Day 65
The Schools were h onoured when Sri S. K.
Patil, the Union Minister for Railways,
kindly agreed to give away the prizes at
the Jehangir Hall gathering.

Above

Meher Kotwal being congratulated

over her prizes.

Left

Albert Aboody receiving his Std.

XII prizes.

3.5

THE
GIRLS

SCHOOL CONCERT

BEFORE ..... .
Highlighting all the other numerous activities which take place during the second
term is the Anrrual Concert. All the class
teachers produce and direct (sometimes
even write!) short, mostly humorous, plays
in aid of school charities.
Everyone thoroughly enjoys these productions; and we have our reasons too!
Plays mean many hours of rehearsing action3, expressions and positions. This means
play practice, two words everyone in our
alma mater loves. (This, of course, as long
as they are not used in connection with
~aturdays and
Sundays). As far as the
girls are concerned, rehearsals must take
place during the time normally utilized for
lessons. So, amidst loud pushing of tables
and chairs, and the cries of joy, the class
concerned stampedes down to the Hall for
a play practice. Usually, those who aren't
acting in the play make the most noise.
Quite naturally, rehearsals aren't quite
as simple as that. Often there is a mistake, and two clas~es face each other in the
hall, crying for the rii;ht to rehearse on the
stage. While the "Almi~hty Ones" discuss
!he matter. the "Little Beasts" prefer to
fight it out '"ith words. The defeated
party slinks out, throwin~ condescending
remarks over their shoulders; the victors
utter loud war cries ard iump on the sta<?;e.
'T'here arc> othr-r d"ffi,.,ult.'es. These include

36

the inevitable task of finding a play with

many characters in it; when one is found,
the heroine refuses to learn her lines correcU y; e\'cryone has a "wonderful" (unwanted) suggestion to make. The noisy
rehearsal in classrooms disturbs the nextdoor neighbours, and in\'ite vicious glances.
Gradually the play develops. At first it
is painfully slow, but the jokes are immensely funny. As time p:-rsses, the tempo becomes feverish, and the jokes no longer
seem funny; tempers become short and
long-lasting. The final problem crops upcostumes !
Eventually it's time for the Dress Rehearsal. It's painful to dress the juniors!

The bunnies lose their tails, the ears (bunnies') refuse to stand erect; fairies' wings
get torn; and flower::; shed their petals! So
everything has to te stitched and pinned
all over again. Ba:::kstage, a series of frenzied voices recite their parts mechanically.
The play be~ins. Everyone sails through
hc1 part, and the sigh of relief as they disappear into the wings is almost audible.
After a joke there is a pause. Yes, there's
a titter (th ou;:;h it does sound like a friend) .
Heartc fill with pride as th0 rehearsal goes
on. But this is only what happens before ..
Mandira Banrrji.
AFT~P.

...

What can one write on 'After'? I am sure

that you do not know-, anc1 I am surer still
that I do not. The concerts are over and
the only thing, that-to my way of thinking-can happen, is the rutting away of

props. Of course one will observe certain

girls congratulating others on their success
(fervently hoping that the compliment will
be returned). Naturally each play's success was spectacular and there was thunde-

Little Red Riding Hood

The Water Sprinkler
The Crimson Coconut
The Impostor
Outpatients
My Fair Lady (Extract)
Je ne vais pas a !'Ecole
Gujerati Dances
Rama and Sita
The Little Green Man
The Monster

I may indulge in slang-a smashingly, successful success.

But, leaving aside talks of our so-called
success let us review the after effects of the
concerts. Great are lhe universal lamentations that now 'play practices' are over till
next year and th1t there will be no more
wasting lesson time. However the enterprising orres have thought up an 'after-concert tradition.' After the plays an unsuspecting teacher walks up to whichever clas.;
is down on her time table and tries to start
the lesson. However, she is besieged by
apparently cager appeals, from the students,
to give her opinion of the play. Thrilled at
finding herself so popular, arrd the class so
seemingly attentive, she clears her throat
and commences her opinion. After some 15
minutes of her oratory she makes a startling discovery! Hardly anyone is ~aying
attention to her! Disillusioned and dismayed she angrily orders all those who have not
been listening to her out of the class. Ima
ofoe her feelings when she finds that no
~ne is left in the classroom. With a sour
glare at the bad girls lirred up outside the
class she hurries up to the staff room to
seen to by onr capable teachers. With warn other teachers o'.lly to find that they,
the exception of the few usual blunders
.
too, have lived and learned.
(made by the few usual blunderers, who~e
Frainy Ardesh1r
names I shall not take) everything was-if

rous applause after every item; but rhtrr,

should we bear in mind i.hat the audience
nearly wholly cor:s.sted of beaming parent..,,
who heartily clapped everytime their blushing, tongue-tied off-spring (after much
prompi.ing and pushi1tg) lisped a line or
two? However, if we leave the truth of the
matter aside, it can easily be saiJ that the
acting, producing, scenery. etc., were perfect.
Anyway, from the Juniur St.:hool's pantomime to Std. X's Hindi Play everything was

37


Maitrye Karnte

Jennifer Meier

Madhu Kataryia

Tl1e Cri11iso11 Coron11t

Meenal Nevaskar

Dolly Greewa1

Left to Right

Siraj Sayani

Homi Billimoria
Erna Maneckshaw

SCHOOL

\TRIPS

THE AURANGABAD TRIP

An &ctract from the Journal of SUN/TA
ADVANI.

STD. X.
Dear Diary:
Amidst cries of
'Bye', and 'Don't lean out of the window',
the Bombay-Howrah Express, carrying
some 50 Cathedralites to Aurangabad,
slowly pulled out of the V. T. station. Most
of the night we sang and ate, until our voices cracked and rations ran low.
Friday, 27th August. - We changed trains
at Manmad at 1. 30 a. m. We were tired cold
and very sleepy. The bunks were a~fully
hard, and our backs were sore after we'd attempted to sleep for a little while. We arrived at Aurangabad at 7 a. m. and walked to
the Tourist Bungalow. We washed and
changed and left for Ellora after breakfast.
We strolled around the caves and our guide
explained everythi11g. It was very interesting and the sculptures were very beautiful.
On the way back we visited Aurangzeb's

Thursday, 26th Aug1ist. -

tomb. After we'd finished, we returned to the

Bungalow and had lunch. In the afternoon
waves of fatigue rushed over us; the train
journey, little sleep, arrd the blistering sun,
had their effects, and we slept like logs. In
the evening we went into the city in rickshaws, and shopped. A campfire was the
highlight that night.
Saturday, 28th Aug.-We spent the

whole
day at Ajanta. We saw the famous Smiling
Buddha. The frescoes on some of the cave
ceilings were really lovely. The narrative
paintings were nice, too, but many have been
badly mutilated. We were much too tired to
do anything special in the evening, but many
of us went for long walks.
Sw1day, 29th Aug.-Today we saw the Dau-

latabad Fort, Bibi-Ka-Makbara, and Panchakki. They are all fairly near Aurangabad,
and most interesting. The Bibi-Ka-Makbara,
a miniature Taj Mahal, provided much pleasure. We shopped in the afternoon, arrd 9
p.m. found us at the station. The train
journey was strenuous and we had to change
compartments at asik Junction, where one

39

of our bogies caught fire. We were too excited to sleep after that, and so we ate and
played cards the whole night. Our arrival
in Bombay was delayed by 30 minutes because of the fire. We arrived here at 9 a.m.,
very, very tired, but still feeling buoyant
after our marvellous, most enjoyable trip.
I'd like to add that we had great fun
throughout the trip. Meals were hilarious
affairs and every n ight was practically
sleepless on account of creepy stories
and visions of white hands floating past the
windows. 'Ye'd like to thank the teachers for
being so patient with us, and also 1Ir. H.K.
Lala and his helpers for making our trip
such a success.
THE TRIP TO KASHMIR
Hilla Khursedj!

STD. X
A buzz of excitement swept through the
Cathedralites and the girls of the J. B. Petit
school, at Bombay Central. It was the 23rd
of Apr;l, and the trip to Kashmir was at last
being held positively, after much doubt b.:.cause of the Indo-Pak conflict.

We then travelled to Pahalgam where we

did about eighteen miles of pony-ridirrg, and
were thrilled to the core. Sometimes we
were <:;cared, though, when we saw the deep
valley below us. We also had a delightful
trc:asurc hunt there, after which most girls
must know small Pahalgam like the palms
of their hands. In the evenings we generally
went to the club, where we would have Jam
sessi01~s.

From Pahalgam we went to Srinagar and

from there to Gulmarg, where we stayed for
one day. Irr the morning we went to Khilanmarg, and sledged to our heart's content.
Later, we visited an observatory and then
went to the club.
From Gulmarg we went back to Srinagar.
and saw the three beautiful gardens. After
that we started our journey back home stopping on the way at Delhi to sec the Lok
Sabha, and at Agra to see one of the w0Ede1s of the world, the Taj Mahal.
We finally came back to good old Bombay, after having a really wonderful time
on the trip.
TF{E TRIP TO MOUNT ABU
S. and R. Shah

The train soon steamed into Bombay Ce11tral, and after a mad rush for seats an rl
hundreds of farewells, we were off.
I<'irst of all, we went to Agra, where we
saw tht Agra Fort, and later on Fatehpur
Sikri. After that we had to stand the sticky
heat, hot drinking water and dirty JOUrnE.y
to Delhi, but it was all part of the fun.
Here, we saw the Prime Minister's museum,
the Kutub Minar, the Delhi Fort, and various temples.
li'rom Delhi, we went on to Pathankot,
and from there to cool Srirragar. That was
real change of climate! Most of us were
seerng snow for the first time on the mountain tops. At Srinagar we stayed in con.fortable houseboats, and we spent quite a
few da.ys there, visiting a silk factory, a
mu3eum and a hill top temple.

40

STD. IX
Wednesday 25th August was a normal
school day for everyone except the 12 boys
who were bound with Mr. Mazumdar fur
M0unt Abu, one of the beauty spots of
India. We travelled by trairr via Ahmedabad
and. by bus from Abu Road up the exciting
road to the hill station 5,000 feet above the
plains.
Tl:e party visited Sunset Point, to look
do,vn on the plains; we boated on Nakki
Lake and visited Aehalgarh Fort-but the
highlight was the Dilwara Temples. Their
beauty made us feel very relir;ious, particularly those who, like ourselves, are Jains.
In Ahmedabad on the return jourrrey we
spent the morning sight-seeing in a luxury
bus and in the evening caught the train
back to Bombay.

A STUDY IN COMPARATIVE LITERATURE.

-Tile Nature of the Epic.

Anjna Merchant

XITB

An epic answers the basic needs of th3 human spirit. It portrays the ideal kind of
man, the Hero, who differs from ordinary mortals because he has qualities wh1c1 1 they
possess to a less exlent. Even when lie ha8 supernatural powers and is even more noble
because of them, "they do little more than supplement his essentially human gifts."
The admiration of great deeds lies deep
in the human heart, and "heroes are the
champions of man's ambition to pass beyond
the oppressive limits of hum::tn frailty to a
fuller and more vivid life. to win as far as
possible a self-sufficient manhood, which refuses to admit that anything is too difficult for it, and is content even in failure,
provided that it has made every effort of
which it is capable."
DR!GHT HONOUR
Honour, the Greek philosophers believed,
was the important element in the human
soul which could distinguish itself in great
actions. Thus it becomes the matter for
many epics of different nations and ages.
Delving into the past, to the time of Hesiod
( c. 600 B. C.), we find that he described
heroes who fought at Thebes and Troy as "a
worthy race ... divine, heroic-as demigods
they are known." This idea is reflected in
Homer's Iliad and in the fourth century
B. C. Aristotle regarded honour not only as
"the prize appointed for the noblest deeds"
but as "the greatest of external goods."
The idea was not only confined tu the
Greeks. The 'chevalier' of the French epic is
in every way a Greek hero, as is the ~panish
'caballero', the Anglo-Saxon 'cempe', the
Russian 'bogatyr', the German 'held', the
Norse 'jarl', the Tartar 'batyr', the Serb
'yunak', the Albanian 'turn', the Uzbek
'pavlan' and the Indian 'mahapurt.i:;h' or
'avatar'. We find in the French epic, The
Song of Roland. that the hero Roland deferred blowing his horn until too late and
died aft.er a brave fight against heavy odcls,

at Roncesvalles, for the sake of honour, fo1

France, for the men of his race and for his
overlord Charlemagne. In the Roman epic,
The Aeneid, Dido dies for a different kind of
honour when Aeneas, the hero, deserts her.
Even in the mediaeval epic of England, the
Arthurian Cycle-stories about King Arthur
and his knights-we find that the Knights
of the Round Table prefer a brave and
honourable death to a comfortable safe life.
HONOUR IN INDIA
And this idea of honour was not restricted
to the European epics only, for we find it
also in The Ramayana and The .Mahabharata. the two ancient Indian epics.
It was for the sake of honour that Rama
deserted Sita, and Sita accepted it not because Rama considered her impure, but
because she krrew that his honour was at
stake.

Man's basic needs never change and the

epic reflects these needs, whatever the age
or the nation. It has a universal appeal.

41

The epic follows certain kinds of plots,

which form the basic characteristics of life
itself.
THE SEARCH
One such theme is The Quest or Search,
which has three variations: the search for
a person, for an object or for a home.
In Homer's Odyssey, Telemachus, the son
of Ulysses, was still a child when his father
went to the Trojan War. At the end of the
war, Ulysses lost his way home to
Ithaca, and Telemachus accompanied by the
goddess Athene went to seek him. In The
Ramayana, Valmiki describes the search of
Rama for Sita, when she was stolen by the
rakshas Ravana in the guise of a golden
deer.
Many epics describe the search for an
object. The King Arthur stories tell us about
the quest for the Holy Grail. In Malory's
Marte d' Arthur Galahad was given a
white shield with a red cross which Joseph
of Arimathea had given to the good king
Evalak. There follow his many adventures
when various knights like Lancelot have
glimpses of the Grail. Lancelot is warned
to withdraw because of his sins; Gawain is
tired and gives up the quest. Finally Galahad, Percival and Bors arrive at the castle
of Carbonek, see the holy vision of the
Saviour and receive the Grail from his hands.
In The Mahabharata one of the stories
relates the quest for 'amrut' - the sacre:i
juice which gave immortal life to anyone who
c1 rank it -undertaken by both demorrs and
gods. One of the earliest epics. from B?.bylon, relates Gilgame5h's quest for immortal
lif He is d;sconter.ted with his life as il king.
Women and entertainments do not s ~ti g f'J
him and so he starts out orr the aucst which
could give him what he wantc<l. Fortunately
or unfortunately he obtains the he1 b afti:>r
divin~ into a peal but as he lies exhauste:i
on the bank a crab crawls up and swallows
it. Gilgamesh returns home a wiser man for
his experience, but still mortal.
0

4-2

In one Greek epic, Jason and the Argonauts start out on the quest for the Golden
Fleece. Jason has been deprived of the
throne of Iolchos which his uncle Pelias has
usurped. To get rid of him, Pelias said he
would surrender his throne if Jason would
bring him the fleece. Jason undertakes the
expedition, embarked in the Argo with the
travest of the Greeks and with the help of
Medea in Colchis wins the prize.
EPICS TODAY
Modern thrillers use this device of
r.carch for clues to find a murderer.

the

In the more modern prose epics like Gone

with The Wind are vivid descriptions such as
Margaret Mitchell's presentation of Scarlett
O'Hara's search for a home, between her
flirtations with Rhett Euler and the turbulent time:; of the American Civil War. This
book also contains the heroic conflict, another characteristic of the epic. Leon Uris'
Exodus also reveals the poignant search for
a home, this time of the Jewish race, homeless for two thousand years away from their
promised land.
WARS AND RIDDLES
The heroic conflict appears in The Iliad,
where a ten-year war is fought to recover
the beautiful Helen, whom Paris, prince of
Troy, had carried away. In particular, it
deals with the wrath of Achilles, at the
slight put upon him by Agamem!lon, leader
of the host, and his final return to the field
of battle. The Mahabharata narrates th2
massive battle of the Pandavas and the
Kauravas; Firdausi, the Persian poet, wrote
the great epic The Shahnameh, which recounted the stirring deeds of the Persian
kings and heroes from earliest times. Matthew Arnold, inspired by the brief Errglish
translation of part of the epic, produced
Sohrab and Rustom. Strangely enough it
bears marked resemblances to the original,
though the poet had not read it.
Solving the Riddle is very characteristic
of the epic. We find it in the story of

,,

,.

Oedipus and the Sphinx, when Oedipus

offered to relieve the city of Thebes of this
morrster. He succeeded, and-according to
the custom-became king of Thebes and
married the former queen, who was his
mother, although he did not then know it.
The riddle device is also to be found in
many of the stories of the Indian epics,
especially in the Svayamvara ceremonies,
and when the gods disguise themselves as
beggars or saints an:d ask the king riddles
to test his faith and courage. King Vikram
of Ujjain was famous for this sort of thing.
The exploits of the hero are what appeals
to most of the readers. They share his
triumphs, bear his tragedies and thrill at
his romances. The more ancient literature

Emphasises his physical exploits, like the

Greeks who describe the Twelve Labours of
Hercules, like Valmiki who praises the
deeds of Rama and Vyas who extols the
Pandavas' brav;) actions. King Arthur's
stories centre on saving damsels in d~stress
and other such noble deeds. Modern novels
do also touch on these points. but they lay
more emphasis on the intelligence of the
hero, his capabil.ty at handling a situation,
like James Bond or Sherlock Holmes.
An epic becomes more human and realistic, if the hero is not shown perfect, and
it is noticed that nearly all the great epic
heroes have ::>. fatal flaw, like Samson's
weakness towards woman, and Roland's
weakness in hi s pride.
THE TEMPLES OF SOUTH INDIA

I must admit it was a most rewarding experience.

Tiruchirapalli, which before independence
was called Trichinopoly, was the first place
to which I went. There are only three interesting temples in this town: the Srirangam Temple, the Rock Fort Temple and
the Tambubeshwara or Apulingum Temple.
Most temples in South India have one or
more than one gapuram which is an ornamental tower on top of the main gate leading into the temple. On top of the shrine
rises another tower different in shape to the
gapuram, called a Shikhara.
Srirangam was the first temple I saw. In
fact it is a township within a temple. This
magnificent temple had seven enormous
gapurams, different from each other and
reaching a height of 125 feet. The gapurams here, as everywhere, have a granite
base on: which some carvings are executed.
The rest of this tower consists of brick ana
plr-ster which also has ornate figures and
designs. Srirangam temple was built by
the Cholas in about the 10th century. It has
been in constant use and is therefore in a
remarkably good state of preservation. The

J. J. Gm:der

Std. IX
Shikhara in this temple is covered with 22
carat gold leaf which proves how fabulously rich the Cholas dynasty must have been to
conceive and erect such a structure.
Srirangam is a Vishnava temple, and
therefore there was reclining figure of
Vishnu in the sanctum. No one except the
priests are allowed into this most holy of
places. I was given 'Prasad' and holy
water by the priests. The guide who took
us round the temple was an extremely funny
old man. He had worked in the Resene
Bank of Madras prior to his retirement and
was now eking out a living by taking people
round the temple.
Another very interesting thing I saw
here was mummified body of Ramanuja,
the philosopher who codified Hindu Philosophy. The body itself looked as if it was
made of a brown: sort of plaster of Paris.
By the time we finished seeing everything, my legs were very tired, but t~day I
feel that what I saw that day was mdeed
worth the discomfort.

43

THE SAD DUTY

Naval Kumar

XA
The 'Shenai' played a sad song as the new
bride got into the car, to be taken far away
-to her husband's house . The song advised her to forget her old house an~ its occupants but instead the husband's house
and its occupants should be respected arrd
loved .
The bride turned around for the last time
to look at her house, the house where she
had stayed for twenty long years. She felt
like running back, but she was helpless.
Tears rolled down her cheek; her eyes
were red and she was literally trembling.
The car moved, a scream was heard, and
a lady fainted. That lady was the girl's
mother. The bride was her one and only
child. The father was locked in a room due
to fears that he might have a heart attack

LIFE IS HARD
Dan Hillel
XE.
Before we say that life is not easy, we could
contemplate how much h arder it could
have been. Think about the millions
of people for whom life is r eally hard.
Think about the
millions of starving
children who have had to work for
their living even since they were five
years old. Think about the soldier now fight
ing in Kashmi r for whom life is one l::mg
strain waiting for the wrong bullet that
may come his way. Now think about me sitting in a Maths class doing my Errglish
Essay. Sitting in one of the most respecte:l
schools of Bombay. Now think about your
home-The comfortable home where you

44

seeing the 'doli'. Since the day he got a

daughter, he has loved h er even more t1:ian
his own soul, and in one minute this love is
shattered to pieces.
The only good thing one can see in a marriage is th-at the father has fulfilled a duty
which came on him as soon as the daughter
was born. But yet just when the duty is
fulfilled the father's heart breaks.
By a marriage a father loses his daughter,
a brother loses his sister and a sister loses
her sister. There is not a single person
in the house who does not shed tears as the
wife is taken away forever. These tears
are not of happirress but of sheer sadness.
There is no doubt that it is very sad to
think of losing a thing which belongs to
you. You have brought it up for twenty
tedious years but all this work is not for
yourself but for a person who will talk to
you for a few minutes and then after some
days takes your precious thing away.

will go for your scrumptious tea immediately school is over. Think about the millions
who do not enjoy all these luxuries!
Life for us upper middle class people is
one big party. "Boy bring this"-"Boy
bring that"-"How about the Morris"-"No
let's try a coffee bar", are some of our
everyday phrases. Which one of us people
who look at the next person's luxuries, make
a sour face, and complain that life is hard
docs not have his own hi-fi set, a refrigeratcr and a Fiat car'!
Let us first contemplatP the millions
starving, the millions homeless, the crippled
millions, and ourselves sitting in the most
respectable school's maths class doing English and then decide that life is hard for
some but 'cushy' for us.

.., 4

'TICK-TOCK-TICK!

2,500 VARIETIES

Akcel Bilgram1 :STD XA.

".

I look al my walch. It is a machine. I hear

it lick away and then I put my hand at my
heart; it is thumping away. The heart is a
machine. We are all machines, living in a
machine age.
Humanity is a machine. Machine in the
sense thal we work like a regular machine.
I get up, go to school, return at 4 o'clock
study from lhere onwards, and then sleep'.
This is a regular routine. I do this every
day. The watch ticks every second. There is
no difference.
The prospects are few, !he perils are
limited. I who am a machine have no pros pects. I am a schoolboy. I will be a deskman . Then also I will have a routine. I will
still be a machine.
My perils are limited to one. All people's
perils are so. I will eventually die, like a
smashed watch without the mechanism-I
will be given no more thought than a watch.
"Oh, he d;ed some years ago."-"Oh, yes
this watch is a new orre, the other one fell
and was smashed to pieces."
Actually humanity is a mechanical race.
A machine rare. As well as a mechanical
race for power. In this case there are two
prospect5. Some people achieve power. some
live and die harmless. But nevertheless they
try. Oh, yes. And how they try. It is
mechanical and every one is racing. Some
win, others lose.
I look at my watch and hear it tick. I
quickly put my hand at my heart. It thumps
mechanically. Am I racing? Of course.
I look at my friend. "Come here, Neville."
I put my hand at . his heart. "Oh, il is no
use, you are a mac:.hine as well, you cheep."
"Are you all right?" "Oh, yes. I am fine ."
But again I hear my watch. tick,
lick, tick
There is no end.

tick,

R. Pandit

STD VI.

Snakes are reptiles which have horny

scales on their bodies. Since they have no
limbs, they move by sliding along the ground
in a writhing movement. Once a year they
~hed their skins. They do not have any ears
or movable eyelids. The tongue is forked
and since they have no vocal cords they
make a hissing sound. They often have large
scales on their heads and they possess only
one lung. Snakes usually have the same
colour as their surroundings. They have a
peculiar way of eating.
Some snakes swallow their prey and then
coil themselves round a tree. In this way
the bones of their prey are crushed and they
are able to digest their food. A Boa Constrictor can kill an animal by coiling itself
round it, for it has tremendous power of
crushing. Small snakes eat insects and bigger snakes eat larger creatures. People believe that all snakes are poisonous but this
belief is wrong.
Out of the twenty-fi\'e hundred varieties,
only one fifth are poisonous. The most
poisonous American snake which has a fatal
bite is the rattle-snake. It is so named because of the rattling sound of its tail. ThP
Yiper is the only poisonous snake found in
Britain. The asp comes from the same family
and it was this snake \\'hich Cleopatra used
to kill herself. The Indian Cobra is a highly
poisonous snake. with a spectacle-like pattern on its head. Snake charmers use them
for their shows after removing their fangs.
The majority of t:nakes are non-poisonous.
The harmless gras -snake carr be distinfrom the other by its round head.
O'uished
0
.
The Garter snake, King snake, Ribbon
snake. Black snake are some example3 of
the non-poisonous snakes of North-America

45

TALICTNG OF FROGS ....... .

Suman Shyamsunder.

STD. X.
\Ye were asked to cut up Rana Temporaria,
which is not as strange as the name suggests, for it is none other than the common frog found in gardens and ponds.
All of us, Biology pupils, were looking
forward to the day of the dissection with
great eagerness. We were excited as this
was our first dissection on a living creature.
At first, it seemed very heartless to watch
the frogs writhing with pain, on being
chloroformed, but after a while, when they
lay lifeless and motionless in the glass tank
in which they were kept, our guilt at having
treacherously murdered them, subsided.
We now set up our apparatus needed for
the dissection, and cleaned the slime off thP.
frogs' bodies and laid them on our waxed
trays, all ready to slice. Some of us were at
first hesitant in picking up the surgical scissors and forceps, but the others gallantly
showed us the way.
With Mrs. Chacko's help we ripped open
the topmost layer of the victim's skirr and
waited impatiently to explore the strange
interior. By this time we had shed our
MY GRANDFATHER
Shirin Ghasvala

STD. V.
I love my grandfather very much He is
my father's father.
Though he is much
older than me he plays with me and tells
me wonderful stories.
My grandfather is seventy years old. He
is well-built and tall. He walks upright
and proudly. He dresses neatly and wears
a suit even on hot days. He has a pleasant
face with dark twirrkling eyes but he has
false teeth. His head is bald and he has a
border of grey hair at the back.
46

nervousness and fear and worked like professionals. Our next step was to cut open the
thin, though, tough membrane-the peritoneum-which disclosed the hidden organs.
What a remarkable sight we saw before us! All the miniature organs and
glands arranged more neatly than we
had expected. One very interesting point
we noted about the frog was, that
its heart continued functioning for about
two hours after death. The major veins and
blood-vessels could be seen running to all
parts of the animal's body.
After inspecting the various parts of the
frog's body and noting the important features, we cleaned all the flesh and muscles
on the skeletal system to visualise the
bones. We then preserved these bones for
the use of future Biology students.
Our success at having dissected the frog
very correctly and with patience was undoubtedly due to Mrs. Chacko's able guidance. What might have seemed a cruel and
heartless deed to others was an interesting
and memorable event for us. What a great
deal of knowledge we had obtairred from
the strange interior of a small animal like
the frog.
I call my grandfather Papa. He gives
me fifty paise every day as pocket money
which I have to save for further education
if I want to go to England.

My grandfather is sweet with me and

loves to play with children. He plays cards
with me and when I was very small he used
to play hide and seek.
My grandfather is a famous criminal
lawyer. He practises at the High Court in
Bombay. He deferrds people who do wrong,
steal or murder.
My grandfather is never idle. He works
hard the whole day and when he returns
home in the evening he is full of fun .

TEENAGER SHY!
Sunita Aclvani STD. X.

What a terrible day it had been!

The
memory of it occupies an undisturbed place
in my mind. When I think of how angry and
upset I had been, I feel amused now. I lay
back on the diwan, and let my thoughts
wander back to the days of my early teens.
The memory of that terrible day lives
vividly in my mind. I was then just a girl
of fourteen. I had been longing to have a
tight-dress tailored, with a plunging neckline at the back. Unfortunately for me, my
parents did not agree. "You are far too
young", was their comment. "Perhaps when
you are a bit older". Wild with anger and
disappointment, I had run out of the room
in tears.

of myself! In my nervousness, I had gone

out of tune. I ran out of the room and
wished I would never set my eyes on those
people again-but of course I did! And
what is more, they even congratulated me!
The thought makes me blush to this day!

I think all youngsters are terrorised

at the thought of first parties and dances.
For my first social, I entered the hall feeling very self-conscious. I felt as though
everybody was noticing how I was dressed.
The most embarrassing moment was when,
while jiving, I slipped and fell down. To
this day I do not know whose fault it wasAnother time, I was fifteen, I sat watching my partner's or mine. My friends had almy young sister and her friends playing in ways told me I was a good jiver. As I fell
the streets which were buzzing with excited to the floor, I was surrounded by a crowd
children. True, they were much younger who tried to appear sympathetic, but who,
than I, but the spirit of Holi captivates the it was quite obvious, were very amused by
hearts of all, young and old. Of course, I it all! To crown it all, I had to sit with my
was advised to stay at home, as I was too old new broken heels in my hand!
, and sophisticated to act in such a babyish
The worst part of being a teenager, I
manner! Teenage problems! Aren't they always think, is when adults refuse to take
funny? Either a little too old, or just a you seriously. Everything I said was dislittle too young! Just dangling in between! torted and twisted, and every slip of the
"Bold fifteen," they say, and "sweet tongue was exaggerated so much, until it
sixteen". I disagree. True, I was bold in became almost impossible to say anything
my own little group of friends, but stuttered without being condemned! If I got angry
fy
and stammered whenever I had to be intro- it only seemed to amuse them more.
duced to any of my mother's friends, and cousins who were otherwise very sweet to
put on a sweet smile and hypocritical ex- me, also seemed to enjoy teasing me, when
terior. I had always considered it a torture. in a large crowd.
My mother once insisted on my singing a
Now, on the pedestal of my teens, when
song in the presence of her friends. I argu- I have reached the age of nineteen, I think
ed and blushed but to no avail. I was pushed that teenage days arc the best, and perhaps
in front of the piano by her gushing friends, the worst and most amusing days. I feel
and as I expected, I made an absolute fool very experienced now that I am stepping
out of my teens! My heart bleeds for all
those youngsters, who are yet about to enter
their teens. But cheer up, youngsters, it
isn't as bad as it seems, once you step out
of your teens! !

47

ON HAYING A COLD

V. Sa11ja11a STD. XI A.

A_'\.A-CHOO ! That was another violent

outburst of my lungs and voice-box! And
there I was-a dwelle1 irr the twentieth
century, a so called "free" man-the slave
of one of the most distressing and depressmg of condit'.ons. the common cold!
Is it not Ye1y. vc1y surprising. that e\en
the greatest sc.entists. all of whom have at
some time er other experienced this malady,
have not been able to do a thing about it.::;
cure, or c;en its ;)revention? \Ve can cure
many mmc fatal disea!'es but fail with this
one. The only conclusion one can come to
is that the cold is not a minor illness, somethirrg to be disregarded and scorned, but
an all-powerful, omnipotent and fearful
demon, something that should, even at the
sound of it, make humanity quiver with
terror'
I was a victim.
Not that I had neve!'
been one before, but this time there were
going to te some grave consequences. It
was the 23rd of September. The whole of
that September was an exciting waitingroom-a time of nervous tension and intensive preparation. For, at the end of the
month were my very last "school" examination, the prelims, a mock doomsday.
I caught a cold. To some people, this
monst r is kind, and does not show its full,
never-ceasing wrath. But I was not one of
those people. All my great fear and respect for the examinations vanished. It was
replaced by a much more morbid fear-that
of being in misery, utter misery, with a
pounding head, a blocked nose, a very sore
throat, and plenty of other distress-inflicting side-effects.
My body and its defence installatiorrs and
equipment tried in vain to fight back the
enemy, but the thousands of invading germs
were more than a match for ii. It had

48

withstood typhoid, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis and a host o[ othe1 diseases, for I have
been through the most unhygienic conditions that ever could exist. But it was just
incapable of killing a few cold germs which
probably came from the man standing behind me in the ticket-queue at the station
the other day. And I cannot blame my
tody. After all, which body, human or
animal, can fight a cold, and tum out to be
successful? "Tot one, I think!
And so, my temperature shot up the
thermometer scale and steadied itself between 103 and 1'1 and I was not in any
condition to attend the chemistry examination the next day. Nor was I in any condition to worry aboe c that, the only thought
in my mind being, "When on earth will this
cold leave me and give me some peace?"
which was, indeed, a rhetorical question,
for nobody had any notion about the
answer! I was dosed with all sorts of drugs
(about 15 pills a day, I think) but the
germs took absolutely no notice of them,
and went on with their destructive work,
sapping the energy from not only my body,
but even my soul! I was in rro mood to de
anything, not even sleep, for the heat in
my body was so great that J could not lie
still in my bed in one position without be
coming extremely uncomfortable and hot.
And therr, suddenly, I became cold-icy
cold. The flu had decided to leave my body,
causing the temperature to drop a few degrees below normal. It had not decided to
leave me altogethe1, however. My blocked
nose still remained blocked, and my weak
ness persisted. It was with very low morale
that I left the hou se the next day to attend
the examination.
I was a wreck. I was the remains of a
looted body and s pirit.
Even Timur the
Lame, the great destroyer of prosperity,
wealth and culture, would feel ashamed
wherr compared with his modern counterpart, the common cold!

"

Golden Youth ... ?

"

No prizes for
correct guesses.

TRA \ ELLING COMPANIONS

Tchmi B. Omregar STD. IX

The train puffed and jolted through the

heat of the summer afternoon. On the sw1ward side of the carriage the wood shutters
were all up. but the white glare streamed
through the chinks. The hot gritty dust
swirled in from the other window, and
settled on the miserable upholstery.
Many hours passed. Morning passed into
ooon and noon turned into the shadows of
evening. The sunset was gorgeous, the horizon breathtaking. The mountains were deep
dark purple mounds in contrast to the vivid
colours above them. As I watched, the burning red sun disappeared and slowly colours
became muted. Orange turned to ochre, red
became golderr pink; all was pastel.
A child cried. I turned my heavy head
thinking to see a young baby crying. To my
astonishment it was not a baby but a thrceyear-old boy, as bare as a tree in autumn
and kicking violently at the rusty old tin
tmnks.
"Well, here is a biscuit. I'm sure you'll be
at least a shade better after your stomach
is full". This unreasorrable theory was pronounced by an ugly-looking woman, who
was the type who believed in giving food to
her child every time it cried, regardless of
the time or reason.
The biscuit was forcibly gulped down.
leaving a dirty face, smeared with its
rernnarrts.
"Oh, Lord, you are dirty already,"
shouted the harsh, clumsy mother, who was
in no better corrdition than her poor child.
"You will have to be washed again".

so

Washing was not the right word. She

swooped the child on to her waist and rushed off to the one and only foul-smelling
bathroom. There she flopped the child to the
slippery floor and poured mugs of cold tap
water from head to toe. This amused me a
great deal and compared with our oily and
dust-laden faces, I thought that the cleanest
in our compartment was that child.
All are not the same. There was an old
villager sleeping next to me, with sweat
rolling down the curves of his face to his
bare neck. A fly explored his twitching eyelids and his operr, snoring mouth which
revealed a set of yellow teeth.
When the Madras Express halted at an
insignificant village, the man got up with a
start and after a moment of unnecessary
bargaining, finally bought an orange arrd a
slice of melon. He loosened the dirty piece
of cloth tied round his waist and sat sucking oranges, the juice dripping down on the
torn, crumpled pages of the Times of India
spread across his knees. The melon's turn
was next. He then picked up the slice which
was indeed as red as a rose, and after admiring it dug his teeth into it. Very soon
he did what I expected from him.
Quite contented with the tasty pulp he
spat the pips inrrocently round my feet.
I wished I had taken a first-class ticket,
it would have been worth the extra cost, for
a little more shade, a little less dust and
travelling companions slightly better mannered and less gross.
I slept quietly, disgusted with my surroundings, the slow rhythmic beat of the
train echoing in my ears.

are you a good 111111il ~

Standard X psychologists have carefully
prepared this test for all Cathedralites.
You can keep your answers lo yourself but
make sure you tell yourseli the truth!

1.

2.

(a) Do you study just to earn a good

mark?
or (b) Do you study because you are
keen to know and learn more
of what you are studying?
(a) Are you satisfied with your results?
or ( b) Do you always try and improve
your results?

3.

(a) Do you pay attention to what

the teacher says in class?
or (b) Do you feel that you can always
read up the text book at home?

4.

(a) If you have gained a good mark

by using unscrupulous methods,
do you feel that. you have
achieved something?
or ( b) Do you think that such methods
will get you nowhere in the long
run?
5.
(a) Do you feel that your study and
homework stands before all personal pleasures?
or ( b) Do you give way lo tern pting
pleasures. like seeing a film?
6.

(a) If you have gained "- high grading or percentage of marks do

you think your duty for the
school is over?

or (b) Do you think that taking part

in sports is an essential part of
your school duties and must be
met with equal importance as
your studies?
7.
(a) Do you respect your school and
arc you loyal to it.?
or (b) Do you feel that it is an educational institution which makes

you work and sweat unnecessarily?

8.

(a) If

a master has scolded you unjustly by mistake, do you give

him a \'olley of cheeky replies?

or (b) Do you politely explain the mistake he or she has made.

(a) Do you try to gain cheap popu9.
larity with your friends by behaving rudely wi~h a teacher?
or (b) Do you feel that you may become popular with your friends
but you arc bringing down the
level of your self respect?
10.

(a) Are you proud of being a student of the Cathedral School?

or (b) Are you willing to lay aside
your tie, for any other school?

ANSWERS

HOW

Give yourself one mark for

each correct answer.
l
b
b
2
a
3
b
4
a
5
b
6
a
7
b
8
b
9
a.
10

GOOD

A PUPIL YOU

ARE.

If you ha\'e answered

this whole set of

questions honestly and truthfully and have
got 8 out of 10 or more, you are a good
pupil and will make a useful citizen.
6 or 7 -

You are a fairly good pupil.

4 or 5 -

Pull up your socks before it

is too late!
If you did not get 4 or more you have
failed to be a worthy pupil of the school
rather badly. Still. it is never too late. we
hope.

51

ALAS, POOR WORLD!

A. H'ad XB

If you open the door of lhe medicine cabinet in my bathroom, you will inevitably sec
a variety of medicine containers and other
medical &pp:iratus. On delving further into
thi:i forest of lints and boltlcs you will
come across a severr inch, two hundred and
twt.nty millimetre bottle with the word 'Li\icrcn' printed on it in bold black letters a~
if it were proud of its identity.

A fouler e:uncoction has ne;er ever be-e1i

dreamed of by man in his entire history .
Socrates must haYe drunk poison as an al
ternati\e to 'Livicron '. Frankly, I wouJJ
ha\'e done the same in his place.
And yet it is so innocently packed aivl
displayed as if it were for your own good.
I think it is only fair to describe this vile
thir.g to you so that in your life, if you
ever come across it you wil! say, ''Ah, this
is 'Livicron'. Throw the dashed lhirrg away! "

When it if; bought, il come::; in a rectanThere's a noise let loose like a thunder-clap,
As Davidson gives Aggarwal a slap.
Ambika asks, "Pray what do you munch?"
And Haren replies "I'm eating my lunch".
There's Matook flexing his skinny hand ,
Trying to make his muscles expand.
The morritor is trying in vain,
To get the whole class quiet again .
Sassoon cackles like a hen,
\Vhile Shabbir scribbles with his pen.
Tara is trying to be a clown,
Jacob just will not sit down.
Ramesh and Cyrus exchange their news,
While Shiv the detective studies his clues.
Kiran Wagle a box lets fly,
And Chetan returns with a box in the eye.
In the front of the class. with a bag for the
Wicket,
Dolly and company start playing cricket.

52

gular box. This is stupid s111ce

is oval-shaped-It is brown and
low label on it. I wonder who
are who suply these bottles to
Inc'. The bedstly things refuse
No. don't look at me like that!

the bottl e
has a yelthe fiends
'Livirron
to break.

The bottl~ has a narrow mouth, presum

ably to ret~in its poterrcy.
The liquid inside is a thick, gluey, reddish-brownish pink type which smells like- 'I
Well, it can knock one down at ten paces.
It comprises two main substances. Liver
concentrat?d and alcohol. Never in the his
tory of human errdurance has so much had
to be endured in so little (two teaspoons).
It is a matter of opinion as to where the
liver comes from. It is not mentioned on the
label. I th!!1k it is from a thirty day old
dead walrus. Others argue it is that of a
dia.betic duck-billed platypus. That explain;,
its concentration!
Oh God! The Mater's coming with th
bottle. I h:i.vc just thirty seconds to !'!:J..Y
'alas poor -.vorld, I knew thee too well' once
again.
VIII B DURING PERIODS WHEN THERE
ARE NO TEACHERS
Shiv Mathur

Soyam Chidakashi thinks it's a disgrace,

When his water bottle is thrown round the
place .
Pasey is laughing and having great fun,
While Uberoi is eating a bun.
Chainani is in stitches, enjoying a joke,
Melville is happily sipping a Coke.
Nimish and Mohatta play together,
While Rangrnj tickles Sunil with a feather .
Colin is talking to Kondor, his chum,
And Naushad is using his desk as a drum.
Gupta teases Diwan for being fat,
He is duly pelted and pummelled for that.
And now this class report is finished,
Your opinion of my class will have diminished.

From lhe crude wagon to a two-wheeled

chariot, from a two-wheeled chariot to a
four-wheeled motor-car and hence to a car
without wheels. The machine age has presented us with all these, in succession, and
has eventually due to science given us a
car moving on a cushion of dense air at a
very high velocity.
This prospect has in turn presented the
human race with a problem-the problem of
noise and suffocation-noise from the horns
Shira.z Moloobhoy and screeching tyres of motor-cars; suffoWinner of the Ookerjee cation from their exhausts of unburnt
Essay Competition
petroleum and carbon monoxide. These factors, today, are tending to shatter our nerves
Thousands of years ago, a man picked up and upset our systems. . . They all started
a stone and hurled it with all his might at when ancient man hurled the stone at his
his prey-The stone missed the animal, prey-leading to the corrstruction and instruck the hard ground and rolled away vention of machines and motor-cars, which
down the slight slope of the hillside, also provide problems for man.
agonizirrg lhe man, for now he would have
THE AGE OF MACHINES
to go hungry.
Machine-guns, anti-aircraft guns rifles
The ancient man's agony led to wonder,
torpedoes,
automatic revolvers and cannon~
and from wonder to creation-for man by
are
all
the
result of that ancient man who
nature is creative. He wondered why the
threw
the
stone at the animal. Having
stone had missed his prey; he wondered
why it rolled down the slope-why had it missed, he went on to invent better means
of killing his prey. He used spears, harrrot stayed in its place?
poons, arrows and catapults. Seeing that
the
range of travel of these implements
A PROSPECT AND A PERIL ....
was small, he invented firearms and exploTime and experience gave him the answer sives. One great invention only led to ano. .. but not only this, time and experience ther, and soon the world was teeming with
also gifted him with the answer to rectify all sorts of guns and machines. It is tru !
his mistake. As time went on, he invented that necessity is the mother of invention.
better and better tools and implements with
At first the necessity was small, so the
which to kill his prey. He also constructed rate of produce of inventions was small. As
crude carts arrd wagons, for he had seen the world's population grew, the necessity
that if a force is applied to a roundish ob- for new ideas and implements grew, and inject, it will move on due to its rolling ac- ventions grew in number. In the years betion.
fore Jesus Christ, men used chariots and
Hence, we sec how the simple act of wagons pulled by arrimals. Later on the power due to steam, fuel and eventually, nuthrowing a stone had provided man with
clear energy, was used to mobilise, respeclwo things-a prospect and a peril. The
tively, engines, motor-cars and aeroplanes,
act led to a prospect, for it provided a
and space-ships and satellites. Great invenmeans of comfortable and quick transport;
tors
like Watt, Ford and the \\right broit led to a peril, for it. presented mankind
thers
built models and samples of machiwilh a deadly weapon- a weapon that could
nery.
lea.cl to man's downfall ....

THE
STONE
THAT
SHAPED
THE
WORLD

53

The great prospects of the machine age

are motor-cars, ocean liners, engines, locomotives, aeroplanes, rockets, space-capsules
and satellites, each of which, in their time
have proved a success and an aid to mankind.
Orr the other hand, inventions like t he
atomic and hydrogen bombs, a ll types of
guns, missiles and explosives, though they
have given man a boost upward in hi s journey, their disadvantages have amounted to
well over their advantages, and as such they
have been termed perils. Gas chamber s and
electric chairs are other horrible examples
of perils of the machine age, for all they
tend to do is to lower the population of thf>
world.
In spite of all this, inventors still continue to construct newer and better structures, not realising that each new invention
leads to harm , destruction and more harm.

man and the primitive man much healthie1

and of a less tensed state of mind?
A MORE MATURE FUTURE?
This however is man's nature- he has to
fi ll hi s stomach; he has to keep going-to
battle with the problems of life. So, now
that he has started, he cannot stop himself.
When a man climbs up a steep mountain,
he has to come down again- so also, a time
will come when man will have to climb down
the ladder which he has ascended with so
much difficulty, but he will not descend with
the frame of mind of a man who is doing
the wrong, no1 will he descend in shame,
but he will descend due to his power of
realisation"-He will realise that primitive
man was happy as he was, he will realise
that the more he gets, the more he wants,
a nd a fter that he wants even more.

However, to balance this, pharmaceutical

science and physical, inorganic chemistry,
are tending to produce drugs and medicines
to improve man's health and vitality. But
is this not a farce , for wer e not the cave-

This is why one 'age' has given way to

another, the Machine Age is now over and
the Space Age has taken over from it, and
arrother novel 'age' will take over from it
later, until 'ages' r uns out-And it all happened because of that ancient man who,
unknowingl y and innocently threw the stone
at his prey!

Eliwb eth Eapc.1

A ROOM

Winner of the Klci11

OF'

Essay Competition

MY O\\'N

I aooroached the oost office with forebodings and entering, asked the clerk for any
letter for V. Raman . The bored-look ing
clerk handed me three envelopes, and clutching them, I made my way to a nearby park
and sat down.

modation and board ing irr Bombay. At present, lodging in a hotel was not very pleasant si nce the beds were usually lumpy. All
I wanted really was a good bed.

Putting my umbrella and briefcase beside me, I leant back on the bench and opened the letters. They were the answers to my
advertisement of last Tuesday for accom-

I discarded one of the letters righ t away.

It was written on a n in land mail-paper, in
pencil. There was a streak of what I suspected was curry at one corner. The other two
were in envelopes. One was a perfumed,
beige-coloured, slim cover with angular

"

spidery writing, singularly feminine. The

second was a plain white cover with a grnbby
thumb-print across 'Raman'. I opened and
perused them and decided to visit each house
in the order in which I had opened the
letters.
Picking up my umbrella, and cramming
the letters into my briefcase, I hailed a taxi
and asked to be taken to Malabar Hill
The driver, a bearded Sikh, gave me a sl~
look, and started off humming a very r;mantic song. After what seemed to r:<e an
interminable time, he drew up outside a
heavy iron gate and demanded his fee of
five rupees and forty paise. Aftel' wrangling with him I turned towards the gat(,
and walkirrg up ~he gravelled path, looked
at the beautiful yet lonely mansion aheacl.
Ringing the doorbell I was admitted b; a
very Jeeves-like butler into the presence of
an old sour-looking lady and a small, sleeping, well-fed dog. She did not speak a word
for a long time, and looked me up and
dowr;. Then greeting me in a deep voice and
summoning the Jee\'es, asked me tn follow
him to my prospective room. I was put off
at her not asking me to sit down or to put
my umbrella or bag down. H e opened a
door and ushered me through. The room was
large, and the bed was small. There was a
white rug at the foot of the bed. The bed
-that was the main feature-looked comfortab le. I put my hand on it and it sank
deep beneath the gentle pressure. Goose
feathers 1 I could not sleep on that every
night and wake 1p fee ling fresh. The impeccable butler cleared his throat and said,
"Memsahib says that the fee for lodgin,;
will be one hundred rupees per month. You
are not lo stay out late, and you are to
h ave no pets. Meals will be brought to your
room."
I went livid with rage, insulted that the
proud old lady should use her butler as a
mediator.
"All these regulations and all I get is this
lousy bed," I thought to myself. Aloud I
said, "Thank you, but this place is far too

lovely for me." I

to the old lady.

left without going back

I then decided to visit Mrs. Krishnan of

the white envelope and see what she had to
offer. At Marine Drive, I toiled up three
flights of steps to a smart white door and
rang the doorbell. There were running footsteps, and a polite face appea red.
"Yes?" queried the little girl.
"Is Mrs. K.rishnan home?" I asked.
"Do come in," she chirrupped, "I'll call
Mummy."
Depositin-g me in a large armchair in a
homely room, she sped away. Presently
Mrs. Krishnan appeared and kindly, but
firmly, asked about my job, my family and
other particulars. She then took me to my
room. after giving me a cup of hot coffee,
and looking around I felt a warmth stealing over me. It was a medium-sized room,
with a chair and table pushed against the
wall, arrd a deep, comfortable a1mchair with
a lamp hangirrg over it. The room overlooked the sea, and there were pictures
1111111?: all over the walls. The bed looked very
inviting, and I pushed my hand deep into
the mattress. It was straight and unyielding
-one on which I could sleep undisturbed.
I turned to Mrs. Krishnan. seeing two faces
peering around the door, and smiled. I had
a room of my own.

55

P. Chatterjee XB

WAS IT
WORTH
IT?

Three of my friends and I were sittirrg in a concentrating on pleasing the other man and
restaurant. My companions were enjoying encouraging him to go through with the
themselves over their snacks, but I sat in deal.
my corner quietly, sipping a glass of orange
This other gentleman decided to leave th1::
juice. My friends had given up tryirrg to
town
for a few days and he began looking
persuade me to enjoy myself and were won
for a place where he could leave his thirdering what had come over me.
teen-year-old son. Dad immediately offered
This sort of thing happened often. The to keep him and naturally I was given the
thing I had wanted most for a long timt- job of entertaining him. This chap was very
was a transistor radio and now that I had spoilt and hard to please. Yet somehow I
persuaded mother to start giving me pocket had to please him as that would please his
money, I had decided to save up as fast as
father. His dad ;yould break down, pick up
possible in order to get one. It was an unthe pen and gratefully sign the deal that
necessary luxury since we already had a
would cause my father to burst into smiles,
good radio and my parents repeatedly pointpat me on the back and ask me if I wanted
ed that out to me, but I would not listen.
a present.
The rate at which I saved money astonishSo I clenched my tists, and made up my
ed even my most miserly friends and one
mind
to do anything to keep this young
fateful day I found myself striding impor
man
happy
during his stay at our house.
tantly irrto a radioshop and asking for a
The boy turned out to be exactly as
transistor radio. I looked at many, liked
I had expected. He would sulk all day,
some and eventually bought one of a foreign
refuse to
go down and play saying
make. I put it in its brand-new leather case
cricket and football were boring games
and took it home feeling that at last a
and froW11 at my efforts to please him .
dream had come true, as I believe many peuThe situation seemed to be going from
ple feel when something good happens to
bad to worse. I had almost given up
them.
hope of ever seeing a smile on this
But after some time one usually gets tired chap's lips, when, orr the third day he hapof the dream that has come true and thinks pened to see the transistor on the shelf. I
less and less about it as the days go by. The was alarmed at the change that came over
same thing happened to me. After a couple him. His frown cleared and his face brighof months I hardly touched it any mo~ tened! Eagerly he asked me where I had
and the tiny radio lay on a shelf with its got that foreign transistor. I told him. He
leather cover deep in dust.
told me he had looked all over the city for
Mother would look at the radio on the shelf a transistor of that make, but one could
and glance at me with an 'I told you so' ex not get them in India any more. I told him
pressiorr on her face. I expected Dad to get I was ready to sell it. This excited him
angry too, but at that moment he had other even more and wanting Lo hit the opponent
things to worry about. He was about to while he was still groggy, I told him I would
make an extremely important business deal give it Lo him at half the price for which I
involving a large sum of money and he was had bought it. The transistor soon changed

56

hands and after that the boy was extremely

friendly and co-operative. When his father
returned, he heard about the transistor and
came over to thank Dad. Next day the deal
was signed in Dad's office. Dad must have
burst into smiles for he came home, patted
me on the back arrd asked me what I wanted
as a present. I answered that if I had a

G. Rakshit XIB

The nondescript man wandered about the

department store. He seemed to be a calm,
stolid man, typical of modern successful
business men. Yet his face showed signs of
an inner conflict, of a gruesome struggle
against himself.

camera I could take lots of photographs and

stick them in an album.
It's been a couple of months since I got
the camera and it's been a morrth si nce l
took a photo. I am beginning to wonder
whether it was worth it asking for a camera
after all .

COMPULSIOX
He reached the gate of his villa and
went up to his room. The inhuman look
returned to his eye as he took out the tie.
The tie was of a deep reel colour, a colour
he never wore. He took out the chest from
under his bed and, opening it, gazed at the
innumerable articles that he had illegally
acquired. Slowly he added his newest prize
to the rest.

The nearby saleman grew restless arrd

removed himself at the approach of a prospective customer. Almost immediately, the
businessman's face lit up expectantly, hunIn his sarrer moments he had tried algrily, like an animal when it sights food . most every way of ridding himself of this
He watched the salesman disappear behind a mania. He had tried boycotting shops and
crate of tinned stuff, leaving him alone in he had been almost sure of success when,
that comer. His eyes glittered and his hands like irresistible magnets they had drawn
were trembling. His calm facade had been h im towards them. He had tried to keep
almost irreparably destroyed. Yet he seem- within the sight of salesmen but this had
ed to be catching at a last straw, silently eldom worked. Hoping that the shock of
theft would cure him he had made hercuimploring the salesman to return.
lean efforts to give himself up to the police
His hands stretched out in a whiplike
but his nerve had always failed.
movement, .... but even as it did he pulled
it back. The action was momentary, for
One day, he entered orre of the big shops
the hand was back at the tie-rack again, in the West End. He had been choosing a
contradicting all his commands. There was hat when the salesman was called away.
a tie in that hand now and the hand was His mania gripped him as he sensed his
coming back, stuffing the tie surreptitiously opportunity. His hand touched the sleek felt
hat when he saw the man.
into his pocket.
He stood there helplessly as he regained
his sanity. Defeated, he walked out of the
shop into the street.
He could think about i now; he could
think of the times it had happened before,
of the short time he had beerr able to resist
it, and of how it had all flooded back into
him.

It was obvious that the man had not

seen him although he was peering about
him trying to catch sight of any one looking at him. He was trembling from hea.d to
foot, his face distorted into an amm'll
smile. He was not a man, yet he was a
man. He had the frightened look of ~
hunted deer, together with the defiant atti-

57

tude of a bayed tiger. He hesitated as he

looked at the tie-rack. Then his hand sudderdy whipped out and back. The tie was
clenched in his hand as he stuffed it into
his pocket. The man was a kleptomaniac.
The tension \'anished from the businessface and c1eased into an understall"ding smile. He had witnessed his inner torture in another man.
He had cmed himself of his disease.

1112:1's

LA DESCENTE DROLE
Hilla l\.llllrsedji Std. X
"Hilla ma petite, il n'y a pas de creme dans
le frigidai1e. Va vite au marche. Papa sera
bientot de retour," me dit Maman avec inquietude.
Jc partis, un panier sur le bras. "Quelle
foule enorme!" me dis-je, en arrivant au
marche. Les gens se bousculaient, et les portcur s criaent a tue-tete, "Achetez mes fruits!
Achetez mes pommes rouges!" Un gros
homme enYeloppe d'un 'dhoti' blanc, cracha
sur le trottoir, et une dame juste a cote de
Jui murmma entre les dents; "Idiot! Faites
attention~"

:::oudain, j' Entendis un fracas assourdissant. Un automobiliste avait bloque ses

freins. Tout le monde courut au lieu du
f'inistre. Urre fois arrivee je vis un cycliste
par terre, au beau milieu de la rue, Jes chevcux ebour;ffes, la bouchc beante, et les
jambes nageant en l'air. Une femme me raconta: "Cette limousine-la a renverse cc
pauvrc cycliste." Juste a ce moment, un
agent de police se fraya un <'hemin a travers les assistants curieux. II demanda
l'homme, d'un ton soudeux, "Vous etcs-vous
fait mal Monsieur?"
"Pas du tout," rcpondit l'autre, encore
par terrP. L'agent, perplex''. se gratta la
tc:t<' et reprit. "Un moment, s'il vous plait.
.Jc crois que ;e vous ai vu auparavant ?"
"Prut-etre," dit l'homme, en haussant imJ'<'I ceptiblement
les epaules, "Tous les
agents me connaissent, car je cl sccnds
toujours com me en!"
0

58

AN AIR CRASH
Rahul Sood Std. XA

Five O'clock that morning brought the passengers of the chartered DC-6 wide awake;
the plane had taken a sudden lurch into the
blue throwing everyone off balance. Soon
the captain of the plane entered the passengers' compartment and apologised profusely for the inconvenience he had caused.
He said, then that they were now over thC'
Belgian Congo, having travelled 1600 miles
from Cape Town, with 1300 miles to go.
They had suddenly hit a local storm, herald
to others behind it, and were in a dilemma as
to which way to go. He asked whether they
wished to stop at Susaka, about a hundred
miles to the South till the weather changed.
or to go on ahead through the storm.
Roger Meyer sat upright. He was in a dire
hurry to reach Nairobi; his wife was expecting her first child. His job at the diamond mines at Kimberley had made him
firm, courageous and capable of facmg any
setbacks. His reply was to go ahead. OliYer
Cartwright agreed.
There were only five other passengers in
the plane. The businessman Jenkins was m
no mood for endeavour or anything rough.
He remained neutral. Perhaps he did not
wish to prove himself a coward!
The two ladies, Jane and Audrey Rus ell
were determined that the plane do an about
turn. They were afraid of their weak hearts ..
The last two were negroes, Jomo Turgcll
and Gaspar Obote. . . . they cast the i uling
vote-forward unto destiny.
The storms, as expected, increased ...
the wind, as expected, heightened
the
plane, as expected, rocked; the ladies, as
expected, shivered; the crew, as expected,
strove (vainly); the miners, as expected,
swore urrdcr their breath; the businessman,
as Pxpected, became nervous; the ncgroes, as
expected remained quiet and still, as did :ill
the rest after the plane crashed to the
ground!

..

TIIE CHANGE OF HEART

Joa1ina Tims. STD. VIII.

It was almost !) . 30 that night when one

of the childre!1' cried, "Amma! Amma! Look
at the sky!"

A woman, squatting in the dim, srr.oke

filled interior of a ramshackle h ut with
blackened mud walls a'nd a matting roof,
straightened her aching back. 'J'lie baby
in its rope sling whimpered a;1d Sita rocked
it before stepping out into the blinding
glare of mid-day.

Sita turned and saw that the whole sky

was lit up with 01 ange as though something
was burning.

"Good afternoon, Sahib!" she said as a

well-dressed old gentleman strode towa1ds
her.

Someone was screaming,

bungalow is on fire!"

He was livid with fury and

fist at her, bellowing:

shook his

"But ... .. Sir ..... " Sita protested.

"Where is your husl:and ?" he shouted.

"Never mind," he

011

Dondu,

the ...... "

interrupted.

''I'll fix

hiril !"

He got into his car and drove off while

Ramu, her eldest son helped his weeping
mother into their hut.
Half an hour later the grand landloro
was back. This time with the police.
"That's him!" screamed the gentleman,
to Ramu. "That's the thie\'ing
P oinlinO'
b
l
,,,
scoundrel. He's burgled my bunga ow.
Sita watched helplessly while they dragged Ramu away.
"He never did it," she sobbed to her lmsband Dondu that evening.

"I know he didn't," comforted Dondu. "I

will sec the Inspector Sahib tonorrow morning."

jumping ur,,

They saw the fire flickering between the

banana trees and hurried towards it.
"The

Sahib's

Dondu shouted, "Stay with the children,

Sita!" and plunged into the flames.
Searing heat drove
wrung her hands.

"What are you doing here? Th~s is i'1Y

land. I'll set my dogs on you if you are not
off within twenty-four hours!"

"He's a road builder, Sir,

"Come on!" said

"Let's go and see."

them back.

Sita

"Dondu. Dondu. Oh, where was Dondu ?"

It seemed like years before Dondu reappeared carrying an unconscious burden. It
was their landlord.

The closest hospital was many mile$

away, ~0 there was nothing to do but take
the old man back to their humble hut. Sit:i
bandaged his burns with clean 1ags, whi 1e
Dondu went for help to take him to the
hospital.
Sita straightened her ach!ng back. The
baby in its rope sling whimpereJ antl ci12
rocked it before stepping out into the blinding glare of mid-day.
A car stopped before their hut and to her
amazement, her son Ramu jnmpetl out and
ran towards her waving an envelope above
his head.
'Amma! Amma!" he cried. "I am back!
It was all a mistake! See what the lawyer
gave me!" He thrust a sealed brown enyelope into her harrds. Sita, unable to read,
stared uncomprehendingly at it.
"But what is it?" She asked Ramu.
"The deeds to this plot of land!" he shouted, doing a joyous dance round her. "It is
2. gift from the rich Sahib!"

59

THE COUNTDUWN
Rahul Sood.

XA.
A rocket reaches the moon! A new element
is discovered! The 100 metres sprint record
is broken again! All these are Improvements
made by mankind. Such things brirrg us joy
and happiness.
But take other happenings-China explodes an Atom Bomb, the value of money
goes down 25% , a riot takes place between
the whites and blacks in America. Do these
incidents brirrg us anything like joy? Or
happiness? Certainly not! They give vent
to sorrow and disgust! Such are the present
conditions on our planet.
Nuclear power serves mankind as a help
and a hindrance. This supernatural power
gives us energy at home, and on the

LONG AGO AND FAR, FAR AWAY .....

Yasmine Vazifdar

STD. VI.
Once upon a time, lorrg long ago, there Jived
a prince. He was strong and handsome and
bold. One day his father the king, and his
mother the queen decided to get him married. The next day when he came dowrr to eat
his breakfast the queen said, "My dear, your
father arrd I have decided to get you married." The prince quickly replied, "And who
is it who is going to be my wife?" The king
said, "That, my son, is to be found out for
yourself. Tomorrow be up at sunrise, for
you shall go on your white steed to all the
four corners of the earth." "Very well,
papa, I shall go".

60

other hand is capable of destroymg a complete city! America and Russia are striving
for the leadership of all countries with this
power as their main weapon to achieve their
expectations.
To take a more homely example of our
advance, ask your parents what they studied
in school arrd what they think of your studies now. You will be leading infinitely!
To end, I shall extol another proof for the
theory that mankind has retreated in our
century-to take a joke from a magazine
. . . . A youngster was asked to say aloud
the number 1-10. He confidently said,
"Terr - nine - eight - seven - six - five
- four - three - two - one - zero DAMN!!!!" On further questioning he was
found to be the son of a Cape Kennedy announcer, who had gone to the extreme of
g-iving vent to his disgust when his space
:;hip misfired!

The next morning the prince set off. Towards the South he met a princess called
'Princess Sky High'. She was very beautiful,
but much too tall. He went to the North
where he met the 'Princess Little One'. She
was much too short. He went to the East
and met 'Princess Roly Poly'. She was too
fat. He went to the West and he met 'Princess Sharp Nose'. Her Nose was too Jong.
And then he went home. He was very sad at
not finding a princess.
One day he went for a walk. On the way
he met, or rather saw, a very pretty woman .
She was scrubbin~ brass door-handles. He
fell in love with her at once. He asked her
for her hand in marriage. They were wed
the rrext day. So h;s wife was found in his
own country. They lived happily ever after

THE 1965 PRELIM ENGLISH COMPREHENSION EXERCISE

set by the Oxbridge Examination Board.

'f

111

An extremely dangerous epidemic with far reaching consequences has recently attacked mar;y European and other countries. This virulent infection is caused by the species
Coleoptera Longipilla, which originated in Liverpool. The specimens are usually found
in groups of four. With their frantic body movements and deafening rhythmic beat
action, they spark off unmistakeable symptoms, beginning with a hair-tearing riot and
culminating in a breakdown. The viclin1s are generally teenage girls.
-from Epstein's "Errt-0mology".
Read the above passage carelessly and attenpt the following questions upon it:
1.

What is the common name for the spe2ies mentioned in the passage?

2.

Predict briefly the future of this epid<>mic.

3.

Comment upon the use of "beat" in rehtion to carpets and policemen.

4.

Analyse the sentence which the examiner should get for setting this passage.

5.

Write a precis of the second paragraph.

Monsieur Leblanc. Madame Leblanc regarda les oiseai.:x et puis elle en choisit un.

LE C-C-C-CADEAU
Rcshan Davierwalla

Std. X

"Celui-la !" dit-elle en indiquant un beau

perroquet aux plumes multicolores.

C'etait l'anniversaire de Madame Leblanc.

Elle dit a son mari, "Je voudrais avoir un
cadeau." Malheureusement son mari avait
un defaut tres incommode. Le pauvre homme
begayait.

"Mais, s-s-sait-il p-p-parler?"

Monsieur Leblanc.

"Q-Q-Que v-veux-tu, m-m-ma chere?"

demanda-t-il. "Je me sens bien seule quand
tu vas au bureau. II n'y a personrre a qui
parler. Je voudrais un perroquet," repondit
Madame Leblanc.

SUICIDE.

Done, le soir Monsieur et Madame Leblanc

partirent pour la menagerie afin d'acheter
un perroquet. II y avait des rossignols, des
rouges-gorges, des serins, et mcme des perroquets.

demanda

Avarrt que le vendeur put repondre, le

perroquet s'ecria, "Oui, mieux que vous!"

Akeel Bilgrami

XA.
The darkness had given way to the dawn.
The sun peeped afresh over the dusky hills.

"Bonjour Monsieur, borrjour Madame;

qu'y a-t-il a votre service?" dit le vendeur.

The unshaven brute stood uncertainly on

his feet, reeling like a drunkard, his eyes
half closed, his appearance shabby. The
weapon wavered dangerously close to his
rugged face, so sharp, so menacing ... . ..
Net>d we read any more?

"M-m-m-ma f-f-f-femme v-v-v-veut aa-a-a-chetcr un p-p-p-perroquet," begaya

He was about to begin his early morrrinP.

shave.

61

REPORT BY ROTTERS, NOV. 31ST: FOLLOWING A COUP AND COUNTER-COUP,

A STATE OF CIYIL WAR WAS DECLARED BY PRESIDENT ABOODY YESTERDAY IN THE BOYS SCHOOL.
The Standard X a1my rose in sudden revolt to overthrow President Aboody, but were
repulsed in many fighting seclors by the President's loyalist army, consisting of his
Prefects Guard and Standard XI.

fo the Library Art Room sector, the 1evolting tl'oops suffeted heavy casualties.
In the Cricket Pitch-Hall sector heavy

fighting continues. Twelve of the President's

Patterned-Desks were destroyed in a fo1midable desk-battle.

tionaries a stiff resistance on all fronts.

At 1430 hours an air-raid warning was
sounded. The Standard XA civilian population in the middle of a Literature lesson had
to rush and hide under their desks. They
were relieved to evacuate these positions
when the all-clear sounded 20 minutes later.
The blackboard and the teacher's desk were
smashed.

The revolting air force attempted three air

t aids on the President's room, but were
driven away by immediate g1ound-fire. One'
Although President Aboody's forces have
G. 78 pellet was captured, and has s;nce escasuccessfully
repulsed most of the attacks,
lated.
there is still a danger of further hostilities
The loyalist army has given the revolu- from the revolting forces of Standard X.

WARNING
Shrunl;r'n TJoy Mi~sin17

If you have recently seen a school boy

18 inches tall, please inform D. R. Hawkey,
Outram Road, who may reward you for the
information.

The boy, seen on the right of our exclusive picture, was shrunk by accident. at :i.
recent Science Experiment.

62

YOUR HORRORSCOPE FOR Hl66.

N.B.

Any resemblance between our system

of prediction and anyone else's is a
miracle.

ARIES (March 22-April 20). 1f you were

born under this sign, you should try not to
look so sheepish.
TAURUS (April 21-May 21). I wouldn't
take too many chances next year if I were
you. You never can tell what may happen.

AGONY COLUMN.
Dear Editor,
I pick up my pen to write to you my woeful tale. My romance prospered beautifully
for a year, but now she loves me no more.
I lament all day and weep all night-my
grief is never-ending. Tell me, sir, should I
end my life and so be rid of this awful
heartache.? sincerely A. A. Outram Road.
Ed. By all means.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21). You will do

your best and please your teachers most next
year durirrg late April and early May, most
of October and part of December.
CANCER (June 22-July 23). If you are
good at bricklaying, mine-sweeping, eggbeating or organising fl.ea circuses, this will
be an excellent year for you.
LEO (July 24-Aug. 23). If you've sat any
exams lately. don't wait for the results.
Enrol for another year.
VIRGO (Aug. 24-Sept.
rather not say.

23). :Mmm, I'd

LIBRA (Sept. 24-0ct. 23). You have been

weighed in the balance and found wanting.

Dear Editor,
I am a most unfortunate young man. The
horrorscope of the girl I love shows me up
as a dead fish. She by the way h.as great
faith in this wretched thing. Do help me out,
sirrcerely B. B., CBS.
Ed. We don't think you are unfortunate at
all. If you look again at the horrorscope,
you will see that the girl you love appears
as a star performer in a flea circus.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22). Excellent

prospects i( you go all out to win the School
heavyweight tiddlywinks competition.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 22). Public
peaking and Algebra will be your best subjects next year, as long as you practise them
together.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 23-Jan. 20) . Be careful not to act the goat.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 21-Fcb. HJ). You will
have a bad habit of getting wet next. ye:ir.
Stay at home during the monsoon and beware of water on the brain.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 21). Everything
will go well if you can avoid taking dead
fish to School.

T RY

GLUDGE

The new wonder breakfast food!

We guarantee that once you have eaten

GLUDGE. you wmd go back to your old
hrenkfast foods - or anything else!

63

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MAGAZINE

C.O.B.A.

THE CATHEDRAL & JOHN CONNON OLD BOYS' ASSOCIATION

MANAGING COMMITTEE. Hl65

Mr. S. P. PATEL

President
Vice-Presidents
IIon. General Secretary & Hon. Treasurer

Rev. G. RIDDING and

1

Mi. W. ABRAHAM
Mr. R. K ADENWALLA

Members
II 011. Secretaries:

Mr. S. HASKELL and

Social and Indoor Activities

Mr. K. B. SHROFF

Mr. C. J. OLLIVER

Hockey

Mr. S. J. NAGARWALA

Cricket

l.fr. E.W. HASKELL

Football & Rugger

Mr. H. S. UBEROI

Golf
"COBA'' Editor

Mr.

EDITORIAL NOTES

school! We are now looking forward to the

annual Founders Day Dinner and Dance, and
the Founders Day cricket match against the
school.

:Most of this year's activities of the Old

Boys Association have been reported in the
September issue of the COBA. Since then,
our cricket team has played six more fixtures in the Kanga League, and it is pleasing to note that it is doing very well.
Ernest Haskell reports that so many members arc eager to play cricket now that we
can have a second team.
A very entertaining debate was held in
October against the School. The School team
so ably opposed the motion that "The Old
Boys' Association has failed to live up to
its objects", that we hope to have more
members and more activitie::; when the
prt'sPnt generation of school boys leaves the

63

S. DAVAR

Mr. A. M. SAHNI

Mr. C. J. Olliver's "In Retrospect", which

follows these Notes, will revive memories
for many. But I must record the "shock"
I received the other day: an Old Boy telephoned, wanting to contribute an article to
the COBA ! I believe such a pleasant surprise has not come the way of any COBA
editor for many years.
I thank Mr. McArthur for putting the
COBA into shape for printing along with
the School Magazine. Finally, on behalf of
the Managing Committee, here's wishing
Old Boys everywhere a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

IN RETROSPECT
/Jy "C. J." or "Ollie"
" H'r loo/." before and after and pine for what

is not,
An<l our sincerest laughter with some pain

is /rang ht"
I hope I have quoted this aright! My onetime English pupils will probably be able to
check it! For me it expresses very aptly
my thoughts as I sit to dash off these lines
to satisfy the clamour of the two editorsof the Borderer and the COBA-for "some
thing". It is a little difficult to know where
to begin and what not to include for it is
not possible to cover 18 1 ~ years in anything
less than an autobiography.
I remember very clearly that Sunday
morning, the 28th of July 1946 when I first
joined. I was met at Bombay Central by
Arty Lunn (now Head of Bishop's) and
Shorty Quinn (both School-time friends
of mine). We came to Churchgate Station
by "local" (a new experience for me) and
then accompanied by coolies carrying my
belongings we walked to school-one at
least of the group gazing at buildings and
traffic with some awe. The first thing which
impressed me was the well-trimmed hedge
which grew at the front of the School and
the Gold Mohr which was all abloom. The
hedge, like some other more important things.
is a ragged shadow of itself and I hope one
day, after the other things are p~t r:ight, t.he
hedge too will flourish once agam 111 all its
green glory!

he
nd
he

ch
ies
k"
leto
ir~A

he
th
of
nO",.,

JS-

".

ROOM WITH A VIEW

My room was the corner one in the
"Mess" and overlooked Lloyd's Bank and
was a vantage po int from which to gaze
upon some strange sights. I recall three,
one a loud quarrel between a couple in a
car, the lady winning the argument by
eventually kicking the side of the car and
producing a sizeable dent in it. That was

at 2 a.m. On another occasion there was a

battle royal-fists, boots, razor blades, all
freely used-between two groups of soldiers
who were returning from a dancing school
"social." This was at 12.00 midnight. And
then there was the memorable "shooting"
of a film showing the raiding of a tank. This
was at 11 a.m. one Sunday morning and
formed the substance of an article I then
wrote for COBA. This was most entertaining of the three, and was evidently meant
to be topical , as it followed the Lloyd's
Bank robbery of 12 lakhs of rupees.
I remember the storm in 194 7. I was
awakened at about five in the morning with
a crash of glass. The "shade" O\'er my
window hung like a garland draped from
above. I ran out and 'phoned the Principal
asking if I could pull it down before it did
further damage. The answer was typical of
Bruce: "You might as well: everything else
is being pulled down anyway!" The rnth of
this became apparent later. Many roads were
completely blocked with fallen trees which
took the army with all its mechanized might
two days to clear. At about 8. 30 a.m.
Bruce was leaning over the balcony as he
so often did overlooking the front porchhis own handiwork which withstood the
storm and has stood the onslaught of hundreds of boys-and I was next to him. The
storm was still raging though somewhat
milder: not a soul was to be seen and then
rnund the corner of Lloyd's Bank came :1
small figure in white with a satchel on hi~
back and a khaki cloth hat on his
head.
It was Snell come to School, walking all
the way from Colaba. Brnce called out, "\Yhy
have you come to School?" Anrl a small
voice i)ipecl in reply, "Please sir! Sorry sir!
I did not know it \\as a holiday." I shall
not relate Bruce's rejoinder to this!
THE CRONICILL
Those were the days when with less than
400 boys in school thel'e was not enough
room i;l the building for all so the ground
floor of the then Menkwa Buildmg (now

69

Budha Bhavan and Siddarth College) was

used by us for three classrooms, the library
and Senior Assembly. We had a limited
number of hymrrs which we sang over and
over again, and the congregational practices
on Tuesdays were conducted by Bruce using
a ruler as "baton". I do not know if these
were the only hymns known or the only
tun-es Lincoln (Head Clerk) could play. It
was not until "The Cronicill" , a monthly
rag, made its critical appearance that the
hymn list was lengthened, and the reading
of the lesson by Prefects became audible.
The Cronicill (named so due to a spelling
error by Bobby Jones) ran for about six
years urrder a parody of the School crest
and motto " Clearum difficient stupia", and
lived up to its proud boast, "We print anything. " It once printed an absentee list
which found its way into the contribution
box, a toffee wrapper, and somebody's
"lines".
It everr came to the notice of the Free
Press Journal which had a leaderette on it
and which wished, but was unable to reprint an illustration of a limerick-an illustration by Foy Nissen who used to write
critical articles on art under the pen name
of Boris Likoristick. One of my treasure.>
is a set of these "magazines" which were
issued to "members orrly", the membership
fee being Rs. 2 - if paid in January, Rs. 2'8
if paid in February, Rs. 3 '- in March and
so on. Usually membership was completed
in January though I remember one gay
spark-was it Mehli Lalkaka ?-who paid
up (and smiled) in March! It was the
Cronicill which started the practice of carrying all cross-country runrrers in BEST buses.
Previously everyone travelled by train. I
think 1940 was the year when "the Cronicill" stood everyone a free bus ride! I
suppose that is why the Editor-in-Chief of
the Croni cill continued to be in charge of
bus arrangements from then on. Such is the
way of schools! It is needless to add that
at that time the third language of the
School was Cronicillcsc !

70

Yet it was this which led to the Borderer's being written entirely by boys, whereas
up to 1946 it was very much a Staff Maga~
zine, everything including Home Note::i,
games' notes etc. flowing from the pens of
Staff. And talkirrg of the Borderer, does
anyone know what happened to all the past
copies of the Borderer bound and kept in
"volumes" in the Principal's office? Furthermore what became of the original cover
design of the Borderer and why was it
changed? Perhaps, the re-change of Editor
will re-change the cover!
MEMORY'S DOOR . . . .
Orrce having started it is difficult to stop,
for memories come pouring in: More's
broken leg at the Gym. Competition: Austin's clothes stolen by a navy deserter (who
thoughtfully had a bath first) : Alique Padamsee's constant battle with the three
"Gorgons"; the cricket match in Gremaux's
French class; the "humming birds" in Williams' S.C. Urdu classes; the attempts at
getting to know examirration
papers
through asking Lincoln for "tracing paper"
(the backing of stencils): the Hydrogen explosion in the Chemistry Lab; Maher's sigh
of relief after he had plodded his weary
way up the front stairs; the "coaching" of
Gremaux to errable him to play goal:c for
the Staff in Hockey; the Boxing match durirrg the lunch-break in the Staff Common
Room, between Gremaux and Burton (refereed and judged by other nembcrs of th~
staff under Association Football rule3) ; all
these and many others are memories tha1
still are green and which will probably remain so for all time: they will each require
a long paragraph to recount.
I shall only relate one such. The cricket
team had played on the B. P .H. A. ground
near the Parsee well and the boys decided
to have lunch at "Purohits". Having paid
Rs. 1 '8 for a "lhalee" each they sat down
to get their money's worth. After all others
had r eplenished themselves, young Charles
was still at it. Eventually he was asked to

r-

le~ve a.s the restaurant was unable to cope

with his appetite: it was after this that
the price of a "thalee" was raised to Rs. 2:-.

lS

l"

R,

And so-to close this rambling account-

lf

! record here my thanks to all those Staff

!S

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Boys arrd H~mals who each in som~ wa;

or other enriched an otherwise very ordinary life. I am grateful to have had the
opportunity to serve with them and it will
always be a regret of mine that I could not
continue at Cathedral School without sacrificing an opportunity for which Cathedral
School had in fact been preparing me. Thank
you C.B.S.!
FOUNDERS DAY DINNER
More than 80 Old Boys and their ladies
attended this year's Dinner and Dance, held
once again at the "Four Seasons" restaurant of the Nataraj Hotel. The attendance
was more than expected, the buffet dinner
was very good and the evening was a succP.ss in every way.
Unlike last year, we were not seated
army-style on long tables. and we had the
entire hall to ourselves. One saw several
old and new Old Boys, ranging from one
who was irr School in the 1910's, to one
who had left school this year. Appropriately enough, the band played Old Time music,
with a "Scottish" flavour ("Like St. Patrick's Day!" Mrs. Ridding remarked), as
wdi as Beatles' tunes, to give the modern
"Anglo" touch. The dance floor was usually
crowded. Yusuf Curmally joined the Natraj
crooner, adding to the informality of the
evening. Brief speeches were made by Savy
Patel and Principal Ridding, who expressed
hjs desire to mairrtain the tradition ancl
customs of CHS.
F'or some unknown reason, we did not
sing the School Song this year. I missed the
re-echoing of the "old stirring cry".
Cor.gratulations should go to Karson
Shroff and other members of the sub-committee for arranging a very enjoyable functi0n .

SCHOOL
Rostam J. Madon.

A throbbing world behind me fades

Defore me spre:J.ds an unknown mist
And the rusty gates of time
Swing open .. .
I can't forget the morning hymrrs
The treble in front, the bass behind,
And the lunchtime din that
Never stills.
I see Cupid's symbols scratched on desks
Each line portraying mirth and joy.
Elated boyhood hurdles cares
Loose-limbed.
The classrooms are quiescent .. . sleeping
now,
For fields have beckoned the restless youth,
Spirits sinking . . . no, rising! A hero
crowned,
Midst cheers.
Laughter!
Achates and Aeneas joking.
Sorrow!
The supine worker moaning.
Two elements creating a complex world.
Vivacity springing in every rrook.
Simulation dying with innocel'lt look,
A glittering past!
The opal skies seem gloomy
And now the lucid water is disturbed
The future curtained ... opaque.
I hear a sound!
The tolling of the school bell with life
resonant
Heraldirrg the end?
No. only the seed has been sown
The tree has yet to grow!
THE OLD BOYS' DEBATE
W. Gardenu

XI A

The setting was perfect: the hall was

p:icked with boys. teachers arrd old boys.
The very topmost members of our school
wtre there. The Principal, the Vice-Principal, the School Captain and Vice-Captain

71

and C\'en our renowned old Vice-Principn.l.

~I1. C. J. Oliver. The school's top debat~rs
sat on the stage, poised in rrervous expectan-::y. E\eryone in the hall sat in silence,
awaiting the Old Boy debaters.
They entered with majesty, but with deep
humility at the thunderous applause that
greeted them.
The appropriate introdu'tion being made, the debate began. The
topic of the day was:
...rh2 Cathedral Old Boys Association
has failed to live up to its objectiws."
.:.he Old Boys took the proposition thus
det'iding to ridicule and down their own
organisation and its achievements. The debate which ensued lasted for 45 minutes.
with each side attempting to enslave the
other with a massive onslaught of unsurpassed eloquence and deliberation, the members of the hall were enchanted by the battle of words.
Our school side \\on but let us remember
that they had the simple job of prnvil1'g to
be trne what was already established fact.
The Old Boys meanwhile had a much
tougher job. and while executing it perfectly always knew that the truth would prevail. The Old Boys may have lost, but even
in their defeat there was magnanimity.
A GOOD RUN

. W. Hn:;kc/I.

This is the second time that I am prompted to put pen to paper for the COBA, and
the subject remains the Old Boys Cricket
XI. Primarily I am conscious of repeating
myself but there is one consolation, I have
been awarded greater scope with which to
achieve this. We have played a further six
fixtures. We stand second in our division4 points behind the leaders and with a game
in: hand.
I feel the easiest (this appeals to me!)
perhaps the most readable write-up would
be a review (cryptic! ) of the last six
games, played between the 2nd and 24.t.h of
October.
On the 2nd we met Mangrol S.C.-we

were lucky to get them out for 96, for in

spite of a few practice nets our bowlers
were somewhat ('rratic in both length and
direction. Jaffer Hussain stole the bowling
honours with 6 foi 25. \Ve had a good batting side on paper mid we struggled for
rnns. At. 4 for 44, Kali Mehta saw the side
through with a solid 54. We were all out
for 131. We did have a go at a second innings but once Mangrol had piled on 5 for
86 with barely an hour to go for play-we
settled for a win on the first innings.
The next two games played irr succession
on the 3rd and 4th of October proved to
be smoother going. The first against Dadar
Colony Gym. gave us 5 points. We batted
first and declared at 8 for 174-with the
outfield bathed in 8 inches of grass. Kali
Mehta 41, and Subhas Phadke 43-this was
a pretty commendable performance under
the prevailing conditions. We ran throuO'h
Dadar Parsi for 70 runs (8 for 46 al o~e
stage). Bowling honours to Jaffcr Hussain
-5 for 8, and K. Shivdisani with 2 for 20.
They followed on ok ! With just over an
hour for play, the t::~ bles tu med at 5. 25 p.m.
and they were out for 37 (K. Shivdisani G
for 17, and Danny Hillel with 4 for 13), resulting in a win for us by an innings and 67
runs.
Against Sunrise C.C. we won the toss,
went in to bat, and from 3 (or 80 slumped
to 10 for J21 (Dobby .Jones 36). We got
lhl'Ough a very weak batting side without
much anxiety t icirr for 39, and 30, to win
by an innings and 52 runs. Kishore Shivdisani with match figures of 8 for 21 and
Danny Hillel, 8 for ~9, bowled splendidly.
We had now deservedly arrived at the
top of the table- Bharat C.C. were a point
behind us-and we played them the following week on the Shivaji Park gl'Ound. They
got to 156 and we succeeded in dropping
all the catches offered us. We did, however,
partly make up for this with an openin~
stand of 65 in 55 minutes. Fadli Talyarkhan and Pesi Tata were out leg before to
an ever accurate Pai. We did however,

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through a series of stands, manage 6 for batsmen had failed to score, one did-Bobby
141 when drinks came on to the field, S. Jorres remained unbeaten with 110. If
Phadke had a gallant 16 to his credit, 13 figures could speak ... No more comments
of which he accumulated in one over. The at this stage. It was one of those days,
first ball after the break knocked back his nothing seemed to go right in the field , reoff peg and we were once again s truggling sult-they declared at 6 for 203.
after a partnership that had realized 30 runs.
We have the prospect of the Founder's
E. Haskell succeeded in runn ing out Jimmy Day Game ahead of us-it's going to be
Billimoria and Sarosh Nagarwalla in quick pretty difficult to select just eleven members.
succession so evening up things a little. At There are the Old-Old Boys, four that come
9 for 152 and with 3 balls to be bowled, immediately to mind, who have to be inJaffer Hussain came in to face Pai. Pai put cluded. It's plain illegal to field a side witheverything he had into these last three de- out them. Perhaps some rotation process
liveries; on one occasion I gulped as Jaffer wherein they only field may solve this
Hussain aimed to push the ball to cover and dilemma (jest). We hope to organise a few
sent it like rocket to close-in leg. We drew friendlies in the month of December, have
this game at 9 for 152.
three offers on the table, all away from the
Next, at the Indian Gymkhana, we were city which should be quite a change. Furcertainly presented with the prospect of a thermore, there is talk in the air-regards
fine day's cricket. The ground, part of the a weekend in Poona with games on both
self-contained Club, is not invaded by hor- days. Speculations, Speculations ! Confirmed
des of passers-by and cover point is assured is the fixture against the Bombay Gymkhana
that he shan't have to field in grass up to where a few Old Boys will be expected to
his shins. Crescent, a young side, is large- join the School XI. And so it goes on into '66.
ly comprised of collegians. We worr the toss,
Well, that's the position-we've had a
elected to bat and, in spite of an early re- good run, and before concluding I'd like to
versal, proceeded to knock up 233. Bobby journey through my round of acknowledgeJones raced to a 100 in 85 minutes, and ments. To Wally Abraham, for his support ;
two sixes picked off balls pitched on or to Kali Mehta, for having turned out for us
just outside the off stump and despatched although committed to play for another
over square leg and mid wicket respectively side, and for the cold drinks and bumper ice
come immediately to mind. Moti Daryanam supply he provided. To the other Old Boys
flashed his way to 32 with Jimmy Billimoria who turned out to hoot! In particular, to
unbeaten at 26. Crescent started well , put- the staunchest of them-H. Uberoi {Ubi )
ting on 43 for the first wicket. Thereafter -who was always there when not playing
wickets fell at regular intervals and they for us. To Suhas Phadke, for his help in
were all out for 155, the bowlers in the game this job of Secret ary ; and finally, to Bobby
s haring the benefits equally between them- Jones, for not just captaining the side at
selves . There wasn't time for a second in- short notice, but for the help he's been
through the season. Finally, to U10se who
nings .
It was the game against United Friends played at one time or another- there have
C . C. on the 24th of October that first halt- been nineteen of them, and another five
ed our successful run. I say first, because volunteers-perhaps {and here I can stick
at the time of writing we still have 5 fix- my neck out) the largest contingent to repretures to go, and I am by profession-a pes- sent the Old Boys in many a year. Thank
you! This job certainly has its an.'l:ious mosimist!
We went in first, and from 2 for 66 we ments, but all I can say is it's certainly been
slumped to 8 for 89. All out for 149 ; seven worth it!

73

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NEW MEMBERS
We extend a hearty welcome to the following, who have become Life Members of
the C . 0. B. Association this year:

F. F. Moos
K. S. Merchant
N. K. Mody
S. S. Gharda
F. R. Talyarkhan
F. K. Cambata
J. K. Maneckji
H. F. Mulla
N. Vajifdar
J. Hussain
J. F. Fuller-Sessions

S. P. Pandit
D. J. Gubbay
J. N. Pan:de
J. Kurien
D. R. Talyarkhan
C. J. Kotval
N. Mehta
A. G. Seth
T. Tyebjee
J. George

J. P. Byramji
J. Havaldar
C. Mehta
J. Dadabhoy
S. Billimoria
S. E. Major
C. E. Mistry
D. H. Sethna
P. M. Bhagat
S. A. Shaikh

K
J.
R.
J.

Our membersship is now as follows (upto October 1965) :

Hou. Life Members:
4
Life Members :
378
PRIZES
The Old Boys' School Certificate Prize is awarded to N'. P. Bhogilal who stood
first from the Boys School at the Indian School Certificate examination of 1964.
The prizes for the "Best Articles" in the Borderer and the Gids' School magazine of 1964 are awarded to:
- S. Boga, XI A, for "The Stranger on the T1ain", and
- Ethel Beach, XI, for "Night". (The articles by Himani Natu, XI, and Elizabeth Eapen, X, were well appreciated also) .

++

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I. S.C. Candidates, 1965

-XI A

. '
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- XIB

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-XI, CGS,

WANTED

For next year's magazine!

-Photographs-Articles-ActivitiesIf you do something for

the school, send a report
to the 1966 magazine.

OPEN PRIZES FOR 1965

1.

Powalla Art Prize-Seniors

~.

Powalla Art Prize-Middles

:~.

Powalla Art Prize-Juniors

APPENDIX A
M. Thacker
K. Mukerji

(PJ

B. Nicholson

(P)

(SI

P. Jhaveri

(Sl

R. MacDonald

(SJ

4.

Savage House Prize oI Junior General

Knowledge

G. Desiraju

(PJ

:5.

Kail Prize for Senior Gener al

Knowledge

S. Punoose

(SJ

6.

Sheriar Ookerjee English Essay Prize

S. Moloobhoy

(SJ

7.

Elocution Seniors

A. Aboody

(B)

8.

Elocution Middles

K Billimoria

(:::.il

9.

Elocution Juniors

D. Hotby

(Pi

10

Barham House Prize for Modern

History

R. Sopher

(S)

11 .

Hyam Prize for English Literature

A. Chadha

(Bl

12.

\Nilson House Prize for Hindi

K. Mohammed

(Wl

J 3.

Wilson House Prize for French

G. Rakshit

(WI

14.

Old Boys' Prize for Physics

R. Parasuraman

(Sl

15.

Old Boys' Prize for Chemistry

V. Sanjana

(Pl

1fi.

Palmer House Prize for Geography

K Gurtu

(W)

J 7.

Hudson Prize for Mathematics

R. Parasuraman

(Sl

18.

Nix James for Additional Maths

V. Sanjana

(Pl

19.

P;inci p;:\l Prize for Indian History

G. Lettamsingh
G. Warney

(Wl

20.

Hammond Prize for English Language

M. Godbole

21.

Hammond Prize for English Essay

S. Banerji

(B)

(Bl

APPE~DL

T'.~e

B-HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE RESULTS, 1964.

numbers following each subject indic2t2 the gt a des in which the

candidate

has

lK<'>Sed e.g. Eng 1, 2, 3 means that the CQnclidat<' has gained g1ades J, 2 and 3 in Engli~h

Literature.

E1Jg.

English Literature

P!1y.

Physics

Fr.

French

Art.

Art

Chem. Chemistry
Sub.

Subsidiary

Hist. History
P.:\f. Pure Maths
A. 1. Additional Maths
Bot.

GP
Zoo.

Botany
General Studies Paper
Zoology

A. Ajgaonkar:

Phy 6. 6, 5

Chem 5, 6, d

Zoo. 9, 6, 5

L. Daniel:

I..:ng 3, 2, 3

Fr 6, 2, 3, -

Hist. 3, 4

GP 1

V. Deshpande:

Phy 6, 7, 8

P.M. 1, 2 6

A.l\f. 3, 7

GP 3

A. Dialdas:

Eng 1, 3, 2

Fr 6, 2, J, 4

11. Engineer:

Eng 1, 1, 1

U. Jairazbhoy:

Eng 7, 3, 3

K .Jhaveri:

S. Manasseh:

Bot. 8, 8, 7

GP 3

Art. 2, 3, 6, 3 GP 1

ffst. 1, 7

Art. 3, 3, 1, 2 GP 1

Ft 9, 7, 3, 6

Hist. 6, 7

Sub-Hist. 5

Eng 6, 3, 2

Ft 1, 1, 2, 2

Hist. 6, 9

B~ng

3, 4, 3

Ft 5, 6, 2, 3

Hist. 6, 3

Sub. A1t. 3

GP 1

Eng 5, 6, 5

Fr 7, 9, 6, !J

Hist. 8, 8

~ub.

GP 3

P. Neterwalla:

Eng 7, 8, 6

Hist. 7, 6

:::ub. Hist. 4

L. Wood:

Eng 2, 1, 6

1'1. 6, 2, 3, 3

Hist. 5, 3

73

:\Iody:

GP 6
GP 3

Hist. 6

GP 3
Sub. Hist. 2

GP 1

APPENDIX C
I. C. S . RESULTS, 1964

'T'hc following obtained certificates for the Indian School Certificate Examinations held
last year:-

G iris' Srhool.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10 .
11.
12.
13.
14.

15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.

S. R. Advani.
P. Banswara.
E. Beach.
R. Birdy.
A. Byramji.
R. Chandiramani.
B. Chinnappa.
M. Farrag.
S. Ghadially.
R. Israni.
D. Jadeja.
A. H . Kapadia
F. Kajiji.
P. Kishinchand.
D. Madon
M. Makita.
D. M. Malani.
S. R. Malkani.
S. Mathew.
R. B. Meher-Homji.
R. A. Merchant.
M. Najmuddirr
M. G. ariman.
N. Nath.
H. M. Natu.
H. Nissim.
R. K Ram.
S. Sadarangani.
M. C. Savara.
B. Shivdasani.
C. Sopher.
G. J. Taleyarkhan.
L. M. Tyebjee.
N. Uttamsingh

IJoys' School.
STD. XI A

1.
2
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

8.
9.
10.
11.

12.
13.
14.

15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.

V. K. Aggarwal
P. M. Bhagat
N. E. Bharucha
N. P. Bhagilal
S. R. Boga
R. J. Dadabhoy.
D. B. S. Dadyburjor.
A. Dafle.
R. B. Jeffereis.
S. Jha.
V. Khurana.
R. C. Kinra.
C. J. Kotwal.
S. A. Kshirsagar.
S. E. Mayor.
K. H. Malani.
J. K. Maneckji.
P. Marrett.
Y. Motwane.
H. F. Mulla.
S. r. Pochkhanawala.
S. N. E. Sassoon.
H. D. Sa the.
A. G. Seth.
J. P. Singh.
R. Singh.
N. J. Vazifdar.

79

Bol''s School
Srd.

..,

xr B.
S. K. Bajaj.

15

1\1. P. Bharuch:.i

16. R. B. Madan.

P. Kumer.

3. N. D. Bharucha.

17. H.B. Patel.

4. J.B. Billimo1ia.

18.

5. J. P. Billimoria.

19. A. K. Shah.

J. S. Billimoria.

20. S. A, Shaik.

F. K. Camb:lla.

21. S. J. Saface

D. A. Deshpande.

22. T. T. Tyebjee.

R. R. Irani.

23. M. T. Vaswani.

(1,

D. H. Sethna.

10. St. A. M. D. Isaacson .

24. R. V. Ved.

l I. M. G. Jc udian.

25.

R. Bakhle

26.

H. Dadabhoy.

12

A. Kapur.

13. R. K. Khambaua.

l.J. \' G. Khiani .

27. B. Aranaprasad.
28. B. H. Baylay.

--:o:--

80

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