Schools are back in the news. This morning the papers are full of an eleven year old jumping down from the second floor of a school after he was slapped for being late. The institution is ironically named after Mother Teresa, recognized the world over as an icon of love and care. The news revived memories of Govt. Senior Secondary School, Lalpani, Simla, which I visited along with
my wife early this month. While sitting in the office of the Principal, Mr. R.C.Rangra, a teenaged Akhtar Ali was brought in who was accused of habitually jumping over the rear wall of the school and playing truant. The mild-mannered principal hardened his voice and demeanour and asked him why he did not choose the front gate. The handsome and slightly awed Ali thought for a moment and then merely said, ‘Short-cut’. It wasn’t much of an offence in my eyes since I too had done it several times while at school. Ali was luckier since he was dismissed only with a warning. I used to receive heavy caning when caught. I wondered if he had benefitted from our presence and asked the principal whether corporal punishment was given at his school. He denied it but he and my wife, who also teaches at a school, agreed that sometimes it becomes necessary to discipline the ‘tough’ boys.
I should have started on a different note. The school established more than a century ago, 1848, to be exact, and a decade older than the more popularly known British Cotton School, breathes history from every nook and corner. There was a Board listing the principals and their tenures. When I found one Bhagwan Singh, sandwiched between five or odd Englishmen, I asked Mr. Rangra if it meant Indians were good enough in those days to get the top slot. He agreed and revealed that it must have been a primary school in those days. Mr. Zia-ul-Haq, the former army chief and head of Pakistan was a student of what is now widely known as Govt. School, Simla. In fact the record of his birth was called for and sent to Pakistan following his death.
The School with 1400 students and a Staff of 70 offers all streams in two shifts. My wife was inquisitive about the infrastructure. There are ten class rooms, two offices and five labs. There was a computer in Mr. Rangra’s room so we deduced IT must be one of the subjects. Most students came from the middle or lower-middle class with about 25% managing to build good careers later. I scanned several medals and medallions lining the wall behind him. He confirmed most were won in sports & cultural events. He took us round the corridor with curious eyes peeping out of a class room. There was a locked almirah with the words ‘Old English Books’ painted at the top. I fought the instinct to ask if it could be opened and we could look at the spines of the hidden treasure. The Class room next to it with its polished wooden ceilings and creaking weathered floors had a colonial look.
Principal Rangra’s own career graph was interesting. He studied Electrical Engineering and worked for Navy before he discovered his love for English Literature did his Master’s from H.P.University and became a lecturer in 2001. He took over as Principal of Lalpani School five years later and has been managing its affairs well. We thanked him for his hospitality and took his leave only when the incessant rain outside took a short break. No short-cuts for us!
