1 | Page It was my desire to show my children the historic school I had studied in. I have often heard them say that their school is pretty vast and they get tired walking inside it. I wanted to show them the Martiniere estate starting from the Golf Course and right up to the top of Constantia. Opportunity came at the Dusherra long weekend and we went for a flying visit to Lucknow. I visited the school along with children on Dusherra day and obviously things were quiet as the school was shut for a few days. There was however one car which was all over the place. The principal Carlyle McFarland was at all corners supervising the mammoth renovation work being done all over the Martiniere estate. I met him at the main gate and then on the bundh and later saw him near the Constantia. I joined him on the bundh and realized the water was filling up under the Lart and he was very proudly watching the first gush of water in what would be the resurrection of lake. Thanks to Carlyle, we did go right till the top of Constantia. I witnessed firsthand the renovation work going on. Right from the top the majestic Constantia we could see the never ending Martiniere estate. The children had never seen anything like this before. My kids will never again refer to their school as big or large anymore! Come September and Martinian’s all over the world get into a partying mood. The social media starts buzzing and soon after the founder’s day on 13 th September, the pictures of founder’s day celebrations are shared on different groups. We keep getting information about celebrations in UK, Perth, Bangalore, Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata. From the Editor’s Desk Inside This Issue o From the Editor’s Desk o Dr Vijay Kohli’s roundup o Sunday Bunday o Founder’s day Celebrations o Gang of Delhi Party o Updates from Mumbai o The OMA New England o La Martiniere Alumni (LMA) o La Martiniere Girls’ Alumni Association o Tributes o News from Kolkata o Kolkata Martinian’s party at Gurgaon o Mart in news o OMA Dinner @ Delhi on 15 th Nov 14 . The Martinian’s OMA | Delhi Chapter October 2014 SPECTACULAR isn’t it? Aerial views of Constantia by Hemang Chaturvedi
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It was my desire to show my children the historic school I had studied in. I have often heard them say that their school is pretty vast and they get tired walking inside it. I wanted to show them the Martiniere estate starting from the Golf Course and right up to the top of Constantia. Opportunity came at the Dusherra long weekend and we went for a flying visit to Lucknow. I visited the school along with children on Dusherra day and obviously things were quiet as the school was shut for a few days. There was however one car which was all over the place. The principal Carlyle McFarland was at all corners supervising the mammoth renovation work being done all over the Martiniere estate. I met him at the main gate and then on the bundh and later saw him near the Constantia. I joined him on the bundh and realized the water was filling up under the Lart and he was very proudly watching the first gush of water in what would be the resurrection of lake.
Thanks to Carlyle, we did go right till the top of Constantia. I witnessed firsthand the renovation work going on. Right from the top the majestic Constantia we could see the never ending Martiniere estate. The children had never seen anything like this before.
My kids will never again refer to their school as big or large anymore!
Come September and Martinian’s all over the world get into a partying mood. The social media starts buzzing and soon after the founder’s day on 13th September, the pictures of founder’s day celebrations are shared on different groups. We keep getting information about celebrations in UK, Perth, Bangalore, Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata.
From the Editor’s Desk Inside This Issue
o From the Editor’s Desk
o Dr Vijay Kohli’s roundup
o Sunday Bunday
o Founder’s day Celebrations
o Gang of Delhi Party
o Updates from Mumbai
o The OMA New England
o La Martiniere Alumni (LMA)
o La Martiniere Girls’ Alumni Association
o Tributes
o News from Kolkata
o Kolkata Martinian’s party at Gurgaon
o Mart in news
o OMA Dinner @ Delhi on 15th Nov 14
.
The Martinian’s OMA | Delhi Chapter October 2014
SPECTACULAR isn’t it? Aerial views of Constantia by Hemang Chaturvedi
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Even though the Delhi Chapter of OMA will celebrate the annual dinner on 15th November, a group of youngsters calling themselves ‘La Martiniere Unite- Gang of Delhi aka GOD’ had a rollicking party at a nightclub called ‘chapter 25’ in Saket. I was fortunate to be invited for the party and thoroughly enjoyed the company of these young fellas and marveled at their energy level.
Preparations are on for our very own mega dinner on November 15, at the silver oak, India Habitat Centre. We are expecting a huge turnout going by the response elicited by the alumni on the events page put up by Avaneendra Mishra on Facebook.
The changing face of Boy’s school Lucknow is evident by the pictures of the renovated sections of Constantia and the La Martiniere estate. Many old students like Saurabh Sarkar, Mickey Kohli, Shahab Khan , Ratnesh & Dharam Raj Singh keep putting up the pictures of the school and the functions and it gives us information about the school on daily basis. Shahab is a brilliant photographer and some of his pictures of Constantia are breathtaking. There was an exhibition on 28th September of his photographs of Constantia and on the same day there was a talk by Mart loving author and historian Dr Rosie Llewellyn Jones . All this was in collaboration with Intach.
it is very impressive that principal Mc Farland and bursar Adrian Michael are themselves very active not only on the campus but on Facebook as well and we get to know what is happening directly from the horse’s mouth ! There was a time that once you left school you had no idea regarding what was happening in the school unless you visited the place. This is no longer the case. The encouragement given to Old Students to visit their alma mater by Principal McFarland is commendable.
For the world cup soccer finals the huge screen was put up near Constantia for the students to watch the finals. Many old students joined the young students to cheer Germany or Argentina.
I was particularly keen to attend the Brian Silas concert held in April 2014. Held in the school with lit up Constantia as a back drop, the concert was a roaring success. Unfortunately I had to cancel my ticket for Lucknow as something important came up here. I missed out on this opportunity
Thanks to Ms Aashirta Das, the Vice Principal of the girls school Lucknow, we do keep getting information about the happenings in the girl school. We got hour by hour information while inter Martiniere meet was in progress.
Vinoth Kumar might be staying in UK, but he has day to day information about happenings at Kolkata schools. His contributions are always welcome.
We look forward to bringing out another issue of ‘The Martinian’ after the November 15 dinner. Please do send us interesting articles, pictures and information about anything which may have to do with La Martiniere schools or its alumni. It would be fun sharing it with millions of Martinian’s worldwide.
My kids will never again refer to their school as big or large anymore!
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Dr Vijay Kohli’s roundup My dear Alumnus,
The festive season has arrived and so have our preparations for the OMA meet slated for the 15th of November. Our team of Avaneendra, Kunal, Surabhi, Sumit and Stephanie have planned out a wonderful evening for you under the experienced eye of our ’old’ stalwart, Rohin. It promises to be a wonderful event and it is a great pleasure for me to invite all of you for this never-to-be-forgotten Martiniere family reunion. …come one, come all!
Sadly, we would miss those familiar faces of this prestigious family who have departed for the happy hunting grounds, but am sure we continue to have their blessings.
As you are aware, our OMA family has been increasing by leaps and bounds. All these years we had been striving very hard to inculcate young blood into the New Delhi OMA. It is, indeed, a source of tremendous happiness to see so many youngsters who have thrown their weight behind us, not only by participating in the OMA functions but also in its working. Another notable event has been the active participation of the teachers of Lucknow Girls Martiniere, as was apparent at last year’s function.
You are also aware that for the last few years, there has been a lot of activity in the Boy’s School at Lucknow and many reunions of various batches have taken place there, thanks to the kind courtesy of Principal McFarland, who as you are aware has done so much for our Alma Mater and does not lag behind when it comes to cooperation and support for such meets.
This year too, the 1964 batch of Lucknow Martiniere are celebrating their fifty years at the School from the 21st to the 23rd of December 2014. Old boys, girls and teachers of ’64 vintage are most cordially invited.
In order to make this event a grand success, it is requested that all those of the ’64 batch you know may be kindly informed about this golden jubilee celebration. The following are the organizers who can be contacted for more details:
Ramesh Thakur (e mail [email protected] and cell number 98 180 70031), Jaggi Uberoi (e mail [email protected] cell number 092 186 0636) and Surjit Mongia (e mail [email protected] and cell number 98 101 98 701)
Mr Edgar Tuck, one of our favourite teachers at Lucknow, now based in Brisbane, Australia is arriving in Delhi on the 24th of October and departing for Brisbane on 13th November. During his stay in India he would be spending most of his time in Dehra Dun with only a few days in Delhi. I had requested him to postpone his departure and to be our Chief Guest at our OMA Reunion on the 15th of November but unfortunately he has to be in Australia on 14th November for some urgent conference. At a personal level, I have tremendous respect for him as I consider him one of those who has been responsible for shaping my career and making me what I am today.
My warmest regards to all of you and look forward to meeting you on November the 15th.
In what has become a tradition now, the Old Martinian’s informally meet up on the last day of each month at the Lucknow Boy’s school Tuck Shop between 10 AM and 12 PM. The popularity of this event has grown with each month and last month when I met Randhir Narayan in Gurgaon, he informed me that many of his batch mates were visiting the school the following Sunday for ‘Sunday Bunday’. Randhir and Rajnish Singh actually did go to Lucknow and not only did they eat all they could but landed up at Amrit Singh’s house the same evening with a lot of packed goodies. Nadeem Kazmi (son of Mr and Mrs Khan) runs the tuck shop now and being alumni himself, he has a great connect with Old Martinian’s.
Nadeem’s batch mate Suresh Danani has this to say about the event. On this very special Founders Day at La Martiniere College I want to salute Nadeem Kazmi our batch mate. This man has devoted his life to the school in ensuring the tradition of providing some amazing food to the students past & present of the school with an amazing spirit and energy. Each time that I visit the canteen to meet him, his gusto for his work is even stronger. I don't think any boy at this school would be as popular as Nadeem is. The school boys love him for his compassion and for the amazing food that he offers at the canteen
Ratnesh Gupta informed me that with each month this assembling at tuck shop and eating bun tacks and bun kababs in the company of principal McFarland is becoming ‘Sunday, Bunday and Funday’ and those coming from out of town are planning their visit to coincide with the last Sunday of the month.
I am sure many of us would make sure that our Lucknow visits coincides with the last Sunday of the month from now onwards.
The ever smiling Nadeem Kazmi fondly known as “Nadeem bhai”
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Founder’s day Celebrations, Lucknow I was pleasantly surprised to see the pictures of suited booted Saurabh Sarkar distributing certificates to the school boys after the swimming meet on the founder’s day.
Saurabh attends almost all the functions held at school and we are pretty used to seeing him in a casual T-Shirt. It was nice seeing him being invited as chief guest by the school and though he must be sweating under the weight of the apparel he had to wear, the honor must have compensated for all the discomfort. Saurabh always attends the Delhi OMA meets and often helps out financially when we face shortages. He loves good food, single malts and is always jet setting to different locales in the country. I share his taste in melodious Hindi songs specially the Kishore Kumar variety. He has a strong opinion about everything and anything and has a forceful way of putting his point across. I look forward to his movie reviews and he himself is an accomplished actor and earlier this year he was busy shooting in Rajasthan as an actor in a ‘Bond’ film. Good show-Saurabh.
Mickey Kohli has described the Founders day held in Lucknow boy’s school in his own style. “A Truly Glorious Day for La Martiniere Yesterday.... Stellar Chapel Service in Memory of our Esteemed Founder Gen. Claude Martin who passed away on the 13th of Sept. in 1800....Nadeem's Extreme Generosity for willingly allowing us all to Raid "The Tuck Shop".....The Action Packed Swimming Meet Presided over by our own old school boy Mr. Saurabh Sarkar who was the Honorable Chief Guest.....The Delicious Founder's Day Feast....The Spectacular Concert n Pulsating Variety Programme in the Evening....Finally ended the day with the Lavish Drinks n Dinner hosted at hotel Levana by the La Martiniere Girl's Alumni....All pretty marvelous Indeed....Grand Really....Thank You Gen. Claude Martin(RIP),Mr.Carlyle McFarland, The Boy's, Staff n TEAM McFarland.....Happy Founder's Day & "Vive La Martiniere"
Saurabh Sarkar distributing certificates to the boys
A nice picture of principals of boy’s and girl’s school, Lucknow
Party Organised by La Martiniere Unite- Gang of Delhi aka God The enthusiastic youngsters from Lucknow and Kolkata La Martiniere get together each year at some nightclub in Delhi and party hard on founder’s day. This year the party was held at a club called ‘Chapter 25’ at Saket. I was fortunate to be invited for this youngsters party and as I realized as the evening progressed – 70% of those present were not even born when I passed out from school! Khalid Arshad, Prerna Jaiswal and Neelesh Misra did a commendable job by organizing this do and having a wonderful crowd from Lucknow and Kolkata alumni.
I normally go deaf with loud music which is played at these nightclubs but fortunately the organizers were kind enough to have booked some place on the terrace as well where once could sip the beer and chat with these youngsters. It was wonderful to have some of the people who were not 25 and below and Denise Keelor Ireland, Raghuvir Mathur, Deepak Jain, Sanjay Prakash and all had a great time at the party.
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Updates from Mumbai Rohit Tandon informs me that a very nice function was organized by Mumbai Martinian’s as Founder’s day reunion at the Barking Deer restaurant in Mumbai on 12th September. The photograph of this function shows a lot of smiling and happy faces.
Rohit through an email shared “The Alumni of La Martiniere in Mumbai had their Founders day Get together on 12 September at The Barking Deer, Mumbai. It was an Amazing get together where we had a group of about 75 Martinian’s, both Lko and Cal. The best part of this get together was that no one talked about location but enjoyed the spirit of being a Martinian. Some of the Martinian’s came from Delhi like, Nitish Kapoor, Bonny Mukerjea, a very senior Martinian came from Pune. From Mumbai, the ones I remember were Manisha, Hemal, Lopa, Gopa, Roopa, Abhishek, Arka, Manek, Ritu, Sashwat, Anurag, Rishi, Deependra, Shashi, Joydeep, Subroto, Ankit, Ashutosh, Junaid, Apoorva, Amit, Girish, Sukesh, Arpit, Richard, Vatsala, Shreya, Akshat, Kaushik, Debojyoti and Reha. Everyone present just loved the Electric atmosphere the Martinian’s created among themselves. We now have 182 members on our Alumni page, surely we should be getting more strength by next time.”
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The Old Martinian’s Association of New England (OMANE)
The Old Martinian’s Association of New England (OMANE) celebrated the 214th death anniversary of its Founder, Major General Claude Martin, a Frenchman born in Lyon, France, by hosting a dinner meeting on September 21, 2014 at Masala Art in Needham, MA. Martin, a Frenchman who came to India as a young 17 year old, made India his home. He served in the armies of the British East India Company, rising from the rank of private to that of Major General, and serving in his later years in the court of the Nawab of Oudh, Asaf-ud-Daula. He spent his last years at his country estate Constantia, in Lucknow, which later became the La Martiniere College for boys at Lucknow. The La Martiniere boys and girls schools at Calcutta, Lucknow, and Lyon were established under the Last Will and Testament of Claude Martin with the large legacy he bequeathed for that purpose upon his death in 1800. The doors to the La Martiniere schools for boys and girls in Calcutta were opened in 1836, after about thirty years of litigation of Martin’s Will in Calcutta High Court. The La Martiniere, Lucknow boys school, earlier referred to as the “Eton of the East,” opened in 1845 and the Lucknow girls school in 1869. The La Martiniere schools in Lucknow and Calcutta (Kolkata) are among the most prestigious private schools in India, with all the schools ranking among the top ten day schools across 725 schools across India. These schools have a proud and lasting legacy. The Lucknow boys school is the only school in the world to have been granted battle honors for its role in the revolution of 1857. During her visit to Kolkata as U.S. Secretary of State, the Honorable Hillary Clinton chose La Martiniere Calcutta girls school for interacting with the student body, which was broadcast across the world. This year’s Founder’s Day dinner celebration coincided with OMANE’s General Body Meeting and election of its Executive Committee for the two year 2014-2016 term. Summaries of OMANE’s activities through the year were presented. They included, among others, OMANE’s registration as a non-profit organization with the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, filing of papers with the Internal Revenue Service for 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, design and construction of the OMANE website, membership and financial status, interactions with the Lucknow and Kolkata schools to enhance alumni/ae presence/contributions in school matters, highlights of the Spring 2014 High Tea Event held at Lexington’s Carey Library in April 2014, and contacts with Old Martinian Association chapters worldwide. Mr. Syed Ali Rizvi (Ali Bhai, fondly), OMANE’s outgoing Vice President, who was recently appointed as worldwide President of Vision-Aid, a prominent non-governmental non-profit entity providing need-based services and equipment to visually challenged Indians, briefed the gathering on the aims and programs of the Vision-Aid organization. OMANE congratulates Mr. Rizvi on his well-deserved appointment and wishes him much success in his new responsibility. Mr. Syed Ali Rizvi served as the Election Officer supervising the elections to the OMANE Executive Committee (EC). The following OMANE members were elected to their respective EC positions for the two-year 2014-2016 term: Dr. Kaplesh Kumar – President Dr. Ali Ashter – Vice President Mr. Narendra Mukherjee – Secretary Mr. Siddharth Jeevan – Treasurer Dr. K. Raman, the most senior Martinian in OMANE (Senior Cambridge, 1952), was installed as Chair of the Board of Trustees, whose other members remain to be appointed. The evening concluded with the singing of the school song, “Hail, Hail, the name we own ….” Vive La Martiniere!
The AGM of La Martiniere Alumni was held on September 21, 2014 at the Spence hall in Boy’s school Lucknow. As per the report of LMA the following significant points during the year were
- The batch of 1998 donated Rs 2,50,000 in memory of their colleague Saurabh Rastogi who died under tragic circumstances.
- In consultation with the principal, the LMA contributed gifts for various raffles at the annual fete.
- Mr Amar Singh, a former JCO in the Indian Army has been employed by the alumni to assist with the process of digitizing the past records of the College, a work of immense significance, in view of the fact that in the past many records have been lost due to floods and termites.
- A unique musical experience was organized with ‘Constantia’ as the backdrop. The famous pianist, Brian Silas, performed in a concert which was followed by dinner at the principal’s lawn.
- The batch of 1988 held a reunion dinner on completion of 25 years of passing out. They donated a tractor to the college.
- College had initially received a gift of 2 horses and had included the activity of horse riding for the students. Since then the alumni has gifted 4 more horses to the school.
- A reunion dinner was jointly held by LMA and LMGAA at the girl’s college.
- Sunday Bunday continues to become popular with each passing month and is a great platform for alumni to meet once a month.
- An Eye Camp was organized by Dr Upsham Goel as well as Dental Camp was organized by Dr Chetan Cghandra and Dr Sumit Chandra!
Rajnish Chopra, president of LMA addresses the alumni at the AGM
A reunion dinner at Lucknow Felicitation of alumni member Mehru Jaffer who is a well known
journalist.
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La Martiniere Girls’ Alumni Association (2013 – 2014 )– A Report - The members of the Association have tried their utmost to work
for the benefit of their school and society. - A tree plantation drive, a magic show, the rain dance, the ‘Diwali
Dance Dhamaka’ and an open fete were organized by the Association very successfully.
- The Association organized a medical camp for the underprivileged children of Akshar Dhyan Public school.
- The Association has sponsored meals, prizes, mementoes and gifts for competitions and activities organized by the various clubs of the College. The Association also sponsored State level basketball Championships.
- The Association joined hands with the Gandhi Corner to reach out to the people of disaster struck Uttarakhand by sponsoring the transport and collection of the relief material.
- Woollen blankets worth Rupees Fifty Thousand were distributed among the poor and needy during the month of January, 2014.
- To celebrate the Founder’s Day a get together dinner was hosted for the alumni and friends who support the association through the year at Hotel Best Western Plus Levana.
- The La Martiniere Girls' Alumni Association and the La Martiniere Alumni jointly hosted the Annual Reunion Dinner for the alumni on 14th December, 2013 at La Martiniere Girls' College. Renowned writers and alumni, Mrs. Mehru Jaffer and Mr. Akash Banerjee, were felicitated for their outstanding achievements in the field of media. This year at Prize Day, we felicitated Late Mrs. Vandana Mathur and Mr. Trevor Savaille, both from the girls’ and boys’ colleges, for their outstanding contribution in the field of education. A medal for good conduct was given to Ritika Kohli of class XII. The Association also gives a scholarship of Rs. Fifteen Thousand to a deserving student, as chosen by the Principal of the College. Support staff Smt. Kariman was given a fixed deposit of Rupees Ten Thousand.
- A sum of Rupees Three Lakhs was given to La Martiniere Girls’ College towards the Building Fund.
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Tributes
He came from a distinguished family and was himself associated with the corporate world and he winded up his career as the President of NGO called Charkha. The following article appeared in Civil society Online: We must have a sense of history,” was the last conversation a visibly frail Shankar Ghose had with his daughter, Ela, in the intensive care unit of a Gurgaon hospital. The man who intended to retire at 80 lost a long, determined battle against cancer on the night of 14 June, months short of his 79th birthday. And yet, his remarkable eight-decade journey reflects a sense of history as rich as the young India he saw evolve significantly during his lifetime. Former schoolmates recall fond memories of Shanks, as he was known to friends, in La Martiniere College, Lucknow – an institution that stayed close to his heart all his life. He later went on to study in St Stephen’s College and his respect for the institution reflected in the active role he played as head of the Old Boys Association of the College for an astounding 19 years. Starting as a young management trainee at Caltex, right after graduation, Ghose moved up the ranks swiftly. His was a generation that was partaking of nation-building in a young India, brimming with promise and pride, eager to enjoy the fruits of the democracy their parents had fought for. Perhaps the most testing time came in 1997, when his son, Sanjoy, then 39, was abducted by the ULFA while he was working in Assam’s Majuli Island as a development worker. All efforts to find him failed, and the void never quite filled. For many years after, the hope that he would return someday stayed alive. But it was not to be. A devastated father could have chosen to let the anguish fester, but Ghose channelized it otherwise. The retirement plans were shelved once again. He took on the mantle of leading Charkha, an organisation his son had launched three years earlier, that had been floundering with little direction since the abduction. For well over a dozen years thereafter, and till his last breath, Ghose dedicated his efforts to Charkha. Under his leadership, Charkha became an established name in the field of development communication, with Ghose personally leading his team to work in some of India’s most difficult areas, including places where conflict had sidelined development. Well into his late seventies, he continued to travel extensively to remote locations, urging the youth to come forward and share in the challenging task of nation-building. Concerned about the growing fissures in a fractured society, he instilled in his team the urgent need for bringing congruence and harmony among faiths, making it an integral part of all programmes he designed. Corporate executive, philanthropist, development worker, environmentalist – Ghose was all these and more, with a spirited involvement in everything he did and a humane tenderness that touched lives, creating friendships that remained fresh even six decades after they were formed. It earned him the love and admiration of people everywhere.
Shankar Ghose was a prominent member of OMA Delhi and would make sure that he attended each and every function that was held here. He was Lyons House 1949 batch.
Captain S K Singh was a very popular College Captain and passed out from school in 1977. He was in Hodson house. Being an army man he fought his illness valiantly but passed away at Delhi in September 2014. The school in a great gesture kept a prayer meeting for him.
We were also saddened to hear about the passing away of our very senior alumni Group Capt (Retd) Kishin Advani. He was a perfect gentleman and would make sure that he would attend the OMA dinners regularly till the time his health permitted. He had passed out from school in 1946 ! Dr Abhijit Sen was my classmate till class 10 and then he went on to science section while I went to commerce. We had been together since class I. I was saddened to hear about his passing away a few months ago. We had last met at the silver jubilee year of our passing out from school. Our batchmate Alok Dhawan informs me that Abhijit was a brilliant Doctor and did a lot for the poor and needy.
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News From Kolkata Dear Martinian’s, Mrs. Sybil Martyr who was a teacher, at La Martiniere for Boys – Kolkata from the mid-1950s, will be 100 years on 19th October 2014. About four years ago there was an article in the New York Times about her life in Kolkata. This article gave the impression of her being in difficult times at a home for the destitute. At the request of Rob Peterson (son of former school master and VP Mr John Peterson) in Melbourne, I made enquires. In the meantime I received pledges amounting to over Rs 2 lacs in just two days in response to my email. Later with the help of John Mason in India we were able to establish that Mrs Martyr had, in fact, adequate funds for her care in retirement. Thankfully she did not need our help. The school Principal, Mr Sunirmal Chakravarthi and school master Mr Ganguli very kindly visited Mrs Martyr and the attached email tells the story. It would be nice if we Martinians could send Mrs Martyr a message for her dedicated service to La Martiniere, Kolkata and of course for her 100th birthday. Please send your messages to me by email [email protected], with your years in School, and I will arrange to have them printed and delivered to Mrs Martyr on her birthday, possibly with chocolates and flowers. Do let me know if you have any other suggestions. Vive La Martiniere Vinoth Kumar.
Kolkata Martinian’s party at Gurgaon
Many Calcutta Martinian’s met up on 25th April in Gurgaon for a rollicking party. I do know that Raghuvir Mathur, Vinita, Abha Mehta Malik, Sharad Somany, Deepak Jain, Sanjay Prakash,....and some others were involved with organizing the event and it was a super duper success.
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Some Newspaper Clippings about La Martiniere Schools
Our very own Dr Sumit Dubey recently received The Rajiv Gandhi excellence award. Dr Sumit runs a very successful dental clinic and his social work has always impressed those who come into contact with him
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La Martiniere College to restore centuries old British pipe organ back to its musical glory Lying in a corner of the La Martiniere College chapel is an around 200-years-old British pipe organ that was once the pride of the institution. Several decades later, the college has taken up the task to restore the old 20-feettall wind instrument back to its glory While British India could boast of around 200 to 250 of such instruments, there are just about 100 pipe organs left in the country today. And Lucknow has one at La Martiniere College. Over the years, some of the instrument’s pipes lost their shape, few keyboard strings broke and the edges of its pedal board got jammed turning the instrument completely non-functional. “We’ve roped in Commodore TMJ Champion, a retired naval officer who is also a pipe organ consultant and Tapan Kumar Das of Hurry Brothers, Kolkata, a good skilled organ repairer for the purpose,” says college principal Carlyle McFarland. Going by the inscriptions on the instrument, it was built by John Dressers, Organ Builders, Wassall, England. A few decades later, it was rebuilt and serviced by A Mülhaupt, Umballa (probably a builder in Ambala during British period). Unfortunately, in both the inscriptions, the year of manufacture is not mentioned. “However, an informed guess would put its age anywhere between 200 to 250 years,” says Champion, who will give an estimate of the cost to be incurred in repairing the instrument to the college. “The pipe organ has two manuals and a pedal board with four ranks of pipes in the great manual, three on swell and one on the pedal, making it a small 8-rank pipe organ with a total of 385 pipes of different tonal colours and timbre,” he adds
“When an organist performs, one person has to continuously pump wind in the bellows by pulling a lever attached to the rear side of the instrument,” shares Das while explaining its functioning. So why did the instrument remain non-functional for this long? “In India, there aren’t enough people who can play the instrument and even less who can repair it. Paradoxically, with hundreds of British-built pipe organs in the country, there isn’t a single organ-building firm or even a repair firm in India left behind by the British for their upkeep after Independence,” says Champion. He has restored several pipe organs in the country, including those at the Delhi Cathedral through British High Commission, St John’s Church, Secunderabad, St John’s Church, Vizag, Holy Name Cathedral, Mumbai and St Mary’s Church, Pune “At present there are only a handful of fourth generation organ repairers in India with limited skills, acquired or perhaps more likely passed down the line from their great grandfathers who had the good fortune of working with English organ builders,” says the principal. The pipe organ came to La Martiniere in 1895 when the college celebrated its golden jubilee. It was last overhauled in June 1938. “While the innards of the instrument are free of damage, several years of disuse is perhaps the only reason it needs major servicing and tuning. This would be taken up in two or three months’ time,” he adds. During their two-day visit to Lucknow, Champion and Tapan Das focused on preliminary work to get the ‘mute’ pipe organ ‘peeling’ again. According to chapel records, the pipe organ was regularly used during daily services and special occasions such as farewells, installation ceremonies and commemoration service in memory of its founder Major Gen Claude Martin. In India, pipe organs are found in old churches, chapels, auditoriums, Freemasons lodges and concert halls. Described generally as the ‘King of Instruments’, a pipe organ is the largest musical instrument under the control of one single performer. From the inscriptions it appears that La Martiniere College’s Pipe Organ was built by John Dressers, Organ Builders, Wassall, England and in June 1938. This musical instrument was rebuilt and serviced by A Mülhaupt, Umballa (perhaps it refers to some Organ Builder located in Ambala during British time). According to Carlyle McFarland, this musical instrument came to college in 1895 when the college celebrated its golden jubilee. The grand pipe organ used to accompany the choir. There are very few people who can play it and even less who can repair it, he said.
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Raghav Chandra is a well known face at our OMA Delhi dinners. To many it would come as a big surprise that this senior bureaucrat and IAS officer is not only a competent officer and an avid golfer but has also penned a thriller based on wildlife. The book is called ‘Scent of a game’.
“This is what Raghav has to say about his inspiration for the book- Between 2006 and 2009, there were a lot of tiger deaths. In fact, in and around 2006, when I worked in Madhya Pradesh, I observed that there was a tiger death reported in a wildlife sanctuary or a tiger reserve, every day. And if you recall, this was the time when the Sariska tiger reserve got highlighted because of a survey which reported that there were no tigers left there.
“The forest and wildlife authorities protested against this, saying that there were tigers still around. Following which a formal survey was carried out and it was established that there were indeed no tigers left. In Panna, Madhya Pradesh, a similar situation prevailed. Three years ago, there were 50 tigers and suddenly, around 2006-07, there were none. A national tiger conservation authority was set up and a CBI enquiry ordered. The idea of this novel germinated at that time. I was looking for a story of how a human being could transcend a difficult patch, survive odds. I’ve merely used the tiger as a motif to define and describe this. The tiger story is very similar to the human one — of being restricted, yet being able to survive.
Ajit Chak has given a lot of prominence to his old school in Punjab as he writes about the school often in the ‘Daily Post.’ This article is his latest about the school and he promises to continue writing about his alma mater and its teachers. Principal McFarland should not be surprised if he starts getting admission requests from Punjab Celebrating Death Ajit Chak A college in Lucknow has also produced a league of extraordinary gentlemen in the past and hopefully will continue to do so in the future. It is La Martiniere College founded by Claude Martin who died on September 13 and in his will made it mandatory that his death anniversary would be a day for gaiety and joy instead of mourning. There are several extremely erudite individuals in the media who would also agree with this point of view. The question is who all would today turn around and say I want my death anniversary to be a day for celebration? This unique thought process has been the fountainhead of the spirit of La Martiniere College where the Founders Day as the death anniversary is known as being celebrated in three cities Kolkata, Lucknow and Lyons in France. The college does not have any other branches.
The old students too plan their get-togethers and annual dinner in this month trying to keep it as close as possible to the Founders Day. Today the Old Boys Association has a branch in both Delhi and even Chandigarh, where they gather in the DSOI to talk about the good old days. So what is it that has made this college unique? Apart from the snob value of attending such a school, the peer group in the media commands a lot of respect and there are several in the media who owe their existence to the Anglo-Indian teachers who taught them how to write and speak English in these classrooms built almost two centuries ago. The faces are well known from fiction writer Mukul Deva to Editor Vinod Mehta to his deputy Ajith Pillai, there are several well known names and some will be definitely left out of the list by mistake. There is Sayyed Naqvi, there is Suhail Seth, Arup Ghosh and several others. Rock star Cliff Richards came here and so did Delhi’s well known cardiac surgeon Vijay Mohan Kohli. When it came to producing war heroes, the school willingly provided heroes in the two great wars and even in 1965 when the two air aces the Keelor brothers won laurels in air combat against the Pakistani Air Force
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La Martiniere College was the personal palace of a rich and wealthy French Military professional who decided to turn it into a trust which would run a school for underprivileged children in Lucknow. At the same time children from all strata of society would be admitted based on their merit. Major General Claude Martin came to Lucknow in search of money and work. He found it with a vengeance in the city of the Nawabs. Like Lutyen created a vital part of Delhi, Claude Martin built several important buildings in Lucknow including the Chatar Manzil, the Constantia and so on. An expert artillery man, he forged and created his own cannons which adorn the college premises till today. Why did he order that his death should be celebrated and not mourned? Was it the indomitable spirit of the armyman here that was speaking? Or was it his way to continue the celebration of life in a far off land? Whatever it was, it has given the college a unique distinction as opposed to other colleges all over the world where the death anniversary of the founder is a day of mourning. It was Martin’s motto that one had to labour constantly and struggle to win and there was a considerable deal of struggle involved in setting up the college. Martin who was born in 1735 died around 1800 and forty five years later the college came into being after a lengthy litigation between the Nawab and the trustees was decided in the Privy Council in England. Had Martin been alive when the academic session commenced, he would have been a 110 years old. As one walks up to the Constantia building a row of three canons greets the visitors. They get to see the magnificent building which housed the grave of the Major General. Much earlier before entering the grounds, they have already walked past the grave of Lt Hodson, the man who raised the regiment the Hodson’s Horse or the Bengal Lancers who captured the Red Fort for the British in 1857. Contributing to the Army and the defence forces has been a tradition with La Martiniere but has nothing to do with the fact that Claude Martin was a Major General. The school and its students have been known to produce several officers, even politicians and great writers. For all of them, September holds a special significance as a month of partying and celebration. It was Vinod Mehta who once wrote that he still remembered the menu that was served on Founders Day which definitely had to have two items, chicken biryani and cushter (fruit custard). Of late, the college has undergone a major facelift but it has introduced another unique distinction that of a college principal in Lucknow who wears his school uniform while working. An old boy of the batch of 1979, Carlye Macfarland has taken upon himself the task to revamp the college and provide new facilities everywhere after years of neglect. Macfarland a teacher of English of great repute comes from a family of distinguished teachers of La Marts as the college is known today in Luckow. There have been a host of other teachers before him, some of whom are now dead or have migrated to Australia or their descendants have left Lucknow but they have created a wealth of knowledge and a heritage that is beyond compare. There was Elton Desouza known for his prim and proppah ways. There was Michael Halge who left for Australia, there was Charlie Gardener who taught Mathematics and Ireland who gave manual training and there is Fernandez who taught many things and even retold good film stories to the class from Kellys’ Heroes to the Guns of Navarone. Finally, there was a Geography teacher beyond compare, Dignum, who once asked his class, tell me he said, the names of the rivers in Punjab. When the boys fumbled, he said always remember that Jesus Christ Rose Before Sunrise or JCRBS – the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and the Sutlej. Which brings us back to the original question, what kind of man would like to see his death anniversary being celebrated? Definitely a man who has left behind so much for future generations would insist upon it. Viva La Martiniere
As a Naturalist, Ratna Singh adopts a scientific approach while dealing with the wildlife Ratna Singh is unapologetically in love. The one love she nurtured from her childhood. So when she had to part for a few years because she was studying in a boarding she couldn’t bear the pain. “I couldn’t adjust for a long time,” says Ratna, Manager-Naturalist Training at Taj Safaris’ Banjaar Tola lodge near the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Being born and brought up in Madhya Pradesh, where the jungle wasn’t too far from her place, she couldn’t help but fall in love with the wilderness and everything that constitutes a jungle. Petite and soft spoken that she is, a particular marketing head jokingly refused to be in her custody as a guest. Now, he can’t stop boast of her capabilities. Ratna grew up in a small village called Khairaha near Bandhavgarh National Park. Although belonging to a very conservative extended family, her grandfather and father encouraged the women in the family to break out of the mould of a traditional woman’s role. She studied at the La Martiniere boarding school in Lucknow, and then went to college in Delhi where she graduated in history. She pursued a post-graduate diploma in Human Rights and Refugee Law from the University of Delhi, and later worked with Afghan refugees in India as part of her job with the UN in Delhi. “That was my first job and as a 23-year-old it was too heavy for me. I worked there for a year and then got a chance to work with Taj Safaris. What happened after that is history and now I cannot think of any other profession than being with nature. “My work entails getting up early in the morning and driving the guests staying at the lodge into the dense forest of the park twice a day, to show them the wildlife. It is not a job for me, living and working with nature and wildlife, gives me an adrenalin rush. Ratna is chatty and mention of wildlife and animals makes her happy, and she feels, she connects better with animals than humans. According to her, a true naturalist should break myths about the jungle, the flora and fauna and tell facts. On a lighter note she says, “a naturalist isn’t anyone who can drive a jeep and wears a big hat. He/she has to educate tourist, teach them things about the jungle which they wouldn’t know otherwise.”
Ratna Singh on her regular rounds with tourists
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High Court restores La Martiniere College land
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My good friend Jaideep Mathur had argued this matter for the College. Jaideep is a top lawyer of Lucknow and he also happens to be the vice president of La Martiniere Alumni. He gives a very clear account of the history of this case and how important this judgement is, not only for La Martiniere College but for any institution. The writ petition was filed 31 years ago by three members of the Local Committee of Governors of the College, Mr AC Grice, the then Anglo Indian MLC, Maj Gen Freemantle and Mr AK Dass. My late father, Mr PN Mathur, Senior Advocate argued it in 1983 and obtained a stay order because of which the land remained with the College. During the pendency of the petition all three petitioners passed away and after much effort the Principal of the College was substituted in place of the three stalwarts of the Local Committee. I finally argued the writ petition a few weeks ago in the High Court and it was decided in our favour. The acquisition has been quashed and the College has been awarded Rs 10 lacs as costs. It's a fantastic judgement which holds that the Right to Education being a Fundamental Right cannot be rendered otiose by taking away the land of a premier educational institution.
It's a landmark judgement also because it is the first judgement in the country which holds that education is a superior public purpose which takes precedence over all other public purposes. For La Martiniere, what this means is that the College can now never be deprived of its properties by future governments on any pretext whatsoever.
He further explains What happened in 1983 was that since the Trustees were the Chief Secretary and the Legal Remembrancer of UP, both of whom were officers of the UP Govt, they were not in a position to challenge the acquisition proceedings launched by the State. Crazily enough, because of the presence of the Commissioner and the District Magistrate in the Local Committee of Governors of the College, it became difficult to get unanimity in the Committee either. This, three individual members of the Local Committee rose to the occasion and filed the petition in their individual capacities, pleading that they were individually also interested in ensuring that the property of La Martiniere remain intact as per the Will of the Founder.
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The Martinian’s OMA | DELHI CHAPTER
OMA Delhi Dinner on 15th November 2014 Venue: Silver Oak banquet hall, India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi.
(Entry from gate number 3).
Time: 7.30 PM
Dress: Informal
Entrance Charges: Rs 1000 (Rupees one thousand only) all inclusive. The confirmations may please be sent to:
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/271902199684544/ Reach out to us @ [email protected] & http://www.facebook.com/groups/OMADelhi/ As our dinners are highly subsidized so that all alumni (including students) should be able to afford the charges, those who wish to contribute (other than the entrance charges) may do so by cheque favouring : Major General Claude Martin memorial Trust.
OMA Delhi Chapter Organizing Committee
This magazine is meant for students, teachers and alumni of La Martiniere Schools. Please do forgive us incase of any presentation/ grammatical/ typographical errors as this magazine has been assembled without any professional help. Any information regarding La Martiniere Schools for future News Letters should be to either of the above. Articles, stories and photographs would be welcomed. Chief Editor & Producer - Rohin Arora Joint Editor - Kunal Punn
