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St.Mary's and padlocked! Who would have thought it would come to this! I was told by a colleague of mine who had gone there to visit one of the staff members and the inconvenience he had trying to leave the premises. There was no one at the gate, finally he managed to locate a staff ( bera) who after wrestling for quite some time managed to open the padlock and let him out.
Today I drove up to the school to see for myself, Yep! Both gates had heavy locks on them fastened to chains welded on to the gates so no one would get the idea of flinging them into the nearby undergrowth. I got off from my scooter and hoofed it all the way to Mr. Christopher James's office. There was hectic activity on the main pitch as a truck load laden with tents, and army blokes busy pitching tents all around the field. Yea! it sure brought back a wave of nostalgia, tomorrow is the school fete.

I asked James why the school had resorted to padlocking the gates. Well it turned out that the enterprising people from town (cabbies, the Brahmakumaris and tour buses) were making the school premises a public thoroughfare, to reach the dam as a sightseeing and picnic sport venture. No wonder the PADLOCKS! Imagine the zipping buses and cabs at odd times of the day and even at night going past the main building! Amen

The Princy should keep a gate keeper to allow genuine folks who have work with the school not to be inconvenienced. The guy holding the sign in the snap attached told me his tale. He has to come daily to the school to deliver various goods but each time he has to go looking for someone to open up the gates. Gone are the days where the school was an exclusive novelty, today buildings have invaded
the very neighborhood of the school. A friend of mine too narrated his tale of lament. Last October he had gone to meet the Principal, he entered the school premises at about 4 pm and when it was time to leave after about an hour found the dreaded padlock with his bike on the wrong side of the gate. After thinking for a while he went back to the school office where the receptionist after giving him a
rather cold stare pointed to the wall. He picked up the keys, walked to the gate, unlocked it then put the lock back and then headed back to the office to hand over the keys. He described it as something "very unlike St. Mary's.
Ains ( priesty-1969)

I was there last week- and yeah things have changed- and i had to ask permission to eat- But the gate was the real shocker- but if the brahmakumaris and any guju set wants to come and go for moonlight strolls on the dam and not respecting the school then some measures are called for - I would debate the necessity of a gate on both ends or a wall around the school- but i know that there are some changes there in the way the school is.. i took one look from spongy and it was clear to me.. (you'd have to go there and see) -

I always felt that the school and not the boys in it were my strongest connection to the place.. Yeah we were crooks, and morons and thugs and best buds and rogues and pansies and schmucks.. but the school has this great ambiguity about it.. I don't know if it united us or was it the common excercise in fendig for ourselves there that did it..

I loved the plaques put up in memory of Stany and Farukh- For all the talk about discipline, there's a sense of freedom there you could never replace- the kids today probably feel the same way despite the walls.. Nothing changes-

ceto batch of 96-and damn proud of it..

27th May, 2006

Hi Ex Students,

I have just come back from your favourite old school, St. Mary’s early this morning…. And I must tell you that the school had their annual fete on Saturday afternoon from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm.

I am sure you would love to know what happened. The tents were put up by some army outfit… and the boys had a holiday so they were assigned duties for their eats and games stalls, the music request stall and disco. It was extremely hot but one couldn’t help noticing that the boys were dressed oh so smartly …you would know why!!!! The Sophia girls were there and were looking pretty as ever and the requests were most hilarious…. The disco was full most of the time… and the games stalls like “Hit the Invisible Bell’ ‘Guess how much sweets are in the bottle’, basketball throws, football kicks, and lucky dip had the longest line…The eats were nice, pork vindaloo, dahi vadas, paani puri, burghers, and cold drinks and ice creams were lapped up, amidst so much of fun, all around. At the end of the fete, the boys all lined up and had to clear the benches, the desks and we parents, did feel sorry for the boys who were quite tired by then as it was a very very hot afternoon.

Perhaps this would bring back memories for all of you. Do write in and let us know all the snippets …..

With best wishes,

Pamela deSouza

Mother of Rene deSouza

St.d XA

St. Mary’s High School,

Mt. Abu

PS: I will also write about the stink bombs that the boys let out in Sir Karl Aubert’s class and how they made him mad, and how he told them that he had been teaching for the last 40 years and they couldn’t fool him!!! All of you know better what a darling he is!!!

I'm back in the world of reality once again. I visited the school on their sports day and had a severe bout of nostalgia throughout the proceedings, especially in the some of the races that I had taken part in, during my time. I did not meet any boys from around our time, but got to talking to those who were there. Grenville D'Costa, a boy from the '80s, got to talking to me as he recognised the name, Collie. He turned out to be the nephew of one of my friends, Eric Hendricks, from Abu Road. He now lives and works in Goa.

Anyway, in the course of our conversation I mentioned that I wanted to climb Spongy. He said 'why not now'.and I agreed. As we were walking down Tiger Path we noticed someone following us. The person turned out to be an ex bearer from Grenville's time who recognised him as we passed his hut on Tiger Path, name Sunil. What a saviour he turned out to be, as he knew the exact path to the top of Spongy. Without his help we would have still been searching for a way up. Sunil left his job as a bearer after some disagreement with the dining hall supervisor and now earns a meagre living, going out into the jungle each morning, collecting a stack of firewood and selling it in Mt Abu bazaar in the afternoon for about the sum of Rs50.00. He seems quite content but when I met him later at his hut on Tiger Path, his wife and 6 children looked quite destitute. Grenville and I gave him Rs1000.00 for his services. Grenville had to leave the following day, but I arranged for Sunil to help me up Plummy the next day. What a fantastic character this person, Sunil, is. He knew the best way up on the side of Plummy nearest the school. Mt Abu had a very good monsoon this year and all the streams were overflowing. Believe it or not, Sunil carried me across a stream on our way to Plummy to prevent me getting wet. On my next visit to the school I shall commandeer Sunil once more to accompany me on walks in the jungles surrounding the school. Incidentally, the best way down Plummy, marked out quite clearly, is via the side furthest from the school.

During my stay in India, I also visited Bro Peter Gomes in St Edmund's, Shillong. Unfortunately, I could only spend a few hours there, beacause he was quite busy teaching Maths and because I had a train to catch from Guwahati (100 km from Shillong) to Delhi. This trip to Shillong took up 5 days of my India trip and I missed out on seeing some of my Dad's railway friends in Ajmeer and Bandikui. I shall do that next time. In Bombay, I met Francis Dias (1955) in Andheri and as he was going to Bandra that day, he came with me to meet my Aunt living in St Paul's Road. Francis kept my Aunt amused by the amount of info he had on the school and past pupils from the Railway Colonies Abu Road, Ajmeer and Bandikui. My Aunt was a school teacher in Bandikui where my uncle was a train driver.

Duncan
Email : duncan.collie@virgin.net

Photos:

Grenville and Sunil on top of Spongy

Grenville and Duncan on top of Spongy with Plummy in background

Duncan and Grenvilleon top of Spongy with lake and some school buildings in background

Duncan in cave where he found a rock pigeons nest. He says he did not take any of the eggs as would have been the case in the old days!

Click on the thumbnail images for larger images

After mass on Sunday at St. Anne's, we visited the Auberts. Walter in all kindness invited us for an impromptu breakfast but we politely declined and had hot coffee. There were dogs everywhere. On his porch we saw cute little puppies who were so happy to see us and their own dogs Ruby a Basset hound and Flossy a pom a little jealous as Walter's wife was admiring our Coco, a miniature daschund, who was flabbergasted as he had never seen so many dogs in one place at a time!!!! We had a nice chat with the family and thanked them for their kind hospitality. On a path at the side of their home, a bear visits regularly and a silent panther who has been trying to snatch the dogs. They keep all the doggies indoors from about 7.30 pm each day. The bottom line Cyril is that Abu does leave wonderful memories... And God bless people like the Auberts for making a difference in our lives... I am told that Sir Karl Aubert is a gem of a person too. My son Rene and his friends are very fond of him. For the rest of you... My husband Ricky & I visited Abu last weekend as the boys were just finishing their monthly tests or rather the big subjects by Saturday. We went on Raksha Bandhan day, Friday as it was a holiday in the school at about 3.30 pm as Sir Christanand, the current Principal, permitted us to meet up with our son Rene; and then go back to the hotel.The mountains were so so beautiful and misty and green.... I saw two waterfalls on the way up ... The boys were taken for walks. They had just finished a tough Hindi and Maths test that morning. We had an even better hotel this time by default which was at a height which commanded a superb view of the school and dam, and Plumy just outside, bathed in mist for most of the time - mysterious and alluring!! There were no other residents in the four room hotel so we had the hall, and open verandah to ourselves and Coco had a field day running this way and that. Our newspapers in Gujarat were reporting before our departure that Mt. Abu was full during the hol season and were charging Rs. 1000 upwards, so we expected the Gujarat junta to be there esp. around the Nakki lake area but we were pleasantly surprised to find that on Fri evening, there were very few people around. On Sat, it was more crowded but manageable. The team members' names for indoor games, basketball and football were announced on Fri. evening for Nainital, so there was a lot of excitement all around amidst exultation and some weeping. Some boys were punished though very good at football for misbehaviour in the hall!!! :(:( That was really pathetic..... Otherwise, all the boys looked happy. There were very few parents. I think they intend to appear next Sat. which is Janmashthami and there will be sky high rates at hotels. Sir Christanand permitted all parents to visit in August on any weekend excepting the 15th August one as the tests were on at that time, as most Mumbai parents were unable to see their boys for two whole months because of the floods. I am sure all of you are remembering your wonderful years at school.... With best wishes to you and your families, Pamela deSouza Mother of Rene deSouza, Std. IXA, St. Mary's High School, Mt. Abu, Rajasthan, India

Dear Ex Students,

Just to inform you that all the boys who had travelled by bus, car and by air last Saturday, reached school at 4.30 pm, the deadline yesterday, safe and sound. All of them were looking happy & well fed.

At the school, an under 13 football tournament was on between St. Mary's and the other CB schools from Asansol, Delhi, Goa etc. And for your information, St. Mary's was on the top!!!! It was a round robin tournament.

The mountains looked lovely and green and misty as Mt. Abu had had some rain.... No heavy rain as yet so there were no waterfalls.... But it would bring back memories for all of you......
I have attached herewith a brief but important note on how much water one needs per day? You can have the same calculated automatically by putting in your weight details...

With best wishes,

Pamela deSouza,
Mother of Rene deSouza,
St. IXA,
St. Mary's High School,
Mt. Abu

Last Saturday 2nd July was a day to remember for parents of St. Mary's boys and and the students themselves. As all of you must be knowing Gujarat, both South, north and mid Gujarat, meaning Ahmedabad have been inundated in floods... However, Ahmedabad was supposedly a safer place for Goa parents and some Mumbai parents who arrived early morning on 2nd from Mumbai by flight, to drive down with parents from Ahmedabad in their cars to get childre n back for their mid term break for a week!!!

There was hectic phone calling and parleying as, though the parents arrived on time, the usual route via Chhatral, Mehsana, Kalol was flooded and one had to take the longer Ambaji route via Himmatnagar.... There were grave risks... Victor Saldanha, an Ahmedabad parent, picked up a few parents from the Ahmedabad airport whist Ricardo deSouza, my husband, waited for the signal to all meet up at some point in Gandhinagar and decide which route to take eventually.

With great difficulty and water pouring from the hills at Himmatnagar as it was raining heavily in Gujarat, they managed to reach the school around 2 pm. The boys had just finished their last exam that morning.... and all of them puked whilst driving down the mountains as they say, they had a lot of tension for exams!! :):) The Principal Sir Christanand & Br. Miles were a bit alarmed as these parents had managed to come and demanded how they would manage to bring back the children in time all the way from Goa Mumbai and Ahmedabad? Anyway, our set of 6 boys and the Goa parent, got the Sunday morning flight and moved to Mumbai from where they took the afternoon flight and were safe & sound in Goa by Sunday evening. My husband said it was sad to see many Mumbai boys whose parents were not able to make it because of train cancellations etc. etc. who would have loved to come to Ahmedabad at least but he couln't accomodate all of them!:(

I am sure this would bring back memories for all of you who would have had similar experiences during your school days.

Rene deSouza,
Std. IX A (2005), St Mary's School

Tiger Path still is common but most of the boys are crazy to climb Spogy. Lime Orchard is dry (before the rains when I saw it). Most boys love lime orchard. Forest fire (deliberately done) thousands of acres are black. One of the centres of the fire, we once investigated and name it Kali (I) in the valley (Black Valley) because the first boy to reach was a dark skin fellow named Jebin and also because everything was black. The view was awesome. Sadly we fooled around there so much that we had less time and we had to go 'off path' and on the black ills breaking our way through the dry bushes. We all became dark after that. Now that the rains have arrived, all the fields have grass except A div. (top field) anyway I wonder if you all noticed that on A Div, the breadth is unequal. The east side is smaller and also some old signs like class 9 (now chem. lab), class 10 (also lab), class 8 ( computer room), new tuck room and the ruins of the toilets (old) still exist. Also St. Mary's has cut off a lot of our free time. On Sundays we have only 3 hours to roam, play etc. The remainder 4-5 hours are indoor games. We have no option. Also there is this 3 min. rule. Thee is a first bell and then (3 mins. later) another. Before the 2nd bell, you should be in your place. If not, then correction ( remember - not punishment) and that's pretty severe. If I can remember anything interesting, I will write. Pls send any experiences of yours. By the way, we still cook at picnics (tins, noodles, popcorn, etc.). Once in a year, we walk to Gurushikar (official - with teachers) at 2 am and reach at 6 am to watch the 7 o clock sunrise with our cameras. :):) A happy time...

Dear Ex students,

Yesterday, the IXth & Xth standard students were Confirmed at the Chapel. The Bishop of Ajmer came .... The chapel was beautifully decorated by Sr. Francina, Sr. Maisey and the candles placed in appropriate places on the altar and below with pink rose bunches very tastefully decorated the front portion of the chapel. 52 boys and their parents were made to enter the chapel solemnly and there was lovely singing and readings and solos. The bishop in his sermon explained how the Holy Spirint would be entering each of the boys and each of them were called for the anointing of oil, blessing and mini slap. After mass, we were offered coffee , cake and patties.

I am sure this would bring back memories of your Confirmation.

It was very, very hot, but cooler than the plains.....

The boys will be sent home on the 2nd of July for a week, mid term break. f.y.i.

With best wishes,

Pamela deSouza
Mother of Rene deSouza
Std. IXA
St. Mary's High School,
Mat Abu