“Glimpses of a Glorious Past” – Prem Rao : Stories from a Story Teller

"Glimpses of a Glorious Past", In The News, The Lawrence School, Lovedale

“Glimpses….” Grows As A Blog & Separate Show

As many of my readers know, I spent the most part of 2015-16 and the first part of 2017 working on a writing project involving my Alma Mater, The Lawrence School, Lovedale (estd. 1858). Elsewhere in this blog, you will find several blog posts about the “Glimpses” writing project.

A team of Old Lawrencians contributed towards “Glimpses Of A Glorious Past: An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale” in May 2017. The ebook was launched by the President of the Old Lawrencians Association (OLA) Rukhmini Krishnan Reddy during the annual Founder’s celebrations.

‘Glimpses….” then made an appearance for the first time in the OL Assembly- 7 on November 14, 2020. The OL Assembly is a virtual show aired on the second Saturday of every month. It has elements of entertainment, history (by way of a segment on “Glimpses…”) and a popular quiz, called QuizDale. In the November 2020 episode of the OL Assembly, we covered the origins of the “Glimpses….’ Project and how it took shape, culminating in the release of the ebook, which was, over time, published in 3 volumes: Book 1 covering the period from 1858 to 1908; Book 2 from 1908 to 1958, and Book 3 from 1958 to 2008.

Recently, it was decided to delink “Glimpses…” and some other segments from the OL Assembly and launch them as separate shows on their own. I am delighted to say that the first show of “Glimpses….”, as a show on its own, was broadcast on October 16, 2021 on the YouTube and Facebook channels of the Old Lawrencians Association.

It was also decided to set up a blog to complement ‘Glimpses…” and this was done in October 2021, simultaneously with the new show. This blog will have blog posts about important and interesting events and people featured in the book.

We expect these two new avenues of communication will increase the engagement with the Old Lawrencian community. We also expect these will enhance their love for their old School and its heritage of over 160 years.

"Glimpses of a Glorious Past", In The News, The Lawrence School, Lovedale

Virtual Founder’s in OL Assembly

My wife and I were chatting about our blogs. Shobana had posted in her popular cooking blog Cooking With Shobana, in which I lend a helping hand, but I was thinking of a topic to write about for mine. ” Write about Founder’s! ” she said. ” After all isn’t May all about Founder’s for Lawrencians?”. And, of course , she was right on that count!

The month of May is when we traditionally celebrate the Founder’s Day at my Alma Mater, The Lawrence School, Lovedale. The celebrations are very elaborate and go on for 3-4 days (a full week decades ago when we were at School) covering important events like Trooping the Colour, PT Display, The School Play, and ending with Beating Retreat. Obviously with the raging Covid 19 pandemic none of this was possible this year.

We in our Alumni Volunteer Group who put together a Virtual Variety Show on the second Saturday of every month decided to have Founder’s as the theme for the “OL Assembly” held on May 8.

The President of the Old Lawrencians Association (OLA), Johnny Paul, and the Vice President, Beena Belliappa briefed Old Lawrencians (OLs) on a new initiative taken by the OLA. This aims to help OLs and their families in these terrible days of Covid 19.

I have been intimately connected with” Glimpses of a Glorious Past” an Informal history of our school. This book resides as an ebook in the website of the OLA but we have a segment every month in the OL Assembly as mentioned in this blog post. In this month’s episode, we traced the history of the School Band and of the Founder’s celebrations in general.

The show brought to the audience recollections of OLs of their best memories of Founders. Krishnadev Rao, a former Head Boy, spoke eloquently on the remarkable leadership displayed by then Headmaster Mr L A Vyas during a Founder’s Parade in 1981. I was very impressed by what the talented current Head Boy, Kian Godhwani said about what they had learnt despite missing the cheer of celebrating a Founder’s. We must remember that only a small number of them are now at School preparing for the Board Examinations, which may or may not take place as I write this.

Some OLs who took part in a memorable event from 55 years ago, spoke of when the School Band participated in the Republic Day Parade at New Delhi in 1966. This was under the leadership of Bandmaster Denzil Prince. Elsewhere in this blog, I have written about Denzil, a former Head Boy, who studied in Lovedale from 1944 to 1954.

We also have a delightful Quiz Show called what else but QuizDale! Here the questions are centered around topics relating to the old School and school life, then and now. OLs, young and old, participate to win points for their House!

The Virtual Founder’s OL Assembly is indeed a treat for any OL. You can (and indeed, I suggest you do) see this at leisure in small chunks, according to your convenience. This is a big advantage of having it on YouTube. Happy viewing, folks!

"Glimpses of a Glorious Past", My Take, The Lawrence School, Lovedale

Thank you, Mr Mohanraj!

The Old Lawrencians Association, the alumni outfit of The Lawrence School, Lovedale has initiated an interesting virtual event called the OL Assembly. I have written about this in my blog post of November 20, 2020 mainly because ” Glimpses Of A Glorious Past: An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale” – which I edited- will feature every month, at least for the next few months.

There were many interesting features in the December event but one that was very important for me was the interaction with Mr V M Mohanraj. He used to be the Librarian at Lovedale when we studied there. VMM served there for 40 years, in the process becoming as permanent a fixture in the Lovedale environment as the thousands of old books in his library. I didn’t know till recently that both of us began our association with Lovedale in the same year – 1959. I joined the Prep School as a young boy in Std 3 and he joined as the Librarian.

We had a fabulous collection of books in the Library. I am sure if many of us Lawrencians are avid readers it was because we were gently encouraged to read more by Mr Mohanraj. He instilled in us a love for books and reading which has stood the test of time. To quote Mr Mohanraj, a Librarian goes beyond being a manager of libraries. He is a guide, mentor, educator and facilitator. This is from his book, ” Mulitifacted Librarian” published in 1988. I was happy to see he has written and translated a number of books as you will see from Amazon India.

I am sure he will be pleased to know that a number of us from Lovedale have over time written and published books on a variety of subjects. Indeed, it is a happy co-incidence that I completed 10 years as a writer in November 2020. My debut novel, a psychological thriller called, ” It Can’t Be You”, was published in 2010. I am glad to see is still available in Amazon. My second thriller, ” Lucky For Some 13″ -published in 2012 -to maintain the balance- is available in Flipkart!

From an early age we were voracious readers, devouring books as fast as we could get them! This influenced us, I have no doubt, to want to write some day! I am happy that – even if it was virtually- we got a chance to interact with Mr Mohanraj, who is now in his 90s.

I think I speak for many Old Lawrencians – across the decades- who caught the reading bug early when I say, ” Thank you, Mr Mohanraj!

"Glimpses of a Glorious Past", My Take, The Lawrence School, Lovedale

Remembering Mr Gupta!

A subject that I dreaded in School was Hindi. Perhaps it was more my fault than that of my teachers. To start with I could not understand , for example, why a chair was of the feminine gender and cloth was of the masculine gender. It was not surprising that I struggled all through School!

Mr Ganesh Prasad Gupta, known far and wide as “Gupu” was one of our Hindi teachers at The Lawrence School, Lovedale. He could pack a punch and I write with considerable personal experience in this matter. This was, of course, long before the days when corporal punishment was frowned upon. Masters could- and frequently did- slap us to put some sense in us. Whether they succeeded or not is highly debatable!

For reasons best known to himself, Gupu used the phrase, ” steady slap” as against the more common, “tight slap.” He once asked us to write an essay on ” Urban vs Rural” expecting us to write about the differences in outlook, facilities, economies etc. He was a sticker for exactitude. If he expected 1000 words, by God that’s exactly what he accepted. 999 was not good enough. You had to pass the magical 1000 mark.

I was on 950 words or so and the clock was ticking. We had to hand in our papers soon. To cross the much wanted finish line, from out of the blue, I made the Town Guy say, ( in rudimentary Hindi, of course! ) : ” Hey, look at that guy! ” To which the Village Guy asked, ” Where? Which guy? ” Town guy, ” There, there! ” Village Guy, ” Just look at him, ha ha!! ” Town Guy: ” Yes, look, look, ha, ha ha,” There was more along these lines and the essay finished well past 1000 words.

Over 55 years have gone by but I still remember the walloping I got from Mr Gupta, much to the amusement of my classmates. They howled with laughter when he read out the last few paragraphs to highlight how an essay should NOT be written.

Mr Gupta perhaps prided himself on being a stickler for grammar as he would ( for reasons best known to himself) start with the future tense. ” Bewakoof ladka! You need a steady slap!” This was fair warning for fellows like me as to what was coming in the very near future. He shifted then, more hurriedly, to the present tense, ” I will give you a steady slap now.” That was the signal for me to take a deep breath and brace body and soul for what was imminent. Whack! There came the steady slap! Your head reeled and you could actually count the stars. Then seemingly in the distance you could hear Mr Gupta, as correct as always, summarize recent events with his customary, ” I gave you a steady slap!!!” As if you couldn’t make that out!!!

Sadly, Mr Gupta is no more. Wherever he is, if he could, I am sure he would have a chuckle on reading how his ” steady slap” – if not the Hindi he taught- is remembered even after five and a half decades.

"Glimpses of a Glorious Past"

“Glimpses of a Glorious Past”: Revised Links

The first mention of “Glimpses of a Glorious Past: An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale” was made in this blog on June 10, 2017. This was a writing/editing project I was very much involved in as The Lawrence School, Lovedale has a place deep in my heart. I studied there for nine years from 1959 to 1967.

The book covers a period of 150 years in the history of the School from the time it was founded in 1858 till it completed 150 years in 2008. It was officially released during Founder’s in May 2017 by then OLA President, Rukhmini Reddy Krishnan. Since then it resides in the website of The Old Lawrencians Association (OLA).

Recently we updated the short URLs for the various volumes that make up the book. Here are these short URLs:-

1. Book 1 (1858-1907) https://bit.ly/3kQZV06

2. Book 2 ( 1908-1958) https://bit.ly/3kVJkbQ

3. Book 3 ( 1959-2008 ) Part I https://bit.ly/3fXpMju

4. Book 3 ( 1959-2008) Part II https://bit.ly/3kVJkbQ

5. Book 3 ( 1959-2008) Part III. https://bit.ly/2PV6YXA

We opted for the web-based mode so that it is more easy and cost effective to edit, and update. Besides, you the reader can dip in and read as few or many pages as you wish- at your leisure, any time of the day or night, anywhere in the world, on any device!

Our thanks go out to Kartik Raghava Murty ’84 for all his help on the OLA website.

The Glimpses team was made up of : Joseph Thomas, ’57; , Beena Belliappa ’70; Nitya Cherian Matthai ’77; Thomas George ( Teaches at LSL) & your’s truly : Prem Rao ’67.

"Glimpses of a Glorious Past", In The News, The Lawrence School, Lovedale

“Looking At Life” My Days At School

Speaking of my school days, you will find a number of posts of my life as a school boy in my old blog, “Looking At Life”. I don’t use that much anymore, having consolidated all my writing and blogging work in this website/blog.

A few recent events flooded my mind with many memories of my days at School. For us ” School” meant The Lawrence School, Lovedale, where I studied from 1959 to 1967.

The first was the recent passing away of Mr N S Selvapackiam. The second was the return to Facebook of Mr V M Mohanraj. The third was, in these days of Covid19 and Lockdown, the creation of an on-line Virtual School Assembly by some enthusiastic Old Lawrencians like Kartik Raghava Murty and Gul Panag. Continue reading ““Looking At Life” My Days At School” →

"Glimpses of a Glorious Past", My Take

Two Lovedale Stalwarts: Mr Prince & Mr Matthai.

I am so happy and proud that I was involved in the writing of an informal history of my Alma Mater, The Lawrence School, Lovedale. It was Wing Commander Joseph Thomas, VM, IAF retired, 10 years my senior at School, who first spoke to me about this endeavor. He introduced me to Nitya Cherian Matthai and Thomas George, both then on the School Staff who had access to the rich treasures of the School archives.

Nitya Cherian Matthai ( Class of 1977) flanked by Wg Cdr Joseph Thomas VM IAF (Retd ) Class of 1957) and Prem Rao ( Class of 1967). Picture by Beena Belliappa (Class of 1970).

Nitya, JT and Prem cropped Continue reading “Two Lovedale Stalwarts: Mr Prince & Mr Matthai.” →

"Glimpses of a Glorious Past"

Book 3 of “Glimpses of a Glorious Past: An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale.”

Some of you, I know, have been following here the story of a school that is today over 159 years old. I speak of my Alma Mater, the good old Lawrence School, Lovedale. This is located in the scenic Nilgiri Hills in the state of Tamilnadu in the south of India. You would recall that a bunch of us who are alumni, (we are called Old Lawrencians or OLs for short), have attempted to write a book on the history of this old institution.

We decided to call it “Glimpses of a Glorious Past: An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale.” Book 1, which covered the first fifty years from 1858 to 1908 was uploaded to the website of The Old Lawrencians Association, Lovedale on June 10, 2017. I shall not describe this because I would like you to read it for yourselves.

Later came Book 2, which covered the next fifty years from 1908 to 1958. This was uploaded on July 26, 2017. The period covered in Book 2 saw the zenith of the old British Raj and later the coming of Independence for a new, democratic India.

I am pleased to inform you that yesterday, Book 3 of “Glimpses…” has been uploaded. This covers the third fifty years from 1959 to 2009. By then the School already had a reputation for being one of the finest public schools in India. I use the term ” public school ” in the way it is used in the UK as distinct from the public school in the United States.

Here’s hoping Old Lawrencians all over the world across many generations would enjoy dipping into this work from time to time to savour the sense of the past. Many have contributed by sharing their reminiscences and giving their inputs.

"Glimpses of a Glorious Past"

” Glimpses of a Glorious Past”: An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale: Book 2, 1908-1958

On June 10, 2017, I had shared the links to Book 1 of “Glimpses of a Glorious Past: An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale” which resides in the website of the Old Lawrencians Association (Lovedale). In that post, I have explained in detail about this book project and how happy we the contributors were that it was supported by the Old Lawrencians Association. The book was formally released at Lovedale during the Annual General Body Meeting of the OLA during Founder’s on May 22, 2017. Book 1, for those of you who have not yet read it, covers the period from 1858 to 1908.

I am delighted to inform you that Book 2 of ” Glimpses….” which covers the second fifty years from 1908 to 1958 has recently been uploaded to the website of the OLA. Here is the link for you to read Book 2 of ” Glimpses of a Glorious Past: An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale”.

As you can imagine the second fifty years were of crucial importance in the history of the School. I have captured the essence of Book 2 in this blog post of July 12, 2017 titled, ” About Book 2 of Glimpses….”.

Happy reading and send us your comments and feedback. Thank you!

"Glimpses of a Glorious Past"

About Book 2 of “Glimpses of a Glorious Past” : An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale

On June 10, 2017, I had posted links to Book 1 of “Glimpses of a Glorious Past: An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale.” This covered the period of the first 50 years of The Lawrence School, Lovedale from 1858 to 1908. As is commonly known, the School was named after Major General Sir Henry Lawrence KCB (1806-1857) who initiated the idea of providing schooling for the children of British soldiers in India, a large number of whom were orphans. He made the first financial contributions and helped raise funds for this purpose. He and his wife Honoria had the satisfaction of seeing their dream come true with the establishment of the Lawrence Asylum at Sanawar in 1847. This is now known as the The Lawrence School, Sanawar. Some years later, in 1855 this was followed by the Lawrence Asylum at Mount Abu in Rajasthan. In the memory of Sir Henry, the main subject of our book which is the institution started as the Ootacamund Lawrence Asylum, was established in 1858. Continue reading “About Book 2 of “Glimpses of a Glorious Past” : An Informal History of The Lawrence School, Lovedale” →