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Special Postal Cover: BCS 165TH Year

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Special Postal Cover issued by Department of Posts Himachal Circle commemorating Bishop Cotton School’s 165 years of excellence in education.

Transcript:

BCS 165th

Located in the heart of the Shimla Hills, Himachal Pradesh, Bishop Cotton School was founded by Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton on 28 July 1859. This is a boarding School for boys of 8 to 18 years of age. As an ISC & IGCSE Cambridge International Accredited School, it is strengthened by a proud history that goes back to 165 years. Cottonians have their eyes firmly set on leaving a legacy for the 21st century. This Special Cover is released at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla on the occasion of celebrating 165 years of excellence in education.

₹20/-
DEPARTMENT OF POSTS
H.P. Circle

Celebrating 165 years of Educational Excellence – October 18 & 19 2024

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Bishop Cotton School Shimla (BCS), founded in 1859 by Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton, stands as one of the world’s oldest public schools in Asia for boys.  Bishop Cotton School is high profile and has been ranked among the best boys-only residential schools of India by media such as The Times of India, Outlook, Education World and Education Today Magazine.

Our legendary boys boarding school is celebrating 165 glorious years of history as a heritage school in Shimla with a weekend of spectacular shows and sporting events Friday 18th and Saturday 19th October 2024. (program structure attached)

We are offering our Old Cottonians the chance to sponsor this event themselves, with their own companies before we go outside and look for sponsors pan India.

Please contact OC Praveen Dharma if this is something you would like to do.  admofficer@bishopcotton.com, mobile contact: +91 981 663 4544

Our institution has played a significant role in the development and shaping of public schools and promotion of education in India and has produced a host of distinguished alumni and leaders.

As a prestigious school with eminent alumni, BCS continues to set high standards in education.  Located in the heart of the Shimla hills, spread over an area of 35 acres, the charming school campus takes one away from the hustle and bustle of Shimla itself. A perfect learning environment for future generations of successful Cottonians.

As an ICSE and IGCSE Cambridge International accredited school we are strengthened by a proud history that goes back 165 years, yet our Cottonians have their eyes firmly set on a global legacy for producing leaders for the 21st century.

Bishop Cotton School is an institution rooted in history and tradition. Over decades, its alumni have included some of the most distinguished men in India and elsewhere. From the uniformed services to administrators, from businessmen and industrialists, to authors and actors, Bishop Cotton School has nurtured nascent talents and helped them come to fruition.  This is a school that provides a child with a firm foundation to look capably and confidently to a global role in the years to come.

The School is organising a global gathering to unite all our School’s stakeholders: Celebrated Alumni, Current and past parents, VIPs and celebrities as well and honoured guests.

In its pursuit of celebrating our School’s unique and drama-filled history, we are bringing to life the BCS myths and legends of the past with a special Son et Lumiere drama, light and sound show 19th of October, followed by our Director’s Dinner.

The weekend of special events highlights our school’s commitment as a partner in nation-building and producing Leaders of the future for India and the wider world for the next 100 years.

Old Cottonians Ticket link: https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLScSwA…/viewform…

With a huge expected turnout of successful, global Old Cottonians, current school parents and our BCS community we also have the advantage of publicising our event across India and Shimla with a variety of Sponsorship opportunities.  Our Facebook page covers the globe and is very active along with our Instagram and Twitter handles reaching out to all corners of the globe.

Our 150th School celebrations held in 2009 attracted hundreds of Old Cottonians and celebrities from across the globe and was a big event that had coverage all over India and further afield.

In order to enable entities to showcase their products effectively, the School is extending a variety of sponsorship opportunities across the following categories:

Sponsor Category GOLD Hoarding and Digital Screens,  Adverts on roads, or shopping centres SILVER Hoarding and Adverts within BCSCampus Lunch/ Tea and Dinner Area Chipus Café, Marina Hotel, Golf event Sign-in Desk Welcome Kit Sponsor:Sportsand Man of the Match awards
Number of Opportunities 1 2 1+1 1+1 4
Sponsorship Amount (in Lakhs) 10 – 5L 5 – 3L 5 2 5
Company Logo on Music Event on 18th Oct – stage banner Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Company Logo on Sponsor/ tickets and seating 19th Oct Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Logo to be displayed flags  Entrance to Shimla Campus, social media Yes Yes Yes No No
Company Logo Man of the Match Sporting Events *** 3 2 1 1 1
Sponsor Recognition in post event thankyou email to delegates Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

*Speaking opportunity whilst giving out the ‘Man of the Match’ prizes, after the sporting events.

Please see our program of events attached herewith for your reference.

We assure you of value for your investment and eagerly anticipate your positive and favourable response to support this event as a sponsor.

You may reach out to us here in Shimla if you have any further questions,

Sponsorship officer: 165 Event:

Praveen Dharma, Admin Officer, Bishop Cotton School. admofficer@bishopcotton.com, mobile contact: +91 981 663 4544

Or BCS landline: (0177) 262 0880

With all best wishes,

Praveen Dharma 

Admin Officer

Bishop Cotton School, Shimla

OCA- NA. Get together.NEW YORK.

7 Replies

Sent in by Vijay (Kuttu) Singh :

I came to New York to represent OCA India, being Secretary of the Association.So let me give you a complete low down of this trip. This journey was indeed memorable. It started in Delhi with a concept of Jaspal Sawhney,which was followed and brought to reality by Ajay Sawhney & Ajay(Maxy) Bhumitra with the hardwork of the young OC Ashish Katyayan. I landed at JFK in the middle of the night,since the Virgin Atlantic flight was a few hours late. At the airport was Laxman,Ajay Bhumitra’s driver to pick me up and take me to his flat in Manhattan. All were asleep since it was 1.30 am ,but Laxman gave me a full bowl of chocolate icecream to eat. As day breaks Maxy takes me for a walking tour of Manhattan all the way to Central Park. By the afternoon Shelly Bhumitra is there from Princeton,to drive us around in his new Volvo. Next day,Maxy checks me into Lexington,a few blocks away from his flat,an iconic Hotel,where Marilyn Monroe had stayed. D day comes with the OCA- NA lunch at Kimberly Hotel,a 5 minute walk from my hotel. Here I met old friends like DK Stokes, Pompeii,Arun Bhumitra,Vivek Srivastava, Skinny Dewan&Ajay Sawhney.The best part was meeting new friends like Guram,Tony Rana,Monish Kapoor,Arun Bhalaik , Shubam Anand , Nishant Parsad , a finance wisard was keen to know about the scholarship scheme which OCA India is working on. The youngest OC was Akashdeep Verma,who came all the way from Toronto and we had Ramandeep Singh who was the most friendly and helpful to all the ladies around. Ashish Katyayan the young tech savy livewire came in late arriving at Maxy’s home where the party shifted after 4pm. Next day, Shelly Bhumitra drove Arun & me to the iconic Princeton University .It was an eye opener to see this historic University. This get together of Old Cottonians in New York was indeed an experience of a life time,seeing so much enthusiasm and love for our Alma Mater.Do hope this is carried forward for years to come. Moved on to Los Angeles ,where another OC get together was hosted by Arun Bhumitra,about which I have already posted. Cheers…it’s great to be a COTTONIAN.

…..

ATTENDEES AT OCA NA LUNCH Name of OC
1 Ajay Bhumitra
2 Smarth Galhotra
3 Arun Bhumitra
4 Hanit
5 K Vijay Singh
6 Ajay Sawhney
7 Vivek Srivastava
8 Rouble Kaul
9 Shelly Bhumitra
10 Arun Bhalaik
11 Kunal Kamra
12 Ramandeep Anand
13 Amrinder S Cheema
14 Akashdeep Verma
15 Manav Soin
16 Nishant Prasad
17 Aman khanna
19 Shailja Chopra (Bhasin)
20 Ashok Stokes
21 Prithvi Legha
22 Siddharth Mehra
23 deepak stokes
24 Mohnish Kapur
25 Maninder Guram
26 Anupam Sachdev
27 Vijay Dewan
28 Shubham Anand
29 Ashish Katyayan
30 Pradeep Yash Rana
31 D.K. Stokes
32 Inderbir Gill
33 Ayesha Karki
34 Jai Dipikar
35 Avarail Rai
……
The OCs in LA who missed the New York bash..were hosted by Arun Bhumitra ,Class of ’66 at his colossal office in Torrance.We had Paraminder(Pari)1975,Anil Sud,1969, senior most was JS Brara,1965, Mokshinder 1968 and the junior most was Jazzy Sihota 1980.Suprisingly most were meeting for the first time, but with in minutes we were bonding as true Cottonians over bottles of beer.Than we moved to El Torito,a Mexican restaurant next door, where the end was the best ,with bread pudding.After over 3 hrs of fun & gossipI handed them over the Mugs & Coasters,courtesy OCA India.They have now formed a whtsapp group for South California ,hoping to be touch more frequently.
The OCA- NA lunch at Kimberly Hotel, New York was a grand success with 46 attendees. OCs DK Stokes from Eureka, Pompeii from Boston, Guram from Houston, Arun Bhumitra from LA, youngsters from Toronto and many others came from all over.

OCA UK luncheon reminder

1 Reply

Dear OCs,
We hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits.

As the date approaches, we would like to remind you of the upcoming OCA UK reunion lunch that is taking place on June 24th. At the last head count we have almost 40 OC, confirmed . Thank you for the ones confirmed, I would encourage others to confirm asap asap. We are hoping the director Simon Weale and his wife to be there.
The reunion lunch is always a delightful affair as we get a chance to catch up with old friends, share stories, and create new memories together but this reunion promises to be even more special as we catch up after a 4 year break. So with much anticipation we are looking forward to reconnecting and reminiscing about our cherished school days with our fraternity.

The details for the event are as follows:

Date: June 24th, 2023

Time: 12 noon – 4pm

Venue: Bombay Palace, 50 Connaught Street, London, W2 2AA

Dress Code: Formal suit

We have planned an enjoyable afternoon with a scrumptious buffet featuring an array of dishes and look forward to welcoming you along with your partners.
To ensure a smooth and successful event, we kindly request you to RSVP as soon as possible. This will help us finalize the arrangements, including catering.

The cost per guest is GBP50 and you can transfer the funds directly to the OCA UK account

Name: Old Cottonian Association UK
Account number: 00126972
Sort Code: 309384
Reference: Name plus number of guests;
Or send a cheque (with your name and number of guests on the back of it) to our Treasurer, Puneet Singh (OC – 1999 (C)) to the following address:
Puneet Singh
1 Frognal
London
NW3 6AL

If you have any dietary restrictions or special requirements, please let us know in advance so that we can accommodate them accordingly.

Lastly, we encourage you to spread the word among our OC fraternity. It would be wonderful to see as many familiar and new faces as possible, and make this reunion truly memorable.
Looking forward to seeing you on June 24th and reliving the camaraderie of our school days.

Warm regards,
OCA UK Committee
Vijay Bhalaik – President
T: 07985 060 156
E: vijaybhalaik@nhs.net

Gursant Sandhu – Secretary
T: 07788 716 525
E: gursant@yahoo.com

Puneet Singh – Treasurer
T: 07841 590 990
E: puneetsingh932@hotmail.com

The whole nine yards – or should it be 256 yards*?

BCS – Life – Golf – The Phoenix 🦅

Esquires:
Chetan “Sunny” Singh ( I -1971)
Gurnir “ Niri” Gill ( L-1971)
Prithvi Prem (R-1971)
Prithvi Nat( I-1971)
Vivek “Bonnie” Bhasin (L-1970)
Sanjiv “Sunny” Chadha (L-1974
Atamjit Singh ( R-1974)
Sharat Bhasin ( L-1975)
Amarjeet Kuki Kukreja ( C-1988)
Hitesh Chauhan (I-2006)
Rajiv Sood (L-1979)
Gurnihal Mann ( I-1974)
Kanav Monga ( I-1989)
Manpreet Minhas ( L-1998)
Jaspinder Kochhar ( R-1998)
Simran Grewal ( C-1998)

When Cottonians meet…
The Sky turns cobalt
The Sun’s warmth is complimented by the brotherhood
bonded 163 years ago
..7000 feet
on the Mighty Divine Himalaya…
And …C O N T I N U I N G…🙏

It is indeed amazing how our togetherness as young lads at our fabulous BCS…be it 3,5,10,11 and even 13  years instilled in us the spirit of A “Cottonian” creating a bond stronger than the mightiest steel. We left to follow our destinies, navigating the jungles of this world.

I at least with butterflies in my gut….
but slowly the power of BCS won over and conquered my nervousness, anxiety, hesitant nature..

Every one of us met many others along the way whom we befriended…
but the umbilical cord of our Alma mater held on ..when crossing a street, running through an airport, entering a restaurant, a corporate office, a hotel, at myriad social events, overcoming tremendously dangerous storms on the high seas, walking 900 km on the Camino to Santiago de Compostela… even navigating between Tierra del Fuego and Argentina, it was the force of our great school that made us survivors…as global citizens…

A car zooms by with a BCS sticker .. you accelerate wishing to catch up with him at the next red light and shout across…
…you  meet another, after years, crossing the street .. familiar face, faint recognition, a few changes…but his BCS vernacular makes you stop and skid in your tracks .. you’re that speed boat that suddenly drops revs from 20,000 to zero! ..
then it all comes back …you become young Cottonians again.

Perhaps I am meandering, slicing, drawing, fading along my trajectory path just as when addressing the ball on the first tee… I shank it with my windmill swing and it’s gone out of bounds “OOB”..the mulligan I took,  signified .. never give up, stand up and rise ….like the Phoenix 🦅 ( tattooed on Sunny Chadha’s left chest )..

Well.. Golf was not a sport during my days though Naldhera Golf Course was close at hand .. they say it is a sport for gentlemen and gentle ladies; a sport that makes you understand yourself, analyse yourself, readjust, compensate your swing so that the next stroke connects with that little white dimpled speck as it shoots off like an imbecile, a missile towards its next destination .. finally arriving dropping in the hole, sort of exhausted, exhilarated, frustrated … but up again …just as our lives….onwards, upwards.

A few days after the Annual OCA lunch diehard Kanav Monga, last Friday 17th Feb 2023 set up a 16 ball rendezvous at the ITC Classic Golf and Country Club. This was the second year of this reunion set up, arranged with the positive stubbornness and insistence of Kanav…
….a day away from the madding crowds, the clanking of horns and the grinding of rusty steel, the roar, road rage, discourtesy of road traffic snarling on the NH8….

It felt wonderful to arrive at the oasis!

A lovely day, a splendid setting; amongst us sweet sixteen, the younger lot connected with their sweet spot! I felt great inspite of not touching my clubs since last September… we 4 x 4 balls had the entire course to ourselves as we enjoyed the tranquility of the surroundings… the company of Cottonian golfers and with talks of bunking, whacking and the chicks at Chelsea, Auckies, Tara Hall …!

The following results were declared :

Congrats Winners!

Simran Grewal ( Curzon 1998) with a gross of 5 over,  shot 77 with 3 birdies.

Straightest drive
Manpreet Singh Manhas ( Lefroy 1998) 13 ft from the marker.

Closest to Pin
Kanav Monga ( I (Ibbetson 1998) 3ft from the Pin

* Longest Drive
Kanav Monga ( Ibbetson 1998)
256 yards

We would like to Thank the following OCs for the donating the prizes:

Prithvi Nat for A M&S Golf Shirt
( nearly packed in presentation paper that stated HAPPY BIRTHDAY)😁

Rajiv Sood
2 prs Golf Gloves

Jaspinder Kochhar
12 year rare JW Black whiskey

We would also like to Thank Sharat for the best one liner..
“ most unchallenging course Man… didn’t lose a single ball”

Y finalmente the Sixteen express their greatest appreciation to young Kanav who besides playing a mean game of golf, a wicked game of Tennis.. eats, thinks, sleeps, sleep talks, walks and never says die…..
for BCS🙏🙏🙏

Vivek “ Bonnie “ Bhasin
Lefroy 1961-1970
18Feb2023

—

Kindest Regards and Best Wishes,

Bonnie/Vivek Bhasin

Captain Vivek C Bhasin

Captions 1-7 ( Prize Distribution by Senior OC Capt Bonnie Bhasin )

1. Prithvi Nat – Sunny  – Niri Gill – Prithvi Prem

2. Mann-Kukreja – Chauhan-Sood

3.Atamjit – Sunny Chadha – Vivek Bhasin-Sharat Bhasin

4. Jaspinder Kochar – “Spartan “ Minhas – Champ Grewal – Hard Core Kanav

5. Grewal !!

6. Kuki

7. Spartan

The Group Photos have all sixteen mentioned at the top of my write up!!

ITC Classic OCs Golf 2023

A few photos shared by Chetan Singh @ ITC Classic organized by Kanav Monga 17th Feb 2023

OCA reunion Lunch 2023

OCA Reunion lunch 2023, at Delhi Golf club, Zakir Hussain Marg, New Delhi was organised on Sunday 12th February. A function well attended by more then 125 OCs on a nice sunny afternoon, good wine, good food and great friends. A happy and a joyous event altogether.

  • Ashwani Singh Virk 

[click these photos for larger view]

URGENT ATTENTION OC GOLFERS:

Young OC Kanav Monga is organising ( second time around ) a golf event at ITC Classic Manesar on Friday 17th Feb’23 for OCs. This is a smaller get together but the urgent need to get the numbers up to a max of 30 players… ! So far only 8 have confirmed.

OCs interested are requested to get in touch with young Kanav on
+91 98100 48078