Email from Vijay Stokes to Vijay khurna on Feb 2nd 2025 quoted below:
Dear Vijay:
Email from Vijay Stokes to Vijay khurna on Feb 2nd 2025 quoted below:
Dear Vijay:
Special Postal Cover issued by Department of Posts Himachal Circle commemorating Bishop Cotton School’s 165 years of excellence in education.
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
BISHOP COTTON SCHOOL SHIMLA
You are invited to
The BCS 165 Celebrations
SAVE THE DATES
Friday, 18th October &
Saturday, 19th October 2024
Son et lumière & Director’s Dinner
SEATS FROM 06.00 PM
VENUE: Bishop Cotton School
DRESS CODE: OC or Black Tie, Evening Wear
To secure your place please email: secy@bishopcotton.com
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
To register with your own chapter, payment and registration details are mentioned below.
For OC participation form, please click on the link below to share your details
https://forms.gle/QXbzv8Ck5Bxf73To9
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSwA_02bmFGsoVbe2oWrexsHqfH9aeYfyLNfuB8_GuyWnYkA/viewform?usp=sf_link
Registration fees allows two people INR – 4000/-
Suggested Contribution INR – 15000/-
Bank details of your chapter
Old Cottonians Association (India)
A/c Name: OCA India
Bank: UCO Bank, BCS Shimla, Shimla-2 Himachal Pradesh-171009
A/c No: 19710100001970, IFSC: UCBA0001971
Dear All,
I am not sure how many of you remember Adam Drobot. I have just located him on the net (30) Education | Adam Drobot | LinkedIn
I have downloaded a picture of him from the net. He is an accomplished techy !! His biodata mentions the years at BCS from 1956-1959
Dear Adam,
Yesterday, prior to my mails below, I had written to your corporate address which seemed to have a Adam Drobot as a their CEO on their website. It actually turned out, as I subsequently discovered, to be the you I was attempting to locate !
The correspondence, different colours for better readability, is appended further down in this note.
You, were one of the two Polish boys at BCS during our time, the other being W Kubaseweiz (Curzon, class of 1961), who was a strong swimmer and not the kind you tangled with !!
Accompanying this mail, as attachments, are photographs for Rivaz House for the years from 1956-59 and one for the staff members in 1959 which was the year of our Centenary. You may recognise more than a few of your teachers most of them now gone with the exception of Mr & Mrs Goss !!
I have been able to locate you in all the Rivaz house photographs, except for the house picture for 1959.
1956 –Second row from the top, Seventh from the right,
1957 – Second row from the top, Ninth from the left,
1958 – Second row, behind the seated, Fifth from the left
1959 – Unable to locate Adam
[click for larger view of each photo]
I recall you being initially shy and unsure but like other new boys you soon found your footing and were friendly, even easy going. The Adam, I recall was a good student, always in the top five, with a strong disposition to mathematics and chemistry. You loved painting.
The School Art Master, Mr Sasim DasGupta, once commented on your method of heavy and flat brush strokes being somewhat similar to the technique used by Van Gogh ! That year he sent one of your paintings to an institution in London along with those of other boys whose art he felt stood out. In return these boys received certificates of merit. I do not know the name of the institution but Mr DasGupta encouraged talent all the time.
Mr DasGupta was also the Warden of the Remove dormitory where you spent your initial years at BCS. Mr DasGupta, who moved to Toronto and passed away a few years ago, would ask you to spell “Polish” and mildly teased you that that was the spelling for the shoe “polish”. You would deliver a weak smile with a degree of obvious embarrassment.
A small idiosyncratic habit. You were not a sports person but had this habit of often chewing the collar of your Rivaz house jersey! You did not like the marathon and boxing was never your forte
I have never forgotten but you once mentioned that snails were a speciality and a great delicacy in Poland. I have never had the temerity to verify that assertion and hold that belief most firmly because Adam was always a credible source of information. I obviously never felt desire nor the need to check any further.
The reason why I remember you so well has to do with a little incident and the ensuing moral dilemma
Most of us were limited by the pocket money that we received at the end of the week from the Housemaster. It was 12 annas (75 paise) or Rs 1 & 4 annas (125 paise) depending on the dormitory you belonged to. When we went out of School on town leave, Rs 5 would get you a movie ticket, a plate of finger chips, an ice cream cone, a Coke and a comic or two! That was luxury.
In 1959 in III Form, you and I sat in the last row along the wall that faced the entrance to the class room from the corridor. You sat on the desk in front of me. These were wooden desks, if you recall, with a sloping lid, lifted at the hinge to offer a cavity space for the storage of books with the provision for a lock. The desk was fixed to the seat with a wooden bar at the bottom that connected the desk with the seat. Often the previous occupant had etched his name on the desk with the use of a compass. There was small space on the desk for an ink pot and we all used fountain pens, the ball point had yet to be invented
One day, I observed a piece of paper what seemed like a Rs 10 note, stained with ink, lodged between the wall and the desk. I dragged the paper using my foot ruler since it was closer to your desk. Sure enough it was 10 bucks. You were rarely short of money and I felt it, perhaps, belonged to you. Relatively, you were at that time more cash rich and solvent than most of us. So I asked you if that note was yours. “No, it is not mine,” was the response in your strong heavily accented tone, relieving me, temporarily, of any moral obligation. You are the only one I asked about the note because you were the only likely one who could be its owner in that class room.
I promptly went to the Tuck Shop and deposited that heavily ink stained note (no one else would have taken it!) with Chippu indicating that the credit to my account was now, well, brim-full. For the next few days I enjoyed the best the Tuck Shop had to offer from puris, samosas and chips, all that could satiate an always hungry boy. Days of rapture and contentedness. A few days later, you came up to me and declared that that Rs 10 note did indeed belong to you. I was non plussed and taken aback. Disaster was about to strike. I froze for a few seconds and then sheepishly informed you that the funds stood extinguished. I had fed, pretty well, a soul in great need. To your credit, you said not a word in rebuke nor did you seek a return of the money. Any other twelve year old would have demanded even an ink stained note. I have always recalled your generosity and understanding. I have not forgotten though, in my defence, that I had been honest in my declaration and the lack of knowledge was honest though I did speculate, maybe even knew, you were the original owner. No one else was that solvent those days !!
Apart from you, the only other Catholics at that time were Mr & Mrs Goss and a boy named Benjamin (Lefroy, he won the Junior Reading Prize that year! ) who would have finished with the Class of 1964. This group did, on occasion, attend the Catholic service in town with you always turned out in a light grey, well-tailored suit. You were always well dressed on such occasions but otherwise presentation mattered little.
Adam, you may not remember too many boys from your class during those years at BCS but I reckon you may recall the names of Rishi Rana, the Joshi brothers, Manjit Sibia, all from Rivaz and in your class, and, possibly, Govinder Singh who lived in Delhi at Wellesley Road not far from the Drobot house in Sunder Nagar.
I faintly recall, that you had a sister and your parents on one occasion drove up all the way from Delhi to celebrate his birthday with a lovely cake. A few days prior to that event, the circle of your best friends had increased rather exponentially in anticipation of a party in the making. The School had arranged a special table outside the Dining Hall in the corridor leading up to the Staff Common Room for the occasion. We wished you wished you “Happy Birthday” with a delightful eye on the spread on that table! . We gorged !!
It has been 65 years in all since we last met. So many memories stand revived and I am sure there will be more inputs from those on this mailing list. Adam will have probably more to add !!
Warmly
Vijay
V K Khurana
Incidentally, the large number on this mailing list includes guys from the classes of 1961-63, some from 1964, Mr Goss, a few others who have shown an interest in all things BCS and the Old Cottonian
Adam replied:
VK,
This is a very pleasant surprise. Thank you for reaching out. A lot of the names on the email list and a lot of the faces in the class and staff pictures still look familiar. Your writeup brings back a lot of memories. Life at BCS had its paces and I appreciate your recounting some of the events even though my recollection might be a bit different. If I look at 1956 I find myself in the first row as fifth from left – and definitely not seventh from right in the second row from the back!
When your email reached me, I was frantically preparing talks for a couple of events this coming week. Once I am back from these you should get a much longer reply. Over the years I have managed to visit India on multiple occasions, including a trip to Shimla. On one of the trips I followed Manmohan Singh as a speaker – that was for Telecom India 2009, in New Delhi.
I currently live in Wayne, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia. The best email address to reach me is: adam.drobot@gmail.com.
With best regards,
Adam Drobot
Hi Adam,
Truly lovely to hear from you. My thanks.
While, I will check again, the image you sent is certainly not of you. It is one of the Stokes boys. Most of them migrated to the US. Brilliance was in their genes and they went on to do well in different fields including IT, medicine and laser technology!
Will wait to hear from you and, yes, different interpretations may occur of incidents in each one’s mind. After 65 years, brain cell degradation at different levels and such other aspect change the perception or imagination of events completely !
Warmly,
Vijay
Jal Boga had written in years ago and his letter was published online September 25th 2011.
Subsequently we heard from Mr Boga’s daughter, Meher Boga, that her father had passed on around a year ago. The original letter from Jal, the many comments and messages of remembrances, and also the recent exchange are available via a link appended below. Jal Boga remains one of those “larger than life” figures of Bishop Cotton School and continued to shine in his career and endeavours after BCS
Here is the link. We are adding a few of photos to make the connection.
Jal Boga : photo sent by Meher Boga
Lord and Lady Mountbatten (BCS in 1947) A visit to Bishop Cotton School by Lord and Lady Mountbatten. Also in the photograph : Prefects R. Button (I) and Inderjeet Singh (C).
May 3rd 2023
My dear Mr Goss,
Warm and sincere wishes on this your 94th (Ninety Fourth) birthday. My friends, I and our respective families wish you a wonderful day. May the years ahead, and may there be many, many more, continue to bring you good health, great happiness and tons of laughter.
Looking back and from my collection, I am sending as attachments to this mail a few photographs of the way we still remember you. The change, which has surely occurred over these long years, does not register in our mind’s eye. You are still the spritely young man we knew who walked in briskly into the class and went about the assignment without much ado. What was enormously enjoyable was your introducing us to Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. Those class sessions were inevitably the most enjoyable and certainly the most remembered. It certainly did inculcate the reading habit in so many of us. Sometimes I wish we had started with P G Wodehouse though Conan Doyle is a class apart in an entirely different genre. In those mostly quiet corridors, peals of laughter generated by a Jeeves incident may have had other consequences, I suspect !!
I will not recount your fearful and stern marking record but I think it was all well-meant. No blemishes ever attached to us but it was a good inkling, a warning lesson, perhaps, of how tough life can be. It all began with red ink in the classroom !!
Thank you, Mr Goss.
With great warmth and affectionate wishes from us all, once again
Vijay
Vijay Khurana
- BCS Staff 1959
- Mr & Mrs Goss with Ibbetson class of 1962
- Mrs Yvonne Goss
- Mr. Ronald Goss (1961)
- RS with Chief Guest, Mr Goss in dinner jacket- RS Sodhi Collection
My dear Mr Goss,
A very Happy Birthday to you.
I recall our Geography lessons, 39 Steps, and your being our Housemaster !
Many Happy Returns !
Our best regards to your family.Govinder Singh
Ibbetson 1952-1963
Hi Mr Goss: I wish you a very happy birthday. May all your wishes come true. Best regards also to your charming wife.
Joe Joshi 1
Rivaz 1954 – 1963
Commercial airline / combat pilot and war correspondent in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Senior editor of print and broadcast news with worldwide experience.
Joe Joshi
Dear Mr. Goss,
Wishing you a most wonderful and a very happy birthday with all my heart.
Respectfully yours,
NP Pawa
Dear Mr.Goss
Wishing you a very Happy Birthday.
May God give you good health and happiness.Warm regards to Mrs Goss.
With lots of love.
K.Vijay Singh
Lefroy.1958-’66.
Robin Gupta [1965 BCS batch] retired IAS Officer and other IAS officers will at Civil Services Officers Institute on the 19th of march 2023.
See the flier above for details.
On the auspicious Holi and Women’s Day [March 8th 2023], I am happy to present the first of a new series called Birds and their Prey. Do please share with friends and family. Wishing you good health and happiness.
- Sabu Singh
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 yardsWe 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 GlovesJaspinder Kochhar
12 year rare JW Black whiskeyWe 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!!
Earlier this month, Former J & K governor N.N. Vohra unveiled “Living a Life”, a memoir by retired IAS officer Ravi Sawhney, (Lefroy 1959), in the presence of former foreign secretary Shyam Saran and former principal secretary to the prime minister, S.K. Misra (in 1990, when Chandra Shekhar was the PM. Our best wishes!