The Doon School enlivens and fulfills Indian dreams and aspirations
Nestled in an exquisite Doon valley, in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas, rising a clear 2,000 metres above sea level is a picturesque Indian city of Dehradun. This well embellished and beautiful place is popular all of the world for a distinct reason! It has become the center of learning excellence on account a premier primary educational institution in the country-the famed Doon School. Located between the mighty Yamuna and Ganga, the city of Dehradun is home to the Doon School which has become a cradle of learning in North India.
The famous Doon School is a private boys residential school and is a dream child of Late Satish Ranjan Das, a visionary educationist, eminent barrister and member of an Executive Council of the Viceroy of India. It was he, and some erudite Indians who formed an Indian Public Schools Society in 1929, which is the governing body of the school even to this very day. However it was a travesty of fate that a person whose vision has emanated into a prestigious institution in this world, could not see it in real life, as he passed before it could come into existence in 1928. It was the efforts of his wife and a band of devoted friends, who collected funds to set up Doon school in September, 1935.
This school is located within Chandbagh Estate and is spread over 69 acres and contiguous with magnificent Garhwal range to its north and Shivalik range to its south. The Doon school was originally built on the same campus as Indian Forest College which has shifted base to a different location and is presently known as Forest Research Institute. It was upon acquiring the Skinner’s Estate from the family of Colonel Skinner that the campus expanded to a massive 28 hectares and is breathtaking in its surroundings of lush greenery. The climate here is very agreeable to most and is clearly divided into three climatic zones. April, May and June are demarcated as summer months, July-September as monsoon season; other months are quite pleasant, but winters can be cold with the barometer hovering around 5-7 degree centigrade.
It was early 1900’s when late Satish Ranjan Das saw his visions of India having its own school of a high standard, it was his ambition to create an institution that followed the practice of the British Public School. He wanted a school that offered a similar level of academic excellence but served myriad needs and aspirations of Indians. It was his inspired mentorship, which visualized and later materialized into an institution that had the best of both worlds. The first headmaster of Doon school was A.E.Foot who came here after a 9 year stint at a prestigious college in England’s Eton College and went back to his country after India was granted independence in 1947.
The Doon school has continually ranked as one of India’s premier educational institutes and is considered one of the finest residential schools. Students who pass out from this school are commonly called EX-DOSCOS and most of them are today prominent citizens of the country and some very famous. One such luminary of the Doon school was the late prime minister of India, Shri. Rajiv Gandhi. This school is home to around 500 students every academic year and admission is on the basis of a test conducted as well as an interview session every year during January –April.
Every year the founder’s day is celebrated at the Doon school usually in the last week of October and is an event that lasts 3-4 days. This is quite an event to behold, mainly because of the alumni that gather here for this occasion. There is very tight security because the alumni that gather for this event are often senior politicians, government officials and even the guest of honor for this occasion happens to be a well known personality. In 2010, the Doon school celebrated its 75th year and many notable personalities had gathered on the occasion including dignitaries from abroad.
It is amazing to note that a mere seventy boys enrolled in the first term, and 110 more signed up for the second. From such humble beginnings it has become a worthy giant amongst the many good educational institutes of India. Some of the top contributors to the amazing Doon school have been big names of India and it is wonderful to see, how it has flourished. The nation owes a lot to the founder Late Satish Ranjan Das and his friends and family for their tireless effort in creating this school. Thanks perhaps is also due to various top contributors to this school over the years, notable amongst whom are Akbar Hydari of Hyderabad, Rai Bahadur Amarnath and many others who helped to make the Doon school veer past odds into a pioneer institution today.
