Noble witness for a century and more
BRITISHERA TESTAMENT
MINISTER RECALLS BONDING, DISCIPLINE
Haryana health minister Anil Vij, who matriculated from the school in 1968, recalls the discipline inculcated in academics and sports alike by all teachers, including headmaster Daulat Ram, and senior teacher Chander Shekhar.
“They followed a holistic approach to ensure the overall growth of a child. Teachers knew each and every child of the school. Such was the bonding among students and teachers,” he says.
He vividly recalls how Chander Shekhar, who taught mathematics, used a cane to punish students.
“In my times, the stubborn and the lazy were dealt with the cane (‘Hamare zamane mein to ziddi ya aalasi vidyarthiyon ko to khoob maar padti thi’),” he reminiscences.
HARMONY IN HOSTEL LIFE
Ambala-based nonagenarian alumnus, Jai Dev, a 1941 matriculate from here, says, “It was the most reputed school of the region before Independence. At the hostel, considering the times we lived in, the harmony among religions was wonderful.” Dev has been instrumental in establishing the Rotary Cancer and General Hospital in Ambala Cantt and has donated over ₹30 crore to it. He has also been a member of the Rotary International for over 60 years.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Former sports officer from the erstwhile Haryana State Electricity Board, Somesh Bagga, 68, a student of the school for five years till 1965, credits it for his success as a footballer. “Though I played football in SD College and Gandhi Memorial National College (both in Ambala Cantt), it was our physical training teacher Mahender Sharma at the BD High School who encouraged me to play football in my formative years.” He recalls the method of teaching sports and still hears the whistle-to-attention of a bygone era.
“The teacher would call the students by sounding the whistle and played with us. This was something that led to a lot of fun and much better learning,” he says.
Other alumni are former Union minister Ved Prakash Goyal, father of current Union finance minister Piyush Goyal, heart surgeon Vijay Trehan of Medanta (New Delhi), and industrialists like late Nand Lal, founder of Oriental Scientific Apparatus Workshop, and late Sitaram Garg, founder of Sewa Samiti Charitable Educational Institutions.
For now, the school is refurbishing its building and upgrading its labs.