That hundred year old school of mine 

I am back at my office desk after a stupendous 4 days in my old boarding school up in the mountains of South India. Something that we have been planning for for the last so many months is now history - as Chairman of the Centenary Committee I'm relieved that it is all done and dusted! It was dank and wet weather but that did not succeed in dampening the centenary spirit of the attendees who came from 11 countries - on the last day, at the fete it alternated between raining and drizzling and yet there was not a square-inch of space on School flat while that fete went on! 

               Nestled in a beautiful valley in the Nilgiri Hills, Laidlaw School turned 100 years old this year - photo courtesy Nitin Dani

The Centenary Reunion was indeed such an amazing event simply for the number of people who attended - I stopped counting after we crossed the 650 attendees mark! We're still trying to get a grip on the actual numbers that showed up! It was just so awesome to watch people go into raptures as they caught sight of friends from school who they hadn't seen in ages! For four days the school had to deal with a population that was more than twice the number that normally inhabit the campus! They outdid themselves in feeding us all for the four days and making sure our every need was met.

The bronze bust of Rev John Breeden, the founder Principal of our school was finally unveiled by the Collector of the Nilgiris and I must say it was a special moment for all of us. The good Reverend now stands witness to the next hundred years of the schools progress.

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We alumni also built a centenary walkway on the campus to replace an old mud path from the school flat to the dining hall - it was funded by getting people to pay for a granite tile bearing their name, batch and country of residence. 
 

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We also came out with a Centenary Coffee Table Book which visually traced the 100 year journey of the school - its a beautiful keep sake that anybody who was a student in our boarding school would cherish. 

There were also cricket, hockey and football matches between Alumni and Present students which went on inspite of the weather and water logged pitches! That really says something about the spirit of those participants. 

It was certainly a great culmination to months of preparation by so many alumni and it was just so fulfilling to see so many come to the campus and catch up with long lost friends and classmates.

Long live Laidlaw Memorial School!