The support staff at Bishops

Bishops support staff- 1981- 2001.  This may interest the boarders more than the day scholars as they had more interaction with the support staff but nevertheless here goes. All the support staff ( we called them servants way back then ) lived on campus – behind the Junior school block. They were the backbone of the school and worked oh so hard. Mr Roberts looked after them as well and they were all treated as family by everyone on campus. They were part and parcel of every function – knew all the boarders by name – knew a number of famous day scholars too and enjoyed the extra cash they were able to make (by way of tips) apart from their salaries. Ram Das - Ram Das definitely comes to mind first. He was a cleaner ( sweeper back then ) . Tall , straight back, salt and pepper all back hairstyle and very clean- in face good looking as well. One could see him with his broom from early in the morning sweeping the campus – at one time I think he was the only one ! Must have been a big job when you think of how large the campus was !. He always had a ready smile and gave a big salam – polite to the core . He could be seen sweeping in the morning – after the tea break at 11 , after lunch and after evening tea as well. However his strengths were Hockey and Volleyball- he enjoyed both. Come the hockey season and he was out on the field at 4 pm waiting for the team to come out for practice. Legend has it that he played for Mahrashtra seniors in the nationals for 2 years and for Pune for a number of years. To say he was a whiz with the stick would be putting it mildly – he literally ran circles round anyone with the ball and stick and could take on two three or four at a time .His back flick was legendry and he could score from almost anywhere. He had a wife and three sons- all tall as well . He loved a good game of Volley ball as well and was out every evening – we had some terrific games together and he was a jolly good sport. His serves and smashes were a sight to behold. Yashwant – Yashwant was the watchman – He was energetic and friendly and always smiling . He was the first one I met when I arrived in Bishops in 1981 and he took me up to the Cambridge dorm thinking I was a senior pupil. I reminded him of the story years later when I became Headmaster and he blushed ! Yashwant had a stick at night which he banged a few times behind the Principals bungalow- then he probably slept till morning near the lunch shed – he was on duty all day as well ! He was one of those who cycled off to Main Street to buy food for the boarders at night and earn a tip . Like the others he carried up trunks/ suitcases/ bags to the dormitories on the first day of school to earn some extra money .He carried the tiffins for Mr Pope Girdahari- Girdhari was a dorm bearer and also incharge of the infirmary. I remember the first thing that struck me about him was his long hair which he had till I left 20 years later – albeit it thinned over the years . He struck me as being a trifle lazy as well. However the infirmary duty was done sincerely – from the morning milk and breakfast till the dinner at night , he was up and down with a large tiffin carrier catering to the boys who were ill .Not sure if they too used him to buy food at night hope not as they were all on various diets ! I am not sure but I think he carried tiffins for the Dmontes and the Aviets. Shivaram- Shivaram was short and dumpy and looked like a brother of Girdhari but they were not related. He was a dorm bearer as well ie he had to clean a dormitory . He often doubled up as night watchman when the watchman was absent .He carried tiffins for the residential staff- mine as well and his family survived on all the food from the kitchen and that left over from the staff tiffins. He also took my daughters to St Mary’s across the road . He could often be seen soaked to the bone durng the rainy season and he did not seem to mind it . Members of staff often sent him to Main street for purchases and he took umpteen trips and surely walked miles – I never saw him on a cycle. I once asked him why he did not combine trips to the market and he said he liked to walk down the road and be away from home !( Probably had a wife that nagged ) He did my tiffin duty as well. Dass – Dass was the office peon – tall with a large smile and an all back hair style . He was quite a stylish guy on the quiet and his hair was oiled and wavy ! He worked in the office and was often seen getting shouted at by Mr Roberts – I guess that was the only one he feared in school . He was also incharge of bathing Mr Roberts dogs for some time and told us all about it .One of his duties was to roll out copies of the exam papers – that duty was taken away from him when some boys apparently bought some papers from him ( at least that was the story at that time )Dass had a scooter and he and his wife who worked in the jr school were often seen driving down to church on it !9 I told you he was a stylish guy !) Das was also around when the grand parents of Mr and Mrs Roberts arrived from Allahabad and he made it a point to tell everyone how much they liked him. I remember Mr Roberts’ mother complaining about him to me – he was asked to put out the chairs in the evening and always made an excuse . Oh yes lest I forget- one of his jobs was buying the snacks for the boarders’ birthday celebrations in school – the snacks were fixed and so was the amount of items you could get . Everyone got the same items and could only invite that number of friends . Boarders could be seen waiting patiently for Dass and the snacks to arrive – guess they tipped him as well. The Mali- I don’t remember the Malis name ( Gardner ) but he was the one who looked after the Principals garden and the few pots outside the hall and office. He was a short sly looking guy but always had a watering can in his hand so obviously he worked hard . He too was often shouted at by Mr Roberts – he pretended to be scared but he knew that if he got a yell from Mr Roberts then Mrs Roberts would give him a tip and some food later .Watering the area outside the principal’s bungalow and putting out the chairs in the evening was one of his tasks as well. Tukaram- Tukaram was incharge of the Chem lab – very short and friendly he was always in demand when Chemistry experiments had to be conducted . There are stories galore about how he leaked out details of the exam to the senior boys on the eve of the paper and told them what SALTS to prepare for – this was never proved but all fingers pointed towards him. Naniu- He was a small little labourer. I remember him working on the extension to the Jr school and then he just stayed back in Bishops as an odd man servant. He dug holes when needed, planted trees, pulled down walls, carried stuff around the campus , borrowed money from everyone ( all the servants did that )and in general was a handy man – he had a very large family and he lived in the room under my office in Lunn Block. His young doughters also did odd jobs and one worked for the Principal – one happy family but very very poor .Nainu was also tipped by the boys who also gave him their old clothes/ shoes etc. Anil and Sanjay- The brothers were well known in school – Tall and good looking they worked in the office . Anil later came on to the estate and was very reliable - almost like an Asst Eastate manager . Their mother was a very old employee EEta bai- she worked in the Jr school as an ayah for Mrs Roberts – so did his two sisters. The grandmother Godha bai sold sweets to the boys of the Jr school during the break and I am sure many boys purchased those sweets from her. Shaler or Sailor- he was in the kitchen as a cook – rather dirty and scruffy – white hair and a walrus moustache – not sure why he got that name but I think it was given to him by William Daniels who taught Geography to the Sr classes in the early eighties. Then there was a driver – the school had one bus and the first driver was a man called Michael- a gentlemen who went to St Marys church every morning before coming to school – he died at an early age but while in Bishops he was an excellent driver and we often went by bus to Panchgani etc with him driving us- he was also on duty for the boarder picnics during the monsoon break. Alan Seymour and myself also had a bearer who brought our tiffins and cleaned our rooms – forget his name -Think it was Swami - he went on a holiday to some place and passed away – good worker – may his soul rest in peace. There were a number of bearers and cooks in the kitchen who worked from 5 am till 9 pk with hardly a break and the boarders knew them personally – many of them also tipped them for goodies and extras ! Greta memories once again – do feel free to add your comments. Cheers MG