St Joseph’s School and College – Allahabad At the very outset I must mention something – I am no historian – not by a mile - and I am certainly not writing a history of the school or any other place in Allahabad for that matter. These are just memories – mostly wonderful ones so read on …….. Yes, it is about St Joseph’s, Allahabad. It was and still is, one of the premier educational institutes in the city. I studied there from the Kindergarten till grade eight and then transferred to the Boy’s High School. Before you ask why, here is the reason – I failed in Hindi and rather than repeat the class I decided to change schools. (Not that I did any better in Hindi there but that is a different story altogether!) St Joseph’s is very close to my heart because not only did I study there, but my mother worked in the school office, as secretary to the Principal for several years and I am sure many of you will remember her - for some time she also dispensed simple medicines and looked after minor first aid ! I have two very vivid memories to begin the narrative. The first was while I was in Kindergarten, standing near the hedge beside the Principal’s office gate and bawling my heart out as I had lost my school bag . It was, in all probability, my first day in school. Fr Cyril George was the Principal. He was extremely genial, rather short and a trifle podgy. He came out of the office with my mother behind him and when he asked me why I was crying, I replied “I have lost my bag near Fr George’s hedge” You see that was where I had been told to wait for the rickshaw man to take me home, so I remembered the name & the place well – I did not however recognize Fr George ! The other, was when I was caught fighting behind the moveable black board – also in the KG class – incidentally my mother had come to the class to see how I was getting on! St Joseph’s had amazing buildings (still has and newer ones too) and the addition of the Junior wing with its massive hall built at that time added to the grandeur. I most definitely remember the four disciplinarians SJC employed over the years – the first was Mr Sullivan who I once got the cane from. He was a tall, wiry, balding man with a hooked nose. He seemed to have an office full of files and canes! Now thinking back, he resembled an eagle. He was incharge of the boarders – now thinking back I pity them . Another was a shortish, very fair, older gentleman – also extremely strict – Mr Carver . Then there was Mr Hendricus- darkish in complexion with silvery, wavy hair who also wielded the cane with aplomb. And the last was a tough guy- we heard he was ex-army - whose name I do not recollect but he was a terror and truly the devil incarnate ,if ever there was one! One morning, when I arrived at school at around eight – I was in grade 6 or 7 then – there was some sort of a commotion. The bell had just been rung and boys were running “helter skelter”. Charging around like a mad man and caning any and everyone in sight, was the new Disciplinarian. If you were one minute late you had better either avoid him or dig a hole and hide inside lest he catch you. For the few months he was in charge, the whole school was a like a monastery. I do not think he lasted very long. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when he left. St Joseph’s always had great teachers – I cannot and will not name them all, but those that I interacted with or had an impression on me, I will. Mrs Doyle my first teacher – fair, tall and elegant I can picture her walking into class, teaching us and writing on the board . I got a pink report card at the end of the year from her – that meant I had done extremely well. Blue was the second best and a Red card meant you had failed! Mrs Macwan who was also in KG/ Primary was someone who I knew – she had light eyes and was very pretty. Miss Pen Anthony( I am sure that was her name ) taught me math in grade four and I was forced to go and study with in the afternoon( tuition ) – she often hit me with her umbrella for forgetting my tables .I just couldn’t memorize the sixteen times tables- poor me. ! She had large bulging eyes and was quite fat and I feared her for sure. Marina Dsouza was our class teacher in grade three – much kinder and sweet natured, we loved her. Mrs Shepherd taught Math as well and was great. Mrs Veronica Gomes taught me in grade five – also a terrific Math teacher (and now related to me) . Mrs McGowan in the junior school was a well-loved teacher and she served the school loyally for decades. Her son Aubrey – a friend of mine also worked there for over thirty years – I hear he is still there, as a senior administrator and of course there was Mrs French – also in the junior school and a family friend. Names like John Raphael,  an amazing guitarist, Benny Fernanded, Tony Jonathan,  Joe Rodericks and Mr Pandey also ring a bell.Ms Audrey Dcruz- nee Moore was another who I remember in the junior school – she never taught me but was there for many years thereafter and a good friend of my mother. Mr Happy Carver- we were under him in Grade six was quite a good looker and very sharp . Then there was Mr Joe Shankar – a jewel of a man and oh so kind. We went to him for tuition in Math early every morning during the summer vacation – no charges either! He was a bachelor & had an extremely untidy room. He loved reading, so there were plenty of newspapers and magazines strewn all over the room. However, Joe Shankar also had a cane and used it on those who did not complete their homework- he named it PERCY. Before caning anyone he always said the words “PERCY HAS NO MERCY”. Luckily, I never had the benefit of meeting good old Percy! Who can forget the awe inspiring and rather intimidating Mr Carl Dcruze ? He taught us Math in grade seven or eight – Tall and with a very straight back, the boys were quite scared of him, but he was a real master of the subject. Like Joe Shankar – once he taught you a concept, you never forgot it. Whenever he stood behind me and looked over my shoulder at me working out a sum,I would freeze. There was Mrs Daniels who taught us Geography and her husband taught (probably Math or Science ) in the senior school . Of course the senior school had many stalwarts who helped the boys bring accolades to the school , some of whom I must mention although they never taught me – They were the pillars of the school – Mr Trevor Bunting ( I did go to him one summer holiday for private tuition and he was excellent ) , Mr Francis Moore who went on to be the Anglo Indian MLA , Mrs Gandhi who taught English , & Mr Kazmi who was a tough gentleman but loved by the boys. Some boarders may also remember Mrs Bunting who was such a sweet lady- not sure if she was a matron in the boarding. Yes there was a boarding in SJC – I guess it closed down somewhere in the late 70’s or early 80’s . The dormitories were upstairs and a few of us would creep up at times just to have a look. When one thinks of St Joseph’s, the name of Fr Aloysius Rego the Headmaster pops into one’s mind before anyone else. Short, a billy goat beard (Billy Goat was his pet name too) , a cassock which was not very clean ( !) a master of the English Language and very strict – that’s how I remember him. Fr Rego as he was called, was also the editor of the Teenager – a monthly magazine we all bought. I still have his “Aids to English Composition” and over the years have often referred to them! There were five books in the series. Under his tutelage, the academics of the school was at an all-time high. He believed that the cane worked when all else failed – you can imagine the rest! Near the school main office there was a large drinking water tank, with about fifteen taps right around. Some were often broken, and no one bothered to replace them. As soon as the bell rang after the break, there was a mad rush to drink water, as everyone had been running wild in the sun – there was pushing and shoving galore and once, while drinking , someone pushed from behind, I banged my mouth on the tap and ended with a cut lip . During the summer months the water was hot and horrible to drink but there was no other alternative. The large school bell must surely have been as old as the school. I would often see senior boys, who had been put in charge, ringing it to signal the change of periods or the breaks. Often during the breaks some naughty and rather brave junior boys would ring the bell and run – something I wanted to attempt but never did. There were also two jungle gyms – one was square and high and the other just had two low bars on which you could swing. The high jungle gym was where we played – some of us were quite fast while moving, climbing, hanging out wards and avoiding being caught. We played with one boy attempting to catch the others and in teams as well – it built strength and agility - surprisingly, no one fell off. I am sure SJC boys would remember three games we played which were very popular. Steps, Marbles and another one on the soft mud with a divider or a compass- not sure what it was called. Steps was the most popular – as there were many steps all over the campus,one could see groups of boys deeply engrossed in this game. Climbing up and down the steps while bouncing the ball was the intention. It also required good aim and the ability to catch the ball well. Rushing to “bag” steps to play on was key to enjoying a good lunch break and if one possessed a Tennis ball – all the better, as rubber balls did not bounce as well as the tennis ones did. Marbles was something I was crazy about – and walking around jangling the marbles in the pocket was quite a craze. On a few occasions, monitors confiscated the marbles for no apparent reason. The last game was some sort of a land acquisition! A rough world map was drawn in the soft mud and then you threw the divider or compass from about six feet away and sort of WON or ACQUIRED LAND for yourself depending on where your divider or compass pierced the mud . You then put your initials in that area .Quite a nice game! And yes, once again I remember monitors rushing in and grabbing hundreds of the playing instruments away from us. No clue as to what they did with them after that. We sure cursed them as soon as that happened. Sports days were big occasions – I was no sportsman and was only in the march past and PE display . However, the race that drew the most cheering was the cycle race where three brothers named O’Connor usually won most of the prizes as they had a good racing cycle between them. The Wilma brothers were all outstanding sportsmen and somehow the name rings a bell – great boxers too. In fact, most of the boarders were great sportsmen. One sports day stands out – while doing gymnastics which was one of the highlights, a boy by the name of Akhil ( Was that the name? ) vaulted over the horse , fell awkwardly and was seriously injured . He was the son of a contractor . No sports day was complete without the school brass band – the drummers , the bugle players and the boy playing the cymbals always received a thunderous applause as they came on to the field . Dressed in white with red stripes down the side of their trousers , they looked smart . Some would remember the following incident for sure – the Allahabad university boys went on a flash strike – all of a sudden hundreds of university boys charged into school after jumping over the wall near the Alfred Park side – smashed a few windows, threw stones and demanded that the school close immediately .Yes the police came charging in behind them and chased them away. We then had a holiday. We also had rainy day holidays – unforgettable and longed for! You came halfway to school and you saw boys going home shouting ‘’ Rainy Day”. Who does not remember crossing the field and going to buy snacks from vendors across the wall – crushed ice with sweet coloured syrup on it , freshly squeezed sugar cane juice, guavas which were cut into four with a rusted knife and black salt applied , plums , some of which were hard while the others quite gooey and the tasty “churan” were all so lovely . While some of this ‘’churan” was sweet and made with crushed fruit seeds etc , there was one very acidic type, on which , if asked and paid extra for, you could get more acid poured . It stung the mouth and left the tongue feeling sore – yet we purchased it often. I could go on – I have realized that when you sit and just think, the memories come flooding back and it seems almost like yesterday. Try it and surprise yourself! St Joseph’s has, over the years, produced gentlemen of the highest calibre- Businessmen , judges, lawyers, teachers, professors , musicians , shop keepers , CEO’s , Doctors , priests , men in the forces – you name it and a SJC boy is there – leading from the front The motto, “Semper Sursum” which translates to EVER ONWARD says it all. God bless all those who passed out from the portals of this amazing institution – our school - St Joseph’s, Allahabad.