If you have played on the Uppers and heard your marks being read out in Harding Hall , there is every chance that you ate a meal in the Dining hall as well .
If you were not a boarder then you may have gone in for a High for a Tea or to search for a boarder . Or maybe you just played outside !
Whatever be your connection , the DINING HALL played an integral part in the life of hundreds and thousands of boys over the years .
My first brush with this historical part of the school was literally a brush - I passed it as I entered the school for the first time one rainy evening in an auto to take up a teaching assignment at Bishops .
It was the end May I think and Yashwant the peon had opened the gate neat the kitchen to let the auto in . There to my left was the kitchen and to my right over a slight bump was the Dining Hall . Little did I know that I would visit that place more than any other in the school in the 20 years to follow .
Let's put things in the correct perspective . The dining hall and kitchen are strategically placed - near the gate on the Race course road . I am told that earlier it was the hall ?????? ( Maybe someone before my time could enlighten us on that one )
However in my time the Dining Hall it was just a Dining Hall .
Boarders visited it 5 times a day .
Morning Chota hazari at 6. 45am, Breakfast at 8.00am , Lunch at 1.00pm, Tea at 4.00pm and supper at 7.30pm .
12 long tables , 12 benches , a table for the dekchis , 2 chairs - one for the Master on duty(MOD ) and one for the Head boy . Then there were the stools for the Prefects - there was the GONG on the MOD's table which was rung about 5 minutes before the meal was to end - when the Head boy announced loud and clear- CARRY ON IN SILENCE and then when the meal got over and the Head boy announced - GRACE !
All the boys said the grace loud and clear - FOR WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE MAY THE LORD MAKE US TRULY THANKFUL- AMEN . AFTER THE MEAL it was FOR WHAT WE HAVE JUST RECEIVED.............
If the AMEN was not heard or the Headboy felt there was too much noise while sitting , everyone was made to stand and redo the exercise .
Mr Beaman , the bearers ( some quite scruffy way back in those days ) the MOD's , the evening visits by Mr Roberts ( and me when I was Headmaster and Boarding Suptd after Mr Beaman had left- who can ever forget . Mr Beaman's dog also paid a visit at times - Blacky and Patchy .
The meal itself was hot and fresh but nothing fancy . It was basic army style food and I guess that's what made the boarders so very tough .
Mornings began with boys lining up in the area between the Volleyball court and the dining hall itself . Late comers came running and panting .
Uniforms and shoes were checked by the prefects . Late comers were made to hop and one often saw boarders crying in pain after the punishment . The MOD conveniently looked away as the prefects ruled with an iron hand in those days .
Mornings were often a mixture of buns and tea for chota haziri , Porridge , Bread, butter, Egg, ( who remembers the hard boiled eggs - if your parents had paid you took one ) Dal , ( Yes Dal in the morning ) , channa for breakfast :
Some would remember a small boarder falling into the tea dekshi !
Dal, rice , meat , veg for lunch and Cutlets, dal, chole , chapattis , rice , salad for dinner .Then there were the hard boiled eggs which your parents paid extra for - they were placed on each table and everyone knew that they only took an egg if they had subscribed for the same . The same with milk - if you paid , you got an extra glass for breakfast and after dinner.
The monkey nut toffee was a hit I remember and often given on Friday evenings . So also monkey nuts fried in batter and which boys threw at each other and also put in their pockets and took to the Friday movie .
And then there was the staple banana given for breakfast and lunch . There were two cupboards with wire mesh fronts in which boarders kept their EXTRAS - Bournvita, drinking chocolate, jam , marmalade , chutney , pickle etc . The keys were kept with a prefect who opened the cupboards before breakfast lunch and dinner . The item was offered to the table monitor/ Prefect as a matter of courtesy . He took as much as he wanted and then returned the bottle to the owner when he wanted to ! ( Quite a joke ) . New boarders often passed their jam or pickle around the entire table and you can bet it returned empty .
Some of you would remember the names of your favourite/ table bearers who you bribed to get you more/ better food items as well .
The Sunday yellow/ fried rice and chicken was quite a treat back in those days
If I remember well enough , the Friday evening timings were different and dinner was earlier in order to accommodate the evening movie . Study was 6.10 pm and dinner at 7.10 pm
When you entered the dining hall from the side adjoining the kitchen there was a small room to wash plates . There were three taps there and this was painted in bold red paint over the taps - DO NOT WASH YOUR HANDS HERE !always became a Prefect ! Any names ????
After the meal one boarder went around all tables asking for left over bones to take to Mr Beamans roof for his dog . The joke was that the chosen boy was definitely made a prefect the following year .
Outside the dining hall and adjacent to the Volley ball court were stone tables and benches - this was where some day scholars paid for and had lunch . Some of you would definitely remember your parents paying for this meal and you wasting most of it .
Then there was the kitchen . It opened at 4. 30 am - water was boiled for tea, milk which had been brought the evening before was re- boiled , Hard boiled eggs were got ready--------it was never ending hard work in trying conditions and it was hot in the kitchen as well but the cooks and helpers worked manfully feeding approximately 350 - 400 people every day . A large amount of vegetables, meat and bread was delivered daily .
There was a small menu board on the wall outside the kitchen as well .
Boarders looked at the board in anticipation before meals . I guess they were disappointed more often than not.
Occasionally flies , cockroaches and miscellaneous insects found their way into the food but there was no fuss at all .
The rainy season saw raincoats and umbrellas being left on the tables outside - some left them there all night - they left their books there as well .
Everyone would remember the large field rats in and around the dining hall and kitchen . The size of kittens, they ran free and even the multitude of cats in the area were afraid to tackle them .
The sound of utensils being washed at 4. 30 am often woke me up . The kitchen employees were among the hardest workers in the school and waited for the tips they got from parents at the start of every term .
Both the kitchen and the dining hall surely hold fond memories for many .
Cheers .
