Origin of Charlie
By Derek Boddington(OS47)
Charlie Bootlace. The origins of the name are buried somewhere in the annals of Gallian history. His real name was Something Lal and he was a maker and vendor of delicious mitai. I have no idea how long he had been selling his wares in Ghora Gali, but he was certainly there in 1940 and 1941. He made barfi and dhood pera to die for. He turned up suddenly and quite mysteriously in Sanawar in March 1943 and was granted a licence to sell his wares on the hilltop. I checked with others who had come over to Sanawar with me from GG, and it was most definitely the same guy. Here is the School Part II Order dated 9th March 1943, announcing his first appearance.
No.56, TUCK - "Charlie Bootlace" is permitted to sell sweets on Sundays. To the girls between 11-30a.m. and 12-30 p.m. on Peacestead, and to the boys in the afternoon on No. 11 Pavement.
I don’t know exactly where he sold his stuff to the girls on Peacestead, but in BD his boy used to display his wares on the low wall between the water tanks of the bath house and the Gym, (under the ancient Eucalyptus tree which stands there to this day, I believe). He opened his first shop at the top end of the Bakery, (where the Short Back joins the Mall) and another on the first floor of the old Tuck Shop, half-way up the Church slope, on the left.
Later that same year, his brother turned up out of the blue and gave us an “entertainment”. See below Part II Orders dated 23rd July 1943.
No. 233, ENTERTAINMENT - Mr. Harbans Lal, brother of Charlie Bootlace, will give a performance in aid of War Funds at 7-30p.m. on the 24th July in Gaskell Hall,(now Barne Hall – ed,) Mr. Harbans Lal is known as the Punjab Sandow. Tickets will be. Re. 1/- for Staff and Re. 4/- for children.
I had absolutely no idea who or what the Punjab “Sandow” was, but I spent a whole “charsie”, (4 annas) that evening and dearly wished I had kept it for his brother’s barfi.
As far as I know, Charlie Bootlace continued to sell his mitai to Sanawarians well into the 1950’s. Mr Carter, (our last Principal and your first Headmaster)gave him the title “Sri”, which I found rather amusing. Anyway, Sri Charlie Bootlace seems to have disappeared altogether around about 1956. I have no idea what happened to him and often wonder what the young Sanawarians of today spend their pocket money on.
The Case for Wanderlust by Anu Malhotra, Travel Filmmaker
I feel like I was always destined to travel, mainly because my father worked with the Airforce. When I got the opportunity to direct a travel show, Namaste India on Zee TV in 1994, I jumped at it- not just because the job would let me roam across our vast country but also because it was going to be the first ever travel show on Indian television. Till then, save for travel articles in a few magazines and newspapers, there was no scope for people to know what their country actually looked like.
Thanks to my job, I got to visit the ‘real India’ that exists outside of our cities. I directed a number of TV programmes including Indian Holiday, Yatra-Indian Travels, TV commercials for incredible India (Department of Tourism), Indian Airlines, and documentaries like Shamans Of The Himalayas, The Apatani Of Arunachal Pradesh, Maharaja Of Jodhpur, The Konyak Of Nagaland among others. For every project I did, I tried to focus on the unknown, undiscovered facets.We are blessed to live in a unique country, where there are diverse cultures, foods, traditions, belief systems and festivals.
My quest to explore the offbeat is also reflected in my personal travels.I usually just take off-whenever I feel like it-and drive down to nearby gateways (from Delhi) like Manali or Spiti.I don’t believe in checking into a hotel. My itinerary involves pitching a tent, sleeping under the stars, listening to music, mingling with the locals, asking them for food recommendations and exploring non-touristy places.
Talking to local people is a very good way to actually get to know a place. You should actually try to engage in their lives to get a feel how they actually live.
During my visits to the houses of the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, I once followed a group of people into a village. The people carried huge sacks of rice,blankets, colourful clothing and several bottle of liquor. I had assumed that it was a celebration. It was only after I reached a house that I realised that all the preparations were being done for a funeral of a 95-year-old woman! The people danced, sang songs ate and drank during the funeral procession. I was told by the woman’s daughter that the Apatani tribe believed in celebrating the life of the departed and non mourn it.
In Nagaland, I saw that when an entire village had burned down, people from a neighbouring village helped build the huts, and provided the aggrieved families with sugar,rice and other basic commodities to help rehabilitate them. They didn’t wait got the government or official authorities to come to their rescue.
Another way to celebrate your travel experience is to participate in local festivals. You would be amazed to know how different they are in different places. Thanks to the internet, travel agencies and television, travel today is easy. It is up to us to make the most of what surrounds us. The first step is to pack your bags and then just head for the unknown.
Reproduced from Femina Magazine April 2014
Cricket with the Stars
By Dhruv Sodhi(OS94)
To inaugurate the floodlights at Barne field, a weekend of cricket matches were organised from 4th to 6th of April. Roy Bois a Delhi based cricket team comprising mainly of OS led by Rohit Roy (OS-85) played a total of 5 matches.
The first 2 matches were against the school first XI on Friday the 4th of April. In the first match Roy Bois batted first and set a target of 172 with an unbeaten 59 by Vikram Yadav. The school team reached this target with 4 balls and 5 wickets to spare riding on a brillant 114 not out by Karan Malhotra. In the second played for the first time under a floodlit Barnes, Roy Bois again won the and decided to bat first. Mainak took 3 top order wickets but the Roy Bois recovered with a quickfire 44 by Dhruv Sodhi (H-94) who helped take the team total to 155. Rohit Roy opened the bowling for Roy Bois and took 4 crucial wickets including that of the first match centurion Karan. It looked as if Roy Bois were headed to their first victory but Mainak had other plans. His 69 off 37 balls guided the school XI to a one wicket win with just 2 balls to spare.
On Saturday morning the school XI took on the Mumbai Heroes, a celebrity cricket team comprising of TV and Bollywood actors. Mumbai Heroes chose to bat first and made 193 with the top contributor being Kunal Sharma (V-93). The school XI chase started well but a couple of quick wickets by Apoorva Lakhia (H-86) and Varun Badola shattered the run chase. It looked as if the game was over until Mainak (55 runs) and Abhijeet (44 n.o) came to crease and started blasting away. However their late cameo went in vain Mumbai Heroes held firm and won by 4 runs. In the evening the Roy Bois took on the Mumbai Heroes after a grand opening ceremony which saw some fine speeches by the Chief Guest Mr. Shomie Das and acclaimed bollywood star Suneil Shetty. Mumbai Heroes decided to bat first and made 192 on the back of a brilliant century by Shabbir Ahluwalia. Armaan Kohli and Bobby Deol were highly applauded when they were batting together. Kim Sinha ( N-82) and Rahul Roy (S-85) took 3 wickets each. Roy Bois opened with Kunal Sharma ( who donned the pink uniform for this match ) and Sangram Singh (H-95). Both these batsman were involved in a 180 run opening partnership and the Roy Bois comfortably won the match. Kunal Sharma scored 99 not out and Sangram Singh made 66.
Sunday morning the Roy Bois took on the Sanawar Staff XI. Roy Bois won the toss and elected to bat first. Vikram Yadav got another 50 before being caught in the deep. Abhishek Dutt (N-99) chipped in with a useful 43 runs before our veteran player Rakesh Sood (V-65) made 21 in an unbroken 5th wicket partnership with Dhruv Sodhi who got 35 runs. The staff set 195 to chase, started brilliantly with Sidhharth Shasta and Vinod reaching a 104 runs in 10 overs. Donny Singh got the crucial wicket of Shasta with his first bowl and then followed a fine spell of fast bowling by Rohit Roy. Rohit took 5 wickets which included a hat trick in his spell of just 2 overs. Staff XI were all out for 139. In the evening it was the last match of the weekend between Roy Bois and Mumbai Heroes and the crowd was in for a treat. Mumbai Heroes won the toss and decided to field first. Sangram Singh tore apart their bowling attack and made 158. Giving him company was the youngest Roy Bois member Gurjyot Thind (N-2012) who scored a fluent 89. Roy Bois set a mammoth 275 target for the Mumbai Heroes. They opened the battng with Raja Bherwani (66) and Salil Ankola who scored 119 with a couple of really huge sixes all around. Aftab Shivdasani and Apoorva Lakhia were at the crease when Aftab hit a boundary with 4 balls remaining to guide the Mumbai Heroes to a remarkable win. The closing ceremony ended with various man of the match trophies and some sher o shayari by the current Headmaster Mr. Praveen Vashist.
I Remember Jerry . . .
By Class of 75
As I sit down to think of what it really is that Jerry embodied that make so many of us come together. To eulogize and praise his life and living, I think of the “Presence” he made, the comfortable niche he had carved for himself, the father/advisor/mentor figure he grew so naturally into. I will remember him as the ‘band-leader’ in school, who confidently threw up the stick to loud applause, the Sergeant Major whose proud act nobody else could possibly duplicate. I will remember the hours spent on carefully detailing his dream project of the Sanawar coffee book, the polo match brochures, the clinking of ice in carefully chosen glasses with the drink of your choice, the super exact styling of his dinner orders, the joy of just watching conversations unfold at his bar.
I will remember the look he would give Kamini when she saw the clock hour moving to early dawn and her reminder that food had been reheated 5 times. I will remember his passion for his children, the love for his work and needless to emphasise - the immense happiness he felt in the company of his friends. Extraordinary evenings in an extraordinary life! But hey, I also will remember him dozing off to sleep on the wheel, and the swelling snores that he would slip into when a conversation didn’t grab his attention. Not to forget his guffaws and raucous laughter at jokes either! What a master of ceremonies he embodied! Oh yes, we all knew he wanted to be on top of everything, even though he might not have a clue at that point in time. But answers he would always find, sometimes later than sooner, but never ever at a loss for words.
Yes, what is it that really makes us all love him so such? It is these very qualities and habits that do not necessarily bespeak of a Superhero, but someone amongst us who has missioned himself into dovetailing his life around those he really cares for - his family and friends ! Around Sanawar . His pivot, his central lever. A straightforward simple-hearted man who matured into a larger-than-life gentle giant. Like a master conductor, who understands the nuances of each and every player and instrument, he brought out not only the cleanest notes from each of us, but had the power to translate those into a massive harmony that he engineered and which brought us all together from so many walks of life. His legacy is this. And we shall play this forward for you Jerry. We will celebrate your life, not mourn your loss. Vivek Ahluwalia.
I simply cannot believe it, Dipika Rai
It is hard to believe he isnt with us anymore, Sadhna Grewal nee Singh
"Never Give in", Sanawar, with schooldays far away; when you're all alone and on your own, with life's stern game to play. For still the old school motto till life's long journey close; will guide us true till the game is through, and for 'time' the whistle blows.
It is the great mystery when the whistle will blow 'time' for each of us, sometimes 'untimely time'. But one can only salute Jerry's warmth and big-hearted generous spirit which so overshadowed his girth and made him 'true'. Abha Tiwari
I will be lonely without you. Thank you for sharing all those wonderful years, for all those moments of joy and for the comfort of knowing that you were a friend I could always count on. Diwaker Singh
I cannot believe that Jerry who is the leader of our group is not with us... Preeti Singh nee Batra
This was just after we finished from Sna in Spring 1975. Jerry & (Vinod) Chander showed up in Chandigarh on a Vespa Scooter. Somehow, I got talked into going to Delhi, via Rohtak, with them. Captain Jerry in command at the Vespa’s helm, Chander sandwiched in between & me hanging on to dear life. Somewhere around Karnal around 10.00 PM, the scooter overheated & died. We pushed it to a dhaba & threw buckets of water on the overheated engine (Miracle that it did not crack). It came back to life & the journey resumed till the scooter died again at Panipat, past 11.00 PM. No dhaba this time. Someone said Anu Maira lives in Panipat so we asked around, got directions & pushed the scooter to Anu’s home. Anu was shocked, Mr Maira was furious & we were cowering. What were three boys doing on one dead scooter, at midnight in Panipat? Did our parents know? We were marched off to wash up, marched to the dining table, fed a fantastic dinner. After much pleading, we were allowed to leave around 1.00 AM, the scooter having cooled down enough. Our Captain Jerry steered us thru Wild Dogs, dark & dead highway, mom batti of a headlight, to Rohtak, at about 4.00 AM . A wild ride truly, and i still marvel at the big boy’s confidence – “Oye kuchh nahin hundah. Lets go” What a guy!! Lived life king size! Truly the pillar of our group !!
Rajiv Bhandari
Jerry was a good friend and known to convey his caring views in short colourful sentences. When I informed him that we were relocating to India after 28 years of living overseas, he said "oye kapoooo, are you maaaad"! It brings a smile to my face and that's how we will always remember our Jerry. - Sanjiv Kapur
I remember Jerry sending pure Desi ghee to the ladies with his compliments. Harry found out later that he was the involuntary donor of that ghee.
I remember Jerry giving me my first lessons in swimming. Just jump into the deep end and you will learn to swim, he said. I did that and must have swallowed half the pool by the time I got to the other end.
I remember Jerry and his heavyweight boxing match. Since there was no one in his weight category, he convinced Jindal to participate by saying “I will take it easy on you. I will be the champion and you will be the runner-up.” Come boxing finals day, cheered on by all the girls in attendance, Jerry became Mohammed Ali and forgot his promise to Jindal about an easy match. What a sight – Jindal running around the ring with Jerry and hot pursuit. Next year, the heavyweight boxing match was held before the finals.
I remember Jerry asking for an old worn-out shirt that was several sizes too small for him, when it was time to get clean shirts every week. Why? Because Jerry wanted to impress the girls in class by flexing his biceps, supposedly while doing a yawn, and tearing the shirtsleeves in the process.
I remember Jerry studying for his Higher Secondary exam. Someone told him that the reason monks shaved the middle of their head, Friar Tuck style, was because it kept their brains from getting over-heated. So that’s what he did prior to the exams.
I remember Jerry getting me in trouble over studies – something he would not let me forget to date. I tutored him for a test and he scored higher than I did. The prefect at that time, thought that I had scored lower than Jerry, because I had goofed off and not studied. So I got the honor of doing the Murgah while Jerry earned brownie points.
I remember Jerry the proud dad calling me in the middle of the night to let me know that Sehyr had received admission to Scripps College.
I remember Jerry the gracious host always organizing a get-together whenever I was in Delhi. I also remember a friendly reprimand that he gave me for not staying with him when he found out that I was staying at the Taj.
I remember receiving calls from Jerry every time he was in the US, which would start with “Oye Soheee…”
I remember Jerry the omnipresent Old Sanawarian, who was always there for Sanawar and the OS.
Most recently, I remember my lunch conversation with him in January. Between sips of Nimbu-pani, Jerry was complaining about how being a teetotaler sucked the joy out of life.
A toast to you my friend. You shall always be remembered for your antics, your warm-heartedness and your graciousness.
Ravi Sohi
I remember when we were just out of school, sitting in DSOI, Dhaula Kuan, or DK club as it was known, with Jerry. A bunch of freshers from St Columbas, 5 pointers all of them, were passing us. Jerry called out 'Oye freshers". All of them jumped to attention and turned to see these two bearded guys sitting besides the pool. Jerry proceeded to get them to introduce themselves and do a couple of antics. As soon as they had finished he laughed, and just like the gentle giant he was, he proceeded to introduce us as fellow freshers, ending our dominance. Manu
I remember Jerry as a “khup” creator who often had to take the brunt for the “khup” somebody else might have created. I also remember the time that Jerry sneaked into the makeshift girls’ dorms in the common room during our Higher Secondary Exams. I cannot remember who else was with him, but I do remember that he sat on Meera’s toes which survived the onslaught and there was much squealing and laughter, but fortunately not loud enough to get Mrs. (forgetting her name, Shivalik house mistress and piano teacher) suspicious. Years later in Gurgaon, I encountered the Bains’ children on the Vasant Valley School bus and re-established contact with Jerry and met Kamini and spent some wonderful evenings with our batch in their lovely home where we were always welcome. Jerry, you will always be an integral part of our lives.
Saroj Sirkeck
Jerry was the bandmaster...he had the dunda...and guess what he did...he banged me on my head while i was sweetly standing in the NCC parade rehearsal September 1974...my quick devious mind made me faint..a stretcher was called and i was taken to hospital.. and Jerry was nicely bashed up by Muchho...what an achievement for me..my day was made ! "Oye Meera Sethi whats your problem " said Jerry later ....
I miss you my friend.......xxx,
Meera Bajaj nee Sethi
Hard to believe that this big, warm guy is not with us. RIP Jerry. You have left a deep void and will be really missed
Pankaj Gupta
Very hard to accept. He will be missed tremendously.
Ratan Ramchandani
Most shocking. Behti
he was sooo full of life. One of the most affectionate person I ever knew.
Geeta
Unbelievable. He was so happy and full of life and we were making plans when I last saw him
KD Bindra
Sanawar lifted the trophy of 14th Maj RK Goldstein Inter School T-20 Cricket Tournament-2014 held at BCS from 1st to 3rd May.
Sanawar beat BCS by 77 runs in the final match. Our team scored 156 runs for 7 wickets while BCS scored 79 runs for 9 wickets in 15 overs. Karan Malhohtra scored 60 runs and Abijeet Raman scored 33 runs.
Karan Malhotra bagged 02 Man of the Match Awards during the tournament and Mainaak Goyal bagged 01 Man of the Match Award. Both these players scored centuries, one each.
It was last time in 2003 when Sanawar had won the trophy by a toss (due to bad weather) and remained Runners Up for 04 consecutive years from 2010 to 2013.
Press Coverage and Feedback
Feedback from Mumbai Heroes
Aps your school song says best school of all, in the one day I was there, I tend to agree, please give my best to all. Anna (Suniel Shetty).
As anna said we all know which school apoorva lakhia went to. After visiting the school i must confess that apus unending stories and anecdotes about this great institution would find complete validation from us. I have great regard and respect for sardar patel vidyalaya..the school that i went to but i think i have missed out on the sanawar experience. Though life has given me the opportunity to be associated with great legacy in my capacity as an actor and cricket enthusiast i hope my son in his growing up years will have the lawrence school sanawar experience...Varun Badola
Words fall short to express how i feel. I will cherish every moment I spent with all of you for the rest of my life You all made me feel so Special Love love love To all Bobby Deol
As a kid whenever I used to misbehave my parents used to threaten me that if i didn't behave I would be sent to a boarding school...I used to get super scared of the idea of me being there...BUT when I saw Sanawar...The School...The Brother Hood between the OS...The Bonding with the teachers...the vibes ...I said to myself "I wish my parents sent me to a boarding school...I wish they had sent me to Sanawar".
Thank you Apporva, Rohit, Shubroto, Rahul, OS and every one at Sanawar for inviting me over there and letting me experience something that I had never imagined. It was definitely one of the best trip I have had.
I would also like to specially thank the Sanarian Girls for their Non Stop Loud Cheering while I was fielding at the boundary...Which did lead to a few miss-fields but it was all worth it ...You girls defiantly got my attention ;) Hope to come to Sanawar again :) Thanks Again,
Vatsal Seth
Apu tuh star hai, tera school kya hai boss, weekend bena diya tum seb ne hemara, ab mere bete koh sanawar bhejna hai.... Seb ko selaam dena for looking after us so well. Kel milte hai huma ki party mein....Raja Bherwani.
Apu you rock and so does your fraternity, it was a honeymoon for ria and me as we have not gone on a holiday since we got married. The hospitality was par excellent, the respect I got was par none. I'm sure the kids will have a good story to tell for tonking me all over the park. Hahahahaha but its 10 years since I bowled. Cheers mate Salil Ankola.
11th edition of All India Honoria Lawrence Invitational Inter School Basketball Tournament for Girls was held at Sanawar from 6th to 8th May, 2014. 08 teams participated including, All Saints’ College, Nainital, The Shri Ram School DLF Gurgaon, Pathways World School Arawali, Welham Girls School Dehradun. Sanawar Red team started its journey with a win n the opening match against Pathways School by 43-10 points. In 2nd league match Sanawar beat St. Mary’s School Kasauli by 52-13 points and entered in the semi final after beating Welham Gils in the last league match by 34-21 points. In 1st semi final Sanawar Red beat The Shri Ram School DLF Gurgaon by 42-34 points and entered in the finals of the tournament.
Final match was a hard fought game played between Sanawar and All Saint's College Nainital, which was won by the latter and Sanawar the runners up position. All Saint’s Prishita Bhardwas and Sanawarian Vansihika Aggarwal were adjudged Best Player and Most Promising Player of the Tournament, respectively. An alumnus of Sanawar Mr. Vinod Sultanpuri (OS-2000) awarded the trophies to the winners.
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