THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS OF THE OLD COTTONIAN’S ASSOCIATION
Dear OC,
Bishop Cotton has left behind a tremendous legacy. Last year we celebrated 150 years of Bishop Cotton having founded our ‘Great School’. The celebrations were a resounding success.
This year we have occasion to celebrate 100 years of the Old Cottonians Association. As successive generations of Cottonians passed beyond the portals of our Great School, they scattered around the world but never once , it would seem, did they forget Bishop Cotton or the School where all of us spent some of the most delightful and formative years of our life.
To keep the flame burning of Bishop Cotton and our Great School, Cottonians decided to form the Old Cottonians Association.
Today, as we celebrate 100 years of the O.C.A. there will be dozens of Associations around the world, with thousands of Old Cottonians who will stand shoulder to shoulder, sing the School Song and thank our Founding Fathers for our motto, “ Overcome evil with Good”. This has been a guiding light for Cottonians through out their lives.
Other than having imparted lessons in humility, social etiquette, punctuality, discipline, respect for elders Bishop Cotton wanted us to go out into the world to do good and have a good time!
It is with the last point in mind that OCA (India) Northern Chapter has decided to honour Bishop Cotton, Our Great School and the Association of Old Boys who, young at heart will carry the Cottonian Flag high and with pride.
We hope that you along with your spouse / partners and fellow OC’s will be able to attend the function in large numbers. You are requested to confirm your participation at the earliest as it will help us plan for our catering etc. Through you, we would like to have details of latest contact numbers of your OC friends, so that we can communicate directly with them. Kindly note that children are not allowed at the OC meet.
Please find enclosed as an attachment a program for the Centennial Celebration of the Old Cottonians Association.
Best Regards,
Ajay Thiara
Member Executive
OCA (India), Northern Chapter
Phone: 0172-5071931, 4009932.
PROGRAM FOR THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE OLD COTTONIANS ASSOCIATION
Friday, 22nd October, 2010: Golf Tournament and Dinner
(Organized by OCA (India) Northern Chapter)
- Golf Tournament between Old Cottonians and Old Sanawarians The tournament would be conducted at the Chandigarh Golf Club. The participation fee would be Rs. 500/- per head and would be collected at the Golf Club on the day of the tournament itself. All OC’s desirous of taking part in the Golf Tournament may kindly send the following details to OCA Northern Chapter by Monday, 18th October, 2010 :
a) Full Name b) House c) Batch d) Handicap e) Mobile no. f) Email id. - The dinner would be conducted at CGA Golf Range, Sector-6, Chandigarh at 7:30 p.m. The contribution amount for all OC’s playing in the Golf Tournament as well as for non playing OC’s who are desirous of attending the OCA Centennial Celebration dinner would be Rs. 1000/- per OC and Rs. 1500/- per couple. The contribution amount may kindly be sent in the form of a Demand Draft or cheque drawn in favour of OCA (India) Northern Chapter payable at Chandigarh. The payment should be accompanied with the OC’s a) Full Name b) House c) Batch d) Mobile no. e) Email id. The payment and the information may be sent or handed over to Mr. Arun Rana at Jamboree, SCO-99-100, Top Floor, Above Sindhi Pastry Shop, Sector-17-B, Chandigarh. Phone: 0172-5071931, 4009932.
Dress Code: Smart evening casuals
Saturday, 23rd October, 2010: Centennial Drive
(Organized by OCA (India) Northern Chapter
- A Centennial Drive would be conducted from Chandigarh to Bishop Cotton School Simla with an overnight halt at Barog. All OC’s taking part in the Centennial Drive would assemble at the Taj Hotel, Sector-17, Chandigarh at 12:00 noon.
- At Barog a camp fire and barbeque would be held, alongwith a sing song. All participating OC’s are requested to carry along with them the song books from last year’s celebrations. Charges for taking part in the Centennial Drive would cover the expenses for lunch at the Taj Hotel and other peripheral expenses and would be Rs. 1000/- per OC and Rs. 2000/- per couple.
Accommodation cost and facilities at Barog would be as follows:
At a camp: Rs. 2000/- per couple which would include evening tea, camp dinner, morning tea and camp breakfast.
Hotel Pinewood & Hotel Barog Heights: Room charges would vary between Rs. 1700/- to Rs. 3200/- on twin sharing basis. A discount of approximately 30% on only room charges would be given at Hotel Pinewood.
For all those OC’s not staying at the camp, Dinner at the camp would cost Rs. 250/- per head and breakfast at the camp would be at Rs. 100/- per head. Since only limited accommodation is available, therefore entries to participate in the Centennial Drive would be accepted on first come first serve basis only. All those OC’s desirous of taking part in the Centennial Drive, may kindly send the payment to cover the participation fee of the centennial drive and cost of accommodation in the form of a Demand Draft or cheque drawn in favour of OCA (India) Northern Chapter payable at Chandigarh. The payment should be accompanied with the OC’s a) Full Name b) House c) Batch d) Mobile no. e) Email id. The payment and the information may be sent or handed over to Mr. Arun Rana at Jamboree, SCO-99-100, Top Floor, Above Sindhi Pastry Shop, Sector-17-B, Chandigarh. Phone: 0172-5071931, 4009932.
Sunday, 24th October, 2010:
- Blood Donation Camp / Lunch / Basket Ball and or Football match / Dinner
- a) The Centennial Drive would leave Barog at 9:30 a.m. to reach Bishop Cotton School, Simla by11:30 a.m.
- b) At school a Blood Donation Camp would be conducted (Courtesy OCA (India) Northern Chapter & OCA (India) Himachal Chapter)
- c) At 1:30 p.m. a Centennial Celebration lunch would be served at school for the visiting OC’s. (Courtesy The Head Master, Bishop Cotton School)
Dress Code for a,b,c: Smart Casuals - d) Post lunch a Basketball / Football match would take place between the OC’s and the school team.
- e) At 7:30 p.m. a Centennial Celebration Dinner has been organized in Simla at Hotel Woodville Palace adjacent to the Raj Bhawan. (Courtesy OCA (India) Himachal Chapter). The contributory amount to attend this dinner would be Rs. 750/- per OC and Rs. 1500/- per couple. All OC’s desirous of attending this Dinner may kindly contact OC D.M. Sud 9418057500, OC Anil Walia 9816017100 or OC Arun Sawhney 9816064890.
Dress Code: Formal preferably Blazer and OC Tie - f) Accommodation is available in Simla at Hotel Woodville Palace which is a heritage property from Rs. 5000/- till Rs. 12000/- per room per night. OC Uday Singh who is the owner of the hotel has very graciously offered a 30% discount on the room tariff for visiting OC’s. Should any OC require more reasonably priced accommodation, he may contact OC DM Sud or OC Anil Walia.
Note: Whilst it shall be our endeavour to follow this program, there could be some minor changes.
CONTACT :
OCA Northern Chapter
Your plans for the O.C.A. Centenial Celebrations fill me with a great longing to join in! All the gatherings and the places you mention bring back memories of so many events, sixty to seventy years ago when we travelled to school – the rush at Kalka to get good places in the small train onwards, the shouting from carriage to carriage, getting out when the train was slowed down by a steep bit of the line and running up to another carriage! How the Guard used to swear and yell at us!! And the time spent at Barog -ah! I wish I could be with you! But I can no longer travel long journeys; as it is I need to walk with a stick and get short of breath on the slightest slope let alone the roads and pathways in Shimla!
I attend all the OCA Reunions in London and meet about a dozen or more of friends I was with at School, and also many O.C.’s of later years who have become strong friends. It amazes that. while I am on the way to a Reunion, if I see a person I have never met before and spot that he is wearing a B.C.S. tie I can say “I know where you must be going, let’s go together!” As we meet again year by year. I have so many friendships across the generations which now have grown stronger.
By the way, The “Old Cottonians Online” is a source of much pleasure to me, as I am sure it is to many other Old Cottonians. Through it we can keep up links which we would not be able to do otherwise, and it is like a window on to a rich world I share with so many others.
Yours sincerely,
Allan Bapty, Rivaz 36-38, 40-44.