International Award for Woodstock School Board Members
During its Annual General Meeting in September the Woodstock School Board of Directors had the great pleasure of presenting two of its members with international education awards. Mr. T.Z. Chu and Dr. Prakash Masih were recipients of the distinguished Award for the Promotion of International Education conferred annually by the European Council of International Schools. The ECIS award honors recipients who have made exemplary voluntary contributions to enhance the scope and quality of international education worldwide. It was very fitting that they received this honour in Woodstock School ’s 150th year.

T.Z. Chu is a Woodstock alumnus from the Class of 1952 and former CEO of a US-based scientific instrument company. Since his retirement, he has dedicated much of his time and personal resources to the pursuit of excellence in international education. Among other key involvements, Mr. Chu has made invaluable contributions in matters such as effective school governance, sustainable development, science education and education for ethical leadership. He has been a Trustee, major donor and fundraiser for UC Berkley in the United States, and he has been a major donor, fundraiser, Board member and is now President of Kodaikanal-Woodstock International, a non-profit organization that supports the two oldest International Schools in India.

Prakash Masih is a long-serving member of the Board of Woodstock School and has acted as President of the Board since 1987. In addition to this position, he has serving with distinction on the Executive, Finance, Nominations and Personnel committees for over 16 years. Dr. Masih is himself an educationalist, with a long career as a lecturer at Lucknow Christian College, as well as being a senior layman in the Methodist church.

While it is uncommon for a single school to boast more than one beneficiary of the ECIS award, Woodstock was proud to bestow one to both Board members who have worked tirelessly to promote Woodstock ’s vision of exceptional international education within India. In the school’s sesquicentennial year, it is a privilege to honor two of the many individuals who have contributed to the school’s ongoing history. (Kaitlin Steele - Staff)

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Distinguished Alumnus Award for Brig. Kim Yadav
A special dinner was held at Woodstock School on Friday 17th September to honour Brigadier Kim Yadav. Brigadier Yadav was presented with the coveted Woodstock School Distinguished Alumnus Award. This annual award is presented by the Board f Directors of Woodstock School to three or four alumni who have throughout their careers achieved the high regard of their peers, and have displayed the kind of qualities of excellence and service which Woodstock School seeks to promote in its students.

Born in Agra in 1921, Brigadier Hukam Singh Yadav came to Woodstock in 1935. When he graduated from the School he was chosen as one of the two best boy students in the Class of 1938. At the age of 18, he was one of 15 cadets admitted into the Indian Military Academy through an open competition. He received his commission from the King in 1941 as Second Lieutenant in the Royal Regiment of Indian Artillery. He was quickly promoted to Captain and became the first Indian to be appointed Instructor-in-Gunnery in February 1942.

He was then posted to the Burma Front in 1943. General Sir Montagu Stopford, who eventually became Commander-in-Chief and Supreme Allied Commander of Southeast Asia, chose Brig. Yadav as his ADC. He served with General Stopford on strategic and diplomatic missions throughout Asia from May ’45 until January 1947 when he was posted to Peshawar to command a rifle company charged with keeping the peace in the midst of Hindu-Muslim riots. Three months later, Lord Mountbatten was appointed Viceroy of India, and Brig. Yadav left for New Delhi to serve as his ADC. At the August 15th Independence celebrations at India Gate, the huge crowd prevented Lord Mountbatten from reaching the flagpole, so he directed Brig. Yadav to make his way through the crowd and unfurl the flag on his (Lord Mountbatten’s) behalf—it was the second flag to be unfurled on that day, Pundit Nehru having unfurled the first at Red Fort in the morning. (Pete Wildman - Staff)

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West End cabaret comes to Woodstock School
On Saturday, September 16th, London’s West End headed East when acclaimed British duo Fenton Grey and Charles Miller appeared at Woodstock School. Grey is known throughout the UK as a leading performer in shows such as Cats, The Mikado, and Yeomen of the Guard – among many others – and his directing credits include work in venues such as London’s Royal Festival Hall. Composer Charles Miller has received laudable reviews in both the United States and the UK for the production of numerous original musicals, and he has recently generated both a songbook and CD of his most popular tunes. Miller is a regular Guest Vocal Coach at the Royal Academy of Music and both he and Grey are active instructors in the London School of Musical Theatre.

Through the coordination of Woodstock’s music department and the efforts of Mr. Virgil Miedema, Woodstock Board member, Grey and Miller filled Parker Hall with an astounding mix of music from 30’s era-ballads to recent Broadway hits. With flawless accompaniment and an impressive array of original compositions, Miller gave a piano concert unlike any seen by Woodstock students in recent years, and Grey’s range proved to be far more than vocal. As he bid “Wilkommen,” “Bienvenue” and “Welcome” to the audience of High School students and Woodstock Staff and Board members, Grey was the picture of a born showman, moving effortlessly through patter, songs and poignant ballads.

Although an evening of musical theatre was certainly different from the rap and pop songs often heard from the residence halls, Grey and Miller left Woodstock with rave reviews from all age groups. While old-time love songs left a few misty eyes during the evening, tears of laughter visibly poured down cheeks during some of the duo’s more humorous moments. The show went beyond all expected bounds when Grey emerged from behind the curtain in the guise of a fictitious Woodstock alumnus and Shakespearian actor, and proceeded to perform several remarkable and funny numbers. The high point was undoubtedly when he persuaded the entire auditorium – teenagers included – to join him in a boisterous chorus of “Artificial Flowers” from Bock and Harnick’s Tenderloin. (Kaitlin Steele - Staff)

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Indian Culture Week 2004
Woodstock's annual Indian Culture Week, leading up to Independence Day, this year featured two star performers. On Friday 13th August Tom Alter, a former Woodstock student, presented his one-man monologue/play about Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the relatively lesser sung hero of India's freedom movement, scripted and directed by Dr. Sayeed Alam.

The play, which has been previously presented in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, is performed entirely in Urdu. "I was fascinated with Maulana Azad right since childhood," says Tom Alter. "He was one of the very few Muslims who spoke against the partition, and that's a feeling I share. We have not yet recovered from the scars of the partition. My Urdu teacher always said Maulana's Urdu prose was the best in the last century". The play, performed in Woodstock's famous Parker Hall, was greatly enjoyed by an audience of Woodstock staff, parents, alumni and Indian students.

Tom Alter remained at the school until the next evening to introduce Shubha Mudgal and her band. Shubha Mudgal is a renowned singer and composer, and this particular evening, under the title of “Koshish”, explored a fusion between Indian classical music and Western jazz and blues, backed by her husband, Aneesh Pradhan, and a group of talented young musicians from Mumbai and Delhi. The packed hall gave the ensemble a standing ovation at the end of an evening of exciting and original music.

Earlier in the week, Alok Ufat's Avikal Theatre Company had spent three days in the school presenting drama workshops and also staging two plays including “Prithvi”, written and directed by Alok Ufat. The dance, song and comedy in their performances ensured that students, staff and guests alike enjoyed a very special night of theatre. Theater was not the only spectacle during the week of Independence celebration. Renowned sitarist Asad Khan impressed a packed audience in Parker Hall with his musical skills. His performance was memorable, and his detailed explanations about the ragas which he featured were extremely informative. These events were all part of Woodstock's celebrations for its 150th anniversary.

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Baccalaureate & Graduation 2004
This year's sesquicentennial class Bacc and Grad celebrations were, fittingly, among the best of recent years. The quality of the music, the sense of occasion, the speeches were all very moving. The Baccalaureate speaker, Mrs. Shobha Arole, encouraged students who are facing choices to take “the road less travelled”. “The secret of an abundant life, believe it or not, is giving ourselves totally to God. Then whatever we do with our everyday life, in whatever work we do, it becomes an act of worship to God. When we truly live life like this, God unfolds his wonderful plan for our lives”.

Next day, the Graduation speaker was Nayontara Pundit Sahgal. Mrs. Sahgal, a member of the Nehru family, gave a rivetting account of her upbringing and her time at Woodstock, where she was sent as part of the Indian Nationalist boycott of anything British (Woodstock being then perceived as an American school). She paid tribute to the Christianity she encountered here. Principal Allen Parker, “a wise and wonderful man”, helped her and her sister (both under 8 years old) to keep their consciences intact by allowing them not to pledge loyalty to the King as a condition of joining the Brownies! Mrs. Sahgal echoed what had been said the day before about choosing the less-travelled road. “When I was a little girl my father said to me, ‘If you see everybody running in the same direction, you go the other way. It's bound to be more interesting”. (Pete Wildman - Staff)

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Parents Enjoy 150th Celebration Assembly
As part of the 2004 end of year festivities, parents were invited to a special 150 celebration assembly in the Media Center. The focus was on the long history and tradition of Woodstock School, and on how it is perceived today by students, staff and parents. David Jeffery welcomed the parents present, and Dale Seefeldt, himself a former student, a parent and a staff member, concluded the assembly with a warm personal tribute to the way Woodstock has impacted himself and his family.

The main programme consisted of a PowerPoint presentation drawn from the school's archive of historical and current photographs, and school songs from the Middle School choir. Sradda Thapa, outgoing Senior and STUCO CO-President, also addressed the parents, commenting on the quality of the education and care she had received at the school. (Pete Wildman - Staff)

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Peace Sculpture Unveiled
Woodstock School acquired a new landmark on Monday 7th June 2004. As part of the 150th Anniversary Celebrations, a 7' high stainless steel sculpture was unveiled near the entrance to the High School. The unveiling was carried out by local author Ruskin Bond, who commented on Woodstock's well-deserved reputation for arts and music.

The sculpture was presented to the school by the Class of '57, and was made by class member Jim Havens, who works in the USA. He comments: "The sculpture was made as a maquette for a competition for a holocaust memorial in Halabwa, Iran. The response to this sculpture was greatly gratifying but the project abruptly ended with the advent of the Persian Gulf war. Since then the sculpture has been exhibited in several art venues – most recently Schedel Botanical Gardens in Ohio. The Sculpture is based on the ancient Sumerian cuneiform symbol (circa 2500 B.C.) for the word 'Peace'. It was created in my studio near Toledo, Ohio, U.S.A."

Receiving the sculpture, Principal David Jeffery said: "It is a fitting addition to Woodstock's landscape, and will, I am sure, be a feature of yearbook photographs for years to come. Its theme of peace is most appropriate to a school such as ours, where we see students from a wide variety of backgrounds living and working together in harmony, and taking that mutual understanding into the world with them as they leave."

David Fiol and Sylvia Skinner Mahindroo, both class members, read a letter on behalf of the class, stating that “We feel that this Peace Sculpture represents the spirit of what Woodstock School was to us. It represents what we hope for Woodstock in the future as it impacts the lives of children from Southeast Asia and the world.” More information on the sculpture is available here. (Pete Wildman - Staff)

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Mela Rouge 2004
After a gap of a year, the annual Mela returned with a bang! The Quad was crowded as hundreds of staff, students, alumni and friends enjoyed the array of stalls – food, handicrafts, clothing, books and gifts.

The Mela was given a stunning opening by the music department, who arranged a spectacular opening ceremony. First came a procession of all of the musicians in the school, playing a variety of instruments from violin to brass to recorders (percussion and Indian instruments were already in position. It’s hard to march while playing the sitar!) Then when they were in position all around the ground floor and balconies of the Quad, they led the whole assembly in Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, followed by the now traditional singing of “Shadows”.

A highlight of the Mela, as ever, was the entertainment. Elementary and other students performed a variety of dances, and the Korean drumming group got everybody’s blood racing. Later, on the Media Center terrace, the High School drama students offered extracts from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The day rounded off with a lively Middle School musical, “It’s Cool in the Furnace”, a retelling of the story of Daniel and his friends in Babylon. The end to a more or less perfect day. (Pete Wildman - Staff)

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150th Anniversary Commemorative Stamp Release
Woodstock School, Mussoorie, celebrated its 150th anniversary today with the release by the Indian Government of a commemorative postage stamp. His Excellency Shri. Sudarshan Agarwal, Governor of Uttaranchal was special guest, and the stamp was released by Shri. Vijay Bhushan, Secretary of Posts.

Among other distinctions, Uttaranchal is well-known for its consistent focus on educational excellence. Over the years, the state has made a clear commitment to keeping the quality of education in the forefront and to advancing it still further as the nation continues into the twenty-first century. Now celebrating its 150th year in the Garhwal, Woodstock School, Mussoorie, is proud to be a part of the region’s long-standing educational tradition.

Woodstock’s own rich history of education is being observed this year through a series of celebrations and major events, the first of was the release of this stamp. The stamp was released in the presence of students, staff, visiting alumni, and special guests.

In his speech, the governor remarked on the fact that Uttaranchal is progressively acting as a leader in education in India, and that Woodstock may be noted one of the principal institutions in the state. Commending Woodstock’s history and expressing gratitude for its mission, the governor observed, “It is a time to celebrate the magic of education.” He further paid tribute to the missionaries who had founded so many of India’s educational and health institutions.

Shri. Sudarshan Agarwal also took note of the school’s distinguished alumni and the contribution they had made to India and the world. In particular he mentioned two alumni there present: Princess Bhuvenesh Kumari Patial, High Court Advocate, and Veena Mehta Kapoor, businesswoman. In their different ways they are making a great contribution to India, he commented. Other distinguished alumni at the stamp release included Brigadier Kim Yadav, former ADC to Lord Mountbatten, who was privileged to be the officer who first raised the flag on the day of Indian independence.

The ceremony was followed by music from the school’s string players, a traditional Woodstock song performed by Middle School students, and a rousing Naga dance presented by Elementary students.

David Jeffery, Principal of Woodstock School, commented: “It is a great privilege for us to be graced by the presence of Shri. Sudarshan Agarwal, whose concern for education in Uttaranchal is well known. It is also very satisfying to receive this recognition from the Indian Government, Department of Posts, and we thank all of those who have made it possible.” (Pete Wildman - Staff)

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