Welham Girls’ School as I knew it
By Dr S Ganguli
Raising two daughters alone will always be one of my greatest achievements, especially when I see them well settled and happy today. However, without Welham Girls’ School this wouldn’t have been possible. Welham Girls’ is one of the renowned schools in the country. I have seen it and known it as a citizen of Doon, a Parent and an Educationist. This is Welham Girls’ – an odyssey through my lens.
Ms Oliphant, founder of Welham Boys’ Preparatory School, Dehradun, had insisted that her dear friend Ms Grace Mary Linnell come and join her. Ms Linnell joined Welham Boys’ as a history teacher after retiring from Nizam College, Hyderabad in 1956.
Going back in time, girl child education was a neglected issue towards which these two ladies wanted to contribute significantly. Ms Oliphant was the one who thought of starting a sister school based on similar principles as Welham Boys’ Preparatory School. Ms Linnell though excited about the idea, however, was concerned about the lack of funds to raise another school. Funds, however, were arranged and No. 19 Municipal Road, near Welham Prep. was rented in 1957. The first batch with six girls started and Ms Linnell single handedly spearheaded the school and built it brick by brick, building by building and laid the foundation on which Welham Girls’ School stands tall today.
Ms Linnell was an English lady. It was she who insisted on the uniform be salwar kameez, keeping the Indian culture and tradition in mind. She kept the school motto in Sanskrit, ‘Artha shanti phala Vidya’, – the aim of knowledge is to bring peace. She created an environment that transcended caste, class and religious boundaries. She introduced prayers that were distinctly secular and inclusive.
The selection process of students was not based on the ability to pay the fees or the entrance examination but she looked into the family background of the girls and insisted on selecting students from richly cultured families only. Initially, Welham Girls’ School did not even have an entrance examination, as she did not want to ‘select the cream’. Unlike other Public Schools, she kept the fee structure low. She somehow believed that families would be more willing to pay for their sons rather than their daughters. She wanted to provide premium education to the girl children of our country. Ms Linnell was passionate about her career, so she wanted the girls to have an identity and individuality of their own; to be persons with high values and sound character as girls who would grow up to make a difference in society.
Gradually, she expanded the infrastructure of the school. The student strength increased and the school was upgraded to Senior Cambridge. Ms Linnell took charge of the school in its nascent stage and later requested Ms Madhuri Juyal to join her. As the school population increased, Ms Saroj Srivastava followed by Ms Russell, Ms Davinson, Ms Hameeda Hassan and Ms Johar formed a wonderful team for Ms Linnell.
Soon, dark clouds of tragedy hovered above the school. A misfortune fell on Ms Linnell with a huge set back to Welham Girls’ School, as she was diagnosed with advanced stage of cancer. But valiant as she was, she did not compromise on her time and efforts for the school. She did not talk about her illness with anyone. However, she secured the future of the school by forming a Society to run the institution unhampered. Ms Linnell ensured that all her personal belongings, including funds, remain with the School and were treated as school property. She expressed her deep desire to appoint Ms Saroj Srivastava as the Principal of the school after her demise. Her contribution to the education of our nation has been immense and no words can do justice to it.
Ms Linnell expressed her wish that she would like to take her last breath in the school premises and that her cremation should be done following Hindu rituals. Ms Linnell passed away in 1970. She was honoured with the Padma Shri Award by the Government of India and was the first Public School Principal in the country to be honoured for her contribution towards the field of girl child education.
Ms Saroj Srivastava took over as the Principal after Ms Linnell. She had a long tenure of 18 years when the school flourished and achieved new milestones. She was a true educationist. Her hard work and loyalty earned the school name and fame. She devoted her whole life towards the noble cause and her contribution is unforgettable. It was she who focussed and improved the financial health of the school with the help of Board of Governors, Gulab Ramchandani with Mr BM Pandey the School Bursar, to support her. During her tenure, No. 6 was acquired for dormitories.
Thereafter, Ms Shanti Verma, a parent and former member of the Board of Governors took over as the Principal. She further attempted to expand the infrastructure. She was a lady with a charming personality and great PR skills. She was good at fund raising. She was given the task of building a new school at Haridwar Road, which for some reason did not materialise.
Mrs Brar took over from Mrs Verma. She was a product of Welham Girls’ School and Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior, and a former Principal of Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls’ Public School, Jodhpur. Her contribution to academics and discipline of the school was vastly recognised. She further added to the infrastructure of the school.
Welham Girls’ School spoke for itself. It never needed social media advertisement or any kind of agency promoting its name. In fact, I remember there was a small board with the school’s name at the front gate and that was the only marketing they did.
Whether it was Mr Manjit Singh’s girls winning the trophies in all categories at the District Sports Meet or Mrs Juneja’s sumptuous meals, Mrs Mathur’s and Mrs Bhushan’s girls with top notch culinary skills, Mrs Dhingra’s students displaying exceptional art skills are a few memories that will always be imbibed deeply into the roots of Welham Girls’ School.
Ms Linnell groomed Ms Srivastava in such a way that her ideologies could be taken forward. However, with the change in times the culture and focus of the organisation varied. Ms Srivastava did the same with Ms Jamila Singh and made her competent enough to establish a brand new school, Mayo Girls’ at Ajmer, Rajasthan, which today, in itself, is one of the leading schools of the country.
Getting admission into schools like Welham takes years of planning for any parent who dreams and aspires for their baby girls to become Welhamites. An array of planning, whether academic preparation, or financial planning are required. The family needs to prepare their daughters to be emotionally strong to be able to stay away from home and adjust in a boarding school. It is not an easy task to achieve for any one.
Of course, there are certain incidents which take place now and then, which aren’t at par with the strong value system per se and as an educationist to hear of certain grave situations, always takes me aback, as the cause behind such situations can never be put in black and white. We as a nation are extremely fortunate to have esteemed schools like Welham Girls’ which have such a strong foundation and historical background.
We, in our respective roles, should all ensure that the spirit and impact of the organisation should not get diluted or dampened.
“Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark” – Tagore.
It is my profound faith that all the five birds of Welham Girls’ School will continue to fly high in all spheres and spectrum of life!
All the best
(Dr S Ganguli is Group Advisor, Education, Aditya Birla Group)
