Mr Minoo Homi Batlivala

Since the last one or two years some of my companions from our days in the boarding, reached out to me. The first was Frank (is it the same one called affectionately ‘Butler’?). Then there was Joe D’Souza, John Carvallo, and now Philon. I guess we are all in our 60s. Joe D’Souza as I…

Punishing children, using corporal punishment was regarded normal and accepted in many schools and institutions. (23 Aug14, Pg 6 Times of India ICSE ordinance against Corporal Punishment) The legacy of corporal punishment in our school goes back to the beginning of 19th century, (Reminiscences of my school days 1901 to 1906 by Joseph B Gomes…

Father Bulchand was a rare individual. The first impression I had of him was that he appeared to be bundle of energy. That energy seemed to come out from his stare which seemed to go right through you. He was our high school maths teacher, and though he was brilliant in the subject, he presumed…

….. our attitudes to education today. How we encourage our children and push them. Even more so on how we work with students who are not the “brightest” according the systems we measure. Sir Ken Robinson is a well-known educator and speaker at TED and other forums. This talk is an abridged video of a longer lecture….

 In another two years it will be six decades since I left St Stanislaus High School for good. As I stood with my box and bedding in the shed as we called that large space downstairs, I bid farewell to other boarders who passed by me.  In retrospect, I was both sad and glad. This…

If there’s anyone who remains firmly in my memory, it is Joe who ran the infirmary. He was always dresssed very neatly, if I remember his favorite was a khaki pant and a white bush shirt worn out (as against being worn inside the pant) and it gave the impression of being clinical. He was…