Re-tracing Grandad's footsteps

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After our week of yoga and meditation in Rishikesh we set off to Mussoorie. Mussoorie is an old hill station set 2000 metes above sea level in the Himalayas. We choses to come here because my Grandad who was Anglo-Indian went to school here from 1933-1939. He had often talked about his school and how beautiful it was and it was this that inspired our trip to India.

When we arrived at St.Georges College we were struck by the amazing setting. You can see for miles, there are even snow capped mountains in the distance. It was such a peaceful and serene place. We did arrive on the first day of the school holidays and one of the teachers we spoke to assured us with 600 boys around the place it was not usually so quiet.

As we wondered around we met an old Irish brother, who liked to talk, he has been teaching at the school since the 1960's. We were very lucky as he was able to find the old school year books from when Grandad and his brother attended St. Georges. Searching through them we found old class photos, exam results, donations from his parents for sports day and a football match report that described Grandad's brother as “a little short but tough in the tackle!” These books contained stories, match reports, letters, essays and photos written by the principal, teachers, children and past pupils. They gave a fascinating historical insight into what life was like at school in the 1930's and really helped us to imagine Grandad living there.

With the natural landscape of the Himalayas and the school still based around the 1930's clock tower and the 19th century chapel it feels like this is how Grandad would have remembered the school. However the main difference now is the pupils although they are all still boys they are no longer Catholic Anglo-Indians they are Hindu and Muslim boys from extremely well off families.

The town Mussoorie is a slightly funny place, it is popular with Indian tourists and it has multi-coloured plastic flashing palm trees and old rusty fairground rides which contrasted with the beauty of the landscape. Andy and I spent the rest of our time walking in the mountains where we saw many huge monkeys leaping from tree to tree. Mussoorie is relatively close to Tibet and the Tibetan influence was obvious in the people, clothes and food.

Throughout my time here I was trying to picture Grandad being here and in many ways it seemed so very far away from England and where I always knew him however it did make us laugh as some of the arcade machines and fairground rides reminded us of sunny Bognor.....so perhaps it's not that far from home after all!

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Photos

Mussoorie
The School moto

Mussoorie
Sculpture of St George

Mussoorie
The school clocktower which would have been there at the same time as Grandad

Mussoorie
Sarah on detention

Mussoorie
Up in the Himalayas, with snow peaked mountains in the distance

Mussoorie
View from breakfast

Mussoorie
Planning the next stop