After sack lunches (tuna fish sandwich, chips, apple, juice in a box), we trudged back up to the residence level, where all the dorms were having open houses. The newly-renovated Midlands was to be dedicated by TZ Chu (’52), who funded the renovation, and his sister Li Chu, in the names of their parents. I missed the ceremony myself, but heard it was beautiful and very touching.
The outside shape of Midlands is just what it was in our day, and the peaked roof of the tower has been reinstated. The tower is now home to four or five computer rooms, at every mezzanine level right up to the roof.
Lots of broken image links to fix… when I have time. Meanwhile, you can see the full gallery here.
walking up Frivolity to Midlands
shot Oct 31, 2004, 5:07 min, 7.2 MB
Midlands is certainly a lot more comfortable than it’s ever been, with central steam heating in public areas and a kitchen on every floor. It has lost its old funky charm and the deep window seats we all loved to sit in (and occasionally fall out of). Is it escape-proof? Time will tell.
You can see that twenty years have passed by the growth of the scrubby trees around the dorm – there’s no longer a view of Witches’ Hill from what used to be the senior wing, only from the Upper New Wing. Personally, I’d be in favor of trimming the trees, both to encourage them to grow wider (they’re very spindly) and to restore the view, but there are strict laws against tree-cutting in Landour, and in general that’s a good thing.
…and over to Hostel…
where very little has changed, except for a slow slide into decrepitude. Plans are under discussion for a complete revamp, as has been done at Midlands.
shot Oct 31, 2004, 0:52 mins, 2.3 MB
Making rumali roti for the banquet.
After the banquet, there was a one-hour wait for the closing ceremony, which included speeches from three current and former principals and some other dignitaries, songs by various groups, a mass group singing of “Shadows,” and some of the finest fireworks Mussoorie has ever seen.
However, the Class of ’81 knows all this only by hearsay. We were tired, cold, and too impatient to be speechified – we snuck back to the Hanifl campground for a warming bonfire and a midnight biryani feast. From the Hanifl campground we could dimly hear the speeches and singing, and got a glimpse of the fireworks through the trees.
