Breeks Memorial Anglo Indian School in Udhagamandalam completes 150 years

The iconic Breeks Memorial Anglo Indian School in Ooty completes 150 years
| Photo Credit: SATHYAMOORTHY M

A striking image of the iconic St Stephen’s Church against clear blue skies fills my senses as I pace up the hills on a misty morning in Udhgamandalam. A communion service in honour of James Wilkinson Breeks (1830-1972), the first Commissioner of the Nilgiris, is in progress. At the cemetery, which lies on the sloping land behind the church, the Nilgiris district collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru and alumni of Breeks Memorial School reminisce his contributions towards education while placing the wreath on his memorial stone. “How moving this day has been,” remarks Mark Blackett-Ord from the Breeks family who travelled with his daughter Elinor Corfield from London to grace the historic occasion — the sesquicentennial celebrations of the Breeks Memorial Memorial Anglo Indian School.

The event — Bandwagon 150 — marks a worldwide reunion of alumni of the Breeks Memorial Anglo Indian School and its sister institution, the Breeks Higher Secondary School. “We are the nearest relations to Breeks. He was a successful Anglo-Indian administrator. Like many Englishmen, he went to India when he was only 19. He was educated at the East India College in England, established in the 1820s specifically for people who were going to work for the East India Company as administrators,” explains Mark.

Breeks was only 40 when he became the commissioner of the Nilgiris. “My father inherited his house in England. I was brought up in that property surrounded by pictures and letters of Breeks,” he recalls adding that the school was a remarkable institution. “We learnt how Breeks’ values are still shared today by the school and the community,” says Elinor adding that it was incredible that the local community created a school in his memory. “He comes from a farming background. He was particularly interested in researching the local communities like the todas and understanding the Nilgiris. Through his letters, we understand that he was requesting for money to research and document unique cultures of the local communities as he appeared concerned that they were getting lost. This was in the 1870s. He emphasised on research,” she adds. Deepak Bojraj from the batch of 1970 who tracked down Mark says his education at the school helped him follow his dreams and become a filmmaker.

A prominent legacy of the Raj, Breeks, in existence since 1874, is housed in an imposing structure overlooking Charing Cross, the threshold of this popular vacation destination. With unique architectural features, the building is not only of high heritage value but also bears the name of the first Collector (then Commissioner) of the Nilgiris district.

D Radhakrishnan, a retired journalist and the first president of the Breeks Alumni Association says the institution has been a part of the Nilgiri cultural landscape in heritage and education. “It has touched many lives, especially those from middle class families that dreamt of quality education. The fee in the 1970s was ₹15! I excelled in sports, football, cricket, hockey or athletics with gusto.” He recalls his English teacher Paul Xavier who shared a great student-teacher relationship and helped them master the language. “We were pulled up when we spoke in Tamil. We were groomed in etiquettes. Our teacher Saldanha who taught us geography always corrected our English pronunciations. Among all the legacies of the British, be it the Lawley Institute, or the Assembly Rooms, the Breeks Memorial School is a crowning glory: an institution where you have the district collector as the ex officio chairman of the school management.”

K Saravana Chandar, the current Head Master and correspondent of Breeks Memorial School remembers the times English literature was taught at the school. “We pored over literary works of poets from the Romantic era, novels, and epics like Paradise Lost. The milestone of 150 years reminds us to march ahead, but staying rooted to values of this grand institution.”

Besides forming an effective alumni association, the old students also took out a rally, a reminder of the history of the institution in imparting quality education and the need to carry the legacy forward.

The organisers put social media to good use to connect with alumni from across the globe. “I put out a message on Facebook and thousands responded turning this into a movement,” says R Padmanabhan from the batch of 1988 and coordinator of Bandwagon 150. He explains that Breeks has never had reunions for a long time. “A robust association is in place to ensure greater transparency for all the stakeholders. We want to contribute to the development of the school and bring back the glorious days.”

Octavius Bunsha from the 1985 batch requests encouragement from the government to develop the school. “The school gave me a strong foundation in not just education but life lessons. It’s payback time. We have a proposal to start a computer lab soon,” he says. Vijay Balakrishnan from the 1970 batch flew down from the US to take part in the event. “I was in technology and leadership positions and picked up a passion to write after retirement. All this was possible because of the all-round education that we’ve got at Breeks,” he says, adding, “It emphasised on logic and the creative.”