Calcutta Boys' School

Calcutta Boys’ School ISC & ICSE Results 2023.

Once again we at CBS proudly claim this year as the “year of the Lord’s favour” and thank the Lord for HIS abounding grace & blessings upon us!

Maintaining the legacy of a commendable performance in the board examination, once again our boys have made us proud with excellent results in both the ISC (XII) & the ICSE (X) exams 2023. With gratitude to the Almighty Father, thanks to our respected Bishop Dr. Anilkumar Servand & Madam Servand, and heartfelt appreciation for all our dear staff (teaching & Non teaching) and students, I proudly share the results:

ISC 2023

Total entered 102
Passed: 102
Highest:
96.5% Master Debdutta Ghosh (Humanities )
96% Master Rounak Dey (Commerce)
94.25% Master Anway Mohan Roy (Science)

Details:

90% & above - 23 students
80% & above - 40 students.
70 % & above - 25 students.
60% & above - 13 students.
58.5% - 1
Below 58% - nil

ICSE 2023

Total entered 193
Passed: 193
Highest:
99.2% Master Rudraneil Shee
99% Master Rik Chakraborty

Details:
90% & above - 79 students
80% & above - 55 students.
70 % & above - 44 students.
60% & above - 15 students.
Below 60% - nil

I congratulate all my dear Students, dedicated Staff, Parents, Members of the Management on this achievement & thank all you well-wishers & friends for your prayers & support. May the Lord continue to bless CBS & the Education Ministry of MCI!

Hail CBS!

Mr. Raja McGee
Principal & Secretary.

Confluence 2023
146th Founder's Day
🗓️9th March '23
🕔 05:00 pm
📍 Calcutta Boys' School

Remembering Mr Clifford Hicks on his 43rd Death Anniversary🌹

(The following passages have been culled from a 1980 Pulse article by Mr. Alfred Martin)

Mr. Hicks was the youngest son of an average-sized Anglo-Indian family of sisters and brothers. He was born in a small village in Madhya Pradesh.

He obtained work as a teacher in Calcutta Boys' School where he came to know Mr. H.C. Fritchley, an older teacher.

Mr. Clifford Hicks was placed in charge of the school when Mr. Fritchley left for a short vacation to the United States to see his son Newton, it became obvious that Mr. Hicks would be the new principal on Mr. Fritchley’s impending retirement. He subsequently married Miss Ruth Fritchley, elder daughter of Mr. Fritchley and assumed principal ship in January 1952.

Mr. Hicks emphasised Chapel. Chapel was conducted for the whole school every day in the Chapel Hall. Mr. Hicks was a public relations expert. By dint of his personality, he won the hearts of many young students, especially the fiery type. He was a tall man, six feet and one a half inches and heavy of frame and build. He was very light complexioned. Many made the mistake of asking him in which part of England he was born. His usual reply was in the shire of Madhya Pradesh. His relationship with his staff was good. There was no mistake or misunderstanding who was the boss. He was powerful, like a magnet. In fact, many said that he was like the Sun and the rest of the school revolved around him like the planets. Naturally, there were some close to him and some not so close.

The closest to him was his dear wife, Mrs. Hicks. She was a powerful personality and possibly the most gifted teacher Calcutta Boys’ School has ever had.

With the powerful team of young men totally dedicated to Mr. Hicks and Mrs. Hicks, nothing was impossible. The fever of working for him caught on. Many joined teaching, like Mr. Alfred Martin, straight after school. The whole school functioned like one large family. In fact the idea that everyone was married to the school was voiced by one teacher. Mr. Hicks had suffered a heart attack in 1974 and found the climate of Calcutta too debilitating, hence they decided to move to Banglore. They both continued teaching there.

At 2.30 pm on Saturday, 16th February 1980 while almost all Indians took a day off from the routine of work due to a solar eclipse, Mr. Clifford Hicks had a second heart attack. At the time of Mr. Hicks' heart attack, there was no transport to take him to the hospital. He may have died anyway but the nagging doubt remains he might have survived if life in Bangalore had been normal that day.

Football in the early 1950s ⚽
📸 Peter Chan (Ex Student)

Mr. Joseph Kodaikanal ex teacher of CBS passed away today in the early hours of the morning. May his soul rest in peace. 🙏🏻🌹

Merry Christmas!🎅🏻🎄

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas🎄🎅🏻

Remembering Mrs.Ruth Hicks on her 105th Birth Anniversary.🌼🌺

Ruth Eunice Hicks (nee Fritchley) who was born on 19th December 1917, she was the elder daughter of Mr. Horace Christopher Fritchley (Former Principal of Calcutta Boys' School from 1931-1951)

She was a powerful personality and possibly the most gifted teacher Calcutta Boys’ School has ever had. She could create a love for anything she taught. Her special forte was music and dramatics.

She passed away of colon cancer on 12th March 1999. Her funeral service in the Methodist Church was one of the most inspiring ever experienced by those who were present—the music and tributes all struck a note of victory. She was remembered for her cheerful courage all through her year-long sickness, her dedicated service, her selfless concern for others and her wonderful talent for music.

Reminiscence & Musical Evening! 🎸🎹😁🎊

Former students willing to join in the celebrations on 13th December '22 are requested to scan the QR code & fill the google form to register yourself and submit by 8th of December' 22.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6_ORCXwxg-Rs42NztLAXkgqb-nXOjiGgFQrxk0t9DfrV6hg/viewform

Wishing all the Teachers a very Happy Teachers' Day. Let's pen a message of thank you to all the teachers.🖋️🙂

1947: First Independence Day at Calcutta Boys' School.🇮🇳

2022: 75th Independence Day at Calcutta Boys' School.🇮🇳

Calcutta Boys’ School ISC Results 2022.

This is the “year of the Lord’s favour” and we thank the Lord for HIS abounding grace & blessings upon us!!!!

After a commendable performance in the ICSE, our boys have once again made us proud with excellent results in the ISC 2022 exams. With gratitude to the Almighty Father, thanks to our respected Bishop Dr. Anil Kumar Servand & Madam Servand, and heartfelt appreciation for all our dear staff (teaching & Non teaching) and students, I proudly share the results:

ISC 2022

Total entered: 121
Passed: 121
Highest: Master Vasudeva Bhalotia (98.75%) in Commerce
Master Chiradeep Jana (98.25%) in Science.
Master Upamanyu Basu (98%) in Humanities.

Details:
90% & above - 53 students.
80% & above - 30 students.
70 % & above - 20 students.
60% & above - 15 students.
59.75% - 3 students.
Below 59% - Nil.

I congratulate all my dear Students, dedicated Staff, Parents, Members of the Management on this achievement & thank all you well-wishers & friends for your prayers & support. May the Lord continue to bless CBS!

Hail CBS!💐😇

Raja McGee
Principal & Secretary
Calcutta Boys' School

Congratulations Master Baqir Amir Merchant (All India 2nd position and 1st position in the State of West Bengal) & Master Ayush Jha (3rd rank in the State of West Bengal) for the wonderful result in ICSE 2022.

Hail Glorious CBS!💐😍

CBS Board Results 2022

Praise the Lord!

By the blessings of the Almighty Father, guidance of our respected Bishop Dr. Anil Kumar Servand & Madam Servand, dedication of all our dear staff both teaching & non teaching and hard work of our students, Calcutta Boys’ School has once again excelled in the ICSE 2022 examinations.

I take pride to state that Master Baqir Amir Merchant has secured the All India 2nd position and the 1st position in the State of West Bengal.

Another student Master Ayush Jha has has secured the 3rd rank in the State of West Bengal.

ICSE 2022
Total entered: 206
Passed: 206
Highest: 99.6% Master Baqir Amir Merchant

90% & above - 74 students
80% & above - 78 students.
70 % & above - 45 students.
60% & above - 9 students.
Below 60% - Nil

I thank all my dear students, dedicated staff, parents, members of the management, well-wishers & friends on this wonderful achievement. May the Lord bless you all abundantly!

Hail Glorious CBS!

Raja McGee
Principal & Secretary
Calcutta Boys' School

David Sassoon: Autobiographical Vignettes at CBS.

Dad and Mum registered me at Calcutta Boys’ School to join when I would be eight years old. I hated Calcutta Boys’ School at the outset. At the start, the Principal’s wife, Ruth Hicks, was my teacher, and much as she tried, I had difficulty learning how to write neatly. If I were a pupil today, I would have been described as having dyspraxia. This set me off on a downward spiral because it turned me against learning. We had examinations at the end of every school year in November and December. I, without fail, would be placed in the bottom 25% of the class, but I regularly secured enough marks in the papers to gain promotion. Pupils who failed, were held back for a year. The exceptionally bright ones won double promotion, skipping a year. We had some brilliant pupils in the class who achieved that. It did not matter that they were socially out of their depth with children much older than they even when some attained double promotion in successive years. Because I loathed school, I became a malingerer. Every little illness became a big deal for my poor mother, who would go frantic trying me make better. Growing up in India, however, meant that I had every illness under the sun – chicken pox, measles, diarrhoea, influenza, and frequent tummy upsets. Trips to the doctor were commonplace. When I was kept away from school, I inevitably felt better. If I attended, my health “deteriorated” – especially if I had to submit homework. Clifford Hicks, the Principal, was liberal in the use of the cane of which I was terrified. I was successful in not having been one of his victims, right up to the age of 15, but the story of that will come later. Many of our classrooms did not have doors. Frequently, we heard him yell at pupils. We also heard the swish of the cane and the howling of victims once the caning was administered. I thought it extremely cruel. But there was little I could do about it and never complained to my parents.

With the passage of time, my parents allowed me to stay on longer at school and during the boarders’ study hours, do my homework there. I lived for the breaktimes, when I played football, hockey and cricket with the boarders. I was useless in all the games. To make up the team, the two captains would toss up to decide who would go first in the choice of their team members. They would take it in turns to nominate their members. Inevitably, I was one of the last to be chosen, but I loved the games. Life rumbled along, the teachers were variable in quality. Those who had English as their mother tongue were generally better than those that didn’t. However, some did not live up to this narrative. One, who did not prepare his lessons well, was once challenged by a pupil, when he (the teacher) said that Abraham Lincoln was the first President of the USA. The pupil remonstrated and said that it was wrong, and that George Washington was the first President. The teacher’s riposte was: “Well, you keep your opinion and I’ll keep mine!” Unfortunately for that teacher, Hicks, the Principal, passed by his class at that very moment. I learnt later from Ivan that Hicks was furious and gave this teacher a “bollocking” saying that getting the name of the first President of the USA right was not a matter of opinion but fact, that he was wholly in the wrong and the pupil was right, and he should feel ashamed of himself. Ivan, my older brother, was infinitely more academic than I was in my earlier years at CBS. He was always at the top of his class, loved reading and enjoyed learning. Two of our cousins – Maurice and Raymond (both brothers and second cousins of mine) – were in his class. Ray was the younger of the two, but, because he was very bright, had won a double-promotion and so in the same class as Ivan and Maurice.
Maurice was a scallywag and the class clown. He was fond of “taking the mickey” out of teachers, as he sat (or rather lurked) at the back of the class. Their Scripture (Religious Education in our parlance) lessons were taken by the former Principal and father-in-law of Clifford Hicks, Horace Fritchley. Fritchley, who had helped to save the school when the governors wanted to close it down over the Second World War, had gone past his “sell-by” date. He was a large man. His stomach led the way when he walked. He wore his trousers high so that the beltline almost reached his chest. His speech was melodramatic especially when recounting his life’s experiences. One stands out in my mind, which Ivan shared with me. Fritchley: “When I was young, I lost my way in life and stood on Howrah Bridge one evening (which was over the River Hoogley, the distributary of the Ganges). I looked into the muddied waters and thought of taking my life. Should I take my life, or shouldn’t I. Should I jump into the swirling, dirty waters or not?” Maurice in a loud whisper that most of the pupils heard but not Fritchley because he was slightly deaf, said: “Jump! Jump! Jump!” The pupils had to do everything in their power to control themselves.

On a night after drama practice, I was studying with the boarders. It was in the runup to the Senior Cambridge examinations. Our classroom where we did our studies was adjacent to Fritchley’s flat. Tired of studying, we decide to engage in a modicum of levity at one point and began throwing paper missiles at one another. The next thing we knew was the obese figure of Fritchley glacial like entering our classroom with the overloud greeting: “What is the price of the fish, boys!” (Fishmongers had the reputation of yelling out their wares in the marketplace when engaged in their business.) It was all that we could do not to burst out in laughter and glee. However, the next thing we knew was that Hicks turned up, ended the study class, got the boarders to bed and sent me packing home.
When I was 12 years old, I was taught by my older brother, Ivan, who had, by then, left Trade Wings – a travel company – and decided to become a full-time teacher at the age of 20. Mind you, he was, still studying for his Bachelor of Arts degree from Calcutta University and decided to do so privately, with support from Hicks, because the Principal took a shine to him. However, Ivan was a brilliant teacher, and immensely popular with his pupils. He made his history lessons come alive. He had a good brain. He could have gone on to do anything he wanted with it – and enjoyed success. However, he was the original Mr Chips before Mr Chips. He did not only teach us but also gave us a love for learning and, better still, a passion for library books, which we gobbled up – Richmal Crompton, Charles Dickens, Jane Austin, Charlotte Bronte, Walter Scott, Alexander Dumas, George Elliott, Agatha Christie, Lewis Carroll and, of course, the greatest of them all, William Shakespeare.

On another occasion, I went head-to-head with Ivan in a debate in front of the school. The subject was “Rickshaws should be abolished from the streets of Calcutta”. Ivan led the team that was supporting the motion. I led the team opposing it. The encounter was thrilling and ended on a high when my team beat his, on the grounds that the pulling of rickshaws gave work to people who otherwise would be unemployed. I managed to make the point that there should be legislation to ensure that they were paid properly, but not that the pulling of these vehicles should cease.

In class, we sat facing the teacher. Every pair of pupils sat at a desk. There were 25 such desks in the class for a maximum of 50 pupils. We had 47 in the class. I noticed that when Mr Ezra asked one boy in the pair to read his work out, he never asked the other but rather randomly went to another pair of pupils at a desk. On this occasion, I decided not to do my precis homework, but rather, copy it, lock, stock and barrel, from my pupil-friend with whom I was sitting. He was happy for me to share his work, being of the generous sort.
As it happened, my pupil-friend was asked to read his work out to the class and was praised for it. When that was done and dusted, Mr Ezra decided to go to another section of the class. However, my class friends, who were privy to what I had done because I told them I was going to do it, began chanting, “No, Sir, get Sassoon, Sassoon, Sassoon, Sassoon to read his out.” Ezra was bemused and could not understand why the chorus. In the end, the pupils prevailed. Ezra came back to me and asked me to read my work. I stood up and sheepishly told him it was no different to the work of my pupil-friend with whom I was sitting. He did not believe me and said: “Surely it isn’t identical.” I replied that it was because I had copied it verbatim.
Ezra was furious. He reminded me that I was a monitor and that he could not believe that I had done such a thing. I was reported to Hicks, who was doubly furious. He stripped me of my duties and status as a monitor. He caned me - three cuts of the cane on my bottom as I bent down in front of the whole school after informing them of what I had done. I felt ashamed and mortified but also angry about the injustice of the whole incident. Hicks was not concerned about hearing my side of the story. I just had to take the punishment on the chin. And my class friends? I was annoyed with them and they kept away from me for a good few days. Altogether, I felt the world was against me and lost my will to live. Needless to say, I was too ashamed and did not disclose to my parents that Clifford Hicks had given me a hiding. And there was no consolation from Ivan, either. He was, by then, a well-established teacher and, whenever there was a clash between his brother and Hicks, he took the side of the latter. I looked at Clifford Hicks in a new light. Though he had extended to me opportunities for growth and development (I wondered to what extent it was because I was Ivan’s brother). However, on this occasion, he showed no mercy and extended no favours.
I put this to one side, after a while, and drilled down into reading, studying, music, acting and sport, though I was always useless in the last activity. Another teacher was Mr Arthur Smith, who taught Chemistry. In one practical lesson, he asked us to produce hydrogen by chemically combining hydrochloric acid with zinc. This results in zinc chloride and hydrogen gas. Because hydrogen is lighter than air, the gas can be collected in an upturned test tube. Mr Smith had explained this to us in the run-up to the lesson and asked us to produce samples of hydrogen in upturned test tubes. To prove that it was hydrogen, we were to put a lighted taper to the bottom of the upturned test tube and this could cause hydrogen to ignite and make it go “pop”! At that time, we had in our class a boy who was small of stature. His head just came over the surface of the table on which he was doing his experiment. However, he decided to make not a test tube of hydrogen but a jar of it. There were four of us working side-by-side. He was at one end: I at the other. We arranged to collect our samples and then one by one lit the hydrogen in the order in which we were standing. I started and this was followed by each of the next two and finally ended with this little fellow who had collected a huge jar. The hydrogen went off, “Pop! Pop! Pop! Bang!” The bang was so explosive that our small, fellow pupil was lost in the sound and a cloud of smoke. Mr Smith was furious but fortunately, there were no injuries. All four of us were roundly punished when Mr Smith discovered what had happened.

Remembering Mr. Torrick💭

Mr. William Edward Torrick, he was in the school choir and played the violin. Taught geography in class 6 and 7 and English in senior classes, he was a great teacher and white was his favourite colour, always wore white shirt and trousers, a perfect gentleman, an avid reader. He was also an acting principal of CBS from 1st November to 31st December 1974, he later migrated to Australia in 1975. On 25th June 2022 he passed away peacefully in Melbourne, Australia. May his soul rest in peace. 🌹🕯️

Mr. William Edward Torrick (Ex Teacher of Calcutta Boys' School) passed away peacefully on 25/06/2022 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. May his soul rest in peace.🌹

"If the medical fraternity ever had need to operate on Mr. and Mrs. Hicks heart, they would find the letters C B S engraved on it." - Miss Jean Fritchley.

Remembering Mr. Horace Christopher Fritchley (Principal of Calcutta Boys' School from 1931-1952) on his 46th Death Anniversary. 🌺

Horace Christopher Fritchley was from English and Irish stock, born on 19th September 1891. For a period of time he worked for P. Swaries Undertakers, run by the LaValettes. However he left when he saw his son Newton making coffins for his sister Ruth's dolls. As the school was heavily in dept Mr. Fritchley threw down the gauntlet to the then managing committee to give him a chance to run the school, asserting he would put it back on it's feet. Having nothing to lose from such a challenge they agreed and though Mr. Fritchley was only an I.A. he took the mantle of principalship. Newton described him as a real tough old British schoolmaster. He introduced a series of austere disciplines and was painfully cautious of accounts. He abolished the system of giving prizes on Sports Day. He taught his staff and pupils to love the game beyond the prize. Within a very brief period, Calcutta Boys’ School was able to make both ends meet. It's heavy debts had all been cleared. The school had it's hectic days during the Second World war when the present staff room was an A.R.P. shelter. The heavy steel gate between the New Building and Renfrew House was originally fixed at the entrance of the little room opposite XI C/H (in 1980). It was a light ammunition dump and the pantry was used for storage of food for the Allied Forces. The granting of independence to India in 1947 saw Mr. Fritchley make a distinct effort to employ people in the school with a non-English speaking background. The staff changed fast, many left for England, it was a new experience to have a Bengali gentleman Mr. S.K. Ganguly in the school to teach mathematics and Bengali instead of Latin. The indigenisation process had started and after Mr. Clifford Hicks was placed in charge of the school when Mr. Fritchley left for a short vacation to the United States to see his son Newton, it became obvious that Mr. Hicks would be the new principal on Mr. Fritchley’s impending retirement. He subsequently married Miss Ruth Fritchley, elder daughter of Mr. Fritchley and assumed office in January 1952. During Clifford Hicks' time as principal the newest of the three buildings that currently house the school was built. Named the "Fritchley Building" the construction was made possible by the retirement benefit & gratuity of Mr. Fritchley which he donated to his very dear CBS together with donations collected by the students. Mr. Fritchley died on 15th June 1976. By the time of Mr Fritchley's death, his son in law and daughter, Clifford and Ruth Hicks, had retired from CBS so they too moved to Bangalore.

"I will recall two incidents about two of my friends. The first is Iswar Das Thakurdas, I don't remember what he did but Mr Hicks hauled him up and said 'With three names of God you happen to be a humbug'. The onlookers neither could laugh nor stand straight. The other was my friend Prasanta Das, who was regularly absent for no apparent reason. One afternoon Mr. Hicks entered the class with his cane and asked Prasanta as to why he was being absent. The big bulky fellow stood up and very meekly said that he was sick. Mr Hicks showed the cane to him and said 'This is Hicks thermometer'. The fireworks started thereafter." - Sanjib Misra.

"CBS systems in the 60's were adorable. Hopefully they continued to be so later. To cite an example, all text books were provided by the school, for use by students and were required to be returned at the end of the session. Parents were spared from running about College Street. The books were were covered by plastic jackets, carefully stitched by a tailor. The books were to be kept in clean and good condition so that they could be used by the next class. Not a pen or pencil mark anywhere. Certainly this developed a good habit among students for taking care of things." - Ritwick Ghosh.

"When Rex Harrison won the Oscar for My Fair Lady one of those rare films that had Mr. Hicks almost fall over himself in praise of the quality of English spoken, so much so that he actually had a large part of Elite Cinema Hall booked, and marched the Boarders down S.N.Banerjee Road to go and see the film." - Debashish Sarkar.

"It may not be worthwhile, may be also childish, yet I would like to share a school memory of 1959. We were in class 3, Renfrew House, ground floor. Mr Fritchley was teaching us Geography. He was the father of Mrs Hicks. The book was ' Lands and Life'.We were being taught about desert, savannah, tundra, and similar things. Suddenly Mrs Fritchley (mother of Mrs Hicks) stepped into the class to convey something. She had snow white fluffy hair. Mr Fritchley immediately pointed to her hair and said this is the Artic Tundra and simultaneously pointed at his own bald head and said this is the barren desert.
The entire class erupted with roaring laughter. Learning then was sometimes great fun." - Sanjib Misra

"I was perhaps in class 5 when my father asked me to accompany the driver to S.N.Banerjee Road to collect some rice from a shop a few houses away from our school. I reckoned it was the safest thing to do;first because it was a Thursday (our school was closed) and second I would be in the car. Hence i was in royal clothing consisting of shorts, a pair of chappals and a half open Hawain shirt which was obviously hanging outside.
My father had phoned the rice dealer in advance so the transaction didn't take long. Our driver had to just open the dickey to load the jute bag, obviously I was on the road looking attentively. Everything went fine and we returned home. You are perhaps wondering what was so great about this, well the next day we were in the Chapel hall and Mr.Hicks made a mention of the incident of a CBS student in chappals was seen on S.N.Banerjee Road. This was sin in the eyes of Mr.Hicks.It dawned on me that somebody had spotted me and I had been reported against. Luckily the guy who saw me could not recall my name but was sure I was a CBS boy. Hence my name was not mentioned by Mr.Hicks
This was one huge escape for me otherwise i was a sure candidate for the cane." - Pradip Chatterjee

Second Home🏡

"The school leaving letter at the time my father Mr. Pinaki Ghosh Dastidar completed his schooling. Signed by the then Principal Mr. Hicks" - Mr. Prithviraj Ghosh Dastidar.

Throw🔙 to the 70's!

Remembering Mrs Hicks on her death anniversary🌹

Mrs. Hicks and some untold Stories by Sanjib Misra (Batch of 1967)

Mrs. Hicks, the lady with the piano, the lady with musical ears and the teacher who taught us English grammar with so much care.

Today I will recall a story of my personal interaction with Mrs Hicks, which I have not disclosed to anyone.

It was 1962 and I was in class 6. My father was then Officer in Charge, Taltala Police Station. I was residing in the police quarter just above the police station. I was doing my homework and was dressed in my usual sleeveless vest, half pant and with no slippers on.

Suddenly my mother asked me to go and find Biswanath, our domestic help, and ask him to get a taxi. Biswanath was somewhere in the P. S. compound.

I ran down half the stairs and saw Biswanath sitting on the P.S.bench and keenly watching the activities going on. I tried to call him but he couldn't hear me because of all the commotion.

Without a second thought, barefooted I ran down to meet him. As I went near him, I heard a female voice calling " hello". I turned around quickly and to my utter surprise and shock, I saw Mrs. Hicks sitting alone in the school van. The great Dhenu was standing aside with a smile on his face. A cold terror swept through me. Barefooted with a sleeveless vest on the P. S. premises and that too in front of the Bara Sahib's wife! It was an unpardonable sin.

Mrs. Hicks just didn't bother. She exclaimed ," you live here, I am so relieved".

Mrs. Hicks said that there was some trouble at Waverly Mansions which required police action and that is why, Mr. Hicks had come to the police station to lodge a formal complaint. Mrs. Hicks, further added that since the police station was a very bad place, she didn't let Mr. Hicks come alone. Seeing me, Mrs. Hicks was relieved.

We started talking but I felt uneasy due to my untidy disposition. I was further alarmed that if Mr. Hicks and my father saw me in this uncivilized attire, I might be in trouble.

Mrs. Hicks then asked me to verify whether Mr. Hicks was alright. I was surprised but I quickly went and peeped into my father's chamber and saw both Mr. Hicks and my father engrossed in some discussion. I didn't miss the opportunity. I ran upstairs and came down with shirt and slippers on. I was relieved.

I went on talking with Mrs. Hicks, feeling more comfortable. After about 15 minutes both my father and Mr. Hicks came out. I wished the bara sahib and he gave me a pleasant smile. A police sergeant subsequently accompanied them to sort out the problem. I returned to my studies with relief.

A few months after this incident, one evening I accompanied my parents to see the movie, " Swiss Family Robinson". It was about 9 pm. As soon as our taxi stopped in front of Minerva cinema, to my utter surprise, I saw our school van stopping in front of us.

A famous Bengali phrase instantly came to my mind, " Jekhane Bagher Bhoy, Sekhane Sandhya Hoy" .

I saw the cream of CBS getting down from the van. Mr. and Mrs. Hicks, Miss Fritchley, the Sassoon brothers, Mr. Shaw, Mr. Torrick, Mr. Smith, Mr. Andrew, Mr. Martin and somebody else. I stood aside and wished good evening to everyone.

Our tickets were in the balcony. My father wished Mr Hicks and went upstairs with my mother. I thought the school team will also go up but I found they had tickets for the rear stalls. I don't know what happened to me, I also went inside the auditorium along with them. The hall was practically empty. The school team occupied the last row, I also occupied an empty seat just in front of them. I didn't miss the chance to placate the bara sahib and his wife. I indulged in some small talk and then enjoyed the movie together.

This was the last time I had an interaction with Mrs Hicks at school. I saw her on the stage, I heard her piano, I saw her from a distance but no more personal interaction.

I duly passed out from school and went on my own way. I heard subsequently about the sudden demise of Mr Hicks in 1980. I also learnt that both Mrs Hicks and Miss Fritchley were residing in Bangalore.

It was the beginning of 1996. I had to stay with my elder brother at his residence in Bangalore. I had then been advised by my doctors to take rest after an attack of retinal haemorrhage. Before going to Bangalore, I obtained the address of the place where both Mrs Hicks and Miss Fritchley were residing.

In Bangalore, I obtained the phone number from the Directory and made an appointment with them. They were both living in some sort of old age home associated with some Church. I purchased a box of pastries and reached the destination. I was accompanied by my sister-in-law, who drove me there.

Both sisters had just returned after giving music lessons and were very happy and surprised to meet an ex student of CBS.

I introduced myself. I realised that Miss Fritchley who was my class teacher in KG 3B couldn't recognise me. She taught so many students and I was just one of them with nothing special. I told Miss Fritchley, that I was your student in 1958 and I was notorious for untidy work and horrible handwriting. She burst out laughing. I realised that my statement was foolish for she must have faced hordes of students with bad handwriting.

Mrs Hicks was also wondering about my identity. However after I told her about my father and narrated certain incidents, she clearly recognised me. While Miss Fritchley was talking with my sister-in-law, I went on talking with Mrs. Hicks.

I took Mrs. Hicks down memory lane to her golden past. I enumerated in detail different stories of the past regarding different teachers, students, Yogi, Dhenu and their dog Cocoa. Mrs. Hicks was thrilled. We spent a very pleasant evening. Elated Mrs Hicks told me " Boy, you got a fantastic memory".

Both my teachers enquired about my family and were happy to know that I had settled in life and am a practicing Advocate of the Calcutta High Court. They both wished me success.

I was also a little dejected as I realised that both sisters were not very well off and still had to earn at that age by giving music lessons. I asked them whether they wished to live in Calcutta and Mrs Hicks said, " I will love to go back to my city."

Alas! I couldn't do anything for them, as it was beyond my capabilities.

After the sudden death of Mr Hicks, both sisters lived in Bangalore till their last days.

Mrs Hicks died of cancer on 12th March 1999 and Miss Fritchley died a few years thereafter.

Mrs. Hicks and Miss Fritchley were not only very nice human beings but were very good teachers also.

I conclude by only saying, RIP Mrs. Hicks and RIP Miss Fritchley.

Sanjib Misra
Calcutta
Batch of 1967