Another academic year has come to its conclusion and the Boys' High School & College flag has been seen to be flying even higher. And although this may be partly due to the academic results at the Board Examinations that are of a very high standard indeed, but the flag flies higher more so because of the success of the students who pass out from the School each year. The statistics of students passing out and getting into professional institutions, academic institutions, institutions abroad, of their choice, on the basis of fair competition and merit, has done Boys' High School proud. In fact, as a Principal of the School, I am proud to say that I get several letters and advertisements from leading Institutions asking me to inform our students about the dates and terms and conditions of entrance tests that are held to these premier institutions it goes to show that the demand for a good, all round education is certainly as high as can be and that merit is still the yard stick and the demand of the day.
Academically, our students have performed not only well at the Board Examinations level but also right through all levels of schooling. Barring the few who are slow learners and who may have genuine disability problems, students of the Junior, Middle and Senior School have generally faired well in their studies.
In the non-academic field, which includes sports, games and extra curricular activities, there have been some outstanding performances the same have been highlighted in suitable sections of the Magazine. Nevertheless, in the area of Sports, it is worth mentioning that not only have our swimmers performed well at the State and even National level but the Boys' High School & College swimming pool has done even a greater service to the citizens of Allahabad, where over the years since its inception, the number of students and others who have learnt how to swim, goes into the thousands. For this service alone, the Boys' High School & College needs to be commended for the community spirit and service rendered to the citizens of Allahabad and we salute Col. John Taylor and Mr. K. C. Biswas and the whole team of trainers, coaches, assistants who are doing an excellent job. Further, we are proud to congratulate all those senior school student 'scientists' who performed well at the inter institutional Science events that were held in the last academic year.
For the information of all members of the Boys' High School and College and Girls' High School & College fraternity which includes the past and present students, parents, friends, well wishers and others, may I bring before you that the School will be completing 150 years of its service to the citizens of Allahabad and beyond. It is not only a time to take inspiration from those who founded these institutions with a vision that has helped us get this far, but further to take inspiration from God's plans, His Grace and the achievements and success He has bestowed on these Schools so that we may from this point of time, look into the future and enhance the vision of our founders by restructuring and strengthening the foundations on which the schools were built so that it continues to serve humanity in general and the citizens of Allahabad, in particular, for many, many years to come.
As the Secretary of the Allahabad High School Society I believe that it is both fitting and proper to share with the fraternity of Boys' High School in particular and the public of Allahabad and beyond, in general, some information on certain developments about apparent controversies about the Allahabad High School Society and its relationship with the Church of North India.
In the first instance, let me clarify that the Allahabad High School Society owns the property/ land on which the Boys' High School and the Girls' High School is situated. Most of this property has been purchased by the Allahabad High School Society, before Independence. However, a small section of the Boys' High School Campus had been given to the Allahabad High School Society on a perpetual lease basis by the Government during the British period for the purpose of running a school or for educational purposes, at school level. No part of this land has ever belonged to any church, whether it is the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma or Ceylon of the British era or the Church of North India of the present time. In fact, no land of the present era belongs to the Church of North India as is claimed by some people. In fact, even the land on which the Bishop House at Allahabad or the GGIC or any of the land around the famous Pathar Girja does not belong to the Church of North India but rather to the erstwhile Anglican Church or what was formally the Church of India, after partition. Nor has any Church financed the running or paid for building expenses or added any fixed assets for the Boys' High School & College and the Girls' High School & College since their inception in 1861.
In recent times and in fact since the formation of the Church of North India in 1972, which is an amalgamation of several churches, small and big, for worship purposes, there has been large scale selling of what was mostly Anglican Church property. Any old Anglican parishioner who was familiar with going to Church in his or her childhood will know that most of the urban land belonging to the Anglican church has been sold illegally and the holdings of urban areas of church land has become near to less than 1/5th of what was formally held by the Church of India and other legitimate entities of Christian churches.
With the departure of the British after partition, many Christian Institutions remained with the Anglican Church on a voluntary basis and in order to preserve and protect their fixed and movable assets, they used the umbrella of the church, a religious body, for the purpose of preserving their religious identities. At this time, certain amendments were made in the Constitution of Societies that were running such institutions that promoted their security, well being and identities at a time of rapid transitions and change that was going on in our country.
Individuals, persons and institutions felt a sense of emotional and physical security by adhering to the Anglican church which later became the church of India and in return, they were given an umbrella like protection since Bishops and clergymen of the church of India, by virtue of their piety and service to humanity, were given respect and people placed confidence in their authority.
Today, there is neither piety nor the moral authority, nor the physical or economic protection or any such thing as an umbrella, nothing is offered by the church of North India, at the instance of what is called the Lucknow Diocese, Church of North India, and a reign of tyranny and suppression is let loose by outsiders on the Anglican members and Church of India by the C.N.I. Lucknow Diocese. Therefore, in the collective wisdom of all the members of the Allahabad High School Society, it was decided in 2004, to amend the constitution so as to preserve, protect, safe guard and perpetuate the legacy the founding fathers of the institutions Boys' High School & Girls' High School under the Allahabad High School Society, bestowed on us and the citizens of Allahabad and beyond. In the exercise of amending the Constitution, a number of dictatorial, outdated and irrelevant parts have been amended. The main amendments are as follows:
1. The ex-officio chairmanship of the Bishop of Lucknow has been deleted. To elaborate on this point, the old constitution gave the Bishop of Lucknow belonging to the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon (not the C.N.I. Bishop) ex-officio status and an over riding power to declare invalid any resolution of the Governing Body which contravenes the cannons or rules of the church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon and such power must be exercised within 14 days of the said resolution being brought to his knowledge. This amendment seems to have caused a lot of heart burn in the C.N.I. circles, when actually the Bishop has no over riding power whatsoever over the Governing Body to change any resolution other than one which may have been related to the cannons of the church. Since this part of the constitution was out dated and obsolete as there was no church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon operating in India, this amendment was done. Moreover, Societal Democracy is preserved/enhanced by this change: which is in the public interest.
2. The next amendment I am going to deal with is the most important of all. Here, the old rule reads like this “The quorum shall consist of 1/3rd of the members of the Society. If at a general meeting, there is no quorum present, the meeting, if convened upon, the requisition of members shall be dissolved; in any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same time and place on the following day, and if at such adjourned meeting, a quorum of members shall not be present, the members present shall form a quorum”. This means that even two members of the Governing Body/Society can take or pass any valid resolution that will have to be accepted by the House. This is as far away from the letter and spirit of the law of our land as it can get and needed urgent amendment. In the new amendment, the word “1/3rd of the members” is replaced by “3/5th of the members” and the word “following day” is substituted by “the next decided date” and the words “if such adjourned meeting a quorum of members shall not be present, the members present shall form a quorum” have been replaced by “till required quorum is completed”. This means that unless 3/5th of members are present, no quorum is legitimate. Hence, the quorum has been made stronger in democratic spirit and any decision taken, requires a complete quorum. It is the introduction of this amendment that will preserve the democratic letter and spirit of the Indian Constitution and safeguard and preserve the future of these institutions from individuals who go berserk with power and position and forget their duty and responsibility.
3. The next important amendment has implication with the shifting of power within the Society from individuals or individual office bearers to the collective responsibility of the Governing Body. This has been done mainly to preserve the assets, which include fixed and movable assets of the Society. Earlier, certain power was distributed among the office bearers and the office bearers could influence the voting pattern directly or indirectly. The abolition of various categories of membership which enhanced the power of office bearers through the influence they yielded at the time of the induction of new membership has been diluted and each member of the society has been given equal status and equal voting power. And there is no proxy vote. Further more, the earlier constitution bestowed the custody of all assets, fixed and movable, of the society, on the office of the Secretary of the Society, empowering the Secretary to go into any transaction involving loans or purchase, sale of assets of the Society by virtue of holding the office of the Secretary. These powers have been amended and transferred to the custody and collective responsibility of the whole Governing Body and even the Governing Body is forbidden to pledge, sell or lease, in whole or in parts, any fixed assets/lands that belong to the Society.
Certain elements have tried to carry on a miss information campaign with a view to discredit the Allahabad High School Society and its members by trying to make out that certain illegitimate and illegal steps have been taken to disassociate itself from the Church. In the first place, the Allahabad High School Society has not dissociated itself from the Church but we belong to the Anglican Church and if the Anglican Church's rights and privileges and representation in the new scheme of things is being stifled and wiped out the Anglican Church members have every right to legitimately fight back. Celebrating the appointment of a Bishop who has come in from the back door, with gold crown and gold cross, and body guards guarding him inside the church, is not the way of the Anglican Church or the way of Christ and with all the bullying and intimidation complemented by their purchasing power it still does not make a serious and grave wrong, right. When the candidate celebrates a victory before the election is held, you can be sure the election is rigged. I say this where are the defenders of the faith? Hypocrisy will not save you, nor “will all the perfumes of Arabia sweeten your 'wretched' hands”.
For general information, all amendments have been carried out legally as per the Constitution rules and bye laws of the Allahabad High School Society. These amendments were duly registered and endorsed by the relevant authority i.e. the Registration Office, as per the Registration Act 1860. Further, no new Society has been formed the name of the society is very much the same and the status of the members of the society before the Amendment and after the Amendment continues to be the same till date.
In conclusion, may I express my grateful thanks to the Chairman, Rt. Rev. A. R. Stephen, members of the Governing Body and the Society for all their support and assistance throughout the past year? I thank all categories of our loyal and dedicated staff for the hard work they put in over the last year I thank our parents, well wishers and old students for all the affection and support we receive from them. The Lord bless you and keep you.
C V Innes,
Principal,
Boys' High School & College, Allahabad.
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