NP and the World

TRADITION NEVER GOES OUT OF FASHION

The current Rector Fr. Kinley giving us a tour and explaining his vision for the school

The Pavilin as it stands today. The main structure hasnt changed or been tampered.

The View of the Palivion from above the School Gardens

A small part of the stunning front facade of the school.

 

After waking up lazily this morning on the first day of the weekend (Fri & Sat for us

 here in UAE) i was sitting at the loo going through the morning paper. When i got to the Sports section, in between all the hoopla about the ongoing IPL was a small column by as Aussie journalist.

Imagine my surprise when i found that it was not connected in anyway to the IPL but was just a beautiful write-up about the UD Flat Pavilion in North Point.

My Alma Mater.

David McMahon not only played for the Aussie team but is also an ex North Pointer.

Attached below is a screen grab of the online version of the newspaper as well as a reproduction of the article for your easy reading. Also attached are some pictures taken last week of the Pavilion and the School.

Enjoy,

Vish 

Nostalgic moments in a jet set era.

By David McMahon, Special to Gulf News
Published: April 23, 2009, 22:51

To us pre-teens and the teenagers among us whose voices were starting to break as decisively as a well-pitched Kookaburra outside off-stump, it was simply called The Pavilion.

It was a beautifully-crafted adjunct to the boarding school where I completed my education. St Joseph's College in Darjeeling, India, had one of the most memorable sports pavilions I've ever seen.

It was like a Kiplingesque pagoda and it had (and still has) one of the most striking views anywhere in the world. The Raj-era craftsmen who created it made best possible use of the school's unique location

Because it was the main pavilion of the three playing fields, it was built directly in line with Mount Kanchenjunga, the third-highest peak in the world. No geographical feature and no manmade structure would ever impede the view of the stunning mountain that changed colour depending on the time of day and angle of the sun.

I have been privileged to play cricket in many cities across quite a few lands. But never have I bowled with such a stupendous vista before me as when I bowled from the pavilion end of our school ground, with a 28,000-foot mountain dominating the scene.

To get to the eyrie that was the scorer's box, we had to climb a ladder with well-worn wooden rungs. Sometimes, just sometimes, bigger isn't always better. Nor is it a corollary that a modern construction is necessarily more attractive than something it has replaced.

Glass and steel and concrete are all very well, with amazing shapes and sharp angles that defy the laws of physics and simple gravity. But once in a way, woodwork and tongue-and-groove craftsmanship take precedence.

Cricket must embrace change. But equally, cricketers cherish the game's traditional facets.

Like pavilions on some of the world's highest cricket grounds.