Alumni join hands for school facelift

Ex-students to approach Dispur to revive century-old institution’s past glory

The alumni of Sonaram HS School have decided to take the onus of revival of the institution’s infrastructure to facilitate a congenial atmosphere for the students.

Disclosing their plans to move Dispur in this regard shortly, the members of Sonaram HS School Alumni Association, formed in September last year, said they would do all they can to revive the century-old school’s past glory.

“We formed the association on September 30 last year with the objective of reviving old friendships. But more than anything else, we decided to form the association to revive the school’s past glory. The institution today is in a shambles and there is an urgent need to repair and rebuild some of the British-era structures. In this regard, we plan to move Dispur and the school authorities soon,” the general secretary of the association, K.P. Das, told this correspondent today.

For a start, the alumni plan to take measures to protect the area that houses the students’ hostel, teachers’ hostel and the headmaster’s quarters from encroachers.

“Apparently, the area on the western side of the school is being encroached. We will see to it that a wall is put up around it soon,” Das said.

The school, one of the oldest in the region and which had public figures such as former chief minister Gopinath Bordoloi and freedom fighter Tarun Ram Phookan as teachers, has hardly seen any development over the decades.

The students’ hostel, reconstructed recently with donations from two former students who currently live in the US, can accommodate only 25 boarders.

The association, which currently has a membership of 82, will hold a convention in March to take its agenda further.

“A convention is likely to be held in March. The objective of the meeting is to get together and discuss threadbare the steps to be taken to implement the association’s plans for overall improvement of the British-era infrastructure. The meeting will also bring old friends, many of who are now settled outside the state and abroad, together,” Das said. “We have members from the 1945 batch.”

Das said as of now, the members were contributing from their end. “We will approach financial institutions and well-wishers in due course,” he said. The association also has plans to develop a pond into a swimming pool.

“We want to convert the pond into a swimming pool for the students, but that is something that will take time. For now, we want to protect the area from encroachers and create a congenial ambience for education,” Das said.