In 1987, when I returned to BWBS as Vice Principal, we really became close and dear friends.

Jasbir & his younger brother Baljeet were invaluable in the making of Bishop’s School which the Diocese of Chotanagpur had asked Shirley & me to found for them. Being M.E.S. contractors of long standing & repute, they built whatever other structures & additions that were required for converting the existing premises into some semblance of a school. Nicky & her two daughters helped us as Teachers whenever we fell short & with moral support whenever we were depressed.

The number of admissions we had in the very first year were largely contributed by the Bawas as well as another friend, Sanjay. Another friend, Naushad, was the backbone of our furniture resources as well as for our security in a rather crime prone area of town.

Jasbir the ever supportive elder brother I never had, was a constant help in advice & in business acumen I needed, & within 2 years, Bishop’s school was on the map of Bihar. In another three years, we were affiliated to the ICSE Board & we even had the best results in the District in 1996.

Seeing how it was mainly our two families who brought up a new school almost all by ourselves, we often talked about doing something similar for ourselves at a private level, free of the bureaucracy of large Governing Bodies & Committees. It is pertinent for me to mention here that the Diocese did not give us ANY financial aid to start the school. Just the old premises of the YWCA & not a single Rupee was all we were given to start the school. We did, & the rest is History. Bishop’s school is today an icon amongst the multitude of schools in Ranchi. I thank his Grace, the Lord Bishop Z. James Terom, now Dy. Moderator, CNI for his unstinting faith in my capability & his undying confidence in Jasbir & us.

So, in 1997 Shirley & I decided that we had done our bit for the Church & it was time we did something for ourselves. The partnership with the Bawas was inevitable & “BARNES PUBLIC SCHOOL” was founded by our two families in July 1997. I daresay the challenge was greater as we had no “Mission” banner to fly for & ahead of us. We are 6 Km outside town & we have a small piece of land. But we already have over 108 boarders & 150 Day Scholars, a budding reputation already & all that hangs over our heads is the hefty Bank Loan we are struggling to repay. However, our hearts are stout & our minds clear. We are not merely friends anymore, we are family & we hope to soon be known as Co-founders of one of the best schools in the State.

This page is therefore dedicated to the Bawa’s of Ranchi. Cheers !

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