The Doon School The Doon School (informally Doon School or Doon) is a selective all-boys boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, which was established in 1935. It was envisioned by Satish Ranjan Das, a lawyer from Calcutta, who prevised a school mod ...

is a boys-only academically selective boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, founded in 1935 by

Satish Ranjan Das Satish Ranjan Das (1870–1928) was the Advocate-General of Bengal and later the Law Member of the Executive Council of the Viceroy; he was sometime treasurer of the Boy Scouts of Bengal and the Lodge of Good Fellowship, and a prominent memb ...

The school's first

headmaster A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

was Arthur E. Foot, who had spent some nine years as a science master at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

, England. The

old boys The terms Old Boys and Old Girls are the usual expressions in use in the United Kingdom for former pupils of primary and secondary schools.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While these are traditionally associated with independent schools, they are ...

of Doon are known as Doscos, and the alumni body is represented by

The Doon School Old Boys' Society The Doon School Old Boys' Society (informally DSOBS) is the alumni society of The Doon School, an all-boys boarding school in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, founded in 1935. It is considered to be among the most influential old boys' networks ...

. Admission to the school is based on a competitive entrance examination and an interview. Doon remains a boys-only school despite continued pressure from political leaders to become

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

. However, girls are admitted in case they are daughters of the school staff (see entries for sculptor Latika Katt and actor Himani Shivpuri). Although the total number of Doscos is relatively small (estimated at 5,000 since the school was founded in 1935), they include some of India's prominent politicians, artists, writers, social activists and businesspeople. ;Abbreviations used in the following tables *DNG – Did not graduate *? – Class year unknown ''Note'': The sub-headings are given as a general guide and some names might fit under more than one category

Government

File:Rajiv Gandhi (1987).jpg, Rajiv Gandhi, 6th Prime Minister of India (Class of '62) File:Rahul Gandhi at The Doon School.jpg,

Rahul Gandhi Rahul Gandhi ( ; born 19 June 1970) is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian Parliament, representing the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala in the 17th Lok Sabha. A member of the Indian National Congress, he served as the president o ...

, President of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

(Class of '88) File:Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia.jpg,

Jyotiraditya Scindia Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia (born 1 January 1971) is an Indian politician who serves as the Minister of Civil Aviation, a position his father also held from 1991 to 1993. He also heads the Ministry of Steel. He is a Member of Parliament i ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(Class of '88) File:Dr-Karan-Singh-sept2009.jpg,

Karan Singh Karan Singh (born 9 March 1931) is an Indian politician and philosopher. He is the son of the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Sir Hari Singh. He was the prince regent of Jammu and Kashmir until 1952. From 1 ...

, Politician and Diplomat (Class of '49) File:Naveen Patnaik 2013.jpg,

Naveen Patnaik Naveen Patnaik (born 16 October 1946) is an Indian politician serving as the current and 14th Chief Minister of Odisha. He is also the president of the Biju Janata Dal, a writer and has authored three books. He is the longest-serving chief min ...

Chief Minister of Odisha The chief minister of Odisha, an Indian state, is the head of the Government of Odisha. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is the state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Followin ...

(Class of '64)

Prime Minister

Cabinet Ministers

Chief Ministers

Members of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies

Diplomats and Bureaucrats

Communist Activist

Law

Armed forces

Business

File:Sunil Kant Munjal Horasis Global India Business Meeting 2014.jpg, Sunil Kant Munjal, managing director of Hero MotoCorp (Class of '73) File:Siddhartha Lal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Eicher Motors, India, at the World Economic Forum on India 2012.jpg,

Siddhartha Lal Siddhartha Vikram Lal (born October 1973) is an Indian businessman. He is the son of Vikram Lal, and a former chief executive officer (CEO) and the current managing director (MD) of Eicher Motors, a director of Eicher Goodearth Limited and chai ...

, CEO and MD of

Eicher Motors Eicher Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive company that manufactures motorcycles and commercial vehicles, headquartered in New Delhi. Eicher is the parent company of Royal Enfield, a manufacturer of middleweight motorcycles. ...

(Class of '91) File:Sharan Pasricha entrepreneur.jpg, Sharan Pasricha, founder of Ennismore Hospitality, The Hoxton and Gleneagles (Class of '96)

Journalism

File:AROON PURIE.jpg,

Aroon Purie Aroon Purie (born 1944) is the founder-publisher and editor-in-chief of ''India Today'', and former chief executive of the India Today Group. He is the managing director of Thomson Press (India) Limited and the chairman and managing director of ...

, editor-in-chief of

India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new o ...

(Class of '62) File:Vikram Chandra.png, Vikram Chandra CEO of

NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. The company is considered to be a legacy brand that pioneered independent news broadcasting in India, and is credited for launching t ...

(Class of '85) File:Karan Thapar, Infotainment Television, Richter Frank-Jurgen.jpg,

Karan Thapar Karan Thapar (born 5 November 1955) is an Indian journalist, news presenter and interviewer working with The Wire. Thapar was associated with CNN-IBN and hosted ''The Devil's Advocate'' and ''The Last Word''. He was also associated with India T ...

, Journalist (Class of '71) File:Prannoy Roy.jpg,

Prannoy Roy Prannoy Lal Roy (born 15 October 1949) is an Indian economist, chartered accountant, psephologist, journalist and author. He is the former executive co-chairperson of NDTV and is considered to be one of its co-founders, along with his wife R ...

, founder of

(Class of '66) File:Rajiv Makhni mid shot.jpeg, Rajiv Makhni, Technology journalist (Class of '84) File:Rakesh Wahi AABLA 2014.jpg,

Rakesh Wahi Rakesh Wahi is an Indian military veteran, author and entrepreneur active in Africa and the Middle East. He is the Chairman of CMA Investment Holdings, a company he started to incubate his startups in media, technology and education. He is the co- ...

, founder of

CNBC Africa Consumer News and Business Channel Africa (known as CNBC Africa) is an African pay television network launched on 1 June 2007. Founded by Rakesh Wahi and Zafar Siddiqi, the network is produced under license from CNBC International and is owned b ...

(Class of '75)

Literature

File:Amitav Ghosh by Gage Skidmore.jpg,

Amitav Ghosh Amitav Ghosh (born 11 July 1956)Ghosh, Amitav
, ''

, Novelist (Class of '72) File:Vikram Seth, in Oxfordshire.jpg,

Vikram Seth Vikram Seth (born 20 June 1952) is an Indian novelist and poet. He has written several novels and poetry books. He has won several awards such as Padma Shri, Sahitya Academy Award, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, WH Smith Literary Award and Crosswor ...

, Novelist (Class of '69) File:Ram Guha Doon School library.jpg, Ramachandra Guha, Historian and non-fiction writer (Class of '73)

Non-Fiction

Fiction, Poetry and Drama

Education

File:Ghulam Muhammad Jilani.jpg,

Ghulam Jilani Khan , nationality = , party = , otherparty = , spouse = , relations = Zia Ullah Khan , children = Shaukat Jilani Khan Usman Jilani Khan Saulat Jilani Khan Omer Jilani Khan S ...

, founder of Chand Bagh School and former

Defence Secretary A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

of Pakistan (Class of '43) File:Kanti Prasad Bajpai.jpg,

Kanti Bajpai Kanti Prasad Bajpai (born 1955) is an Indian academic, international affairs analyst, and the former headmaster of The Doon School, Dehradun, India. He is known to be an expert on Indo-China relations. He is currently a professor at National U ...

, international affairs researcher and professor at National University of Singapore (Class of '72) File:Chief Economic Advisor, Dr. Arvind Virmani, in New Delhi on December 16, 2008.jpg, Arvind Virmani, economist (Class of '65) File:UNCTAD Public Symposium 2013 - Plenary II (9200112948).jpg,

Vijay Prashad Vijay Prashad is an Indian Marxist historian and commentator. He is an executive-director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, the Chief Editor of LeftWord Books, and a senior non-resident fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financ ...

, historian (Class of '85)

Arts

File:Kapoor.jpg, Sir Anish Kapoor, Artist (Class of '70) File:Sandeep-khosla.jpg,

Sandeep Khosla Sandeep Khosla is a noted Indian fashion designer, who co-owns the label, Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla. He is best known for his ability to infuse Indian craftsmanship and textile heritage with European tailored silhouette. His signature is to combi ...

, fashion designer (Class of '81) File:Ali Fazal graces the World Premiere of ‘Victoria and Abdul’.jpg,

Ali Fazal Ali Fazal (born 15 October 1986) is an Indian actor and model who primarily appears in Hindi films. He made his screen debut with a small role in the English language film '' The Other End of the Line'' before appearing in the American televisio ...

, actor (Class of 2005) File:ROHITKHOSLA-PORTRAIT.jpg,

Rohit Khosla Rohit Khosla (29 November 1958 – 16 February 1994) was a pioneer of contemporary fashion industry in India. Khosla studied in England, worked with designers in New York, but returned to India to start his own label in 1987, along with his si ...

, founder of Ensemble, fashion designer (Class of '76) File:Ashwin kumar forest success party.jpg,

Ashvin Kumar Ashvin Kumar is India's youngest Oscar-nominated and two-time national award-winning filmmaker, who has written, directed and produced a wide range of films, including India's only Oscar nominated short film ''Little Terrorist'' (2004), docume ...

, film director (Class of '91) File:Tarun Tahiliani.jpg,

Tarun Tahiliani Tarun Tahiliani is a noted Indian fashion designer. With his wife Sailaja 'Sal' Tahiliani, he co-founded Ensemble, India’s first multi-designer boutique in 1987, followed by Tahiliani Design studio in 1990. Based in Delhi, he is best known for ...

, fashion designer (Class of '80)

Fine Arts

Design

Films

Television

Music

Culinary

Sports

File:Sanjit Bunker Roy at Time 2010.jpg,

Bunker Roy Sanjit "Bunker" Roy (born 30 June 1945) is an Indian social activist and educator who founded the Barefoot College. He was selected as one of Time 100's 100 most influential personalities in 2010 for his work in educating illiterate and semi ...

, Squash champion and founder of

Barefoot College Barefoot College, previously known as the Social Work and Research Centre ("SWRC") is a voluntary organisation working in the fields of education, skill development, health, drinking water, women empowerment and electrification through solar po ...

, (Class of '62) File:Narendra (Nandu) D. Jayal.jpg,

Nandu Jayal Nandu may refer to: Places * Chengdu, a city in Sichuan, China, known as (''Southern Capital'' or ''Nandu'') during the early Tang dynasty * Jiangling County, a city in Hubei, China, formerly known as (''Southern Capital'' or ''Nandu'') during th ...

, Mountaineer and founder principal of

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI Darjeeling) was established in Darjeeling, India on 4 November 1954 to encourage mountaineering as an organized sport in India. The first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund ...

(Class of '42) File:Abhinav Bindra and Mary Kom - British High Commission, Delhi, 27 July 2011 (cropped).jpg, Abhinav Bindra, Olympic shooter champion (Class of 2000)

Titular Princes

Sources

''The Dosco Record''
last published in 1996 by the Doon School Old Boys Society.
''Doon Online''
independent blog with up-to-date alumni news.--> The class years of the alumni are sourced principally from the following: * ''The Dosco Record'' is a book of short biographies, similar to what may be found in a Who's Who, which was first produced by J.A.K. Martyn who deliberately modeled it on the ''Harrow Record''. (Martyn had been a schoolmaster at Harrow School before helping A.E. Foot start The Doon School.) As a consequence, alumni are listed in the year in which they joined Doon, rather than the year in which they graduated; Martyn believed that this would make it easier for Doscos to look up their friends. The book is updated every 8 years or so, and is published by the Doon School Old Boys Society ("DSOBS") and distributed only to alumni. It includes biographical information about every Dosco (even people like

Sanjay Gandhi Sanjay Gandhi (14 December 1946 23 June 1980) was an Indian politician and the younger son of Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi. He was a member of parliament, Lok Sabha and the Nehru–Gandhi family. During his lifetime, he was widely expected ...

who was expelled before completing his studies); it also highlights family connections between Doscos such as whether a particular Dosco was the son of another Dosco, or married the sister or daughter of another Dosco. * ''The Rose Bowl'' is a periodic newsletter that contains alumni news, obituaries, reminiscences, etc. It is produced by the DSOBS and distributed by post to all alumni; a PDF version is also sent by email to alumni. * ''The Doon School Register'' is published, every few years, by the DSOBS. It includes the contact details of every Dosco; deceased alumni are noted as such. Also included are the small number of "Associate Members" (honorary members) of The Doon School Old Boys: for the most part these include former teachers; also included are people such as

Salim Ali Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali (12 November 1896 – 20 June 1987) was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Sometimes referred to as the "''Birdman of India''", Salim Ali was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across Indi ...

who had been frequent visitors to Doon and were considered to be part of the Dosco fraternity. * ''Doon, The Story of a School'', edited by Sumer Singh, published by the Indian Public Schools Society 1985. This (somewhat slim) book was distributed to alumni and contains essays, reminiscences, and stories about the founding of the Doon School. * ''The Doon School -- Sixty Years On'', edited by Pushpinder Singh Chopra, published by the DSOBS in October 1996. This book is similar in many respects to ''Doon: The Story of a School'', but longer.

References

External links

*
Website of The Doon School Old Boys' Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doon School Alumni, List Of * The Doon School Lists of Indian people by school affiliation