Thursday, November 7th, 2024

Shomi Ranjan Das, 'Headmaster of India' who taught King Charles, passed away; was the head of 3 most famous schools


New Delhi : Shomi Ranjan Das, the headmaster of three of India's most prestigious schools – Mayo College, Lawrence Sanawar and The Doon School – died in Hyderabad at the age of 89. He can also be called the 'Headmaster of India'. Das was also an alumnus of The Doon School and incidentally this prestigious school was founded by his maternal grandfather Satish Ranjan Das. Shomi Das was a well-known name in Indian education, who influenced several generations of students, including Britain's King Charles. Educationist Shomi Ranjan Das was fondly called 'Shomi' by his friends and 'Heady' by his students. He was born on 28 August 1935. After schooling he graduated from St. Xavier's College in Kolkata and then got a degree in physics from Cambridge University Das once told Britain's 'Mail on Sunday' that King Charles was the 'best schoolboy Macbeth' he had seen.

His students felt that Das believed in continuing education beyond the classroom, whether it was crossing the Chandrakhani Pass in a blizzard or sending students to fight forest fires. His former students said he encouraged curiosity and rewarded foolish adventurism with humour or a cane. One of his former students, Tushita Patel, told our sister publication Times of India, describing him as 'light-hearted and gentle with weak students'.

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Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was Das's student, said, “Hedy showed me Halley's Comet through the telescope in his backyard. For this and many other reasons, he will always remain one of the greatest teachers I have had the good fortune to know and learn from.”

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Das loved the outdoors, trekking and adventure, and was a very poor marksman. Teachers who worked with him remember him as someone who was extremely knowledgeable and humble. Samik Ghosh, who taught physics at Lawrence School, Sanawar, and later became the principal of Scindia School in Gwalior, told TOI that Das would often come to the lab to help his teachers and “wouldn't shy away from operating the copy machine” when needed. Ghosh remembers that when he decided to become a principal himself, Das advised him, “Never identify yourself with any person or group and do what you have to do.”

Captain Rohit S Bajaj, director of Pathways Gurgaon School, who studied and worked under Das, described his approach as “fearless and futuristic”. The Doon School condoled his death, saying, “His dedication to education, his humility and intelligence earned him the respect of both his students and colleagues.”

Mayo College Ajmer praised his 'exemplary leadership and relentless pursuit of excellence', saying that these qualities 'left an indelible mark on the institution, and deeply influenced countless students guided by him.' Das was Principal of Mayo College, Ajmer from 1969 to 1974.

Sanawar Lawrence School described Das as an “integral part” of the school from May 1974 to March 1988. “He will be remembered with love and respect by students for generations to come,” the school said. “He had the ability to instinctively and unerringly sense what was right for you as an individual. This intuition was his greatest quality,” said Himmat Singh Dhillon, the current headmaster of Sanawar and a disciple of Das.

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