Shimla’s Bishop Cotton celebrates Founder’s Day

Shimla, July 29

Bishop Cotton School (BCS), Shimla, on the occasion of its 165th Founder’s Day, flagged off the Jubilee Mountaineering Expedition yesterday.

The celebrations commenced with a warm welcome as the National Cadet Corps (NCC) formed a guard of honour while the school brass band played the school anthem. Bishop PK Samantaroy, the bishop of Amritsar and chairman of the school’s Board of Governors was the chief guest at the event.

The school choir presented a medley of the bishop’s favourite songs, followed by a ceremonial cake-cutting to wish success to the senior climbers embarking on the two-week expedition to Ladakh.

Led by Amod Talwalkar, the expedition comprises nine Class XII boys, who received the Bishop’s blessings before setting off to conquer Mount UT Kangri, situated in Ladakh.

The entire BCS community gathered to bid farewell to the team, marking the start of their journey with the waving of a red flag by Bishop Samantaroy.

UT Kangri, standing at over 6,000 metres, poses a rigorous test for the climbers, who will spend a week acclimatising to the high altitude conditions of Ladakh. Speaking about the expedition, BCS director Simon Weale expressed his confidence in the preparation of the students and said the expedition was a unique challenge that tested the students’ resilience and character.

“The Pargiyal Mountaineering Club at BCS annually undertakes such expeditions, with this year marking another significant milestone for the school,” he added.