‘She was as close to the perfect educationist as is humanly possible’

Dolat Doongaji the founder principal of New Activity School Activity High School and Activity Infant School devised systems of teaching and learning far ahead of her time Her deep love for lingual and cultural diversitymdashwhich she strongly imprinted on grateful generationsmdashmay well have stemmed from influences enjoyed early in lifeBorn on April 10 1918 in Kobe where her father Rustom Vasunia set up a commercial firm she went to a nursery run by French nuns prattled in Japanese with the house staff and spoke Gujarati at homePursuing further education in Bombay she fell in love with the Bhulabhai Desai Institute and garden on Warden Road while at a theatre performance As she had completed the BT exam BEd today securing ldquofirst class first with distinctionrdquo rank in Bombay State she requested opening a nursery school here Permission granted the school started within a fortnight on September 2 1953 with five childrenmdashDolat and Hoshang Doongajirsquos son Darayas Munira Padamsee and three underprivileged children taught free From five to 30 children the school went on to include the Doongajisrsquo twin daughters Hira and Hutoxi who were in the batch of 18 pupils for the first ICSE exam from Activity High SchoolAs a little girl on her piano in Kobe JapanThe visionary educatorrsquos Montessori method diplomas from London 195556 were followed by her receiving the Fulbright Scholarship of USA for the Teacher Development Programme 196263 Championing integrated education Activity School accommodated a trio of blind boys refused by 20 schools in 1958Known for imparting the most interesting cultural history through beautiful charts artefacts curios and costumes she maintained two popular museums Appreciating the playway teaching techniques their children benefitted from parents urged her to open higher classes The hunt for higher school premises halted on Navroji Gamadia Road the current location of Activity High School Dolat DoongajiDolat Doongaji passed away on April 26 2012 At her condolence meeting a parent narrated how one year after admissions were locked a lady whose child had not been admitted met Doongaji to request reconsidering a seat A couple of other hopefuls hanging around assured they were willing to pay large donations The first mother said ldquoIrsquom not from a business family but want my son admitted to a good school which is so difficultrdquo Turning to the other fathers Mrs Doongaji said ldquoIrsquom sure you will find a school accepting you If I pick one extra child I will take the one whose parents canrsquot donaterdquoOver to voices from Dolat Doongajirsquos legion of admirers living by the motto their beloved principal bequeathed them ldquoWe learn while we playrdquoHutoxi Boman Daughter of Dolat Doongaji amp Principal New Activity SchoolTen years after we lost our amazing mother my loving sister Hira expired three years ago She had stuck to me through thick and thin for 65 incredible years We were born on June 19 1958 I arrived unexpectedly ten minutes after her the day our mother acquired the New Activity School premises helped by the merchant philanthropist Laxmichand Tejpal Ever the perfectionist our mother was busily shifting furniture that morning Trying to move the piano triggered contractions and she rushed to the hospital to deliver us The next morning the head nurse noticed Dolat wasnrsquot in her room The entire hospital staff searched futilely Just as a missing personrsquos report was to be filed with the police she returned rainsoaked with parcels in her hand She had gone to buy a crib and clothes for the second baby meApart from being the creative educator she was our mother displayed compassion everywhere she went She paid fees for poor children gave generously to their families to buy books and milk and sponsored several other necessities they lacked When we visited Matheran Panchgani or Nainital she would first run downhill to the market for warm clothing and blankets to give the locals Having transformed countless lives she died with a glow and peaceful smile on her faceMF Husain judging an interschool art event hosted by Doongaji also seen is former headmistress Gool GhadialiNiloufer Daruvala Spiritual mentor and energy intuitI have derived so much fulfillment from this school right from the day Mrs Doongaji embraced memdashextending a handwritten letter of invitation to share what I knew of elocution and drama with senior school students This was based on her recollecting my presence at an interuniversity debate The lovely experience continued as I was called upon later to teach Classes 9 and 10 economics for the Boards Instead of bothering about 90 per cent marks she was fully determined that every child became the best version of herself or himself A true educationist she added drama yoga art and music to achieve this such important talents to counter life stressesDelna Golvala ExstudentMrs Doongaji was happiest engaging with her students both in school and accompanying us on trips across the country exchanging anecdotes singing and horse riding She instilled confidence putting every child on stage in the early years As we grew she added characters to existing scripts enabling more kids to participate She coined the term 0 Period personally coming in before school hours to impart General Knowledge to senior students ensuring we were wellrounded citizens walking out into the world A closeknit family we looked forward to every day together Spontaneous original the brilliant force behind theinstitution she dedicated her life to That was her Thank you Mrs D for being unabashedly you inspiring us all to do the sameNew Activity School Principal Hutoxi Boman with school partners Piroja Boman and Sharuk Bhesania PicShadab KhanMeher Jehangir Speech and drama teacherWhen Dolat Doongaji asked me to direct Agatha Christiersquos Mousetrap it was daunting Irsquod never attempted a fulllength production Working with restricted funds at other schools I was struck by her liberal budget affording the best set and lighting designers She kept teachers available to help backstage actually adjusting school hours to suit rehearsals We graduated to Sheridanrsquos Rivals Shawrsquos Arms and the Man Oscar Wildersquos Ideal Husband Dina Mehtarsquos BBC awardwinning Brides Are Not For Burning and Kamala Ramchandanirsquos The Witness productions which stunned the theatre world with the childrenrsquos mature professionalism There were extra shows at Tejpal and Patkar halls for other schools Mrs Doongaji also wrote a great play on the life of Zarathustra Devoted to Activity School for decades she nurtured it with tremendous drive placing it on the map as one of the best institutions in BombaySheroo Desai Former headmistress Infant SchoolOver 48 years of being in the school from trainee teacher to AMI Association Montessori Internationaletrained directress to the Infant section headmistress I was motivated by Mrs Doongajirsquos faith in me to guide children through the wonderful Montessori philosophy She had an innate love for books yoga and art inculcating these passions in everyone Encouraging outofthebox thinking and experimentation Activity School was among the few then believing in the inclusion of differently abled and neurodivergent children who were welcomed and supported A fraillooking and softvoiced lady Mrs Doongaji was strongwilled to realise her dream of bringing the city a unique educational philosophyDoongaji riding Gareeb Pariwar beside Delna Golvala on Jeet with other students in MatheranBiren Sampat ExstudentMrs Doongaji was firm fair warmhearted Her love for general knowledge spilled over into our short break We learnt about everything from amoeba and trilobites to Homo Sapiens civilisations and wars to the French and Industrial revolutions Indian and British history to the artistry of the Renaissance One Teacherrsquos Day when teachers put up acts for us Mrs Doongaji watched in the audience When everyone coaxed her to join she stood before the assembly unprepared Tucking her saree around the waist she recited Jacquesrsquo ldquoAll the worldrsquos a stagerdquo monologue from Shakespearersquos As You Like It Her expressions while enacting the seven stages of man are firmly etched in my mind In real life or performance Mrs Doongaji acted her part to perfectionZenobia Wadia Elocution and drama teacherMrs Doongaji wisely chose promising people for teaching jobs She thought nothing of taking away regular curriculum periods from us for cultural history the subject she introduced for senior schoolers She awarded cash prizes to toppers of other schoolsmdashsomething no other principal did We felt free to approach her about any issue She stayed broadminded contemporary relevant Her lively sense of humour accepted pranks coolly At a Matheran camp around election time naughty kids approached her saying ldquoMrs Gandhi your autograph pleaserdquo Salt and pepperhaired she bore a resemblance Gamely she wrote ldquoDD for IGrdquo Rashna Karai ExstudentOurs was the kind of school that schools today charging fees in lakhs aspire to be Mrs Doongaji was as close to the perfect educationist as is humanly possible Her GK classes were a delight She threw quotes at us demonstrated dance steps challenged us to impromptu competitions on topics taught Whenever she attended a good presentation she got it repeated for us Wersquove had illustrious names like Harindranath Chattopadhay to wandering street magicians come all fascinating What Mrs Doongaji believed in most was us Deciding between the unsubstantiated word of a teacher or a student shersquod go with the student At nine years old to know you are trusted even if an adult is on the opposing side is something which never leaves you I cannot recall a single time when anyone was shamed felt small With Mrs Doongaji you always got a just response That is why we were overwhelmingly a happy schoolAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay You can reach her at mehermarfatiamiddaycomwwwmeher marfatiacom