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MAHABOOBIA GIRLS SCHOOL - A TRACK OF REMEMBERANCE
By FATIMA ALI KHAN
My first visit to the Mahboobia was in 1933, when my mother, Amina Rafi Hydari, nee Alikhan took me to meet Miss Grace Linnell, the then Principal. Miss Linnell apparently asked, “Fatima how old are you?” My reply which embarrassed my mother was, “Three ...... and how old are you?”, and topped it with “and how old is your mother, Miss Thompson?”
Miss Thompson was an older companion of Miss Linnell’s and had come out with her from England in 1922, when Miss Linnell took up this assignment at the age of 22. They ran an exclusive Boarding House in their home, and took on the responsibility of children from Jagirdar families handed over to them by the court of wards, and a few others who lived outside Baldia limits (city limits).
Miss Thompson was incharge of the school library. She must have taken the remark of a three year old so amiss, and held it against me all along and for which reason she always gave me soiled and worn text books - not from a pile she had set aside.
In those days Mahboobia was known as the best girl’s school in India. The curriculum prepared us for the Junior and Senior Cambridge Examina-tion.Question papers came sealed from Cambridge and those packets were unsealed on view as it was time to distribute in the Exam Hall - to ensure there was no leakage. Test papers too went back to Cambridge for correction; which was why there was a long wait for results, papers being sent by sea-mail transport.
The curriculum also included Domestic Science - the exam for which was held between our Junior and Senior years. This covered Laundry, Housecraft, Needle work, English and Mughlai Cookery. An examiner from Lady Irwin College Delhi, came to conduct our practicals, to rule out favouritism. Drawing and painting classes were held and I remember the delight at being initiated into “Brush Work” with pots of paint and a variety of brushes, by Misses Surraya and Saeeda Latif! Miss Cavan took charge once we were older - and we took part in the Royal Drawing Society Exams, ending with Part VI as far as I remember.
A charming member of the staff, Mary Tarachand introduced us to hand work, and collages and the fascination of working on a Desert Scene, with undulating dunes of paper pulp and glue slashed on a board, and strewn with fine sand whilst wet, is still fresh in my mind. To complete the picture an Oasis was conjured up, with a Palm Tree surround.
Physical instruction was part of our daily time table and Net-ball, Badminton and Quoites encouraged and inter class matches played. Most of our subjects were taught by a team of English women who came out on a five year contract and were housed in a well appointed, well run Staff Bungalow.
Geography was the forte of Miss Clarke an Anglo Indian Lady, whose family had been in Hyderabad - two generations - She’d taught my mother too. Mother did her Junior and Senior Cambridge twenty two years earlier than me -but my mother-in-law who was also my aunt, was one of the first pupils of Mahboobia. Her mother, Tyaba Begum was one of thefounders of our school.
Miss Lashkari, a young Parsi lady taught Arithmetic and Ms. Nuncy, Maths. Urdu and Arabic were the domain of Muslim Hyderabadi ladies. I had tried to wriggle out of Division “A” in Urdu and opt for division “B” which was much easier - but no I was told, “A” it had to be for me! So, wrenched from the fold of the gentle Tasneem Yapdani to the stern no nonsense regimen of Lateefunissa Begum, tough Urdu grammer and drumming in of session - “Faelatun, Faelatun, Faelatun, Faelatun” still rings in my ears!! But thanks to her this has held me in good stead and is such a help when I write.
Mughlai Cookery, with all its nuances was taught by Mrs. Fakhruddin. I was a favourite of hers which made me enjoy the subject - even cooking with wood fires bringing tears to one’s eyes!
There was a room allocated for prayers replete with coir prayer mats ewers and wooden clogs for ablutions - for those who wished to pray. Purdah was observed strictly once you entered the premises. The School was a majestic building of solid granite bricks with cupolas and minarets - set in a compound encircled with a high wall for privacy, since the gate was on a main road, and the Aaliya Boys School and Nizam College obliquely across the road.
The large and formidable Ms. Hattan was seated at the entrance, ensuring that the two ayahs posted there, drew curtains right up to the car door so that no students were seen alighting.
The school uniform was white cotton kurtas and coloured or printed cotton pyjamas upto the age of ten or so. You wore a velvet topi - heavily embroidered in gold, for Assembly or Arabic classes. Afer that you graduated to dupattas - cotton, dyed and crinkled - either the 2 1/2 yard ones, orhnis or the 6 yard Khada dupattas. School colours were white cotton kurtas, yellow satin pyjamas and blue dupattas.
School discipline was of the highest order - punctuality, cleanliness, personal neatness, manners and behaviour had to be meticulous - failing any of which the much dreaded ordermarks disgraced one.
The tiffin room allocated for lunch was laid with tables - we were three sisters and sat together with friends. Our lunch came on a bicycle from Secunderabad, 6 kilometers away. We lived there being a Railway family.
In wartime, with petrol rationing, father bought a phaeton drawn by a white horse for us to commute to and from school. Elliah the coachman was perched atop, sporting a large moustache and wearing a white turban. He loved to crack his whip in showmanship. Our chaperone the ayah was perched beside him. The phaeton had lovely brass lamps which were lit when dark.
Assembly every morning at nine was a solemn affair and beautifully organised. You took your places class wise in horizontal lines. Miss Linnell presided from the dais - all heads were covered and pin drop silence. Her “Good Morning” was followed by a hymn, sung to piano accompaniment by Mrs. Munshi or a “Naat” was recited or a verse from the Quran. On occasions one of Hyderabad’s three National Anthems were sung, either English or Urdu or Farsi also to piano accompaniment. Munshi played a March.
Assembly over, the time tablecommenced. The one big celebration at school every year was “Milad-un- Nabi”- The Prophet’s Birthday. Much planning, much competition classwise. Each class chose their own qaseeda or Naat to recite – the tune the colour scheme of cloths, in uttarsecrecy! We all wore either the same colour or shades of it to give graded effect – crinkled cotton Khada duppattas (6yd. ones) finely edged with silver or gold – white cotton kurtas and coloured satin pyjamas.
The dais of the hall was spread with white chandnis (sheets) - a whiff of joss sticks created an aura – and the show began. This was very well attended not only by families of the participants, but hordes of people. Mammas wanting to right-match their sons made it a point to be there as girls from the Mahboobia with their all round education were a much sought after commodity in the marriage market.
We worked five day week. Fridays and Sundays were holidays. And if you heard a canon boom announcing the birth of a son to the Royal House hold it meant yet another holiday.I left school after my Senior Cambridge exams in 1945. It was a charmed life and charmed age.
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INSIDE STORY
