KARACHI: Proudly displaying their house badges, red for Frere, green for Streeton, dark blue for Napier and light blue for Papworth, on their crisp white and grey uniforms, the boys and girls of year one to nine, comprising the kindergarten, junior and middle sections of Karachi Grammar School (KGS), filled up the spacious grounds of the school’s Saddar campus for a very special assembly on Tuesday morning: the school’s 175th anniversary celebration.

KGS’s historic main building in Saddar, which houses the middle section of classes seven to nine, is also a part of its oldest campus.

On Tuesday, it was decorated with blue and maroon balloons, the same colour as the students’ striped ties. The celebrations kicked off with everyone standing up straight and tall for the national anthem. The students, teachers, the staff, and the entire school sang as the Pakistan flag was slowly hoisted on the roof of the historic building.

Sharing school’s history on the grand occasion, Principal Simon Glasson said that in 1847, when Reverend Henry Brereton, the first chaplain of Karachi, established this school for English and Anglo-Indian children, Karachi was a very small seaside town and the school was providing education in very small numbers with round 57 students only.

Principal recapitulates school’s history from the time when Karachi was a small seaside town

“As Karachi grew, so did the Grammar School. In 1875, the building you see now was constructed and behind it, after the Second World War and the establishment of Pakistan in 1947, the memorial building was completed in 1949,” he said.

“As Pakistan found its place in the modern world, the KGS also stepped up to modernise the school by adding science labs in the 1960s and computers in the 1980s. And then in 1991, the junior and kindergarten sections were relocated to the Clifton campus. This was followed by the college campus in 1999. Over the years, the grounds you are in today have seen learners become prime ministers, presidents, chief justices, Oscar winners, best-selling authors, professional cricketers and hockey players. The rest of Karachi Grammar School’s academic achievements are endless. Most importantly of all, and this is very important. The Karachi Grammar School has created a family and that is a family of thousands of students and alumni who have been brought together in these three campuses by the sheer intensity of being a Grammarian,” he pointed out. “The school creates a safe space where friendships and life-long companionships are nurtured. So as we celebrate 175 years we think of the family of Karachi Grammar School.

“Finally, I say to each one of you today as we are gathered here, let us all join in a round of applause for Grammar School for its 175 years and for our family,” Principal Glasson concluded before unveiling a very special 175-year mural painted across the school sections of art departments.

Next, taking a journey through time from the beginning in 1847, it was time to take 25-year leaps at a time. There were groups of students with banners representing every 25 years and blue and maroon school colour helium balloons. Striking the school’s historic big brass bell was the signal for each group to release their balloons into the air.

Principal Gallon struck the bell first for the initial 25 years ending in 1872 and the students holding that year’s banner cut the strings attaching their balloons to the banner. Up, up and away the balloons floated taking the direction of the wind. And the same happened when each of the senior teachers struck the bell for 1897, 1922, 1947, 1972, 1997 and 2022.

In the end, the school choir on the first floor balcony sang the school song ‘Indocti Discant’ [To teach the ignorant] as everyone joined in.

The dark blue KGS flag bearing the school monogram in the centre was also hoisted on another pole on the roof with the singing of the song, which ended with the students holding the 175 years banner also releasing their balloons. And as one turned up one’s head to follow the flight of the balloons, one also noticed red rose petals being showered over the Pakistan flag and the school flag.

The early morning celebration at the middle school was followed by another at the college section.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2022