Thursday, November 21, 2013

Kodai Revisited

Always so green - Poinsettia tree ;-)

After more than forty years, I returned to Kodaikanal, where I had gone to boarding school through 7th grade.
Main entrance

It had been 47 years since last I had been there - though several family members had been there since. Much has changed of course - the town is much bigger and noisier, as is the school. There are a number of new buildings that made the campus seem more crowded than I had remembered. Of course things also seemed much larger in my memories, some of which I am sure are because I was smaller and my perspective has changed.  A lot of thoughts and memories came back to me - mostly good, I think. I worried that I afflicted Nancy, Alisabeth and Rickie with boredom as I spouted old stories, but they said they enjoyed it.  I hope so.  Here's some pictures.
Chapel

Chapel interior - significant early spiritual and musical memories.
Phelps entrance









Near Sherwood dorm - I helped build it serving detention hours. Used to make forts in woods near the dorms.

Phelps Hall - my first dorm - Houseparents were Mr. & Mrs. Banks - both born in 1899.
My traveling companions in front of the auditorium.



Kodai Lake - Perumal Mountain in the background.  The school in the red roofs on the right hand side above the boathouse and the Carlton Hotel.  Stayed there.