The Moravian Institute

Latest News: May 2009

2009-05-04T00:02:00.006+05:30

April saw the Moravian Institute senior boys field hockey team win the final of the DDCSA Senior Boys Hockey Tournament. The team has now won the championship four years in a row. Our coaches deserve congratulations; Mr Namsinrai Kamei and Mr S B Pun have done well indeed. The tournament was hosted by the Doon School again, on behalf of DDCSA (Dehra Dun Council Schools Association). The final once again featured Doon School versus Moravian Institute, during which Doon scored first. But soon Moravian equalized and by half time went one up, to take the score to 2-1. The second half saw a lot of attacks by both sides during which Doon missed a number of chances. However, Moravian scored again and managed to hold on to the lead to take the score to 3-1 at the final whistle. Mr Burrett, Acting Headmaster of the Doon School, gave away the prizes. Below is a picture (taken by Mr Russell Winfield) of the happy team holding the trophy. Also in the picture are (left to right) myself, Mr Burrett, Mr Sheel Vora (former Senior Maths Teacher, also at Doon), Mr Namsinrai Kamei and Mr S B Pun.

April 30 in Dehra Dun was the hottest day in April in recorded history! But May threatens to be hotter still. The water shortage is more acute than in previous years, because there was hardly any snow or rain last winter in the upper reaches of Garhwal. The Institute children (and staff) will be relieved when the summer vacation starts on 15th May.

Before that, however, the children have some exciting activities lined up, not least a stage production of C. S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", written, produced and directed by our two volunteers from Canada: Nicki Rae Parker and Lindsay Hogarth. Most of the lead characters in the play are getting credit for their Duke of Edinburgh Award as well.

The children are also looking forward to a student led "Talent Show" on the 14th. They have had a number of special activities already: a story telling contest, a collage making competition and a Hindi debate.

Many staff were happy to attend not only the wedding of staff, Miss Annie Thapliyal, but also that of Bheem Bahadur, former institute student. He and his wife, Jyoti, will make their home in Jakhan, Rajpur Road, Dehra Dun.

On 13th May Uttarkhand goes to the polls in the general elections. The election commission in Dehra Dun has commandeered the institute's bus from 11th May onwards, for election duty, another novel experience for us.

Quite a few new children have joined us to take the place of the seniormost ones in Class 12 who have left. These Class 12-ISC (and Class 10-ICSE) examination candidates are waiting for their results, which we expect some time in the middle of May.

A number of teaching staff left us: Mr Powjuaklung Gengmei, Mr D K Mahapatra, Miss Annie Thapliyal, Miss Rebecca Simon. Our volunteers from Canada: Miss Nicki Rae Parker and Miss Lindsay Hogarth will also leave us in May. We will miss all of them, and wish God's care and safe-keeping as they go further in their careers and lives.

We welcome new staff among us: Mr Birender Singh, Mr Beverley Niblett, Miss Tripti Mahajan, Miss Neetu Ale, Miss Purnima Uniyal and Mrs Ruby Bison. We look forward to a fruitful and long time with us.

We say goodbye to Mr Russell Winfield, a volunteer from England, who has been of great help to the institute in adminstration and office work. He has also been a great friend and inspiration to the institute's college level students and younger on-campus staff. We will miss him very much.

Latest News: April 2009

2009-04-15T11:11:00.003+05:30

The month of April has seen uncharacteristically stormy weather for Rajpur, but thankfully our work and the children’s studies have remained largely unaffected.

The examination season for our Year 10 (ICSE) and Year 12 (ISC) students came to an end and they now face a period of waiting for results. We wish them well. The new school year is underway, so the students that have progressed to a new class face the challenges of increasing work load and expectancy. With hard work and a dedicated attitude we know that they have the capability to do well.

The hockey season has begun, and we have had house competitions for both boys and girls, preparing them before they go on to compete against other schools from the district. They have done very well in years gone by and we wish them well for the tournaments ahead. The senior boys are current DCSA champions and will be looking to defend the title.

In the past months we have been very fortunate to have had a volunteer from the UK: Russell Winfield. He is a member of the Moravian Church in Britain and a great help in a wide variety of crucial areas of the Institute's functions. We will miss him sorely when he returns to the UK in early May.

In late March we were joined by Nicki Rae Parker from Canada, who sponsors two boarding children at the institute. She has come to volunteer with some activities in the institute, and was recently joined by another Canadian friend, Lindsay Hogarth. They are helping to run the Duke of Edinburgh scheme for our older pupils, assisting with teaching and helping out in and around the school. We appreciate their efforts greatly.

This month we were also very happy to have John Bray from the UK visit us. He is an old friend of ours. John and I were at university together in England in the 1970’s. In 1978 he came to the Moravian Institute and served as a volunteer for over a year. Later he also visited and served in our sister school in Leh, Ladakh. John was able to spend Easter with us.

We wish to record our thanks to a number of staff who have moved in recent weeks: Powjuaklung Gangmei (a former pupil and student as well as staff), and Annie Thapliyal (who is going to get married very shortly). We thank them for their service over the months and years, and wish them God's blessings.

Finally, we are seeking to create a comprehensive Alumni network for keeping in touch with our former students. If you have studied at the Institute please click here and let us know your current details.

We thank God for the opportunity to serve at the Moravian Institute, we thank our many friends and donors, both local and overseas, for their ongoing, generous support. The work here would not be possible without their generous and often sacrificial giving.

Thsespal Z Kundan
Principal

Campus Photo's

2009-03-25T10:37:00.004+05:30

Click on the photo to see a larger image...

A football game being played with the main teaching and administration blocks shown in the background

The CVE Building

The Dining Hall

The view south towards the staff accomodation

The basketball court

All photos shown on this page taken during 2009

Facts & Figures

2009-03-23T16:25:00.004+05:30

W provide a high quality formal education for 403 children aged four to eighteen (School years K-12), including ICSE (Year 10), ISC (Year 12 academic), CVE (Year 12 vocational) examinations, non-formal education (NIOS Year 10 & 12 examinations) to another 139 students, and further support and guidance for 22 students in post-secondary education.

Currently the 564 student body that the Institute serves consists of 195 boarders, 360 day students and 9 students off campus . The ratio of male to female is approximately 3:2.

Correct as of 1st March 2009

The early history...

2009-03-23T16:18:00.001+05:30

God, in His Goodness has brought the Moravian Institute into being and made it what it is today- "a place of good for others". His will can be seen in coming together in Rajpur of His servant, Eliyah Thsetan Phunthsog, and of Tibetan refugees, mainly from Amdo.

God's will can be seen not only in the past service rendered to Tibetan refugees but also in the present-day service to people of many other communities: Hindi speakers, Nepalese, Gurkhas, Nagas, Ladakspas and lately Kanjars or Banjaras. The Institution today reflects as a microcosm the unity in diversity that is the Indian of today, and indeed the work made up of its numerous people yet bound by its common Humanity.

Early in 1959, E.T.Phunthsog came to Mussoorie in the district of Dehradun in Uttar Pradesh from his home in Leh, Ladak, Jammu and Kashmir. He was a scholar of repute in his homeland, formerly a high government official but now an ordained Minister of the Moravian Church. He had been seconded by the Moravian to the Bible Society to revise the New Testament into contemporary but standard Tibetan.

On the 10th if March the same year the Tibetans in Lhase rose up inn revolt against the Chinese occupation forces but were defeated. The Dalai Lama and about a hundred thousand Tibetans fled to Indian and Nepal. Some came with the Dalai Lama to Mussoorie, the temporary seat of his government of India set up a certain relief committee to help the Tibetans settle down. In addition many aid agencies and churches of the West helped to meet the immediate needs of the Tibetans. The exiles themselves worked hard to survive by doing any job that needed to be done. So, many laboured on road construction projects, especially near the Indo-Tibetan border. However, many of those who escaped the Chinese Red Army succumbed to infectious tropical diseases. Not only was everyone homeless, many were orphaned, made childless and separated from the members of their family forever.

Thus God brought to Mussoorie not only E.T.Phunthsog but also a group of Amdo Tibetans. These Amdo group, with which E.T.Phunthsog became so involved, consisted of about 200 families. When they first came to India they made a bare living by touring all over India staging Tibetan historical plays and cultural shows. Traveling was tiring and the earnings insufficient ; they longed to fund a place to put down new roots and raise their families. When they shared this longing with Rev. G. tharchin in Kalimpong during a visit there, he told them that if anyone could help them it was E.T.Phunthsog.

Thus, it was while E.T.Phunthsog and Pierre Vittoz were in Mussoorie , that the Amdo group leaders met the former for the first time. However, the great need of the group impressed itself upon home that inn 1961 he helped them to settle down in Rajpur and he with his immediate family also joined them. The major problem that confronted the settlers were: (i) Lack of money and jobs, (ii) illness, (iii) inability to converse in Hindi and English, (iv) lack of permanent settlement and (v) lack of education for the children. In order to help remove these problems, E.T.Phunthsog got permission from Moravian Church to keep working with the Tibetans in Rajpur instead of going back to Ladaks. immediate financial assistance helped alleviate the first problem temporarily, but amount obtained from the various sources was not enough. Only when the Moravian Church gave a grant for the establishment of small-scale cottage industries, were the settlers able to meet their basic needs. While the drama troupe continued to earn a little during the tourism the others began trades such as metalwork, carpentry, carpet weaving, knitting & tailoring. With the help of TEAM a Christian Service Council was set up to run a dispensary in Rajpur, Many Tibetans, especially tuberculosis patients, were helped. In order to take care of the co-operation with TEAM, began teaching a tutorial class of 9 adult students the basics of Hindi, English and Arithmetic.

While efforts were made for the permanent settlement of the group, E.T.Phunthsog, at the group request, opened a small school for their children. So it was that the "Tibetan Refugee School" began its first classes on the 2nd of April 1963. This open air school of twelve pupils and two teachers ( E.T.Phunthsog and his elder daughter, Mrs. Zhindey Kundan, who is still at the Institute) started what is now the Moravian Institute.

Useful Information

2009-03-23T15:03:00.005+05:30

For those visiting India for the first time here is some information that may be of use:

Time
The whole of India is in time zone IST (Indian Standard Time) which is 5.5hr ahead of GMT.

Money
The national currency is known as the Indian Rupee - sometimes written as INR in foreign documentation, but usually displayed as 'Rs' before a figure in India.

Indian currency cannot be acquired outside of India, so plan to withdraw cash electronically (ATM) or bring travellers cheques.

For the current exchange rate type your own three digit code into Google.com then INR and it will give you the days rate (e.g. "GBP INR" for British Pound to Indian Rupee, "USD INR" - US Dollar, "CAD INR" - Canadian Dollar, "EUR IND" - Euros, "NZD INR" - New Zealand Dollar, "AUD INR" - Australian Dollar). Alternatively click here for a Universal Currency Convertor.

Indian Life
National newspaper The Hindustan Times is a good source of information about India current affairs, politics and sport.
The other major national newspaper is The Times of India.

Climate
Temperatures vary depending on the month of the year as follows (celcius):

January 3 to 22
February 7 to 25
March 19 to 28
April 16 to 32
May 20 to 38
June 20 to 38
July 18 to 34
August 18 to 32
September 16 to 31
October 10 to 27
November 9 to 23
December 5 to 22

Employment

2009-03-23T12:36:00.002+05:30

We offer the following range of subjects:

English, Tibetan, Hindi, Nepali, Environmental Ed., History & Civics, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, Commerce, Accounts, Computing, Art, Music, Phys. Ed.

For those interested in working here please contact the Principal (moravian_institute@yahoo.co.in) stating your subject area and attaching a copy of your resume with contact details.

Volunteers

2009-03-23T12:30:00.003+05:30

For many years young and old have come to the Moravian Institute to volunteer for a period of time ranging from a few weeks to over a year.

Volunteers come to the Moravian Institute from a variety of backgrounds: Lattitude (formerly known as GAP), the Moravian Church worldwide, or friends of the Institute.

Click here to learn about the different volunteering opportunities available

Click here to read about a recent volunteer experience

How to find us

2009-03-23T11:56:00.005+05:30

If you are visiting the Moravian Institute and have not been before here are some basic instructions that may be of use:

By Air
Our nearest international airport is New Delhi airport (also known as Indira Gandhi). The airport is currently undergoing extensive redevelopment, and is split into an international terminal and a domestic terminal. These are not particularly close to each other and at least 1 hour should be allowed for travel between the two.

There is a domestic airport serving Dehradun called Jolly Grant airport. It is currently only served by Kingfisher airlines and a flight from Delhi to Dehradun takes one hour. Travelling from the airport to Rajpur takes approximately one hour by taxi and would cost roughly Rs500.

By train
Travelling by train is the preferred option for many of our visitors. Dehradun has a major train station with regular services daily from Delhi which in turn is well connected with every other part of India. A train journey from Delhi to Dehradun takes approximately 6-8 hours depending on service.

Tickets can be booked via the Indian Railway website or in person at the train station. Delhi has a number of train stations and two have trains departing to Dehradun - Nizamuddin (NZM) and Delhi Main (DLI). Both these train stations are approximately one hour from the New Delhi airport.

There are a number of classes of service available on the train - ranging from 'Second Sitting' (just a seat in a crowded compartment and not recommended) to 'First Class a/c' (an air conditioned cabin for four people), with options between. For overseas visitors we recommend any service from 'A/c 3 Tier' and above. Prices range in these categories from approximately Rs450 to Rs1200

A taxi from the train station to Rajpur costs approximately Rs350.

By Taxi
There is a choice of catching a formal taxi (such as the Ambassador's common to India) or a smaller three-wheeler. For those with luggage we recommend a larger vehicle such as the ambassador.

Instruct the driver that you wish to travel to "Rajpur - the Moravian Institute on the Old Mussoorie Road". If the driver does not the school then find another driver if available or they may call to confirm directions (0135 2734 358).

For those travelling from the train station or any area of central Dehradun they will travel along the Rajpur Road for approximately 10km/20 minutes where they will reach Rajpur village. Here a left turn is made up a winding road (Old Mussoorie Road) and a steep ascent for approximately 2km. The Moravian Institute is clearly signposted on the left side of the road.

Moravian Enterprises

2009-03-23T10:10:00.003+05:30

Click here to link to the Moravian Enterprise website (more-india.com)

Click on the images below to see a brochure and price list for the Moravian Enterprises shop:

Information correct as of March 2009

Alumni / Former Students

2009-03-22T21:27:00.005+05:30

We are sure that all our former students would like to keep in touch with one another and with their old institute. We too would like to revive old ties and maintain contact.

In order to do this, we request all Alumni to send us their details:

Name
MI File Number
Years of joining and leaving MI
E-mail ID
Current city & country of residence

If they so wish, alumni may send more details.

Please email the above information to moravian_institute@yahoo.co.in

Thank you,

Thsespal Z Kundan
Principal

Principal's Message

2009-03-22T17:18:00.006+05:30

Welcome to the Moravian Institute website.

The work here in Rajpur, Dehradun was established in 1963 by Br Eliyah Thsetan Phunthsog whilst he was undertaking the revision of the New Testament in Tibetan for the Bible Society of India. During this time he met a number of Tibetan refugees who had just fled from their homeland across the Himalayas. What blossomed over the years was a work involving a school, a hostel and a vocational training program. If you wish to read more about the history of the Institute please click here.

Through the efforts of the staff and volunteers here we seek to meet our stated aim of “demonstrating the love of God in Jesus Christ by providing excellent educational and other facilities, primarily to needy children.” Hopefully this website will give you a glimpse into the work we are doing.

Thank you for taking the time to visit,

Principal Thsespal Z Kundan
Moravian Institute

Volunteer Opportunities

2009-03-22T13:03:00.001+05:30

There are a diverse range of areas to volunteer at the Moravian Institute depending upon your skill set, experience, preferences and length of stay, but here is a brief overview of some of the main roles:

Teacher
Taking charge of a class of students in a particular subject for a period of at least one term (minimum 3 months)

IT
Assisting the school in updating websites, teaching new skills, introducing better practice.

Accounts
Working with the financial department in the day-to-day and long term accounts and auditing needs of the school.

Environment
Evaluating the schools environmental footprint and establishing and implementing techniques to reduce our impact on the environment, in particular with waste and water usage.

My time at the Moravian Institute

2009-03-22T12:59:00.001+05:30

Information will be provided here in the near future about a recent volunteer experience.

April 2009

Fees

2009-03-22T11:24:00.000+05:30

Our fees are set for each academic year in late February / early March.

Due to the support of the worldwide Moravian Church, administered by the British Mission Board, every student recieves a subsidised fee and sponsorships are available in certain cases.

For the latest fees (2009/10) for Day Pupils please click here

For the latest fees (2009/10) for Boarding Pupils please click here

Contact Details

2009-03-22T11:00:00.009+05:30

Should you wish to contact the Moravian Institute then please do so via the following methods:

You can email:
moravian_institute@yahoo.co.in

You may write to:
Zhan-Phan-Ling
Rajpur
Dehra Dun 248 009
India

You may telephone:
+91 (0)135-2734 358

You may send a fax:
+91 (0)135-2734 282

Thsespal Z Kundan
Principal

Weather

2009-03-22T09:40:00.002+05:30

Donations

2009-03-21T12:44:00.004+05:30

The Moravian Institute is a registered charity (Indian Society Number: 1141/1971-72).

We operate due to the generosity and kindness of a number of donors.

If you wish to donate to our work please contact us via email on moravian_institute@yahoo.co.in

A brief history

2009-03-21T11:16:00.001+05:30

The Moravian Institute is a registered charity providing education to underprivileged students in Dehra Dun, India.

Established in 1963 the Institute was founded by Br Eliyah Phunthsog whilst he was undertaking the revision of the New Testament in Tibetan for the Bible Society of India in Dehra Dun district. During this time he met a number of Tibetan refugees who had just fled from their homeland across the Himalayas. What blossomed over the years was a work involving a school, a hostel and a vocational training program.

The Moravian Institute is affiliated to the Council for the ISC (Indian School Certificate) Examinations, New Delhi since 1978

To read more about the early beginnings of the Moravian Institute please click here

Day Pupil Fees 2009

2009-03-10T16:29:00.002+05:30

Page one of the fee schedule for day pupils...

Page two of the fee schedule for day pupils...

Click here to return to the Moravian Institute homepage

Boarders Fees 2009

2009-03-10T16:12:00.000+05:30

Page one of the fee schedule for boarders...

Page two of the fee schedule for boarders...

Click here to return to Moravian Institute homepage