Dr Graham’s Homes in Kalimpong has been inducted into The Anglo-Indian Hall of Fame by the All India-Anglo-Indian Association.

There are around 160 Anglo-Indian schools in the country. This Kalimpong institution is the fourth such to be inducted into this hall of fame.

The previous inductees are La Martiniere College, Lucknow; The Bishop’s School, Pune; and St George’s School, Chennai.

“It is a significant milestone for the school and a terrific coincidence to be inducted in the hall of fame just before the quasquicentennial (125 years) celebration of the school’s establishment,” Neil Monterio, the principal of Dr Graham’s Home, told The Telegraph.

The Kalimpong institution was set up by Reverend Dr James Anderson Graham in 1900 as a home for the orphaned and abandoned Anglo-Indians.

The school was then named St Andrew’s Colonial Homes in 1900 and had a modest
beginning starting from a rented Kiernander Cottage just near the present-day school.

“It took 30 years to build the infrastructure in this institution,” said Monterio.

The school has 56 structures in its campus area of 140 acres in Kalimpong.

At the moment there are around 1,200 students.

Around 30-35 students stay in cottages. Currently, 14 cottages, seven each for boys and girls, are functional.

Since it was conceived as a self-sufficient institution, it has its agriculture farm, dairy and poultry, bakery, clothing department, general stores department and a hospital.

Dr Graham died on May 15, 1942, and the school was named after him in 1947.

“The institution started as a home and then evolved into a school,” said Monterio.

The school’s alumni include current Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgey and former Prime Minister of Bhutan Lyonchhen Jigmi Yoser Thinley.

Norman Hutchinson, a world-renowned painter commissioned by the British Royal family and known for his painting of Queen Elizabeth II, was also a student of DGH, among others.

The school which would mostly cater to Anglo-Indian students, opened its doors to Tibetan refugees who were fleeing their country in the 1950s.

Even today, the schooling of around 120 students is sponsored mostly by old alumni members who reside across the world.

Dr Graham’s wife Katherine was also instrumental in setting up Kalimpong Girls High School.