Thirty four boys from Bishop Cotton School, (BCS) Shimla are all set to visit the United Kingdom on a ten day cultural-tour from next week (19 June 2023).
The group will be travelling together with members of staff as well as Old Cottonian and local historian Raaja Bhasin who will be giving talks to British students about the history of BCS and Shimla. The group will be visiting two of the most famous schools in the UK – Rugby and Marlborough College which both have historic links with BCS as Bishop Cotton taught at them before coming to India.
The tour is the result of months of careful planning and organisation. As part of their visit the boys will be visiting Shakespeare’s birthplace and then seeing one of his plays performed at the historic ‘Globe Theatre’ in London. They will also be visiting the historic cities of Bath and Bristol as well as the iconic landmarks of London such as the Houses of Parliament and Lord’s Cricket Ground.
In Oxford, the boys will be given a talk about how to gain admission to the world famous university.
The boys will be performing some Indian dance and drama for their hosts. This includes a street play performed in traditional Indian style with facts and figures about ‘Incredible India’ both from ancient and modern times. They will also be performing dances, traditional and modern Indian dances from Bollywood, Himachal and Rajasthan. BCS Director Simon Weale (a former student at Oxford University) said ‘The boys are thrilled to be visiting the UK and I am looking forward to showing them the best my country has to offer’.
Bishop Cotton School also runs a school exchange programme to the UK, where currently four boys are enjoying the summer term.
Background on Raaja Bhasin
Award winning author, historian and journalist. He has published 15 books of history, travel, fiction and poetry and is a recognised authority on the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and its capital, Shimla. He has handled assignments for television, including for the BBC, and for the Indian Institute of Advanced Study and various departments of the Indian Government. He writes regularly for magazines and papers in India and elsewhere. He is the state Co-convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.