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St. Mary's High School
Mt. Abu, Rajasthan

Twenty years ago on this day this website was launched with a few Abu Orioles. It has since grown to 2000+ photos from the 1950s to the present. Initially hosted on private servers for $100+ a year it now runs on Google cloud for less than $1 per year. Thanks to all the contributors who made it happen!
For this release:
- Thanks to the family of Sikander Malik(1957) for his 1957/Class XI photo and his classmate Bob Amore(1957) for identifying the class.
- More updates to "Bros Of SMS" photographs section. Thanks to all the bros who contributed.
- Started a new section "Gramps Of SMS".
These guys just don't fit my visual of a traditional grandpa, but are young enough for a headline role in upcoming productions of action movies "Kung-Fu Gramps", "From Gramps with Love", "Strike Force Gramps"! Thanks guys!
If you fall into this category, please send a photo which includes the hierarchy - you, son/daughter and grandkids. If you're a granpa by two or more of your kids, either one group photo or separate with each kid and grandkids is fine. Email: artb956@aol.com
This update includes:
- Pictures from the "All Years Meetup" of ex-students in the Toronto area. Held on September 1 at Turtle Jack's, Mississauga. Thanks to all for coming from near and far.
To organize this meeting I used the email addresses from The Abu Alumni Oriole - Directory - Browse - Student List By Batch. This was badly out of date and 30% of first outgoing email invitations bounced.
Please check your information is correct or add it if you would like to attend future meetups.
- A new folder "Bros Of SMS" (biological, not the Christian Brothers!). Thanks to all the ex-student brothers who contributed for this update.
All brothers who attended SMHS are invited to send their photos during school/teen/adult years.
This first update should give you an idea of the year range and what I am looking for.
- A photo of 1960/Class VIII that was posted on Facebook and had a lot of discussion regarding it's authenticity. Specifically because the guys were not wearing the school tie. That Class VIII became the future Class XI of 1963, the year I joined St. Mary's. I instantly recognized some faces and matched others to the class photos in the 1962 and 1963 Abu Orioles. Moreover, Satish Almaula(1963) confirmed that this was his Class VIII. However some guys are still not identified and your input is appreciated. Thanks!
Thanks to the following for this update:
- Leslie Louis(1965) for digging thru his albums for some gems of 1965.
- CS Rathore(1971) and Stephen deSilva(1972) for their photo/video contributions.
- Bharat Sen Rathore(1976), Gilroy D'Mello(1970) and Chris Desa(1971) for pit stops by a sloth bear and me during our travels.
- Meetings of various ex-students.
- Class 1976 reunion at SMS and other places in Rajasthan in the beginning of March 2023.
- New videos added (School Grounds, School Anthem).
- Updates to "Dead Musicians" who played on albums we listened to.
Added Videos section.
This will take you to YouTube in a new browser window. The videos are arranged from most recent to oldest (for now).
You may want to subscribe to the channel to get notification when new videos are added.
- Pictures from the 50 year reunion of the Class of 1972.

Thanks from all of the attendees to Mahesh Bazari, Anil Babbar and Daivat Singh for organizing the best Batch of 1972 reunion yet. Their efforts started many months prior to the event and included convincing some individuals that they may miss their last reunion (haha!), making personal travel arrangements to and from Mt. Abu and dinners where the quantity and variety of hors d'oeuvres were mistaken for the main course! Once again, there's not enough words to thank you Daivat for hosting us at Kesar Bhawan Palace and making us feel we were at home with everything provided.

Highlights of the reunion:

  • Reliving the train trip the Northern India students made from New Delhi to Abu Road with classmate Victor & Esther Nazareth. Definitely shorter than our trips from Bombay!
  • Meeting some of my classmates after 50 years and seeing everyone generally looking healthy and fit.
  • Climbing Spongy with Victor and Esther, and Plummy the next day. It was great to do it after the last time 18 years ago in 2004 during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. At 66 I can now probably say you're never too old to climb Plummy! Thanks to Bob Amore(1957) for providing me the inspiration to do it, the Whatsapp# and directions to the village/home of Sunil the longtime hiking guide for ex-students. It was an honor and thrill to video call Bob from the top of Plummy (even though I think it was night in UK and he was in bed at that time) and have him be part of a feat he's accomplished on every SMS visit.
  • Picnic at Trevor Tal which seems to have become a more beautiful and serene place inspite of the presence of a croc! Relaxed afternoon and good food from Kesar Bhawan Palace.
  • Excellent dinner settings at Connaught House, Bikaner Palace and Hotel Hilltone with a variety and abundance of food.
  • Tree planting by every Class 1972 attendee along a branch road to Sunset Point. The young plant is surrounded by a wire cage with a name plate of each Class 1972 attendee. It's the first time I had my name on a board that's not a "Wanted" poster! Thanks to Daivat and Mt.Abu's resident Dr. Sharma for this brilliant idea.
  • Being guests of honor at the school concert and appreciation for the loud cheers from students parents when we were in the final march past on Sports Day.
  • Swimming in waves of warm and cold water in the school pool (temp's been dropping at night). Thanks to Fr. Avi and Br. Noel for getting me permission for this treat!
- Some photos from 2012 and earlier this year.
This update has photos of various meetups and belated 2021 Christmas greetings. It's great to see the SMS connection and bonds remains strong even after 30+ years!
Some updates to the "Dead Musicians" section.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a covid-free 2022!
This update would not have been possible without the help of Bharat Sen Rathore(1976). I have to thank him for contributing on several fronts:
- For his effort coordinating with his classmates Ranvijay Singh Rathore(1976), Anil Lobo(1976) and others, for photos of the Batch 1976 40 year reunion in 2016.
- For his patience to my umpteen inquires to get info on the photos and names of guys that have er... transformed! since I last saw them 50 years ago when they were not yet teenagers.
- For his persistence of nearly a year under Covid-19 pressures and lockdowns in India to research, locate and get the photo of Fr. Bonaventure's gravesite.
More updates to the "Dead Musicians" section.
- Thanks to Bharat Sen Rathore(1976) for snaring a croc at Trevor Tal!
- Mahesh Bazari(1972) reappeared in Mt. Abu/SMS after nearly 50 years and contributed some photos.
- "Music Scene"-(History, School Albums) links are music enabled. Clicking on album cover or individual track will play full album or selected track onward.
Hope you are drinking Corona beer, not coronavirus! Stay safe!
Updates to Photos section include:
- Stephen deSilva(1972) in different lifestages.
- 50th year reunion of Class of 1969.
- A new category of "Unknown" which I've had for many years. Please email me artb956@aol.com the year and relevant information if you know it.
- Updated references to deceased persons. Hover mouse over names in black to see information.
Thanks to Chris DeSa(1971), Shanker Trivedi(1971), Anil Bakhru(1972), Stephen deSilva(1972), Anil Lobo(1976), Arjun Trivedi(1976), Bhairav Trivedi(1976), Bharat Singh Rathore(1976) and Val Sequeira(1976) for their help in getting accurate information about the photos.
Happy New Year!! Photos spanning a range of years contributed by Ainsley Priestman(1969) and Mohan Ailsinghani(1982). Thanks guys!
- New photos mostly of CBs in various parts of India.
- Transition of my classmate Avinash D'Mello after 40+ years as a Christian Brother to Priesthood, serving in Arunachal Pradesh.
- Updates to the dead musicians list.
- Abu Orioles can now be viewed as PDFs which allows text search and other PDF features.
- New photographs sent by several people.
- Updates to the dead musicians list.
- Updated the names of deceased persons in black. Hover mouse on name to see date.
- Some more Abu Orioles (1974-1976) have been discovered!! Thanks to Brian Fernandes(1976) for remembering this website and passing on these gems!
- Updated the Music section with a few more rockers who played on the albums we listened to and have sadly passed away.
A few old and new photos to end the year.
- Pictures from the 40 year reunion of the Class of 1972.

The main event in Mt. Abu was preceded and succeeded with mini reunions with guys who could not make it and with ex-students from my time. A big thank you to all who attended. Special thanks to Victor Nazareth for the production of the T-shirts and the banner. A huge thank you from all of us to Daivat Singh for accomodating us at Kesar Bhawan Palace, his immense generosity and making our stay in Abu very comfortable, convenient and thoroughly enjoyable.

Highlights of the reunion:

  • Reliving the train trip from Bombay Central to Abu Road with a change at Ahmedabad. The meter gauge tracks from Ahmedabad to Abu Road were replaced with broad gauge a long time ago. So this nearly 1.5 day journey by the Gujarat Mail and Haridwar Mail is now just an overnight ride by other trains from Bombay.
  • Meeting some of my classmates after 40 years!! And seeing some of them in the same shape as when I left in 1972!! Neil, Daivat, what's the secret?
  • Cricket Match against the Class of 1982 on the tennis courts. It was a tennis ball 10 overs per side challenge that I pulled on my classmates without telling them :-) Great time had by all including the losers (that's us, Class 1972). Class 1972 bats first and scores 125 runs with all out. Class 1982 wins by 6 wickets. Thanks to the Class of 1982 for accepting the challenge and being good sportsmen.
  • Picnic at Trevor Tal after the Cricket game. Laid-back afternoon with good food and drinks catered by Kesar Bhawan Palace. We even spotted a croc!
  • Open bar evenings at Bikaner Palace hosted by Deepak Trivedi/Class 1987.
  • Dinner at Jaipur Palace. A beautiful setting overlooking Nakki Lake with the lights of houses in the surrounding hills shining like little stars in the night.
  • Entertaining school dramatics and sports events with almost as many ex-students attending as present day students.

Thanks to Chris Coelho, Stephen deSilva, Victor Nazareth, Jal Olia and Richard Phillips for the photographs.

- Rearranged photos of graves into their own folder.
- Updates to dead musicians in Music Scene.
Spectacular pictures of SMS and surroundings, mainly due to the photographer's visualization and sometimes forbidden vantage points. Contributed by Br. Noel Desa, ex-student(1974-1979), ex-principal(1996-1999) and staff member(1989-1990, 2008-2010 and present).
It's been over a year since the last update, during which I received a large number of photographs from Rahul Chacko(2001). Then the 1971 Abu Oriole surfaced courtesy of Jude Pereira(1971), along with news of their upcoming gala reunion in October. Hopefully this update will make those sitting on the fence nostalgic enough to attend. Happy 40th guys! Enjoy!
This update originated from an inquiry I made with Chris Joseph(1956) about photographs mentioned in the obituary of his classmate Trevor Gilby. The photographs are embedded in the PDF diaries of his last year in school, which are located in the Articles section of www.dgrc.ca/sms. But their thumbnail size and indirect access do not do justice to this treasure trove of memories of that era. Thank you Chris for allowing me to add them to this site and providing the details behind each picture.
Thanks to the following persons for the photos in this update:
- Craig Philips(2001) - His last two years in school and a final trip to Mt. Abu in 2007 before emigrating to Canada.
- John Whelan - February trip to India after 25 years that included a couple of days at SMS and meeting two of his 1971 ex-students.
- Bob Amore(1957) - Made a stop in Toronto during his round-the-world vacation in May and had a reunion with other 50's ex-students.
Pictures from my "pilgrimage" to the "Holy Land" ie.gif during the week of Christmas 2008.
Many thanks to John Whelan for his tremendous hospitality and for letting me raid his photo albums for pictures of people with a St. Mary's connection.
- Some entries from Alvito Viegas'(1971) school autograph book.
- 10 year reunion pictures of Batch 1997 from Milton Ribeiro(1997). It was held during Parents Week 2007 in Mt. Abu.
- 70's ex-students partying around the Bay Area (San Francisco, CA).
Parent's Week October 2007 photographs contributed by Bob Amore(1957).
Amita Patel(Sophia, 1994) sent me pictures of her January holiday trip to Mt. Abu.
Great contributions by Val Noronha(1973) of the Class of 1973 in their last few weeks at SMS and at a mini-reunion in Los Angeles.
The Abu Oriole section is updated with issues from 1977 to 1981. Andre Rasquinha(1981) mailed me these magazines from Australia earlier this summer. Older Orioles are out of print. The few that must exist, are priceless for the memories and recollections that they evoke of our childhood years in SMS. So they are quite understandably hard to part with. Thank you all the more Andre for your generous contribution!
- Added New photographs.
- The Abu Orioles with the asterisk have been updated to display the dude's name when you mouse over his visible area. Try it first on the tie/chest and then the face. My memory and Val Noronha's Student Directory helped me with the names, but there's still a few unknown. Please email me artb956@aol.com the names of the "?" or single letter first name, if you recognize them (or the ones I got wrong).Thanks.
Added New photographs.
Some messages posted on the Yahoo Group got me thinking about music in SMS during my time and how I'd become such a music afficianado, well...er, headbanger! Added the Music Scene 1963-1972.
- More photographs contributed mainly by Sunil D'Souza(1990) and Bob Amore(1957).
- Since there are now close to 400 photographs on the site, frequent visitors can follow the New trail to the latest additions. It will be cleared or updated on the first of each month.
Added photographs in 1967, 1968, 1969 courtesy of Ainsley Priestman(1969).
The 2004 section has been updated with photographs from the SMS Platinum Jubilee celebrations held during Parent's Week (10/24-10/29).

The school put up a fabulous show! The organization, events and hospitality to ex-students was superb! Highlights of the week included:

  • Meeting many ex-students - classmates (Daivat Singh, Anil Babbar, K(?).Asarsa), guys during my years there (Satish Almaula(1963), Edward Alva(1967), Walter Aubert(1967), Ainsley Priestman(1969, my house Captain), David Starr(1970), Satnarayan Rathore(1971), the Jani clan(1970-1976), Dhanjay Singh(1973), Baljeet Singh(1973), Roland Coelho(1974), Mahavir Rathore(1975), Cornel Roxburgh(1976), Leonard Annett(1977), Sunil Noronha(1978) and several others from before and after my time.
  • A school building back to it's original granite facade. Thanks to Daivat Singh(1972) for donating the labor and cost of a 6 month project to get rid of that fugly yellow!!! It does look kind of new, but I guess a couple of monsoons will take care of that.
  • The Annual Concert and variety entertainment. Held on the tennis courts on two evenings, with a sound system that ex-students on a walk could hear all the way to Tiger Path/Lime-Orchard!!. The rains held off and we had perfect cool evenings for outdoorsy functions! Afterward, fireworks over the main building which was outlined with lights!
  • The "Back to School" event was a riot!! - and the special breakfast was great! They made the mistake of electing me "Principal" to conduct the daily inspection :-) In class, Yogender Verma(1979) taught us a nifty way of doing arithmetic operations on long numbers within seconds; but that was the only learning that morning!
  • Climbing Plummy with a terrific bunch of guys from 1995-1996. (Donald, thanks for hanging back and making it look like you were having the hardest time getting up there!!). Apparently, another group of past and present students, AND CB's (ok, I'll rat - Ward and DeSa), flouted the rules and conquered Golden Horn once again!!
  • Swimming in the new pool, instead of School Lake/Shallow Bay. It was great not to have cow cakes floating in front of your face when you surfaced from a dive, but I kind of missed the jumping off rocks and feeling moss under your feet in the shallows.
  • Ex-students 200m race won by Bob Amore(1957). It started off with a 10 foot lead for the earlier batches. Word was passed around to "let the old guys win", so I thought it was between me and Anil Babbar! Then someone whizzed by us like a hornet!! Old?? Talk about ringers!!!
  • Dinner/Dance at the Hilltop Hotel. It is opposite the Tourist Bungalow on the road to town. They forgot to invite the Sophia girls, at least the senior class ones, so there weren't enough women to pair with. :-( But the live band and DJ got the floor packed nonetheless!!
Hope the pictures capture it...
- Added "Zoom+/-" function to the Oriole Viewer.
- Added a few photos in 2003.
The Photographs link is now enabled. The frames are resizeable and can be restored to the default setting by clicking the browser Refresh button.
You can see the pictures magnified by following these browser dependant steps:
- IE 6.0 and higher: Drag the photo to the Address (URL) bar. Then click the magnification icon. Click the Back button when you're done.
- Netscape 6.0 and higher: Drag the photo to a blank section of the tab bar. Move the mouse over this image and click the magnifier.
Thanks to all the contributors for the photographs.
This is hopefully the first install of several issues of the SMS Abu Oriole magazine.

I discovered them in a box a couple of years ago in badly deteriorating condition. As you will see several covers and pages are missing. When it seems to prematurely say "This is the last page!", it really is and not a bug in your browser :-) To make matters worse, some kids I used to know had decided to "enhance" some of the pictures with moustaches, hairstyles, autographs and other artistry!

But it was a blast to see the faces of people, remembered and forgotten, from all those years. So drawing inspiration (and major plagiarism) from Val Noronha(1973) and his fabulous site, I decided to scan the magazines, clean them up and offer them for public viewing.

Thanks to Alvito Viegas(1971), Keith Angelo(1972), Marc Correa(1972) and Mark Fernandes(1974) for contributions to get this site and domain, which will be available for at least the next two years.

If anyone has issues of other years (or the missing pages of these) please contact me artb956@aol.com I'd also like to put photographs under the Photos link.

So here it is! Hope you enjoy reviewing them as much as I did.

-Ashley D'Souza(1972)