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RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Kalimpong, March 15: Once a hostel for outstation students and now the primary section, Robertson Hostel of Scottish University Mission Institution (Sumi) will complete its 100th year this November.

Though the exact date for the centenary of the building is still a few months to go, the celebrations will start from Sunday. With only three days left for the centennial bash, the grand old structure has donned a rather youthful look after a renovation this winter.

Reverend Alan McDonald, moderator of the Church of Scotland’s general assembly, will be the chief guest at the inauguration of the programme, which will go on for three days. “The celebrations will start with a thanksgiving service at the nearby McFarlane Church. On March 19, present students will put up a cultural show and the following day, former students will return the complements with a similar programme,” said Nava Ratna Pradhan, the principal of Sumi. According to Pradhan, the initial plan was to hold the event in the first week of November, but it has been brought forward to coincide with McDonald’s visit.

Robertson Hostel, inaugurated on November 5 1907, now houses the primary section of the 121-year-old institution. It is named after William Robertson, the then president of World Mission Committee, who was instrumental in funding the building.

“Till the mid-1920s, it used to be the hostel for outstation students,” said Pradhan. “Even till the mid-1930s, the first floor of the two-storeyed stone-and-wooden structure used to be the hostel for teachers undergoing training. After that, the entire building was converted into the primary section.”