Five Doon School Old Boys in 16th Lok Sabha

DEHRADUN: The 16th Lok Sabha will have at least five alumni of Dehradun's prestigious Doon School. Rahul Gandhi, Kamal Nath, Captain Amarinder Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Naveen Patnaik were all at one time students at Doon.

The Doon School Old Boys Society (DSOBS) and members of the school are thrilled to see ex-students win.

"When a fellow Doon school alumnus achieves a milestone like good performance in national elections, it is a feeling of jubilation," Sanjay Puran Singh, environmentalist and DSOBS member said.

What the DSOBS does not mention with as much elation, though, is that a number of alumni also feature among losers in the elections -- Mani Shankar Aiyar, Manpreet Badal, Akbar Ahmed, Jatin Prasad and RPN Singh, for instance.

Doon school alumnus Vibhor Gupta, popularly known as a roadie, told TOI, "DOSCO members have always been successful in myriad fields of life. Winning in the elections just adds another feather to the cap of our school's name."

The boarding school has always had a political connect, as former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi belonged in Doon's class of 1962. His grandson Rehan, following the family legacy, joined Doon in the eighth class.

Olympic champion shooter, Abhinav Bindra, fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani, novelist, Amitav Ghosh and senior journalist Karan Thapar were all students at Doon.