Alumni of The Doon School

The Doon School, nestled in the valleys of Dehradun, India, stands as a pillar of excellence in education, molding young minds to step into the world with confidence, knowledge, and a sense of responsibility. Established in 1935, it has earned a reputation as one of the premier educational institutions in India, fostering an environment that combines rigorous academics with a broad range of extracurricular activities. The school’s illustrious alumni, known as “Doscos,” are a testament to its enduring legacy, having carved out notable niches in diverse fields such as politics, business, literature, arts, sports, and public service. The alumni of The Doon School have not only shaped the trajectory of India but have also made substantial contributions to the global community, holding high offices, creating art, leading innovations, and breaking new ground in various domains. The following compilation provides a glimpse into the lives and achievements of some of the distinguished individuals who have walked the corridors of The Doon School, highlighting their significant impacts and the varied paths they have traversed.

Alumni of The Doon School

The Doon School, located in Dehradun, India, has been a nurturing ground for numerous individuals who have gone on to make significant contributions in various fields. The school’s alumni, known as Doscos, have achieved prominence in politics, business, journalism, literature, arts, and sports, among other areas.

Prime Minister

• Rajiv Gandhi (1962): The 6th Prime Minister of India.

Cabinet Ministers

• Mani Shankar Aiyar (1958): Minister of Panchayati Raj, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports.
• Jitin Prasada (1991): Minister of State for Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• Jyotiraditya Scindia (1989): Minister of State for Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Arun Singh (1960), C.P.N Singh (1952), Dinesh Singh (1943), Karan Singh (1949), R.P.N. Singh (1982): Have held various ministerial positions, including in Defence, Foreign Affairs, and Commerce.

Chief Ministers

• Naveen Patnaik (1964): Chief Minister of Odisha.
• Amarinder Singh (1960): Former Chief Minister of Punjab.
• Kamal Nath (1964): Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
• Lt. Gen. Ghulam Jilani Khan (1943): Governor of Punjab, Pakistan.

Members of Parliament and Legislative Assemblies

• Rahul Gandhi (1983): Member of Parliament, President of the Indian National Congress.
• Sanjay Gandhi (1964): Lok Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh.
• Kalikesh Singh Deo (1992), Dushyant Singh (1991), Vishvjit Singh (1964), Manpreet Singh Badal (1981), Adesh Kanwarjit Singh Brar (1966), Ananga Udaya Singh Deo (1963), Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon (1974), Uday Pratap Singh (1977), Murtaza Ali Khan (1942), Gajendra Singh Khimsar (1974), Chandra Vijay Singh (1964), Saurabh Narain Singh (1993), Nakul Nath (1992), Raninder Singh (1982), Jaivardhan Singh (2004): Have held various positions as Members of Parliament, Legislative Assemblies, and Ministers.

Diplomats and Bureaucrats

• Parameswaran Iyer (1977): Led the Swachh Bharat Mission.
• Uma Shankar Bajpai (1936), Vinod Kumar Grover (1953), Inder Pal Khosla (1954), Dalip Mehta (1958), Nagendra Nath Jha (1964), Aftab Seth (1959), Jamsheed Marker (1940), Khursheed Marker (1941), Vinay Sheel Oberoi (1972): Have served as Ambassadors and Foreign Secretaries to various countries.

Communist Activist

• Kobad Ghandy (1969): Noted Communist activist.

Law

• Brahma Nath Katju (1942): Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court.

Armed Forces

• Lakshman Katre (1944), B C Nanda (1949), Brijesh Dhar Jayal (1953), Trilochan Singh Brar (1943), FN Billimoria (1952), Kuldip Singh Brar (1954), Adi M. Sethna (1942), Deepak Summanwar (1963), Yashpal Pratap Bahadur Singh (1959), Sukhjit Singh (1949), Bhawani Singh (1949): Have held various high-ranking positions in the Armed Forces.

Business

• Sunil Kant Munjal (1973): Managing director of Hero MotoCorp.
• Siddhartha Lal (1991): CEO and MD of Eicher Motors.
• Sharan Pasricha (1996): Founder of Ennismore Hospitality, The Hoxton, and Gleneagles.
• Ishaat Hussain (1976), Rajiv Dutta (1976), Ajit Narain Haksar (1943), Anil Kumar (1976), Vikram Lal (1970), Arjun Malhotra (1981), Vittal Mallya (1939), M. Ct. Muthiah (1968), Nikhil Nanda (1970), Mhd. Rafique Saigol (?), Analjit Singh (1971), Malvinder Mohan Singh (1982), Shivinder Mohan Singh (1983), Gautam Thapar (1976), L. M. Thapar (1952), A. Vellayan (1976), R. C. Bhargava (1949), Samir Modi (1988): Have held various high-ranking positions in companies like Tata Sons, eBay, ITC Limited, McKinsey, Eicher Group, United Breweries Limited, Max Healthcare, Vodafone India, Avantha Group, Murugappa Group, Maruti Suzuki, and Modi Enterprises.

Journalism

• Aroon Purie (1962): Editor-in-chief of India Today.
• Vikram Chandra (1985): CEO of NDTV.
• Karan Thapar (1971): Noted Journalist.
• Prannoy Roy (1966): Founder of NDTV.
• Rajiv Makhni (1984): Technology journalist.
• Rakesh Wahi (1975): Founder of CNBC Africa.
• Swaminathan Aiyar (1960), Inderjit Badhwar (1969), Vikramaditya Chandra (1985), Prem Shankar Jha (1965), Peter Mukerjea (1971), Tejeshwar Singh (1965), B G Verghese (1958), Abhinandan Sekhri (1992), Govind Dhar (1997): Have held various positions in journalism, including as editors, executive editors, and correspondents.

Literature

• Amitav Ghosh (1972): Noted Novelist.
• Vikram Seth (1969): Noted Novelist and Poet.
• Ramachandra Guha (1973): Historian and non-fiction writer.
• Shyam Bhatia (1967), Pushpinder Singh Chopra (1959), Mahmood Farooqui (1990), A. N. D. Haksar (1950), Shiv Kunal Verma (1976), B G Verghese (1958), Amardeep Singh (1986), Vikramaditya Chandra (1983), Vishvjit Singh (1964), Ardashir Vakil (1978): Have contributed significantly to non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama.

Education

• Ghulam Jilani Khan (1943): Founder of Chand Bagh School and former Defence Secretary of Pakistan.
• Kanti Bajpai (1972): International affairs researcher and professor at National University of Singapore.
• Arvind Virmani (1965): Economist.
• Vijay Prashad (1985): Historian.
• Arjun Singh Bedi (1988), Bhaskar Vira (1985), Lalit Pande (1963), Suman Bery, Prasenjit Duara (1967), Shomie Das (1953), Wajahat Habibullah (1961), Deepak Lal (1955), Gulab Ramchandani (1948), Ravi J. Matthai (1945), Lovraj Kumar (1947): Have made significant contributions in the field of education, including as professors, directors, and headmasters.

Arts

• Sir Anish Kapoor (1970): Noted Artist.
• Sandeep Khosla (1981): Fashion designer.
• Ali Fazal (2005): Actor.
• Rohit Khosla (1976): Founder of Ensemble, fashion designer.
• Ashvin Kumar (1991): Film director.
• Tarun Tahiliani (1980): Fashion designer.
• Sohrab Hura (2000), Latika Katt nee Sharma (1966), Vivan Sundaram (1961), Abhishek Poddar (1986), Martand Singh, Manoviraj Khosla, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Sudhanshu Saria, Rajiv Rai (1972), Ashwin Mushran (1990), Roshan Seth (1960), Imaad Shah (2004), Vivaan Shah (2008), Chandrachur Singh (1986), Dan Dhanoa (1974), Satyadeep Misra, Himani Shivpuri (née Bhatt) (1973), Rajeev Siddhartha, Neel Madhav (2011), Roopak Saluja (1993), Bhaskar Menon (1972), Nazir Jairazbhoy (1945), Sahej Bakshi (2005), Hari Singh, Rahul Akerkar (1976), Deepak Nirula (1968): Have made significant contributions in the fields of Fine Arts, Design, Films, Television, Music, and Culinary.

Sports

• Bunker Roy (1962): Squash champion and founder of Barefoot College.
• Nandu Jayal (1942): Mountaineer and founder principal of Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.
• Abhinav Bindra (2000): Olympic shooter champion.
• Samarjitsinh Gaekwad (1986), Michael Dalvi (1962), Sam Agarwal (2009), Ashok Singh Malik (1954): Have achieved prominence in sports like cricket and golf.

Titular Princes

• Miangul Aurangzeb (1946), Mukarram Jah (1951), Hso Khan Pha (1956), Rana Hemant Singh (1969), Sawai Bhawani Singh (1947), Pragmulji III: Have held titular princely titles.

Various members of the Former Royal Family of Kapurthala have also studied at The Doon School.

The Doon School has been instrumental in shaping the lives of many individuals who have achieved notable success in their respective fields. The diverse array of alumni underscores the school’s commitment to fostering excellence across various domains, contributing significantly to the nation and the world.