How the alumni fund helped restore the school’s old stage curtains

At the rear of the school hall, old stage curtains once formed a deep, uneven field of colour behind the lectern. Their folds framed every prize distribution, cultural programme and speech-day tableau, yet years of storage, dust and handling had left the fabric pale in places and fragile at the seams. For generations of pupils, that scenery carried more than decoration: it belonged to the visual memory of being a student at Baranagore Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama High School.

As the hall changed through repairs, new lighting and altered seating plans, many alumni still remembered the curtains before they entered a school photograph or reunion video. The restoration therefore began with a simple aim: recover the appearance and dependable movement of the stage backdrop while keeping as much surviving original textile as responsible conservation allowed. A fresh replacement might have been easier, but it would have severed the object from the shared history that made the project worth funding.

The BRKM Alumni Fund made the work possible by pooling small donations with larger contributions from former students and families. Alumni could direct a portion of a normal reunion contribution toward the curtains, while the committee kept the purpose visible in reunion communications and project records. Money was released in stages for assessment, conservation, reinstallation and aftercare, so fundraising became a practical chain of decisions rather than an open-ended collection with no visible endpoint.

For alumni in Australia, the project offered a meaningful way to support a familiar school while living far away. Some connect with old classmates over coffee or morning tea at suburban community centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, often sharing photographs that family groups had kept for decades. Their practical help could take the form of translation, historical knowledge, careful accounting or funding, just as it does in the committee’s wider work for disadvantaged and meritorious students.

Why the curtains mattered

A stage curtain is part of the scenery, yet it can also shape how an audience sees a performance. Heavy folds soften the edges of the platform, conceal storage space and give dancers, speakers and award recipients a clear visual field. Restoring the BRKM curtains therefore improved both appearance and function, allowing the backdrop to sit evenly without hiding performers behind bunched material.

The fabric also held traces of school routines that are easy to overlook in official histories. Pupils waited backstage before an annual function, adjusted borrowed costumes beside those folds and sometimes peeked through them during rehearsals. Such memories helped the committee value patina and repairs over a flawless imitation. Even a visible mend could remain acceptable if it supported the original cloth and returned the curtain to service.

The strongest case for conservation came from use rather than age alone. A backdrop weakened by sunlight could split under its own weight when drawn across the stage, while stubborn creases could trap dust against the hall wall. Careful preparation restored the curtain’s balance and safety without disguising every trace of time. The old material became readable as history, but it also had to perform like a functional school asset.

Memories became a conservation brief

The committee began by gathering evidence rather than relying on a single recollection. Old programme sheets, class photographs and phone images showed the curtains open, closed and gathered under different stage lights. These records helped establish the original colour range, hem profile and fullness. They also revealed how often improvised repairs had changed the shape over the years, information that would have been lost if the textile had been cut into new panels without documentation.

Each memory was treated as a useful lead, not unquestioned fact. Someone who attended a particular programme might recall a school colour or a section replaced after monsoon damage, while another could identify the same detail differently. The committee compared dates and visual sources, then asked a textile conservator to inspect the cloth itself. That combination of oral history and physical evidence produced a practical brief: preserve recognisable areas, stabilise weakened fibres and avoid cosmetic changes unsupported by evidence.

A conservator also defined what could not be undone. Fading and old staining could be reduced but not made to disappear without risking the remaining fibres. Original headings, seams and patches were recorded before work began because their positions showed how the curtains had been hung and repaired. The resulting treatment plan kept the visible irregularities that made the backdrop part of BRKM’s past while establishing clear standards for strength, cleanliness and movement.

Funding choices that protected the project

Once the scope was agreed, the fund could distinguish essential work from attractive extras. The first allocation covered examination and conservation; later releases followed approved quotations for cleaning, stitching, track work and reinstallation. A restricted project ledger recorded income, invoices and the remaining balance. Reunion donors received plain-language updates showing what each payment had achieved, protecting both the treasury and the curtains from costs that had never been explained.

Australian alumni often supplied useful comparisons for budgeting. A treasurer in Sydney or Melbourne could check fabric catalogues at Spotlight or Bunnings, where shoppers are accustomed to ordering online or collecting supplies in store, then compare the listed price with quotations from suppliers closer to the school. Australian retail figures generally include 10 per cent GST, while exchange rates, card fees and freight can alter an apparent bargain. Those benchmarks helped establish a realistic reserve before any purchase was approved.

Fundraising across borders also required careful handling of personal information. Depending on an Australian committee’s legal structure, donor lists and payment records may be covered by the Privacy Act 1988 and state charity requirements. A restricted spreadsheet, limited access for finance volunteers and a clear deletion schedule offered a sensible route through those rules. Public thanks could recognise a donor’s chosen name without publishing a telephone number, home address or bank detail.

Cleaning, stitching and reinstallation

Restoration started with controlled cleaning rather than aggressive scrubbing. The curtains were unfolded in a clean, well-lit work area, inspected for loose threads and tested with a cleaning method suited to their weave. Dust and surface soil were removed gradually, while fragile edges received support. This slow process reduced the chance that old fibres would be damaged in pursuit of a uniform colour.

Where the original fabric survived, it was retained; damaged sections were stabilised rather than replaced across the entire panel. Seams were reinforced, failed heading tape renewed and worn corners repaired with compatible materials. A new lining or track component could be introduced only when it improved safety or operation, and it was kept identifiable for future conservation. The fund paid for skilled handwork because neat machine stitching alone could not solve deterioration already present in the cloth.

The return to the stage was part of the restoration. Stage staff rehung the curtains, checked their travel across the rails and adjusted the leading edge so that the folds opened evenly. Under the hall lights, the restored textile regained depth without looking artificially new. After the first programme, the committee noted where the fabric rubbed or sagged, allowing small adjustments before the next gathering rather than waiting for another major failure.

Students gained practical lessons

The project gave students a reason to connect practical work with the alumni appeal. Older pupils photographed condition details, measured repaired areas and helped prepare captions for reunion displays. Younger students sorted photographs by date and matched them with old programmes. These tasks turned conservation into a live project in which careful observation mattered, while supporting the committee’s broader provision of educational materials and access to its study centre.

Students also drafted short condition notes and a donor update, then revised both for a wider audience. The progression resembled the move from handwritten observations to organised explanation described in this writing skills resource, with revision serving as a real task rather than a classroom exercise. Alumni could then compare those accounts with photographs submitted from family albums, strengthening the record for future care.

The restoration also modelled the values behind the alumni community’s wider assistance. Just as the committee supports meritorious students, runs competitions and organises medical camps, the curtain appeal showed students how a collective resource can preserve something shared. No pupil had to become a textile specialist for the project to be meaningful. Sorting, measuring, explaining and thanking donors each offered a distinct form of participation and a reason to feel connected to the school.

A new chapter for school gatherings

The restored curtains returned to school life in a way that felt different from storing a commemorative object away after a reunion. They framed assemblies, cultural evenings and community meetings again, creating a visible link between alumni donations and daily school activity. When former students examined old and new photographs together, they could see both the ageing object and the collective work that returned it to use.

Reunion guests can verify dates, contact the committee and follow restoration updates through BRKM Reunion, keeping the project connected to the alumni network rather than trapped in a single event. The website also helps the committee announce maintenance work, student activities and future gatherings. In that shared record, the curtain project sits beside reunion photographs, educational support and the continuing relationship between former students and the school.

Long-term care mattered as much as the restoration itself. The fund included guidance for folding, storage, cleaning and regular inspection, and the school appointed a teacher or stage staff member to record damage. A small maintenance reserve could address a torn seam before it spread, while rotating the panels when direct sunlight was strongest would reduce further fading. These habits would keep the curtains usable between major events and allow another generation to inherit their history without first inheriting a crisis.