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were huge cultural differences with people from the “mainland.” Physical features and
ethnicity were only a starting point and then there were differences in language, way of
life, food and even religion. People here had never heard of a game called cricket, far less
about a Sachin Tendulkar, nor did they know of Bollywood and Hindi movies or samosas
or idli/dosa. With this cultural chasm, many people perceived the Indian Army as an

intruding force in their homeland. Importantly, Chris found that many children were not
getting access to education because of the absence of proper schools and the inability
to afford education, especially when the only available schools were oftentimes far from
children’s homes, and required them to live in hostels in order to receive an education.
Determined to make a difference, Chris and Myrna began sponsoring the education of
children out of their own funds and were soon joined by friends and family.

A turning point came when a Mizo boy, a son of a vegetable seller, got admission to
a college in the USA and approached Chris for a loan. Seeing potential in the boy, Chris
sponsored him with the proviso that he would return the loan once he started earning.

A year later, parents of the boy came over with a pumpkin from their fields, a small
shawl….and the money borrowed! Even as he was studying, the boy had worked odd
jobs, determined to return the cash. Now, the boy requested that the money returned
be loaned to a friend for his studies. That youngster too got a job in an IT company and
promptly returned his loan. Chris and Myrna then decided that it was foolish to keep
their money in the bank earning a paltry interest when the same money could be used to
make lives and careers. Soon, the number of sponsored children grew, and many family
members and friends joined this venture. Today, from that crop of youngsters is a super-
specialist doctor, a lawyer from Bangalore’s National Law School and an MBA holder,

among others. In the meantime, Chris and I had fallen out of contact with each other for
33 years. In 2012, out of the blue, I received a call from Chris saying he had a dream and
wanted to construct a primary school in remote Muvanlai village in south Manipur and
wondered if I could help. Seeing the impact his work was having, my wife and I decided
to contribute. He salvaged old shelters and construction material from the Army, and
within 6 months, in February 2014 the Lyzon Friendship School was raised.

About to retire from the Army, Chris requested for his last posting to be in Manipur,
at that time in the throes of civil unrest and insurgency. An incredulous officer in the
posting department asked him whether he was unwell while asking for such a strange

posting when he had the opportunity to ask for his hometown Bangalore! From 2012
until his retirement in January 2016, Col Chris served on deputation with the Border
Roads Organization. During his extensive tours through the state, he experienced much
violence, including seeing the deaths of Army colleagues in ambushes. It was here that
he crystallized his idea that education could become the pathway to peace. If the next
generation could get educated and empowered to make better choices, they could be
steered away from radicalization against their own country. In 2013, Chris decided to
commence his work and with the help of the Army and one of our classmates, constructed

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