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AJMER, India: Stepping through the gates of India's Mayo College is like journeying back 150 years. Yet, the school that was once reserved for princes now educates a new elite.
Its history echoes with grandeur. The first student, the son of the Maharajah of Alwar, arrived in 1875 with pomp, seated in a palanquin and accompanied by 300 servants.
"We try to preserve a certain tradition of the past," said Saurav Sinha, principal of the school in Rajasthan's Ajmer.
"But only to the extent it enriches our culture, and lets our students remember who they are, and where they come from."
Nicknamed the "Eton of the East" and modelled after England's elite boarding schools, Mayo was founded by the British viceroy, the Earl of Mayo, with the aim of fostering relations between Indian royalty and London.
Today, among its 850 students aged nine to 18, only a few are descendants of royalty.
They have been succeeded by the scions of ministers, business magnates, diplomats and senior army officers.
Tuition fees run to around $11,500 a year -- a fortune in a country where annual per capita income is about $2,300.
This places Mayo among a rarefied dozen elite boarding schools in India -- a stark contrast to the nearly 1.5 million other educational institutions in the world's most populous nation, where more than two-fifths lack computers.
For many families, the cost is justified.
"It was clear to me to send my two sons here, because it prepares you for anything," said Abhishek Singh Tak, who runs an events company in Jodhpur and is himself a Mayo alumnus.
Standing before the school's majestic main building, built of marble reminiscent of the Taj Mahal, he stated: "Everything I am today started from here."

Military discipline 

His sons Nirbhay, 10, and Viren, 17, now live in this luxurious cocoon for nine months a year.
The younger dreams of Oxford; the elder aims for the University of Delhi or Sciences Po in France, hoping to become a diplomat.
Although the strict military discipline that built Mayo's reputation still prevails, recent years have seen greater emphasis on student well-being and self-confidence.
Headmaster Sinha balances "immense respect for the heritage" with a resolve to keep the school "resolutely forward-looking and adapted to a rapidly changing world."
The 76-hectare campus is an oasis of ancient trees and lush lawns -- a striking sight in Rajasthan's desert.
But students have little respite between rising at dawn and lights out at 9:30 pm.
"We're so busy that I don't have time to think about my family," joked Arrin, provoking laughter from his classmates.
A year after leaving Mumbai, the 11-year-old seems content and at ease.
"What I miss most is home-cooked food," he said, standing straight with hands behind his back, as required.
Rajesh Soni, head of the junior school, admitted the first months can be challenging.
Mayo has therefore recruited psychologists and increased the number of female teachers and support staff.
"The priority is to make it a place where happiness reigns, so they can explore and achieve their goals," he said, adding that "everything is done to awaken their intellectual curiosity".

Launchpad for ambition 

Parents say the results speak for themselves.
"My son has gained enormous self-confidence; he has become very independent," said Daakshi Bhide, 38, a Mayo English teacher whose 10-year-old son boards at the school.
Before classes begin, students wearing white shirts and navy blazers gather for morning assembly, where they say prayers and discuss current events.
The curriculum, taught in English, is broad: science, foreign languages, literature, international relations, art and music.
Afternoons are reserved for sports.
Mayo offers around 20 disciplines -- from polo and golf to swimming, shooting and tennis.
Football has recently overtaken cricket as the campus favourite.
The facilities are exceptional: an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course, and stables housing 60 horses.
Arrin, whose parents are a doctor and a businessman, hopes to become a professional footballer.
A die-hard Ronaldo fan, he sees Mayo as the first step.
A third of students plan to study abroad -- in Britain, Australia or the United States.
Many want to contribute to India's prosperity. Advaya Sidharth Bhatia, 17, hopes to launch a business at home and "help his country."
Sinha reiterated: "I have immense respect for this heritage, but Mayo must always look to the future."
For many, that future is exactly why they are here.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s health minister had his daughter vaccinated against cervical cancer on live television on Saturday to counter rumors about side effects, a symbolic move aimed at reassuring parents as the country rolls out the shot nationwide.

Since Pakistan began offering the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine this month, social media posts have circulated claiming girls were falling sick and that the jab could cause infertility.

Health officials and international agencies say the typical side effects are mild and temporary — such as soreness in the arm or a brief fever — and there is no scientific evidence linking the vaccine to infertility.

“Pakistan is the 151st country in the world where this vaccination has been administered,” Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said at a news conference after the televised inoculation. “Prior to that, this vaccine has been used in 150 countries in which almost all Muslim states are included.”

He acknowledged it was difficult to bring his family before the cameras but said he wanted to highlight prevention.

“Since the start of this vaccination, there has been negative and misleading propaganda,” he said. “Today I thought that no Pakistani mother, sister or daughter should refuse this vaccine because of false propaganda and then lose her life as a result.”

Pakistan introduced the HPV shot in September with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the Gavi vaccine alliance. The first phase targets girls aged 9 to 14 in selected districts, with authorities planning to expand coverage in coming years.

The vaccine protects against cervical cancer, which develops from persistent infection with high-risk types of the HPV, a common virus that can cause cancers later in life, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaccination before exposure can prevent most cases, according to the WHO, which has recommended the jab for adolescent girls since 2006.

Cervical cancer is one of the leading cancers among women in Pakistan.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a WHO body, said in April there were an estimated 4,762 new cases of cervical cancer in 2023, resulting in about 3,069 deaths from the disease.