Hindu School, Kolkata
Encyclopedia
Hindu School is a school in Kolkata
(Calcutta), India
. It is located on College Street
, in the vicinity of Hare School
, College Square, Presidency College
and Calcutta University.
Hindu College, the school's predecessor, was established in 1817 by Raja Rammohan Roy, David Hare
, Radhakanta Deb and other educationists. In 1855, the pathsala part of Hindu College became Hindu School and the other part (mahapathshala) became Presidency College. The date of establishment of the Hindu College, 1817, is considered the establishment date of both Hindu school and Presidency College. The school is one of the oldest existing schools in Calcutta and India.
The school has grades 1 to 12 and the language of instruction is Bengali
. Students appear for 10+(Madhyamik
) examination under West Bengal Board of Secondary Education
and 12+(Higher Secondary Examination
) examination under West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education
. Grade 11 and 12 have three streams- science, arts and commerce. It is a boys-only school with a strength of 1100 students.
On the opening day there were 20 pupils on the rolls but within the next three months the number swelled to 69. At a later date the pathshala was separated as Hindu School.
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
(Calcutta), India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is located on College Street
College Street (Kolkata)
College Street is a street in north Calcutta. It stretches from Bowbazar to Mahatma Gandhi road crossing. It houses many centres of intellectual activity in the city...
, in the vicinity of Hare School
Hare School
Hare School is one of the oldest schools in Kolkata, India, teaching grades 1 to 12 under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. The boys-only school was established by the Scottish watch-maker David Hare with the help of social...
, College Square, Presidency College
Presidency College, Kolkata
Presidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a unitary, state aided university, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. and one of the premier institutes of learning of liberal arts and sciences in India. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine...
and Calcutta University.
Hindu College, the school's predecessor, was established in 1817 by Raja Rammohan Roy, David Hare
David Hare (philanthropist)
David Hare was a Scottish watchmaker and philanthropist in Bengal. He founded many important and prestigious educational institutions in Kolkata, such as the Hindu School, and Hare School and helped in founding Presidency College.-Early life:...
, Radhakanta Deb and other educationists. In 1855, the pathsala part of Hindu College became Hindu School and the other part (mahapathshala) became Presidency College. The date of establishment of the Hindu College, 1817, is considered the establishment date of both Hindu school and Presidency College. The school is one of the oldest existing schools in Calcutta and India.
The school has grades 1 to 12 and the language of instruction is Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
. Students appear for 10+(Madhyamik
Madhyamik
Madhyamik is a centralised examination conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education at the end of 10th standard of school. It is the most popular 10th standard examination in India. More than 7,50,000 students took the exam in 2006 and the number increases substantially every year....
) examination under West Bengal Board of Secondary Education
West Bengal Board of Secondary Education
The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education is the West Bengal state government administered autonomous examining authority for the Standard 10 examination of West Bengal, India. The examination for the 10th standard is called the Madhyamik Pariksha or secondary examination...
and 12+(Higher Secondary Examination
Higher Secondary Examination
Higher Secondary Examination is a centralised examination that students in India take up after class 10 . All the State School Education Boards, CBSE, CISCE and NIOS conducts exams during the period of March-April every year...
) examination under West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education is the West Bengal state government administered autonomous examining authority for the Standard 12 examination of West Bengal, India...
. Grade 11 and 12 have three streams- science, arts and commerce. It is a boys-only school with a strength of 1100 students.
Overview
Prior to the advent of the British in India, the primary schools of Bengal taught very little beyond Bangla, simple Arithmetic and Sanskrit. The tols (local small schools run by individuals) gave lessons in advanced Sanskrit, grammar and literature, theology, logic and metaphysics. This was not enough to satisfy the aspiration of Indians like Raja Rammohun Roy, who felt that the process would only 'load the minds of youths with grammatical niceties and metaphysical distinctions' without having any practical use. The necessity of learning English was also keenly felt by people who had to carry on a constant interaction with the British businessmen. A few schools were set up with the purpose of providing rudimentary education in the English language to native Indians. Hindu School was one of them.History
Dewan Baidya Nath Mukherjee was deputed to collect the subscriptions for the new school. Sir Edward Hyde East, Chief Justice of the Calcutta Supreme Court was invited to chair the committee and Joseph Baretto became the Treasurer. The principal donors being the Maharajah of Burdwan (Tejchand Bahadur) and Gopee Mohun Thakur, each contributing Rupees 10,000.On the opening day there were 20 pupils on the rolls but within the next three months the number swelled to 69. At a later date the pathshala was separated as Hindu School.
Chronology
- January 20, 1817 - Hindu College is established
- 1855 - The pathshala part became Hindu School, and the other part (mahapathshala) became Presidency College.
- 1992 - 175th anniversary observed
Notable alumni
- Abanindranath TagoreAbanindranath TagoreAbanindranath Tagore was the principal artist of the Bengal school and the first major exponent of swadeshi values in Indian art. He was also a noted writer, particularly for children...
- Ramtanu LahiriRamtanu LahiriRamtanu Lahiri was a Young Bengal leader, a renowned teacher and a social reformer. Peary Chand Mitra wrote about him, “There are few persons in whom the milk of kindness flows so abundantly...
- Debendranath TagoreDebendranath TagoreDebendranath Tagore was one of the founders in 1848 of the Brahmo Religion which today is synonymous with Brahmoism the youngest religion of India and Bangladesh....
- Satyendranath TagoreSatyendranath TagoreSatyendranath Tagore was the first Indian to join the Indian Civil Service. He was an author, song composer, linguist and made significant contribution towards the emancipation of women in Indian society during the British Raj.-Formative years:...
. - Jyotirindranath TagoreJyotirindranath TagoreJyotirindranath Tagore was a playwright, a musician, an editor and a painter. Endowed with an outstanding talent, he had the rare capability of spotting talent in others...
. - Michael Madhusudan DuttMichael Madhusudan DuttMichael Madhusudan Dutt or Michael Madhusudan Dutta was a popular 19th century Bengali poet and dramatist. He was born in Sagardari , on the bank of Kopotaksho [কপোতাক্ষ] River, a village in Keshobpur Upozila, Jessore District, East Bengal . His father was Rajnarayan Dutt, an eminent lawyer, and...
- Rajnarayan BasuRajnarayan BasuRajnarayan Basu was a writer and intellectual of the Bengal Renaissance. He was born in Boral in 24 Parganas and studied at the Hare School and Hindu College, both premier institutions in Kolkata, Bengal at the time. A monotheist at heart, Rajnarayan Basu converted to Brahmoism at the age of...
- Mahendra Lal Sircar
- Radhanath SikdarRadhanath SikdarRadhanath Sikdar was an Indian mathematician who, among many other things, calculated the height of Peak XV in the Himalaya and showed it to be the tallest mountain above sea level. Peak XV was later named Mount Everest.-Early life:Radhanath was born as youngest child of Tituram, a resident of...
- Satyendra Nath BoseSatyendra Nath BoseSatyendra Nath Bose FRS was an Indian mathematician and physicist noted for his collaboration with Albert Einstein in developing a theory regarding the gaslike qualities of electromagnetic radiation. He is best known for his work on quantum mechanics in the early 1920s, providing the foundation...
- Ramesh Chandra Majumdar
- Chhabi BiswasChhabi BiswasChhabi Biswas was a much revered Bengali character actor, primarily known for his performances in Tapan Sinha's Kabuliwala and Satyajit Ray's films Jalshaghar , Devi and Kanchenjungha .He is the best remembered for his numerous roles as the quintessential aristocratic patriarch, was himself the...
- Pratap Chandra ChunderPratap Chandra ChunderPratap Chandra Chunder was a union minister of India, educationist and author. He served in Morarji Desai Ministry from 1977 to 1980 as a cabinet minister with education and social welfare portfolios.-Family and education:...