The Oriental Seminary started in 1829 by the educator Gour Mohan Addy, was the earliest privately run, first-rate school for Hindu children only in Kolkata

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...

 (then known as Calcutta). It was open to Hindu boys only. It was possibly India’s first fully private school, as even Hindu School

Hindu School, Kolkata

Hindu School is a school in Kolkata , India. It is located on College Street, in the vicinity of Hare School, College Square, Presidency College and Calcutta University....

, then known as Hindu College, had to abide by certain government guidelines. In earlier days, students wanting to study English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 had to go to the missionary schools, where they were subject to substantial religious influence. The establishment of a school for learning English, free from religious influences was a major contribution of Addy.
Traditional Indian education centres which taught Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 and/or Persian

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

 had started fading out.

The school

The school was first located at Benshohata. Thereafter, it shifted its location thrice before moving into the present building on Rabindra Sarani (earlier known as Chitpur Road) in Jorasanko

Jorasanko

Jorasanko is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata. It is so called because of the two wooden or bamboo bridges that spanned a small stream at this point.-History:...

, often wrongly referred to as Chitpur

Chitpur

Chitpur is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. Sometimes, the entire area along Chitpur Road is referred to as Chitpur, although the various localities have distinctive names....

. It was inaugurated by the governor of Bengal, Lord Carmichael, in 1914. Its monthly fee of Rs 3 compared to Hindu School's Rs. 5 helped it to draw more students.

In 1836, a morning session for the infants was started. Bengali was introduced as a medium of instruction in 1839. By popular demand, three branches of the institution were set up in Chitpur, Bhowanipur and Belghoria. The school opened a girls' section in 1934. The higher secondary section of the school became co-educational in 1991. The building, constructed by Martin Burn, was declared a heritage structure in 1999.

Ashutosh Mukherjee

Ashutosh Mukherjee

Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, CIE was a prolific Bengali educator and the first Indian Vice Chancellor of the University of Calcutta from 1906 to 1924. Perhaps the most emphatic figure of Indian education, he was a man of great personality, high self-respect, courage and towering administrative ability...

 was associated with the school as the president of its governing body from 1907 to 1922 and Annie Besant

Annie Besant

Annie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...

 held the post in 1926. It celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2005.

The founder and teachers

Gour Mohan Addy (January 20, 1805 – March 3, 1846) started the school without any support from the government. For the junior classes, he appointed Eurasians, in the intermediate classes he had Bengali teachers and for the upper classes he appointed highly qualified Englishmen or Bengalis. He died in a boat accident in the Hooghly river, when returning from Serampore

Serampore

Serampore is a city and a municipality in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. It is a pre-colonial town on the right bank of the Hoogli River...

, after searching for a teacher for his school.

Shakespearean scholar Captain D.L. Richardson taught English in the school.

Notable alumni

Oriental Seminary was the earliest school Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...

 attended. The first experience of school aroused in the youngster the yearning to be a teacher. Yielding a stick, he used to teach from the railings in the big veranda of the palatial Jorasanko Thakur Bari

Jorasanko Thakur Bari

The Thakurbari The Thakurbari The Thakurbari (Bangla: House of the Thakurs (anglicised to Tagore) in Jorasanko, north of Kolkata, West Bengal, India is the ancestral home of the Tagore family. It is currently located on the Rabindra Bharati University campus at 6/4 Dwarakanath Tagore Lane...

.

Among the list of other notable alumni are – Krishnadas Pal

Kristo Das Pal

Kristo Das Pal , was an Indian journalist, orator and the editor of Hindoo Patriot. In spite of being born of the Teli or oil-men's caste, which ranks low in the Hindu social hierarchy, he rose to be one of the important persons of his age....

, Kailash Chandra Bose, Girish Chandra Ghosh

Girish Chandra Ghosh

Girish Chandra Ghosh was a Bengali musician, poet, playwright, novelist, theatre director and actor. He was largely responsible for the golden age of Bengali theatre. He can be referred to as the Father of Bengali Theatre...

, Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee

Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee

Womesh Chandra Banerjee was an Indian politician and the first president of Indian National Congress.- Early days :...

, Sir Gooroodas Banerjee

Gooroodas Banerjee

Sir Gooroodas Banerjee, KCIE was a Bengali Indian judge of the Calcutta High Court. In 1890, he also became the first Indian Vice-Chancellor of University of Calcutta...

, Akshay Kumar Datta

Akshay Kumar Datta

Akshay Kumar Datta was born in Chupi in Bardhaman. Son of Pitamber Dutta, he was one of the initiators of the Bengal Renaissance. After studying in the Oriental Seminary under the special care of Hardman Jeffroy, he had to give up studies because of the death of his father and go job-seeking...

, Sudhindranath Dutta

Sudhindranath Dutta

Sudhindranath Dutta was a Bengali Indian post-modern poet, essayist, journalist and critic. Sudhindranath is one of the most notable poets after the Tagore-era in Bangla literature.-Education:...

 and Mithun Chakraborty

Mithun Chakraborty

Mithun Chakraborty is an Indian film actor, social activist, and entrepreneur, who has won three National Film Awards. He made his acting debut with the arthouse drama Mrigaya , for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor....

.