Our History

Our History

TIME MARCHES ON BUT MEMORY STAYS

You would be proud to learn that our school, popularly known as Kashmere Gate Bangla School, is the first recognized Bengali School in Delhi (founded on 23rd February, 1899). The school with only 40 students and a Teacher. The teacher was Mr. Karayan Das, who volunteered himself and took two hours class in the morning before going to his place of work, namely ‘Kartarak & Company’ located in Chandni Chowk. Mr. Narayan Das was joined by Pandit Net Ram Ji a year later in 1900. Panditji continued till early 1930s. Panditji was not a Bengali but was well versed in the language. After few years Mr. Pearson, a British gentlemen, joined the school and taught English till 1933. Mr. Anupama Taran was the first lady teacher to be appointed in our school in the year 1952 and she continued till her retirement. Our school shall remain very fortunate to have a Sanskrit Scholar and great astrologer in Pandit Jitendra Mohan Bhattacharya (Pandit Moshai) as one of its teacher.

In 1899, our school started its cherished journey in a very humble manner at rented accommodation in Katra Masrut in Dariba Kalan. Later the school was shifted from there to a building adjoining the ‘Satya Narayan Mandir’ in Esplanade near Chandni Chowk and then to Hamilton Road. After that it moved in to Church Road, Kashmere Gate near historic St. James Church. The school stayed in the Church Road premises for 40 years approx. and finally, in the year 1961, moved to its present and permanent premises at Alipur road (now Shamnath Marg), Civil Lines, Delhi.

In 1901, the school received a grant of Rs. 50.00 (Rupees Fifty only) from the Directorate of Accountant General, Post & Telegraph to which it was affiliated Mr. S Wright and Pandit Shiv Dayal brought the school under the Punjab University.

In 1913, there was a proposal to demote the school from Matric to Middle School Level due to financial crises and the Management was transferred to the Public Hand, Mr. Manav Chandra Bandopadhyay was elected the President and Dr. J K Sen the Secretary of the Managing Committee. In 1936, the school was brought under Delhi Education Board. Co- education was allowed in the school till class VII in 1949. During this year a decision was again made by the Education Board to reduce the school to middle level and scrap the co-education system. Anticipating hardship by the ‘Probasi Bengalis’, the then Secretary of the school Late Paresh Chandra Mitra along with Prof. Shaileswar Sen (Principal of the Commercial College, Delhi), Late Baidyanath Sarakar (Kaviraj Moshai) and Late Rashbehari Sen had met and convinced Sir Maurice Gwyer (the then Head of Education Deptt.) to allow the school to run as per the existing structure, thus averting the crises. The school was later converted to a full-fledged co- educational school of the Capital.