Durga Puja: Here’s why Delhi must also celebrate the storied legacy of its Bengali schools

For the Durga Puja pandal-hopping Bengali community of the capital, visiting the Kashmere Gate and Vinay Nagar Pujas is akin to an article of faith. For a long time, Durga Puja has been celebrated within the campuses of the Bengali School, Kashmere Gate (established in 1899), and Vinay Nagar Bengali School, respectively. Almost all the old Bengali families of the capital have connections with these two schools, as well as with Raisina Bengali School (Mandir Marg), Union Academy School, and Shyama Prasad School.

Kashmere Gate Bengali School holds the distinction of being the first Bengali school in the capital. “The school started its journey in Dariba Kalan. Later, it was moved to Esplanade Road, and then to Church Road near St. James’ Church, before finally settling at its current location on Shamnath Marg,” says Abhijeet Sinha, an author whose family has lived in the capital for many decades.

In 1936, Kashmere Gate Bengali School was brought under the Delhi Education Board. “Bengali families living in and around Chandni Chowk and Kashmere Gate used to send their children to this school. These Bengalis moved to Delhi even before it became the capital of India. They started their Puja near Tees Hazari, and there was also a Bengali Club at Kashmere Gate,” informs Kishore Sen Gupta, a professional in the advertising industry.

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Where Tagore and Netaji have visited

For Anadi Barua, a renowned footballer and former coach of the Indian women’s football team, Raisina Bengali School at Mandir Marg is like a temple. Apart from his own family, many of his friends, relatives, and neighbours studied at this school, which was established in 1925.

Icons like Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose visited the school. “Gurudev visited in January 1940, around eight months before his death in 1941. Although the exact date is not available, it is known that he inaugurated the school library. It’s believed that since Netaji was the president of the New Delhi Kali Bari in 1935, he would have also visited Raisina Bengali School,” says Ashim Haldar, an alumnus of the school.

Starting from a small room in Willingdon Hospital (now RML), the school briefly operated from Doctor’s Lane before being allotted its current premises in 1932. In 1988, a branch opened in Chittaranjan Park. Notable visitors include two Presidents of India, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and Giani Zail Singh, as well as West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu.

“There was a time when Bengali families from Minto Road, Goal Market, Thomson Road, Karol Bagh, and even East Delhi ensured their children studied here,” informs Jaideep Basu, a media professional.

Where a superstar of Bengali films studied

Monica Sen, a young woman, began a small school with a handful of children at her home in Vinay Nagar in 1952. As the number of students grew, she moved the school to a tent in 1960, and a couple of years later, it was allotted a larger plot in Vinay Nagar. The efforts of senior bureaucrats AK Ray and Kirti Narayan Roy Chowdhary were instrumental in securing this plot. Despite Vinay Nagar being renamed Sarojini Nagar in the early 1960s, the school retained its original name.

Having completed its 70-year journey in 2022, Vinay Nagar Bengali School has provided quality education to the children of Bengali families living in the colonies of South Delhi that have a large presence of bureaucrats. Children from non-Bengali families have also studied there. Many students have gone on to become IAS and IFS officers, doctors, and more, but the most famous alumnus is undoubtedly Tapas Pal, a celebrated actor in Bengali cinema and a two-time Member of Parliament from Krishnanagar. He gained fame with his debut in Dadar Kirti (1980), a romantic drama by Tarun Majumdar, and maintained his popularity with films such as Saheb (1981), Parabat Priya (1984), Bhalobasa Bhalobasa (1985), Amar Bandhan (1986), and Guru Dakshina (1987). He made his Bollywood debut in Abodh (1984) opposite Madhuri Dixit. Pal lived in Safdarjung Enclave and passed away in 2022.

Much of the credit for the school’s success goes to its second principal, NC Mukherjee, who served from 1958 to 1976. He recruited qualified teachers and went door-to-door in Chittaranjan Park, RK Puram, and Kidwai Nagar to encourage enrolment. D Bhattacharya, principal from 1986 to 2002, focused on the overall development of the students. Notable visitors to the school included Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sheila Dikshit, and Kapil Dev.

Union Acadmey: From Shimla to Delhi

Union Academy, another Bengali school in the capital, has a rich history. It shifted to Delhi from Shimla in 1939, where it was known as Bengali Boys’ School. The building was constructed by the renowned contractor Sardar Sobha Singh. Along with Harcourt Butler School, Mandir Marg, Union Academy relocated to Shimla during the summer months until 1946, when India’s capital officially settled in Delhi post-independence.

“Union Academy is located near Shivaji Stadium, a hub of hockey in Delhi. This proximity fostered a strong hockey culture in the school, and more students play hockey here than any other sport,” says Manju Mazumdar, former Principal of Union Academy. The school has won several prestigious hockey championships, including the Mohan Singh Hockey Championship (four times) and the All India Nehru Hockey Championship (three times). Vineet Kumar, a former Indian full back hockey player, is a notable alumnus.

“I believe that outside of Bengal, Delhi has the highest number of Bengali schools where Bengali is taught. Even non-Bengali students learn Bengali here. However, Bengali parents today are less inclined to send their children to these schools, which led to the closure of Bengali classes in my school. Thankfully, our efforts revived interest, and the classes were restored,” concludes Mazumdar.

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Shyama Prasad B Vidyalaya – diversity matters

Can you imagine a Sikh gentleman overseeing Saraswati Puja at a Bengali school? That’s precisely what happens at Shyama Prasad Vidyalaya. “Although I come from a Sikh family in Aliganj, my father enrolled both my brother and me in Shyama Prasad Vidyalaya. If I speak fluent Bengali today, it’s thanks to my schooling there,” says IP Singh Bawa, a noted Doordarshan news anchor.

The school was established in Lodhi Colony in June 1948. Since the British built Lodhi Colony and Lodhi Estate before leaving India, many Bengali employees of the Central government moved into government flats in the area, and most enrolled their children in Shyama Prasad School. The foundation stone of the school was laid by Dr S Radhakrishnan, then Vice President of India, on 6th March 1960. The double-storey building was completed in 1961.

Real estate professional Jayanta Barua, who passed out of Shyama Prasad School about 20 years ago, says the school’s diversity is what makes it special. “You can find students from various states studying together.”

The writer is a Delhi-based senior journalist and author of two books ‘Gandhi’s Delhi: April 12, 1915-January 30, 1948 and Beyond’ and ‘Dilli Ka Pehla Pyar – Connaught Place