Beneath the winter afternoon solar within the lawns of the century-old Raisina Bengali Faculty on Mandir Marg, a bunch of 70-year-old women and men, wrapped in jackets, sat in a circle sharing rolls, pizzas, and Kolkata-style biryani. “It has been a long time, however it looks like yesterday,” mentioned Rathin Das, a retired journalist, with a smile.
He is without doubt one of the alumni from the 1971 batch, who has gathered to rejoice the varsity’s three-day centenary celebrations that started on Thursday. He’s not alone, the varsity is internet hosting all its former college students on its campus until Saturday.
For Das, the campus wasn’t only a setting, it was a time capsule of cricket video games being performed at unlikely locations, a strict principal, and a way of belonging that point had solely deepened with the passing of time.
The varsity, established in 1925, owes its inception to the Bengali group in Mandir Marg, who sought to satisfy the academic wants of their kids after the British Indian capital shifted from Kolkata to Delhi in 1911.
Initially a center college with 57 college students and one trainer, it started on the premises of what’s now Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, then often known as Willingdon Hospital. Over time, it moved twice earlier than settling at its present location on Mandir Marg in 1932.
The varsity is a placing instance of colonial-era structure. Painted in a heat shade of yellow, the construction is adorned with tall white columns that body the primary entrance. The symmetrical facade additionally options arched doorways and home windows.
“Again then, the varsity didn’t also have a twelfth grade. It solely taught as much as Class 11,” reminisced Das, who has traveled from Ahmedabad. As he exchanged laughs together with his classmate Shankar Ghosh, attempting to recall when precisely co-education was launched within the college, he mentioned, “A variety of recollections right here.”
Gesturing on the college garden, Sushant Basu, a former extra director on the Municipal Company of Delhi, mentioned: “After we joined, even the first block had not been constructed. Lessons 1 to five had been held in tents proper right here on the garden. There was additionally a large bathroom compound the place we used to play cricket.”
“We even performed hand tennis there,” Ghosh added.
For Basu, who joined the varsity in Class 3, Raisina Bengali Faculty was greater than an alma mater – it was a household custom. “My father and three uncles studied right here. You’ll be able to think about how particular this place is to me.”
“Initially solely Bengali-speaking college students had been taught right here, although the medium of schooling was English. Bengali was a obligatory topic… By the point we graduated, the varsity had round 750 college students, and academically, its outcomes had been wonderful,” he added.
Noting the cultural significance of the establishment, one other alumnus, Surajit Roy, mentioned, “When the capital moved to Delhi, many authorities servants, together with Bengalis, relocated right here. Luminaries like Rabindranath Tagore have visited this college. There aren’t many establishments on this nation which might be over 100 years outdated and nonetheless thriving. That’s the individuality of Raisina Bengali Faculty.”
Chandrima Basak, who had joined the varsity as a trainer in 1996 and is now the principal, mirrored on its evolution. “Initially, the varsity catered primarily to the elite Bengali group. Immediately, we take pleasure in being inclusive, welcoming college students from numerous backgrounds.”
The centenary celebrations had been a vibrant affair. The campus, decked in vibrant decorations, hosted exhibitions and cultural performances by college students and employees. For the alumni, the day was about rekindling outdated friendships and revisiting the previous.
Ashish Kumar Mandal, a former director of Safdarjung Hospital, captured the spirit of the reunion. “We had been all one thing at one level, however now we’re all the identical. What you at the moment are, reside within the second. That’s life – be comfortable.”
The laughter was infectious because the group teased one another about their college days. “None of us had been toppers aside from Prateek Choudhary, our senior who graduated from the varsity in 1969,” Basu mentioned, referring to the previous chairman of SBI, who sat munching on a pizza.
The recollections flowed freely, from the strict self-discipline enforced by their principal to the camaraderie that noticed them by way of. “Our principal was terrifying. He by no means allow us to bunk lessons,” mentioned Amit Bhattacharya.
“Some college students tried sneaking off to Connaught Place, however they had been all the time caught… The self-discipline made us profitable in life,” added Chanchal Das Sharma.
Whereas the alumni shared a collective sense of gratitude for the varsity that had formed them, the gathering additionally was a reminder of the enduring bonds cast throughout the college’s partitions. “We meet at the least twice a 12 months,” Bhattacharya mentioned. “Generally right here, with particular permission, and generally exterior.”
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