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The first school in my life, where I spent from class 1 to class 10, was Sir Nripendranath Institution. Situated very near our Calcutta abode, this school typifies the somewhat poor, wretched condition that prevails in many Bengali medium schools in the city. Discontented teachers, lack of awareness about cleanliness, and poor lighting arrangements did not make it an ideal place for children. However, the school rules were slack, the attendance requirement lenient, so it was the ideal place for me, who seldom showed up in the classes. Those ten years were very fruitful in my life. I learned so much from my parents on the days I did not go to school.
This is the staff room of the school. You see the teachers. If you know me, and have a good eyesight, you may even be able to discern me standing in the backrow.
A pretty large bunch of teachers, all huddled together in a rather small room. And there they try to talk, take rest, read, grade papers--- all together! Surely, the education system stands in sore need of a reform.
Founded by a group of Jesuit monks under the leadership of Father H Depelchin, St Xavier's College is among the three top colleges in the entire state of West Bengal, and arguably is the best in the city. The motto of the institute is "Nihil Ultra" (which means "nothing beyond"). Whatever might the original connotation of this phrase be, the college authorities seemed to construe it as "There is nothing to read beyond textbooks, and nothing to aspire for beyond exam grades". This modified motto served very well to produce toppers in the exams, but it turned those two years into a hell in my life.
It is wonderful to think of those six years. We had to work hard, really hard, but on the whole it was pleasant. More than once I have wondered whether ISI is a blessing or a curse in my life. Finally I have come to the decision that it is a blessing---a blessing of a very high order.
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