Calcutta Boys' School

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Calcutta Boys' School
Dei Mundus Deo (L. The world of God for God)
Location
72, S.N. Banerjee Road, Kolkata - 700014
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Information
Principal Mr. Raja McGee
Students 2050 (appx.)
Classes Nursery (4+) to 12
Established 1877

Calcutta Boys' School was founded by the Rev. James Mills Thoburn (Methodist Missionary to India, and later Missionary Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church), and was opened in 1877. It was endowed by the late Robert Laidlaw and others interested in the education of the sons of the Anglo-Indian and domiciled European community.[1]

Contents

[edit] Origins

The origins of CBS are closely linked with the establishment of the Methodist Episcopal Church in India. On January 9, 1873, the Reverend William Taylor founded the work of the Thoburn Methodist Episcopal Church in Calcutta (Kolkata).[2] He was succeeded by the Reverend James Mills Thoburn. The latter's ardent preaching soon rendered the Entally Baptist Chapel unable to cope with the ever-increasing number of converts.[citation needed] In February 1874, a new Chapel was dedicated and opened at 145 Dharamtolla Street. This Chapel was built at a cost of 16,000 rupees largely due to the generosity of one George Bowen of Bombay who donated 10,000 rupees.[citation needed] Soon even this chapel proved unable to accommodate the growing congregration, until a new and larger church was constructed on Dharamtolla Street, where it still stands today. The New Thoburn Church was dedicated on December 31, 1875. In 1888 Rev. James Thoburn was elected Missionary Bishop of South India - the first ever Missionary Bishop in India.[citation needed]

Bishop James M Thoburn

It was Bishop Thoburn who founded the Calcutta Boys' School. First located at Mott Lane, and then later housed in a room on Corporation Street,the school struggled for survival without a building of its own.

It acquired a permanent residence in 1893 thanks, in large measure, to the generosity of a man who could be regarded as the chief patron of the school: Sir Robert Laidlaw

Sir Robert Laidlaw

Main Building in 1893

The Girls School was erected in 1886, during the principalship of Miss Hendrick.[3]

[edit] School

New Building & Renfrew House
New Building & Renfrew House

The motto of the school is "Dei Mundus Deo" (Latin for "The world of God for God"). The main objective was to impart quality education.Initially the school was known mostly for extra curricular activities,however studies picked up after Mr Clifford Hicks joined in. Mr. Hicks was the son in law of Mr. Fritchley. When he took over the reins as principal, he introduced the motto "Two yards outside the school gates the jungle begins". An educationist, later nominated a Member of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Hicks believed that the guardians of the students were required to be interviewed more rigorously than the students themselves, and during his tenure, this principle was adhered to strictly. He took the school to new heights of academic fame, and the school became one of the top educational institutions in the city.

During Clifford Hicks' time as principal the newest of the three buildings that currently house the school was built. Named the "New Building," the construction was made possible by donations collected by the students of the school.[4]


A word should be said about Mr. Morgan who was an American and served for a short period in the period between Mr. Hicks and Mr. Martin. A very interesting principal who was from Montana and never grasped what made Calcutta teens in the upper classes tick in the mid to late 1970s!

The school reached new heights under Alfred Martin. It was during Mr. Martin's tenure that the school changed over from Senior Cambridge to the ICSE and ISC system affiliated to the Indian Council of Secondary Education. Throughout the 1980s, students ranked prominently in the ICSE and ISC rankings. Significant emphasis was also laid on extra-curricular activities. It was a period of exceptional stability. Unlike the Hicks era, Mr. Martin encouraged students to participate in such co-curricular activities as were consistent with studies, like Debating and Quizzing. The school developed a healthy debating society and a peerless quiz club, which during the 1980s swept most of the inter-school meets. The school also did well in the British Council One Act Play competitions during the late 1970s and the early 1980s, under the able tutelage of Mr. Guy Dantes, a teacher of English. Teachers like Mr. Kodaikanal, Mr. E. Warrier (since deceased), Mr. Lawrence W. Hartnett (now the principal of a major school in Dubai after serving as principal of Assembly of God Church School) raised the standard of English teaching in the city and set a benchmark that has been difficult to achieve ever since.

During the tenure of Mr. Girish Roy, whiffs of unpleasant altercations between the school teachers, the Managing Committee and the Principal came to fore. Though popular with the students, Mr. Girish Roy's alleged personal life was objectionable to many and after an unprecedented amount of litigation, both civil and criminal and several changes of guards including "care-taker administration" by the Staff Representatives, a degree of stability came with Mr. Gilbert Samuel.

Mr Gilbert Samuel, principal in 1997, expanded the curriculum of the school to include co-curricular activities, allowing the students of CBS to regularly secure first and second positions at various international Olympiads, including a second place finish at the 2003 Biology Olympiad and the International Infomatics Olympiad in 2004.[5] In 2005 CBS won the under 16 national cricket tournament, and in 2004 the national rounds of the Inter School Frank Antony Memorial Debate.[6]

Mr.Raja McGee,Principal/Secretary in 2007 introduced the United Students Organisation (USO)with elected office bearers to assist the teachers in school administration.

The School is building its Archive section in the new Library.The Archive shall contain documents, Photographs, models and all items related to the school ever since its inception in 1877.All Alumni (Former Teachers & Students (in India or Abroad) are requested to please support the School Archive.

[edit] Houses

The House system was introduced in CBS in 1916 with the aim to stimulate keen competition, but withal a true sporting spirit, and establish loyalty and esprit-de corps, those attributes of true citizenship.

The four houses into which the students are divided on admission to the school are named after those who made the most contribution to the school and its cause of education - Thoburn for Red, Warne for Gold, Henderson (previously christened Pritchard) for Blue and Laidlaw for Green. House activity has always been regarded in Calcutta Boys' School as an excellent springboard for showcasing talent, and it is of little surprise that events such as the Lingua Fiesta, the Football/Cricket Tournaments, the COSMA and the Annual Athletic Meet in the month of December breed a sense of kinship as is rarely witnessed. The cock house that emerges victorious at the end of the House competition is awarded a rolling trophy for its endeavours throughout the year. Each house is assigned a House Master or Mistress that looks after the activities of that House, and ensures a system of democratic process of selection and nomination for the various offices that are associated with the system of hierarchy within the House.

[edit] School Anthem

1:Hail Alma Mater we sing to thee,

thou, more than worthy of our loyalty,
guide of our youthful days,
our praise to thee belongs,
accept Alma Mater now our heart felt songs.

2:Hail! Alma Mater,we sing to thee,

enshrined forever in our memory,
thy living spirit leads us
in the way of truth,
To thee Alma Mater,rise the songs of youth.

3:Hail Glorious C.B.S we pledge to thee

ourselves, our love and our loyalty,
here we have learnt
what is that makes a lad so strong,
With thee C.B.S is just where we belong.

[edit] Student Activities

Academic and co-curricular activities are both given equal importance at Calcutta Boys'School. This is evident from the numerous awards and certificates that the students of the school have won regularly. These include competitions ranging from international olympiads, national and local quizzes, debates, inter-school festivals as well as those won by the students of the school at The Telegraph School of the Year Award, an Award given by a local English daily.

The school also has an Interact Club which does a lot of social projects throughout the year thus making the school proud.

Non-competitive activities take place in the school as well. This takes place through the various activities organized by the numerous clubs such as quizzes,debates, plays, eastern and western music competitions.

A number of public events are also held throughout the year, ranging from the annual Suvrojit-Somak Debate, which is organized in memory of two students of the school to the annual inter-school fest, Concord which is today, one of the most well known fests of the city and also happens to be the first inter-school fests in the city. This fest, usually held at the Kala Mandir Auditorium in the city, is renowned for the bar it has set in terms of specific events such as the Quiz, which has had a long line of illustrous quizmasters take centre stage, and the Western Music event, which is marked by the unusually high turnout it ensures, from schools across the city. The majestic School Annual Concert is played out after months of rehearsals before students and their parents alike, with the evening being earmarked to showcase and honour the School's outstanding achievers in the previous academic year. The Awards given on the night include not only those for academic excellence, but also to felicitate the School's award winners in terms of co-curricular activity.This is testament to the school's continuing tradition and commitment toward excellence. The Inter House Athletic Meet takes place around the month of December, with parents in attendance in addition to most of the school turning out, and rooting for their respective Houses. The March Past forms the mainstay of the day, with the weeks of practice finally culminating in a year end finale. The other events in the Meet include the relays, and other races, such as the 400m and 1000m. The "Lingua Fiesta" (Language festival) & "COSMA"(a computer-science-Maths festival)are major inter-house competitive festivals organized by the school The school magazine, was published as the CBS Chronicle as early as 1909.which had initially been bi monthly affair, and is rather aptly titled PULSE. By 1986 it came out once an year. Between 1986 and 1988 it was run wholly by students, without any intervention from the then Staff Coordinators. However due to financial constraints instead of being printed, the 1987 issue was brought out with a silk screen and cyclostyled/mimeographed pages, set by the students themselves. The magazine however, regained its status in print form shortly after 1990.

[edit] Principals

Principals of Calcutta Boys' School:[7]

  • 1881 Clyde A Martin, Esq., B.A.
  • 1883 A.S. Busby, Esq., B.A.
  • 1885 The Rev. Wm A. Carroll, M.A.
  • 1888 The Rev. Frank Latimer Mc Coy, Ph.D.
  • 1889 G.S. Bomwetsh, Esq., B.A.
  • 1894 The Rev. Benjamin J. Chew. D.D.
  • 1897 J. Gordon Kennedy, Esq., M.A.
  • 1902 The Rev. F.B. Smith, B.A.
  • 1909 The Rev. John Wesley Simmons, B.A.
  • 1914 The Rev. David Huron Manley, B.A., S.T.B.
  • 1915 T.P. Campbell, Esq. M.A.
  • 1917 The Rev. David Huron Manley, B.A., S.T.B.
  • 1919 George Allen Odgers, Esq., B.A.
  • 1923 Ronald Scott Gibbons, Esq. B.A.
  • 1924 George David Allen Odgers, Esq., B.A.
  • 1927 Rev. R.S. Gibbons, B.A.
  • 1931 H.C. Fritchley
  • 1953 Clifford Hicks, B.D., B.T.
  • 1975 Reverend Morgan (Acting)
  • 1975 Reverend Toric (Acting)
  • 1975 Alfred Martin, M.A., B.Ed.
  • 1991 Girish Roy, M.A., B.Ed.
  • 1997 Gilbert Samuel, M.Sc., M.A., P.G. Dip C.Sc.
  • 2003 Joseph Raymond Emmanuel, M.A., B.Ed., J.E.D.
  • 2007 Raja McGee M.Sc.,B.Ed.,CIC,B.C.

[edit] Notable Alumni

  • M.J. Akbar - Writer, Jounalist and Editor-in-Chief, The Asian Age
  • Benjamin Walker - Writer
  • Sasthi Brata - Writer
  • Altamas Kabir - Judge of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India
  • Amit Talukdar - Judge of the Hon'ble High Court at Calcutta
  • Binayak Sen - Social worker and paediatrician
  • Joymalya Bagchi - Noted Advocate at the High Court at Calcutta
  • Protik Prokash Banerji - Noted Advocate at the High Court at Calcutta
  • Ashok S. Guha - Economist
  • Amitabha Chatterjee - Former Principal, Presidency College, Kolkata
  • Russi Jeejeebhoy - Former Test Cricketer
  • Raymond Jeejeebhoy - Rugby Player
  • Utpal Chatterjee - Journalist
  • Rudrangshu Mukherjee - Journalist
  • Amit Mitra - Secretary General, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
  • Joy Bhattacharya - Television Personality and Quizmaster
  • T.N. Ninan - Journalist and Former Editor-in-Chief, The Business Standard
  • Ashok Som - Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the Management Area at ESSEC Business School (Ecole Superieur des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales) located in Paris-Singapore
  • Ranit Mukherji - Journalist
  • Professor Bashker Biswas Ph.D., Professor and International Business Consultant

[edit] References

  1. ^ Clifford Hicks by Alfred Martin, Pulse, Calcutta, February 1980.
  2. ^ Clifford Hicks by Alfred Martin, Pulse, Calcutta, February 1980.
  3. ^ Cultural and Educational Life in Calcutta
  4. ^ Clifford Hicks by Alfred Martin, Pulse, Calcutta, February 1980.
  5. ^ The Telegraph, 2 June, 2003; 5 June, 2004
  6. ^ The Telegraph unable to find exact date.
  7. ^ This is the list exactly as it appears on a plaque outside the CBS conference room. It is certainly not accurate as Mr. Hicks was appointed the principal in 1952 and not 1953.