Ice Skating Rink, the landmark address that had long ceased to be what its name suggests and turned into a popular venue for fairs, will no longer be that.
The space will be converted into a sports facility for Modern High School for Girls and Modern High School International.
“It will be a continuous education space and we will not have any outside crowd coming in or going out. We are happy because we would not have to any longer look for space or opportunities where our girls and boys can play,” said Devi Kar, director of the two schools.
The Ice Skating Rink is located between Modern High School International and Modern High School for Girls at 78 Syed Amir Ali Avenue. All three properties are owned by the Modern High group.
“It was our chairperson, Nirmala Birla, who felt this sports facility was
required,” said Kar.
The 7,200sq ft arena will have a basketball court, a badminton court, space for throwball and other sports facilities, the school authorities said.
The school has a field but for basketball practice, for example, students had to be taken to the Maidan sometimes in the past.
“Children need and want a proper surface,” said a school official.
The work on the rink for the sports complex will start in the first week of April. The complex should be up and running in a few months, the school said.
The stage will be retained and the rink will be used as a multipurpose hall.
In the past, even when the space was rented out for exhibitions, the school hosted prize distribution ceremonies and cultural programmes there.
The Calcutta Ice Skating Rink came up in 1968. The ice skating facility was shut down in 1980.
“The ice required energy and power and it was difficult to maintain that in those days of energy shortage,” said Kar.
From the mid-80s, therink used to be given outfor exhibitions. For a short while in between, the rink would also screen children’s films.
But most of Calcutta knows it as an exhibition venue. Be it big brands or more local groups, over the years Ice Skating Rink has been an exhibition destination.
During wedding and festival seasons, the skating rink would barely see a day off.
“There are so many things at my home that have been bought from Ice SkatingRink. But this would be beneficial for my daughter in the long run,” said a woman whose daughter is in the primary section of ModernHigh.
Modern High School for Girls was founded in 1952 and Modern High School International, next door, was formally inaugurated in December 2023.
Before the new building came up, the international school used to function on the campus of Modern High School for Girls. They shifted to the new building in November 2022.