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As St. James' School celebrates its sesquicentenary, it is time to reflect on a long and eventful journey that began in 1864, a journey from gravel to gold. T.H. Ireland, the principal of the school, looks back
The journey begins
The twin steeples, popularly called jora girja, have come to be the most identifiable attribute of St. James' Church and St. James' School, the foundations for which were laid on June 17, 1862, by John Peter Grant, the acting lieutenant governor of Bengal. The style and character of the architecture adopted for the church and school was Goth.
The church and the school were consecrated on July 25, 1864, by Bishop Cotton, who had taken personal interest in the project. The Bishop had a vision - students, irrespective of their language, colour or creed, should grow up in an institution devoid of racial prejudice and be able to express themselves fearlessly all through life.
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(From left) Soumen Mundul, the vice-principal of St. James? School; former principal John Mason, principal T.H. Ireland and ex-principal Darryl Bloud with the shield for the winners of the Past vs Present match, played on the 150th Founders? Day at the school grounds. ?It?s a tradition for the Jacobeans to play this match. Old boys never fail to arrive at 4pm on July 25 for the match. Sometimes we have played in sunshine, but mostly in rain,? said Mundul. This being the 150th year, most of the Jacobeans, many of who are settled abroad, were present on the occasion. Before the traditional Past vs Present match, the old boys and the school staff played another match. Kevin Ward, the much-respected sports teacher at the school from 1977 to 1996 and now based in California, returned to school after nearly two decades and even played with his beloved students. ?I?m really touched by the boys? response. You can?t get such boys anywhere around the world,? said Ward. And all the old boys thanked their alma mater for teaching them the two most precious lessons of life ? discipline and values. ?To be part of a legacy that is longer and stronger than our nation itself is the best gift the school has given me,? said an emotional Manan Mehta, who passed out this year. John Mason, who successfully headed the school from 1978 to 1992, also turned nostalgic when he noticed the full-grown trees beside the school ground. ?They were young when I left the school. They are right metaphor for the school. The tradition of the school is now richer and more varied but the passion for liberal education remains,? he said.
Text by Ayan Paul, picture by Arnab Mondal
To go back a few years, it was on May 28, 1860, at a meeting of the clergy and laity of the Church of England held at St. Paul's School, then situated in the Chowringhee-Park Street area, that the feasibility of establishing an institution for boys similar to Calcutta Girls' School was discussed. It was resolved that 'a school be opened in Calcutta in connection with the Church of England to be called the Calcutta Boys' School for the education of boys either as boarders or day-boarders'.
Early hurdles
By 1883, the school, which was by then renamed St. James' School, began to experience financial difficulties. The school was handed over to the Diocesan Board of Education when Edward Johnson was Bishop of Calcutta. The Diocesan Board of Education continued to meet the excess expenditure over income and took care of all payments.
On December 31, 1904, it was decided to close the school as the financial liability could not be borne any longer. The director of public instruction, who was consulted by the trustees, concluded that the school had either not kept pace with the times or outgrown its utility. This was an unfortunate comment as St. James' School had won the prestigious Beighton Cup in hockey in 1900, the only school to do so.
New chapter
St. James' School re-opened in March 1918, almost five years after the court decree of July 11, 1913, with the then Bishop of Calcutta, Rt. Revd. George Alfred Lefroy, as chairman and the vicar of St. James' Church, Revd. Joseph Frank Smith, as rector.
When World War II broke out, the school campus was requisitioned by the Royal Air Force and the school had to shut down once again. The students, most of them boarders, were either shifted to Christ Church School, Jabalpur, or to Bishop Westcott School, Ranchi. Those who stayed back attended classes at two rented premises on Ripon Street and Lower Circular Road.
After the war, it took two years to resume classes in July 1947. The Inter-House Cock-House Cup, a magnificent silver trophy donated by the Royal Air Force, became a prized possession.
Stage is set
Over the year, the school and its students have won many trophies in theatre, elocution, debate, quiz and sports. But it is in the staging of musicals that St. James' has had astounding success.
From Smike in 1988 to Smike Revisited last year, there have been several productions and even Shakespeare has been experimented with.
Vote of thanks
The legacy the school enjoys today is undoubtedly because of the selfless service rendered by every chairman, board member, rector, principal, vice-principal, teacher and pupil over the last 150 years.
The school today boasts infrastructure that would make every Jacobean, past and present, proud.
We received The Telegraph School of the Year Award on six occasions. Each of the occasions was a proud day for every Jacobean.
We have come a long way from the decision to close the school in 1904 for financial difficulties.
