Nava Nalanda High School, Lake Gardens, Kolkata

NAVA NALANDA, aiming to be a centre of ideal education for boys and girls, launched upon its career on the 1st day of February, 1967 at a rented building in the premises No. 25, Southern Avenue, Kolkata, on the initiative of a group of enthusiastic organisers. Its roll strength on the opening day recorded 24 students and 9 teachers, including the Headmistress. The students were unevenly distributed among a limited range of classes, from Nursery – I (age group : 3+) to Class – V (age group : 9+). The financial resources were restricted within the personal funds of the organisers, unaided by any external sources — government or other. These limited resources, however, did not prevent the organisers from being ambitious enough to name their project after our richest national heritage in the domain of education.The teaching method of NAVA NALANDA is characterised by a balanced combination of textual knowledge and off-the-text experience, so as to shape into complete education. This aim is sought to be achieved by, what is known as “extra-curricular activities”, though it virtually forms an integral part of NAVA NALANDA’s curriculum. Textual study is supplemented by extra-curricular activities of versatile nature, being aimed at a complete development of juvenile faculties. Annual educational exhibitions, covering a wide range in the science and humanities streams, enrich the students’ knowledge. Annual Teacher’s Day and Independence Day/Republic Day celebrations strengthen their organizational ability. Wall Magazines and the annual School Magazines, ‘The Heritage’ and ‘The Legacy’, ventilate juvenile thoughts. Intra-school contests on debate, elocution, quiz, music, recitation, drawing, story-writing and script-writing, combinedly known as ‘Nalandasree Competition’, enable the children to earn laurels. Prizes from inter-school competitions also crown the dedicated efforts of the students. Musical and dramatic programmes on the public stages of Rabindra Sadan and Nazrul Mancha, as well as on the Doordarshan screen, flower them with plaudits from the audience, the viewers and the press. Their interest in games and sports is testified by commendable team performances in inter-school cricket, football, table tennis, swimming, rowing, chess and many other sports. Special mention may be made about some outstanding individual feats of students/ex-students in the Ranji Trophy Cricket and Inter-national Table Tennis Championship. An invitation tour to Bangladesh by the Nava Nalanda cricket team and their friendly matches with a number of schools and junior cricket clubs of that country were indeed some memorable events. The Nava Nalanda Interact Club, established in 1994, has excelled in social welfare service. The club has played a prominent role in the promotion of international friendship during their Bangladesh trip in 1994. Service to the suffering humanity drew the Nava Nalanda children close to Mother Teresa, whose graceful presence in the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the school programme on February 1st, 1993 is one of the memorable events in the history of the school.