[Note: Dr. M. M. Bhattacharyya was awarded his Ph.D in Mathematics–Education, from Jadavpur University in the Centenary Year of this School.]

 

May, 1968. I had come to Darjeeling on duty with some of my colleagues. I was a member of the survey team sent out by the Pay Commission to collect information about the service conditions of the State Government employees. One morning we arrived at Kurseong. My colleagues went to different Government offices in Kurseong. On me fell the responsibility of collecting information from the offices at Dow Hill. After finishing with the Forest School , I came to Victoria School , and it was love at first sight! I spent about two to three hours in the school, and even after I had left Victoria , she haunted me; I could not put Victoria out of my mind. That very day I made up my mind to join this lovely institution.

My next step was to enquire at the Education Department and I learnt that the post of Mathematics Master was lying vacant, and that the Govt was trying to fill it. Searching for the advertisement in the dailies became a ritual. At this time, the Evening B. Ed. Course was started in Jadavpur University . I was so much obsessed with the idea of joining Victoria School that I did not even hesitate to get myself admitted to the newly opened B. Ed. Course. I tried to equip myself so that my selection would be assured. Things went smoothly. The advertisement was out. I applied, was interviewed and finally I received the appointment letter whisking me from the gloom and monotony of the Writers' Buildings to vivacious Victoria .

It was May 5, 1970-the day Mr. S. Bhattacharyya joined the school along with me. When I look back on that day, I remember the ever smiling face of Mr, H. N Pradhan - our Head Clerk who received us at Kurseong station on behalf of the school He is no more; but I will never forget him – a simple, soft spoken gentleman.

What a tremendous change for me ! From the cocoon of drab ledgers and files I emerged after a long fourteen years into a world of bright young faces. Within a very short time I could feel the spirit of the school, which was a pleasant experience for me. In the Plains, the schools generally did not go beyond the academic curriculum owing, perhaps, to some limitations. In contradistinction, I found here that there was all round development of a child in conformity with the ideal concept of education.

I realised that future lively citizens could come out from such an institution if they were subjected to curricular activities properly wedded to co-curricular activities. It is generally accepted that the aim of education is not to produce book-worms, but rather to prepare a whole man ; and in my humble opinion, we must try to produce such future citizens who are not merely bookworms, but all-rounders.

In this school, teachers are in direct contact with the boys for as much as fourteen to fifteen hours a day. This is really significant as it develops a special type of student-teacher relationship which cannot be compared with other school. I do believe if such a relationship becomes unstable, the equilibrium in the working field of the institution is disturbed, thereby creating disturbances and student unrest. In order to avoid such undesirable incidents, teachers must always be in close contact with boys. In order to establish such a bond, the teacher must be a friend, philosopher and guide to the students, sharing their joys and woes, hopes and aspirations. This is most easily achieved in the field of sports and cultural activities.

I never had the opportunity in my student days to take part or be trained in sports and games. But now my role is merely that of a sports-loving spectator. The Infectious enthusiasm of the boys on the games field at Victoria takes twenty five years off my age But it has been easier for me to come very close to my students through the different cultural activities. It is during the rehearsals of drama, elocution etc, that this close rapport is put to test ; and who can judge better than the students themselves whether a teacher has been able to give something of himself which is worthwhile ? If the teacher has been successful, he will have won the hearts of the students for all times ; and what can be a greater reward for a teacher than to win the hearts of the students .

It has not been possible to plumb the depths of the immense potentialities of the students during these rehearsals. Before I came here, I could not have imagined working with forty raw actors, acting all at a time on a single stage and making a grand success of it! I am happy to say that plays like Neelkantha', 'Dwandik', Arunodoyer Pathey', 'Shesh Drishye Pouchhe', Marich Sambad', 'Yamraj Ki Adalat', Bus Yatra', 'The man in the Bowler Hat', 'The Pot Boiler', °Hewers of Coal`, ‘Lithuania` and others have been widely acclaimed as being of professional standard Each year we have to stage our Annual Concert on three successive days to packed audiences, many of whom come from as far as Darjeeling and Siliguri. We are proud to be able to say that even Shri S. A. M. Habibullah, Hon'ble Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly was full of praise for the joint Centenary Concert held in May this year by the students of Dow Hill and Victoria Schools organised by some of the staff of Victoria School . We have been trying to raise the social consciousness of the students through this medium. This has great significance considering the fact that the students of a residential school are unavoidably isolated from the grim realities of life

One might gather from the preceding paragraph that Victoria shines only in the field of drama, but that is not so. In spite of the fact that we are handicapped by not having a Music Master, the staff pools its talents and trains the students in singing, dancing and other forms of cultural activities. in fact it is heartening to note that boys have often themselves taken the initiative and have composed songs and dance like the Bhangra Dance and the Assamese song and dance, the latter having won the first prize at the Open Competition on Independence Day, 1978 at Chandmari Grounds Kurseong.

During the inaugural Celebrations of the Centenary in May this year Shri Partha Dey, the Hon'ble Minister of Education appreciated the songs by a group of boys to such an extent that he called them later the following day and asked them to sing again.

I at least have benefited by my direct involvement in such activities I often have boys coming to me expecting me to be their confidante. I hope, I have been able to live uo to their expectations. I believe that this confidence is the mist precious thing a teacher can get from his students.

I shall never forget the invaluable words of the late M.S. Roychowdhury the then Art Master, which had deeply impressed me. He used to say, and I am in complete agreement with him - that a good teacher, apart from involving himself in all the multifarious activities of the school, should be successful in the classroom. He must have a thorough knowledge of what he teaches in order to arouse the interest of his students ; he must love his students and at the same time he a strict disciplinarian To sum it all up - he must be a square.

In conclusion, I would like to stress that those who come with promotion or monetary benefit in mind, are misfits for this kind of institution. On the other hand, persons who approach the students with love, affection, sympathy and above all, humility, are more likely to create a healthy atmosphere in the school, bringing satisfaction to the students and themselves.