Oriental Seminary: Difference between revisions

The '''Oriental Seminary''' started in 1829 by the educator Gour Mohan Addy, was the earliest privately run, first-rate school for children of Hindu parents in [[Kolkata]] (then known as Calcutta). It was open only to boys of Hindu parents.<ref>[[David Kopf|Kopf, David]], ''The Brahmo Samaj and the Shaping of the Modern Indian Mind'', p. 49, Princeton University Press.</ref> It was possibly India’s first fully private school, as even [[Hindu School, Kolkata|Hindu School]], then known as Hindu College, and also [[Hare school]] had to abide by certain government guidelines.<ref name = "Telegraph">{{cite news | url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060113/asp/calcutta/story_5716626.asp | title =  Pages from past lessons | access-date =  2007-05-04 | last =  Roy | first =  Subhajoy | publisher = The Telegraph, 13 January 2006 | location=Calcutta, India | date=13 January 2006}}</ref> In earlier days, students wanting to study [[English language|English]] had to go to the missionary schools, where they were subject to substantial religious influence. The establishment of a school for learning English, free from religious influences was a major contribution of Addy.<ref name = "Bose147">Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, {{in lang|bn}}, p. 147,  {{ISBN|81-85626-65-0}}</ref>

Gour Mohan Addy (20 January 1805 &ndash; 3 March 1846) started the school without any support from the government. For the junior classes, he appointed Eurasians, in the intermediate classes he had Bengali teachers and for the upper classes he appointed highly qualified Englishmen or Bengalis. He died in a boat accident in the [[Hooghly river]], when returning from [[Serampore]], after searching for a teacher for his school.<ref name = "Bose147"/>

 

Shakespearean scholar Captain D.L. Richardson taught English in the school.<ref name = "Telegraph"/>

Currently the principal of the primary section is Rina Basak Halder

Oriental Seminary was the earliest school [[Rabindranath Tagore]] attended.<ref name=Life>[http://www.inewsone.com/2011/05/08/life-of-rabindranath-tagore-at-a-glance/49023 Life of Rabindranath Tagore at a glance]</ref>  The first experience of school aroused in the youngster the yearning to be a teacher. Wielding a stick, he used to teach from the railings in the big veranda of the palatial [[Jorasanko Thakur Bari]].<ref>Banerjee, Hiranmay, ''Thakurbarir Katha'', {{in lang|bn}}, p. 124, Sishu Sahitya Sansad]</ref><ref name="Tagore">{{cite web | url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1150507/jsp/calcutta/story_18658.jsp#.VfCzp5fhXIU | title=Treasure trove at Tagore's school | first=Chandreyee | last=Ghose | date=7 May 2015 | newspaper=Telegraph | location=India | access-date=17 May 2018 }}</ref><ref name="Past">[http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060113/asp/calcutta/story_5716626.asp]</ref>

  |ISBN = 978-0199865901}}</ref>  [[Kristo Das Pal|Krishnadas Pal]], [[Girish Chandra Ghosh]], [[Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee]], Sir [[Gooroodas Banerjee]], [[Sambhunath Pandit]], [[Vishwanath Datta]], [[Amrita Lal Basu]], [[Akshay Kumar Datta]], [[Sudhindranath Dutta]],<ref name=Sudhindranath>[http://www.parabaas.com/translation/database/authors/texts/sudhindranathdutta.html Sudhindranath: the Person I Knew]</ref> [[Jatindranath Sengupta]], [[Swami Abhedananda]], [[Bankim Ghosh]], [[Malay Roy Choudhury]] and [[Mithun Chakraborty]].<ref name="Bose147"/><ref name=Seedhi_Baat>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRefGYe-go4 Seedhi Baat -- Mithun Chakraborty]</ref><ref name="Dust">[http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140422/jsp/calcutta/story_18263033.jsp#.VfCzf5fhXIU]</ref>