Articles on Kharagpur

 By Aritra Nayak

 The S.E.Rly Mixed H.S. (EM) School established in the beginning of the 19th century in 1899 has been one of the heritage schools of the town as it is over 100 years old and infact is the oldest school in the city and still continues to produce some of the brightest students in the town. The schools’ motto is the inspirational lines from the poem Ulysses by Lord Tennyson, “Play up, play up and play the game” which has become the guiding light for the school and its students. The navy blue and sky blue uniforms of the students of the school and their badges are a pride for the entire city as over the years the school has brought with a legacy of giving a string of good results and students who have added to the pride of the school. One of the other most important achievements of the school is that it was the first school in the city to promote co-education and thus serving a big social cause of equal rights between girls and boys. The school is affiliated to the I.C.S.E. Board, New Delhi and has Arts, Science and Commerce streams for intermediate standards as options. The school is located just by the cities one of the most important landmarks the GoleBazar over bridge. The school just does not impart academic education but helps its students cultivate and improve their overall talents by promoting an entire façade of co-curricular activities out of which the most eye catching and coveted one is the week long co-curricular competitions held every year in the first week of September as a part of the Teachers’ Day celebrations where not just the students from the school but from schools all over the district come to take part in a gruelling contest among budding singers, debaters ,quizzer and artists, seriously a carnival of talent which the city waits for every year. 

The school also has one of the most liberal so to say environment where students get enough time to exploit their talents and areas of interest and thus has been instrumental in bringing forth their individual talents. Also the school boasts of good academic infrastructure and a very helpful and nurturing environment supported by its caring teachers. The alumnus of the school has a lot of engineers, doctors and lawyers from reputed schools from all over the country as well teachers, sportspersons. The school recently has opened up the computer section for its students to keep up with the changing trends. To end with the school though it may look humble with the single storey buildings and easily inconspicuous gates but beyond those gates lies a kingdom full of knowledge and wisdom waiting for the young minds and talents of the city. 

The following pic of Mixed School is taken by Aritra Nayak

By Madhurima Ghosh

S E Railway Mixed Higher Secondary School (EM) was established on 13^th November in the year 1899 by the British. At that time, the railway town of Kharagpur was under Bengal-Nagpur Railway. The school, then, was affiliated to Senior Cambridge and most of its students were foreigners. It was the first school in the town to promote co-education of boys and girls. This school was known for its liberal outlook, modernity and for producing exceptionally genius minds.

Times have changed now, and so have the people, but the underlying motto of this school has remained undeterred: “PLAY UP, PLAY UP, AND PLAY THE GAME”. I have grown up listening and singing this refrain as a routine without realizing that I have absorbed it within my soul. SERMHSS imparts education from the kindergarten to the 12^th standard with Arts, Science, and Commerce streams at the intermediate level. The school has well equipped laboratories, a modern computer lab, and a very good faculty. At present, the school is affiliated to ICSE and ISC board and has a record of nourishing the best brains in town.

Once you enter the premises, you are in the heart of a colonial settlement with single-storied red and white coloured buildings. The grumpy old ceiling fans hanging from the high ceilings, the sleepy students in their blue uniform and the incessant noise of trains in the background gives you the feel of a typical lazy afternoon. The school compound is scattered with immense green area to play and loiter around, not to forget the cool shades of the age old trees. The school also has a small park at the entrance which students hardly have an opportunity to enter; at least I didn’t. The broken merry-go-round, the rotten see-saw, the rusted swings are more of an asset to the institution rather than being functional.

The major functions that the school celebrates are Teachers’ Day, which is a grand day for the students for showing their love and affection to their teachers, Foundation Day i.e., on 13th November every year celebrated in Sacred Heart Church, Independence Day, Republic Day, Annual Sports Day, and the grand Annual Function. Apart from this, various other competitions, both academic as well as cultural, occur every now and then, ranging from IQ tests and Quizzes to debates, skits and classical dance.

From my personal experience of 13 long years, I can say that this school has not only given me bookish knowledge but also helped me develop as an individual, exploring and nurturing my strengths and coping up with my weaknesses. The school provides ample opportunities for the students to exploit their talents, thanks to the perennial curricular activities. The senior students are given the power to host functions and take important decisions, thus sowing the seeds of management at an early stage.