The rise of India’s premier boarding schools: From Empire to Independence and after

From 1835 onward, assemblage authorities led the propulsion for western-style acquisition successful India, funneling authorities funds into modern institutions successful Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. This reshaped the acquisition system, embedding British-style residential schools.

The archetypal boarding schools successful India

Historian Tim Allender, successful his essay Spatiality, Semiotics, and the Cultural Shaping of Children: The Boarding School Experience successful Colonial India, 1790-1955, distinguishes betwixt the 2 types of boarding institutions successful assemblage India: 1 for orphans and different for the elite.

The archetypal class of residential institutions was established by the East India Company astir 1790 for destitute oregon orphaned children, often the offspring of European soldiers and Indian oregon Eurasian women. Concerned that these Eurasian children mightiness make expectations of achromatic privilege, which could pb to discontent erstwhile unmet, the Company regulated their diets — opting for atom and capsicum alternatively of bread, milk, and beverage — and provided them with minimal education. The Madras Military Asylum, established successful the precocious 1780s, serves arsenic an illustration of these aboriginal institutions.

After 1813, erstwhile the East India Company reluctantly allowed Christian missions into India, the absorption of these asylums shifted. Missionaries utilized the orphans to show their occurrence successful converting and educating Indian children, presenting them arsenic impervious of Christian triumph.

British subject officers similar Sir Henry Lawrence besides played a important role. He established a subject asylum successful Sanawar (Himachal Pradesh) with his ain funds and enactment from autochthonal rulers specified arsenic the Maharaja of Kashmir. Lawrence continued backing the schoolhouse until his decease successful 1857.

The Lawrence Asylum successful Ooty, Tamil Nadu (Source: Wikipedia)

“A schoolhouse for orphans, that’s however The Lawrence School, Sanawar began. It was ne'er for the elite oregon privileged. It proved to beryllium a harmless harbour for the children of British soldiers who died during the ongoing wars, including the Afghan and Anglo-Sikh conflicts. That sacrosanct work of attraction is inactive the guiding rule astatine Sanawar,” says Himmat Singh Dhillon, Headmaster astatine The Lawrence School, during an interrogation with indianexpress.com.

Two schools were established during Lawrence’s beingness — astatine Sanawar successful 1847 and Mount Abu (Rajasthan) successful 1856. The 3rd followed astatine Lovedale (Tamil Nadu) successful 1858, a twelvemonth aft his death, portion the 4th schoolhouse was aboriginal built successful his representation astatine Ghora Gali (current-day Pakistan) successful 1860.

Additionally, schools successful elevation stations similar Mussoorie, Shimla, and Darjeeling emerged, keeping the British distant from the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes of the mainland. Notable institutions included Woodstock School (1854) successful Mussoorie, St Andrew’s Colonial Homes (also known arsenic Graham’s Homes, 1900) successful Kalimpong, and Goethals Memorial School (1907) successful Kurseong. “These were acceptable up chiefly for achromatic missionaries moving successful India, who needed schools for their ain children,” says Sinha.

Educating the elite

The 2nd class of boarding schools successful assemblage India, however, was much straight influenced by British models and began to instrumentality signifier aft 1860. These schools, mostly localised for the children of assemblage elites, blended European acquisition with elements of Indian culture.

For boys, this boarding acquisition mirrored that of elite English nationalist schools, centered connected values specified arsenic ‘manliness’, leadership, and competitory struggle. These institutions aimed to supply credentials for entranceway into the Universities of Oxford oregon Cambridge, yet starring to prestigious positions successful the civilian service, the military, the Church, oregon business. This ethos was reflected successful institutions similar St Xavier’s College successful Calcutta (1860) and St Paul’s School successful Darjeeling (founded successful 1864). As Allender notes, “…these institutions allowed a geographically thinly dispersed colonisation of comparatively affluent boys successful India to participate, whose parents were culturally attuned to this marque of education.”

St Paul’s, primitively founded successful Calcutta successful 1829, catered to the sons of East India Company officials and affluent European merchants. “Calcutta was a hub for the Anglo-Indian assemblage and the Bengali bhadralok (intelligentsia). Notably, figures similar Jyotinendranath and Satyendranath Tagore, who aboriginal joined the Indian Civil Services (ICS), attended St. Paul’s,” says Pranay Gupta, an writer and alumnus of the school.

However, with the opening of the Suez Canal successful 1869, improved question options led elite families to nonstop their children to Europe for education. As a result, the schoolhouse relocated to Darjeeling, wherever different assemblage elite, particularly European diplomats and administrators, sought refuge aft the 1857 Revolt. “Darjeeling was the summertime capital, portion Calcutta remained the governmental centre until 1911. As transport improved, they chose Darjeeling for its much serene environment,” notes Gupta.

St. Paul’s School, Darjeeling ( Source: Wikipedia)

The architecture of these institutions, too, was crafted to pull affluent families. Allender notes that these expansive buildings combined Western-style chromatic masonry, often utilizing costly worldly similar basalt from distant sources. By the mid-nineteenth century, interiors, particularly dormitories, maintained a European design, with partitioned beds that seldom needed caste divisions, successful opposition to the simpler missionary schools of the era.

A peculiar niche successful elite schooling was reserved for ruling chiefs and autochthonal princes, modeled aft prestigious institutions similar Winchester and Eton. Notable examples see Rajkumar College successful Rajkot (1868), The Daly College successful Indore(1870), Mayo College (Boys) successful Ajmer (1875), and Aitchison College successful Lahore, Pakistan (1886). These schools catered to the aristocracy, offering subjects specified arsenic Shakespeare and Shelley, alongside sports similar hockey and shot — activities traditionally extracurricular the royal family’s purview. According to Sinha, their superior purpose was to instill a consciousness of loyalty to and admiration for each things British.

Students astatine Mayo College, Ajmer successful 1932 (Source: Wikipedia)

For girls of the aforesaid class, the dynamics were distinct, though inactive predominantly western. Gouri Srivastava highlights in Women’s Higher Education successful the 19th Century, the East India Company, focused connected consolidating its territorial gains, was reluctant to code women’s education. It besides feared provoking societal and spiritual tensions. Consequently, missionaries took the pb successful establishing girls’ boarding schools, galore of which were tally by Roman Catholic spiritual orders.

A pioneering instauration among them was Loreto House successful Calcutta, founded connected January 10, 1842. It catered to affluent Europeans, Eurasians and, to a lesser extent, upper-class Indian families. These schools emphasised Western values, specified arsenic etiquette, needlework, languages, and poetry, thereby reinforcing the aspirations of the affluent families. As Allender notes, “This was to marque these Indian girls much charismatic successful the matrimony market.” By 1850, Srivastava records that implicit 2,000 girls attended 91 missionary boarding schools, with 41 situated successful Tamil Nadu and 28 successful Bengal.

Residential schools during the state struggle

Until the aboriginal nineteenth century, boarding schools maintained a radical barrier, admitting lone those of European lineage. By the aboriginal twentieth century, however, arsenic much Indians were granted access, these schools became platforms for governmental awareness.

This shift, argues Allender, marked a alteration successful absorption arsenic boarding schools began prioritising Indian-based world sermon portion inactive retaining aspects of the imperial legacy. This play saw the emergence of debating societies, lectures connected Indian languages, and studies successful Indian literature. By the 1920s, these institutions were shaping aboriginal leaders similar Jyoti Basu, who was Bengal’s main curate from 1977–2000, and Wing Commander Karun Krishna ‘Jumbo’ Majumdar, St Paul’s postgraduate and the archetypal Indian to execute that rank.

“The realisation emerged that boarding schools could play a important relation successful grooming a caller procreation of societal leaders for an autarkic India,” says Sinha. He explains that Satish Ranjan Das, a lawyer educated abroad, recognised the request to cultivate a caller people of leaders arsenic India approached self-rule. It was successful this backdrop that schools similar The Doon School (founded successful 1935) came up – distant from subject and princely traditions, blending palmy elements into a much hybrid model.

Main Building, The Doon School successful 1950 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

“Jana Gana Mana, the Indian nationalist anthem, was archetypal sung astatine The Doon School successful 1935 – a afloat decennary earlier India’s independence,” exclaims Sinha. Notably, his survey of the Doon School archives uncovered the unfortunate stories of students from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Swat (in Pakistan), who were enrolled astatine Doon successful 1947 but ne'er returned aft Partition, missing the caller word starting August 1.

Notably, Rabindranath Tagore sent skilled artists from Shantiniketan to thatch euphony and creation astatine Doon, portion yoga was introduced successful 1937, alongside farming and room skills. The accent was connected shaping aboriginal leaders. However, according to Allender, this translation often came with a disdain for India’s non-colonial institutions, which galore privileged Indians regarded arsenic symbols of taste backwardness.

The boarding experience, arsenic astatine The Lawrence School, Sanawar, besides saw boys and girls sharing classrooms for subjects similar history, geometry, and arithmetic, breaking distant from the accepted sex divides seen successful Europe. The absorption shifted from preparing girls to beryllium bully wives to providing pathways for higher acquisition and university-level opportunities.

“Yet, until 1947, Indians were excluded from the pupil body,” Dhillon recalls. “In 1946, arsenic the warfare ended and independency neared, the pupil colonisation dwindled arsenic British children were sent home. By 1947, determination were lone 40 students, and Indian students were yet admitted.” He adds that Principal Carter and the students planted deodars successful the Independence Garden to people the archetypal day of Independence. “Those trees, present 77 years young, are increasing from spot to strength.”

The Lawrence School, Sanawar, connected Independence Day

In the pursuing years, The Lawrence School transitioned from the Crown to the Ministry of Defence, past to the Ministry of Education, and yet to the Lawrence School Sanawar Society. Dhillon highlights its translation successful autarkic India, noting visits from President Rajendra Prasad successful 1951 and President S Radhakrishnan successful 1955. “The schoolhouse was indigenised successful each way.”

President of India Rajendra Prasad astatine The Lawrence School, Sanawar successful 1951 ( Credit: Himmat Singh Dhillon)

Indian girls’ boarding schools emerged overmuch aboriginal successful the century, with Welham Girls’ School successful Dehradun being 1 of the astir notable. Dr Nalanda Pandey, a renowned educationist from Dehradun, shares that Miss Hersilia Susie Oliphant, who ran Welham Preparatory School for Boys, invited British educationist Grace Mary Linnell to found the school. An experienced educationist, Linnell had antecedently headed a girls’ schoolhouse and assemblage successful Hyderabad. “The archetypal batch successful 1957 consisted of conscionable 10 girls, but the schoolhouse flourished successful the years that followed,” Pandey recalls. Recognising her contributions to girls’ education, the Government of India honoured Linnell successful 1971.

Salwar kameez was adopted arsenic the formal code. Quoting from the Memorandum of Association of the Welham Girls’ School Society, constituted successful 1956, Pandey stated that the aims of the Society are: ‘To found a schoolhouse for girls — unfastened to each girls without favoritism of race, creed, caste, oregon societal presumption successful bid to make among Indian girls a consciousness of discipline, a emotion of just play, and … a consciousness of the unity of India.’

Welham Girls’ School (Credit: Dr. Nalanda Pandey)

Boarding schools

These boarding schools importantly shaped caller acquisition dynamics successful assemblage India, galore of which proceed to power modern acquisition systems. However, astir interviewees were of the sentiment that the assemblage bequest has agelong faded. “Everyone is present aiming for internationalism, and that is what our instauration promises to deliver, portion not forgetting our roots..,” asserted Pandey. Dhillon remarked, “Henry Lawrence is the laminitis and we are precise arrogant of his compassion and work to society. It’s a coincidence that helium happened to beryllium British, not Indian.”

Gupta reflected, “Sure, Clive, Hastings, Havelock, and Lawrence are the names of the houses successful the Senior Wing of St Paul’s to this day. But that’s each determination is to it. The instauration offered some acquisition and indispensable beingness skills, taking america distant from societal conditioning and location life. In immoderate ways, it mirrors a gurukul — a spot of learning and peace, fostering empathy and understanding.”

As Dhillon notes, galore of these institutions person endured done the First War of Independence successful 1857, the World Wars, the Partition of India, and beyond. “Their precise resilience reflects the spot and excellence of these institutions.”

Further reading:

1. Global Perspectives connected Boarding Schools successful the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Edited by Daniel Gerster, Felicity Jensz

2. Subject Lessons: The Western Education Of Colonial India by Sanjay Seth

3. Nation At Play: A History Of Sport In India by Ronojoy Sen

4. The Old Boys: The Decline And Rise Of The Public School by David Turner