Modern School is a co-educational, private school in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1920 by Lala Raghubir Singh, a prominent Delhi-based businessman and philanthropist, who desired an institution that combined the "best of ancient Indian tradition with the needs of the times."[1] It was the first private and coeducational school established in Delhi after the capital of the British Raj shifted to the city.[2][3]
The school's first principal, Kamala Bose, was a vigorous advocate of educational reform in India.[4] Her founding vision, coupled with Lala Raghubir Singh's nationalist leanings, gave the school a liberal and indigenous character that stood in contrast to colonially-inspired public schools, which were intended for Indian aristocracy.[5] The school motto is "Nyaymatma Balheenien Labhya," which translates to "Self-realization cannot be achieved by the weak".[6][7]
Modern School, Barakhamba Road is consistently ranked well among Indian schools.[10][11][12][13][14] The primary branch attended by students through Grade 5 – Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School – was established in 1961 on a separate campus on Humayun Road, New Delhi. Although primarily a coeducational day school, the school provides campus housing for boys.
History
Origins
The founder, Lala Sundar Pandit Singh, was born in 1895 and educated by William W. Pearson, a Protestant educator.[15] Lala was an established engineer and philanthropist and astronomer from the community. His father, Sardar Sultan Pandit Singh, an accountant and banker (khazanchi) with the Imperial Bank of India, was well-regarded by both the British and the Indian aristocracy. At the time of WW2 the Japanese had made it a military camp,
destroyed by British Army.
Reflecting its founder's pan-India vision, Kamala Bose, the school's first principal, was recruited from Calcutta (now Kolkata). Bose championed the need for better educational facilities in a country shaking off its colonial yoke, noting, "If the education imparted to the people has been seriously lacking in quantity, it has been still more sadly wanting in quality."[17]
The crest
Designed by the artist Sarada Ukil, a teacher at Modern School in the 1920s,[18] the school crest signifies the circle of eternity crossed by the three elements in human development: body, mind and spirit, as the sun shines between the triangle and the circle. Inside the triangle, there is a banyan tree to represent stability and firmness of character, the swan and the lotus represent refinement, culture, and the arts which are fundamental elements of progress in life.
Golden Jubilee Hostel
The school has a student dormitory capable of housing 69 boys.[19]
Extracurricular activities are a compulsory element of school life at Modern. The school magazine, Sandesh, is published each school term in English and Hindi (its sister publications include the Vasant Prayag at Modern School, Vasant Vihar, and Prayas at Modern School, Kundli). There are around twenty clubs and societies, including photography, aero-modelling, drama, painting, sculpture, community service, carpentry, Dance, music, senior and junior English debating societies, economics, astronomy,[20] computer science, physics,[21] and robotics. In many societies pupils come together to discuss a particular topic, presided over by a faculty member and often including a guest speaker. The school has often invited prominent figures to give speeches and talks to the students; these have included heads of state, politicians, ornithologists, naturalists, artists, writers, economists, diplomats, and industrialists. The Modern School Leadership lecture series invites prominent alumni to address the school assembly twice every school year. Major clubs include The Lenskraft Photography Club, The Quiz Club, Model UN Society,[22] Environment Club,[23] Bits 'N' Bytes (The computer club), Debating Society, Interact Club, SPIC MACAY, Mudra Dance Club, SAPTAK[24] and the Commerce Society.
Modern School is also a leading member of the Model United Nations and its biennial ModMUN conference is one of the biggest in Asia[25] attracting as many as 900 international students for the 2016 conference.[26] Due to its size, prestige, and popularity, it is considered the largest student organized MUN in India. Bits 'N' Bytes is one of the oldest school societies dating back to 1988. It organizes ACCESS, an annual tech symposium, in the month of December. In 2013, the society won the TCS IT Wiz and simultaneously celebrated its Silver Jubilee.[27] The Debating Society is very active during the school year, as it hosts the Raghubir Singh Inter-school Debate, the Pratap Singh Inter-school Debate, and usually helps organize the Annual MSOSA Inter-school Debate.[28] Interact Club (affiliate club of Rotary International's service club for students between the age of 12–18) was inaugurated in 1983 by the then vice-president of India, Muhammad Hidayat Ullah, and has since grown into a prominent school society. Its activities include donations to orphanages, recycling drives, ant-piracy drives, and an annual blood donation camp. The club has been awarded a certificate in recognition of its services to the community by Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit.[29] Interact Club nominates some of its students to be selected by Rotary International for its international program to represent India as ambassador of goodwill to neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The selected students stay as guests with families who participate in this international youth exchange program. SPIC MACAY, a national society for the promotion of Indian classical music and culture amongst youth, organizes a SPIC MACAY week every school term.[30] Past performers include Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Sonal Mansingh, Sitara Devi, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, and Birju Maharaj.[31][32] Other events organized include Cyclotron (the annual inter-school physics symposium) and Unquestionably Modern (an annual quiz competition).
Model UN
Modern School is also a leading member of the Model United Nations and its annual ModMUN conference is one of the biggest in Asia[25] attracting as many as 1000 international students for the 2016 conference.[26] Due to its size, prestige, and popularity, it is considered the largest student organized MUN in India.
Affiliations
Ties with other schools
From its foundation in 1920, Modern School housed classes from Montessori to Grade 12. This ended in 1961 when Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School was established on Humayun Road as the school's primary wing. In 1975, Modern School, Vasant Vihar was founded as the first sister school under the leadership of Mr. Ved Vyas, a well regarded[33][34] Hindi teacher at Modern School, Barakhamba Road. Similarly, in 2014, another sister school was established in Kundli under the directorship of Mrs. Neelam Puri,[35] a former junior headmistress at Modern School, Barakhamba Road. In its early years the school also shared a close relationship with St. Stephen's College, Delhi.[36]
In Hindi Medium, the protagonist Raj, played by Irrfan Khan, is trying to help his child get admitted to the (fictitious) Delhi Grammar school, which is portrayed at Modern School's campus; however, the name is avoided. Several scenes of the film were shot at the school's premises.
Modern in Literature
Khushwant Singh recounts his experiences being amongst the first batch of Modernites in his autobiography Truth, Love and a Little Malice. He also recollects many a school tale in Notes on the Great Indian Circus.
Pupils of Modern School have gone on to achieve prominence in politics, government service, the armed forces of India, commerce, journalism, literature, academia, and the fine and performing arts. They include a prime minister, several Cabinet and Chief Ministers, numerous members of the Indian Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies, high-ranking military officials, of which include two Chiefs of Air Staff, and several ambassadors. The best-known alumna is Indira Gandhi. In fact, Modern School has educated several members of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, children of former Prime MinisterRajiv Gandhi and Indian National Congress President Sonia Gandhi, attended Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School before enrolling in St. Columba's School and Convent of Jesus and Mary respectively.[44][45][46][47] Similarly, cousin Varun Gandhi, son of Sanjay Gandhi and Maneka Anand Gandhi, completed his primary schooling here.
Sarada Ukil, artist, actor, and art teacher at Modern School, Barakhamba Road
Ramkinkar Baij, widely known as one of the pioneers of modern Indian sculpture taught at the school
Sukumar Bose, noted artist following in the tradition of the Bengal School of Art, taught art at the school through 1947
Modern School Old Students' Association
Modern School Old Students Association[48] (MSOSA) brings together alumni. With over 15000 members, MSOSA has engaged in cultural and sporting activities to raise funds for supporting philanthropic activities, contributing to national causes including Kargil war relief in 1999, Gujarat earthquake relief in 2001, and tsunami relief in 2004. The Modernites Trust, MSOSA's philanthropic arm, provides merit scholarships to under-privileged students.[49]
^Singh, Khushwant (2016). A Dream Turns Seventy-Five: The Modern School, 2016 - 2019. New Delhi, India: Allied Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 5. ISBN978-8170234999.
^Singh, Khushwant (2002). Truth, Love and a Little Malice. New Delhi, India: Penguin Books. p. 14. ISBN978-0143029571.
^Singh, Khushwant (1995). A Dream Turns Seventy Five: Modern School, 1920-1995. New Delhi, India: Allied Publishers Ltd. p. 8. ISBN978-8170234999.
^Bose, Kamala (1997). A Dream Turns Seventy Five: The Modern School, 1920-1995. New Delhi, India: Allied Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 42. ISBN978-8170234999.
^Singh, Khushwant (2002). Truth, Love, and a Little Malice: An Autobiography. New Delhi, India: Penguin Books. p. 13. ISBN978-0143029571.
^"Ethos". Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
^"The Crest". Modern School. Modern School. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
^"Admission & Fees". Modern School. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
^ ab"Affiliation". Modern School. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
^"Member School". National Progressive Schools' Conference. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
^Kashyap, Nitisha (23 July 2009). "Delhi used to be innocent". The Times of India. TNN. Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
^Ghosh, Padmaparna (22 May 2007). "Capital Cinema". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 January 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
^Agarwal, Meena (2005). Indira Gandhi. New Delhi, India: Diamond Pocket Books Pvt. Ltd. pp. 169, 170.
^Mehra, Sunil (16 February 1998). "The Man Nobody Knows". Outlook India. Outlook India. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.