History

             The imposing edifies, forming the center-piece of a sprawling 4 acre land, a little further down the din and bustle of the Hill Cart Road near the railway station is the throbbing embodiment a dream fulfilled. The Maharani Girls stands as a mute witness to the missionary zeal of its sprightly architect, friend, philosopher and guide  , who, less than a decade after the turn of the last century , brought about revolutionary changes in the field of education in the very British town of Darjeeling.

              Late Hemlata Sarkar appeared as a beacon star in  the firmament of Darjeeling's social life in 1908 . She accompanied her husband, late Dr. Bipin Bihari Sarkar , who had shifted his practise from Kathmandu to Darjeeling. Then there was no school for the girls of the Indian community. She was justifiably shocked . However, instead of being a nagging petitioner to the government complaining about lack of facilities, she  impelled herself to create them for the community.

               Those were the days when Bengal   reverberated the call of equality of status for women as an essential  prerequisite for social reforms. Education for women was the only spring-board  for releasing this lofty ideals . Without education the women could not have even attempted to break away from the stranglehold of social system replete with ignorance , superstition and orthodoxy.  The Giants of Bengal had been pursuing the goal of social  emancipation  . Among such Giants work Pandit Sibnath Shastri and Mahatma Kashab Chandra Sen.

               Pandit Shiv Nath aptly  named his daughter,  Hemlata,  or  the 'golden creeper'. She  was  engulfed in a world of learning and wisdom;creeping up to a golden enlightenment.  The social contacts  developed over the years Neem in handy  when she decided to start a school in Darjeeling. Among   such valuable and friendly contacts was late Suniti Devi, the Maharani of Cooch Behar. More pertinent, however, was that Suniti could think on the same wave-length. It did not take long for Suniti's younger sister, late Sucharu Devi, the late Maharani of Mayurbhanj, to join hands in the noble cause. The Maharani of Burdwan also came forward to strengthen the move.

But a start had to be made somewhere.

               So, on 1st September, 1908, Hemlata uttered a silent prayer and held her first class in the prayer room of a house belonging to the Cooch Behar estate near the Capitol Theatre with a few students. The medium of instruction was English and remained so till 1945.

               The room had to be conveniently vacated  every Sunday for prayers to be held. The   naming  of the school is also a matter of singular ingenuity; with so many Maharanis around,  it was simply named Maharani Girls High School. In 1909, the school was shifted to a more spacious " Oak Lodge "  monthly rent of Rs,  150. Boys were enrolled  old only upto class 4;  class 5 onwards it was an exclusively girls school. The  system continues even today.

                Five  years prior to the breaking  out of the first world war the value of Rs, 150,  was considerable. The  school could  only be maintained induction of more and more students.  Hemlata when from door to door approaching parents,  particularly of the Bengali community children to the school.  Hemlata and the maharani of Cooch Behar also pulled some strings in Calcutta  persuading influential socialites  to send their children too. A  small girls hostel had to be started. Incidentally,  first border of the hostel was "Bubu-Masima",  as late Swapna Das,  the wife of late Sudi Ranjan Das,  former Chief Justice of IndiaIndia,  was popularly known, Bubu Masima's  two younger sisters were also student here.

                 The school maintained in steady growth.  Dr. Sarkar took up the responsibility the first Secretary of the school to help his wife.  Hemlata also found and able assistant inlead Kamal Sen,  a teacher in the school.   Darjeeling's late "Panch Pandavas", Anup Lal Goswami(Nera Gosain), Haran Chandra Bose, Joyti Ghosal, Dhiresh Majumdaar and Dr. Shailendra Nath Chatterjee (Khanti Babu),  have left their mark as outstanding contributors to the development of the school.

                  The first matriculate to have passed out from the school in 1912 was Sunit Majumdar,  it was  quire   befitting that she later entered the Sarkar household as Bipin Bihari Hemlatacs daughter- in- law. Their  second sons wife,  Madhuri was also a student here. Among other notable students who later adorned lives of  eminent personalities were late Rani Mahalanabis,  wife of renowned statistician,  late Prashanta Mahalanabis, and Smt. Aditi Sen, wife of Sri Manishi Sen, the last ICS Sir Jadunath Sarkar's daughter, late Roma Sarkar , Miss Monorama Bose, retired chief inspector of schools and Smt. Sebati Mitra principal, Rani Birla college, Calcutta, were all students here. There are innumerable ex- students of the school who have excelled in their respective spheres of life. Late Ila Hom and Smt. Meera Sanyal, ex-students of this school,  became befitting life partners of lete Amal Hom and late Hiranmoy Sanyal, both noted literary figures. Sri Satyajit Ray  picked up his first alphabets during his mother's short stint as a teacher here. The  school was adjudged as one of the 12 best schools in undivided Bengal. Each Annual Prize Distribution used to be a great occasion by its own right. Governors,   Maharajas and Maharanis  used to preside over the ceremonies. After independence,  among those who visited the school were late Dr. K. N. Katju, late C Rajagopalacharya and Sri Dharma Vira.

                    Dr Sarkar died in 1918 creating a void in Hemlata’s life .Undaunted, she plunged into even harder work.In early 1930's the school was shifted to "German Sahib's house " in its present location.The huge main block was constructed in 1938 .Five years later in 1943, Hemlata retired from her an eventful life at the age of 75 years the life of a rebel ,a fighter, a reformist ,an educationist and an administrator. All these qualities had mingled into creating an overwhelming personality that always lovingly demanded and received obedience and discipline.

                    Hemlata was succeeded by Sulekha Roy as lady principal who left in 1945 and later became the principle of Gokhale Memorial College ,Calcutta.The responsibility of the school then fell into the able shoulder of late Shanti Majumdar in two phases. Late Amiya Pal steered the school during the intervening period up to 1955 ,Shanti Majumdar was primarily responsible for introducing the higher secondary system with three streams. Now it is a Secondary School. Smt. Roma Choudhury became a headmistress in 1959 and held the post for 16 years.

                    In the meantime the great natural calamity of 1950 has struck Darjeeling entailing extensive devastations.  The Maharani school was no exception amidst  general sense of despair and despondency, late S. K. Dutta the then Municipal engineer, stood like a pillar to support the damaged school building.His own house had also collapsed. However , he personally supervised the repair works of the school leaving his own house in ruins .He even retrieved  building materials from the debris of his own house to repair the damage portions of the school.

                      Maharani Girls School has  crossed the threshold of its centenary 2008 .With its existence which is  of more than hundred years , this school has become a part and parcel  of Darjeeling's history. Now Maharani Girls H S School mikes a clarion call to all the ex-students, ex-teachers ,well wishes and various government agencies to render their valuable suggestions and support so that once again Maharani Girls School may bloom to the pageantry of name ,fame and success .