History

In 1947 just after India gained its independence, many people from erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) had to leave their relations and properties there and travelled to Bengal (West Bengal) with a desire to be a citizen of an independent India, a country that their predecessors had dreamt and fought for the last one hundred years. The Indian administration and policies were then at a formative stage and had to cope with such a large influx of population who were not only looking for a means of livelihood but food and shelter at a minimum to thrive. Gradually the need for proper education for the children of such families emerged who wanted to set a firm footprint of their own.

It was in this period that a well known tea industrialist by the name of Shri Shukreshwar Sanyal, having an avid interest in education himself, resolved to set up a school on the 1st of June, 1954 in his native town of Jalpaiguri, in the northern part of Bengal. He named this school in memory of his differently abled niece Sonali. He was aided by his inspiring friend late Shri Mahendra Bagchi in this novel mission. A new educational institution named Sonali Girls’ High School is formed that starts functioning with a group of 7 or 8 students.

Initially the school premises comprised of the outer portion of Shri Mahendra Bagchi’s residence along with the outer portion of Shri Moni De’s house. In the years that followed, the number of students increased and with them arise the need for a larger space. Eventually, a separate land was purchased beside the house of Shri Mahendra Bagchi, where it presently stands, and a new school building was constructed to pursue the schooling and accommodate the present day educational needs of the young generation. Since then the school has been running in its own acclaim.