Durbar High School From the medieval era to the grandeur of the Rana regime, Nepal has gone through a series of transformations. The Newari culture of the Valley went through a metamorphosis with the advent of the Shah dynasty, and then came the Ranas, whose regime coincided with the zenith of the empire on which the sun never sets. As the siren sounds of western culture proved irresistible to the Ranas, the reviving Nepali art succumbed easily to the waves of the western mores. Thus isolated Nepal opened her doors to western influences. Jung Bahadur Rana, the first Rana prime minister of Nepal, built the foundations of Europeanization. He was the first Hindu ruler to sail to England and France in 1850 A.D., bringing back with him Victorian sensibilities and western aesthetics. Schooling for the children of ruling families was another of his contributions after his visit to Europe. While Nepal-Britain friendship was steadily progressing, Jung Bahadur felt that Nepal had the necessity of not only warriors who could overcome any of her enemies, but also educated human resources who were familiar with diplomacy, politics, geography and above all the English language, in order to maintain her relation with the dominant west. Durbar high school - a pioneer in the field of education in Nepal - was hence the result of this necessity. History Durbar High School started its journey from a small room in Thapathali Durbar with students from ruling families and an Englishman called Kenning as its first teacher. The school was to remain inside the durbars (palaces) of Ranas, thus its name Durbar School. That was the year 1854 A.D. when Nepal saw the very first rays of formal education. In its initial stages, there were no separate classes and students were taught English, history, geography, mathematics and Nepali according to their capabilities. In 1876, Maharaja Ranodipp Singh allowed the school to be open for children of high class government officers as well, and thus, although remaining within the confines of the palaces, the school saw its way towards being public. The school had to shift constantly - from Thapathali Durbar to Charburja Durbar to Seto durbar and then to Narayanhity Durbar. In 1883 the school was again shifted back to the Thapathali Durbar and then to a small shed in Jamal. Finally in 1891 A.D., Bir Shumsher, the then prime minister of Nepal, had the present elongated building built to the west of Ranipokhari. From this time till today, Durbar High School has remained in its own building. Although the school was funded by the Nepal government since its establishment, Prime Minister Bir Shumsher made the provision of guthi system to look after this school. Later when Juddha Shumshere came to power, he revised the system and made the school fully funded by the Nepal government. In 1900, Prime Minister Dev Shumsher made the school totally public and in 1967, its name was changed to Bhanu Madhyamik Vidhyalaya. It has been a co-educational school since 1973 A.D. As the school improved and classes upgraded to ten, its graduates had a problem - their certificates were not recognized since the school was not affiliated to any university. Thus, during the regime of Maharaja Ranodipp Singh Rana, the school was affiliated to Calcutta University, India and consequently, in 1880 for the first time, a group of students who had successfully appeared for the test examinations were sent to Calcutta University for entrance examinations. Among this first group were Chandra Shumshere (son of Dhir Shumsher), Shree Niwas Giri, Kedar Narshingh Rana, Balban Pradhan and Astaman Rajbhandari to name a few. This affiliation with Calcutta University lasted till 1917. As the number of students going to India increased every year, it ultimately affected the governments expenses. Hence, the Nepal government requested Calcutta University to open an examination centre in Kathmandu itself, but the request was declined. The school then changed its affiliation to Patna University and an examination centre was opened in Tri-Chandra College wherefrom matriculation examinations were regularly held in Kathmandu. In 1933, Nepal government formed its own S.L.C. examination board. For more than a century, many famous and renowned persons have graduated from Durbar High School. From the Ranas who ruled the country to martyrs like Tanka Raj Acharya, Sukraraj Shastri and Gangalal, who shook the roots of the Rana regime and established democracy in our country, were educated in this century old institution. The present context The Durbar High School building lies on a north-south axis in an approximately four and a half ropanis of land (1 ropani = 5476 sq.ft). This white washed, solid brick and stucco architecture literally appears to reflect the power of knowledge. The building stands proudly with its long arched Today the school is in dilapidated condition. The classrooms are there; the students are there, but the environment which matters the most is degrading. The rooms are dark and dingy; ventilation is poor and the furniture and furnishings are grossly inadequate. corridors that run along its length; its covered porches and sloped roofs speaking loudly of a British style of architecture but captured in a local context. The rhythm and repetition of its beautiful detailing has made the fenestration elegant and enchanting. As one walks along the its corridors, glimpses of the adjoining architectural landmarks of Ranipokhari, the Ghantaghar and Tri-Chandra College induce an aura of the royal Rana regime - a concept which had probably been deliberately created. The Majlis Bhawan at the south corner was added to the school building much later after the 1990 earthquake. This Bhawan was initially used as Natyashala (drama house), where drama sessions of the school were conducted. Sadly, the Bhawan now no longer holds those classical plays of Shakespeare and nor does music enliven its structure. Today it has been turned into additional classrooms for the school. During the 1933 earthquake, the roof of the building collapsed and the tiled roofing was replaced by CGI sheets. Except for the corridor which still retains the traditional wooden rafters holding the stone tile flooring, all the flooring was changed to concrete. An additional staircase was added to the building that same year and an attic space was also created, which now serves as a meeting hall. This was the one and only major renovation work ever done after the building was built. No such major renovation works have been carried out till date. Today the school is in dilapidated condition. The classrooms are there; the students are there, but the environment which matters the most is degrading. The rooms are dark and dingy; ventilation is poor and the furniture and furnishings are grossly inadequate. Even the number of students enrolling in the school is declining every year. The building today holds two schools - the Sanskrit Madhyamik Vidhyalaya on the ground floor, where Sanskrit is taught as the major subject, and Bhanu Madhyamik Vidhyalaya in the upper floor. According to Mr. Ramraj Kunwar, Principal of Bhanu Madhyamik Vidhyalaya, It is difficult to run two schools in the same building and at the same time (since both the schools run in the daytime). He wishes that each of the schools be better located with improved facilities rather than letting each school activities collide with the each other. Conservation This century old building urgently needs to be conserved as it is a significant part of our history. However, we have to remember here that, conservation should not merely mean the restoration of the old building only. Owing to the fact that the busiest hub of the city - an in-between space from Ratna Park to Jamal junction - encircles the school, conservation in this particular case should in fact mean the revitalization of the whole area - the nodes, the junctions and the road network that makes a city space. As the building stands on such a prime location, does it still have the elegance that it was once bestowed upon? The answer is the definitely NO. Rapid but mindless urban growth and the tremendous transformations that has added to, or superimposed the old urban fabric, have torn apart the individual niche. One of such additions are the overhead pedestrian bridges that lay around in various junctions of the city. These bridges have deteriorated the visual serenity of the whole area - and in the case of the bridges on the Ratna Park and Jamal junction, it has literally blocked the otherwise grand views of those historical buildings towards the schools east face. They of course serve human needs if it could be properly utilized, but it could have been designed with a higher level of aesthetics, functionality, and location - and who knows - sub-ways could have been a better option! The footpath that runs along the site is narrow and in all seasons is dirty and foul smelling. Maybe a wide boulevard with trees lined along the schools length would compliment its opposite lane along the wide, open and inviting Ranipokhari. A green belt area around the school building could be an option to act as a noise barrier as well as to preserve the school environment. The north-east corner of the building i.e., on the way to Kamalachhi area is where the Municipality collects the surrounding areas garbage. This temporary dumping site is always filled with heaps of dirt and garbage; it needs our attention if this green theme is to be implemented. The state of the area is seriously pathetic to those who have time to see and observe. However, a ray of hope flickers on the horizon now that a private organization has taken the initiative to revive and restore the buildings as well as the ambience of the whole area. This organization, led by education activist Umesh Shrestha, who is also the founder principal of Little Angels School, plans to preserve the historical building and revitalize the educational programs and facilities. The construction of a commercial complex is proposed behind the existing school building towards the Kamalachhi area, thereby helping the school to be self dependent for funds. The plan further includes addition of +2 level educational programs and various other educational facilities. Conclusion There are numerous such historical buildings which urgently need our care and attention. Architecture nevertheless is the badge of sovereignty and if such attention be bestowed upon each of such buildings, then those days are not far away when Nepal will have plenty to boast about and maintain its national identity. Reference: Durbar high school: chinari The Ranas of Nepal googlee/nepal-education googlee/ranarulersofnepal googlee/conservation/
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 17:53:59 +0000
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