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Kanailal Vidyamandir

Kanailal Vidyamandir
Location
Map
Barabazar, Chandannagar
, ,
712136

India
22°51′30″N 88°22′04″E / 22.8582587°N 88.367687°E / 22.8582587; 88.367687
Information
Former nameDupleix College
Established1862 (1862)
FounderFather Barthet
School board
WBBSE, WBCHSE
OversightWest Bengal Govt. and Chandannagar Municipal Corporation
Age range5 years to 18 years
LanguageBengali
Campus type
Urban

Kanailal Vidyamandir is one of the oldest schools in Hooghly district in the state of West Bengal, India.[1][2] Established in 1862, the school is located at Grand Trunk Road in Chandannagar.[3]

History

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Kanailal Vidyamandir was established as the "Saint Mary's Institution" by Father Maglayer Barthet in 1862. As Chandannagar was a French colony, the school initially taught only in French. English education began in 1872 by the then Puducherry French government.[4][3]

In 1887 the institution was taken over by the French government, and in 1901 "Saint Mary's Institution" was renamed "Dupleix College". In 1908 the college department of "Dupleix College" was abolished, but was later restored in 1931 by the efforts of Charu Chandra Ray, Harihar Seth and Narayan Chandra Dey.[4][3]

On 17 May 1948, just before the liberation from French rule, the school was renamed Kanailal Vidyamandir after the Bengali revolutionary Shahid Kanailal Dutta, a student of the school.[4]

The school celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2012.[5] Kanailal Vidyamandir celebrated its 160th anniversary in 2022 with six-month long festivities. The celebration began with a ceremony in the school on 18 August, followed by a road rally on 19 August 2022. It ended on 30 January 2023.[3]

Sections

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The school is divided into two sections: the English Section and the French Section.[6] These sections run from separate buildings situated on opposite sides of the Barabazar Main Road.[4]

The English Section is from Primary to Higher Secondary, and the French Section is from Primary to Class 10. After Class 10, students from the French Section either get transferred to the English Section or to a different school.[4]

Heritage status

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The school’s Colonial architecture features a building made of brick and lime and a wooden roof. It was declared as heritage in 2017 by the West Bengal Heritage Commission.[4][7]

Notable alumni

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Source:[4]

See also

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References

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  1. Das, Soumitra (6 February 2005). "Next weekend you can be at... Chandernagore". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  2. "দিনের সফরে চন্দননগরে". The Daily Statesman (in Bengali). 21 November 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Majumder, Rachana (31 August 2022). "১৮৬২ সালে শুরু হয়েছিল পথচলা, ১৬০ বছরে অমলিন চন্দননগরের এই স্কুলের যাত্রা". News18 (in Bengali). Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "ভগ্নপ্রায় কানাইলালের নামাঙ্কিত স্কুল-বাড়ি, বিজ্ঞাপনে ঢেকেছে স্বাধীনতা সংগ্রামীর স্মৃতি". ETV Bharat (in Bengali). 15 August 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  5. "Kanailal Vidyamandir". Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  6. "সুপ্রিম নির্দেশে গিয়েছে চাকরি, চন্দননগরে দিশেহারা শিক্ষক-শিক্ষাকর্মী". ETV Bharat (in Bengali). 29 April 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  7. "আট সৌধ 'হেরিটেজ', যৌথ সংস্কারে ফ্রান্সও". Ei Samay (in Bengali). 7 February 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
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