Skip to content Skip to navigation

Kushal Konwar Balya Bhawan: In Retrospect

OFT, in the stilly night,
Ere slumber's chain has bound me,
Fond Memory brings the light
Of other days around me:
The smiles, the tears
Of boyhood's years…


(The Light of Other Days- Thomas Moore)

As I sit down to reminisce my days in school when it completes a monumental journey of fifty years of existence—these lines come back to me bringing along a collage of pictures of different hues strewn across time. I had the privilege to have studied in a Montessori School that in course of time metamorphosed into a full fledged high school and earned the rare recognition of being the first provincialised English medium school in Assam. Kushal Konwar Balya Bhawan, as the school is presently known as, was established in the old Gymkhana Club at the heart of Golaghat town and stands opposite to a grand white-washed bust of Kushal Konwar--the legendary freedom fighter. I remember our teachers taking us to offer floral tributes to the martyr’s memory on different occasions inculcating a deep sense of love and respect to those who laid their lives for the struggle for independence. The name of Kushal Konwar invoked a sense of pride in all of us.

Golaghat unfurl memories of childhood and adolescence, of days rollicking and thought provoking and (for many like me) continues to be the bucolic idyll of a bygone era with a noticeable laze in its pace! This sleepy residential old town in upper Assam without air connectivity and off all the highways has neither known of any industrialization before the setting up of the NRL in the ‘90s nor any significant economic importance of its own but has preserved its wilderness, along the unique heritage of antiquated and cultural monuments. The legacy of the British planters is evident in much of the old-fashioned structures—both public and private--and the multi-colored social fabric could be seen in its unique social life style. A fairly large number of tea estates were established in and around Golaghat during the British era and the administration realizing the importance of the town elevated it to the status of a sub-divisional headquarter. Soon Golaghat became a favorite haunt of the British tea planters who would throng the churches for Sunday mass or seek relaxation in the grass court in front of the Gymkhana Club. I remember my grandmother recount those days and would often refer to the ‘turbulence’ created when the ‘club’ (She referred to our school as the ‘club’ only) was set ablaze by the local revolutionary leaders as the Quit India movement was gripping the nation. The local residents were also fined by the British administration for this ‘act’ and the collective fund was used to rebuild the old club in the same style.  After the British left, the Trust Committee entrusted to look after the club affairs, decided to sale the property to private bidders. However, due to strong opposition by some eminent personalities of the town who persuaded the civil SDO to impose restriction on the move, the Gymkhana Club was purchased as a public property and transformed into Kushal Konwar Public Hall and Library under a Trust Board. The Board decided to run the Golaghat Sub-divisional Library from this hall and also to start a primary school in the name of Kushal Konwar.  On September 15, 1967, Kushal Konwar Montessori School was started. The school was rechristened as Kushal Konwar Balya Bhawan, but the townsfolk continued with the name ‘Montessori’, a throwback to the school’s early years!

Till the later part of the 70s, when we were still at the lower section, the enrollment was quite few. I remember much of our outdoor activities took place under the big banyan tree in the school premises and it seemed the shade of the big tree could easily accommodate the ‘whole school’! From nursery to class X, almost everybody seemed to know everybody! As we reached the upper section or high school, the number of students also swelled. I grew up with the school and it was a pleasure to see the school grow with us, getting new classrooms, winning accolades, and making us proud to be part of the institution.

The sense of routine and strict discipline in those formative years sometimes tend to create monotony too; more so because our teachers hardly took off or missed school! A rare opportunity would present itself when the principal was away for some ‘provincialisation-related work in Guwahati” and the whole school would clamour for a half day or at least the final bell to be rung a period before the scheduled time! On the other hand, the very presence of the principal created a sense of awe. There was an abrupt silence that would descend on the classrooms as she passes and that tells of the profound effect she had on the behavior of her students. Teachers preferred to deal with the students not with the rod but rather with as much stinging sarcasm one could lightheartedly muster. However, it was not the dread for that sarcasm but the sheer dedication and sincerity that commanded the pupils’ reverence for the teachers.

Away from the monotony of textbooks, much of our recreational life also revolved around school. Sports and comics filled up the free time. Thanks to the wonderful library that shared the same roof with our school-- the habit of finding solace in books and making wonderful friends with the characters grew.

The annual sports commenced with the annual fun fare and variety show—events that we eagerly wait for. Those were some occasions in the early years when the school would have an opportunity to collect some funds. Each of the students would create, design or bring something to be sold in the exhibition for fund raising.  I persisted on getting something from ‘Dusenco’ (Doss&CO)--perhaps the oldest department store in the State that once sold butter and apples from Holland, cakes and biscuits from Calcutta and Whiskey from Scotland to the British clientele. The one-stop shop offered everything from imitation jewelry to Duck back raincoats to Cadbury’s and I would insist father to get something worth for my school! The cultural nights of the school’s annual function were mostly held in the Amateur Theatre Hall packed with audience. While I cherish those theatrical performances, I also remember the dread to take the podium in the same Hall when we represented school in the debating competitions. However, with continuous appearances in quiz and debates, I got rid of my fear of public speaking.

To quote Prof Humayun Kabir: “With efficient and devoted teachers, even the worst of systems will give good results. On the other hand without such teachers even the best of systems can become a mockery”. We had seen for ourselves, the dedication of our teachers, more particularly the principal Mrs Pramila Tamooley, whose untiring efforts paid off when the school was granted recognition as a provincialised English medium high school in November, 1991. Surely, it was the school, the teachers and the principal who carved out the best in us. Most importantly, we had in all our teachers the sincerity and devotion needed to guide the very young minds from various backgrounds to improve and increase in the knowledge of English as a language. 

Author info

Mubina Akhtar's picture

Journalist, activist based in Guwahati. Email: newildflowers@gmail.com

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

Paralyzing bandh in Karbi hills

25 Feb 2014 - 10:09am | AT News
Normal life has been thrown out of gear following 12 hour Karbi Anglong bandh on Monday.Karbi Students Union and DSU have enforced the bandh in protest against Rahul Gandhi’s visit citing the failure...

Cattle smugglers arrested

17 Oct 2016 - 5:15pm | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
Six cattle smugglers were arrested by police at Uttarpara under Gossaigaon PS in Kokrajhar district early Monday morning along with six Buffaloes, which were carried by a auto van.

Gogoi stresses speedy development in rural Assam

5 Nov 2007 - 5:17am | pbaruah
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi says if Assam is to march, the rural areas should go for a speedy development.Addressing a few function on Sunday in Jorhat, Mr Gogoi says proper roads and bridges help in...

Protests likely to mar BJP's poll prospect

11 Mar 2016 - 11:56am | AT News
An escalating resentment over poll pact with AGP and the first of candidates threaten to mar BJP's prospect for the upcoming assembly polls scheduled on April 4 and April 11. Local BJP leaders and...

Other Contents by Author

Forest guards shot dead a charging adult male rhino in the Agaratoli Range of Kaziranga National Park on September 20. Earlier this year on February 14, a forest guard Gautam Barua, had to meet a terrible fate when he was on duty in the Bagori range of the National Park. He was killed by a charging rhino. In other words, the protector became the victim. Another guard, Podu Rajbongshi survived a similar attack in the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park in the last week of January. The year 2016 also saw similar incidents. Francis Horo, working with the forest department, died in an attack by wild buffalo on January 16 in the Bagori range of Kaziranga National Park while Sariful Islam, a forest...
The recent wave of flood in Assam left a trail of devastation affecting a total population of 33, 45,442 people and taking a toll of more than 150 lives. However, unofficial sources claim the death of more than 200 people in the recent deluge. Incessant rains since the first week of July coupled by dam-induced flood claimed 84 lives. The second bout of flood proved a disaster to the state; humans, animals including wildlife being washed away; millions of people displaced; thousands of hectares of standing crops destructed. Embankments were breached in 26 places in 15 districts. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority put the number of flood-hit people taking shelter in 923 relief...
The shrieking crescendo calls of the Koel and the flowering of ‘Kopou’ are harbingers of spring signaling the dawn of a new year in the Brahmaputra valley. The season sees the ubiquitous orchids with bright and heavy blossoms, varying in colors, bejewel the wilderness of the Northeast. ‘Kopou Phul’ is the most sought after orchid in Assam during New Year festivities in April. Assamese women adorn the pink flowers with deep pink spot as ornamentation on their head during celebration of ‘Rongali Bihu’. Found in North East as well as South India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Java and Philippines--‘Kopou Phul’ or ‘Seeta Pushpa’ in Sanskrit, Ryncostylists retusa is...
“Brahmaputra on one way sacred, one way trouble maker,” this was the observation made by the 14thDalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso in Dibrugarh during his recent tour of Assam. During an interaction programme with students of the Dibrugarh University in the University auditorium on April 3, the Tibetan spiritual leader said that due to global warming there are more glacial melt in the Himalayan ranges. “In today’s world we face increasing natural disasters, including earthquakes, due to the effects of climate change. Yesterday in Guwahati I attended the Namami Brahmaputra Festival celebrating the sacredness of that great river, but we know it also has a tendency to flood.” “Because of global warming...
The Northeast forms a complex geomorphology with vast flood plains, valleys, hills and ridges of varying elevations, beels (wetlands) and swamp areas with presence of large number of avifaunal diversity. The mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries serve as the winter visiting ground to many migratory birds. From the marshes of Kaziranga to the forests of Eaglenest in western Arunachal and further up to the alpine areas of Arunachal -- one come across more than 750 species of birds that includes most of the winter visitors. Assam, along with the other six northeastern states, shares a common migration route for many of the avifauna that flies over Bhutan, Tibet, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh...
The Northeast forms a complex geomorphology with vast flood plains, valleys, hills and ridges of varying elevations, beels (wetlands) and swamp areas with presence of large number of avifaunal diversity. The mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries serve as the winter visiting ground to many migratory birds. From the marshes of Kaziranga to the forests of Eaglenest in western Arunachal and further up to the alpine areas of Arunachal -- one come across more than 750 species of birds that includes most of the winter visitors. Assam, along with the other six northeastern states, shares a common migration route for many of the avifauna that flies over Bhutan, Tibet, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh...
An ideal habitat for the breeding of rhinos, Kaziranga has seen a rise in the number of the species. The animal shrugged off its ‘endangered’ tag as soon as its population crossed the 2000 mark. This fuelled an overweening strategy--the much hyped Indian Rhino Vision -- that targeted 3,000 rhinos by the year 2020 in the rhino-bearing sanctuaries of Assam. However, with the number of this pre-historic pachyderm crossing the 2,500 mark, a host of challenges also came to the fore, poaching being only one of the concerns. Kaziranga has been plagued by other challenges like-- shrinking of the habitat, encroachment of the corridors around the Park, siltation of the water bodies and a complete...
The Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve suffered huge loss as flood waters of river Beki inundated 60 per cent of the Park since the last four days. Floodwaters entered the Park breaching the embankment at Panchmile under the Bansbari Range and submerged large areas of National Park on Wednesday night. The release of waters from the Kurichu dam by Bhutan has been attributed to the untimely disaster. “The waters have receded now but have left a trail of devastation. The flood breached the embankment at three sites making the Park all the more vulnerable, besides damaging most of the roads making movement almost impossible,” Dharanidhar Boro, deputy director of the Park said. “The bridge at...
At the prestigious India Today PSU Awards 2014, the Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) was awarded the ‘Most Eco-Friendly Public Sector Unit (PSU) in the Miniratna category. It was stated that the award assumes a great deal of significance since the selection process included all the 229 PSUs nationwide in the fray and is, therefore, a befitting recognition of the innovative, sincere and dedicated efforts of the company towards preservation and conservation of the ecology and the environment.A year later NRL was once again in news—this time for sending rare and Scheduled I species to death throes! The anti-conservation strategy and gross violation of environmental norms by the company drew...
That the Brahmaputra is drying up is no more a hype. The water line of the river is fast receding throughout its course in the entire Brahmaputra valley. According to information available from the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water level of the mighty river, known to be the lifeline of Assam, has reduced in an unprecedented manner this winter. “The water level of the Brahmaputra has reduced to 101.78 metres in the last week of December (2014), which is the lowest water level of the river so far. This decreasing trend is likely to continue till March,” an official of the commission said. As per information available from the commission, the water level of Brahmaputra in...