Nava Nalanda is a co-educational institution in South Kolkata, India, affiliated to the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education for MadhyamikPariksha (10th Board exams), and to the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education for Uchcho Madhyamik Pariksha (12th Board exams). It has several branches, scattered over Southern Avenue (the main building), Bawali Mondal Road, Jodhpur Park, Lake Avenue, Kabir Road, Lake Gardens, with the Higher Secondary Section located at Purna Das Road near Golpark. In 1991 the Santiniketan branch started. The school carries a rich cultural background and organizes several activities to help keep its student's mind blooming. Efficient, caring teachers are highlights of this school, who nurture a child as he grows up to be able to face the world. With a strong faculty in the primary department, the educational base of the student is so strengthened that studies become a fun to them and hence the unparalleled academic success with many candidates securing over 90% marks in the public examinations and like in 2011, securing 2nd and 3rd place in WBJEE medical and 2nd place in WBJEE engineering along with 115th and 136th place in AIPMT and IIT respectively. Students from this school can be found all over the world in respected positions and a lifelong feeling of being a Nalandite!

Contents   [hide]  1 History 2 Curriculum 3 Extra-curricular activities 3.1 Rabindra Jayanti 3.2 Nava Nalanda Mela 3.3 Nalandasree contest 3.4 Sharodotsav 3.5 Tournaments 3.6 Cultural activities 4 Awards and prizes 5 Notable alumni 6 References

[edit]History

The history of Nava Nalanda began on 1 February 1967, at 25 Southern Avenue Kolkata-26 with 24 students distributed among classes from Nursery-1 to Class-5 and nine teachers headed by late Mrs. Bharati Mitra ^[1] and the late Mr. Arya Mitra. After the sorrowful demise of Rector Mr. Arya Mitra, his son, Mr.Arijit Mitra took the responsibility of the school. Now, the school is one of the most populous institutions in Kolkata with a well renowned and efficient faculty.

[edit]Curriculum

The school has excelled in the board exams with nearly 85% students securing 1st division with regular names among the toppers in the madhyamik pariksha and nearly 97% students securing 1st division marks with names consistently figuring in the toppers list in uchcho Madhyamik pariksha. In all India entrance exams like that of PMT, AIIMS, Indian Institute of Technology, Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), and West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations, students of the school secure good ranks.^{[citation needed]}

[edit]Extra-curricular activities

Armed with the vision of Rabindranath Tagore, the school immerses itself in cultural activities.

[edit]Rabindra Jayanti

A tribute to ‘Biswa Kabi’ Rabindranath Tagore, the Rabindra Jayanti celebration in Nava Nalanda occurs on his birthday (25th baishakh of the Bengali calendar) and is now hailed as one of the main attractions of the city on that day. Nava Nalanda has its roots in oriental culture with ideals of Rabindranath Tagore’s thoughts as its ideals.

Students under the guidance of their teachers take part in the celebration which includes songs, dance performances, enactment of rabindra, geeti natya, nritya natya, etc. Every year celebrities perform in this function. Maestros like Suchitra Mitra, Dwijen Mukherjee, Hemanta Mukherjee, Debabrata Biswas, Chinmoy Chatterjee have attended the occasion. Since 1996 the programme has shifted to the Southern Avenue boulevard.

[edit]Nava Nalanda Mela

The mela is a bi-annual festival, commencing in 1993, celebrated in the Southern Avenue boulevard, where the students display self-made arts and crafts. The flavours from a traditional Bengali kitchen, coupled with folk music from tribal Bengal and cultural performances by the students, make the mela a special occasion.

[edit]Nalandasree contest

The intra-school Nalandasree cultural contest is held every winter, involving events such as debates, recitation, classical dance, sit and draw, story-writing, antakshari, quiz, solo-acting, and vocal music. In 2008 Nalandasree was an inter-school competition to commemorate 40 years of Nava Nalanda.

[edit]Sharodotsav

Part of Nava Nalanda Sharodotsav is observed by the senior students of the school to mark the commencement of Durga Puja. It features dance, music, drama performances and recitation of self-written poems by the students of Nava Nalanda.

[edit]Tournaments

The school arranges an inter-class mini football tournament for the primary department: Geeta Daggupta Memorial Football Tournament, and Nalanda Cup 5-a-side Football and Nalanda Cup Cricket Tournament for the secondary and higher secondary departments.

[edit]Cultural activities

Independence Day, Republic Day, Teachers' Day, and Children’s Day are celebrated.

The cultural activities of Nava Nalanda have often reached the public stage and television with productions like Abanindranath Tagore’s Khirer Putul, Rabindranath Tagore’s Natir Puja, Taasher Desh, Kalmrigaya, Parir Parichay, Suoranir Saadh, and a feature on the birth of Christ, Abirbhav, based on Achintyakumar Sengupta’s work. There have been classical stage presentations of ballets based on Michael Madhusudan Dutt’s Meghnadbadh Kavya, the great epic Mahabharata and Abanindranath Tagore’s Rajkahini in which Nava Nalanda students joined the professionals.

[edit]Awards and prizes

• On school foundation day (1 February) students faring exceptionally well in the Board Exams are awarded with prizes and scholarships.
• Students securing top ranks in the school annual examination are awarded with prizes in the annual prize distribution ceremony.
• The Nalanda Ratna Award is awarded to students of the school who have done well in a field of study.
• The school has been awarded TTIS School Of the Week Award.

[edit]Notable alumni

• Aneek Dhar, singer ^[2]
• Poulomi Ghatak, table tennis player ^[3]
• Raja Venkat, ex-captain of Bengal cricket team and national selector