La Martiniere Calcutta

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La Martinière College, Calcutta
La Martinière College Shield
Motto: Labore et Constantia
(By Labour and Constancy)
Established: 1836 by Major General Claude Martin
Type: Private
Principal: Mr. Sunirmal Chakraborty(Boys)
Mrs H.Peacock(Girls)
Staff: Varies
Students: c. ? (boys)
c. ? (girls)
Location: Calcutta,  India
Campus: Urban
Website: www.lmbcal.com

La Martiniere Calcutta is the La Martiniere College branch in Calcutta, India. The current principal of the boys' school is Mr. Sunirmal Chakravarthi and that of the girls' school is Mrs. Hilda Peacock. The school motto is Labore et Constantia (By Labour and Constancy). La Martiniere offers an all-round education up to the Higher Secondary level. It is affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi, which conducts the ICSE and ISC Examinations at the close of Classes X & XII. The schools have been ranked 2nd(Boys School)as one of the "most respected day schools" in India in 2008.The Boy's school is ranked 8th and the Girl's school is ranked 10th overall in India.[1]

Contents

[edit] The Founder

Main article: Claude Martin

Claude Martin was born on 4 January 1735 in Lyon, France. He came to India when he was seventeen. After the French influence declined in India, he served in the British East India Company and rose to the rank of Major-General. After taking up residence in Lucknow, he occupied an important position in the court of Nawab Shuja-ud-Daulah and later his son, Asaf-ud-Daula.

During this period he succeeded in accumulating a fortune of about 4,000,000 rupees. He built the palace of 'Constantia' and his fine house of Farud Baksh, both of which he equipped with luxuries that included a library of some 4,000 volumes written in many languages and a picture gallery containing a fine collection of works of art.

He breathed his last as Major-General Claude Martin in Lucknow on September 13, 1800. According to his will, he was buried in the vault prepared for his remains in the basement of the college in Lucknow.

The major portion of his monies and estate were left for founding three institutions, one each at Lucknow, Calcutta and his birthplace Lyon in France.

It took 30 years to dispose of the litigation arising out of Claude Martin's will. Finally, as the result of a supreme court decision, La Martiniere Schools opened in Calcutta, on 1 March 1836.

[edit] La Martinière coat of arms

School Crest

The La Martinière coat of arms was designed by the founder Claude Martin[2]. It is supported by seven flags, each bearing the design of a fish, the emblem of Oudh[3]. The devices on the escutcheon appear to epitomise Claude Martin's life. The ship recalls his voyage to India where he established his fortune. The lion with the pennant represents his career as an officer in the East India Company and with the Nawab of Oudh The setting sun behind the castellated building to the right of the shield has been said[2] to point to the sunset of his days and the large part which the building of "Constantia" played in his later years. The coat of arms and the accompanying motto Labore et Constantia are now shared by all the schools founded by Martin.

The La Martinere College flag consists of the coat of arms on a blue and gold background. The flag is generally flown above the buildings, and used for formal events and celebrations, such as the annual Founder's Day.

[edit] Curriculum

In La Martiniere, Calcutta, co-curricular activities receive as much importance as the academic disciplines.

The various extra-curricular activities in the school include debates, elecutions, sports like cricket, football, hockey, rugby, basketball, boxing, golf and table tennis. The Interact Club,the Quiz Club, the Expressions club, the Computer Club, the Nature Club, the Dramatics Club, the Heritage Club etc as well as other student organizations like the Library Squad, the School Beautification Squad, DEAS as well as NCC(both Air and Army Wing) are various special interest groups for students to join.

The school also hosts two very popular inter-school fests viz. [i]Karma Yatra(organized by the Interact Club) and [i]Nexus(organised by the Nature Club & Computer Club)and Creation(organised by The Nature Club of La Martniere for Girls)

La Martiniere For Boys earlier held three fests viz. [i]Callisto(organised by the Nature Club), [i]Syzygy(organised by the Computer Club) and [i] Karma Yatra(organised by the Interact club).

[edit] School Houses

Charnock Hastings Macaulay Martin
Founder of Calcutta Governor General British Politician School founder

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] See also

Wikisource
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[edit] References

  1. ^ Delhi Public School most respected school in India: Survey Deccan Herald August 18th 2007. Accessed August 21st 2007
  2. ^ a b La Martiniere history at Tripod accessed August 10th 2007
  3. ^ Oudh fish coins at the British Museum accessed August 10th 2007

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Martiniere_Calcutta"
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