La Martiniere College
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| Motto: | Labore et Constantia (Work and Constancy) |
| Established: | 1836 by Major General Claude Martin |
| Type: | Private |
| Location: | Lucknow, Kolkata and Lyon |
| Campus: | Urban city, varying area |
| Number of branches:: | Three (Three schools in Lyon, two in Calcutta and two in Lucknow) |
| Colours: | Blue and Gold |
| Website: | Lucknow Calcutta |
La Martiniere are one of the oldest, most prestigious, and most competitive, non-denominational private schools in India and France. Branches are located in Calcutta and Lucknow in India, and Lyon in France. The schools admit students irrespective of religion and race.
La Martiniere College, Lucknow, is the only school in the world to have been awarded Battle Honours for the part the staff and pupils played in the Defence of the Residency at Lucknow during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.
La Martiniere Schools were founded posthumously by Major General Claude Martin in the early 1800s. Martin had acquired a large fortune while serving the Nawab of Awadh Asaf-ud-Daula and bequeathed a major part of his estate to establish the schools. His will outlined every minor detail of the schools, from their exact location to the manner of celebrating the annual Founder's Day.
The Calcutta schools and Lucknow Martinieres consist of separate girls' and boys' schools, while the three in Lyon are co-educational.
The Colleges are day schools, but Calcutta and Lucknow have boarding facilities as well.
The Colleges are widely recognized for their excellent athletic and academic programs, and for their architecture. Extra-curricular activities, including sports and community service organizations, are emphasized, and music and dance are included in the general curriculum.
The seven branches function independently, but maintain close contacts and share most traditions.
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[edit] Claude Martin - the founder
Claude Martin was born on 5 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
The La Martinière coat of arms was designed by the founder Claude Martin[1]. It is supported by seven flags, each bearing the design of a fish, the emblem of Oudh[2]. 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[1] 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.
The seal is engraved on the school buildings.
[edit] College traditions
La Martiniere has several traditions which may vary from branch to branch, but some of the more important common ones include:
[edit] Founder's Day
Founder's Day is commemorated every year on September 13, the day Claude Martin died. Some of the important traditions of this day include an extended formal assembly in the morning involving a faculty march, a speech by a prominent guest or alumnus, the playing of bagpipes, singing of the school song and other selected hymns by the College choir, and the laying of a wreath at Claude Martin's tomb.
Another important aspect of Founder's Day is the Founder's Day dinner. The entire senior school and staff are treated to an elaborate sit-down dinner in the afternoon. Claude Martin had apparently listed in his will that his death should not be commemorated as a day of mourning but one of celebration of his life. He had also written out a menu for the meal to be served. Although today, the menu does not remain the same, the tradition of the Founder's Day dinner is still preserved.
A Founder's Day Social is held in the evening for the senior school.
Classes are suspended on Founder's Day, which is generally followed by a school holiday.
The Swimming session session ends on this day and the last races are held in the morning.
[edit] Prize Day
At the end of each academic year, usually in the month of April, Prize Day is held to recognise academic excellence and to honour high achieving students. Some of the traditions include a formal assembly in the afternoon involving a faculty march, a formal speech by a prominent guest or alumnus, singing of the school song and other selected works by the College choir. Generally the top three ranking students of each class are awarded prizes, usually books, and upper classes receive subject proficiency awards.
In India, the students achieving first rank in competing academic examinations in grades 10 and 12 are awarded the Founder's Gold Medal. Several additional special prizes are also awarded.
[edit] Sports Day
Each year, on the last Sunday of November, the day is designated to showcase the athletic talents of La Martiniere students. Traditions include a school march (which involves a military-type march around the school grounds), performance by the school orchestra, and an athletic competition between the school houses.
[edit] Houses
The students of each College are divided into four houses, mainly for promoting academic and athletic competition among students. The four houses have different names in La Martiniere Lucknow and in La Martiniere Calcutta, stated in order of number of Cock Houses, as given below:
| Colour | La Martiniere Lucknow | La Martiniere Calcutta |
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| Yellow | Lyons | Macaulay |
| Green | Cornwallis | Charnock |
| Blue | Martin | Martin |
| Red | Hodson | Hastings |
[edit] The School Socials
The Socials at La Martiniere are elegant events in the English tradition. Students from both the girls and boys sections are invited to the socials. Ceremonial uniform is worm by boys while formal dresses are worn by girls. "The Social" is,one of the long standing traditions of La Martiniere and of its English past.
The Socials are held in the College Hall and the Girls are invited to the boys school.Socials are also held after the yearly 'Cal-Meet' is held between the two schools at Lucknow and Kolkata.
La Martiniere has always been regarded as one of the finest schools in India. Given its foundation in English tradition, it has been compared to the Public Schools of England, and has been referred to as "The Eton of the East" by William Dalrymple, in his book "The Age of Kali."
[edit] Inter School Meet
Every year there is a Lucknow vs Calcutta Championship held with disciplines of sports conducted.
[edit] La Martiniere Old Boys (Blacks and Tigers)
La Martiniere Old Boys (L.M.O.B) was founded in 1873 and during its centenary 100 years in 1973 won the major tournaments in Calcutta under the able leadership of Dada Osman. The L.M.O.B. mascot was drawn by Cris Rowe in 1976.
In the late 50s and early 60s, LMOB had a legendary player in the name of Sydney Edge, famous for his signature drop kicks. Also round about this time at La Martiniere school, there were the outstanding Armenian brothers - Romek & Armen, who were also school captains during these times.
Another renowned player-cum-manager was Iqbal Ahmed in the mid 60s who played as a prop in the scrum. The legendary players of his time were Dada Osman who even captained the side, Babul McLeod, Mathew Kurian, Milford Hennessy, Nandu Chandavarkar, Peter & Richard Hooper(brothers.
In the 1980s the renowned players were Tony & Steven McLuskie (brothers), Herman & Chris Bulsara, Naresh Ojha, K.C. Lee, Philip Kuruvilla & David Yah. Some of these players won the prestigious M.V.P.(Most Valuable Player) award during the All India Tournaments.
In 1982 the college reached its prime when in an All India Tournament in Calcutta, both its teams, L.M.O.B. (Blacks) & (Tigers) made it to the Finals.
[edit] Famous Martinians
The various branches of the College have produced distinguished alumni in all walks of life. The pioneers of filmography the Lumiere Brothers studied at the La Martiniere, Lyon.
The actress Merle Oberon studied at La Martinière, Calcutta. Both the Lucknow and Calcutta Girls' Schools have produced a "Miss India" each: Priyanka Chopra, from La Martiniere Lucknow and Nafisa Ali from Calcutta. La Martiniere Calcutta has produced a father and son duo Vece Paes and Leander Paes, both of whom won medals at the Olympics.
Nobel Laurete Rajendra K. Prachuri[1] studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow.
[edit] See also
- La Martiniere Calcutta
- La Martiniere Lucknow
- La Martiniere Lyon
- Siege of Lucknow
- Claude Martin
- The will of Claude Martin
- Vive La Martiniere, the school song by Frederick James Rowe
[edit] References
- ^ a b La Martiniere history at Tripod accessed August 10th 2007
- ^ Oudh fish coins at the British Museum accessed August 10th 2007
