La Martiniere Lucknow alumni rally behind Kolkata counterparts, say move to cover historic steps an attempt to obliterate heritage, history
Times of India | 28 November 2024
La Martiniere College (LMC), Lucknow LUCKNOW: The covering up of the engraved southern stone steps with marble at La Martiniere for Boys (LMB), Kolkata, is an attempt to erase the school's heritage and history and can never happen in La Martiniere College (LMC), Lucknow, say alumni members of the latter institution that is housed in founder Claude Martin's vast 1.6 sq km estate in central Lucknow.
"What happened in LMB is extremely unfortunate. The steps with the names of ex-students, including school captains and prefects, chiseled by the students themselves with permission from school authorities, are part of its rich heritage. At LMC, the eastern terrace steps leading to its founder Claude Martin's country house, Constantia, have been engraved with names of students for over a century, with some names dating back to the batch of 1902. Obliterating them is erasing the school's history," La Martiniere Association (Lucknow) President Mohit Bhargava told TOI.
Protests by the LMB alumni when the engraved steps were being covered by marble were not heeded by the school authorities. The alumni then moved the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), which slapped a stop-work notice on the school and sought details on the work it was carrying out in the listed heritage property without permission from the civic body.
La Martiniere Kolkata schools secretary Supriya Dhar has said the steps became a hazard and caused students to trip.
"All Martinians are proud of their alma mater and its heritage. At LMC, students have joined hands with the school administration to restore the Constantia building. The engraved eastern steps were not touched as they represent the school's heritage. What happened in Kolkata will not be possible here because the LMC governing body comprises the senior-most judge of the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court, the DM of Lucknow, and the Army sub-area commander of Lucknow sub-area," said Vivek Bhargava, Mohit's cousin and also an alumnus.
Construction of the Constantia building in Lucknow began in 1785 and was completed in 1802, two years after the death of its architect, General Claude Martin. The building was named after Martin's life principle, Labore et Constantia, which means "energy and persistence". The school is known for producing generations of civil servants, Indian army officers, and cabinet ministers. It is also the only school in the world to receive royal battle honours for its role in the defence of Lucknow during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.
Hamza Khan, an LMC alumnus of the 2013 batch, said nearly all Martinians felt pained by the manner in which the LMB management rode roughshod over protests by alumni members and even suspended a teacher who expressed support by posting an emoticon. The teacher put in her papers on Wednesday.
"My name is engraved on the eastern terrace steps of LMC. So are scores of others. Permission has to be taken from the school principal, and the chiseling has to be done by the students and not by a mason," Khan recounted while sipping tea at the Sunday-Bunday meet on the LMC campus. "Alumni members meet on the last Sunday of the month at the canteen to have tea and bun. Hence, the name Sunday-Bunday," he explained.
Above the steps on the eastern terrace is displayed a brass cannon that Claude Martin presented to the Governor-General of India, Lord Cornwallis. The carriage of the cannon was cast at the gun foundry in Cossipore, Kolkata.
The La Martiniere schools in India and France are a group of schools established in accordance with the will of French adventurer Major General Claude Martin:
La Martiniere Kolkata: The school was established in 1836. It is a Christian school controlled by the Anglican Church of North India.La Martiniere Lucknow: Located in Lucknow, India, this school has two campuses, one for boys and one for girls. The boys' school was established in 1845 and the girls' school in 1869. The boys' school is the only school in the world to receive royal battle honors for its role in the defense of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.La Martiniere Lyon: Located in Lyon, France, this school has three branches.