Smile of Shri N.N.Mishra :)

N N Mishra joined Tantia High School as a Hindi Teacher in the year 1986. I think since childhood he used to wear " Safed Dhoti and Yello Silk Kurta". I challenge nobody has seen him in trouser and shirt. He is from Benaras Hindu University and a student of Krishna Bihari Mishra , Hazari Prasad Dwivedi and Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla etc. In spite of good knowledge in Hindi , he could not get a better opportunity in Kolkata , however I D Singh did not lose an opportunity to hire a Masters from University of Allahabad. N N Mishra Ji is a symbol of Benaras , always a "paan" in his mouth with a steady face. Mr. N N Mishra is the symbol of an underpaid person who is well qualified person in Hindi.

I used to study in Barabazar library whose librarian was Ramchander ji. Every body calls him Ramchander (Ram Chander) , even he himself calls his name as Ramchander . But one day , I saw N N Mishra visited Barabazar Library just near to our school and asked a peon ...( just pay attention )  ......" RAMCHANDRA HAIN ???"  wow what a classical examination of "Vishudh" pronunciation of Hindi ..... once in a life time ,somebody called Ramchander as "Ram Chandra" i.e. correct sound. So N N Mishra is the person who cannot think to pronounce something wrong in Hindi even in his dreams.

N N Mishra possesses great rapport with one of our History teachers Sri S D Dwivedi and Sri P. Tripathi. All of three belonged to the same age group. But both Dwivedi and Tripathi ji wears shirt and trouser but N N Mishra always prefer to be seen in Dhoti and Peela Silk wala Kurta.

One thing was best, his small smile ......he never laughed but has a great smile. He was a great competitor of K P Mishra , the other Hindi teacher who used to wear trousers of seventies. Like Sachin Tendulkar ( on the cricket Pitch) , K P Mishra ji alwasy used to create gaps between his two legs by just lowering himself at least thirty times in an hour. Sometimes while sitting on the chair also... ......... how  ??? please dont ask.

His pronunciation and meaning of a poetry and prose are impeccable. I saw him advising students of B.A and M.A. also with the same confidence  like teaching a student of class X. He has written some essays which he has secured by him for his retirement days. I appeal our friends that if somebody can help him to fetch fair value on publishing his materials. The favourites of N N Mishra during 1986 to 1992 were  ( which I saw him from my childish eyes) Manish Didwania, Ajay Singhi, Rama Kant Holani, Vinod Singh Rathore, Pawan Bhatia etc. Manish is one of his all time favourites. N N Mishra ji got maximum respect during that period only hence he still remembers most of the students of that period. Please god ... keep him healthy and stay fit. I heard that he is retired now.

I used to meet him after passing class X , he was not happy with the students after 1994.

will write.....if I remember some more.

Houses of Tantia High School

When we were students at Tantia, the school was officially a Hindi‑medium institution. However, thanks to the efforts of the trustees and our former Headmaster, the great H. S. Sharma Ji, the school always followed the convent school pattern in discipline and conduct. I will write more about H. S. Sharma Ji later, based on what I heard from our teachers, ex‑students, and even outsiders. He was truly an icon of discipline.

To encourage healthy competition among students in sports, debates, and other activities, the school was divided into four houses.

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Primary Morning Section – Houses

The Primary Morning section was divided into four houses, each with its own house teachers:

1. Alok House
2. Jyoti House
3. Kiran House
4. Prabhat House

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Primary Day & Secondary Section – Houses

The Primary Day and Secondary sections also had four houses, and their names were common across sections:

1. Pratap House – (R. Singh – First)
2. Vidyasagar House – (S. P. Pandey)
3. Raman House – (A. Pandey)
4. Shivaji House – (S. K. Bhattacharya)

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House Periods and Discipline

From Class V to Class VIII, every student had to report to their respective houses during the last period of the day in the assembly hall on the ground floor. Usually, three of the house teachers would motivate students to perform better in inter‑house competitions and daily activities.

Students were allowed to tell jokes and stories. Some teachers even permitted film songs during these sessions. However, life was quite different in the fourth house.

Mr. S. K. Bhattacharya was extremely strict about discipline and performance. Any student responsible for a reduction in house marks was punished severely by SKB Sir. If a student came late to school, wore a thread of any colour other than white, or had shoes that were not strictly black and white, the house captain or prefect would deduct marks. The student’s name would then be entered into an old‑fashioned house register that was brought to every house session.

After punishing students, SKB Sir would ask English poems or questions related only to studies.

In contrast, the other house teachers were far more liberal in their attitude. For many, the house period became a time to relax. The best example of this was Shri A. Pandey, whose sessions were the most peaceful.

I will write more about our teachers and the house system later…
Wait 🙂

A Walk Down Memory Lane: Our Good Old School

Let us take a moment to refresh our memories of our good old school through a few small but memorable incidents.

Every student’s journey begins in the Primary section, then moves on to Secondary, and finally to Higher Secondary. At the time of admission, one could choose either the Primary Morning section or the Primary Day section. I was in the Primary Morning section, and we had to report to school by 6:30 in the morning.

I was admitted directly to the Infant class in the year 1980. On my very first day at school, I forgot my aluminium box containing my books there. Later, my sister and I went back to school to collect it. And so, my student life began on a rather funny and unforgettable note.

One of the unique features of our school was that the Primary section was managed entirely by lady teachers, while the Secondary section was dominated by many “Sir‑jis” (male teachers). Another interesting peculiarity was that the school was co‑educational only up to the Primary section. After the fourth standard—the last class of Primary—our girl friends had to take vidai (transfer) to other schools.

In a way, girls from Tantia learned their first lessons of Vidai Samaroh right in their own school. During our time, the first preference for most girls was Ram Mandir 🙂🙂—not the temple, but the school whose actual name was Seth Surajmal Jalan Balika Vidyalaya. The second preference was Shree Sikhshayatan, followed by Marwari Balika Vidyalaya. I wonder what the preferences are today—I’ll have to ask a few people! You may update this in the comments.

Just when we boys had started to understand the chemistry of friendships with girls, we were shifted to the Secondary section—without any girls. However, we gained new friends, as boys from both the Morning and Day Primary sections were merged into one class. After a few initial clashes, many of us went on to become lifelong friends.

Now comes the worst peculiarity of all. Suddenly, we students from the English‑medium Primary section became part of a Hindi‑medium Secondary school. This created many difficulties, and even today, some of us still struggle with Hindi spellings. At the same time, the English we had learned during our Primary years slowly faded away in the hardcore Hindi‑medium environment.

During our time, the school offered classes only up to Class X (Madhyamik). Today, it proudly provides education up to Class XII. One of my close friends assist Tantia High School for obtaining persmission from West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) to start Class 11 and Class 12.