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.
Primary Morning Section – Houses
The Primary Morning section was divided into four houses, each with its own house teachers:
- Alok House
- Jyoti House
- Kiran House
- Prabhat House
Primary Day & Secondary Section – Houses
The Primary Day and Secondary sections also had four houses, and their names were common across sections:
- Pratap House – (R. Singh – First)
- Vidyasagar House – (S. P. Pandey)
- Raman House – (A. Pandey)
- Shivaji House – (S. K. Bhattacharya)
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…
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