South Point School
{{Short description|Private school in Kolkata, West Bengal}}
{{For|other schools using this name|South Point High School (disambiguation){{!}}South Point High School}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox school
| name = South Point School and South Point High School, Kolkata
| image = South Point High School 2.jpg
| image_size = 270px
| caption = South Point High School entrance
| motto = Courage to Know
| address = Birla Building, 9/1 R. N. Mukherjee Road{{cite web|title=Contact Us|url=http://www.southpoint.edu.in/Contactus.aspx|publisher=South Point School|access-date=9 March 2012}} (Education Society)
16 Mandeville Gardens (junior school)
82/7A Ballygunge Place (high school)
| city = Kolkata, West Bengal
| country = India
| coordinates = {{Coord|22|31|33|N|88|22|36|E|region:IN_type:edu|display=inline,title}}
| type = Private school
| established = {{Start date and age|1954}}
| founder = Satikanta Guha
| principal = D.K. Chadda (Junior school)
| principal1 = Jaidev Ghosh (High school)
| faculty = 120 (junior school)
75 (high school){{cite web|title=Faculty|url=http://southpoint.edu.in/Faculty.aspx|publisher=South Point School|access-date=9 March 2012}}
| teaching_staff = 70 (junior school)
40 (high school)
| students = ≈12000
| grades = Nursery I to V (junior school)
VI to XII (high school)
| affiliation = Central Board of Secondary Education
| colours = Navy blue, gold and white {{Color box|Navy}}{{Color box|Gold}}{{Color box|White}}
| publication = Nursery books, mathematics books, song books and CDs{{cite web|title=Nursery Books|url=http://www.southpoint.edu.in/Images%2fpublication%2fAB956D919_37084A904Images%252fpublication%252f9DFBEE5C2_31771F0A6listofbooks.pdf|publisher=South Point School|access-date=9 March 2012}}(junior school),
Pointer (school magazine)
| website = {{URL|https://www.southpoint.ac.in/}}
{{URL|https://www.southpoint.edu.in/}}
| logo = SouthPointSchoolLogo.jpg
| logo_size = 150px
}}
South Point is a higher-secondary co-educational private school located in Kolkata, West Bengal and affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education, consisting of three organisations – South Point School (nursery to Class V), South Point High School (classes VI to XII) and South Point Education Society (administrative authority).{{cite web|url=http://www.coachingindians.com/schools-in-india/kolkata-schools.html|title=Kolkata Schools|publisher=Coaching Indians|access-date=2009-08-18}}{{cite news|last1=Dey|first1=Anurag|title=In twilight years, gift of love to teachers|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120204/saturday/main3.htm|access-date=31 January 2015|work=The Tribune}} The school operates in two shifts for all classes: morning and afternoon. The school opened in 1954 and was the first co-educational school in Kolkata. Higher secondary (10+2) education was introduced in 1960.
The school entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest educational institute of the world in 1984 until 1992, in terms of student numbers.{{cite web|title=Guiness World Records|url=https://www.getbengal.com/details/south-point-school-that-groomed-a-nobel-laureate-has-name-in-guinness-record-book|date=23 October 2019|work=Get Bengal|access-date=25 October 2019}} Regarded by many national school surveys as one of the best schools in India, the school has educated noted academics, politicians, artists, filmmakers, and entertainers.{{cite web|title=School |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/edugraph/campus/south-point-high-school-kolkata-takes-first-steps-into-space-with-student-nano-satellite-launch/cid/1877989|date=23 October 2019|work=The Times of India|access-date=25 October 2019}}{{cite web|title=School Performance|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/west-bengal-jee-2024-toppers-list-out-99-53-students-pass-check-complete-list-of-highest-scorers-in-wbjee/articleshow/110766370.cms|date=23 October 2019|work=The Times of India|access-date=25 October 2019}}
The school has among its alumni a Nobel laureate, several Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology laureates, and winners of National Film Awards.{{cite web|title=Abhijit was a quiet boy from class of 1976 at South Point
|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/abhijit-was-a-quiet-boy-from-class-of-1976-at-south-point/cid/1711766|date=15 October 2019|first=Sudeshna|last=Banerjee|publisher=The Telegraph (Kolkata)|access-date=16 October 2019}}{{cite web|title=Alumni2|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/12000-south-point-students-sign-congratulatory-messages-for-abhijit-banerjee/articleshow/71593719.cms|work= The Times of India}}{{Cite web|title= SOUTH POINT SCHOOL-Guinness Book |date=14 October 2019|url=https://www.zeebiz.com/india/news-abhijit-banerjee-wins-nobel-prize-for-economics-know-full-name-teachers-reaction-school-he-studied-in-and-its-guinness-book-of-records-link-112456|access-date=2019-10-28|language=en-US}}
History
Founded on 1 April 1954 at 16 Mandeville Gardens, Kolkata, by Satikanta Guha and his wife, Pritylata Guha, the institution began as the first English medium co-educational school in Kolkata with just twenty students, and the founders’ vision was supported by a small, devoted group of teachers, with the initial faculty comprising prominent figures from Bengal's cultural, literary, and artistic circles.
Initially operational as a single unit, the school split into two buildings, with the high school shifting to Ballygunge Place in 1980.{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.southpoint.edu.in/history.aspx|publisher=South Point Education Society|access-date=10 April 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/Boy-oh-boy-Its-an-OBrien/articleshow/29649595.cms|title=after which he took charge as assistant principal of South Point high school for seven years|publisher=Times of India}} The school initially had among its faculty, noted actor and director Utpal Dutt,{{Cite web|title=History – SOUTH POINT SCHOOL|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/lifetime-of-love-learning-at-south-point/cid/1289420}} teaching English Literature, Gita Ghatak,{{Cite web|title=History – SOUTH POINT SCHOOL|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/news/health-help-launch-for-schoolmates-at-reunion-of-south-point-ex-students-association/cid/1998210}} noted Rabindrasangeet vocalist and acclaimed actress as a teacher of music, Kamal Kumar Majumdar, noted Bengali writer and critic, teaching Bengali and his younger sister, the artist Shanu Lahiri teaching arts and crafts.{{Cite web|title=History – SOUTH POINT SCHOOL|url=https://www.southpoint.edu.in/history/|access-date=2020-07-28|language=en-US}}
Emblem and objective
The School Emblem, showing a bird (dove or paloma) in flight, symbolizes "man's everlasting quest for knowledge and the desire to soar above the mundane."{{Cite web|url=http://www.southpoint.edu.in/aims-and-objectives/|title=Aims and Objectives – SOUTH POINT SCHOOL|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-16}} The motto of the School is 'Courage to Know'.{{Cite web|title=Aims and Objectives – SOUTH POINT SCHOOL|url=https://www.southpoint.edu.in/aims-and-objectives/|access-date=2020-07-28|language=en-US}}
Priyamvada Birla Campus
In order to address space constraints and enhance infrastructure, South Point School and South Point High School will move to a new and much larger campus named the Priyamvada Birla Campus of South Point named after the late Smt. Priyamvada Birla, philanthropist and wife of M.P. Birla Group founder Late Shri Madhav Prasad Birla. The campus is currently under construction.{{Cite web|title=2022 date for Bypass campus|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/2022-date-for-bypass-campus/cid/1685030|access-date=2020-10-17|website=www.telegraphindia.com}}{{Cite web|title=The New Campus – SOUTH POINT SCHOOL|url=https://www.southpoint.edu.in/the-new-campus/|access-date=2020-10-17|language=en-US}}
Notable alumni
Academia
Sciences
- Saurabh Bagchi, Professor of Computer Science, Purdue University, ACM,{{Cite web|title=ACM Honors Distinguished Computer Scientists, Engineers and Educators for Innovations|url=https://www.acm.org/media-center/2013/november/acm-honors-distinguished-computer-scientists-engineers-and-educators-for-innovations|access-date=2021-06-07|website=www.acm.org|language=en}} IFIP,{{Cite web|title=IFIP WG10.4 Members|url=https://www.dependability.org/wg10.4/members.html|access-date=2021-06-07|website=www.dependability.org}} IEEE{{Cite web|title=Saurabh Bagchi {{!}} IEEE Computer Society|url=https://www.computer.org/profiles/saurabh-bagchi|access-date=2021-06-07|language=en-US}} Distinguished Scientist, Humboldt Fellow{{Cite web|last=Service|first=Purdue News|title=Purdue engineer receives Humboldt Research Award|url=https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2018/Q2/purdue-engineer-receives-humboldt-research-award.html|access-date=2021-06-07|website=www.purdue.edu|language=en}}
- Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, Professor of Economics, MIT, Nobel Laureate in Economics{{cite web|title=Abhijit Banerjee|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/south-point-to-fete-abhijit-on-next-visit/articleshow/71712156.cms|date=23 October 2019|work=The Times of India|access-date=25 October 2019}}
- Sumit Ranjan Das, high energy physicist and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology laureate{{cite web|title=[Sumit Ranjan Das|url=https://pa.as.uky.edu/users/srdas2|date=23 October 2019|work=NYT|access-date=25 October 2019}}
- Abhik Ghosh, chemist, professor, and winner of the Hans Fischer Career Award (2022) for lifetime contributions{{Cite web |title=Society of Porphyrins & Phthalocyanines |url=http://www.icpp-spp.org/icpp10/general/awards.php |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=www.icpp-spp.org}}
- Abhijit Mukherjee, scientist and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology laureate{{cite web|title=Abhijit Mukherjee|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/bengal-scores-high-with-bhatnagar-prize/articleshow/78341243.cms|date=27 September 2020|work=The Times of India|access-date=28 September 2020}}
- Amitava Raychaudhuri, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology laureate, physicist, professor emeritus, Department of Physics, Calcutta University (nephew of Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri){{Cite web|title=Amitava Raychaudhuri|url=https://www.iacs.res.in/maincontroller.php?navid=19&subnavid=70}}
- Sucharit Sarkar, mathematician{{cite web|title=Sucharit Sarkar|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/for-these-champs-mathematics-is-the-mantra-of-life/articleshow/17606337.cms|date=27 September 2020|work=The Times of India|access-date=28 September 2020}}
Humanities
- Supriya Chaudhuri, scholar of English literature, professor emerita of Jadavpur University{{cite web|title=Supriya Chaudhuri|url=https://shakespeareinbengal.in/supriya-chaudhuri-jadavpur-university/|date=23 October 2019|work=Shakespeare in Bengal|access-date=25 October 2019}}
Writers
- Aroup Chatterjee, doctor, writer and critic{{cite web|title= Aroup Chatterjee|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/27/world/asia/mother-teresa-critic.html?_r=0|date=23 October 2019|work=NYT|access-date=25 October 2019}}
- Shamik Ghosh, Sahitya Akademi Youth Award-winning Bengali writer (2017; Government of India){{cite web|title=Shamik Ghosh|url=https://sahitya-akademi.gov.in/aboutus/pdf/AR-2017-18.pdf|date=27 September 2020|work=The Times of India|access-date=28 September 2020}}
- Anuradha Roy, author whose book Sleeping on Jupiter was longlisted for the 2015 Man Booker Prize{{Cite web|title=Anuradha Roy|url=https://www.thejcbprize.org/author/anuradha-roy}}
Arts and entertainment
- Tanmoy Bose, percussionist and tabla player{{cite web|title=Tanmoy Bose|url=https://www.swarganga.org/artist_details.php?id=936|date=23 October 2019|work=Swarganga|access-date=25 October 2019}}
- Bhaswar Chatterjee, actor{{Cite web|title=Bhaswar Chatterjee|url=https://t2online.in/goodlife/wheels-1/exclusive:-a-special-screening-of-manikbabur-megh-was-arranged-for-retired-teachers-of-south-point-school/1050198?utm_source=recommendation&ref=recommendation}}
- Prosenjit Chatterjee, National Film Award-winning Bengali actor and Bengal Vibhushan (West Bengal Government) awardee{{cite web|title=Prosenjit Chatterjee|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/bumbada-works-his-magic-on-city-educators/articleshow/73531497.cms|date=23 October 2019|work=The Indian Express|access-date=15 September 2017}}
- Saswata Chatterjee, critically acclaimed National Film Award-winning Bengali actor{{cite web|title=Saswata Chatterjee|url=https://lifestyle.livemint.com/news/talking-point/saswata-chatterjee-the-scenestealer-111646983453046.html|date=27 September 2020|work=The Times of India|access-date=28 September 2020}}
- Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, National Film Award-winning filmmaker{{cite web|title=Aniruddha Roy Choudhury|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/south-point-alumni-shoot-7-minute-video-pay-tribute-to-nature/articleshow/75611221.cms|date=23 October 2019|work=The Indian Express|access-date=15 September 2017}}
- Sourav Das, Bengali actor{{Cite web|title=Sourav Das|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/edugraph/the-telegraph-school-awards-for-excellence-2023-honoured-schools-teachers-students-and-parents/cid/1961833}}
- Swarup Dutta, veteran Bengali actor{{cite web|title=Swaroop Dutta|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/regional/veteran-bengali-actor-swarup-dutta-passes-away-5834133/|date=27 September 2020|work=The Times of India|access-date=28 September 2020}}
- Rituparno Ghosh, National Film Award-winning filmmaker{{cite web|title=Rituparno Ghosh|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/rituparno-would-ask-me-to-shampoo-his-hair-school-friend-hiranjit-bose/articleshow/35844602.cms|date=23 October 2019|work=The Times of India|access-date=25 October 2019}}
- Pratim D. Gupta, film critic, journalist, filmmaker{{Cite web|title=Pratim D. Gupta|url=https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2018/Oct/10/riddhi-sen-the-man-they-call-national-award-8261.html}}
- Bauddhayan Mukherji, National Film Award-winning filmmaker{{Cite web|title=Baudhayan Mukherji|url=https://t2online.in/goodlife/wheels-1/exclusive:-a-special-screening-of-manikbabur-megh-was-arranged-for-retired-teachers-of-south-point-school/1050198?utm_source=recommendation&ref=recommendation}}
- Kamalini Mukherji, Rabindrasangeet vocalist{{Cite web|title= Kamalini Mukherji|url=https://kamalinimukherji.com/bio}}
- Srijit Mukherji, National Film Award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter{{cite web|title=Srijit Mukherji|url=https://t2online.in/goodlife/wheels-1/exclusive:-a-special-screening-of-manikbabur-megh-was-arranged-for-retired-teachers-of-south-point-school/1050198?utm_source=recommendation&ref=recommendation|date=23 October 2019|work=The Indian Express|access-date=15 September 2017}}
- Bedabrata Pain, National Film Award-winning filmmaker, scientist, and inventor{{cite web|title=Bedabrata Pain|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/south-point-alumni-shoot-7-minute-video-pay-tribute-to-nature/articleshow/75611221.cms|date=23 October 2019|work=The Indian Express|access-date=15 September 2017}}
- Sandip Ray, National Film Award-winning filmmaker (son of Satyajit Ray)
- Riddhi Sen, National Film Award-winning actor{{Cite web|title=Riddhi Sen|url=https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2018/Oct/10/riddhi-sen-the-man-they-call-national-award-8261.html}}
- Subrata Sen, filmmaker{{Cite web|title=Subrata Sen|url=https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2018/Oct/10/riddhi-sen-the-man-they-call-national-award-8261.html}}
Politics
- Papiya Adhikari, actress and politician{{Cite web|title=Papiya Adhikari|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/south-point-alumni-shoot-7-minute-video-pay-tribute-to-nature/articleshow/75611221.cms}}
- Ritabrata Banerjee, politician, Member of Rajya Sabha, India
- Nilotpal Basu, CPI(M)Politician, Ex Member of Rajya Sabha India
- Srijan Bhattacharyya, Leftist Student Activist, SFI Leader and CPI(M) Leader