Show sheds light on North Point `miracles' .... STUDENTS REVISIT HISTORY OF ST JOSEPH'S SCHOOL

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 02 Apr 2019, Darjeeling: It was "a miracle" that one of Bengal's best known education institutions, St Joseph's School (North Point), could finally start in Darjeeling in 1888.

This unknown story, which has provided a new insight to the history of this town, was revealed through "The Miracle" -- a sound and light production organised by the institution.

The show held on Friday is also the first of its kind performance in Darjeeling.

The school, which is the alma mater of many from across the world, including those from royal families of Nepal and Bhutan, would never have started had there been no "miracles".

"I think it was because of miracles that the institution could start and that is why we named the production, The Miracle," said Fr Lawrence Maniyar, principal, North Point.

Fr Henri Depelchin, a Belgian priest, was virtually finding it impossible to start the school. "The institution was started at Sunny Banks (near Chowrasta) but Fr wanted a bigger place and wanted to set up the school at the present location at Singamari," said Fr Maniyar.

Fr Depelchin was the founder St Xavier's College, Calcutta, and St Xavier's Mumbai.

The British government did not want to sell the land and came up with one excuse after another only to be sorted out "miraculously". The sound and light production listed the following miracles. The Britishers refused to sell the land on the pretext that there was no stone quarry to build the institution, but after sometime, a local resident showed Depelchin a quarry right on the present North Point premises. The British then said they wanted to set up a police head- quarter on the site, but after sometime, the government changed the mind as Singamari was away from town. The British then told Fr Depelchin that they planned to take the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to Lebong through this site. Fr Depelchin found a connection through his mission at British Protectorate of Nyasaland, present day Malawi in Africa, who influenced the government not to take the railway line to Lebong.

When all obstacles had been cleared, the British fixed a huge sum of Rs 6000 for the land, which was beyond the means of a Jesuit.

"Strangely, Fr Depelchin suddenly found out the British government had decided to donate him exactly Rs 6000 for his effort to educate their children," said Maniyar.

The railways, which had earlier objected to the project, set up a separate track for the constructors and provided them with a rail wagon to clear mud from the hill. "This was because a rail- way official's brother was with Fr in the Zambesi Mission to Africa," said Fr Maniyar.

The idea was to set up a college and technically, North Point is called St Joseph's College (school department). "The institution started both as a school and college and later a college was built separately. This is why we are called St. Joseph's College (school department)," said Maniyar. The sound and light show was organised to commemorate the completion of 130 years and apart from 400 students North Point students, 110 girls from Loreto Convent also participated in the show.

"It was to be a sound and light production but we brought in a third dimension with students as we believe that no activity should be taken up unless it involves students," said Maniyar..