Revisiting Satyajit Ray’s connect with the Hills

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 2 May 2023 | DCarjeeling: As the world celebrated Satyajit Ray’s birth anniversary on Tuesday, Darjeeling too revisited its bonds with the legend. Not only had he shot the iconic film “Kanchenjunga” in the Queen of the Hills or the hill town finds mention in many of his writings; but it is also the place where Ray had scribbled his first letters (Hatey Khori.) Ray was admitted to the Maharani School in Darjeeling where his mother was a teacher. 

“Satyajit Ray was a student of Maharani School and his mother was a teacher here. The mother and son had come to Maharani School after the death of Satyajit Ray’s father. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the serene atmosphere of Maharani School compound could have rendered solace and a healing touch to the shattered heart of the young child,” stated Uma Devi Chhetri, Headmistress, Maharani Higher Secondary Girls School, Darjeeling. 

Ray and his mother stayed in the teachers’ hostel which was then housed within the original school building complex. This building offers a magnificent view of Mount Kanchenjunga. “The majestic view of the mountain might has left a deep impact on little Ray and this could have inspired him to make the film Kanchenjunga,” added the Headmistress. 

There is mention of Maharani School in his book “Jokhun Choto Chilam.” Writer Nirmalendu Chatterjee has written that after the death of his father Sukumar Ray, Satyajit accompanied his mother Suprabha Ray to Darjeeling to visit Hemlata Sarkar, the founder of Maharani School. 

She took up the job of a teacher in the school. He was around 3 years old. “Ray’s Hatey Khori took place in Darjeeling,”writes Chatterjee. The Maharani School is steeped in history. The school was founded in 1908 through the efforts of Hemlata Sarkar, daughter of Shivnath Shastri, who was a Brahmo reformist. 

Hemlata was aided by Maharani Suniti Devi of Cooch Behar and her sister, the Maharani Sucharu Devi of Mayurbhanj - both daughters of another Brahmo reformist Keshab Chandra Sen. 

The Maharanis funded the school and it was named Maharani Girls School. It was upgraded to a High School in 1911. “It is a privilege to be an alumni of a school where the legend had learnt his first alphabets,” stated Suneeta Chhetri. It is the only school in Darjeeling that offers Bengali or Nepali as first language. 

The school has classes from kindergarten to 12 (humanities.) At present it has a student strength of around 300. 

“Darjeeling, we feel, has played an important role in Ray’s life. Of all the films by Ray, Kanchenjunga as a cinematic masterpiece is very symbolic to the beauty, strength and aesthetics of Darjeeling. It portrays the majestic landscape and the beauty the place represents in its truest, natural and unique sense,” stated Smriti Rai, Assistant Professor, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, St. Joseph’s College, Darjeeling. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

 https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/revisiting-satyajit-rays-connect-with-the-hills-517165