In the pre-independence era the education provided by the elite schools of Kolkata was based on Western mores, which completely ignored India's rich cultural heritage. Parents who wanted their wards to receive an education based on traditional Indian values were thus faced with a moral dilemma. It took one eminent thinker, our founder, the late Sri.L.N.Birla to translate vision into reality. His prime concern was the state of contemporary Indian education. He watched with growing alarm the rapid rise of materialism in India and its impact on Indian youth, already toiling under colonial rule. He wanted a school based on Indian values and culture which, by very definition, would open its windows to thoughts and ideas from all four corners of the globe. To fulfil this mission, Hindi High School was established in 1940. A unique educational institution, its aim was to impart learning that blended the traditional with the modern, the aesthetic with the scientific. This vision of ushering in a new order in the sphere of education found emblematic representation in the school motto, "Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamay" - from darkness unto light. Hindi High School was re-christened "Birla High School" in 1997. The total land area is 67872 sq.ft. The total covered area of the school is 12611.53 sq.ft and playground area is 13640 sq.ft. With a change in name came a search for a fresh identity worthy of the student who stood poised on the brink of a new millennium, which was the compendium of the past, the present and the future. Today a resurgent spirit marks the activities of the school whose management and the teachers ensure that the students are able to keep abreast of recent technological advancement and global trends without losing touch with their roots. The school has received a permanent NOC from Government of West Bengal on 10.11.1999.
History
In the year 1940, the Second World War was raging. In Calcutta many people were meeting great difficulty in finding a school of a high standard to meet their requirements. They wished their boys to be trained to be good citizens in an Indian atmosphere and with Indian customs and manners. A few interested friends joined hands and the Hindi High School was founded in 1940. Shri L.N, Birla was the founder of the school. In January 1956, Late Dr. B.C. Roy, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal formally opened the new senior school premises in Moira Street. How incredible it sounds that barely 12 students joined this school at the beginning. Shri Sudarshan Birla, at present an eminent industrialist, was one of them. And now, student strength has swelled to 2444 from Nursery to Higher Secondary during this period. Post 1956, English was introduced as medium of instruction in the school. The school shifted its affiliation to Central Board of Secondary Education in 1971. Under the auspices of the Vidya Mandir Society, a registered body under the Societies Act No. XXI of 1860, the school provides education to enlighten the young minds.
