History of Lady Irwin school by Dr Bharati Sarkar

History of Lady Irwin School, New Delhi By Dr Bharati Sarkar, Joint Secretary, Governing Body, Lady Irwin School Lady Irwin School is about to hit a century of it’s existence. Once, considered the best girls school in India, the school continues to enjoy it’s distinction and it is still much sought after. This is especially when people get to meet the alumni and recent pass outs who are well groomed in the five S’s -simple, smart, sober, smiling and serious about each and every piece of task assigned to them. Irwinites grow to be liberal and empowered. No wonder, the school did not have any uniform till about three decades back. The principal Miss K Sengupta used to often remark,” My Girls! They don’t need a uniform! They are all like butterflies in a garden.” She would also add,” They are respectful, helpful and proficient both in Vernacular and English.” 

Lady Irwin school was founded in 1927 when India was under the British regime, Simla was the summer capital and New Delhi the winter capital. Two respected residents of Delhi Rai bahadur Amrita Lal Banerjee and Sir NN Sarkar met the then Governor in general Lord Irwin and presented a proposal for opening a school only for girls which would function in Simla (now Shimla) during summers as the mothers had to stay back in Delhi due to lack of a girls’s school in Simla, and in New Delhi in winters. Lord Irwin did not give an immediate approval but, to their surprise, Lord Irwin contacted them the next day and said that Lady Irwin thought that it was an excellent proposal. That is how the school got it’s name. 

Sir Satish Kumar Das was school’s first patron. 

The school has nurtured into eminence many of it’s students who are now revered citizens of the country. Some have even received the highest National Awards. 

For the sake of brevity a few names are being quoted-Justice Geeta Mittal, Kathak dancers Swashwati Sen and Bhaswati Mishra, Odissi dancers Madhavi Mudgal, Padmashree Ranjana Gauhar, Hindustani classical vocalist Subhadra Desai. Till the recent past Delhi University has had school alumni as principals in seven of it’s affiliated colleges. 

There have been many medical practitioners, engineers, academicians, scientists, researchers, chartered accountants, artists and civil servants etc. In commensurate with the times some recent pass outs are models, fashion and jewellery designers, potters etc. 

The governors of the school were no less eminent and included former UPSC Chairman RCS Sarjkar, Former Director General All India Radio Ashok Kumar Sen and Padmashree Justice Krishnamani. 

As in the past, the school has over three thousand students. Presently the school is running in three buildings, Primary at Defence colony, Middle and Senior at Madhav Rao scandia Marg. The school has always had excellent teachers on it’s faculty and a committed nonteaching staff. Every year there is a rush for admission to the school.