HISTORY OF TNA

"Rome was not built in a day", neither was the task of establishing our Academy accomplished overnight. The history of development of Tashi Namgyal Academy reaches way back to 1905. The school, as its name suggests, was founded by the late Chogyal (King of Sikkim), Sir Tashi Namgyal. It was his foresight and generous support to the Academy that helped this institution emerge as a leading school in the state providing balanced education.

Before 1925, the school was a Nepali primary school, and there was a Bhutia primary school at Burtuk, about 3 kms away from Gangtok.

In 1925, the Nepali primary school was converted to a High School affiliated to the Calcutta University. There is not much to mention until 1950.

Tashi Namgyal High School, as it was then named, was housed in two two-storied stone buildings standing below the present football ground. These two buildings (both of which are now demolished, with new multi-storeyed buildings in place - Naresh 2004: mentioned in my Junior Years Class I) served as classrooms. Infant classes were held downstairs in the building to the north and the hostel was upstairs. There were hardly twenty boarders but the number gradually increased every year. Students from class I to IV used to sit on wooden boards in the classroom floors.

Colonel Young Husband and his regiment of 1904 A.D. used these two stone buildings as their garrison. They were making a forced march into Tibet to discuss with the then Dalai Lama the possibility of opening an Indo-Tibet trade route.

The football ground was a grassy lawn, beside which was situated the teachers’ common room. A little distance from it was the office of the Headmaster-cum-the clerk. There was no library.

An old stone house with tin roof was the hostellers’ dining room. Boarders used to have their meals twice daily in this dark, squalid room. Today, the Academy Science Block has taken its place.

Another old house opposite to the Swimming Pool was the church attached to the garrison. The Principal’s residence today was the residence of the Civil Surgeon attached to the then political office of the Government of India (the present Raj Bhavan).

Till 1950, the school had only 150 students and the staff consisted of only 19 teachers. It was a tenth-class school with no extra-curricular activities. However, irregular football matches used to take place. Occasionally, boarders staged Nepali plays in the hostel.

In 1951, Kailash Nath Katju, the then Governor of West Bengal had come to Gangtok and visited the school.