Vidyasagar’s Metropolitan Institution being demolished since yesterday!

Swarnali Chattopadhya, founder member of Purono Kolkatar Golpo, shares with GB readers the sad story of iconic school ‘Metropolitan Institution,’ being demolished since yesterday. Unfortunately, Kolkatans and self-proclaimed Heritage Protection Groups of the city are silent!

Metropolitan Institute of Burrabazar. Another casualty of our carelessness. Yesterday, I witnessed a failure, a failure when we saw a young boy, hardly 11-12 years of age, cruelly mutilating the terrace of the “Metropolitan Institution, Burrabazar” with a shovel. This is an institute where Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar once dreamt of creating an evolved educated society. We witnessed a failure, when we observed that this demolition is taking place unapologetically, where we are reduced to mere spectators.

Inside of the building still robust. Bust of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

Surprisingly, the colossal corridors inside are still in perfect state, the spacious classrooms are still with blackboards, staff-rooms are with tables and chairs. Even a couple of years ago, this was a bustling school that was later closed down, for unknown reasons. The Bust of Vidyasagar who opened this school still stands alone in the moderate size courtyard with unique red coloured ornate pillars and arches. May be, he is witnessing not just the demolition of a Grade II Heritage structure in a city that seems to have least respect for its heritage buildings, but also the complete dissolution of an ideology that was the backbone of this society.

Inside the building. Quite stout pillars. Still it is said to be a dilapidated dangerous building!

The Burrabazar branch of Metropolitan Institutionon Prasanna Coomar Tagore Street, like 100 other old buildings of Kolkata in Pathuriaghat became another victim of negligence and perhaps greed. When will this stop?

The intricate pillars within