A burning flame of enlightenment for 100 years

Guests and dignitaries on stage during the 100-year jubilee celebrations of church-run St. Nicholas High School in Gazipur district near Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Jan. 2. (Photo: Robin Noel)

Subir Kashmir Pereira is disappointed that he missed out on an event that he had been looking forward to for years: attending the centenary jubilee celebrations of his beloved alma mater, St. Nicholas High School.

Geographical distance and other complications restricted him from attending the Catholic school's reunion in the first week of January.

Pereira, 49, is a Bangladeshi-born American citizen who settled in Maryland in 2007 with his wife and daughter.

St. Nicholas, where he studied from 1988 to 1991, is located in Nagari in Gazipur district of central Bangladesh, about 40 kilometers from the capital Dhaka.

"When the school marked 75 years [in 1995], I could not attend due to personal reasons. I told myself that I would have to attend the 100-year jubilee, but I missed out again. This failure is likely to upset me for the rest of my life," said Pereira, a Catholic.

Employed at a pharmacy of a multinational company in the US capital Washington, Pereira was a youth activist back home. He is also a seasoned poet with several titles published in recent years.

He credits his days at St. Nicholas, run by the Brothers of Holy Cross, for laying the foundation for what he has become today.

A guiding light for Bangladesh's marginalized communities

Sister Salome Nanuar, CSC (Photo: Rock Ronald Rozario)

As a child Salome Nanuar assumed she would end up becoming a poor and marginalized tea estate worker like her parents.

She was born in 1971, the third of six children of an ethnic Kharia family, at Barmachhera village at Srimangal, a tea plantation hub in the Moulvibazar district of northeastern Bangladesh.

Nearly five decades on, Salome has become a Holy Cross nun, dedicating her life as a teacher, catechist and hostels, in the service of socio-economically downtrodden communities, including tea workers.

Sister Salome’s father died when she was at grade four in primary school.

Thanks to support from her two elder brothers and sister in-laws, all of them tea workers, she was able to continue her education.

The biggest support came from the local St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, the oldest and largest parish in predominantly tribal Sylhet Diocese, set up in 1950 by Holy Cross missionary priest Father Vincent Delevi.

শ্রদ্ধাঞ্জ‌লি: ফাদার বেঞ্জা‌মিন কস্তা, সিএস‌সি (১৯৪২-২০১৭)

ফাদার বেঞ্জা‌মিন কস্তা, সিএস‌সি (Photo: Stephan Uttom)

২০০১ খ্রিস্টা‌ব্দের জুলাই মা‌সে মাধ্য‌মি‌কের গ‌ন্ডি পে‌রি‌য়ে উচ্চ মাধ্য‌মি‌কে পড়‌তে ঢাকায় আ‌সি। সে সময় অব‌ধি গ্রাম ও মফ:স্ব‌লের আ‌লো-বাতা‌সে বড় হওয়া ও সদ্য কৈ‌শোরের চৌকাঠ মাড়া‌নো দুরুদুরু ব‌ক্ষের একজন ছে‌লের জন্য ঢাকার মতো ব্যস্ত ও বিপুলায়তন নগরী‌তে আসাটাই  এক অ‌বিস্মরণীয় ঘটনা। তদুপ‌রি দেশ‌সেরা নটর ডেম ক‌লে‌জের স্বপ্ন ছিল দু‌চো‌খে, য‌দিও মাধ্য‌মি‌কের রেজাল্ট ছিল নিতান্তই সাদামাটা। এখা‌নেই দেখা পাই  একজন পক্ক‌কেশ জ্ঞানী কিন্তু নিতান্তই সাধা‌সি‌ধে সন্ন্যাসব্রতী যাজকের। তি‌নি আর কেউ নন ফাদার বেঞ্জা‌মিন কস্তা, নটর ডেম ক‌লে‌জের অধ্যক্ষ।

Bandura Holy Cross High School marks centenary

Illuminated front view of Bandura Holy Cross High School. Photo: Rock Ronald Rozario

Bandura Holy Cross High School, a pioneering Church-run school in Dhaka archdiocese has celebrated the centenary of foundation with three day festival over the weekend.
About 14,000 alumni and current students attended the program along with families including several hundred flying home from abroad on Jan. 12-14 at Bandura in Nababgonj sub-district, 44 kms south of Dhaka.

Among the dignitaries present were Holy Cross Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario of Dhaka, three bishops, information and cultural affairs minister Abul Kalam Azad, Catholic state minister for cultural affairs advocate Promod Mankin, local parliamentarian and state minister for housing and public works advocate Abdul Mannan Khan and former minister barrister Nazmul Huda.

The school has been lauded often locally and nationally several times for academic and extra-curricular excellence. In 2001, the school was awarded ‘The Best Educational Institution’ in the country by Education Ministry.

Among the famous alumni include Servant of God Holy Cross Archbishop T.A. Ganguly of Dhaka and almost all Catholic bishops of the country and Catholic state minister Promod Mankin.

The centennial celebration was marked with a grand rally, discussion meeting, sharing of memoirs by alumni, cultural function with national and internal artistes, memorabilia including shirts, key ring, court pins, flags and a magazine and fraternity meals.

Set up by Holy Cross Congregation and particularly by American Holy Cross missioner Father John Jack Hennessy on Jan. 8, 1912 with just 157 students, at present Bandura Holy Cross High School has 1,550 students.

Over the years the school enlightened tens of thousands of students from the area and other parts of the country. Many of its students became prominent social, political, religious and business leaders.

One of the greatest contributions of the school is helping local Catholic Church grow.

More than a hundred diocesan and religious priests completed their high school education from the school given pioneering Little Flower Seminary located just beside it.

In his speech information and cultural affairs minister thanked the Church and school authority for the great contribution in country’s education sector over the years.

“On behalf of the government I thank the Church and the school for laying cornerstone of success for thousands of students in last hundred years. This school is not only considered model in education but also extra-curriculum. I congratulate the authority, alumni and current students for marking hundred years of success,” said the minister Azad.

He also assured that his government will assist Church authorities who are in a venture to set up first Church-run University in the country.

A number of alumni shared that how this school helped them succeeding in life.
“I’ve flown all the way from USA to attend the centenary of my alma mater. This school has helped me to establish in life, I’m grateful to my teachers. Today I’m happier to be here because I have met many of my old friends,” said Catholic Khokon Stanley Gomes.

Shyamlal Paul, 52, a Hindu and government official recalled, “I’ve studied in the school for ten years. I’ve learned good English, hand writing, discipline and co-curricular activities. Whenever I pass beside the school I stop for while and relish my school days.”

Present headmaster Holy Cross Brother Chandan Benedict Gomes reiterated the motto of the school saying, “Come for education and go for mission- has always been our motto. I thank everyone for making the historic event for the school so successful.”

The headmaster added that with donation collected from the alumni and benefactors the school will set up a modern auditorium to mark the centennial celebration.