Huzurpaga is the oldest Indian run girls' high school in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

History

The school was established by the Maharashtra Girls Education Society (MGE) in 1885. The school's founders included noted social reformers Vaman Abaji Modak, Justice Ranade and historian Dr. R. G. Bhandarkar. Ranade's then young wife,

Ramabai Ranade Ramabai Ranade (25 January 1862 – 25 January 1924) was an Indian social worker and one of the first women's rights activists in the early 20th century. At the age of 11, she was married to Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, who was a distinguishe ...

had presented a petition to the governor of Bombay, James Ferguson in 1884 about the desirability of opening a high school for girls. Ferguson inaugurated the school in 1885. The school was originally called the Poona Native Girls High School (PNHS). It was the first Indian-run school to offer education to girls to the level of

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...

. The school started with twelve girls, two of them widows. Mary Sorabji, sister of social reformer,

Cornelia Sorabji Cornelia Sorabji (15 November 1866 – 6 July 1954) was an Indian lawyer, social reformer and writer. She was the first female graduate from Bombay University, and the first woman to study law at Oxford University. Returning to India after he ...

was one of the first teachers.Richard Sorabji
''Opening Doors: The Untold Story of Cornelia Sorabji, Reformer, Lawyer and Champion of Women's Rights in India''
(Penguin Books India 2010):13-14. The subjects taught included those required to appear for the matriculation examination such as English literature, arithmetics, geometry, Marathi, and science. Sanskrit was an optional language on the syllabus. The establishment of the school and its curriculum were vehemently opposed by Lokmanya Tilak in his newspapers, the Mahratta and Kesari. A play disparaging the English language curriculum went to second edition. The play also on ran on stage in Pune for many performances. In 1887, the ruler of the Princely state of

Sangli Sangli () is a city and the district headquarters of Sangli District in the state of Maharashtra, in western India. It is known as the Turmeric City of Maharashtra due to its production and trade of the spice. Sangli is situated on the banks ...

, Tatyasaheb Patwardhan, offered land on Laxmi Road in Pune, where the high school is based. The girls' hostel and the elementary school were established later on the same campus. The school has offered a boarding option for out-of-town students for more than a century. The school and the boarding option were popular among the

Bene Israel The Bene Israel (), also referred to as the "Shanivar Teli" () or " Native Jew" caste, are a community of Jews in India. It has been suggested that they are the descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes via their ancestors who had settled there ce ...

community in the early part of the 20th century. Notable boarders of school include Anandibai Karve and actress Reema Lagu. In the 1990s, MGE started a new branch of the school in the Pune suburb of

Katraj Katraj is suburb of Pune in the Indian state of Maharashtra, and within the jurisdiction of Pune Municipal Corporation. Katraj is famous for its Peshwa-era (18th century) lake that supplied water to the city during that period. The village li ...

. It started with a preschool and gradually extended to include high school and higher secondary school, respectively.

Academics

Entrance of Hujurpaga Girls school Pune IMG-20170811-WA0008

The school is officially called the H. H. C. P. Girls High School in honor of Tatyasaheb Patwardhan's father, the Maharaja, His Highness Chintamanrao Patwardhan of

. Huzurpaga is located in the main commercial area of Laxmi Road in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

. The school location was historically used as horse stables for the Maratha cavalry during the days of

Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later ...

rule. The school opened its second branch at Katraj. In 2001, the MGE Society established a senior college of commerce exclusively for girls called Huzurpaga Mahila Vanijya Mahavidyalaya (HMVM). At present, the school offers instruction from grades 5 to 10 to nearly 2,400 girls. The school's medium of instruction is mainly Marathi with some students being offered the chance to learn science and maths through the English language. The latter option is called semi-English curriculum. In the S.S.C. exams conducted by the Maharashtra government for 10th grade students, the school consistently achieves a pass rate in the high 90s percentage.

Notable alumni

*Anandibai Karve (1866 -1950) - Was a boarder with her son in 1890s after her second marriage to social reformer Maharshi Karve and birth of their son *Kashibai Herlekar (1874 -1936) - Social reformer, educationalist and writer *Rebecca Reuben (1889 - 1957) -

educationalist - Miss Reuben also taught at the school for three years. *Padmabhushan

Tarabai Modak Tarabai Modak (19 April 1892-1973) was born in Bombay. She graduated from the University of Mumbai in 1914. She was married to a lawyer from Amravati, Mr. Modak. Later she got a divorce in 1921. She worked as a principal of a Women's College i ...

(1892 -1973) - Advocate of Montessori education * Muktabai Dixit (1901 - 1980) - Writer in Marathi *

Irawati Karve Irawati Karve (15 December 1905 – 11 August 1970) was a pioneering Indian sociologist, anthropologist, educationist and writer from Maharashtra, India. She was one of the students of G.S. Ghurye, founder of Indian Sociology & Sociol ...

(1905 – 11 August 1970) - Eminent social scientist & anthropologist * Malati Bedekar (née Baltai Khare) - Writer in Marathi * Kamal Ranadive (8 November 1917 – 2001) - Biologist specializing in cancer research *

Shanta Shelke Shanta Janardan Shelke ( Marathi: शांता शेळके) (12 October 1922 – 6 June 2002) was a Marathi poet and writer in the Marathi language. She was also a noted journalist, and academic. Her work included song compositions, stor ...

(19 October 1922 – 6 June 2002) - Poet and writer in Marathi language * Shirish Pai (1929-) - Writer in Marathi and English * Sai Paranjpye (1938-) - Broadcaster and film director *

Rohini Godbole Rohini Godbole is an Indian physicist and academic specializing in elementary particle physics: field theory and phenomenology. She is currently a professor at the Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. She has ...

(1952-) - Particle physicist *

Reema Lagoo Reema Lagoo (born Nayan Bhadbhade; 21 June 1958 – 18 May 2017) was an Indian theatre and screen actress known for her work in Hindi and Marathi cinema. She began her acting career in the Marathi theatre, after which she became a household nam ...

(1958- 2017) - Stage and film actress * Mrunal Kulkarni (1971-) - Actress * Tejashree Walavalkar - Actress. she played young

in the Marathi TV serial,

Unch Maaza Zoka ''Unch Majha Zoka'' () is an Indian television series directed by Viren Pradhan and was aired on Zee Marathi. The series premiered on 5 March 2012 from Monday to Saturday at 8 pm by replacing ''Ekach Hya Janmi Janu''. Summary It is a drama ...

. *Prajakta Gaikwad (1998-) - Actress. She has worked in the Marathi TV serial

Swarajyarakshak Sambhaji ''Swarajya Rakshak Sambhaji'' is an Indian historical drama based on the life of warrior king Sambhaji. The series is directed by Vivek Deshpande and Kartik Rajaram Kendhe and is written by Pratap Gangavane. It is produced by Amol Kolhe, Vilas ...

as Maharani Yesubai, the wife of Chhatrapati

Sambhaji Sambhaji Bhosale (14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689) was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing ...

Maharaj.

References

{{coord, 18.5148, 73.8528, type:edu_region:IN, display=title High schools and secondary schools in Maharashtra Schools in Pune Schools in Colonial India Private schools in Maharashtra Maharashtra