Sree Rama Varma High School, officially Sree Rama Varma Govt Model Higher Secondary School and popularly known as SRV High School) is the largest government-owned school in

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It was founded by the Kochi Royal family as the English Elementary School in 1845. The school was later named after King Rama Varma of the founding Kochi Royal family. After the independence of India from British rule in 1947, and the reorganization of the states of India in 1956, the school was handed over to the

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

, which now owns and operates it.

History

In 1845, the school was founded as the English Elementary School, located in what is now the campus of

Maharaja's College, Ernakulam The Maharaja's College is a Public university, government college located in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. Established in 1875, it is one of the oldest colleges in India. Located in the heart of the city, the college campus is spread ov ...

. It was renamed as Raja's School in 1865, and was upgraded to a college in 1875. Later, the school was separated from the college, was moved to its present location, and was renamed Sree Rama Varma High School.

Organization

Sree Rama Varma High School offers curricula for grades 1 to 12. The school is divided into four sections: Lower Primary (grades 1 to 4), Upper Primary (grades 5 to 7), High School (grades 8 to 10), and Higher Secondary (grades 11 and 12). The different sections have separate, though adjoining, campuses as well as separate administration.

Architecture

The architecture of the school showcases the British architectural styling of colonial Kerala. It is a two-story building built using primarily

lime Lime most commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Bo ...

and

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

. The floor and roof utilize

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

tiles.

ISRO Space Museum

Donated by the

Indian Space Research Organization The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...

(ISRO) during the term of the former chairman

Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan (24 October 1940 – 25 April 2025) was an Indian space scientist who headed the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from 1994 to 2003. Until his death, he was Chancellor of Central University of Rajasthan a ...

(a former student of the school), the school contains a Space Museum, which showcases the ISRO's space research and educates students in

space science Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

. The museum displays miniature replicas of ISRO's satellites as well as satellite launch vehicles. The exhibits educate students on various kinds of satellites and launch techniques, namely the ISRO's

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite ...

geosynchronous satellites A geosynchronous satellite is a satellite in geosynchronous orbit, with an orbital period the same as the Earth's rotation period. Such a satellite returns to the same position in the sky after each sidereal day, and over the course of a day tra ...

, and related technologies and applications such as

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an physical object, object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring inform ...

. It was inaugurated by former President of India Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on 19 December 2006.

Notable alumni

* Krishnaswami Kasturirangan, space scientist, member of the Planning Commission, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization *

Changampuzha Krishna Pillai Changampuzha Krishna Pillai (10 October 1911 – 17 June 1948) was a celebrated Malayalam poet from Kerala, India, known for his elegy '' Ramanan'' which was written in 1936 and sold over 100,000 copies. It is a long pastoral elegy, a play wri ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

poet, known for his pastoral elegy ''Ramanan'' * Swami Chinmayananda, founder of

Chinmaya Mission The Chinmaya Mission () is a Hindu religious and spiritual organization that disseminates Vedanta, the science of the self as described in the Vedas, particularly the Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita. Followers ...

* N. S. Madhavan, writer * G. N. Ramachandran, scientist, physicist, and

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

nominee * K. V. Thomas, former member of Parliament *

V. R. Krishna Iyer Justice Vaidyanathapuram Rama Iyer Krishna Iyer (15 November 1914 – 4 December 2014) was an Indian judge who became a pioneer of judicial activism. He pioneered the legal-aid movement in the country. Before that, he was a state minister and ...

, former supreme court justice, critic, independent supporter of leftist movements *

Aashiq Abu Aashiq Abu (born 12 April 1978) is an Indian film director, producer, cinematographer, actor, and distributor, who works in Malayalam cinema. He is best known for his films such as '' Daddy Cool'' (2009), '' Salt N' Pepper'' (2011), '' 22 Female ...

, film director and producer best known for his work in Malayalam cinema *

Amal Neerad Amal Neerad (born 13 February 1978) is an Indian film director, cinematographer and producer who mainly works in Malayalam cinema. He attended the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata (first batch). He was awarded the National F ...

, filmmaker * C. V. Subramanian, mycologist,

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Shanti or Shanthi may refer to: In Sanskrit * Inner peace, a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress * Kshanti, one of the paramitas of B ...

recipient * Justice Shaji P. Chaly, judge of

Kerala High Court The High Court of Kerala is the List of high courts in India, highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the Hig ...

* V. Viswanatha Menon, Minister of Finance in Kerala

References