Bandura Holy Cross High School to Observe Its Centenary

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 Former students of Bandura Holy Cross High School 
meet in Toronto on Sept. 25, 2011

with Mr. Akkas Uddin Mollah (seated, 3rd from left) and

Brother Prodip L. Rozario, CSC, ( seated, 4th from left)

(To view the enlarged version, click on the photo above)

Photo (Toronto: Sept. 25, 2011) by Mary D'Costa

Bandura Holy Cross High School, in the district of Dhaka, Bangladesh, is going to observe its 100^th year in coming January. The three-day celebration will be held on January 12-14 with about 4,000 participants, including present students and alumni of the school. 

Brother Chandon Benedict Gomes, C.S.C., headmaster and convenor of the Centenary Committee of the high school, in a letter to the alumni mentioned that he sent Brother Prodip L. Rozario, C.S.C. – former headmaster of the school and a member of the centenary finance committee – and Mr. Akkas Uddin Mollah --  a Dhaka businessman and convenor of the same finance committee – on a tour of France, England, Toronto (Canada), Maryland (USA) and New York (USA). These two representatives met with a number of former students of the school in these places and invited them to participate in the celebration of the centenary and sought their financial cooperation. 

On Sunday, September 25, under the chairmanship of Dr. David Henry Mazumdar, there was a gathering of more than two dozen Bandura high school alumni in Toronto. Participants gave a positive response to the high school’s invitation. Some of the alumni even formed an instant committee, to be headed by Mr.  Shekhar E. Gomes, to observe the centenary of the school in a small way in Toronto with an entertainment programme aiming at generating some funds.

The present headmaster also mentioned in his letter that the school has a plan to build in its premises an auditorium-cum-library and a computer lab costing about US$250,000. Funds would be required for this purpose, too.  

To know more about the centenary programme and for financial donation inquiries, one may email the headmaster at banduraholycrosshighschool@gmail.com and visit the school website: http://www.banduraholycross.com/

A Short Background of Bandura Holy Cross High School

The village of Bandura had a Catholic church since 1845. Three times cyclonic storms razed the church to the ground. For the fourth time the church was rebuilt in early 1898.

In 1909, the management board of Gobindapur High School proposed to Rt. Rev.  Peter Joseph Hurth, C.S.C., Bishop of the Diocese of Dhaka, to take over the school and run it under some conditions. Two of the conditions were: the school  could not be relocated elsewhere and its name could not be changed. The bishop left the diocese for his home country without any action on the petition. His successor Bishop Frederick Linneborn, C.S.C., visited the school in April of 1910 and placed his own conditions, some of which were: the school would be relocated, its name would be ‘Holy Cross Bandura-Gobindapur High School,’ and full governing power and ownership of the school should be vested upon the Bishop. After further negotiations the bishop won his case. 

First the church at Bandura was closed and relocated to Golla, a few miles from Bandura. Holy Cross Bandura-Gobindapur High School debuted on January 8, 1912 inside the church building at Bandura. Classes two through seven started with a total of 157 boys under the headmastership of Father John J. Hennessy, C.S.C.  Later classes were expanded to grade 10 and name of the school was changed to ‘Bandura Holy Cross High School.’ In 2011, this high school, from classes six to ten, has 1,550 students and 40 teachers. 

Bandura Holy Cross High School has been well-known for its educational, literary, cultural and sports achievements. When Brother Prodip L. Rozario, C.S.C., was the headmaster, this school received the national “best school award” in 2001 from the government of Bangladesh.