Faded glory: Nurpur’s historic school falls prey to neglect

The Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS) for Boys in Nurpur, once a cradle of excellence and prestige, now stands as a crumbling reminder of its glorious past. Once hailed as a heritage institution, the school’s building has fallen into disrepair, leaving behind only fading memories for generations who once studied within its historic walls.

Despite urgent need for restoration, the Education Department has been unable to repair or renovate the building due to stringent restrictions imposed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The school, located within the premises of the Nurpur Fort, was declared a protected monument by the ASI in 1967.

Tied by law, lost to time

Following the enforcement of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 2010, the ASI prohibited any construction or alteration within a 100-metre radius of the fort, marking it as a “prohibited area”. Consequently, the Education Department could not undertake any repair or expansion work. Over time, the building deteriorated and was eventually abandoned, turning into rubble.

A legacy of luminaries

The school’s legacy, however, remains illustrious. Among its alumni are distinguished personalities such as Justice Mehar Chand Mahajan, the third Chief Justice of India; Justice Bakshi Tek Chand, Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court; Air Field Marshal Suresh Mahajan and former ministers Sat Mahajan and Kewal Singh Pathania. Many technocrats, bureaucrats and Army officers also trace their roots to this institution.

Founded as a high school on September 25, 1928, during the British era, it was inaugurated by Kangra Deputy Commissioner Rai Sahib L Labhu Ram. The school once boasted an enrolment of over 1,300 students, now reduced to barely 250.

Neglect and uncertain future

The school was upgraded to a higher secondary school in 1964 and received plus-two status in 1988, cementing its reputation as a centre of academic excellence in Kangra district. However, as portions of the building became unsafe, secondary classes were shifted to a nearby laboratory. The lack of expansion and maintenance, however, led to a steady decline in enrolment.

During the previous Jai Ram Thakur government, then local MLA Rakesh Pathania proposed relocating the school to the Government Degree College campus once the college moved to its new premises at Suraj Tilla. But with the change in government and funds drying up, construction of the new college building came to a halt — leaving the relocation plan indefinitely shelved.

A heritage lost in bureaucratic limbo

Once an educational hub that shaped some of the region’s brightest minds, the Nurpur Boys’ School now lies abandoned and neglected — its proud legacy buried under layers of bureaucracy and time.