Welcome to Shikshayatan Foundation

Marwari Balika Vidyalaya est. 1920

Shri Shikshayatan School est. 1954

Shri Shikshayatan College est. 1955

Calcutta Business School est. 2008

The end of the nineteenth century was a time of tumult and change in the lives of women. New opportunities in education, employment and social metamorphosis lead to actions that define new roles for women in the decades that follow.

Realizing that Only Education, Education and more Education could change the fate of a woman and to popularize the education of young girls to meet the growing needs of social challenges and providing quality education at a reasonable cost to girl students, a group of enlightened Rajasthanis inaugurated a small but progressive school in the year 1920, in a buildings donated by Late Shri J K Birla supported by younger brother Late Shri Ghanshyam Das Birla, the doyen amongst them along with social worker Late Shri Sitaram Seksaria.

Realizing that Only Education, Education and more Education could change the fate of a woman and to popularize the education of young girls to meet the growing needs of social challenges and providing quality education at a reasonable cost to girl students, a group of enlightened Rajasthanis inaugurated a small but progressive school in the year 1920, in a buildings donated by Late Shri J K Birla supported by younger brother Late Shri Ghanshyam Das Birla, the doyen amongst them along with social worker Late Shri Sitaram Seksaria.

A girls’ school named Marwari Balika Vidyalaya was thus established in Burrabazar, the business hub of Calcutta. The address was, and still is 29 & 30, Banstolla Lane, Kolkata – 700 007. By its very name the Vidyalaya was meant for girls from the Marwari, or more correctly the Rajasthani Community. In due course, the sapling which was planted in 1920, became a full grown tree with more students knocking at the door than it could perhaps accommodate within the limited space in which it had been functioning. It did not take long for the Vidyalaya to become popular to attract not only girls from the Marwari community but also from the Hindi speaking families of Calcutta in general. It could only absorb about a thousand students. There was no scope for further expansion – a situation which is no different today.

Prodded by pressures to provide more opportunities for women’s education, some eminent Social workers like Shri Sitaram Seksaria and Shri Bhagirathi Kanoria contemplated the starting of another school. Land was bought at 11, Lord Sinha Road, to build a school but also a college. The name given was Shri Shikshayatan, for both the school and the college.

Shri Shikshayatan School was established on 3rd January, 1954 and the college on 8th July 1955. While these were the products of collective will and efforts of the Trustees, we remember with gratitude and reverence the pioneering roles played by Late Shri Sitaramji Seksaria, Late Bhagirathji Kanoria, Late Shri Bhagawati Prasad Khaitan, Late Shri Lakshminiwas Birla and Late Shri Prabhudayal Himatsingka.

The society also started a residential Management Institution from July 2008 styled Calcutta Business School located on 15 acre campus at Bishnupur under the stewardship of Mr. S. K. Birla who is also the President of the Society Shikshayatan Foundation.