Kunjpura

Kunjpura is a village on the banks of the Yamuna River, off the Grand Trunk Road that runs from Amritsar to Delhi and further on to Calcutta.

Overview

Close to Karnal in Haryana, this village has a beautiful fort [Capture of Kunjpura fort from Durranni by Marathas in June 1759, "Tarikh-e-Ahmadi"] and a long history. Kunjpura was a major halting point for all those who traveled from Khyber Pass to Delhi before the Grand Trunk Road came to be. The local rulers changed and this was a "jagir" that changed hands many times. Midway between Karnal and Kunjpura is a Sainik School, which was started in 1961. This was originally a large property, belonging to the last Nawab of Kunjpura, that passed into the hands of the Defence Ministry. Sainik School Kunjpura has since flourished and provided many good citizens and devoted Army officers to India. Alumni of the school have done well in the Military establishment as well as in the Civilian street. The old boys' of the school are called Kunjeans [http://Kunjeans.org] .

Sainik School Kunjpura stands majestically sprawled over 275 Acres, amidst nature’s beauty in the land of Mahabharat where Lord Krishna discoursed and enlightened Arjuna with the knowledge of the divine Bhagvad Gita. The school, which is about 10 km from the heart of the Karnal city, famed as "Karna Bhumi", was originally the palace of the Nawab of Kunjpura. Nawab Mohammed Ibrahim Khan had built it in 1900 AD to house the marriage party of his daughter. This huge building was earlier the "sanctum sanctorum" of the prestigious Punjab Police Academy. Sainik School Kunjpura came into being on the 24th of July, 1961, at the behest of the then Defense Minister of India, who took personal interest in its inception and upbringing. He then handed over the reins of command and put at the helm of affairs a very able administrator, Col. E J Simeon, who nurtured it for seven years as its "Founding Principal".

Gradually, a whole lot of additions were made to the structure of the school in terms of new constructions– the junior block, the Infirmary, the Cadets' Mess, the Manekshaw Auditorium, the Simeon Squash Court, the swimming pool and then residential area for the staff and the boys. But the main building remained the ‘nerve center’ of the school with the administrative block, senior classrooms, computer-cum-conference room, library, general knowledge room and staff room etc in its vicinity. The school is a ‘Dronacharya’s Gurukul’ in the true sense of the word as it provides opportunities for growth and development in each and every segment of a student’s life, may it be academics, co-curricular activities, extra-curricular activities or career guidance.

People and Economy

The land-owners of the village are Rors of the Lorkan gotra. The economy of the village is booming compared to many villages in the state of Haryana. The market is huge relative to normal villages and traders are quite prosperous. This could be attributed to the Sainik School situated close-by. The soil is alluvial in nature and the Yamuna river is not too far. Thus, irrigation is not an issue for the farmers and they are easily able to harvest more than two crops a year.

See also

* Ror community

References