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| ABOUT THE WOMENS'S COLLEGE, CALCUTTA |
Women’s College, Calcutta, was founded on
July 2nd 1937, by a group of devoted scholars under
the guidance of Dr. D. L. De, M.A. Ph.D. (London),
founder principal of the college, with a view to
advancing the cause of higher education of women,
particularly of the state, consistent with Indian
culture and tradition. The first Advisory Board
consisted of eminent personalities from all walks
of life like Sir Manmathanath Roy Chowdhury, Maharaja
of Santosh, Sir A.H. Ghuznavi, Mr. Durgaprasad Khaitan,
Attorney at law, Mr. S.M. Chowdhury, Zeminder of
Sherpur, Mr. K. K. Bhattacharjee, Reader, University
of Allahabad, Mr. K.C. Chatterjee, Chartered Engineer,
Mr. A.C. Gupta, Advocate, Mr. S. N. Mitra, Chartered
Accountant, Mr. S. K. Basu, Ex-Mayor, Calcutta Corporation,
Sir U. N. Brahmachari, M.A., M.D. Ph.D., inventor
of preventive medicines for Kala-azar. The list
is unending.
Renowned women personalities of the time were also
members of the Advisory Board. Among them mention
may be made of Mrs. Nellie Sengupta, Alderman, Calcutta
Corporation, Mrs. Kumudini Basu, Ex-councillor,
Calcutta Corporation, Miss S.B. Das, Fellow, University
of Patna.
The enlightened group was inspired by a noble idea
of setting up a model institution for women. Without
adequate financial resources, they proceeded forward
to work for the uplift of women relying solely on
their spirit of self-sacrifice and robust optimism.
The college has grown out of the times through the
sincerity and hard work of the staff, students,
patrons and public alike.
The college was fortunate in having the
wise guidance of Sri A.T. Ganguly, M.A., one of the remarkable
figures in respect of patronage of learning in the state,
at a very crucial period of its history. Sri Ganguly's
timely help and his acceptance of the office of President
infused new life into the Institution and spurred the
members of the Governing Body to submit an application
for affiliation of the college. On the 27th April 1940,
affiliation up to the B.A. standard was recommended by the University of Calcutta which was duly sanctioned by the Government with effect from June 1940. It was an achievement indeed of which the promoters of the Institution justly felt proud. It was also a source of inspiration to all its workers imbued with a spirit of sacrifice and grim determination.
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Location
Initially, the College started in a rented house on Vivekananda
Road, Calcutta. Then it was transferred to Parshi Bagan
Lane, behind Science College, Calcutta.. During the Second
World War, the building went to the hands of the then
British Government. The next address was 204, Cornwallis
Street, Calcutta, which was again a rented house where
the college was shifted at the end of the war. It was
there for quite a long period, until it was finally shifted
to its own building at P-29, Kshirode Vidyavinode Avenue,
Kolkata-700 003, in December,1982. which is its present
address. The locality of Baghbazar is redolent of the
rich cultural heritage of West Bengal and the fraternity
of noble minds whose hallowed presence has lent dignity
to this region. Persons who have been the vanguard of
literary and journalistic activities, dramatics, art and
culture, religious and spiritual activities, and the country’s
freedom struggle, economic or business entrepreneurship,
have enriched the local environment with their outstanding
contributions. Legendary persons like Ramakrishna Paramhamsa,
Saradamani Devi, Swami Vivekananda, Sister Nivedita, eminent
dramatists like Girish Chandra Ghosh and Kshirode Prasad
Vidyavinode, illustrious painters like Jamini Roy and
Nandalal Basu had stayed at Baghbazar and contributed
towards its all- round growth. Sree Ramakrishna had stayed
at Baghbazar for a considerable period of time. Maa Sarada’s
house at Baghbazar is a proud reminder of her holy presence.
So also is the bathing-ghat which Sarada Devi used to
visit every day. Sister Nivedita also spent many days
at Baghbazar; her house bears silent witness to the erstwhile
glory of the locality. The historical ‘Balaram Mandir’
which was the former residence of the Bose family of Baghbazar
had become the centre of dramatic activity in the nineteenth
century. Later on it became associated with the various
spiritual activities of Sree Ramakrishna and was upgraded
to the status of a temple. Baghbazar also houses the office
of “Udbodhan”, the only Bengali periodical
of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, started by Swami Vivekananda
on 14th January,1899. These places have lent dignity to
the locality of Baghbazar and become places of pilgrimage.
The College obtained grants from UGC and the state Government
of West Bengal for the construction of the present building.
Initially the College was a two storied building with
spacious class rooms, library, office, staff room and
the Principal’s chamber. A spacious plot of land
adjoining the college building worked as an additional
advantage for arranging the different co-curricular activities
of the students. At the initial stage the building was
good enough to meet all requirements but subsequently
an expansion was needed for inclusion of larger number
of students and introduction of new academic courses.
Being the only Day college for women in the extreme north
of the city, it caters to the academic need of the traditional
and conservative Bengalee families of this area and northern
suburbs. Presently the college has fourteen departments
out of which nine offer Honours Courses. Over and above
these , there is a College Computer Centre, a branch of
the vastly popular non-government educational organization,
Institute of Computer Engineers.
A major portion of the students belongs to the lower socio
economic working class. Significantly most of them are
the first generation getting the opportunity for higher
education. Therefore, there is no scope for complacency,
though the college is struggling to overcome constraints
and inadequacies. Constructive criticism and suggestions
from within and without are always welcome.
Tribute to Dr. D. L. DE
Dr. D. L. De, the founder of this college, was born in
a middle class Bengalee family of Chittagong in the then
East Bengal, now in Bangladesh. He graduated from Rajshahi
College and was awarded his Ph.D degree in Philosophy
from the University of London.
Dr. De always believed in plain living and high thinking.
Clad in khadi dhoti and kurta, he spurned money, power and fame like poison and
lived like a fakir in the house of
friend Sri Manmatha Roy, a dramatist who was more than
a brother to him. At that time,
he earned a simple living through the publication and
sale of text books written by him
for the primary school children.
The one and only cherished dream of Dr. De was education,
liberation and enlightenment of the daughters of middle
class Bengalee families of Calcutta. The establishment
of Women's College, Calcutta in 1937 made his dream come
true. Women to him represented eternal motherhood. The
respect that he had for them made him initially refuse
the college fees from the students. Rather, he organized
sponsorship from different companies for the distribution
of everyday necessities like shoes, umbrellas, stationery
and not to exclude their medical expenses in time of need.
On ceremonial occasions students were gifted with sarees,
soaps, hair oil and perfumes as tokens of love and affection.
With his dynamic personality, Dr. De enlisted the sympathy
of more than a hundred prominent citizens of Calcutta
who became donors and life members of the College. In
its early stage the allowances of the staff were paid
from the money received from the donors and some important
citizens of Calcutta (some times Rs.25/-, Rs.50/- and
lastly Rs. 100/-). In those days this College was counted
as one of the best institutions for the education of girls
, not for its crowd of students, but for the pursuit of
a high idealism along with an excellent academic atmosphere
, strict discipline and uniformly satisfactory university
results.
The College was affiliated to the Calcutta University
in 1940 in Arts with English & Bengali as Honours
subject. Subsequently, the following subjects came to
be affiliated as Honours subjects.
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