Department of Folklore

The desire of the University Grants Commission for the promotion of folklore studies in the universities was expressed first in the Commission's circular of 1982 and the efforts of Kalyani University to realise this desire are note worthy.

The orchestrated efforts of Kalyani University initiated since the early 70s to set up a full-fledged Department of Folklore including study and research of folklore as a subject major at the University level bear testimony to the earnestness and passion on the part of this University to save, salvage and preserve the great folk tradition of this sub-continent from obscurity and oblivion. The UGC visiting committee during Vth Plan period, in view of the location, wide potentiality of study and research on folklore and the expertise readily available in the University of Kalyani, noted the feasibility of creation of a new Department of Folklore in this University and granted resources in terms of money and personnel for Folklore specialisation in the VIth Plan recommendation. During VIIth plan period under the leadership of Dr. Kalyan Kr. Dasgupta, the then Vice-Chancellor of the University, the Department of Folklore took final shape in the year 1990.


The Department started formal and regular functioning since January 15, 1990 with limited resources but holding out great promise. The desired objective of the Department is to generate interest and enthusiasm in the traditional culture from an international perspective in general and a pan-Indian context in particular. The Department propagates the study of folkloristics through comparative and cross-cultural methodology with text and contextual understanding and consequently exploring the idea of unity in diversity in the Indian situation as well as promoting its deep understanding at global level. We feel that our moral duty is to explore the study of folklore in a specific manner with strong academic discipline of its own so that ephemeral interest or unwanted amateurism and cheap commercialism may not jeopardize the cause of study of folklore in the long run.