Prabhu Jagatbandhu College, Howrah

About Prabhu Jagatbandhu College, Howrah

Prabhu Jagatbandhu College, generally popular as Andul College, is situated on the bank of once famous river, The Saraswati. Some four decades ago on 15.08.1964 this college was founded only as result of a long-cherished aspiration of thousands of education conscious people of very old and culturally rich localities of Jhorehat, Andul and Mouri. This college has been named after Sri Sri Prabhu Jagatbandhu, a saint in the true sense of the term. Even today there are a great number of his devotees. One of the devotee, Dr. Tinkari Ghosh, M. B. gifted some of his land and a building to start the college. An organising committee comprising Principal Bijoy Krishna Bhattacharyya, Prof. Bipin Krishna Ghosh, Sri Bijoyananda Chatterjee, Dr. Renu Bhusan Chatterjee and Sri Harigopal Bhattacharyya was set up to run the college. Sri Harigopal Bhattacharyya was the Secretary of the committee. The dream of the college could not have culminated into reality but for the voluntary donation by the education loving people of the locality, raised by the untriing, selfless benevolent group under the name of ‘Karmi Sangha’. Later on the Science Building was constructed with the money and materials donated by generous Surath Mohan Paul. Dr. T. K. Ghosh made a gift to the college some of his landed property and Surath Mohan also executed a trust deed between N. C. Paul (Bricks) Pvt. Ltd. and the college makeing in a perennial source of Income of the college.

The first President, founder secretary and the first Principal of the college were Mr. Saila Kumar Mukherjee, Ex-Finance Minister, Govt. of West Bengal, Harigopal Bhattacharyya, an eminent scholar of the locality and Prof. Banibhusan Dasgupta respectively. The entire process of establishing this much needed college in a semi-urban, scheduled caste constituency was executed with the blessings of Prof. Bijoy Krishna Bhattacharyya, an eminent on 31st December, 1993. From January 1994 to July 1997 in the absence of a regular principal, the college was run under the able guidance of two teachers-in-charge Dr. Shyamal Kumar Sengupta, (from January 1994 to August 1994), and then Dr. Santosh Kumar Chakraborty, (September 1994 to July 1997). Prof. Kalachand Saha took over the charge as the third principal, of the college on 01.08.1997. Dr. Prajna Maitra was appointed as Teacher-in-Charge on 14.11.2006 and continued successfully in that position till 10.02.2009. Dr. Ajit Kumar Bera was appointed as Principal on 11.02.2009.

Though this co-educational college was started in the humbe way and had been handicapped by the over-bearing presence of at least four big colleges (three in Howrah town and one in Uluberia), it withstood all the difficulties and has now become one of the leading colleges in Howrah District. All credit goes to the students, teaching and non-teaching staff of the college. From the very inception of this college a unique tradition of cordial relationship among students, teaching and non-teaching staffhas developed, which very few colleges can boast of. At present numerous studetns come from larger surroundings, and from different strata of the society, but the tradition of cordial relationship goes on as ever. Again the college has been able to maintain its own identity and a good academic standard as reflected in teaching and University Examination results. Most of the students who come to study in this college are mediocre, yet those who pass out of this institution have been able to establish themselves in different spheres of life. The college has a good infrastructure for excellent academic pursuits for example spacious classrooms, computerised library and well-equipped laboratories, qualified and devoted teachers and efficient non-teaching staff. It has an attractive campus view with four buildings froming an almost retangular structural pattern around a lush green ground surrounded by a concrete road. On the western side of the campus, the building was constructed under the scheme of MPLAD fund of Hon'ble M. P. Mr. Swadesh Ranjan Chakraborty. Mr. Chakraborty further allotedRs. 10,00,000 from the same fund for seeting up computers in the college. The college has received a grant of Rs. 25,00,000 to construct Womens' Hostel from the U.G.C. so that those female students facing trouble in traversing long distances to pursue graduate programmes can reside in the hostel.

The college has introduced nine Honours subjects : Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Bengali, English, History, Philosophy, Geography, Political Science, Economics and Accounting & Finance together with General courses in almost all major subjects. General courses in Computer Science, Electronics & Physical Education have been introduced. Botany (Gen) was introduced from the session 2008-09.The college encourages the students to partake in sports (both indoor and outdoor) by providing all sorts of equipments for sports and games activities. 16 station Gym has been installed in the college for the development of physical strength of the general students at a nominal charge under the able guidance of Sri Palash Patra, ANO of our college N.C.C.Unit.The college has formed an SC/ST Cell to look after the needs of the SC/ST Candidates admitted in the college. As the college is situated in a backward rural area, the college authority deemed it right to form this cell as per the guidelines of University of Calcutta.