Bangabasi Evening College, Kolkata

About Bangabasi Evening College, Kolkata

Bangabasi Evening College is located in the vicinity of Sealdah Station in Kolkata. Bangabasi College is an educational institution with a rich cultural tradition in its background. It had its genesis in the prophetic vision and spirit of sacrificial dedication of Acharya Girish Chandra Bose. At the outset, Bangabasi College was founded under private management in 1887 and had as its guiding inspiration the genius of Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar. The aim of the College was basically two-fold to cater to the growing demand for higher education and to nurture the spirit of nationalism in the minds of young learners under colonial yoke. It marked an indirect protest challenging the narrow educational policy of the Hunter Commission.
This institution seminally emerged from Bangabasi School, founded by Acharya Girish Chandra Bose in 1885 in Bowbazar Street.The College moved into its present premises at 19,Scott Lane (now Raj Kumar Chakraborty Sarani) in 1903.

The College derived it name from the then patriotic newspaper "Bangabasi ". Acharya Girish Chandra Bose, a man of astounding personality and far sight, filled with a missionary zeal of patriotic reverberation, planted this sapling at 16, Bowbazar Street on 1 June 1887,with only five teachers and twelve students. The sapling withstood the storms and stresses of the decades and now like a very Big banyan tree gives shade and extends shelter to several thousand students of merit and ability, hundreds of teachers and with real integrity and acquisition and many non-teachers of admirable efficiency. The College has a composite amalgum of academics and student community.

Principal Prasanta Kumar Bose, the illustrious and worthy son of Acharya Girish Chandra Bose, founder of Bangabasi College, an eminent educationist of Bengal, founded the evening section of the Bangabasi college, an eminent educationist of Bengal, founded the evening section of the Bangabasi College for the needy employed students in 1940 to teach Commerce. In 1944 Principal Bose opened up the Arts and Science faculties in the evening time. Finally, employed women were also enrolled as students by Principal Bose. Through the introduction of the Phase Reduction Scheme of the University Grants Commission, Bangabasi Evening College came into a separate existence on 11 April 1965,under the guidance and direction of Principal Prasanta Kumar Bose. At that time there were ten thousand students in Bangabasi College, but the number of students in the colleges of West Bengal had to be reduced as per the University Grants Commission scheme. In accordance with the scheme, Bangabasi College was split up into three separate colleges. The evening shift was named Bangabasi Evening College under a separate Governing Body. During the Second World War a branch of the Bangabasi College was established in Kushtia (now in Bangladesh) in1942, as the people of Kolkata were troubled by the bombing of Japanese troops. After the Second World War it was closed. During the days of alien rule the institution served as refuge for political sufferers students as well as teachers. The nationalist spirit nurtured by the College was amply evident in the active participation of students and teachers in the agitation against the partition of Bengal in 1905 and also in the Civil Disobedience Movement culminating in the supreme sacrifice of martyr Jatindra Nath Das, an undergraduate student of the College, in his epic fast for unto death in Lahore Jail on 13 September 1929. Some of the illustrious teachers of this college such as Ladly Mohan Mitra and Satyananda Roy, were the pioneers to extend the facilities of higher education to the toiling mass of the working students who were compelled to engage themselves in different jobs in the day-time and were deprived of college education, by opening the evening classes under the banner of Bangabasi Evening College.

GOALS and OBJECTIVES
Since its inception, Bangabasi Evening College has embarked on the task of instilling a value-based nationalistic knowledge-base along with scientific understanding. Disseminating knowledge in society by this holistic and futuristic model of education as conceived by its illustrious founder Acharya Girish Chandra Bose has been the primary mission of this institution. Throughout its history Bangabasi Evening College has dedicated itself to the cause of the poor and underprivileged students. It is still continuing this mission by arranging scholarships, stipends from different agencies and by granting free and subsidized studentship and financial support to the poor and meritorious students from the Students Aid Fund of the college. Being an evening college, this institution is serving another social need that is extending the educational opportunities to the students who are engaged in different jobs in various parts of the city of Kolkata and its outskirts during the daytime. In fact, the main aim of this college has always been to provide educational opportunities to the poor, underprivileged and in-service students, a substantial proportion of who are first-generation learners. Although the college does not have the requisite authority to design the curricula, the teachers are always keen to handle the different parts of the syllabi flexibly according the needs of the learners. The College has wide-ranging courses from almost all the major streams to offer its students. Keeping in mind to the local, regional and national needs the College has, from time to time introduced a range of new courses and upgraded the existing courses so that the student are exposed to the changing needs of our society. The College also regularly seeks peer reviews from different academicians and re-orients its activities as and when some valuable suggestions for change come. Bangabasi Evening College is whole-heartedly dedicated to the all-round development of personality of all its students by imparting a value-based, liberal, modern and self-reliant education.

ACHIEVEMENTS
The College is Affiliated under the University of Calcutta in accordance to the 2(f) and 12(b) Clauses of University Grants Commission, Bangabasi Evening College is still a rate example of a co-educational college during the evening time offering three-year Honours Courses in different subjects. In its continuing endeavour for imparting education to all its students, including a substantial proportion of first-generation learners, in a simple but effective manner the college has made its mark as one of the premier academic institutions in the state of West Bengal. Its contribution in extending frontiers of socially significant knowledge is well-manifested through its illustrious alumni as many of its ex-students hold key positions in various fields within the country as well as outside the country. Many eminent educationists, ministers, policy-makers, doctors, technocrats, bureaucrats and social workers have graduated from this college. This college is now making a special effort to place in employment at the end of their College-life. Thus, the college has recently introduced self-financing courses and is planning to open more in the near future. The College is committed to providing an education that is consistent with the needs of an evolving knowledge-based society.

MOTTO
The motto inscribed in the emblem of the College upholds the ideals of the institution. It is taken from the Bhagbadgita.It is through reverential questioning that one learns, and that knowledge ultimately helps render service to the cause of humanity. The College, with its glorious tradition in teaching and scholarship, continues in its task of disseminating higher and progressive education, holding high ideals of the motto engraved in the emblem of the College. The basic tenet of the institution is:
Pay homage to your Institution,