Sundarban Hazi Desarat College, Kolkata

About Sundarban Hazi Desarat College, Kolkata

Sundarban Hazi Desarat College is a grant-in-aid college of West Bengal and is recognized under section 2(f) and 12B by the UGC. The college was established in 1961 at Pathankhali village in the then remote Gosaba island of Sundarbans. Despite lack of proper communication facility, drinking water, power supply and many other minimum required infrastructural facilities, the zeal and eagerness of some people to educate the most deprived and backward class of this area gave birth to this college.

Now the college has 17 departments (including 5 Honours) in Arts, Science and Commerce with several modern facilities. The college proudly celebrates its five decades of glorious journey and has produced a number of capable students who are presently at the helm of the society.

The college started its journey on 14th August, 1961, with the foundation being built up with the sacrifice and dedication of the people of Pathankhali, a small delta of Gosaba block. Pathankhali is a riverine island surrounded by rivers and creeks, with the main occupation of the people being fishing and collecting honey and wax. The people during that period had to battle everyday with innumerable odds - abject poverty and hunger; natural adversities like periodical inundation of the area with saline water of rivers and creeks; dangers from crocodiles and snakes; deplorable infrastructure plagued by lack of transportation system, drinking water and health facilities; lack of education that led to superstitions and made their life even worse. In this situation, the task of the college was extremely difficult and challenging – first, to convince the people that only education was a panacea to their wretched life, and secondly, to provide them facilities so that they can overcome their geographical and financial hurdles to attend the college.

VISION
Extension of higher education, and inculcation of moral and ethical values amongst the young generation of socially and economically disadvantaged communities of the remote villages of Sundarbans to transform and uplift their own lives and communities, so as to attain equity with the advantaged groups

MISSION
To reach out to the remote villages of Sundarbans with the determination to make at least a graduate in each family