College Profile

Netaji Satabarshiki Mahavidyalaya

About the College

In 1947, India gained independence amid the agonies of Partition, preceded by violent communal riots. Vast numbers of people were uprooted from their homes in East Bengal and began arriving in West Bengal as refugees. Recognising their plight, the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, the late Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, initiated efforts to obtain compensation from the Allied Forces' headquarters. After persistent endeavours by both Dr. Roy and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the compensation was secured. Dr. Roy was resolute that the funds be used to build a new township for the displaced families on the site of the former air-base. The township of Ashoknagar — located approximately 48 kilometres from Kolkata — came into being a few years after independence, and was gradually populated by refugees from erstwhile East Bengal (now Bangladesh).

These settlers were cultured, education-loving people — admirers of learning, art, theatre, and literature. They first set about establishing schools, both primary and secondary, in Ashoknagar for the academic advancement of their children. Within a couple of decades, a good number of schools had come up for boys and girls alike. Yet, the area still lacked a degree college to provide university-level education.

The establishment of Netaji Satabarshiki Mahavidyalaya was the fulfilment of a dream long cherished by eminent personalities and educationists of the township, cutting across political divides and social barriers. The thirst for higher education — reflected in the emergence of numerous secondary and higher secondary schools in the Ashoknagar – Kalyangarh area — spurred many distinguished individuals into action. Prominent among the torchbearers of the Refugee Rehabilitation Movement were the late Nani Kar, Dr. Sadhan Sen, and Keshab Chandra Bhattacharya, who felt the dire need for a local degree college. The late Nani Kar, an MLA and an educationist by profession, possessed a rare magnetism that drew together teachers, social workers, politicians, and educationists from all walks of life. The existing colleges in the vicinity — Sree Chaitanya College and Sree Chaitanya Mahavidyalaya at Habra — could hardly accommodate the rising demand for higher education.

On 14th May 1997, a historic convention was held at Sahid Sadan, the town hall of Ashoknagar. At this gathering, local intelligentsia — led by men like the late Nani Kar — resolved to set up a degree college in the Ashoknagar-Kalyangarh area. That year coincided with the birth centenary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and it was unanimously decided that the new college would be named Netaji Satabarshiki Mahavidyalaya — a co-educational, general degree institution.

The Ashoknagar-Kalyangarh Municipality, under the then Chairperson Smt. Sharmistha Dutta, provided the initial fund of Rs. 2,00,000. The late Chitta Basu, the then MP of Barasat, was chosen to head the Preparatory (Prastuti) Committee as President — a responsibility he held until his death. The late Nani Kar served as Secretary. Haripur Sanskriti Sangha, a well-established local club, was instrumental in securing 12.4 bighas of land for the college. Enthusiastic local residents donated money and organised blood donation camps to raise funds; small personal donations also poured in from the community.

Affiliation from the University of Calcutta was granted on 8th December 2000, and classes commenced on 15th January 2001 in the morning shift at the adjacent Sanskriti Sangha Girls' School, with an initial enrolment of just 35 students. Construction of the college's own building began soon after, funded primarily through MP LADS and MLA LADS allocations. When Nani Kar passed away suddenly, his eldest son Sri Babul (Sabyasachi) Kar took over and carried forward the arduous task of building the institution. The present three-storey building was inaugurated on 2nd June 2002 by the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, the late Jyoti Basu, accompanied by the then Minister-in-Charge of Higher Education, Prof. Satya Sadhan Chakraborty.

In 2008, the West Bengal State University (WBSU) was established at Barasat, and the affiliation of all 57 colleges in North 24 Parganas — including Netaji Satabarshiki Mahavidyalaya — was transferred from the University of Calcutta to WBSU. In the same year, the first Governing Body of the college was formed with Sri Babul (Sabyasachi) Kar as the first President, taking over from the erstwhile Prastuti (Organising) Committee.

As the college completes twenty-five years of its journey, Netaji Satabarshiki Mahavidyalaya stands as a vibrant centre of learning that has carefully built, brick by brick, an edifice of education with purpose and passion. The institution now occupies a well-appointed three-storey building comprising 20 classrooms equipped with Wi-Fi facilities, along with four dedicated rooms and computer laboratories allocated to the departments of Geography, Music, Journalism & Mass Communication, and Physical Education. The campus also features one seminar room and three classrooms with ICT facilities, including a recently installed smartboard for interactive teaching – learning.

The fully automated college library, housed in a spacious reading room with an air-conditioned stack room, holds around 12,600 books and provides access to three hard-copy journals and numerous online journals through NLIST and the National Digital Library (NDL). Departmental libraries complement the central library to cater to the specific academic needs of Major-course students and faculty.

The college currently offers the 4-Year Major (Honours) programme in ten subjects under both B.A. and B.Sc. streams — Bengali, English, History, Political Science, Geography, Journalism & Mass Communication, Sociology, Music, Sanskrit, and Education — along with the 4-Year Honours with Research option introduced under NEP 2020. Thirteen Minor subjects are available: Bengali, English, History, Political Science, Geography, Sociology, Education, Physical Education, Economics, Sanskrit, Music, Journalism & Mass Communication, and Mathematics. Additionally, the 3-Year Multidisciplinary UG Programme under NEP has been rolled out from the 2023–24 session. A computer course (as a Multi-Disciplinary Course) is conducted under the supervision of NIELIT.

The student strength of the college is approximately fifteen hundred, and the institution is supported by forty-four teachers and an able non-teaching staff. The college has been accorded 2(f) and 12(B) status by the UGC and is accredited by NAAC. An active NSS Unit, a Green Committee, the NSM Film Club, various cells and committees (Minority Cell, Career Counselling Cell, Internal Complaints Committee, Anti-Ragging Committee, Grievance Redressal Cell, and others) ensure holistic development of the student community.

The college has adopted online admission systems since the 2014–15 session and utilises a Learning Management System (LMS) portal for digital interaction between teachers and students. The institution publishes an annual college magazine Uttarsuri, the essay collection Different Strokes by the Teachers' Council, and the peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal SCINTIA (launched December 2023). Several MoUs have been signed with colleges both within and outside the district to facilitate resource sharing.

A Distance Education Centre under Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU) offers PG courses in Bengali, English, History, Political Science, and Education since the 2019–20 session, with over 60 students having received their postgraduate degrees through this centre.

The college also has an automatic weather station (Davis Vantage Pro2) recording daily meteorological data, solar panels on the campus, a gymnasium, a well-equipped canteen in a newly constructed building, and separate boys' and girls' common rooms with indoor game facilities. The campus has a playground where an annual sports meet is organised, and the women's team won the District Sports & Games Championship in 2024.

"Life loses half its interest if there is no struggle — if there are no risks to be taken" — inspired by these words of Netaji, Netaji Satabarshiki Mahavidyalaya is ready to toil, to strive, and to take up risks and challenges to reach ever greater heights of academic excellence.