Bethune College is a women's college located on

Bidhan Sarani Bidhan Sarani (formerly known as Cornwallis Street) is a principal north–south thoroughfare in north part of Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. It was named after the first Chief Minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra R ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

, India, and affiliated to the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every yea ...

. It is the oldest women's college in India. It was established as a girls' school in 1849, and as a college in 1879.

History

Founding of a Hindoo female school in Cornwallis-Square at Calcutta

The college was founded as the Calcutta Female School in 1849 by

John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune (1801–1851) was an educator, mathematician and polyglot who is known for his contributions in promoting women's education in India. He was the founder of Calcutta Female School (now known as Bethune College) in Ca ...

, with the financial support of Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee. The school started in Mukherjee's home in Baitakkhana, with 21 girls enrolled. The following year, enrolment rose to 80. In November, on a plot on the west side of Cornwallis Square, the cornerstone for a permanent school building was laid. The name "Hindu Female School" was inscribed on the copper-plate placed in the stone and on the ceremonial silver trowel made for the occasion. Support for the school waned after Bethune's death in August 1851. Stamp of India - 1978 - Colnect 711272 - Centenary of Bethune College Calcutta

Stamp of India - 1978 - Colnect 711272 - Centenary of Bethune College Calcutta

The government took it over in 1856, renaming it Bethune School after its founder in 1862–63. In 1879 it was developed into Bethune College, the first women's college in India and Bethune school was Second (First being in Bhidewada Pune, by Jyotirao Phule) women's school in whole Asia.

Rankings

Bethune College has ranked 77th among colleges in India by the

National Institutional Ranking Framework The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a methodology adopted by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India. The Framework was approved by the MHRD and launched by Minister ...

(NIRF) in 2021.

Notable alumnae

Kadambini Ganguly Kadambini Bose Ganguly (18 July 1861 – 3 October 1923) was one of the first Indian female doctors who practised with a degree in modern medicine. She was the first Indian woman to practice medicine in India. Ganguly was the first woman to gai ...

(1861–1923), one of the first two female graduates of the British Empire *

Chandramukhi Basu Chandramukhi Bose ( bn, চন্দ্রমুখী বসু; 1860 – 3 February 1944, a Bengali from Dehradun, which was located in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh) was one of the first two female graduates of the British India. In ...

(1860–1944), one of the first two female graduates of the British Empire *

Abala Bose Abala, Lady Bose (8 August 1865 – 25 April 1951) was an Indian social worker and feminist. She was known for her efforts in women's education and her contribution towards helping widows.Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 197 ...

(1864–1951), social worker *

Sarala Devi Chaudhurani Sarala Devi Chaudhurani (born Sarala Ghosal; 9 September 1872 – 18 August 1945) was an Indian educationist and political activist, who founded Bharat Stree Mahamandal in Allahabad in 1910. This was the first national-level women's organizat ...

(1872–1945), promoter of female education *

Anwara Bahar Chowdhury Anwara Bahar Chowdhury (13 February 1919 – 27 October 1987) was a Bangladeshi social activist and writer. Background and education Chowdhury was admitted to Sakhawat Memorial Girls' High School, established by women rights activist Begum Rok ...

(1919–1987), social activist and writer * Kamala Das Gupta (1907–2000), freedom fighter nationalist *

Amalprava Das Amalprava Das, also known as Amal Prabha Das, (1911–1994) was an Indian social worker, Gandhian and the founder of ''Kasturba Ashram'' at Sarania Hills, Assam, a self help group for women and their economic upliftment and ''Guwahati Yubak Seva ...

, social worker *

Bina Das Bina Das (24 August 1911—1986) was an Indian revolutionary and nationalist from West Bengal. Biography Early life and education Das was the daughter of a Brahmo teacher, Beni Madhab Das and a social worker, Sarala Devi. Her elder sister ...

(1911–1986), revolutionary and nationalist *

Tista Das Tista Das ( bn, তিস্তা দাস) or Teesta Das (born 9 May 1978) is an Indian transgender rights activist, actress and writer from the Indian state of West Bengal. She has acted in several Hindi and Bengali films. Personal life ...

(born 1978), transsexual actress *

Kalpana Datta Kalpana Datta (27 July 1913 – 8 February 1995), also Kalpana Joshi, was an Indian independence movement activist and a member of the armed independence movement led by Surya Sen, which carried out the Chittagong armoury raid in 1930. Later sh ...

(1913–1995), independence activist *

Mira Datta Gupta Mira Datta Gupta ( bn, মীরা দত্ত গুপ্ত; 5 October 1907 – 18 January 1983) was a freedom fighter, social worker, educationist, politician and activist on women's issues in Calcutta, India. She was a Member of the ...

(1907–1983), freedom fighter and activist *

Swarnakumari Devi Swarnakumari Devi (1855 or 1856 – 1932), also known as Swarnakumari Tagore, Swarnakumari Ghosal, Svarṇakumārī Debī and Srimati Svarna Kumari Devi, was an Indian Bengali writer, editor, essayist, poet, novelist, playwright, composer, an ...

(1855–1932), poet, novelist and social worker *

Begum Khaleda Zia Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...

, first female

Prime Minister of Bangladesh The Prime Minister of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রী, translit=Bangladesher Prodhanmontri), officially Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজা ...

Ashoka Gupta Ashoka Gupta ( bn, অশোকা গুপ্ত; November 1912 – 8 July 2008) was an Indian freedom fighter and social worker. She was the founder of Mahila Seva Samity, member of the All India Women's Conference and president of Indian So ...

(1912–2008), freedom fighter and social worker *

Neena Gupta Neena Gupta (born 4 June 1959) is an Indian actress and television director who works in Hindi films and television. Known for her work in both art-house and commercial films, she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for pl ...

, (b. 1984) mathematician, who has provided a solution to the

Zariski , birth_date = , birth_place = Kobrin, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place = Brookline, Massachusetts, United States , nationality = American , field = Mathematics , work_institutions = ...

Cancellation Problem * Aditi Lahiri (born 1952), academic linguist * Abha Maiti (born 1925), politician * Kanak Mukherjee (1921–1995), political activist *

Khanto Bala Rai Khanto Bala Rai (born 1897) was a Bengali Christian educator, head of the Mission Girls' High School in Midnapore beginning in 1923. Early life Khanto Bala Rai was the daughter of evangelist Sachidananda Rai and teacher Esther Rai, Christi ...

(born 1897), teacher, school head in Midnapore * Shukhalata Rao(1886–1969), social worker and children's author * Kamini Roy (1864–1933), poet, social worker and feminist *

Leela Roy Leela Roy (2 October 1900 – 11 June 1970), was a radical leftist Indian woman politician and reformer, and a close associate of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. She was born in Goalpara, Assam to Girish Chandra Naag, who was a deputy magistrate ...

(1900–1970), politician and reformer *

Shobha Sen Shobha Sen (17 September 1923 – 13 August 2017) (also known as Sova Sen) was Bengali theatre and film actress.Anit Mukerjea (28 June 2004)"A Woman of Grit"Asia Africa Intelligence Wire (From The Statesman (India)) Career After graduating from ...

, actress *

Amiya Tagore Amiya Tagore ( (12 February 1908 – 13 November 1986) was a Bengali Rabindra Sangeet singer. She was amongst the few singers to learn directly from Rabindranath Tagore. She played the role of Pramada in Tagore's dance drama ''Mayar Khela'' whic ...

(1901–1988), singer *

Pritilata Waddedar Pritilata Waddedar (5 May 1911 – 24 September 1932) was an Indian revolutionary nationalist from the Indian subcontinent who was influential in the Indian independence movement. After completing her education in Chittagong and Dhaka, she att ...

(1911–1932), revolutionary nationalist

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Academic institutions associated with the Bengal Renaissance Universities and colleges in Kolkata Schools in Colonial India Women's universities and colleges in West Bengal University of Calcutta affiliates Educational institutions established in 1849 1849 establishments in British India

History

Rankings

Notable alumnae

See also

References

Further reading

External links