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Bethune College is a women's college located on Bidhan Sarani in
The college was founded as the Calcutta Female School in 1849 by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune, 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.
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.
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 Universities and colleges established in 1849 1849 establishments in British India
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
, India, and affiliated to the University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...
. 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
The college was founded as the Calcutta Female School in 1849 by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune, 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.
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
The college is ranked 91st among colleges in India by theNational Institutional Ranking Framework
National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a ranking methodology released annually by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India. The framework was approved by the former Ministr ...
(NIRF) in 2024.
Notable alumni
* Kadambini Ganguly (1861–1923), one of the first two female graduates of the British Empire * Chandramukhi Basu (1860–1944), one of the first two female graduates of the British Empire * Abala Bose (1864–1951), social worker *Meenakshi Chatterjee (1957–2022), Applied Mathematician, and the 5th Indian Woman in Antarctica (as part of the Xth Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica, 1990–91); also the first scientist to represent the University of Calcutta * Sarala Devi Chaudhurani (1872–1945), promoter of female education * Anwara Bahar Chowdhury (1919–1987), social activist and writer * Kamala Das Gupta (1907–2000), freedom fighter nationalist * Amalprava Das, social worker * Bina Das (1911–1986), revolutionary and nationalist * Tista Das (born 1978), transsexual actress * Kalpana Datta (1913–1995), independence activist * Mira Datta Gupta (1907–1983), freedom fighter and activist * Swarnakumari Devi (1855–1932), poet, novelist and social worker * Begum Khaleda Zia, first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh * Ashoka Gupta (1912–2008), freedom fighter and social worker * Neena Gupta, (b. 1984) mathematician, who has provided a solution to the Zariski Cancellation Problem * Narmada Kar (1893–1980), completed her graduation in 1914 and became the first women graduate of Odisha. * Aditi Lahiri (born 1952), academic linguist * Abha Maiti (born 1925), politician * Kanak Mukherjee (1921–1995), political activist * Khanto Bala Rai (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 (1900–1970), politician and reformer * Shobha Sen, actress * Amiya Tagore (1901–1988), singer *Pritilata Waddedar
Pritilata Waddedar (5 May 1911 – 24 September 1932) was a Bengalis, Bengali Revolutionary nationalism, revolutionary nationalist who was influential in the Indian independence movement, independence movement. After completing her education in ...
(1911–1932), revolutionary nationalist
See also
References
Further reading
* * *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 Universities and colleges established in 1849 1849 establishments in British India