Scottish Church School and College

  • The foundation of Scottish Church College was laid by Dr. Alexander Duff, the first overseas missionary of the Church of Scotland to India. 
  • Initially known as the General Assembly's Institution, it was founded on the 13th July, 1830. Rev. Alexander Duff opened his institution in Kamal Bose's (an Anglo Indian) house, upper Chitpur Road, Jorasanko. In 1836 the institution was moved to Gorachand Basak's house in Garanhata and in 1836 the present building was begun. 
  • In 1840 the Institution could be divided into School and College departments. 
  • Alexander Duff (1806-1878) was born in Scotland on 25th April, 1806. He had a brilliant career and arrived in Calcutta on 27th May, 1830 after two shipwrecks. In India, Dr. Duff had played a significant role in imparting western education through the medium of English. This further paved the way for the inculcation of western philosophy and western way of living within the Indian society. Dr. Duff developed a profound love for India which is evident from his farewell speech "wherever I wander, wherever I roam, wherever I labour, wherever I rest my heart will be still in India." 
  • Experimentations in pedagogy and examinations were tried out for betterment of education. Dr. Duff arranged to hold a public examination of his pupils in the hall of the Freemason's Lodge at 118 Dhurmutollah on 12th August, 1831. During the last four years of his life in India Alexander Duff served as the President of the Bethune Society which he re-vitalised. 
  • Among several notable alumni, the most noteworthy were Swami Vivekananda who graduated from the General Assembly's Institution in 1883 and the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose from the Scottish Church College in 1919. 
  • It was largely due to the efforts of Dr. and Mrs. Urquhart that co-education was achieved in the Scottish Church College. Dr. Urquhart added the Zoology Department to the College and opened the B.T. Department for women.

Dr. Aexander Duff

The majestic building
Entrance




Principal's chamber
Way to the prayer hall
Plaque
Podium at the prayer hall


Way to the first floor


Reference: 
https://www.scottishchurch.ac.in/college_history.php

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Antpur and Rajbalhat

Image
Antpur is a village in the Jangipara, Hooghly district, the nearest rail station being Haripal or Tarakeswar.  The most famous temple in Antpur is that of Radhagovindjiu with exquisite terracotta carvings depicting stories from all the 18 puranas. This 100 feet high temple was constructed by Krishna Ram Mitra, the Diwan of Bardhaman Raj in 1786. The Chandi Mandap and Dol Mancha have beautifully crafted wood carvings and terracotta. The terracotta panels consist of war scenes from Ramayana and scenes from day to day life. The aat chala temples have a triple arched entrance.  The Main Temple Raash mancha Entrance to the fort Shiva temple Main temple Terracota works Dol mancha Antpur is the birth place of Baburam Ghosh later known as Swami Premananda a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. At this property 24 th December 1886, Swami Vivekananda along with eight brother disciples renounced the world. The premises are now maintained by Ramakrishna Math and Mission . This center carries o
Read more

Lantern festival at Bholanath Dham

Image
Bholanath Dham on Beadon Street is a well-known landmark in North Calcutta acclaimed for its Durga Puja and the Fanoush (handmade hot air ballon or lantern) associated with Kali Pujo. Probably started by the Dey family of Darjipara of North Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1912 fanoush flying was a regular activity on the late afternoon of Kali Pujo in the Darjipara and Beadon Street areas.  Back then it was a competition among aristocrats to show their wealth and draw attention of the masses. Apart from the conventional balloon shape the fanoush assumes different shapes such as pitchers, stars, footballs, ducks, kettles and even the planet of Saturn. Probably due to the lack of expertise in craftsmanship, precision and aesthetics, this art form had lost much of its patrons. Today the ritual is maintained by a few traditional families and is a great experience to witness this nearly lost heritage of Kolkata.  Next to the Hedua Park, is what was once known as Beadon Street . The stretch is now
Read more

Fort William

Image
Fort William stands as one of the most remarkable and abiding legacies of the British rule in India. It was built not merely as a barrack for the Army personnel but to proclaim the power and sovereignty of the British monarch. Post-independence, it symbolizes the status and strength of the Indian Army. This historical monument serves as a military bastion which holds within itself a small independent township. The present fort was built by the East India Company after the old one was stormed down by the last independent Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daula. Building of the old fort started in 1696 to honor King William of England. The construction of the old fort was completed in 1702 at the present day Koilaghat Street area. The old Fort included the General Post Office, Eastern Railway Headquarters and a part of the Writers’ building.  The College of Fort William was a brainchild of Lord Wellesley. It was conceptualised as 'Oxford of East'. The purpose was to prepare all those who
Read more