JATINDRA RAJENDRA MAHAVIDYALAYA

THE BIRTH OF A COLLEGE:

Murshidabad is historically and culturally fertile land east of Ganges in West Bengal. Around the year 1986, the area of Nowda was a green isolated countryside with farming as the main occupation of the people. Rice, mustard and jute cultivation was the main stay of the agricultural backbone. The society was stratified, with education only accessible to the elite class of the village community. The education of the girls of the village was negligible. The population was largely Muslim and education was not encouraged among Muslim girls who were married early.

The social reformation started with the establishment of Amtala High School, a co-educational Institution where post-class VIII, girl-students were married early as learning in the same classroom with the boys after adolescence was not encouraged in this conservative community. With this in mind, a girls’ school Annadamoni Balika Vidyalaya was established with the help of few liberal intellectuals of the neighbourhood. Very slowly, the education was girls was promoted and the community was informed the necessity of education among all, especially girls.

However, there grew a slow fermentation among the village community for the need of a Higher Education Institute for continuation of study for eager meritorious students. With no college within almost 22 kms around the village of Amtala, the nearest railway around 23 kms away and local transport being insignificant ( only two buses plied up and down Amtala and Berhampore throughout the day), the need for a college in this locality was felt throughout Nowda, Hariharpara, Karimpur and Tehatta along with Amtala. This need was felt especially by the then MLA and Academician Sri Jayanta Biswas who promptly exercised his powers and wide network of friends to translate this dream into reality. There was a student movement spearheaded by young meritorious students and educationists like Sudir Kumar Mondal, Asit Kumar Khan, Nashiruddin Sardar, Badshah Jahangir, Sahidul Islam, Sahabuddin Mollah, Swapan Chakraborty, Sushanta Biswas, Tarun Bhattacharya, Badrul Islam, Taj Ali Mondal, Swades Das and others which was noticed by the Government in power and the process of establishing the Institution was initiated. Guru Prasad Biswas and Birendranath Biswas donated 1.5 lakhs for the creation of the Institution and the college was named after their respective fathers, Jatindranath Biswas and Rajendranath Biswas. The land was provided by Amtala High School especially due to the selfless efforts of the then Headmaster Tribhanga Murari Dutta.

Thus Jatindra Rajendra Mahavidyalaya was born.

THE EARLY CHILDHOOD DAYS

The college Jatindra Rajendra Mahavidyalaya was started with about 36 students, surprisingly girl-students comprising one-third of the class strength in 1986. The Board of members was led by Jayanta Biswas and Sudhir Mondal, with the inclusion of educationists and liberal-minded individuals of the local community. Sanjoy Hajra was appointed Teacher-in-Charge and many teachers of neighbouring schools taught classes in the college without any remuneration. With halting steps, the college grew in strength and in 1989, the first principal of the college N.M. Khalilullah joined his post and along with a skeletal staff of four full-timers, few part-timers and non-teaching staff carried the baton of college education forward in Amtala.

PRESENT DAY JRM

In the present decade, the college has expanded its buildings to include new classrooms, computer laboratory and ICT room. New subjects and faculties have been included, computerisation of office administration and library. The garden and campus grounds have been beautified and well maintained. Canteen, girls' common room, guest room, cycle shed have been facilitated for students. NSS has been introduced and is in full swing. Many events and programmes have been organised for the upgradation of students and the local community. Empowerment of women has been the college by-line for the Institution. Jatindra Rajendra Mahavidyalaya is a young institution with great dreams and aspirations and we wish to provide the GenY with as much facilities for growth and development as we can within our limitations of finance and manpower.

As the famous poet Robert Frost writes:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.