5.3.2 Furnish the details of major student achievements in co-curricular, extracurricular and cultural activities at different levels: University / State / Zonal / National / International, etc. for the previous four years.
i) Though the college does not have sports as a priority area of extracurricular activities (simply due to lack of infrastructure), it is a matter of personal credit that :-
Kuhelika Datta a student from the Philosophy Department has participated in the State Karate competition in the 41 to 45 Kg Girls‘ Fight event. She is now slated to participate in the 41 to 45 Kg Girls Fight at the National Karate Championships to be held at Hyderabad from 14th to 17th October 2011.
Kuhelika Dutta, has also earned other accolades in Karate. She won MUAY THAI Gold in the 3rd Netaji Subhas State Games in 2012 and also got third position in kata (40-45 kg )in 17th Paschimbanga karate-do championship,2011. She is also honoured with the rank
of Sho Dan by International Gosoku-Rye Karate – Do Association in January, 2013.
Besides, Susrusha Das a Third year Economics Honours student participated in the District Level Karate competition, 2011. She received the following prizes at the Howrah District Meet.a> Silver(Event Kata)
It is a matter of great pride that an ex-student of the Geography Department who used to achieve positions in both state and national level meet of Tenni-koit Championships while in college is even today excelling in her performance. Very recently she has achieved – a) Third position in „Women Individual Open doubles Championship‟ in the 37th Senior
National Tenni-koit Championship - 2012 for Men and Women on 17th to 21s January 2013 at
Pragathi Stadium, Mancherial (Andhra Pradesh) .
b) First position in the Individual Second position in the Doubles of Tenni-koit Championship in 4th Netaji Subhas State Games – 2013 organized by Bengal Olympic
Association on 27th January 2013.
ii) Where cultural activities are concerned, bolstered by their well appreciated performances within the college many of our students have participated with distinction in similar events at other institutions and at the University level.
Srotosvini Chatterjee of the Department of English was commended for participating in Rabindra Sangeet (Eastern Cultural Society) in Samagam 2011 of Loreto College.
Devalina Sarkar, a student of the department of Bengali has won awards galore for her extraordinarily gifted voice.
At the Inter collegiate Oriental Music Competition held at the University Institute Hall of Calcutta University in 2010,
Devalina won the 1st and 3rd prizes in the Rabindrasangit and Adhunik Song
categories.
She also was adjudged 1st in Rabindrasangit at the Girls‘ Cultural Forum competition
held at Beltala Girls‘ School in the same year.
In 2009, Basanti Devi College organized an inter college competition where Devlina Sarkar once again won the 1st prize in the Adhunik song category.
One of our students also received the best Classical Dancer Award in the Inter- College Dance Competition, organized by Basanti Devi College in the same year.
iii) Our students have also made their mark in debates and creative writing competitions organized by other institutions and have also excelled in co- curricular activities.
Two students of the Department of Geography Mandira Chattopadhaya and Nabanita Majumdar won the Second Prize in a Poster Competition and Exhibition on „Genetically modified crops and food security‟ held on the occasion of National Science Day Celebration, 2013, organized by NATMO (National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organization, Government of India, Kolkata) on 28th February 2013 at Salt Lake, Kolkata.
At an inter college event celebrating Earth Day organized by the Eco Club of our institution on 22.4.13 one of our student teams was awarded the Third Prize for the Poster Competition with Sri Shiktayan College and Ashutosh College having bagged the First and Second Prizes respectively.
Srotosvini Chatterjee of the department of English stood First in Creative Writing (Bengali) in Samagam 2011 of Loreto College.
Ankita Ghosh and Suchandra Biswas of the Department of Bengali won the 1st and 2nd
prizes respectively in an essay writing competition on the occasion of the 150th birth
anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore organized by the Blind Person‘s Association in July 2011.
Srotosvini Chatterjee was judged Best Speaker - Bengali for the Ayesha Trophy Elocution (Debating Society) in Samagam 2011 of Loreto College.
In the year of 2012, 1st year student Titli Dey Bhowmick was awarded a prize for
recitation
Debashruti Sengupta ( English Honours) won the Best Speaker‘s prize in an inter college Debate organized at Narendrapur Ramkrishna Mission College in 2010.
An inter-college debate organized by the Dept of Geography, Vivekananda College for Women, Barisha saw students from this institution participating with great enthusiasm.
Ankita Ghosh and Suchandra Biswas of the Department of Bengali won the 1st and 2nd
prizes respectively in an essay writing competition on the occasion of the 150th birth
anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore organized by the Blind Person‘s Association in July 2011.
Piyali Chakraborty of the same department won the 1st prize in a recitation
competition organized by Newland Saptarshi Club, Batanagar in 2010.
Besides Harshita Das and Mahul Mukhopadhay of the Department of Economics participated and stood in the first and second positions in an inter- college poster painting competition on ‗Save the Girl Child‘ conducted by the Gender Sensitization Cell of Rani Birla Girl‘s College, Kolkata.
Trishna Banik of the Department of Political Science was adjudged the Best Speaker in the Stella Bose Memorial Inter-college Debate, organized by the Debate Club of Women‘s Christian College, along with her counterpart from Narendrapur Ramkrishna Mission College in 2009.
Parinita Chowdhury of Political Science (Honours) participated in an essay competition about the enduring relevance of Martin Luther King Junior‘s ‗I have a Dream‘ speech in February 2009 in an event organized by the American Centre. As a gesture of appreciation of her work she received a certificate signed by a son of Martin Luther King Jr., Martin Luther King III.
A painting by Papri De of English Honours was displayed at an exhibition held at the Academy of Fine Arts in 2009.
Many of our present students have displayed a lot of enthusiasm in carrying out the myriad activities of our college NSS Unit throughout the past one year (2011-2012).
Some of them like Barnali Dey, Rupsha Mitra, Manisha Gupta, Shruti Bhattacharya, Suparna Jana and Saeri Dey had attended a Workshop on Autism that had been organized by the NGO, Nava Prayas (based in Behala) at Women‘s College, Thakurpukur. Our girls were extremely moved on hearing about the travails faced by autistic children in particular. The panelists, which included medical specialists and counselors praised our students profusely for their receptivity and feedback.
Inter College event celebrating Earth Day - Poster Competition
5.3.3 How does the college seek and use data and feedback from its graduates and employers, to improve the performance and quality of the institutional provisions?
The college normally has the opportunity of meeting its past graduates at the annual Reunion. It is here that the teachers learn of a student‘s experiences in the outside world. It is through these conversations that they gather feedback about the problems faced by them in the course of higher studies or in the world of employment. While praises amount to the indepth teaching provided by the college, issues such as lack of English speaking and even cognitive skills surface as some of the inhibitory factors in the pursuance of their goals.
Since ours is an institution offering primarily Humanities courses the scope for interaction with the industrial sector regarding revamping of the syllabus remains rather limited. However the few IT and Computer firms that have recruited from our institution have stressed on communication and basic computer skills.
The institution attempts to rectify matters by placing extra stress on Compulsory English classes, by prodding the students to read more English books and incorporate other reading material in English. Lectures are also delivered bi-
what is being said. The college is extremely strict about attendance in Computer classes so that computer knowledge is truly imbibed by them.
5.3.4 How does the college involve and encourage students to publish materials like catalogues, wall magazines, college magazine, and other material? List the publications/ materials brought out by the students during the previous four academic sessions.
Students are encouraged to wield the pen to express their ideas and opinions on any subject they might deem worthy of discussion. The college Wall Magazine ‗Udita‘ which has run into multiple issues in the last academic year is a collage of the multifarious activities carried on throughout the year conceptualized and executed in its totality by the students. These aesthetically arranged photographs and concise articles placed strategically outside the Principal‘s office, contain a wealth of information which is of interest not only to insiders but to guardians and guests as well.
The College magazine ―Srijan‖, published annually devotes a great deal of space for articles by students. These writings both in English and Bengali, sometimes reveal not only their mastery over the written word but some surprisingly fresh and unconventional ideas of these opinionated young adults. Srijan published in 2011 was a special edition marking 50 years of the college reunion. It consisted of two sections ‗Looking Back‘ and ‗Let‘s Move Forward‘, the first reviving old memories by printing articles from earlier editions and the second part comprising essays and writings from present teachers and students.
Apart from this, many departments run their own wall magazines in their departmental rooms which are more specialized in nature. This is an attempt at encouraging the student to rummage through a wide variety of material and present interesting bits of information on a particular theme.
Students‘ Wall magazine College magazine ‗Srijan‘
5.3.5 Does the college have a Student Council or any similar body? Give details on its selection, constitution, activities and funding.
The institute has an a-political Students‘ Union with mainly cultural activities on its agenda. The Principal is the Teacher-in –Charge and one of the faculty members acts as Assistant Teacher-in-Charge. The student body is headed by the GS (General
Secretary) who is assisted by the AGS (Assistant General Secretary), the ACS (Assistant Cultural Secretary) and ASS (Assistant Sports Secretary). All these are elected posts with the student community casting a secret ballot at the annual Student Union elections. The First Year Class Representatives (CR) are also elected members of the Students Union.
It is the responsibility of the Students‘ Union to play an active role in all college activities. Each year, the Freshers‘ Welcome is organized by the office bearers of the Student‘ Union. Members are also seen helping out in college functions like Foundation Day cum Prize Distribution, Christmas function and Teachers‘ Day celebrations. The Annual Sports is conducted with the help of the ASS and other members of the student body. The Students‘ Union also conducts the Annual Talent Search Contest with great managerial acumen. The SU supports a fund for needy students often rendering help in the form of transport allowance or the payment of registration fees for attending workshops. (Recently the registration fees for attending a manuscript workshop held jointly by the Sanskrit Department of this college and the National Manuscript Mission for three students were paid by the Students‘ Union). The Stella Bose Memorial prize awarded to the English Department is also supported by the above body.
Funding for the SU comes from the students themselves who pay a Student Union fee at the time of admission in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years in college.
The Students‘ Union
5.3.5 Give details of the various academic and administrative bodies and their activities (academic and administrative), which have student representations on them.
The Students‘ Union is an a-political and primarily cultural body manned wholly by the students. The decision making and managerial skills of the students come into play in all the cultural events organized by it throughout the year, namely the Freshers‘ Welcome, Teachers‘ Day and Independence Day Celebrations etc. Besides, the members of the Students‘ Union play an active role in all other college functions like the Annual Foundation Day Programme, Christmas Function and Reunion Day get-togethers and Sports Day. The Talent Search Contest is organized and conducted entirely by the students.
Students also play a major role in conceptualizing and conducting all programmes under the NSS.PIX
The college magazine SRIJAN is a mouthpiece of both teachers and students. The students have representatives on the editorial board and have a say in the acceptance or rejection of the write-ups submitted for publication.
5.3.7 How does the institution network and collaborate with the Alumni and former faculty of the Institution.
The Alumnae Association is the principal mechanism through which a network is created with ex-students and faculty. It is in the AGMs of this body that possible areas of growth and improvement are identified and plans for further development of the institution mulled over. In the past , the Alumnae Association published a ready- reckoner containing the names, designations and addresses of ex students. The Association remains closely connected with the institution contributing to its development in many significant ways.
Any other relevant information regarding Student Support and Progression which the college would like to include.
The students of the institution are motivated not only to strive for intellectual excellence, but to also equip themselves to meet the challenges posed by modern society. Arrangements for attaining vital computer skills are made available to them. An all round development is striven for with financial aid and scholarships ensuring that dropout rates are minimal. Placement services while being a rather late entrant in the assemblage of student support schemes are being reworked so as to open up hitherto unchartered paths in career options.
Apart from academic concerns, the students are engaged in a variety of extra- curricular activities throughout the year with the approval and support of their teachers. These range from intra college talent search competitions and inter college fests ( where they compete in the music, dance, painting, craft, creative writing and drama sections ) to activities of a more cerebral nature like inter college seminars, debates and public speaking forums.
Our students are regular invitees to the Foreign Policy Study Circle workshops organized by the US Consulate General and to seminar cum poetry reading sessions of the American Centre.
By impelling the students to shed their reticence and participate with elan before distinguished scholars, the teachers constitute the intellectual bulwark behind such ventures. Personal care is taken to help the participant make a quality presentation, by supplying reading material, explaining the complexities of the issue and even fine- tuning the write-up prepared.
Innumerable instances of students receiving accolades for papers presented within the college and in other institutions can be cited.
At a seminar on War Poetry organized by the English Department in the college in September 2009, students presented papers which earned praise from the eminent scholar Dr Arghya Banerjee who also spoke at length on the same theme. Students of the same department presented papers on Milton and Feminist Approach at Deshbandhu College which was highly appreciated by Prof Shanta Mahalanobis. They also made presentations at a seminar in Jadavpur University on American Literature and Multiculturalism.
At a national seminar held at Loreto College on ‗Cross Cultural Currents: India and the Ancient World‘ our students from the History Department presented their views through their own papers before historians of stature like Prof Shirin Ratnagar. An inter-college, inter-departmental seminar cum book launching was held in Ramkrishna Mission College, Narendrapur where our students along with those of a number of other colleges were invited to participate. Students of the departments of History and English presented papers on ‗The Position of Women in Ancient Greece and Rome‘ as well as in Medieval India and Renaissance Europe. Two more papers on ‗Hellenism‘ and ‗Concept of Environment in the Romantic Era‘ were presented at the same seminar.
Students of the Philosophy department initiated a scintillating discussion on ‗Capital Punishment‘ while those of the Department of Political Science presented an exposition on ‗Students‘ Movements‘ in the backdrop of violent student politics and turf war witnessed in the college campuses of the state, before the summer recess of 2011.
Integral to the concept of providing holistic education to those who pass through the portals of this institution are such ancillary bodies like the Debate Club, the Cine Club, the Guidance and Counselling Cell, the Eco Club and the Women‘s Study Cell. The Debate Club by encouraging intellectual sparring on socially relevant issues helps enhance the interpersonal skills of the students.
The Cine Club of Women‘s Christian college constitutes an effort to stimulate an interest in art films among students. Master craftsmen in the world of film-making are introduced by Film Study pundits who explain the nuances and subtleties of shots during film screening sessions to an audience normally inclined to mainstream cinema.
The college has set up a Guidance and Counselling Unit which has an agenda of providing regular psychological support to college students. It was formally inaugurated by a lecture delivered by eminent Psychiatrist Dr J R Ram of Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata. Two faculty members have been inducted into the unit to coordinate and oversee the workshops and counseling sessions conducted within the institution. At the initiative of the Unit, Rotary Narayan Nethralaya conducted a free eye checking camp which benefited both students and faculty members.
The Eco Club of the college has in partnership with Centre for Contemporary Collaboration ( CCC ) organized a seminar on ―Climate Change.‖ More such programmes have been held as pointed out earlier.
The Women‘s Study Cell endeavours to spread awareness about the rights of women. Numerous Gender Sensitization programmes have been organized in collaboration with NGOs like Thoughtshop Foundation, Sanhita Jabala, Durbar Samwanyay Samiti, Peace Works which works in tandem with the Seagull Foundation for the Arts and the like. International Women‘s Day is celebrated every year with workshops, film shows and interactive sessions, involving the students and members of the above organizations where a host of women‘s issues are addressed.