Maharaja Manindra Chandra College


Maharaja Manindra Chandra College is an undergraduate college in North Kolkata, India, established in 1941, at 20 Ramkanta Bose Street, Kolkata - 700003. It is affiliated under the University of Calcutta.
It shares premises with Maharaja Sris Chandra College and Maharani Kasiswari College. The college has a second campus in a new building at 12 Padmanath Lane, Kolkata - 700004, donated by Smt. Bandita Mukherjee, daughter of ex-principal of the college Sri Biswanath Mukherjee.

History

The college was established on 15 July 1941 by a renowned education pioneer Dr. Panchanan Neogi, I.E.S. and mostly due to the benevolence of Maharaja Sris Chandra Nandi, who proposed the governing body of the college. As a result, it was named as Maharaja Manindra Chandra College, in the memory of his illustrious father, Maharaja Manindra Chandra Nandy of Cossimbazar. It attained the status of a premier college in Kolkata in due course.

Departments and courses

The college offers courses on B.A., B.Sc., and B.Com. and aims at imparting education to all undergraduates of lower- and middle-class people of Kolkata and its adjoining areas.
Apart from these traditional courses some add-on career oriented certificate courses are done in this college, which is sponsored by University Grants Commission. These are Functional English, Tourism and Travel Management, Journalism and Mass Communication, Videography and Video Editing, Computerized Office Management, Computerized Financial Accounting, Language in C++ and basic Java, VB.Net/ Linux, Internet.
The college building accommodates the smooth running of the other two shifts of this institution.
The Netaji Subhas Open University study centre is well established and flourishing. The college space is used for holding examinations of organizations and universities.

Library

It has a well-stocked library with a spacious reading room. The library has a collection of about 60,000 books and subscribes to 11 types of periodicals. The database of the library is maintained through computers. The college has arranged an institutional membership with the British Council Library and American library. Each department maintains a seminar library, which gives the additional facility to the students to borrow reference books.

Student life

The college magazine is published once a year and students are entitled to have a copy. The college authority publishes periodical wall magazines.
The students participate in annual inter-class and inter-college cultural and literary competitions. The college boasts over regular publication of a news bulletin step and a periodical growth. Besides, there is an annual publication of academic calendar and diary for the students and the staff of the college. The college arranges for a book bank for poor and meritorious students.
The non-teaching staff runs a recreation club that organizes many of the entertaining functions. There are separate common rooms for boys and girls. The students are encouraged to participate in social and extension activities.
UGC has provided assistance to undertake such a service. There is a National Service Scheme, which is recognized by UGC. There are two NCC units, one for girl and another for boys and girls.
The college alumni association is known as Praktani, which functions independently and actively participate in academic, administrative, literary and cultural programs associated with the college. All ex-students are expected to join the association so that they can keep a link with the institution.
The Department of Chemistry runs a central government affiliated NGO known as Vision. An annual function is organised from Vision every year in which, some meritorious students, regardless of his/her institution, is given a scholarship on behalf of the Department. Every year, some donations are made from different colleges in order to establish a fund from which the students of the Department and the Professors donate some essentials to poor children.
The NSS unit of the college is an active one. Every year, the members of the NSS unit organizes a three day workshop at the Calcutta Orphanage, 12/1 Balaram Ghosh Street, Shyambazar which includes a sit and draw competition, a midday meal for the orphans and a cultural programme.

Accreditation

Maharaja Manindra Chandra College is recognized by the University Grants Commission. In 2012, it was re-accredited and awarded B grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council.

Notable alumni