A brief introduction to Mahitosh Nandy
The person, after whom this college is named Mahitosh Nandy, was born in 1918 in the village Garbati near Chandannagore in the district of Hooghly. After finishing his school education from Garbati High School, he took admission in Chandannagore Dupley College. When he was a student of class-viii, he came in contact with Durgadas Seth, the famous revolutionary leader of Chandannagore . Since then his touch with the revolutionists gradually got stronger. In the year 1933 Mahitosh Nandy joined Indian Proletarian Revolutionary Party and the very next year the Communist Party. However, in 1935 he passed in the Matric Examination. During this period he passed many sleepless nights writing brochure for broadcasting the precepts of revolutionary movement for the freedom of India from the British rule. His father burnt some of his necessary papers and brochures in fear of the police. It hurt him strongly, and in anger and agony he left his house at the tender age of sixteen, and never returned again.
Mahitosh Nandy was a freedom fighter which was his only identity. His longing for freedom forced him to quit home at sixteen. His life was dedicated to the desolate, the deprived and the oppressed. Chains of slavery would pain his heart. India won freedom in 1947, but Goa still remained under the Portuguese rule. Goa Freedom Committee was formed and Mahitosh Nandy the only Bengali who joined it. Portuguese soldiers shot him in his knee. He fell down and lost sense. Thinking him dead his enemies left him. But later he was rescued by his fellowmen. The rumour spread that Mahitosh Nandy was dead but a few days later truth was known to all. This wound in one of his knees brought difficulty for him in walking. He was a simple man. He had neither vanity nor any ambition except the one of freeing his countrymen from the bondage of the British rule. Even in the literacy movement he played a vital role. A time came when his health become worse owing to confinement for a long period of time. His disease- infested body could not bear the pangs of asthma. On 10th February, 1992 he passed away. Naming the college after this great person is a humble effort to honour the great son of the soil.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT OUR COLLEGE
12th of July 2007 is a memorable day for the people of Jangipara and its surrounding areas. On that day a long cherished dream of theirs was realized. On that day, due to the monumental efforts of the then honourable higher education minister of the Govt. of West Bengal, Shri Sudarshan Roychoudhury, Mahitosh Nandy Mahavidyalaya was established at Jangipara. It was the dream comes true for the people of Jangipara- who had long wanted a degree college in their area. This college started functioning in the Building of the D.N. High School of Jangipara in the morning section under the supervision of the former principal of Chanpadanga Rabindra Mahavidyalaya, Dr. Chandidas Mukhopadhyay. Before the establishment of this college students of this area had to travel 15 to 20 kms to places like Jagatballavpur, Haripal, Chanpadanga or places even further than these, which caused a lot of inconvenience in the way of receiving higher education.
This college is situated at a distance of 13 kms from Seakhala and 16 kms from Haripal station. Nestled in greenery and away from the din of the town this college has the perfect ambience for imparting education. Moreover within very close vicinity of the college lie the famous Hindu ashram at Anthpur and the internationally renowned Muslim pilgrimage site Furfura Shariff. Two famous personalities of this area are the poet Hemchandra Bandyopadhyay (born in Gultia of Rajbalhat) and the famous freedom fighter Woomesh Chandra Banerjee (born in Baganda of Sitapur).
Shri Bholanath Chowli had donated land for establishing this college. Without his help, the college perhaps could not have come to exist. Also for the development of the college a grant of Rs. 45 lakhs each was received from the then honourable higher education minister of the Govt. of West Bengal, Shri Sudarshan Roychoudhury and the then honourable MP, Shri Santashree Chatterjee. Further a grant of Rs. 36 lakhs was received from the Higher Education Dept. of the Govt. of W.B. Moreover, innumerable local persons also helped in establishing the college in many different ways. We will always remain grateful to all those people.
In a very short span of time our college has shown signs of rapid development. Many of our students have regularly secured first class marks in both the honours and general stream examination of the Calcutta University.
We have also received grants of Rs. 40 lakhs from the honourable former MP, Shri Tapan Sen and Rs.5 lakhs from the Zila Parishad, which had been utilized in constructing the boundary wall of the college, the cross drain and 4 classrooms on the western side of the 1st floor of the college. We have also recently completed construction of the College main gate and 4 class rooms on the Eastern side of the 1st floor by utilizing the funds received from the honourable present MLA, Shri Snehasish Chakraborty (Rs. 9.5 lakhs) and from the honourable former MP Md. Ruhul Amin (Rs. 30 lakhs).
There is an urgent need for an auditorium/Hall for facilitating the meeting of the Professors with the students of the college. The present G.B. is trying its utmost to fulfill this need. Finally it can be said that despite its limitations the college is relentlessly trying to provide quality education to the students along with efforts in nurturing them into good human beings with all round development. The professors, the non-teaching staff the students and their guardians are all collectively participating in this monumental effort and we hope to succeed with flying colours.