India's Best Universities: University of Calcutta unkind to resting on laurels

Vice-Chancellor of University of Calcutta,Professor Suranjan Das, with students on campus.University of Calcutta isn't the kind to rest on its laurels. Last year's runner-up in the India Today-Nielsen Best Universities Survey, it has not only held on to its second spot this year but also added more feathers to its cap. It's the first non-IIT university to appear in the QS World University Rankings, 2013, beating even the fancied Delhi and Mumbai universities to secure eighth place among top varsities from India.In 2013, it was the only university from eastern India to be selected by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and UGC for its 'Connect to India' programme. "The programme will see a tie-up between Indian and US universities and American students will be attending classes in our institutes for six to nine months, says Suranjan Das, vice-chancellor, University of Calcutta.A series of similar international collaborations and interdisciplinary programmes have contributed further to the university's growth curve. University of Calcutta was acknowledged as a "lead institute by the World Bank for technical education. Its Institute of Foreign Policy Studies has been earmarked as a Centre for Excellence by the Ministry of External Affairs. The university is also one among 12 Indian universities chosen to participate in a new project called the Interdisciplinary Bridges for Indo-European Studies which will see collaboration between them and six European universities.The strength of the University of Calcutta lies in its meritorious faculty, many of whom have received international recognition. "You'll see that our achievements aren't just restricted to one specific discipline but are spread across almost all disciplines be it the arts, science, law or commerce, points out Pro-VC Dhrubajyoti Chattopadhyay. Be it in modern scientific disciplines like Biotechnology where department head Koustubh Panda received the Indo-US Khorana Technology Transfer Fellowship or a more classical science like zoology, where department head and Director of Centre for Pollination Studies, Parthiba Basu, was honoured with a membership of the British Ecological Society and given a grant for his centre, University of Calcutta professors have been getting international acclaim consistently. In the field of arts too, linguist and scholar Professor Chinmoy Guha received a Knighthood of Arts and Letters from the French government.Among all the universities from BRICS countries, under QS World Rankings, the University of Calcutta was ranked 16 for its PhD studies and 71 for publishing the most number of papers per faculty in 2013. But even though academic achievements are important, the university also stresses on the all-round development of students. "Our students, who have participated in the National Service Scheme (NSS), have received the Indira Gandhi NSS Award two years in a row,says Chatterjee. "In sports, we have won the all-India inter-university water polo championship and have been runners-up in the all-India inter-university table tennis tournament for men in 2013, says Chatterjee.Often viewed as an archaic and old school, University of Calcutta is taking steps to modernise itself and make its curriculum more relevant to the present-day job market. The Calcutta Stock Exchange has tied up with the university to hold seminars and spread awareness about the financial market. "Practical application of what we are studying is always very important. We need to move beyond bookish knowledge, says Anisha Banerjee, a postgraduate student of commerce in the university.The university also plans to make education accessible to all. The VC has the right to waive off all fees, including examination and even hostel fees, for students who have a BPL card. "We have to realise that the students coming to University of Calcutta are very different from those flocking to Jadavpur or Presidency Universities. Making higher education accessible to all sections of society is our aim, says Das.A plaque in honour of Rabindranath Tagore, who had delivered a lecture to the students in 1937, is one of the prized possession of the university. "Drive away that which enslaves your minds, that which leaves you helpless before your fate, it reads. The University of Calcutta is trying to do just that.Follow the writer on Twitter @StartingtobluePublished By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 30, 1999 00:00 IST--- ENDS ---

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India's Best Universities: University of Calcutta unkind to resting on laurels

Making rapid strides in innovation, accolades are coming thick and fast for the university.

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