Message From Principal
Bankura Christian College has a prestigious history that spans over a hundred years. Since its start in 1903 in the hands of the Wesleyan Missionaries the college has stood tall in the academic and social map of Bankura. It would not be an overstatement to claim that the prestige of the college has reached beyond the limits of expectation of Bankura and spread across various parts of India and beyond. But history, however prestigious, gets erased from the annals of time if it is not archived. We are both happy and proud to announce that we are taking measures to archive the glorious history of the college.
William Adams Brown's papers, 1912-1946, mentioned the name of Wesleyan College, Bankura, now Known as Bankura Christian College. A perusal of records reveals that up to 1949 the college was known as the Bankura Wesleyan College. The papers report that with the approval of the Inteational Missionary- Council, a group of people from North America and Great Britain organized a review of Christian higher education among men in India. A commission called the Lindsay Commission was formed following Dr. Alexander D. Lindsay of Oxford as the Chairman, Mr. Oscar M. Buck as the Secretary, and Dr. Williams Adams Brown as the Vice-chairman. The commission suggested measures for improving the standards of the then Christian Colleges in India. The study of the commission culminated in a conference at Bombay.
The backward state of education in the Bankura district more than one and half centuries ago is clear in Colonel Gastrell's first statistical report of Bankura in 1863. Colonel Gastrell wrote: "Education is neither much sought after nor thought of by the lower classes. Few can read, still fewer write". Principal Sri A. K. Mundle gave a note on the Bankura Christian College, which is also mentionable: "The College was opened in June 1903. But for many years before that date, the leading inhabitants of the town and district of Bankura had been agitating for a college. Leading gentlemen of the town first approached the Govement with the request that a college be set up under the Govement, but the petition was rejected. The Mission then approached, and for years the matter was persistently pressed. Finally, the matter was brought before the district Synod of the Missionary Society and seriously examined”.
In the above-said situation, Bankura Wesleyan College was set up. Rev. John Mitchell was the founder Principal and under whose supervision, the college hostel and first block of the college building were constructed. Rev. Mitchell also emphasized social awareness and social responsibility among the students. As a result, the Social Sender League was formed. The college organized programs for developing social awareness and social responsibility among the students in the then time. Recorded history shows that the number of students in this college during 1903-1904 was only 27, which increased to 62 in 1904-1905,78 in 1905-1906, 84 in 19081-909,142 in 1909-1910, and 180 in 1910-1911.
Rev. A. E. Brown, B.A (Cantab) joined this college as a Professor of Mathematics. He was the Principal of the college during 1917-1938 and was the Goveor nominated member of Calcutta University. In the year 1918, Lord Ronaldsey laid the foundation stone of the Ronaldsey Hostel now known as Brown Hostel. A two storied residential quarter and a gymnasium were constructed during the tenure of Rev. Brown. Rev. C.F. Ball took charge of the college in the year 1936, and after providing dedicated service for twelve years, in the year 1948, he took retirement. Rev. J.W. Culshaw served as the head of the institution for a period of one year and retued to England in 1949. Sri A. K. Mundle was the first Indian Principal of the college and successfully opened the biology section of the college. During 1940, the number of teachers in the college was 26, including Professor K.C. Mukherjee.
Now, the college offers 45 courses and is committed to academic excellence. The beautiful natural surroundings make the college environment exemplary. Students and college families enjoy the campus. The college has a total student strength of 3000 and a number of faculty members standing at, with a central library of about 80,000 books.
In the future, the college, along with its cultural identity, will definitely prove the college as a time-honored institute of repute.
Dr Fatik Baran Mandal
Principal