Few people know that College Dupleix, perhaps the only educational institution in the country at Chandernagore, was closed from 1908 to 1931 because of the alleged connection of the students with the revolutionaries.

Chandernagore, or Chandannagore, which was a French colony, played an important role in the Indian freedom movement. Sri Aurobindo, on his way to Pondicherry, stayed there. Revolutionaries like Rash Behari Bose, Charu Chandra Roy and Motilal Roy were residents of this place. Swami Vivekananda had visited Chandernagore and inspired the youth. Kanailal Dutta, who gave his life for his motherland, was a resident of the area.

A unique book titled College Dupleix to Chandernagore College: The Journey from Revolution to Emancipation, penned by professor Debasish Sarkar, principal of the college, along with professor Abin Chakraborty and two budding scholars on revolutionary movements in Bengal, Saikat Neogy and Soumobrato Dasgupta, has described the changes that have taken place in the state-run college over the years. It is the only college in the country that has a museum on the revolutionary movement. This is the first book that has seen the college from a historical perspective. Priced at Rs 2,000, the book has been brought out by Dasgupta & Company Private Limited, a well-known heritage publisher in India.

The book is divided into seven chapters, and each chapter focuses on different aspects of the college and the evolution that has taken place over the years.

Chandernagore, situated on the western bank of the river Hooghly, is a part of the riverine civilisation known as Little Europe on the Ganges. Europeans started coming to the place for trading and set up a colony in the 16th century. Chandernagore, popularly called Farashdanga because of the French settlement, was a place that became a centre of education, culture and business, and it had become a sign of prestige for the Bengali landed aristocrats to have houses on the bank of the Hooghly.

The educational institution traces its origins back to St Mary’s Institution, established by the Jesuit priest M. Magloire Barthedt on 31 August 1862. The institution gradually evolved first into Ecole Publique de Garcons, then started the First Arts (FA) course in 1891 under the aegis of the University of Calcutta, and later developed into College Dupleix in 1901. The college was under the administration of the French Government of Chandernagore. From 1931 on, College Dupleix began to offer intermediate courses in arts and sciences under the University of Calcutta, and the first graduate courses started in 1947. The college was renamed the College de Bussy. Chandernagore became a free city in November 1947, and on 2 October 1954, Chandernagore College came under the control of the state administration.

From 1908 to 1931, College Dupleix was the epicentre of revolutionary activities. The deputy director was Charu Chandra Roy. Sir Charles Teggart, the well-known former Commissioner of Calcutta Police, had visited the area many times and conducted raids, however unsuccessfully, to unearth bomb-making factories. Swami Vivekananda, who visited Chandernagore, said, “The country has become a power magazine. A little spark may ignite it. I will see the revolution during my lifetime.” (Swami Vivekananda, Patriot Prophet: A Study, Bhupendra Nath Dutta, page 13).

Over the years, the college has experienced many ups and downs. The paperless college encourages environmental awareness. The students associated with NSS are trying to develop mangrove collections along the Hooghly River. They also offer education at the primary level in schools run by the Chandernagore Municipal Corporation. To conserve energy, solar power has been installed along with rainwater harvesting. There is an organic vermicompost post-project.

A unique museum in the heritage building has added value to the college. The museum focuses on the Indian freedom movement and the history of Chandernagore. There were weavers and dhotis, and sarees made by them had been appreciated across the country. There were local doll makers and boat manufacturers.

The book contains in detail the revolutionary activities and the secret societies that came up in Chandernagore with the sole motto of driving out the British through armed revolution.

This book will be loved by those eager to know about the armed revolution in Bengal. It will encourage other colleges to write similar books based on historical perspectives. It is a tragedy that Presidency College (now University) does not have a book written from a historical perspective. Book lovers should thank professor Debasish Sarkar, principal of the college, for taking up such a venture.

College Dupleix to Chandernagore College: The Journey from Revolution to Emancipation

By Debasish Sarkar, Abin Chakraborty, Saikat Neogy and Soumobrato Dasgupta

Dasgupta & Co Pvt Ltd, 2024

239 pages, Rs 2,000/-