Bethune College
Template:Short description Template:For multi Template:Use Indian English Template:Use dmy dates {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other{{#if:Bethune School-Building.jpg|Template:Main other }}{{#if:|Template:Main other }}{{#if:|Template:Main other }}{{#invoke:check for unknown parameters|check |unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox university with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y | academic_affiliation | academic_affiliations | academic_staff | accreditation | address | administrative_staff | affiliation | affiliations | athletics_affiliations | athletics_nickname | athletics_nicknames | budget | campus | campus_type | campus_size | canton | caption | chair | chairman | chairperson | chancellor | city | closed | colors | colours | coor | coordinates | country | dean | director | doctoral | embedded | endowment | enrollment | established | faculty | footnotes | former_name | former_names | founder | founders | free | free1 | free2 | free_label | free_label1 | free_label2 | head | head_label | image | image_alt | image_name | image_size | image_upright | language | latin_name | location | logo | logo_alt | logo_size | logo_upright | map_size | mascot | mascots | module | motto | mottoeng | motto_lang | mottoeng | name | native_name | native_name_lang | nickname | nrhp | officer_in_charge | other | other_name | other_names | other_students | parent | postalcode | postcode | postgrad | prefecture | president | principal | province | provost | pushpin_label_position | pushpin_map | pushpin_map_caption | rector | region | religious_affiliation | sporting_affiliations | sports_free | sports_free1 | sports_free2 | sports_free3 | sports_free_label | sports_free_label1 | sports_free_label2 | sports_free_label3 | sports_nickname | sports_nicknames | state | students | superintendent | top_free | top_free1 | top_free2 | top_free_label | top_free_label1 | top_free_label2 | total_staff | type | undergrad | vice_chancellor | vice-president | vice_president | visitor | website | zipcode }}{{#invoke:Check for clobbered parameters|check | template = Infobox university | cat = Template:Main other | image; image_name | other_names; other_name | former_names; former_name | founders; founder | academic_affiliations; academic_affiliation | academic_staff; faculty | campus_type; campus | other_students; other | location; address | location; city | location; address | location; canton | location; prefecture | location; province | location; region | location; state | location; country | location; postalcode | location; postcode | location; zipcode | postalcode; postcode; zipcode | coordinates; coor | colors; colours | free_label; free_label1 | free; free1 | athletics_nicknames; sports_nicknames; athletics_nickname; sports_nickname; nickname | athletics_affiliations; sporting_affiliations | affiliation; affiliations | mascots; mascot | nrhp; embedded; module }} Bethune College is a women's college located on Bidhan Sarani in Kolkata, India, and affiliated to the University of Calcutta. It is the oldest women's college in India.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> It was established as a girls' school in 1849,<ref name="Bagal1">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp and as a college in 1879.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
HistoryEdit
The college was founded as the Calcutta Female School in 1849 by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune,<ref name="Chaudhuri1990">Template:Cite book</ref> with the financial support of Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee. The school started in Mukherjee's home in Baitakkhana, with 21 girls enrolled.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The following year, enrolment rose to 80.<ref name="Forbes1999">Template:Cite book</ref> In November, on a plot on the west side of Cornwallis Square, the cornerstone for a permanent school building was laid. The name "Hindu Female School" was inscribed on the copper-plate placed in the stone and on the ceremonial silver trowel made for the occasion.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Support for the school waned after Bethune's death in August 1851.<ref name="Forbes1999" />
The government took it over in 1856, renaming it Bethune School after its founder in 1862–63.<ref name="Chaudhuri1990" /> In 1879 it was developed into Bethune College, the first women's college in India and Bethune school was Second (First being in Bhidewada Pune, by Jyotirao Phule) women's school in whole Asia.<ref name=":0" />
RankingsEdit
Template:Infobox India university ranking The college is ranked 91st among colleges in India by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Notable alumniEdit
- Kadambini Ganguly (1861–1923), one of the first two female graduates of the British Empire<ref name="Ray1990" />
- Chandramukhi Basu (1860–1944), one of the first two female graduates of the British Empire<ref name="Ray1990">Template:Cite book</ref>
- Abala Bose (1864–1951), social worker<ref name="Southard1993">Template:Cite journal</ref>
- Meenakshi Chatterjee (1957–2022), Applied Mathematician, and the 5th Indian Woman in Antarctica (as part of the Xth Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica, 1990–91); also the first scientist to represent the University of Calcutta
- Sarala Devi Chaudhurani (1872–1945), promoter of female education
- Anwara Bahar Chowdhury (1919–1987), social activist and writer
- Kamala Das Gupta (1907–2000), freedom fighter nationalist<ref name="Ghosh2013">Template:Cite journal</ref>
- Amalprava Das, social worker
- Bina Das (1911–1986), revolutionary and nationalist<ref name="Ghosh2013" />
- Tista Das (born 1978), transsexual actress
- Kalpana Datta (1913–1995), independence activist<ref name="Ghosh2013" />
- Mira Datta Gupta (1907–1983), freedom fighter and activist
- Swarnakumari Devi (1855–1932), poet, novelist and social worker
- Begum Khaleda Zia, first female Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- Ashoka Gupta (1912–2008), freedom fighter and social worker
- Neena Gupta, (b. 1984) mathematician, who has provided a solution to the Zariski Cancellation Problem
- Narmada Kar (1893–1980), completed her graduation in 1914 and became the first women graduate of Odisha.
- Aditi Lahiri (born 1952), academic linguist
- Abha Maiti (born 1925), politician
- Kanak Mukherjee (1921–1995), political activist
- Khanto Bala Rai (born 1897), teacher, school head in Midnapore
- Shukhalata Rao(1886–1969), social worker and children's author
- Kamini Roy (1864–1933), poet, social worker and feminist<ref name="Southard1993" />
- Leela Roy (1900–1970), politician and reformer
- Shobha Sen, actress
- Amiya Tagore (1901–1988), singer
- Pritilata Waddedar (1911–1932), revolutionary nationalist