History of the College

The administrative history of Rani Dhanya Kumari College which has witnessed a journey of more than sixty years is not a linear one. It was established on 1st August, 1962 as Rani Dhanya Kumari College of Commerce. The initiative to establish a commerce college at Jiaganj was mainly taken by the then Principal of Sripat Singh College, Jyoti Prasanna Sengupta. Prof. Sengupta along with the other faculty members of Sripat Singh College and local educationists convinced Raja Sripat Singh Duggar, the then zaminder of Jiaganj about the necessity and urge to establish a commerce college after the name of his wife, Rani Dhanya Kumari as Sripat singh College was offering commerce upto the intermediate standard only. Raja Sripat Singh donated rupees twenty lac cash along with eight bigha land in a serene, pleasant, lush green area near Jiaganj Railway Station. Rani Dhanya Kumari College of Commerce began its journey as a night college in the building of Sripat Singh College and the then Principal of Sripat Singh College , Jyoti Prasanna Sengupta took charge of the college as an Honourary Principal. Raja Sripat Singh became the first President of the Governing Body of the college. Prof. Bijan Kanti Biswas, Senet member of Calcutta University acted as the first Vice-Principal of this college. Faculties of Sripat Singh College served as part time lecturers in this college with minimum remuneration. In 1973, Prof. Mrinal Kanti Dutta became the first full time Principal of this college and Calcutta University sanctioned the affiliation for B.Com (Hons) Course with effect from 1973-74 session. Rani Dhanya Kumari College of Commerce was shifted from the building of Sripat Singh College to its half-completed new building in the same year and it started its new journey as a Day college to serve the distant students better. Since its inception in 1962, it was a coeducational degree college.

NCC unit of this college was established in 1962 when it was mandatory to take part in NCC due to Indo-China War. In addition with it, NSS Unit was set up in 1969. In 1995-96 session, Calcutta University granted the affiliation to open Arts Stream. As a result , Rani Dhanya Kumari College of Commerce was renamed as Rani Dhanya Kumari College. As per the instruction of Calcutta University a few unconventional subjects were incorporated to college curriculum such as Defence Studies, Physical Education, Education, Sociology and Geography. A study centre of Indira Gandhi Open University for the benefit of the students who might be engaged in some job or were unable to attend college on regular basis was established during the period of Principal Mujibar Rahaman. It was the first study centre in the district. As per Government Rules, the colleges of Murshidabad and Nadia which were affiliated to Calcutta University were incorporated under the aegis of Kalyani University. On 2nd April, 1998, MP Abul Hasnat Khan was elected as the president of the Governing Body and continued till 20th November, 2002. During his presidentship, extension of the college library and college canteen were done. Kalyani University granted affiliation to open a few more Honours courses in Arts Stream: Bengali, English, History, and Political Science. An overall development of the infrastructure of the college was seen during this period. It was possible because of the understanding and cooperation among the Teachers’ Council, primary unit of College Wbcuta, Association of the Non-teaching Staff, and Students’ Unit.

During the tenure of Teacher-in-Charge, Samir Baran Dutta, this institute was accredited by NAAC for the first time. Ex-MLA of Jangipur Constituency, Joynal Abedin , was elected the president of governing body of this college on 31st August, 2007 and continued in the capacity till 6th June, 2012. During his incumbency, Dr. Ajoy Adhikari took charge of this college in the capacity of full time Principal. Under the tireless striving of Dr. Adhikari to make this college a seat of academic excellence, the college has grown into a full-fledged institution with a sprawling campus constituted of a Girls’ Hostel, a well-stocked library, a well-equipped gymnasium, a modern Auditorium, a comfortable canteen and three administrative buildings. His initiative to modernize the teaching-learning process in the college is extremely laudable. He celebrated the Golden Jubilee Year of this college with grandeur. This institute was accredited with ‘B’ grade by NAAC in 2016. After the second cycle of NAAC Accreditation in 2016, our college was selected as a ‘Model College’ by Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). As a result, RUSA provides financial support of rupees four crore for the development of the infrastructure of the college. It was a moment of pride for us because Rusa selected only four colleges in West Bengal as ‘Model Colleges’ and our institution was one among the four institutions to receive such recognition. This year, the college has successfully rolled out the NEP 2020 (National Educational Policy, 2020) in undergraduate studies. Under the dynamic captainship of Dr. Adhikari, this college is now striving to be a premiere institute in the state.