Anecdotes

Department of Botany (U.G. then I.Sc.) was established in 1957 under the leadership of Dr. Dhirendra Nath Mitra and Elizabeth Ukkuru to teach General Degree (Pass) course for girl students.  With gradual increasing demands of women education, the Honours course in Botany was introduced in 1981.

Other faculty members like Dr. Rupali Dasgupta and Dr. Ira Ghosh joined this department. Ms. Chitra Ghosh, Ishan Scholar of the University of Calcutta, (worked under the famous scientist Barbara Mc Clintock at Cold spring Harbour Laboratory and Carnegie Institute, Washington) also joined this department to impart teaching.

Demand for P.G. Degree course in Botany from different corners compelled the authority and the department to introduce M.Sc. (Distance Learning) Course in 2008, with due affiliation of the Directorate of Distance Education (DDE), Vidyasagar University, with 60 seats (a co-ed curriculum).

Advancement was culminated in 2014, with the introduction of two-year regular Postgraduate Course in Botany (only for girls’ students) with due affiliation of the University of Calcutta, as the 3rd P.G. Botany teaching college in Kolkata. Presently, this course is directly under the University of Calcutta (vide CSR /14/18 dt. 20th June, 2018) and teaching under the P.G. Board of Studies, C.U.