Education is fighting a silent war against the world of allurement, emptiness and aggression. Education is light that discriminates right from wrong and power that unit hearts divided in opinions ............

BRIEF HISTORY

Asutosh College, affiliated with the University of Calcutta, is one of the most well-known landmarks on the educational landscape of Kolkata. Founded in 1916 by one of the pioneers of modern education in India, Sir Asutosh Mookerjee, the college, earlier known as South Suburban College (renamed Asutosh College in 1924, after the demise of its founder), was set up initially to cater to the educational needs of South Kolkata. It soon became a premier institute of learning, not only of Kolkata but also of West Bengal and its neighbouring states and countries. NAAC has recently accredited the college with the 'A' Grade and is currently among the top 4 affiliated colleges of West Bengal.

INCEPTION OF POSTGRADUATE COURSE IN ZOOLOGY 

DST-FIST SPONSORED DEPARTMENT 

The department has been supported under the DST-FIST programme in 2019. The undergraduate and postgraduate sections run in two independent buildings with separate laboratory and classroom facilities. The postgraduate section has been equipped with smart classrooms and an advanced laboratory.  At present different curriculum frameworks are being taught simultaneously. 

CHOICE-BASED CREDIT SYSTEM (CBCS) AND AHEAD

The postgraduate section and 2nd and 3rd years of undergraduate honours were run under the CBCS system while the 1st year undergraduate batch is under the newly adopted National Education Policy-CCF. The zoology postgraduation course was introduced in 2010 and running smoothly for 14 years. The department recently introduced an online certificate course on Apiculture and Sericulture in 2022. A CBCC course on Zoology also runs for the 3rd semester for Environmental Science postgraduation students.

ONLINE CERTIFICATE COURSE ON APICULTURE AND SERICULTURE (2022)

At Asutosh College, our Zoology program offers personalized mentorship at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, ensuring that every student receives the support they need through a blended mode of teaching. Our department is well-equipped with resources such as a central and seminar library, a museum, digital classrooms, and instrumentation facilities. Students actively engage in immersive experiences such as field visits to national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, reserve forests and urban green spaces, as well as summer internships, research linkages, and zoological quizzes.

A few of our recent activities include:

• National Level Satellite Symposium

• Student Seminar (202

• Quiz and film shows (2023 onwards)

• Faculty Exchange Programmes (2024 onwards)

• Field Trip to Nimpith Krishi Vigyan Kendra

• Excursion to Eastern Himalayas (2022, 2024)

• Experiential Learning at Bose Institute

• Alumni Lecture Series - Aahaan (2021 onwards)

• Alumni meet cum Reunion (2024 onwards)

• Extension activities to Old-Age home (2023 onwards)

• Summer internship programmes (2024 onwards)

• Field Science Lecture Series - InterACT (2024 onwards)

Departmental Introduction video

The summary report of these activities may be found on the college website. All of these provide our students with valuable hands-on training using state-of-the-art research instruments. We also conduct cultural activities under the wing of “SANS ENTRAVE” which is a student’s interactive platform.

The Department has a rich and experienced fraternity which includes seven full-time faculty members. Our faculty members have made significant contributions at both the national and international levels through their research contributions, publications, and book chapters. They have had the experience of working in reputed institutes both in India and abroad during their doctoral and post-doctoral work. The department has also completed several UGC, DST (WB Govt.), and DST SERB projects. This enriching department has a long-standing history of knowledge-sharing across interactive platforms like seminars, workshops, and extension lecture series, involving renowned experts from various institutes and universities. It has successfully organized several conferences in association with reputed institutes.

Our constant strive for improvement has led to bright students who have qualified for the GATE, JAM, CSIR NET, SET, and CET examinations apart from qualifying for the regular University Examinations at the UG and PG Levels. In the recent past, students from this department have enrolled themselves for PhD in nationally acclaimed institutes, pursued teaching professions, and joined corporate offices, to name a few.

EX-FACULTY MEMBERS 

• Prof. Nani Gopal Dey,  Reader (Retired in _____)

• Dr Keshab Chandra Mukherjee, Reader  (Retired in _____)

• Shri Patit Paban Chatterjee,  Reader (Retired in _____)

• Shri Bimal Kumar Dutta, Reader (served as Principal of Narasinha Dutt College)  

• Dr Swapan Kumar Das, Reader (Retired in 2008)  

• Dr Bhawani Shankar Joardar, Reader (Retired in 2003)

• Dr Binayak Kumar Misra, Associate Professor (Retired in 2014)

• Dr Supriya Sengupta  Associate Professor (Retired in 2016)

• Prof. Parthiva Basu (presently at the University of Calcutta)

• Dr Koushik Pramanick  (presently at Presidency University)

• Shri Sishir Tamang (joined West Bengal Education Services)

• Dr Sandip Pal, SACT (joined as Assistant Professor at Rasthraguru Surendranath College)

• Dr. Bidisha Sen Maitra (joined as Assistant Professor at Asutosh College)

• Dr Ajay Kumar Mandal, SACT (Retired in 2021)

• Dr Dalia Mukhopadhyay, SACT  (Retired in 2022)

• Dr Sajal Bhattacharya, Associate Professor (Retired in 2023)

• Dr Prithwis Kumar Mitra, GLI (Retired in 2024)