Eden Hindu Hostel
Eden Hindu Hostel (Bengali: ইডেন হিন্দু হোস্টেল), established in 1886, was primarily built for Hindu students of Presidency College, Calcutta. The hostel is now open for students of all religions.[1] It is now meant for students who come from outside Calcutta to study in the Presidency University, Kolkata. The hostel is located next to Darbhanga Building inside Ashutosh Sikhsha Prangan of the University of Calcutta and stands on Peary Charan Sarkar Street, which separates Presidency University from the premises of the main campus of the University of Calcutta. As of 13 November 2014, this hostel has the capacity to accommodate 275 boarders.
Buildings and rooms
The building was built out of funds raised by Ashley Eden and the architect was W.B. Gwyther and the contractor was Rai Khetter Chunder Bannerjee.[2] There are 6 blocks called the "Ward" in the hostel. Five of them are in the old building and one as a new construction. The north wing of the old building (adjacent to P.C Sarkar St.) is two storied comprising wards I and II whereas the east wing (adjacent to CU campus) is three storied comprising wards III, IV and V. This is an old styled building with two huge wooden staircases (one near the main entrance in the north wing and the other in the east wing). There is also a narrow wooden pathway between ward IV and ward II. In case of the blocks, namely Ward III, IV & V in the east wing, there are two separate sections for single rooms and multi-occupancy rooms (with 3 or 4 beds). The rooms are separated by wooden partisans between them. Many of the single rooms adjacent to the balcony have wooden walls on as many as three sides. The doors and windows have old styles wooden "kharkhari", a typical of old houses. There is also a nice ground in the campus. The 6 wards including kitchen,a dining hall and staff-quarters occupying a total area of 26,000 sq ft (2,400 m2). There's also one TV room, twenty toilets and bathrooms for boarders’ use. This hostel has one library with a rich collection of books.
The hostel has eight guest-rooms having the rental charges of 60.00 INR (common bath), 80.00 INR (attached bath) AND 100.00 INR (3-seated with attached bath) per day. Parents of the students as well as guests of the college are allowed to stay there.
Although being quite gigantic in size both in area as well as in number of boarders, it somehow lacks in maintenance. Proper care is what this historic hostel demands. Now, huge renovation of this prestigious hostel is going on. [3]
Staff
The staff pattern includes one Superintendent, two Assistant Superintendents, three Stewards, four office staff, five kitchen staff and six additional temporary members of kitchen staff for smooth running of the hostel. There are staff quarters for superintendent, assistant superintendents, stewards and other staff members within the hostel premises. [4]
Canteens
The hostel staff run and operate three canteens in hostel.
Activities
All the boarders actively participate in sports tournaments like football, volleyball, cricket, etc. They also take part in various cultural activities like Saraswati Puja, Re-union, Freshers’ Welcome and outgoing boarders’ farewell, Ward tour and other cultural programmes. [5]
Notable alumni
- Professor Sukhamoy Chakravarty
- Pradip Ghosh
- Binay Majumdar
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad[6]
- Professor Amartya Sen
- Politician and Barrister Satyabrata Mookherjee[7]
References
- ↑ 1
- ↑ Anon. (1888). "Hindu Hostel, Calcutta". Indian Engineering: 12.
- ↑ http://www.presidencycollegekolkata.ac.in/facilities.htm presidency college website
- ↑ http://www.presidencycollegekolkata.ac.in/facilities.htm presidency college website
- ↑ http://www.presidencycollegekolkata.ac.in/facilities.htm presidency college website
- ↑ 2
- ↑ http://www.freewebs.com/edenhhaa/Bar%20Satyabrata%20(Jolu)%20Mookherjee%20looking%20after%20reunion%202006.JPG
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