JOIN USThe West Bengal Assembly passed the Sanskrit College and University Bill 2015 that would elevate the 200-year-old Sanskrit College in Kolkata to the status of a university.
Education minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters that the Kolkata-based varsity would be the first to be funded and endorsed by a government, distinguishing it from Sanskrit universities already functioning in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha.
Since the government wants the varsity to function from the 2016 academic year, Chatterjee said the gazette notification for setting-up the university would happen soon.
“Our objective was to create a model centre for studies in Sanskrit. We hope our endeavour will be a historic moment for students and teachers pursuing the subject. Our decision was guided by the effort to revive the lost glory of Sanskrit,” the minister said.
The college is one of the oldest institutions in the country. Founded in 1824, it had the distinction of several luminaries of 19th century Bengal renaissance like Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar and Haraprasad Shastri instructing students and spending in its well-stocked library that contains 22,000 manuscripts.