Bhairab Ganguly College

Best Practices (2018-2019)

Green Campus

The college maintained its duty towards Green cover conservation by keeping its collaboration with Namami Gange Project, Govt. of India. In addition to an extensive plantation programme in the college campus, the college has undertaken an environmental outreach programme, in collaboration with Dept. of Forestry, Govt. of West Bengal, for a green neighbourhood extended to seventeen wards of Kamarhati Municipality. A group comprising one teacher, two non-teaching staff and five students were appointed by the college to coordinate with the respective ward councillors and maintain the saplings planted.
Additionally, campus cleaning drives are conducted frequently to maintain a plastic-free green campus.

Community service

In 2016, Prantiknagar (Formerly Panjavilla Basti) in Ward No. 24, of Kamarhati Municipality(North 24 Parganas) was adopted by the college through the social work initiative “Srijan”. Since 2016, the college through its NSS unit has been working tirelessly to ensure the well-being of the dwellers of its adopted slum. In the academic session of 2018-19, the activities were conducted as usual.
On 05.07.18, NSS volunteers cleaned the Prantiknagar area and sprayed bleaching powder there. Many saplings were planted in both the college campus as well as in Prantiknagar. The residents of Prantiknagar were made aware of the benefits of personal cleanliness. The volunteers cleaned the garbage and advised the children of the slum on good hygiene and proper sanitation.
On 24.08.18, the NSS Unit donated school bags, exercise books, drawing pencils and geometry boxes to 50 children of Prantiknagar.
On 21.04.19, the fourth day of “7-Day NSS Special Camp”(2018-19), NSS volunteers went to Prantiknagar (Camp site) for cleaning of the slum & spraying of bleaching powder. Volunteers gave training on recitation, song, dance, drawing & sports to the slum children. A Drawing competition was conducted for the children of Prantiknagar. Stationary items (drawing books, drawing pencils, sketch pens) and food packets were distributed to the children as well.

Best Practices (2019-2020)

Green Campus and Neighborhood

The college maintained its duty towards Green cover conservation by keeping its collaboration with NamamiGange Project, Govt. of India. In addition to an extensive plantation programme in the college campus, the college has undertaken an environmental outreach programme “Sabujayan”, in collaboration with Dept. of Forestry, Govt. of West Bengal, for a green neighbourhood extended to seventeen wards of Kamarhati Municipality. A group comprising one teacher, two non-teaching staff and five students were appointed by the college to coordinate with the respective ward councillors and maintain the saplings planted. In this academic year

Additionally, campus cleaning drives are conducted frequently to maintain a plastic-free green campus.

Community service

In 2009, Prantiknagar (Formerly Panjavilla Basti) in Ward No. 24, of Kamarhati Municipality(North 24 Parganas) was adopted by the college. The college through its NSS unit and in association with the social work initiative by Srijan, a NGO whose members are some of our present and former staff, has been working tirelessly to ensure the well-being of the dwellers of its adopted slum. In the academic session of 2019-20, the following activities were conducted as usual:

On 24.09.19, NSS volunteers cleaned the Prantiknagar area and sprayed bleaching powder there. Many saplings were planted in both the college campus as well as in Prantiknagar. The residents of Prantiknagar were made aware of the benefits of personal cleanliness. The volunteers cleaned the garbage and advised the children of the slum on good hygiene and proper sanitation.

On 24.09.19, the NSS Unit donated school bags, exercise books, drawing pencils, geometry boxes and food packets to 40 children of Prantiknagar.

On 27.11.19, Students’ Union organized a Blood Donation and health check-up camp in association with NSS unit. In this camp eye-testing, blood pressure and sugar checking of the locals were done free of cost. 113 pouches of blood were collected from the camp and were donated to Life Care Blood Bank (204/1B, Linton Street, BeniaPukur, Kolkata-700014).

On 07.12.2019, IQAC in collaboration with Kamarhati Municipality, Students’ Union and NSS Unit organized Awareness Programme on Vector-borne Diseases like Dengue & Malaria. An awareness rally with posters and slogans was also organized to spread awareness among local people about vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria. Dr. Saurav Shome, In-charge of the department of Zoology and NSS Programme Officer gave awareness lecture regarding mosquito-borne diseases. Campus cleaning programme and spraying of bleaching powder were also undertaken.

MEGHKALASH-The Rain Water Harvesting Project

Christening: Clouds in the sky bring rain and Kalash, the earthen pot, or the earth itself, holds the rain water. So the name is “Megh Kalash” after Tagore’s one of the verses.

Defining: Rain water harvesting is a very effective method of water management and its conservation. This refers to collection and storage of rain water for use in times of needs of human, animal and plant.

Purpose of the Project:

• To utilize rain water and in the process lessen dependence on municipal supply
• Conservation of water resources in consequent to the govt. policy “Jal Dharo Jal Varo”.
• To irrigate the garden area and if necessitates, use of this water for the toilets.
• To create conservation awareness among college students and others about water.
• To recharge ground water through recharge pits.
• To improve garden ecology by promoting vegetation cover and thus attracting birds, butterflies and others.

Location of the Project: BhairabGanguly College Garden sides, beside the main building where rain water come down through the rain pipes.

• Details of the Project Plan:No. of Tanks: 4
• Catchment Area: Tanks 1 & 2- 2476.9 square ft. (For Paired Tanks) & Tanks 3 & 4- 2420 square ft.
• Transfer Channel Length: Rain water pipe length 40 ft. approx. from the roof to the tank for each of the sites.
• Storage Capacity: Average storage capacity: 1000 liters for each of the tanks.Total Capacity: 4000 liters when full.

Harvesting Scheme:

• Step I: Collection
• Step II: Transfer through pipelines
• Step III: Storage Tanks
• Step IV: Distribution through pipes
• Step V: Recharge with excess water for underground through Recharge Pits/Recharge Trench/Tube-well.
• Recharge Pits are intended to be the size of 1 to 2 meters wide and 2 to 3 meters deep each; back filled with gravels/broken bricks ( 5—20 cm), gravels (5—10 mm) and course sand (1.5 – 2 mm).

The Heritage – History Museum of the College.

The   Heritage, Museum of the department of History, BhairabGanguly College was   set up (2014)     primarily with   the aim of   making   history as a subject livelier and engaging   among the students of our college.   Our broader   objective   was   to acquaint our students with the rich cultural heritage and   civilizations of our country and   thereby widen their mental horizon.  In fact, ‘The Heritage’ has become a part and parcel of the teaching and learning processes of the students of the college having history either as their honours subject or combination in their general courses.  In this process, the   knowledge   they   acquire   would help them in their higher studies and research activities.

Museums help to preserve   and promote cultural heritage. Generally, history museums are housed with the objects of historical and cultural importance – artifacts, sculptures and other remnants of ancient past of   different regions.  Our museum, The Heritage, is mainly housed with some of the replicas of inscriptions, coins, deities and artifacts   excavated in different regions of our Country and modern Bangladesh. It has in its possession   also some of the paintings, mainly of Mughal period.    Regional paintings   like Kangra paintings and    paintings of Bengal school of twentieth century   have also found place in the small gallery of our museum.   Bengal   is   a treasure-house of ancient   culture like chalcholithic and microlithic culture.     Some of the   ancient   archaeological sites of this part of the country are   Birbhanpur and PandurajarDhibi, both are in the     district of Birbhum, Paharpur in Rajshahi district of modern Bangladesh.  Jaggibanpur in the district of Malda is famous for its terracotta plaque. Our museum has in its collection some of the terracottas of Jaggibanpur.

 We   owe   a lot for our collection to the authorities of Indian Museum, Kolkata and State Archaeological Museum, Behala, Kolkata.  It is   mainly   due to their kind cooperation we succeeded to equip   our museum to a large extent.    In fact, it has been one of their policies   to    make replicas and sale   them    for promotion of awareness about the importance of preserving ancient artifacts.  Local people of Belghoria too came forward   in our endeavour to preserve and promote our cultural heritage. Some of them donated generously from their precious private collections.  This is how, history museum of our college built up. Since its inception, The Heritage has been   become a destination to be must visited by the common heritage lover, students, teachers and other dignitaries.  Our endeavour of building up a museum of its own was highly appreciated by the NAAC team visited our college in 2016.

Best Practices (2020-2021)

A. Commitment to Community

1.Title: Commitment to Community:  Creation of COVID19 Relief Fund and efforts to combat the pandemic together

2.Objective: To reach out to the families of our own students and neighbouring households, who are in distressful condition under the current pandemic.

 3.The context: Voluntary collection of funds, identification of needy students and families, assessment of their specific needs, online disbursement of fund and in person distribution of essential items. Most of the work was taken up during the complete lockdown /partial lock down period.

 4.Practice: From an impact analysis on the online mode of studies during the pandemic, it was observed that some students were subjected to a digital discrimination suffering from economic breakdown. A COVID19 relief fund of Rs.2,76,804 was created for the session by the generous contribution from all teachers and support staff. The uniqueness of our venture was obvious from the media reports.

 5.Evidence of success: An analysis on the satisfaction level of beneficiary students recently done:

• Mobile recharge: ~ 48% applicants were satisfied and 25% very satisfied.
• Family Ration: 49% students were satisfied, 37% very satisfied, 14% not satisfied
• Medicines and RTPCR tests: 50%  satisfied, 37% very satisfied and 13% not satisfied.
• Attendance in online classes, webinars improved.
• Inculcated a sense of responsibility amongst students, towards their families. 

6. Problems Encountered: Tendency of students to shy away from problems. Online meet with parents conducted. Uninterrupted Internet connectivity, easy banking facility was unavailable to students in their remote native villages, money transfer posed some problem.  

7.Notes: Institutional values

• Local students and alumni of college did a commendable job in distributing  ration, sanitizers, masks to the low income group living  in adjacent areas to the College( then marked as covid red zone)
• Srijan: A NGO constituted by some of our ex and present teachers, staffs and NSS volunteers consistently provided ration to the Prantiknagar slum in Ward No. 24, of Kamarhati Municipality(North 24 Parganas).

Commitment to community: Efforts to combat the pandemic together

Ration given by “Srijan” (NGO: staff and ex-staff of College)

Students and alumni visiting needy neighbours during peak Pandemic

B. Alumni Lecture Series

1. Title :  Innovative academic venture- “Alumni Lecture Series”(Vibes) to promote a spirit of critical enquiry and fortify the bond between the alumni and current students. 

2. Objectives : The “Alumni Lecture Series” aimed at motivating the students with future career guidance in diverse fields and also envisioned their academic enrichment. 
3. The Context: During the lockdown period, the College Alumni Association (Abahaman) improvised new modalities of transmission of knowledge and information in the virtual mode. While designing it, the event coordinator took initiatives for a judicious selection of topics so as to ensure the active interaction of the students. 
4. The Practice: The uniqueness of  “Alumni Lecture Series” lies in the fact that it has become an interesting platform, inspiring students to think optimistically about their future prospects. It further creates a rich legacy of remaining connected with one’s alma mater and contributing to its institutional enrichment. Distinguished speakers like Dr. Nilanjan Halder, an ex-student of the department of Physics and currently a teacher at Manipal University, Jaipur, enlightened the students about the different avenues for pursuing M.Sc./M.Tech in India, the entrance examinations available for integrated Ph.D across the nation and also the fellowships awarded for Ph.D programmes in Europe and USA. 
5. Evidence of Success: The success of the newly evolved practice of “Alumni Lecture Series” becomes obvious from the huge number of attendees in each lecture and the participation of eminent alumni who serve as iconic role models to be emulated. For example, Mr. Soumitra Giri, WBCS Jt. Commissioner, Revenue department, Govt of West Bengal, an alumnus of the Geography department, has fuelled the enthusiasm of the students of Geography through his insightful presentation about the possibilities of qualifying successfully in civil service examinations. 
6. Problems Encountered and Resources Required: While hosting the “Alumni Lecture Series”, the College Alumni Association (Abahaman) encountered problems such as dearth of distinguished alumni in some departments, since these departments have adopted the Honours courses quite recently. Identifying a convenient time to arrange the Lectures without disrupting the schedule of the classes was another such problem. Resources like technical assistance in the digital media have been duly provided by the college.
7. Notes : The college contemplates on expanding the active involvement of the alumni beyond academic exchanges to something more empirical. It may undertake a programme to give some first-hand practical experience/field experience to the students by making them visit reputed Research institutes / industries, since many of the alumni members are associated with these institutes / industries in diverse capacities. 

Innovative academic venture- “Alumni Lecture Series”, 2020-2021

Best Practices of Bhairab Ganguly College

Best Practice 1

 1. Title: Maintaining Sustainable Environment

2. Objectives:

• Rainwater harvesting undertaken
• Waste management
• Installation of Solar cells and LED lights
• To sustain green environment an afforestation programme is in progress
• Awareness program initiated among students to sensitize them about the importance of sustainable environment..

3. Context:

• Rain water harvesting introduced to conserve water
• Declared college plastic free campus
• Solar power devices installed and LED bulbs used to reduce carbon footprint
• Students engaged in environmental conservation programmes like afforestation, plastic-free campaigns etc.
• Students and staff were prone to COVID infection during offline classes. Precautionary steps were taken to check infection.

4. Practices:

• Rainwater harvesting for water conservation- Roof water is drained through rain pipes and collected in four rainwater storage tanks. This water is used for watering gardens. There is a plan to use this water for toilets. Rainwater is wasted, but we are harvesting it as a part of conservation programme. 
• Facility of replenishing groundwater is also present. However, rooftops require frequent cleaning which is difficult due to labour shortage. 
• Photo voltaic solar cells have been installed to reduce the use of fossil fuel-based power supplies. However, it is costlier than conventional electric supply.
• Afforestation programme like urban forestry initiative was taken up. Hundreds of trees were planted under the green campus programme. Scarcity of manpower for the constant care of saplings has been overcome by the initiative of the college authority.

5. Evidence of Success:

• Lush green gardens are irrigated using harvested rainwater. Excess water is passed through groundwater recharge pits. 
• Solar power is utilized by connecting it with main-line supply through appropriate devices.
•  Saplings planted in 10000sq.ft. plot along western boundary of the college ground has grown up to an appreciable height. This urban forestry programme nurtures Arjun, Segun, Mehogini, Neem saplings etc. Result indicates sustenance of a green campus and reduction of carbon footprint.

6. Problems Encountered and Resources required:

• Rain Water harvesting: Difficulties faced are sedimentation in storage tank and catchment basin on rooftop. Shortage of cleaning staff is managed with the help of hired labours. 
• Solar Power: It is not cost-effective technology to replace fossil fuel-based power supply, but a necessary step to reduce carbon footprints.
•  Afforestation: Being a shallow waterlogged land, it required cleaning and filling. 

Resource: Monetary resources provided by college from its fund.

7. Notes regarding Institutional values and Best practices:

• We are one of the few educational institutions which have undertaken extensive programmes as part of a green campus initiative.

Best Practice 2

1. Title: Commitment to Community Outreach
2. Objectives:

• Community outreach programmes at Javi and adjoining villages in Ranibandh Block of Bankura district cater to Sabar tribal population’s socio-economic well-being. 
• The underlying principle behind slum development, financial assistance to needy meritorious students and medicines for hospital patients is to enable the college to fulfil its social obligation. 

    3. Context:

• The remote location of Javi village confronted villagers with economic challenges. They migrated to distant places for employment. 
•  Knitting and Dice machines distributed in Javi village generated new modes of livelihood. 
• During the Covid period, food packets, masks, sanitizers and medicines in Prantiknagar slum and MohinimilBasti were distributed to combat the pandemic. 
• Education kit given to rural and slum children to pursue studies despite financial odds

    4. Practices:
 (a) Social Welfare of Javi village:

• • For poverty alleviation of Javi Village, college donated 14 Sal leaf plate-sewing machines and 6 dice machines to Sabar tribal community. 
  • Health check-up camps for villagers conducted by Physiology Department
  • Education equipment distributed among village school children
  • At Ranibandh High School (Bankura) Science Model Exhibition was organized. 
  • Winter garments distributed among villagers  

(b) Slum Development:

• Cleaning drive of Prantiknagar and Mohinimil slums by spraying bleaching powder by NSS volunteers 
•  Health check-up camp for slum children and health card to examine their height, weight and eyesight instilling an awareness of health 
• Stationery items- school bags, exercise books and geometry boxes distributed among 50 children of Prantiknagar slum
•  A drawing competition arranged for slum children 
• Medicines, masks, sanitizers and food packets distributed among 60 families in the Prantiknagar slum 

(c) Outreach activities in Hospitals:

• Health drinks and fruits were distributed to patients in Baranagar State General Hospital, Kamarhati ESI Hospital and Tata Cancer Research Institute.

(d) Empowerment through Education for poor and meritorious Students:

• College shouldered the educational expenses of 18 meritorious and needy students from nine adjacent schools from their current class up to graduation. 

5. Evidence of success:

• After one year of community outreach activities at Javi, a post-distribution investigative survey was conducted to analyse programme outcomes through a detailed questionnaire. A remarkable socio-economic change was detected. 
• Among the 27 families of the Sabar community, only 3-4 families are still migrating to distant places in search of employment. Most families are now self-reliant and able to enhance their earnings by 3 to 4 times. 
• Social welfare schemes in the slum areas have also yielded fruitful results as the slum dwellers are now more conscious of their health and hygiene. 

6. Problems encountered and Resourced required:

• • Due to the limited outreach fund of the college, community outreach programmes at Javi village cater only to the needs of the Sabar community. Greater financial resources are needed to fulfil the economic needs of other rural tribes.  
• • Remote location of Javi village posed difficulties in connectivity aggravated by the absence of public transport in those regions. 
• Resource: College generated outreach fund from its earning to facilitate community outreach programmes.

7. Notes regarding Institutional values and Best practices:

• Bhairab Ganguly College makes consistent efforts in fulfilling its social responsibility and empowering the downtrodden sections of society by implementing exemplary community outreach programmes. 
• These are primarily designed to sensitize students, teaching and non-teaching staff and make them conscious of their duties as Indian citizens. 
• Such community outreach programmes are extremely pertinent in the present socio-economic context and should be endorsed by other institutions as well to inculcate the values of charity, empathy and solidarity with the less privileged sections of society.