Department Overview

It is very difficult to notice just when the Honours course in Bengali was started in Rajshahi College. Despite the instigation of B.L. and Master’s programs respectively in 1881 and 1892, there is no proof of evidence that Bengali was incorporated as one of the courses of those programs. According to Rajshahi College Report 1912-13 Bengali was taught in Rajshahi College as Vernacular Composition respectively at I.A., B.A. and English Honours classes. It is apparent that prior to 1918 no teacher was available for Bengali. Although the Rajshahi College Report 1916-17 reveals that a lecturer named Syamacharan Bhattacharya was designated to teach in Sanskrit and Bengali. In 1918, a lecturer namely, Basant Kumar Roy was assigned specifically to teach Bengali for the first time. From 1935-1936 session Bengali was initiated as a distinct subject (instead of Vernacular Composition) for the I.A. and B.A. classes. In 1937-1938, the College introduced Bengali as an individual subject at the Honours level. In 1941 noted literary personality Shri Shiva Prasanna Lahiri was awarded Honours degree in Bangla from Rajshahi College.