Name of the Activity: English Education, The Aspirations of the Middle Class, and the Establishment of Calcutta University.
Type of Activity: Professor Ashin Dasgupta Memorial Lecture 2026 held in collaboration with Department of History and Bengal and Paschimbanga Itihash Samsad
Date/ Duration of Activity (from-to): July 18, 2026
Time: 4pm to 6 pm
Details of Resource person: Rachana Chakraborty, Retired Professor, Calcutta University
No. of Participants: 74

Objective of the event:
To discuss the entanglements of English education and aspirations of the Bengali middle class with the establishment of Calcutta University.

Brief description of the event:
The Department of History and Bengali, The Bhawanipur Education Society College in collaboration with Paschimbanga Itihash Samsad, organised a memorial lecture on the theme “English Education, The Aspirations of the Middle Class, and the Establishment of Calcutta University.”. The memorial lecture began with a welcome address by Prof. Debjani Ganguly who elaborated on the contributions of Prof. Ashin Dasgupta in the discipline of history. Prof. Chakraborty elaborated on the colonial origins of the English education in India, their motivations and how the emerging middle class used the education to their advantage. The debates that began parallel to the introduction of English education were highlighted by her. She concluded her lecture on the role of Calcutta university in the history of education in India. The event was chaired by Prof. Arun Bandopadhyaya. The vote of thanks was delivered by Vice President of Paschimbanga Itihash Sansad, Prof. Asish Kumar Das.

Outcome of the event:
The event was a success which made the students aware of the role of education in enlightenment of the middle classes in India.