Brief History
Brief History
In fact Carmichael College itself is a living history. So it is not possible to present Carmichael College in a short range. At the beginning of the last century, that is, until 1916, there were many schools in the Rangpur region but there was no college. In 18, another ancient educational institution of Rangpur was established in 1832. In Rangpur Zilla School, an initiative was taken to introduce a college i.e. higher secondary class. But as a student it stopped. At that time Presidency College and a few other colleges were established in undivided Bengal centered around Calcutta. Similarly, there were two colleges in East and West Bengal. But there was no college in Jalpaiguri, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Bogra, Pabna and Malda except the famous Cooch Behar College run by the king of Cooch Behar in the heart of the state capital of Cooch Behar in North Bengal. Later, Mrityunjay Roy Chowdhury, a well-known zamindar of Kunti in the Rangpur region, donated 125 bighas of land to establish a first-class college in Rangpur. But he could not implement it without government approval. However, he continued to try and inspire other zamindars, wealthy individuals and educationists.
When Lord Thomas David Baron Carmichael, the then Governor of undivided Bengal, came to Rangpur in 1913, he was given a civic reception. At the reception, the Governor was requested to co-operate with the need to establish a first class college in the area. He paid homage to the request of all at the Rangpur civic reception and informed that three lakh rupees would be required at the initial stage for the establishment of a first class college. According to him, in 1913-14, Rangpur District Collector JN Gupta became actively involved in the establishment of the college. He convened a meeting with the kings, zamindars, wealthy people and educationists of the Rangpur region to raise funds for the establishment of the college. The top zamindars responded to his initiative and paid.
There was an interesting incident in the meeting called for raising money which if not mentioned, the history of this college will remain incomplete. In that meeting of that day, he promised to give the amount of money to the then generous zamindars and rich people and recorded it on paper. In this case, the Tepar zamindar, while writing the 10,000 rupees pronounced in his mouth, mistakenly put a zero plus on the right side instead of the amount of money. As a result, the amount of his money is one lakh rupees. At the end of the meeting, when the amount of money written by everyone was being read, Annada Mohan Roy Chowdhury (Tepar Zamindar) was disturbed to hear the amount of money pledged. According to some, he fainted. However, he donated the amount of money pledged for the establishment of the college. To commemorate his donation, the hall in the middle of the spectacular main building at Carmichael College is named after him. That means “Annada Mohan Hall”. The names of all those who donated money and land for the establishment of the college are engraved in stone. Annada Mohan Roy Chowdhury Bahadur is the first name among 26 donors.
Others who generously donated for the establishment of this college are: Kundi, Kasimbazar, Radhaballav, Dharmapur, Manthana, Tusbhandar, Mahipur’s Panga, Kurigram, Kholahati, Rasulpur zamindars, jotdars and wealthy and knowledgeable people. Some donate cash. Someone donated or donated land to build infrastructure. Surendra Nath Roy Chowdhury, the famous zamindar of Kunti and the most educated man of Rangpur at that time, is in the forefront in donating land. They donated about four hundred and fifty bighas of free land on behalf of the two brothers.
At a public reception in Rangpur in 1913, Governor Lord Carmichael promised to raise three lakh rupees. But They collected Rs 750,000 for the construction of the college complex on 321 acres (121 ha) of land. Then on 10 November 1916, the then Governor of undivided Bengal, Lord Thomas David Baron Carmichael came to Rangpur and laid the foundation stone of the college. The college was named “Carmichael College” after him. From the time of its establishment till the construction of the main building, the activities of the college were conducted in the district council building. Carmichael College is affiliated to Calcutta University. Dr Watkins, a German citizen, was its founder principal. The college building, 610 feet in length and 60 feet in breadth, is a unique monument of zamindari architecture in Bengal, which reflected a nostalgic attachment of the Bengal aristocracy to Mughal architecture.
The main building of the college was inaugurated on 12 February 1918 by the then Governor of Bengal, Earl of Ronald. When the college was made provincialized on January 1, 1963, the infrastructural expansion started continue. At the time of the establishment of the college there were three residential halls besides the main building. GL Hall (Govinda Lal Hall), CM Hall (Carmichael Muslim Hall), KB Hall (Qasim Bazar Hall) was a row of tile houses.
Affiliation and Courses
Carmichael College was affiliated with calcutta university and was permitted to open Intermediate of Arts and Bachelor of Arts classes in 1917 and Intermediate of Science and Bachelor of Science classes in 1922 and 1925 respectively. Up to 1947, thirteen subjects were taught at the college. After the partition of bengal in 1947, it was affiliated with the university of dhaka and in 1953, with the newly established university of rajshahi. After the establishment of the National University in 1992, Carmichael College became a part of the National University. Teaching in higher secondary classes has been discontinued since 1995 to transform it into a university. But respecting the demands of the people of Rangpur, teaching in higher secondary classes has been introduced again from last year.
At present, it is a postgraduate college offering courses in 18 subjects in the faculties of arts, social science, science and commerce. It has a rich central library and a seminar library for every department. Now the total number of teachers and students of college are 150 and 20,000 respectively. The college premises is consists of conference room, Teachers Club, Employees Club, Canteen, separate common rooms for male and female students, Residence for Principal and Teachers, Dormitories of Students, four academic buildings, Mosque and Shaheed Minar. In addition to the academic activities, the students participate various cultural programme including Debating Society, Rover Scout and Bangladesh National Cadet Core, sports and’ cultural competitions.
The main Administration building of Carmichael College
The main building of Carmichael College is a unique example of impeccable architecture. Which will rock the hearts of tourists at the first sight. The main building of the college was inaugurated on 12 February 1918 by the then Governor of Bengal, Earl of Ronald. The main building of the college, which is 610 feet long and 60 feet wide, is a unique example of architectural architecture. The rich history of Bengal is reminiscent of Mughal construction techniques. The immaculate architecture of the main building is enough to amaze the tourists at the first sight. The widespread use of domes is indicative of Muslim architecture. It has also enhanced the beauty of the small dome buildings in the top country. Marlon decoration has been added to enhance the beauty of the cornice. All in all, the main building of Carmichael College is a historical architectural masterpiece, a unique example of Indochina architectural convenience. This building is one of the sights of Rangpur. Many domestic and foreign tourists visit this college throughout the year.
Huge Beautiful campus with Shades and Trees
The sprawling campus of Carmichael College, located on 600 acres of land just a short distance from the hustle and bustle of the city. The lush green courtyard is a natural cosmos with countless trees sprouting across this huge campus. In the midst of the greenery all around, stands the proud white architectural masterpiece of the college, Carmichael. The magnificent beauty of nature, the call of the wings and a calm environment seem to bring peace to the heart. After passing a gate from Lalbagh Hat, the road of lime surki and cement has gone to the main building of the college. There are many trees on both sides of this road. There are two rare species of trees from the time of the establishment of the college, whose scientific name is ‘Kaizalia’. It is known that there are only a few of these rare species in the whole subcontinent. A large part of this green desert is being used for agriculture. Recently a boundary wall has been given around the college. On the land of Rangpur Cadet College, Rokeya University, Carmichael College to the south of the campus. In the north, the traditional Lalbagh Hat and numerous hostels have sprung up around it.
An archway was constructed at the entrance of the college from Lalbagh a few years ago. Earlier in the same place there was a gate of the founding period which was closed with a large iron chain. As soon as you enter the college, you will find the teachers ‘residential building on the left hand side, and a little further on, the teachers’ dormitory which is known as the White House. Next to it is the health center and QA Memorial Primary School (College Primary School). To the west of this school is that rare species of tree. Intersection at the front or Zero Point. There is also a lovely mosque, examination control center, two storey student dormitory, various departmental buildings, canteen, student dormitory, teacher dormitory, sub post office, state-of-the-art auditorium (under construction), a tile building (BNCC & Scout), student dormitory, police Outpost, administrative building, huge two playgrounds and Vrindavan.
Sculpture of the liberation war
In front of the main building is a memorial sculpture of the liberation war, which has just added to the aesthetics of the main building. To the south is the Shaheed Minar, a three-storey science building (second building), a three-storey arts and commerce building (third building), a two-storey chemistry building, and a garden decorated with various flowers. There is a rich library with a huge collection of about seventy thousand books. Which started its journey with 250 books from Rangpur District Library when the college was established. At that time students from outside Bengal also used to come to study in this college. This library has books in Assamese language. Ananda Mohan Hall is right in the middle of the main building. In the northwest corner there is an open stage known as Bangla Mancha. The lifeblood of all the cultural activities of the college. There is also a large college campus with an elementary school, Carmichael Collegiate School and College and several residential buildings for teachers and staff built during the founding of the college. Why Carmichael College is one of the largest educational institutions in the subcontinent of Bangladesh. The college was established with a far-reaching plan to transform the college into a full-fledged residential university by ensuring the infrastructural location of the various buildings of the college.
Science building-1
Later in 1983-84 a three-storey second building or science building and in 1983 a third building was constructed. The Shaheed Minar was built after independence. Work on the chemistry department building began in ’84. MAG Osmani Hall in 1986, College Mosque in 1986, the first student hall Begum Rokeya dormitory work started in ’75 -7. The state-of-the-art women’s restroom was built in 69-90 and the Shaheed Janani Jahanara Imam Hall was built in 97-98. Infrastructural expansion is still ongoing. Several houses have been renovated, including the residence of the principal of the college, which is considered as an improvised house. Various installations including a new teacher dormitory have been built.
At present there are about 24,000 students in the college. There are only one thousand seats in seven residential halls for this huge number of students. There are three residential halls for female students and four residential halls for male students.
Residential Hall (Student): 1) Tapsi Rabeya Hall 2) Begum Rokeya Hall 3) Jahanara Imam Hall.
Residential Hall (Student): 1) GL Hostel 2) Osmani Hostel 3) CM Hostel 4) KB Hostel (for Hindu students only). College authorities have declared CM Hall abandoned.