History

"অসতো মা সৎ গময়। তমসো মা জ্যোতির্গময়। মৃত্যোর্মা অমৃতং গময়। ওঁ শান্তিঃ॥ ওঁ শান্তিঃ॥ ওঁ শান্তিঃ॥"
"অসৎ হইতে সত্যে লইয়া যাও, অন্ধকার হইতে জ্যোতিতে লইয়া যাও, মৃত্যু হইতে অমরত্বে লইয়া যাও। সর্বত্র যেন ছড়াইয়া পড়ুক শান্তির বার্তা॥"

Vivekananda College, initially known as Barisha College, was founded in 1950 under the Dispersal Scheme of the State Government to alleviate the pressure on colleges in the Calcutta Metropolis due to the influx of people from the then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The college was first housed in Barisha High School and later moved to newly constructed premises near the school compound in 1953. At that time, it was an Intermediate College.

In June 1956, the State Government sponsored the college, upgrading it to a degree college. In the same year, it was brought under the Refugee Education Scheme of the Ministry of Rehabilitation, Government of India, with the State Government retaining control over it. During this time, the college was renamed Vivekananda College, after the revered name of Swami Vivekananda – the great patriot, social reformer, and eternal embodiment of the soul of India, whose inspiring force played a key role in the making of modern India.

Due to the acute scarcity of accommodation, caused by the rapid increase in the number of students, the college moved again in 1959 to a larger and more spacious campus at Thakurpukur, covering about 6.17 acres of land. The new college buildings were constructed with capital grants received from the Rehabilitation Ministry, Government of India. The original college building at Barisha was repurposed for the Women’s Section, which, in 1961, became an independent institution named 'Vivekananda College for Women'.

The people of Barisha and Thakurpukur, areas historically linked to the pioneering efforts of Rev. James Long – a dedicated figure in the spread of education and humanitarian causes in this Bengali-inhabited locality in the late 19th century – were able to fulfil their aspirations through the establishment of Vivekananda College. This marked another milestone in the advancement of education. Vivekananda College has earned a strong reputation as one of the premier institutions of higher education in the state of West Bengal. Among its founders, the foremost name is that of the late Dr. Sushil Kumar Ray, D.Sc., its Founder Principal.

With a current enrolment of about 5,000 students, 87 teachers, and 67 non-teaching staff members, the college operates in two shifts: Day and Morning, both co-educational.

Vivekananda College offers teaching facilities up to Honours standard in 19 subjects for undergraduate studies in the Faculties of Arts, Science, and Commerce under the University of Calcutta. In addition, Statistics and Electronics (General) were introduced in the degree course in 2002-2003. There is still a need for upgrading or introducing new subjects in emerging areas. As a result, two new subjects—Human Rights (General) and Women’s Studies (General)—were introduced in 2009-10. Geography (General) was introduced in the 2013-14 session.