From Hindoo College to Presidency University – Celebrating the glorious 200 year journey of India’s most illustrious educational institution

 Philosophy of the new logo/Brand ethos:

Presidency is much more than a college or university; it has been ahead of its times, making history since 1817. Presidencians of the past have shaped our present & future. This is reflected in the Infinity symbol forming the 200 years logo – signifying the infinite possibilities the world can expect from Presidencians of tomorrow.

From Hindoo College to Presidency University – Celebrating the glorious 200 year journey of India’s most illustrious educational institution

From Hindoo College to Presidency University – Celebrating the glorious 200 year journey of India’s most illustrious educational institution

From Hindoo College to Presidency University – Celebrating the glorious 200 year journey of India’s most illustrious educational institution


Chandigarh, 19th October, 2016: Presidency University, one of India’s most premier educational institutions with prominent history, known to be an archetypal seat of learning and research, today announced the commencement of their bicentenary celebrations from 2017. The idea of looking forward to 200 years ahead by seminal changes in education through reforms to maintain the standard of excellence was the highlight of the event graced by Professor Anuradha Lohia, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, Presidency University, Professor Swapan Kr. Chakravorty, Professor of Humanities, Presidency University and Dr. Debajyoti Konar, Registrar, Presidency University. The dignitaries commemorated the onset of 200 year celebrations by unveiling the new logo with its new brand ethos and design elements and also discussed the roadmap towards further glory in the next few years with academic and infrastructural renaissance. 

Since its foundation in 1817, this institution has played a major role in shaping the intellectual and socio-political fabric of Bengal. Having produced notable leaders and avant-garde thinkers such as Bankimchandra Chatterjee, Swami Vivekananda, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Anandaram Barooah, Humayun Kabir, Satyendranath Bose, Meghnad Saha, Jibanananda Das, Satyajit Ray, Amartya Sen and Gayatri Spivak, this institution boasts of a rich heritage of excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. To mark the journey of the institution from the erstwhile Hindoo College, Kolkata, to Presidency College in 1855, the College, affiliated to the University of Calcutta was given the status of an independent University in 2010.

Elaborating about the celebrations planned, Professor Anuradha Lohia, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, Presidency University, stated, "This occasion provides us with the rare opportunity not only to celebrate the past 200 years of the institution’s contribution to the state, nation and world at large, but also look ahead towards the upcoming 200 years. Presidency University will celebrate its rich history in the presence of distinguished alumni who have left their impressive mark in academia and all walks of life across the country as well as in different parts of the world. The bicentenary provides the occasion for rejuvenation of Presidency through new concerted initiatives enabling it to play a role in the global transformation of education in the twenty-first century. We have planned a Global Education Summit based on the theme '200 years ahead'. We hope the Summit would lead to a vision for the future in context to higher education, natural and social sciences, mathematics, languages and humanities.”

Speaking on the occasion, Professor Swapan Kr. Chakravorty, Distinguished Professor of Humanities, Presidency University said “Over the past years it has sustained its standard of excellence through its academic contributions and strong cultural connection. Today we feel extremely delighted that this educational institution stands tall with pride having lived 200 years of prestigious autumns at the heart of this city. To celebrate the occasion we have planned series of initiatives in sync with the rich heritage of the University. Apart from the Global Education Summit, we have planned different events for the entire year that will showcase the role of our institution by

engaging students, faculty, staff, alumni in new and meaningful ways, to create an endearing value for future that will chart the route map for 200 years ahead.”

Two hundred years ago a civic initiative in the city of Calcutta led to the establishment of an institution for imparting liberal education. Rarely has the trajectory of one institution of higher learning been so inextricably intertwined with the larger history of an entire subcontinent’s encounter with global modernity. When the Government proposed on 27 November 1852 to turn Hindoo College into a public institution open to all communities, the College was on its way to becoming one of the pioneering academic institutions in the world to have such a character. We, citizens of Kolkata and India, are proud of this achievement which deserves to be better known and celebrated.

During the nineteenth century the faculty and students of Presidency College played an innovative part in the making of Indian modernity and the articulation of its multiple meanings. In the early twentieth century they met the challenge of contesting colonial power while creatively engaging with Europe in the domain of generating and disseminating new forms of knowledge. Home to a galaxy of dedicated scholar-teachers and brilliant students, Presidency College maintained its status as India’s premier institution of higher education in the early decades after independence.

About Presidency University:


Presidency University has a unique place in history. It was one of the first institutes of Western-type higher education in Asia. In 1817, a group of enlightened Indians and Englishmen set up the Hindoo College. This was taken over by the British Government in 1855 as the College of the Bengal Presidency, and placed in 1857 under the newly founded Calcutta University. Over the next hundred years and more, Presidency College was Bengal’s pre-eminent centre of higher learning. Although a Constituent College of Calcutta University, it preserved a tradition of research matched by few universities in India. The formal establishment of Presidency University in July 2010 allows it to refashion its venerable traditions and continuing strengths into a leading institution of the future.