Former Bengal advocate-general Anindya Mitra, an alumnus of the erstwhile Presidency College, has contributed ₹60 lakh to develop a computer centre on the university’s campus, which will be equipped with 25 state-of-the-art computers.
Mitra, a former president of the Presidency Alumni Association, said a computer centre is a must on the campus.
Students need computers for academic activities and also placement-related interviews, he said.
Mitra, who graduated in history from Presidency College in 1955, said it was sad that Presidency, as a state-aided university, had not been able to “hold on to the standard the Presidency maintained as an undergraduate college.”
As an alumnus, he is contributing to restoring the glory.
“If that could be done by strengthening the infrastructure, I am ready to contribute to that. Presidency once was comparable to St Stephen’s College. I want to know from students what they want from us which could help raise the Presidency standard,” said Mitra.
The contribution coincides with the platinum jubilee of the alumni association.
The computer centre has been set up on the ground floor of a building that adjoins the main building.
Presidency registrar Debajyoti Konar they were likely to inaugurate the facility on December 13.
“Presidency does not have a computer centre which is a must for students these days. This is why I making this contribution. Presidency could not give us a larger room. They gave us a room that could accommodate a maximum of 25 computers. The facility will be named Presidency Alumni Computer Centre,” said Anindya Mitra.
“I contacted the registrar a few months back. I have spent around ₹60 lakh. I am prepared to spend some more if that benefits students which will lead to the upliftment of the standard.”
Mitra, now 88, had said at the inauguration of a museum on the campus in January 2018 that a museum at Presidency University was “a good addition” but the institute itself should not become “a museum piece”.
“I am sure our institution will not become a museum piece. It will thrive and go ahead until our old sense of pride is restored,” Mitra told a gathering that included then-governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, then vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia, teachers, students and alumni on January 19, 2018, in the context of Presidency’s inability to find deserving students to fill its classrooms for the second consecutive year.
Seats remaining vacant would be an unthinkable situation for the 207-year-old institute in its earlier avatar as a college.
The fall in standards continues.
Presidency, which in its erstwhile avatar as a government college got an A+, obtained an A for a second time in an assessment by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in June.
“It makes me feel sad that the Presidency as a university could not keep up its standard. But we should not give up our hope and strive to bring back the old glory. I am open to suggestions from students and teachers on what could be done to improve the standard of Presidency,” Mitra said on Saturday.
Bivas Chaudhuri, vice-president of the alumni association, said: “This contribution should also be an example for other alumni who, too, can come forward for the development of their alma mater, now in the middle of a funds crunch.”