Bethune College

September 4, 1978

A commemorative postage stamp on the Centenary of the Bethune College, Calcutta, oldest women’s college in Asia :

Issued by India

Issued on Sep 4, 1978

Issued for : The Posts and Telegraphs Department feels privileged to bring out a commemorative postage stamp to mark the centenary of this pioneer institution.

Description of Design : The design of the stamp depicts the building of the Bethune College.

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Colour : Light brown and deep green

Denomination : 25 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 X 2.90 cms.

Printing size : 3.55 X 2.54 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Watermark : Printed on unwatermarked adhesive stamp paper

Number printed : 30,00,000

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing process : Photogravure

Designed and printed at : India Security Press

About :

The Bethune College, Calcutta, is commencing its centenary celebration in 1978. To trace the origin and expansion of the College over the last 100 years is, one might say, to unfold the history of the development of women’s education in modern India.
In the annals of the women’s education, 4^th September is a memorable day. For, it was on this day in 1859 that the establishment of a school for girls in Calcutta was approved. This was the Hindu Female School, later called the Bethune School, the fruit of the tireless efforts of John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune, Ramgopal Ghosh and Raja Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee. The institution steered its way through many ups and downs with the support and patronage of Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar among others. The first ever woman candidate passed the Entrance Examination of Calcutta University from the School in 1878. The college classes were thereupon opened in the Bethune School to enable her to pursue studies for the F.A. In 1887-88 the college classes were separated and a full-fledged college under the appellation Bethune College came into being. From such a modest beginning the college became the pioneer for every activity associated with women’s advancement in the intellectual, social, political and cultural spheres not only in Bengal but also in the rest of India.