Murshidabad is historically, geographically and culturally a fertile land situated on the east of the river Ganga in West Bengal. Around the year 1986, the area of Nowda was a green isolated countryside with farming as the main occupation of the people. Rice, mustard and jute cultivation was the source of livelihood of the people of this area. The society was stratified, with education accessible only to the elite class of the village community. The education of the girls of the village was negligible. The population being largely Muslim, education was not encouraged among girls from this minority community who were married early. The social reformation started with the establishment of Amtala High School, a co-educational Institution where post-class VIII girl-students were married early as learning in the same classroom with the boys after adolescence was not encouraged in this conservative community. With this in mind, a girls’ school Annadamoni Balika Vidyalaya was established with the help of a few liberal intellectuals of the neighborhood. Very slowly, education among girls increased and the people of the area realized the necessity of education among all, especially among girls. Gradually there started an awakening among the village community. Simultaneously, there grew a slow fermentation among the village community for having a Higher Education Institute for continuation of the study of meritorious students of the schools of the area. With no college within almost 22 kms around the village of Amtala, the nearest railway station around 23 kms away and local transport being insufficient (only two buses plied up and down between Amtala and Berhampore throughout the day), the need for a college in this locality was felt throughout Nowda,Hariharpara, Karimpur and Tehatta along with Amtala. The college started with about 36 students, surprisingly girl-students comprising...