Amidst the lush green and serene campus of our college rich in biodiversity, the department of Botany, which today we call as plant science, is glowing like an emerald with its glorious past, challenging present and prospective future. The department of botany is one of the premier and pioneering department of science faculty with its illustrious precedence of ex-professors of profound erudition and a present team of brilliant faculty members with a balance of seniors’ experience and youngers’ enthusiastic fervor. The department had started its journey since long back in the year 1957, the inception year of the college, as undergraduate (UG) pass department. The Honours course in botany was introduced in the year 1980 as a recognition of the persistent endeavor, teaching spirit and inexplicable dedication of the then teachers under able patronage of Dr. Harashankar Bhattacharya, stalwart Principal, during that golden era of our college. The galaxy of ex-teachers includes stars like Dr. Himadri Adhikary, the founder head of the department, Prof. Manoranjan Bhuinya, Prof. Kanailal Mitra, Dr. Samir Chatterjee and Dr. Subhas Nandi. Still, we feel their breathing behind each and every brick of our department. It is due to their real sacrifice and by the tremendous efforts of present teachers the today’s botany department has emerged as a self-sufficient department with fully equipped laboratory and standard infrastructural facilities to cope with the new changed pattern of UG educational system (CBCS) based on a challenging curriculum. We really take pride for our present team of bright faculty members both in terms of their academic calibre and interesting field of specializations which are ardently needed to run an undergraduate department of botany commendably. The list of faculty members along with their designation and specialization include Dr. Swapan Roy, Associate Professor, Mycology and Plant Pathology; Dr. Basabi Barua, Associate Professor, Plant Physiology & Biochemistry; Dr. Rajarshi Bikash Kundu, Associate Professor and present coordinator, Microbiology; Dr. Subrata Chakraborty, Associate Professor, Cell Biology, Genetics & Molecular Biology; Dr. Amitava Nayek, Associate Professor, Ecology & Biosystematics; Dr. Arijit Ghosh, Assistant Professor, Plant Physiology & Biochemistry; and Parbati Putra Mukherjee, SACT-2, Paleobotany & Palynology. On the other hand, we have experienced and efficient laboratory staffs and plant specimen collectors like Sri Bimal Chatterjee and Sri Ashim Maji. It is possible to impart quality teaching and also to cater to the diverse interests of the students of this region opt botany as their choice of honours subject due to the orchestrated efforts of this team of teachers having all major specializations and skilled nonteaching staffs. The department of Botany with this praiseworthy academic profile produced so many bright students who are now established in their own working fields. Some of the noteworthy jewel ex-students are Dr. Nirupama Goswami, Principal, Bhupendranath Smriti Mahavidyalaya, Hatgobindapur, Bardhaman; Dr. Pinaki Sar, Professor, department of biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur; Dr. Sunita Bandyapadhayay, Associate Professor, department of Botany, Sonamukhi College, Bankura; Dr Gautam Ganguly, Assistant Professor, Chandernagore Govt. College, Hooghly; Dr. Sudip Chatterjee, Assistant Professor, Shyamsunder College, Bardhaman; Sk. Salek Sohail, Assistant Professor, Narasinha Dutt College, Howrah. Our many other ex-students are involved in their respective jobs as teachers of different levels and also in other public & private sector services. Many of our passed-out students are qualified in the UGC-CSIR NET and carrying on their Ph.D. research in different universities/ laboratories of repute. Every year a considerable number of students after completion of their B.Sc. (Hons.) course of the Kazi Nazrul University (KNU) from this department with high CGPA secure their admission in post graduate courses of different universities of West Bengal and other states. So, students of this region who are interested to build up their academic career in biological science are most welcome to the botany department. If they choose botany as Honours subject to carry on their study in this department, a bright and promising future will be waiting for them ahead.
