Hindoo College Calcutta Revisited: Its pre-history and the role of Rammohun Roy
Rajesh Kochhar (2012) Science and Culture, Vol. 78, No. 7-8 (Jul-Aug), pp. 280-305.
(Meghnad Saha Memorial Lecture delivered under the auspices of Indian Science News Association, Kolkata, 28 July 2011).
The May 1816 decision to establish the (school section of) Hindoo College Calcutta “for the tuition of sons of respectable Hindus” was immediately recognized as a major development of great cultural and political significance. And yet, source material on its prehistory is very scanty, all of which comes from officials, chaplains and missionaries. No Indian associated with , or witness to, the College’s formation or in its service has left behind any account. Most of the accounts are more an exercise in screenplay writing than history proper. The question of the pre-history of Hindoo College is reopened here to take into account two important primary sources not noticed so far. These documents provide new information, deepen the perspective, and help construct a connected account of circumstances leading to Hindoo College.
A correction needs to be made in the printed text. Insert the dateline Calcutta 16th May 1816 at the top of the Appendix on page 297.
http://www.scienceandculture-isna.org/july_aug_12/04%20Rajesh%20Kochhar/04%20Rajesh%20Kochhar.htm
