Rabindra Bharati University

About Rabindra Bharati University

Rabindra Bharati University is the third oldest University amongst the five Universities that the city of Kolkata can boast of till now. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal, 1961. It was set up to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore, in whose ancestral residence it found its first seat and where two of the three faculties of the University, those of Fine Arts and Visual Arts, are still located. With the eventual expansion of the University, the Faculty of Arts was added to its academic base in 1976 and a new campus on 56A, B. T. Road, Kolkata-50 was requisitioned to house it. This new campus has also a Tagore connection. Harakumar Tagore, the poet’s uncle, built a mansion called the Emerald Bower, and this building and its parklands, later acquired by the Government of West Bengal, finally became a complex of academic institutions among which this University has the central and larger share. The main administrative office is also situated at the Emerald Bower Campus. The University was reconstituted in 1981 by the Rabindra Bharati Act, 1981.

DDE - The Directorate of Distance Education, Rabindra Bharati University offers Correspondence Courses in:

1. Rabindra Sangeet for the degree of B.A. (Spl. Hons.)
2. Rabindra Sangeet and Vocal music for the degree of Master of Arts.
3. Bengali, English, History, Political Science, Sanskrit, Environmental Studies and Education for the degree of Master of Arts.
4. Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)
5. The Master of Social Work is a two year professional post graduate degree course designed to help students acquire theoretical insights and skills of the effective handling of jobs in the field of Social Welfare, Social Work and Social Development.

The syllabus for each subject in the relevant course shall be the same as in the formal stream for on-campus students. The examinations, shall be of the same standard.

Departments / Faculty

1.  Faculty of Arts

• Department of Bengali
• Department of English
• Department of Sanskrit
• Department of History
• Department of Philosophy
• Department of Political Science
• Department of Economics

2.  Faculty of Visual Arts

• Department of Education
• Department of Library and Information Science
• School of Vedic Studies
• Centre for Studies And Research On Tagore

3.  Faculty of Fine Arts

• Department of Rabindra Sangeet
• Department of Vocal Music
• Department of Instrumental Music
• Department of Dance
• Department of Drama
• Department of Musicology
• Department of Painting
• Department of Sculpture
• Department of Graphics (Print Making)
• Department of History of Art
• Department of Applied Art
• Department of Museology

Facilities

Employment Oriented Guidance Programme - In pursuance of the ideals of Rabindranath Tagore (‘Education has to be life-sustaining’), Rabindra Bharati University introduced in June, 1998 a self-financing guidance programme, the first of its kind among the Universities of West Bengal, for helping students succeed in various Competitive Examinations for employment and also in personality development.

Courses :

Under the Programme, guidance for the following courses is in progress at present

1. West Bengal Civil Services (WBCS) Examinations : Prelim. & Main.
2. UGC – NET and SLET for Humanities & Science.
3. School Service Commission Examination.
4. English for Communication.

Proposed Pre-examination Coaching (WBCS) Centre for weaker sections (including Minorities) financed by Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India. A plan has already been made to introduce soon for guidance for the I.A.S. Examinations.

Hostels - The University has four students’ hostels at present, one for the boys and three for the girls. Construction work for another boys' hostel is under progress. The total intake capacity in the boys' hostel is 61 and the girls’ hostels can accommodate not more than 141 boarders. Since about 80% of the students come from a hinterland lying far and beyond the walls of the city and a large number of them are from such far flung areas as North Eastern States (Tripura and Assam in particular), Andamans and Bangladesh, the demand for a seat in the hostels is increasing every year which, however, can only be fragmentarily met by the University. Nevertheless, the university does not guarantee hostel accommodation to each and every outstation student.

Rabindra Bharati University Library - The University is proud of its libraries which amount to 21 in number. Apart from the large Central Library, (approximately total area 13,000 square feet) and the one at Jorasanko Campus, the University has 17 Departmental Libraries under the faculty of Arts, Fine Arts and Visual Arts. There are also libraries attached with Centre / School of Study. The facilities of the Central Library are used by all categories of member of both the campus.

Medical Unit - The Medical Unit was opened at Emerald Bower Campus on 17.02.2000 and at Jorasanko Campus on 24.02.2000 in aim of giving good medical services to the students, teachers and non teaching staffs.

State Akademi Of Arts (Dance, Drama, Music And Visual Arts) - The West Bengal State Akademi of Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts, established in 1955, has become an integral part of the University ever since the latter’s inception in 1962. The Akademi, located at Jorasanko Campus, is actively engaged in the promotion of study, training, research and extension of various branches of performing and Visual Arts including folk art and culture in Bengal. A training centre on Chhow dance of Seraikela, Mayurbhanj and Purulia has been set up at Jorasanko which attracts young dancers and students of theatre.

Dinendranath Tagore Audio Recording Centre - Audio recordings are done in the cassettes by the respective teachers and students of performing arts for teaching-learning. Outsiders may book for commercial recording.

University Museum - Rabindra Bharati Museum was established in the two hundred and seventeen year old building "Jorasanko Thakurbari" on 8th May by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India. This museum can be considered as the storehouse of memoirs of Rabindranath Tagore consisting of his original paintings, photographs and other valuable documents which our country is proud of

Canteen - The University has two subsidized students’ canteens, one each on both the campuses. Besides these, there is another staff canteen at E.B Campus.

Sports - The University provides training to its students in Cricket, Football, Table Tennis, Badminton, Volleyball, Athletic and Chess and inter-University tournaments. Promising players are provided with special coaching facilities under eminent part-time coach. An annual sports event is held every winter where student as well as teaching and non-teaching employees of the University participate with enthusiasm.

---

Information compiled from: Rabindra Bharati University Website