Goethals
News
Goethals
Indian Library & Research Centre, Kolkata
Vol.
IV No. 3 Bulletin July - September 2001
International
Project
The Goethals
Indian Library and Research Centre, Calcutta is participating in an
International Library Project called "Christianity’s Encounter with World
Religions," undertaken by the American Theological Library Association. The
ATLA has received a grant of $ 5.64 lacs from the National Endowment for the
Humanities for this purpose.
The NEH has
approved a list of titles for microfilming and preservation, which includes
"The Light of the East". The complete list of journals selected is
supposed to represent the theme, "Christianity’s Encounter with World
Religions." The most interesting part of the project is the theological
viewpoints of non-Christian and non-Western religions.
Fr. G Dandoy,
SJ, edited the "Light of the East" series from 1922 to 1946. According
to his editorial article in the first issue, the journal was to give testimony
to the Light. "In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of all
mankind" (Jn 1:4-5). The Light was Jesus Christ.
The regular
contributors in the journal included great indologists like Fr. P Johanns, SJ,
Brahmabandha Upadhyay and Swami Animananda. The series had a tremendous impact
on the people of Kolkata, India at large and many foreign readers.
The contents
of "Light of the East" series (1922-1948) will be put on our website
soon.
Goethals
Site
Goethals
website is updated regularly. Latest attractions are: Articles on Fr. Teilhard
de Chardin, the Passionate Champion of Christ; Fr. Robert Antoine, the
Indologist; Fr. H. Hosten, Historian and Scholar; Fr. Lafont and J C Bose;
Udayani Center; Books on Tribals; articles by GILRC Director, and Vibrations.
à
The Symposium on the Goethals web site is quite popular with a
number of participants writing on new themes.
à
Publication: Felix Raj: Dalit Identity – The search for
Equality and Dignity", The Statesman, May 25, 2001.
à
The students of the Mass Communications department of St.
Xavier’s College visited the library in May to do filming.
Kanpur
Kanpur City,
formerly Cawnpore, administrative headquarters of the districts of Kanpur
(urban) and Kanpur (rural), southwest of Lucknow, on the Ganga River, Uttar
Pradesh State, north-central India. Kanpur was only a village when the British
acquired it and the surrounding territory in 1801 and made it one of their
frontier stations. In 1857, during the Indian uprising, the British troops in
the town were massacred by the Indian forces. The survivors are said to have
been thrown into a well where a memorial was built by the British.
The largest city
of Uttar Pradesh and one of the largest in India, Kanpur owes its emergence as
an industrial city of North India to the American civil war (1861-1865) which
disrupted cotton supply to the Manchester Mills. W S Halsey, the then district
magistrate, introduced cotton cultivation in the district. As the war continued,
the price of cotton soared making Kanpur a prosperous district and Kanpur city a
textile centre. Kanpur’s prosperity, however, has waned during the last 50
years. Industrial decay is evident all over the city.
Kanpur has an area of more than 260 sq km. It is an important road and rail hub and a major commercial and industrial centre. The city proper lies northwest of the cantonment; most of its industry is still farther northwest. The urban area also includes three railway colonies and Armapur, a suburb. There is an airport nearby. Kanpur has two universities, one of them agricultural; colleges of medicine, law, and education; the Indian Institute of Technology; and the Sugar Cane Research Institute. Notable buildings include a sacred Hindu glass temple and Kamla Retreat, a rest house on a lake. There are several museums, hospitals, and nursing homes in Kanpur.
The
‘City of Joy’
In spite of
its glorious past, one of Kolkata’s worst affected areas is Education.
There are 1343
Primary Schools, 574 High Schools, and 173 H.Sec. Schools. There are three
Universities: Calcutta University with 173 colleges and 20 Eng. & Tech.
Colleges; Jadavpur University with two Colleges, and Rabindrabharathi
University.
The literacy
rate in Kolkata is around 76%, but the female literacy rate is alarmingly low
with only 38 per cent. For schooling facility available per 1000 population in
West Bengal, Kolkata is the lowest with 0.37. (e.g. Bankura – 1.16; Burdwan
– 0.52).
In West
Bengal, the literacy rate in 1951 was 24.5 per cent (male-35% and female 13%).
Today, it is 66 per cent (male 75% and female 56%). In 1951 there were 20,000
primary schools with 20 lakh students. Today there are 51,021 primary schools
with 1,23,50931 students. In 1951 there were 2000 H. Schools, 1400 H. Sec.
Schools with 11 lakh students. Today there are 8000 H. Schools and 1644 H .Sec.
Schools with 39 lakh students.
There were
three Universities with 109 colleges and one-lakh students in 1951. Today, there
are 9 Universities with 402 colleges with 6.12 lakh students. Of the 402
colleges, 340 (86%) are General degree colleges, 20 (5%) are Engineering and
Technical Colleges, 30 (7.5%) are Teacher Training colleges, 5(1.2%) are Medical
Colleges, 4 (1%) are Law colleges and 2 (O.5%) are Management Institutes.Of the
402 colleges, 37 are Government colleges and the remaining 365 are private
colleges.
The growth in
this century has been as follows: In 1900 – 29 colleges; 1951 – 109
colleges; 1990 – 341 colleges and 2000 – 402 colleges.The total allocation
to education for the year 1999-2000 was only 19.99 per cent (Rs. 5003.64 crores)
of the total budget estimate of Rs. 25034.42 crores of the West Bengal
Government. Of this, 10 per cent (Rs 500.80 crores) is meant for Higher
education. In the last five years, the pattern of budget estimate for education
and higher education shows that though there have been increases every year in
the actual amounts set aside; proportionately less has been allocated for
education in the budget.
For example,
in 1994-95 it was 22.64 per cent (Rs. 2123.07 crores) of the total budget
expenditure; in 1995-96 it was 20.84 per cent (Rs 2293.24 cr). In 1996-97 it was
18.52 per cent ( Rs 2373.45cr); in 1997-98 it was 17.75 (2647.65cr), and in
1998-99, it was 17.67 per cent (Rs 2926.56 crores).
There is not
an adequate number of schools, colleges and professional institutions in the
city. We see the frustration of parents and guardians to admit their wards in
particular institutions during the time of admission so that they can gain some
social status. It has been the routine business of parents and their wards to
make a beeline for the offices of schools and colleges for admission.
Existing
schools, colleges and Universities must improve the quality of their education.
New initiatives in this direction must be encouraged and supported. New schools
and colleges need to be opened. Government and private organisations must come
forward and join hands to build a better, harmonious and educationally vibrant
Kolkata.
Book
Extract: Mohurrum
"I have just learned the origin of the Mohurrum. It is a festival, or rather commemoration of the death of Hussein and Houssein, the sons of Ali, Mohammed’s nephew. These two were pursued towards the desert by their enemies; they took shelter in a well, and a spider immediately wove a web across the top. Their enemies came up, and seeing the web, thought that Houssein and Hussein could not be in the well. However, one of them looking down observed a number of lizards all hastening up the sides, so then they thought there must be someone at the bottom who frightened the lizards, and, searching, they got up the two brothers and killed them. It is to commemorate this fact that they have instituted the festival of the Mohurrum, and in consequence the Mohammedans all reverence the spider, while they kill the lizard.(1843)"
T. Acland
From "Travellers
India - An Anthology", edited by H. K. Kaul. Oxford University Press.
Delhi, 1980.
Book Review
Early History
of the Catholic Missions in Northeast India (1598-1890)
This is an
interesting book about the land and the peoples of Northeast India and the
heroic efforts of a few lonely men driven by the desire to discover new lands
and people and to share their Faith with them.
The book contains
valuable information previously unavailable to scholars about the Brahmaputra,
the religious practices of the people and the tribes of Northeast India. Those
interested in history, Church history, history of the Christian Mission and
social workers will find here a mine of useful information. This is the first
book on the early history of the Catholic Church in Northeast India published in
English.
-Translated
and edited by F Leicht, S. Karotemprel. Published by Firma KLM Private Limited.
Shillong. 1989. Book No.: 38N/101
Old
Newspaper Reports
(i) Moving Premises of Xavier’s- The College of St. Francis Xavier was removed, on the 22nd instant, from Murghyhutta Street to No.3, Park Street, Middleton Row, Chowringhee. -Friday, Jan.26,1838.
(ii) Seal’s College. Founded in the Year 1843- the object of this foundation is to provide for the education of Hindoos so as to fit them to occupy posts of trust and emolument in their own country.
The course of
education will comprise English Literature in all its branches, History,
Geography, Elocution, Writing, Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and the higher
Mathematics, the Philosophical Sciences and the practical application of
Mathematics.
The College will be open free of all charge. However, one rupee per month will be demanded to cover the expenses of Books, Stationery, etc. The surplus, if any, will be expended in furnishing the College with Mathematical instruments etc.
The College
will be entirely under the management of the Directors of the Parent College of
St. F. Xavier, Chowringhee, who undertake to furnish Professors according to the
increasing demand of the establishment. The number of the scholars will be
limited to 500.
Until a suitable
building can be provided, the schools will be held in the house of Baboo Mutty
Loll Seal*, the Founder. The schools will open on Wednesday, March the 1st.
1843.
* The Free
College still exists and is located on Chittaranjan Avenue (compiler’s note)
(From the Book
"Glimpses of Old Calcutta. (Period: 1836-1850)" by R. R. Choudhury.
Published by The Statesman. Calcutta. 1978. Book No. 9C/405)
Researchers
at Goethals
à
Dr. Saktisadhan Mukhopadhyay and Mr. Adhir Kumar from the Derozio
Commemoration Committee, visited the Library to do research on ‘Calcutta in
the 19th and 20th centuries’.
à
Ms. Rita Banerjee visited the library from Rabindrabharati
University to do research on the presence of the Portuguese language in Bengali
grammar.
à
à Mr. M K Chanda visited the library to do research on the
English Press in Bengal from 1780 to 1880.
à
à Students who regularly visited the library were Esther Yu,
Ifthekar Ansary, Priscilla Lee, Annie Hou, David Cecil, Leon D’Souza and
others.
Mails
& emails
Dear Father,
I have looked at your web, it’s ok about India. I like Indian philosophy and culture. Now I am reading a book "Philosophies of India" by Heinrich Zimmer.
Agung
Prihantoro, Indonesia
Dear Father,
My great great grandfather wrote a text that I have found information of on your website. Is it possible to purchase a copy of this volume? Alti Hills in Cuttack by John Beames.
Mark P. Beames, Maryland
Dear Father,
I found your
website on the internet. I spent a few years in the early 1942 in your beautiful
country, hence my interest. I was stationed at an RAF test unit in the Cawnpore
area.
It is just an oldie reliving some of the service days many many years ago. I still have interest in your part of the world.
Ernest, U
K
Dear Father,
I am an ex-student of Goethals Memorial School, Kurseong. I wish to gather information regarding his life. Presently I am studying medicine in Calcutta Medical College.
Sandeep Saha
Dear Father,
I have found
through my research that my family has a long history in Calcutta and I am in
the process of putting together a small book detailing this. A copy of which I
will be sending to various research centres including Goethals Library upon
completion.
If I am ever in a position to travel to Calcutta I will make it my mission to visit Goethals Library and thank you in person.
Colin Madge, USA