In 1963, Bhatter College, Dantan was established with the aim of developing an extremely marginalized area through higher education. It fulfilled the purpose successfully in the years that followed. In the year 2007, following the recommendation of the first NAAC Peer Team and the cultural agenda of UNESCO, the college authority started taking active initiatives towards local area development through a series of efforts. The following areas were marked after the survey and research:
- Revival of the largest natural lake of West Bengal, Sarasanka (https://goo.gl/maps/q964fnkAnGHCScd3A) and development of tourism and plantation of medicinal plants
- Archaeological exploration and preservation of the sites and the artefacts
- Preparation of draft proposals and submission to the State Govt authorities
- Holding seminars and workshops on local area development
- Meeting the local communities for sharing the plan for development
- Inviting other institutions like the Vidyasagar University and the IIT, Kharagpur on these issues
The Former Principal of the college, Dr P.K. Mishra took the active initiative in inspecting the lake, exploring its bank for the plantation of medicinal plants and convincing the local people about its huge potential for tourism. A draft proposal was submitted to the then BDO, Dantan I, Shri Jyoti Ghosh in 2012 Following the draft, the BDO got a sanction Rs 1 crore for reviving the lake. Accordingly, the lake was cleared of weeds and prepared for fresh pisciculture. The college also established a Research Centre on the bank of the lake. Now the local people are well aware of the value of the water body and make use of it accordingly. The college also hosted a team of researchers from Germany under Dr Silvia Hermann in 2014 for the revival of the lake.
The name of the place ‘Dantan’ is derived from an ancient capital and Kingdom named ‘Dandabhukti’ that existed from the early medieval 6th century AD to the medieval period of 15th century. That is why the entire area is archaeologically rich and frequently gives up ancient artefacts. The college library had a modest collection of such artefacts. In the year 2012, the largest monastery of West Bengal was discovered at Mogholmari, Dantan (https://goo.gl/maps/8cyVc2h9cBJvc3MA8) by Dr Ahok Dutta and his team from the Dept of Archaeology, Calcutta University. The teachers and the students got involved in the excavation indirectly right from the beginning. Then, at the crucial phase of the excavation the external funding for it was stopped. To continue the excavation the college went forward with funds and sponsored the last phase of excavation by Dr Dutta. The college also constructed temporary shade for protecting the stucco figures and the trench from the rainy season. In 2014 the college organized a mega archaeological exhibition “Unearthing the Past” and a seminar in collaboration with the Directorate of Archaeology, Govt of West Bengal. In the same year the college created a cultural and archaeological formally for the benefit of the students and researchers. The Museum is visited frequently by many people and is used for teaching purposes.
The teachers and students of the college undertake periodic exploration of the archaeological sites. They have discovered and prepared a map of potential archaeological sites for further research. Even they have discovered archaeological sites dating back to 1000-1500 BC (https://chitrolekha.com/ns/v6n1/v6n10x.pdf). The teachers have published a Special Issue on Dandabhukti (https://chitrolekha.com/v4n1), books and many scholarly articles on the history and archaeology of the area.
The college submitted two proposals for tourism development to the District Magistrate, Paschim Medinipur on 16th August, 2022:
- A Plan for Developing Tourism around Dantan
- A Plan for Developing Tourism in Paschim Medinipur
The college has created a “Tourism Development Centre” with humble accommodation facilities for hosting national and international researchers.
Preservation of heritage has also been included in the syllabi at UG and PG levels. We ran a State Government sponsored tourism certification course for the local tourist guides and 30 local youth were given licenses as certified guides. We have also created a Local Area Research Archive for the students and researchers.
The college has formulated a policy on local area research and frequently invites research proposals. These proposals are verified at the meeting of the IQAC and Research and Publication Sub-committee. Funds are allocated by the college up to Rs 20000/- depending upon the necessity. At present, 14 local area projects are running. The Teacher-in-Charge of the college conducted an exploration of the prehistoric archaeological sites of Dantan with the help of other colleagues.
In February 2022, following the recommendation of the UGC, the Research Advisory Council has been formed and now the local area of research and development has been made a prioritized area of research and product development.
In fine, the college looks forward to a holistic development of the area through surveys, research, seminar and conference, publication, meeting with the local people and submissions of proposals to the State and Central Governments. In all these projects, students are made involved because they are the future researchers, citizens and agents of the desired change.
Important Documents:
- A Plan for Developing Tourism around Dantan submitted to Smt. Ayesha Rani A. IAS, District Magistrate, Paschim Medinipur
- A Plan for Developing Tourism in Paschim Medinipur submitted to Smt. Ayesha Rani A. IAS, District Magistrate, Paschim Medinipur
- A Research paper published on “Prehistoric Archaeological Sites at Dantan“
- A Report on the Tourist Guide Training Programme
- Best Practice (See after the Best Practice 1) of Bhatter Archaeological Museum and Local History Archive
- College Funded MRPs