Located at 1 & 3 Urquhart Square, Calcutta - 700006, the Scottish Church College is one of the oldest liberal arts and sciences academies in India. It is affiliated with the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (for the Scottish Church Collegiate School), the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Examination, and the University of Calcutta for the awarding of baccalaureate, post baccalaureate, undergraduate and graduate degrees.
It is well-known for its beautiful campus, renowned faculty, Baroque architecture, and robust intellectual milieu. Its students and faculty, past and present, call themselves "Caledonians" in the name of the college festival, "Caledonia". The collegial motto is "Nec Tamen Consumbatur".
Founder
The inception of what is now known as the Scottish Church College is intertwined with the life of Dr. Alexander Duff, D. D. LLD. (1806-1878), the first overseas missionary of the Church of Scotland, to India. Initially known as the General Assembly's Institution, it was founded on the 13th of July 1830.
Alexander Duff was born in Moulin, Perthshire, the very heart of Scotland, on 15th April 1806. From the country school, he passed on to the University of St Andrews, where, after getting his degree, he ended a brilliant career. Subsequently, he undertook his evangelical mission to India. After an adventurous voyage during which he was twice shipwrecked, he arrived in Calcutta on 27th May 1830.
Rev. Alexander Duff opened his institution in Feringhi Kamal Bose's house, upper Chitpur Road, Jorasanko. In 1836 the institution was moved to Gorachad Basak's house in Garanhata. Mr. Macfarlon, the [[Chief-Magistrate of Calcutta], laid the foundation stone on 23rd February 1837. Mr. John Gray, elected by Messrs. Burn & Co. and superintented by Capt. John Thomson of the Hon. East India Company's Institution, designed the building. The construction of the building was completed in 1839.
Notable Alumni
- Swami Vivekananda, founder of the Ramakrishna Mission Order
- Dhan Gopal Mukerji, socio-cultural critic and first successful Indian man of letters in the United States of America
- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, founder of the Indian National Army
- Swami Gambhirananda, president of the Ramakrishna Mission Order
- Suniti Kumar Chattopadhyay, internationally reknowned linguist
- Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, Hindu mystic, Founder, Sri Gaudiya Veda Samiti
- Sri A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Hindu mystic, Founder, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and The World Relief Network
- Paramahansa Yogananda, Hindu mystic and Yogi
- Nirad C. Chaudhuri, commentator on culture
- Mrinal Sen, film director
- Mithun Chakraborty, Bollywood action film hero
- Prafulla Chandra Sen, martyr in the freedom struggle
- Leslie Claudius, Olympic Gold medallist
- Purno A. Sangma, Former Speaker, Lok Sabha
- Gegong Apang, Former Chief Minister, Arunachal Pradesh
- Syed Nurul Hasan, Former Governor, West Bengal
- Dr. Mani Lal Bhowmik, Scientist turned Entrepreneur based in Beverly Hills, California
- Honourable Mr. Anandamoy Bhattacharjee, former Chief Justice of Bombay High Court
- Banwari Lal Joshi, Lt. Governor of Delhi
- Ajit Kumar Panja, Former member of Parliament and Ex-Minister of State for External Affairs
- Pankaj Kumar Mallik, music composer
- Satyendra Nath Dutta, Bengali poet
- Premendra Mitra, novelist
- Tanmoy Bose, internationally renowned tabla expert
Trivia
Since 2001, this college has been a member of the Christian Colleges of South East Asia. This is expected to usher exchange programs with scholars and faculty members of educational institutions in the South East Asian region.
Recently, the college celebrated 175 years of existence.