Kolkata: The parents of Rajarshi Bhattacharya, a Presidency University and Calcutta University alumnus, who died during his research days at IISc in Bangalore, gifted three cottahs of land at Hatiara to CU to build a girls’ hostel and Rs 6.8 lakh for a smart classroom in the organic chemistry department at Rajabazar Science College.Earlier, the Bhattacharyas donated Rs 24 lakh to Presidency University for its gymnasium and to modernise the chemistry department’s labs and lecture rooms.Rajarshi graduated from Presidency’s chemistry department in 2016, completed his master’s from Rajabazar Science College, CU in 2018 and got admitted to IISc as a PhD scholar in the organic chemistry department. “We got in touch with the CU vice-chancellor and registrar and proposed our wish to donate the land, where a girls’ hostel can be built. We also expressed our wish to donate for the upgrade of a classroom into a smart classroom in the organic chemistry department. They accepted our proposal and expedited the process. The land was registered on Thursday,” said the 77-year-old father, a retired central govt employee, who pointed out that at the fag-end of their lives, his pension was more than enough for him and his wife.T. Rajarshi’s mother said, “As parents, the best way we can remember our son is to etch his memory permanently in the institutes he was so fond of. These initiatives help us have a purpose in life and do something positive for the young generation. At the same time, the donations should help the institutes upgrade their labs and infrastructure. I hope even others would contribute to educational institutes.”The father pointed out that the land, adjacent to their house, once belonged to his brother, Dipak. “His wish was to give it to Rajarshi so that he could build a research centre there. But unfortunately, that wish can never be fulfilled. So we thought of donating the land to CU as it was close to my son’s heart, just like Presidency. We have requested the officials to name the hostel after my son and brother,” he said.CU registrar Debasis Das said, “Rajarshi was a brilliant student in the chemistry department. After his sad demise, his parents decided to make this donation to his educational institutes, wishing that their son be remembered forever.” Happy with the land, Das said, “Most of CU girls’ hostels are housed in rented buildings. This land will allow us to build a hostel on our own land. The registration is completed and we hope construction will start shortly.”Work has been on for the past couple of weeks to get the smart classroom ready at the Rajabazar Science College organic chemistry department. Das said such a well-equipped classroom would definitely benefit future students.
