Elderly care, endowments in memory of alumni on 208th Presi Founder’s Day
Times of India | 21 January 2025
12 Kolkata: An initiative to provide care for elderly parents of alumni, who stay alone, was launched by the Presidency Alumni Association on Monday, marking the institute's 208th Founder's Day. This year, the association also introduced an award, a scholarship and an annual library grant with the help of endowment funds contributed in the memory of some prominent alumni.
Vice-president of the Presidency Alumni Association, Bivas Chaudhuri, said, "Since many former students of Presidency live outside Kolkata and abroad, there was a high demand for this programme for the elderly. Often we find that elderly parents feel lonely and there is a dearth of caregivers."
Joint secretary of the association, Sandip Kar, highlighted that the programme would focus on addressing the emotional and social challenges of old age, particularly loneliness, by fostering regular engagement and companionship initiatives by engaging young or former students so that the inter-generational gap can be bridged. Other concerns related to healthcare, mobility, and daily living will be addressed through referrals to various reputed programmes and services.
Veteran actor Barun Chanda and his family donated Rs 3 lakh as an endowment in memory of his son Avik Chanda, who died in 2023. Avik was an alumnus of Presidency College and passed out of the economics department in 1994. "Avik Chanda Merit Award, a gold medal, will be given to an economics student with the second highest CGPA in BSc every year," said Kar.
Ex-principal of Presidency College, Mamata Ray, donated Rs 2.5 lakh to initiate a scholarship named after her father Jagojiban Ray, who was also an alumnus of Presidency College. The scholarship would be given to a boarder of either Hindu Hostel or the Girls' Hostel with the highest CGPA in the first two semesters from the chemistry department, Kar added. Ray also contributed another Rs 2.5 lakh as an annual library grant — named after a distinguished teacher Nabendu Sen — to the economics department for enriching their resources. The Presidency University and the Presidency Alumni Association felicitated emeritus professor of Sociology, Prasanta Roy, with the Atul Chandra Gupta Distinguished Alumnus Award. Roy also delivered the Founder's Day lecture on ‘Everyday Tales: Boredom and Bashona'.
Dilip Roy, popularly known as Dilip Da, who joined Presidency College's student section in 1960 and retired in 1992, played a vital role in the alumni association. He was awarded a lifetime contribution award.
VC Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty, said, "We look up to the guidance of our valued alumni who, through their unfailing commitment and care, have always provided help for the advancement of the Presidency."