PRINCIPAL KHUDIRAM BOSE (1853 – 1929)
FOUNDER OF THIS COLLEGE

Principal Khudiram Bose, the founder of Central College and School, was born on 12 May, 1853, at Sadipur village at Burdwan district in West Bengal. He was born to Late Gorachand Bose and Late Nistarini Bose. He came of a middle class family and hence had to fight against poverty in his student days. He read in Bangla Pathshala of his village. He also studied at Tamluk Hamilton High School and at Free Church Institution (Duff College). He was influenced by three sons of Bengal: Revolutionary Kalicharan Banerjee helped him to develop his faculties of reason; Brahmananda keshab Chandra Sen moulded his religious beliefs and infused in him a sense of love for truth, and Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar showed him the path of self reliance. These human qualities were reflected in the thoughts and actions of our founder.

Principal Bose along with Rastraguru Surendranath served as the senior Professor of Mental and Moral Science and Logic in Metropolitan Institution (now Vidyasagar College) under Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar. On the death of Vidyasagar, Khudiram Bose founded the Universal Institution (Central Institution) on 3rd June, 1893. Inspired by the spirit of self reliance, our founder rejected any extraneous financial help for the sustenance of the institution. The college was founded in 1894.

Our founder was a man of independent spirit. Those were the days of "Boycott" and "Swadeshi movements". It was not easy to conduct meetings without defying the British Government. Our founder allowed his college building to be used for this purpose. He allowed his pupil, Acharya P.C. Roy, to conduct "Swadeshi Exhibition" in his college. Central College was the place foor freedom fighters "Bagha Jatin" (also an alumni of the institution), Baidyanath Biswas, Nirmalkanti Roy and others. Central College compound was the place for "Rakhi Bandhan" Ceremony. Our founder was one of the founder members of the Council of the National University, established with a national spirit after the movement against partition of Bengal in 1905.

A man of towering personality, Khudiram Bose was an untiring worker throughout his life.

He identified himself with this institution and worked for it till the time of his death. He passed away on 15 December, 1929. "… his life was one of the strenuous exertion and ceaseless fight for the good cause which he had taken up".

Professor Tarak Nath Sen, an illustrious teacher of English, who taught at Presidency College (now Presidency University) said, "The Late Principal Khudiram Bose, founder of the institution, belonged to a generation, now past, of large hearted men who lived after large ideals. The lessons he had learnt in the conduct of life from the great Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, he applied to a noble social use in founding of this institution in 1893".

Every year on 15 December (Founder’s Death Anniversary Day), the college pays tribute by observing "Khudiram Bose Memorial Lecture". On this occasion the Annual Prize Distribution of the college also takes place.