When I joined Cotton's hostel in 1982, we were given some household chores by seniors like copying notebooks, practical books or old question papers, on local errands etc. Some smart fresher were even chosen as special messenger to Girls' hostels but luckily I was not amongst them possibly I was not so smart for such crucial task. Though we were new to the new environment and found some difficulty to adapt the new lifestyle but our seniors were too kind to us and because of them, we managed to adjust to the new environment quickly. I am still feeling indebted to a few seniors like Lalitya Das ( now social workers), Sailen da (businessman), Saurabh Da (Lawyer , Sibasagar) for their invaluable supports. During that time, hostels were ruled by traditions. One important tradition at that time was when any senior completed his study and finally departed hostel, Juniors were given the task to carry his luggage to the ASTC Bus station at Fancy Bazar by Auto or Rickshaw by detouring Panbazar over bridge and seniors would reach the Bus station by walking making short cut through RBI Building, Guwahati Rail station crossing over the foot over bridge. At that time the Army Transit camp building was not there and there was no any private bus facility ; ASTC was the only mode of road communication. One day I was chosen for this special task to one senior ,Mr Sukumar, who just completed his degree courses. After my returning from classes, I was briefed about this task and told me to prepare myself. All his belongings as books, beddings, bags were put into an Auto and I was instructed to proceed to the bus station and wait for them. After my departure around 3 PM, a few seniors including juniors started to proceed towards the Bus station by walking . I happened to reach the bus station much earlier as the group was not seen around. As I was new to the Bus-stand, so became curious. There was a book stall at the corner of the bus station and I started peeping through various books and magazines. After a while, I could see the group entered the campus. Immediately one senior rushed to the ticket counter, queued and purchased one ticket for Sukumar which was most vital being the only bus available on that day. It was getting dark and one senior instructed us to carry the luggage to the bus. “where is the luggage ?” one senior asked? “there ..in the corner “ – I showed them . “where ? there is noting - the senior shouted. Oh...the luggage could not be seen there and possibly was stolen. I was asked repeatedly if I could off-load the luggage or not; which I forgot due to nervousness. Immediately all seniors and juniors started to search the campus and examine all autos passing by - but fruitless. After half an hour of endless search, we became tired and decided to surrender. Also it was getting dark and the other bus passengers were becoming impatient to move. Then senior broke the silence and spoke to Sukumar ‘You can cancel your journey and stay back but that won’t help you to recover the items. It is not possible to search the whole city by ourselves We must take help from police. "tomorrow, we will lodge a case in the local Police Station and once these lost items are recovered, we will intimate you and you come here immediately. The duplicate certificates of HSLC and Pre-degree examination can be collected from the office of Secondary Board of Education and University. The clothes which have been gone, better to forget. The degree books which have been lost would be costly and we will request our Hostel Superintendent to help you by providing some financial support." -tactfully, the senior pursued Mr Sukumar to leave. Though Sukumar was initially hesitate but he had no option as everyone advised him to proceed. After his departure, we all returned to hostel with heavy hearts. When the news was spread in the hostel and Hostel Superintendent came to know about it, he was protective towards fresher – ‘why should you send a fresher with so valuables? he asked the seniors . After that, the tradition of deputing freshers to carry luggage to Bus-stand was discontinued.
Articles & Poems
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Post date: 28/02/2013 - 18:32 -
Post date: 24/02/2013 - 19:08UGC identified the college as a "Special Heritage College" in 2015. The College was first affiliated to Calcutta University, Kolkata. It was under this university itself that the institution developed into a full-fledged Degree College and barring Persian, secured affiliation for the Honours course too in all the subjects taught then. However, with the establishment of Gauhati University in 1948, it became one of its original constituent colleges. Although Post-Graduate classes in certain subjects like English, Economics and Botany were introduced in the College at different points of time under Calcutta University itself, such classes had to be finally discontinued as part of economy drive and also because of the establishment of Gauhati University
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Post date: 19/02/2013 - 12:26A counseling session was organised by "Cottonian 82", a group of ex Cottonian on "Examination related stress and Health related issues" at Cotton Girls Hostel on Saturday. The session was addressed by Dr.Nibedita Goswami, Dr.Manashi Bhagawati Khound and Consultants Mrs Minakshi Barthakur and Mrs Yasmin Dutta. Students and Wardens expressed satisfaction for arranging such session at their doorsteps and expected that such endeavor will boost morale of students by managing stress effectively.
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Post date: 19/02/2013 - 12:26Cotton College came into existence on 27th May, 1901 through the untiring efforts of such magnanimous and illustrious sons of the soil like Late Manik Chandra Barooah and Rai Bahadur Bhuban Ram Das, backed by the unstinted support of the intelligentsia of the region of that time. However, had it not been for the unreserved support and concern of the then Chief Commissioner of the then Assam Province from 1896 to 1902, Sir Henry John Stedman Cotton, K.C.S.I., the institution would not have perhaps seen the light of day. While the time came, therefore, to express their sense of gratitude to the foremost popular ruler of the province, the people of ‘Gauhati’ decided to name the institution itself after him.
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Post date: 19/02/2013 - 12:26Over these years, innumerable students from all over the North-East India and also from other parts of the country have studied and made their successful career in this great temple of learning. While in some departments and hostels of the College, and on some special events, like the Golden Jubilee of the College, there were reunions of old Cottonians, no consorted effort was made to form an Alumni Association till the year 2001. Cotton College turned 100 on 27th May, 2001 and the Centenary of the college was celebrated in a befitting manner with a year long programme from 27th May, 2001 to 26th May, 2002. On this occasion, the Cotton College Alumni Association came into existence on 26th February, 2001 through a public meeting held in the Sudmersen Hall, Cotton College. Since its formation, a number of get-together of alumni were held in different parts of the country. In the year long Centenary Celebrations of Cotton College, two grand Alumni Meets have been organized during both 1st (opening) and 4th (concluding) phases of the celebrations. In the concluding phase, an ‘Alumni Directory’ was published by the Cotton College Alumni Association containing names and addresses of over 30,000 alumni of this College.
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Post date: 19/02/2013 - 12:26When I enrolled myself in PU Science in Cotton College in the year 1982, I was allotted to Cotton Cosmopolitan Hostel. At that time, Sri Baidya Bhuyan was our Hostel Superintendant. The hostel had three blocks and there was open space for out door sports activities as well as one common room for indoor sports activity. When I joined in the Hostel , the hostel was full of activities ; the volley ball court was always full and there seemed to no end of the day. A few activities like morning rushes to classes, afternoon chai- addas at the Court canteen ( now demolished) , evening walk to Panbazar were my favorites; but the senseless kabiraji by few hostel boarders still bizarre part in my life. In the first year, I was in New Building where studies and other activities were going on hand to hand. But when I was promoted to the second year, Hostel Superintendent decided to send me to the Old Building where kabitraji was the only visible activity. Those kabirajs would surround their table by dirty linen sheet, put piles of books in table and then engross on books hour after hour without any break. They were ready to die rather than surrender to sleep. According to their believe - God created day and night equally for kabiraji -nothing else. What a disgusting !!
One day, one shocking news spread in the hostel that one senior kabiraji who opted to drop in the last examination fearing not to be within top ten , was joining the hostel. He was none other than our Mr. Spring Nath. Hostel Superintendant allotted a corner room for him probably expected him to bring laurel to the hostel, Whenever we visited his room to meet his room-mates, he was always in his study table, rarely spoke with us. His table was surrounded by a thick dirty bed-sheet with piles of books in various colors. He would wear a lungi and always be on his table. Other serious kabirajs who were also aspirant to be within top ten university ranking were badly demoralized fearing to forego one top slot to Mr Nath. Days were moving ahead and finally the day had come to fill the examination form. All of us filled it and deposited with fees except Mr Nath - but why ? Was he waiting for an auspicious moment ? - curiosity was brewing amongst us. Then suddenly, one evening, we could hear noises in Nath's room where many seniors were present there. has he fallen into ill and need to be hospitalized ? - we became curious, but not really. Mr Nath was only struggling to fill his form because he was not sure which medium he should appear - English or Assamese ?.What a strange - after spending mid-night oil for three years, he was not sure with his medium ? He had books on both english and assamese medium and studied all equally. Seniors were trying to analyze his strength and trying hard to find out which medium he should appear. But could not reach any conclusion.
The news of Mr Nath spread like a wild fire in the hostel. The Hostel Superintendent was shocked, 'what kind of kabiraji this fellow is ? What he has been doing in the last three years !?' he murmured. Finally he was advised to cool down as there was still one month left for the final examination. He was advised to take time and chose the medium which he felt more comfortable. After few months, when the result came out, we could not see Mr Nath's name within the top ten rank but luckily he didn't fail also - he somehow managed to pass as we could see his pursuing degree in the next year. But we never asked him in which medium he finally appeared in the examination -a deep mystery still haunted many of us.