Institutional Distinctiveness
The Mission
Vivekananda Mission Mahavidyalaya is committed to impart value based higher education in the Haldia subdivision of rural Bengal. A result of the philanthropic effort of the Vivekananda Mission Asram that felt the need to establish a centre of higher learning for the rural population of adjacent villages under Sutahata Police Station, the college was established on 9th August 1968. Following Swami Vivekananda who believed that “Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man,” we in our college motivate our students not only to get a University degree but also to realize their innate potentialities, potentialities that unless identified would perhaps go waste and unrecognized. Through their interaction with their teachers and various extension activities, the students are made to understand their duty towards society and an effort is made to instill in them a sense of what society is doing for them. It is all about providing a bigger picture to the students so that they see themselves not as isolated individuals but a part of the larger social whole which they can change for the better. The good for one will necessarily mean the good of the other.
The Execution
At the very portal of the institution the immortal words of Swami Vivekananda “Be Man and Make Man” is inscribed in Bengali – “Esho Manush Hao”. Every day before the start of the normal college hour the immortal teachings of Swami Vivekananda and other great people are played through the public address system. Weekly value education classes are a part of the college routine. The Brahmacharies of the Vivekananda Mission Ashram provides us with the necessary support. The birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is observed in the college with zeal and fervour. Seminars on Swami Vivekananda’s teachings are held to mark the occasion. The college has a ritual of beginning any ceremony held in its premises with the offerings of floral tributes to Swami Vivekananda’s statue and portrait.
The growing participation of our students in community activities through their respective NSS and NCC units, their zeal in being part of different institutional activities, the interest they are showing in participating in value-education classes are all pointers to the fact that our interventions in their development as rounded human beings have been, indeed, positive. However, the consumerist culture of our times poses a problem. The crass consumerism espoused in media and otherwise does affect the students. Our belief in individual choices sometimes ends up making us forget community interests. Social responsibility takes a back seat. The increasing politicization of students along party lines has been another problem. Still, we are confident that in spite of all these provocations and temptations our students will be able to keep themselves to the straight and narrow path of virtue and righteousness. That remains the challenge for us.