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Time of India

Uproar after Suchitra Sen's Pabna college drops her name from hostel

Kolkata: The film fraternity in Bengal has strongly reacted to the decision of Pabna's Govt Edward College to drop Suchitra Sen 's name from the newly installed nameplate of a residential hall. The legendary actress was born as Roma Dasgupta in Pabna on 6 April, 1931. The college was founded in 1898 by Gopal Chandra Lahiri. Initially, the college started with only 26 students. Gopal Chandra Lahiri served as the principal until 1906, during which the name was changed to Pabna College. In 1911, the college was renamed Edward College after the then Emperor of India, Edward VII. The college authorities recently renamed three residential halls, including the Suchitra Sen Student Hall for female students, which has now been changed to 'July 36 Student Hall'. Additionally, Sheikh Russel Student Hall was renamed 'Bijoy 24 Student Hall', and Begum Fazilatunnesa Hall was renamed 'Aysha Siddika (R) Student Hall'. According to a report in The Daily Star, Edward College principal Md Abdul Awal Miah has also inaugurated the newly installed nameplates. In that report, Miah also was quoted as saying: "The hall was previously named under pressure from political leaders and a neighbouring country's high commission. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Conheça o produto aprovado por profissionais para melhorar seu bem-estar geral AlwaysFit Undo There are no establishments within educational institutions in the country named after film actors or actresses. " Firdasul Hasan, president of Film Federation of India, described this name-change as an 'extremely sad' decision. "What message are we giving out to the next generation? I am not too surprised though. People might have political differences but it is a fact that the statue of the Father of their Nation was demolished. What else does one expect?" Hasan asked. According to him, it is wrong to pigeonhole Suchitra Sen as just another film actress. "India is represented globally by the films of Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen. Pele is the brand ambassador of Brazil, while Maradona is for Argentina. Do we not have names in their honour in Brazil and Argentina because they are from the sports world?" Hasan added. "Legends such as Suchitra Sen, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen are a pride of our subcontinent. These luminaries are revered far beyond the realms of border politics. Each of them has roots in Bangladesh. The association of their names with institutions in their birthplace serves as a tribute to their land of origin. The decision to erase her name in this manner is an attempt to sever the connection from the roots. Nothing can justify such an irresponsible act," said Premendra Mazumder, vice president, Federation of Film Societies of India.