Women Development Cell aims to promote the well-being and empowerment of women on campus. Primay objectives of the cell include :

• Spreading awareness among the students about the social, legal, and constitutional rights of women to prevent exploitation based on gender.
• Making females cognizant about different kinds of violence: sexual, physical, and mental and to further equip them with the knowledge and strength to fight against them.
• Creating awareness about the need for gender equality.
• Eliminating deep-rooted beliefs of gender bias and discrimination.

• 1. Dr Nabanita Chakrabarti, Principal
• 2. Ms Yachana Lama - Convenor
• 3. Dr Lily Law
• 4. Dr Ranjan Kumar Auddy
• 5. Mr Subhrajit Roy
• 6. Dr Madhubanti Shome
• 7. Dr Saddam Hossain Mondal
• 8. Ms Basabdatta Ghosh Chowdhury Pal
• 9. Ms Mahua Mukherjee
• 10. Ms Soumita Chatterjee
• 11. Ms Alolika Poddar
• 12. Ms Amrapali Bose
• 13. Ms Priyanka Das

1. Women Development Cell in association with IQAC celebrated International Women’s Day in a befitting manner on 8th March 2022. As a part of the gender sensitization program, Film Screening and group discussions were arranged in the auditorium. Dr Nabanita Chakrabarti was invited as the chairperson. Two films titled JUICE by Neeraj Ghaywan and Vikalp by Neha Sharma were screened which initiated a thoughtful discussion. Dr Lily Law and Dr Sutapa Bhatta Guha were the guest speakers. The program was conducted by Dr Madhubanti Shome and Dr Amrapali Bose. The logo of the Women Development Cell was also inaugurated on this day. The event was successful in arousing some interesting questions amongst the audience and creating a gender-friendly space in the college.

2. Women Development Cell in association with IQAC organised a Program titled Vidyasagar’s thoughts about women and the contemporary on 27/09/2022 in Room number 19, Heramba Chandra College. Dr Nabanita Chakrabarti was invited as the keynote speaker and Dr Sutapa Bhatta Guha was invited as the Concept Note speaker. The program began at 3 pm. Dr Nabanita Chakrabarty inaugurated the program and shared her thoughts on Vidyasagar’s role in shaping modern women. The program was followed by a concept note shared by Dr Sutapa Bhatta Guha. The students both male and female actively participated in the question-answer session and expressed their views on modern women and their struggles. This event was successful in opening a meaningful dialogue amongst all genders for the development of women.

3. A one-day seminar and workshop were organized by the cell on 22/12/2022 on ‘Laws related to Equality and Empowerment of Women. The speakers for the workshop were Ms. Dyutimala Bagchi (Advocate/mediator and special Public Prosecutor, Juvenile Justice Board, South 24 Parganas), Ms. Tutul Roy (Counsellor, CINI-TEENLINE), and Ms. Mau Bhattacharya (Uddami India Foundation). Ms Solanki Roy was also invited as a special guest. The workshop was conducted by Ms Mau. She included a case study given to various groups of students facilitating the active involvement of both genders. Ms Tutul Roy delivered a very impactful lecture on the Mental Health of women. Ms Dyutimala Bagchi enlightened the students on various laws protecting the rights of women and how women can fall back on those laws if the need arose. Ms Solanki ended the seminar by sharing her personal experiences as a woman in the entertainment field and the struggles she had to face. This workshop and seminar were successful in sensitizing the women and men of HCC.

4. International Women’s Day was celebrated on 5/04/2023 in HCC. To commemorate the special event a Film, Show, and debate competition was organized on the controversial topic ‘Men are the Custodians of Women’s Destiny’. This event saw the active participation of students and teachers. Two intriguing short films were shown which were bound to create a variety of opinions. The students and teachers shared their opinions and came up with interesting questions paving the way for a new narrative. The next part of the event included a debate on the above topic. Both male and female participants expressed their views for or against the topic. The objective of campus sensitization was achieved by this successful program.

5. A quiz competition was held on Detective fiction by the Women Development Cell in association with the Department of English, Department of Bengali, and IQAC on 30th September 2023. Participants were divided into four groups namely Mitin Mashi, Byomkesh, Feluda, and Sherlock Holmes. The event was graced by eminent Actors of the Bengali Film Industry, such as Koel Mallick, Lekha Chatterjee and Subhrajit Dutta. The trailer for a film adaptation of Suchitra Bhattacharjya’s detective fiction was launched. Students also received ‘Jongole Mitin Mashi’ T-shirts and also a few free tickets from the team. The winners of the Quiz Competition were felicitated by Koel Mallick who plays the lead role in the film. The event highly motivated students to break the gender stereotypes in their choice of career.

6. The Women Development Cell in association Department of Bangla and the Department of English Heramba Chandra College organised an Orientation Program on ‘Contribution of Women Writers in Literature’ on 16/12/2023. The session was inaugurated by Dr Nabanita Chakrabarti by writing the letter A signifying the essence of women’s struggle and fight for basic education. Two panelists Dr Madhubanti Shome and Ms Amrapali Bose from Bangla and English department respectively were invited to share their views. Ms Madhubanti Shome introduced the various Bengali Women writers who struggled to make a place for themselves in a male-dominated World. She encouraged the students to embrace the inherent strengths a woman possesses to fight the evils of society. The next speaker Ms Amrapali Bose presented her talk titled ‘Women Write Differently: Theorizing Women’s Writing across the Spatio-Temporal’. She focused on the different waves and movements associated with feminism brilliantly engaging the students throughout. The session was followed by an entertaining Quiz conducted by Ms Amrapali Bose which saw active participation from both Students and the Teachers. The Orientation Program initiated a lot of debates and encouraged the participants to explore the socio-historical and political context of Women’s writing.

7. Women Development Cell in collaboration with ICC and Psychological Counselling Cell organised an awareness campaign on 23rd Dec 2023. The members introduced the cell, its aim, and its activities to the students at large. The students were made aware of the different programs, facilities, and steps taken by the cell to combat gender discrimination.

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Newsletter published on Womens' Day 2024