Fort William College by Nikhil Sur [Hardcover]

"Lord Wellesley established Fort William College in 1800. The primary objective was to provide proper training to civil servants before employing them as competent administrators. However, analyzing the grand plan he had for setting up this college, it seems that he harbored another dream regarding it. Though he never expressed this dream, some historians believe that he secretly desired to see this college as the first modern university in India and Asia. Needless to say, his dream was not realized due to opposition from officials in Britain. If this college had been considered merely as a training center for civilians, it wouldn't have held such a significant place in history. In the nineteenth century, the latent precursor of the so-called Bengali Renaissance was seen in Fort William College's special effort to beautify the neglected and disorganized form of the Bengali language. This effort was led by William Carey. The history of Fort William College narrates the account of this extraordinary struggle."