Calcutta University: Asia's First Modern University, Produced Nobel Laureates & Icons

• Calcutta University, established on January 24, 1857, was India's and Asia's first modern university.
• Its establishment, along with universities in Bombay and Madras, was recommended by the 1854 Wood Dispatch, known as the Magna Carta of Indian education.
• Modeled after London University, it was Asia's first to offer unified undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programs.
• Notable alumni include Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Swami Vivekananda; it also produced Nobel laureates like C.V. Raman, Amartya Sen, and Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee.

Why It Matters: It underscores the pioneering role of India's first modern university in education.