Kajal: A female face in the male teacher’s room
This is the story of a woman who entered the world of scholarship with a great determination and dedication. Her name is not easily found in the history of post-independence Bengal. Also, the events in her life are not fully traceable, at least to me. But she left behind her work a remarkable achievement which researchers of women’s studies may still find interesting. She is Mrs Kajal Sengupta (1931−2006), the first female teacher in the legendary Presidency College, Kolkata where she joined the Department of English as a lecturer in 1959. The history of teaching English literature in this college goes back to 1828 when Presidency College was known as Hindu College. Since then the Department of English is bestowed with a long list of eminent teachers and students who have contributed to the development of English studies in this country. Till the mid-twentieth century, this college had only male professors although many of them were involved in women’s emancipation and liberation. Wom