Socio-Economic and Cultural Transformation of Women after Establishment of Educational Institutions: A Case Study of Diamond Harbour Blocks-I & II

Abstract

Contemporary societies of Diamond Harbour two Community Development (CD) blocks are changing rapidly. The Diamond Harbour subdivision has nine CD blocks. Among them the block-I has one municipality (16 ward) and eight gram panchayets. The block-II has only eight gram panchayet. It is situated on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River where the river meets the Bay of Bengal and the NH-12 highway and Diamond Harbour-Sealdah railway in the vicinity of Kolkata. These two CD blocks is large with an area of 164.02 sq.km. There are population of 346967 including male (177502) and female (169445) (according to 2011census). In the past (before 20 years) time, the two CD blocks was fully dependent on agriculture, brick field and fishery. But after establishment of the educational institutions, the two CD blocks become a developed blocks. Here the study mainly focuses on the identification of Socio-Economic and Cultural transformation of Women of the two CD blocks due to establishment of educational institutions as Neotia Institute of Technology management and Science (2002), Diamond Harbour Women university (2013), Neotia University (2014), Fakir Chand College (1948), Shishuram Das college (2010), Sadhan Chandra Mohavidyalaya (2007), Jyotirmoy Basu Vocational Training Centre (2001), Diamond Harbour Government Medical College and hospital (2019), Ramkrishna Mission Ashram (boys and girls), English Medium School, IIT Engineering College and various Schools and Madrasahs. When the Educational institutions was set up in 2000 the transformation started and then after 2013 when the Dimond Harbour Women University and Neotio University (2014) were established a huge changes is seen in change in language pattern, dress style, traditional customs, mentality of women, women's live, traditional custom disturbed, old ideas and superstitions, view point of women, literacy rate of women, attitude of men, inspire for education, daughter will go to university, try to get govt. job, moving out from house, laws and customs, divorce rate, status of women, dowry system, status of widow women, conservative minds in the women so on. It also incorporates development of music, dance, sports, art belief, morals, and knowledge, and any other capabilities of women etc. Therefore an attempt has been made here to identify the Socio-economic and Cultural transformation of two CD the blocks and its benefit of Women’s Society.