The educational institution founded in Calcutta in 1817 with the support of David Hare and Raja Ram Mohan Roy, which later became Presidency College, was the:

The Hindu College was founded in Calcutta on 20 January 1817, with the support of David Hare, a Scottish watchmaker and philanthropist, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and leading Indian citizens of Calcutta.

About the Hindu College:

• It was founded to give Indian (Hindu) boys an education in English and Western subjects, such as literature, history, science and philosophy.
• Its first committee included Raja Radhakanta Deb and other leading citizens, and the Chief Justice Sir Edward Hyde East supported it.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy supported its founding, but stayed in the background, because many orthodox Hindus objected to his religious views.
• It was one of the first institutions in Asia to provide Western-style higher education.

Its teachers and students:

• In the 1820s, it had a brilliant young teacher who encouraged his students to question tradition and think freely; his students became known as the radical "Young Bengal" group.
• Many famous people studied there, such as Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Ramtanu Lahiri and Peary Chand Mitra.

Later history:

• In 1855, the Hindu College was taken over by the government and renamed Presidency College, which was open to students of all communities.
• The school section continued as the Hindu School.
• Presidency College became Presidency University in 2010.

About David Hare:

• He was born in Scotland in 1775, and came to Calcutta as a watchmaker.
• He devoted his life and money to the cause of education in Bengal.
• He helped found the Calcutta School Book Society and the Hare School.
• He died of cholera in 1842; his grave is in the grounds of the Hare School.

Other institutions:

• The Sanskrit College, Calcutta (1824).
• The Fort William College (1800), set up to train British officials.
• Good to know
• They were other colleges of Calcutta.