Interesting facts about Cotton University on its foundation day

Assam was the only British province without a college. Manik Chandra Baruah in 1899 wrote a letter to the British government for a college to be opened in Guwahati.

It was announced in November 1899 that a college would be opened in Guwahati. The name – Cotton College – was decided by the public.

Cotton College (now Cotton University) was established in 1901 by Sir Henry Stedman Cotton, Chief Commissioner of the erstwhile British province of Assam. The college was affiliated to Calcutta University.

The college was started with 5 professors, including the Principal, and 39 students. Frederick William Sudmerson was the first Principal of Cotton College.

At the inaugural function of the college, poet Raghunath Choudhury recited the poem “Aabahon” as eminent personality Karamveer Nabin Chandra Bordoloi had accompanied him on the harmonium.

The college became a centre of freedom movement and became engaged with the literary and cultural aspects of the society.

It became a constituent college of the Gauhati University in 1948. It was declared a Centre of Excellence in 1992.

In 2017, Cotton University came to being via The Cotton University Act, 2017. The institution has been an example of academic excellence and has produced numerous luminaries of Assam.