CAMPUS

Situated in the heart of the modern urban South Dum Dum locality of Kolkata,
Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan is spread over thirteen acres of
lush greenery. The expansive college campus, a rarity among city colleges, nurtures a
miniature self-sustained ecosystem within the busy, bustling metropolis.
From its inception back in 1961, the college has focused on creating and maintaining a
green and eco-friendly campus, to provide a serene academic environment for both
students and faculty. Thus our unique campus provides an ideal ashram-like setting for
the college, where the buildings are spread out across the sprawling campus and the
spacious classrooms enjoy gorgeous views of the outdoor greenery.

The main College building, the Auditorium and the Central Library, the 300-seater
examination hall, the new PG building (funded by RUSA), the shrine, the main
Residence Monastery and the three separate Hostel buildings, a Cheap-store, the staff
quarters and a small guest-facility are dotted across the extensive College campus.

The campus is home to a wide variety of trees and plants as well as water-bodies that
help to maintain a rich bio-diversity. It hosts more than 700 trees, plants and shrubs
within its boundaries. Tall and shady trees like Peepal, Banyan, Cadamba (Kadam),
Royal Poinciana (Krishnachura), Purple Orchid (Kanchan), Indian Medlar (Bakul) and Peltophorum (Radhachura) dot the campus. Other commonly found trees are Neem, Bay-
leaf and Eucalyptus.The campus also boasts of some rare Cannonball trees (locally called Nagkesar) – these towering tropical trees are known for their unusual looks and the
exquisite beauty of the delicately scented flowers that bloom thickly on the trunk in the
summer months. Bamboo groves and coconut trees line the water bodies. Smaller plants
and shrubs like Rose, Jasmine, Mogra, Gardenia, Clerodendrum, Ixora, Rangoon Creeper
and Bougainvillea abound in the garden spaces. Additionally seasonal flowers and
decorative herbaceous borders are planted in the central flowerbeds. This lush greenery is
habitat to a large number of birds, squirrels, mongooses, snakes and numerous species of
insects, bees and butterflies.

The college has a large kitchen garden, which takes care of much of the daily needs of
hostel students and monastic members. Vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, beans,
carrot, eggplant, tomato, varieties of gourds, pumpkin etc. are grown seasonally in the
kitchen garden along with leafy greens like spinach, watercress, coriander, mint and basil.
There are a wide variety of fruit trees like Mango, Jackfruit, Wood-apple, Lychee,
Banana, Guava, Pomegranate, Coconut, Tamarind and varieties of lemon and berries. The abundant produces are the fruits of organic farming – no chemical fertilizers or pesticides
are used in our kitchen garden. These produces are used for regular consumption of the
boarders, the monastic inmates and resident non-teaching staff. The surplus produce of
fruits and vegetables are sold among devotees and faculty every Wednesday in a ‘haat’ or
a green market organized by the monastic inmates in the college campus.

Gardeners under the supervision of monastic members routinely maintain the large
campus. The lawns are regularly mowed, trees pruned and the gardens weeded. New
saplings are periodically planted to keep the College greenery intact. The lush and
beautiful campus, lovingly tended and immaculately maintained, is a source of joy and
pride to all the stakeholders of the College.