Tilak Chandra Sarma, First Student Secretary of CCUS

The Cotton College Union Society (CCUS) made humble beginning in the opening decades of the college. It is the most comprehensive corporate body among the students of Cotton College. It is the General Body of the students of the college whose membership is compulsory for every Cottonian. The office bearers of this Society are elected annually by the Cottonians. The Principal is the ex-officio President of the Society. Although the initiation of the process of formation of the CCUS was started in the year 1908, it was at first only a literary society. The practice of debating in the Union Society was introduced in 1910. The activities of the Union Society in those days were confined mainly to holding debates, popular talks etc. At the beginning, however, the students do not appear to have taken much interest in the Union Society. In 1919-20, the Students’ Common Room was amalgamated with the Union Society and this led to the positive result with more and more students began to take keen and active interest in the Union Society. In the same year i.e. 1919-20, Late Tilak Chandra Sarma became the first Student Secretary of the Society. However, in those initial years, office bearers of CCUS were not elected, but selected by the college authority. The practice of election was started from the academic session 1934-35, and Late Pabitra Pran Changkakati was the first elected Student Secretary. In 1939 the constitution of the CCUS was amended on democratic lines so as to give the students an increasing share of control over its proceedings. From the academic session 1947-48, the name of the post ‘Student Secretary’ was changed to ‘General Secretary’ and Birendra Kr. Das was the first General Secretary. From the academic session 1981-82, the post of Student Vice President was incorporated in this Society. CCUS, although at the beginning, was only a literary society, at present; it has been playing an important role in moulding the activities of the students in a manner calculated to build up character and thus forming a filling supplement to the intellectual training received within the class rooms.