New weekly Humsafar train rolled out

In a significant step towards boosting connectivity between south and north Bengal, Eastern Railway today rolled out a new weekly Humsafar train service between Jalpaiguri Road and Sealdah.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

The National Service Scheme (NSS) unit of Balagarh Bijoy Krishna Mahavidyalaya has been planting rare species of trees on its campus since its inception. In 2007, professor Dilip Kumar Chatterjee, programme officer of the NSS, planted a sapling of the rare tree known as Uday Padma.

Scientifically named Magnolia grandiflora, this tree has a special association with Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, as it once adorned the poet's residence in Santiniketan. Tagore, the Nobel laureate and visionary philosopher, had a profound love for nature. He was known for planting trees on his birthdays and deeply believed in harmonising education with nature—an ethos still preserved at Santiniketan today. The tree, resembling a rubber plant and native to the southern regions of the United States, is considered rare in tropical Asia.

Magnolia grandiflora is also valued for its medicinal properties. Various parts of the tree are used as traditional remedies for ailments such as asthma, dysentery, jaundice, and even to improve eyesight.