‘To know is to grow.’ Few phrases capture Jadavpur University’s identity as closely as the words inscribed on its emblem, a symbol that recently became a casualty of violence on the campus.

The damage to the emblem during the clash involving ABVP supporters has brought renewed attention to the story behind the distinctive design, its creator Nandalal Bose and the ideas it was meant to represent.

Jadavpur University’s emblem is not simply an identifying mark placed on its gates.

It carries the memory of an institution born out of the nationalist movement and reflects a vision of education that sought to combine scientific learning with intellectual freedom, creativity and human development.

The roots of that vision go back to 1905, when Bengal was swept by protests against the Partition of Bengal.

The Swadeshi movement was not merely a political campaign. It encouraged Indians to build institutions of their own and challenged the colonial model of education.

The National Council of Education emerged from this atmosphere, seeking to create an education system driven by Indian aspirations while placing strong emphasis on science and technical learning.

That legacy eventually evolved into Jadavpur University, which was formally established on December 24, 1955.

As the institution acquired its university identity, it also needed a symbol that could communicate where it had come from and what it stood for.

Why Nandalal Bose’s design is more than an emblem

The responsibility of creating that visual identity was given to Nandalal Bose, one of India’s most influential modern artists and a leading figure of the Bengal School of Art.

Associated with Santiniketan’s Kala Bhavana, Bose was known for combining Indian artistic traditions with a distinctive simplicity and spiritual quality.

Rather than adopting the ornate shields, crowns and other symbols commonly associated with colonial institutions, Bose created a design rooted in Indian visual traditions.

The result was the emblem popularly known as the ‘Shatadal’, built around a circular arrangement of lotus petals and a lamp at its centre.

The lotus petals form the emblem’s outer structure. The flower carries associations with Indian art, culture and purity, while also giving the design a distinctly indigenous character.

At the centre is an earthen lamp, representing the light of knowledge overcoming the darkness of ignorance.

The most important element, however, is perhaps the lamp’s three flames. Each flame represents a different dimension of education and human development.

  • The first stands for intellectual training, reflecting scientific thinking, academic discipline, and the pursuit of objective knowledge.
  • The second represents the development of emotion and imagination, suggesting that education cannot be limited to science and technology but must also nurture creativity, empathy and an understanding of the humanities.
  • The third flame signifies spiritual development and moral consciousness, pointing towards character, values and the growth of the individual beyond formal education.

Together, the three flames present education as a holistic process rather than simply the acquisition of degrees or information.

The philosophy is reinforced by the Sanskrit motto associated with the emblem, rendered in English as ‘To Know Is To Grow’. Knowledge, according to this idea, is not an end in itself.

It is the foundation for personal growth, intellectual development and social progress.

That symbolism has acquired a particular resonance after the recent confrontation on the Jadavpur University campus.

The emblem was damaged during clashes involving ABVP supporters and Left-leaning student groups, turning a longstanding piece of the university’s visual heritage into a visible reminder of the violence.

The significance of the incident therefore extends beyond physical damage to a campus structure.

The emblem was created to embody a university’s intellectual and cultural identity, one that traces its origins to the nationalist search for an alternative to colonial education.

Its subsequent restoration may repair the visible damage, but the episode has also revived questions about what the emblem represents.

Its lotus petals, central lamp, and three flames were conceived as a compact expression of knowledge, culture, imagination, morality, and growth.

For Jadavpur University, the ‘Shatadal’ consequently remains more than a logo. It is a visual link between the institution’s Swadeshi-era origins and its modern identity as a centre of higher education.

And after the recent campus violence, its meaning has become even more striking: a reminder that the university’s history was built around the pursuit of knowledge, independent thought and growth.