Barasat is located at the river Ganges Brahmaputra delta region in the district of North 24 Parganas, West Bengal . It is a city in the outskirts of Calcutta, to the north of the city. The cultural milieu in Barasat reflects the usual cultural characteristics of similar small towns in West Bengal. The cultural diversity has increased over the years with the infiltration of more people from Bangladesh.The educated middle-class community continues to perpetuate the Bengali cultural values. The Majority of Barasat population is made up of ethnic Bengali Muslims and Hindus. An annual fair held in honour of a Muslim saint, Hazarat Ekdil Shah is attended by both Muslims and Hindus, reflecting hundreds of years of living together in the area. Kalipuja is a very important event in Barasat. The Goddess Kali is the Devi of power and eternal energy. She is also considered to be the goddess of time and change. All the communities join to celebrate this occasion.

Christians, though a minority group, play a vital role in the field of education and social action. This area is known as the center for formation houses for many Religious Congregations in the Archdiocese of Kolkata. A formation house for our aspirants was the felt need of the newly formed Central Province of India. Most of the candidates come from the tribal areas of the Central and Northern States of India. They join after Class 10 or Plus 2. These enthusiastic young women needed intensive English study, faith formation, clarification of motivations and interests in order to have a proper discernment process to the RNDM way of life, and in order to complete their further studies.

The sisters were ardently looking out for a favorable place. In 1996, then Parish Priest of Barasat Fr. William Barreto offered an invitation to the RNDMs to open a mission in Barasat. Sr. Smitha Thomas Thuppalangiyi, Provincial, and her team immediately set out to visit the place and realized that it was best suited for formation. After getting the approval of the CLT the plot of 1.5 acres of land with two old houses was purchased. We were indeed fortunate to get this land. The necessary financial support for construction was obtained from E.M.I Fund of the Congregation and also some assistance from Propaganda Fide, in Rome.

On 25th March 1998, the feast of Annunciation, one of the existing houses was blessed and Srs. Marie Vengathanam and Mary Thomas Kaithathara formed the first RNDM community in Barasat. The sisters soon became accustomed to the place and people through regular family visits. Sr. Thomas began English coaching classes for students which helped her to get acquainted with the young people of the area. Our neighbors are lower middle class Muslims and Hindus who depend mostly on agriculture. They live a very simple life style deeply rooted in their faith. The prayer chants from the Temple and the call to prayer from the local Mosque are constant reminders of the deep seated spirituality of the people of Barasat. There is an impressive spiritual vitality that flows into all aspects of individual and community life. On 11th of September 1999, the Navajeevan Convent was completed and blessed by Archbishop Henry D’Souza and became ready to accept candidates for aspirancy program.

We have been blessed with vocations mostly from the tribal communities of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. Majority of the candidates join us after Class X. After a year of training they are sent to the other provinces of India including Mariam Nivas Bangalore, Patna, Bihar and St. Mary’s in Shillong for the Higher Secondary Course. In 1999, renewal in the initial formation program of the Indian provinces gave impetus for a Pre-Postulancy. Decision was made to give sufficient time and opportunity for aspirants who have completed their Higher Secondary to facilitate further study and reflection, before they enter into Postulancy. Currently Inter- Province initial formation program commences with Pre-Postulancy at Navajeevan, Barasat.

Pre-Postulants were accepted from 2005.

Pre-Postulancy offers the young women a 6 months period to experience the RNDM way of life, to deepen one’s relationship with God, to get to know the person of Jesus, to meet with Euphrasie, to familiarize with the mission of the sisters, to know oneself and to recognize the challenges of living in an intercultural group. It offers a time to clarify and deepen one’s call to religious missionary life in the RNDM Earth Community. An indispensable element of the program is the study of English.

In the year 2000, the sisters also decided to start a pre-nursery school for the local children. Since then we have around 60 children every year, who are admitted to Navajeevan Pre- Nursery School.