In Bethune College Kolkata, one can now proclaim their religion to be ‘Humanity.’ Along with Hinduism, Islam, Christian, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism and Others, the college has mentioned a new option, ‘Humanity,’ in their online application form. The principal of the college, Mamata Ray, said: “We have realised that some students are reluctant to mention their religion in the admission form. We appreciate their views as we feel that 'Humanity' is the true religion of mankind. So we have deliberately kept this category in the religion section. It was a unanimous decision on the part of our admission committee.”

Another appreciable move from the college is that scholarships will not be affected by the ‘Humanity’ category. It is enough if students meet the institutional guidelines for a scholarship. Students are welcoming the measure. One student said: “The time has come to deliver the message strongly that Humanity is the true religion." A Facebook user commented saying: “We still have so much to be proud of, and someday, there might not be a column on religion at all.”