DU: From humble beginnings to gigantic university

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi was all praise of Delhi University’s yeoman contribution in building India on last 30 June, it is time to remember those who were present on the first convocation of DU that was held on March 26, 1923. Delhi University is a movement, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he inaugurated the centenary celebrations of the varsity recently.

Of course, DU can boast of the fact that many alumnus of it have become head of the states of their respective countries. Pakistan's President Zia Ul Haq studied in St. Stephen's college from 1941 -1945. He even visited his alma mater in 1983 when he was here to attend the Non-aligned summit. India's fifth President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was also from St. Stephens’s college. Controversial leader from Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi was a student of Lady SriRam college. Currently in jail, Aung San Suu Kyi was the State Counsellor of Myanmar. Malawian president Bingu Mutharika graduated in BCom (H) from Shri Ram College of Commerce in 1961, after which he pursued his masters degree in the Delhi School of Economics for two years. Malawi is a democratic country located towards the south of the African continent. GP Koirala was in Kirori Mal college before he became the Prime Minister of Nepal.

Of course, Delhi was a tiny city in 1923 compare to present day gigantic Delhi. DU had just three colleges- St. Stephen’s College, Hindu College and Ramjas College in 1923. Now, DU has 90 colleges, dozens of departments and countless students, teachers and employees. Well, Lord Reading, the then Viceroy of India, and Hari Singh Gaur, were the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of DU respectively. Naturally, they were there when the first convocation was held. Perhaps old Delhiwallas would recall that Mandir Marg in Gole Market was earlier known as Reading Road. Interestingly, Rai Kedar Nath, a rich landlord of Anand Parbat area, established series of Ramjas schools and college in the memory of his father Lala Ramjas, was also there.

There were two faculties: Arts and Science and eight Departments: English, History, Economics, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Physic and Chemistry in DU in 1923. The early days of DU were very humble. The DU University Library started with a collection of 1380 gifted books in 1923.” And in 1924, Indraprastha College for women was started. It was a big leap for DU as IP College was the first women college in North India. Gul-e-Rana, the wife of first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, was teaching here when partition of the country took place.

And in 1925, the old Delhi College was revived as Anglo-Arabic College (present day Zakir Husain Delhi College) and got affiliated with the University. So, the strength of DU colleges has increased to four.

Maurice Nagar to

Gayer Hall

Meanwhile, Maurice Gayer was appointed the Vice-Chancellor in 1938. He was a visionary and workaholic. Gwyer presented a memorandum to the Government of India outlining his vision of an all India university for the capital and wished for a complete overhaul of the University of Delhi. And in 1948, Hansraj College and Miranda House were also established. Sir Maurice Gwyer is credited with having founded the Miranda House. Fittingly, DU has named the first students hostel after Maurice Gyer 1948. Further, University Hall was named as Gwyer Hall and Rajpur Quarters as Maurice Nagar.

With the passage of time, Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) was constituted in 1945. According to Dr Harish Khanna, who even served as DUTA general secretary, “The DUTA has done yeoman service for the rights of teaching community. The DUTA members always take positions on key issues related to DU as well as the country.

Once India got freedom, DU made long strides. It was a new dawn for DU too. New colleges, hostels and facilities were created. There was a strong feeling among the DU community to make it world class.

Meanwhile, the special convocation to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of DU was held in 1948 which was due in 1947. It was also attended by the then Prime Minister Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, Lord Mountbatten, Union education minister Maulana Azad, Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur, Union health minister and noted scientist Dr Shanti Swarup Bhaatnagar.

Do you know Miranda House has some strong ties with Connaught Place? Well, the architects of Miranda House and Regal Building of CP were designed by Walter George. He even designed St Stephen’s College and Sujan Singh Park. As far as Shahrukh Khan’s alma matar Hansraj College is concerned, it was founded on 26 July 1948 in memory of the prominent Arya Samaj educator and nationalist Mahatma Hansraj from Lahore.

Of course, the coming years were momentous for DU as in 1949, the then Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel laid the foundation stone of the All-India Tuberculosis Institute, now known as Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute. Venerable Delhi School of Economics was also set-up under the watchful eyes of legendary Prof. VKRV Rao. The venerable teachers’ likes of Dr Manmohan Singh, Dr Raj Krishan, Dr AM Khusro, Prof. Sukhmoy Chakarverty, Amartya ‘the argumentative Indian’ also taught there. If we talk about D School, we have to talk about the very rich

Ratan Tata Library of Delhi School of Economics. Considered one of the best equipped libraries in Economics and allied fields in Asia, the Ratan Tata Library has a wide-ranging collection of literature on social sciences and business material, serving a rich resource pool for the students and faculty.

The red brick building of Lady Irwin College designed by Edwin Lutyens was inaugurated in 1932. Not many people that US vice president Kamala Harrias too has some links to it. Well, Shyamala Gopalan, the mother of Kamala Harrias, was studied here.

And the pride of DU, Lady Hardinge Medical College (founded in 1916) got affiliated to the University of Delhi in 1950. It is perhaps the first all women medical college in Asia.

And in 1951, Shri Ram College of Commerce was established in main campus. It is a different matter that it was running from the Commerical Building in Darya Ganj. “It is a flagship college of DU. When it comes to Commerce, nothing to beat SRCC,” says Riaz Umer.

SGTB Khalsa College was also founded in this very year in Dev Nagar, Karol Bagh. “When it was established, youngsters from from Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar and other West Delhi colonies used to join it. The noted Hindi writers Dr. Maheep Singh and Janardan Dwivedi (former Congress MP), Dr Ashok Prasad ( physics) and Subba Rao, one of the founders of PUDR, also taught there. Ashok Prasad now teaches in Colorado University,”informs Punjabi poet Dr. Harmeet Singh ‘Pahar Ganj’, who was studied here and later taught and served as Principal. The Khalsa College of main campus established in 1975.

Meanwhile, the first college of DU in trans Yamuna was Shyam Lal College in Shahdara. Then seven more colleges- Gargi College, Kalindi College, Maitreyi College, Mata Sundri College for Women, Swami Shradhanand College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, and Nehru Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital were established in 1967. In 1968, Jesus and Mary College was established.

And now, DU has a strong presence in south campus. Established in 1973 as an effort to cope with its expansion, it moved to its present location on Benito Juarez Marg, near Dhaula Kuan, in 1984. The campus is spread across 28 hectares (69 acres). One only hopes that DU would not spare any stone unturned to build India in years and decades to come.

(The author is a senior journalist. He has experience of working with leading newspapers and electronic media including Deccan Herald, Sunday Guardian, Navbharat Times and Dainik Bhaskar. He writes on politics, society, environment and economy)