Date:15/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/15/stories/2008021559971100.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Nizam College reaches milestone

Staff Reporter

Hoary institution will complete 120 years on February 20

- Photo: Satish. H

Standing tall: Nizam College has been the alma mater of many famous personalities.

Hyderabad: An age-old institution having its roots deep in time can tell magnificent tales about the past. Each brick and stone of the Nizam College at Basheerbagh has seen generations of young students walk its corridors. And now, the institution is all set to celebrate its 120th year on February 20.

First principal

The college remained affiliated to Madras University for 75 years from its inception in 1872 till February 19, 1947, when it was made a constituent of Osmania University. Sarojini Naidu’s father, Aghorenath Chattopadhyay, as the first principal, was the trailblazer for great educationists leading the institution since then.

Cosmopolitan hostel

With the outbreak of the World War I, three professors from the college namely Brunett, Durand and McEwen went on war service.

It was the time when the college was planning to introduce more courses.

In the 1920s Nizam College had over 137 students and another 100 students from Hyderabad Nobel School that was a part of the college.

The college hostel was located in a small rented building near Holy Rosary Convent at Gun foundry.

It was a cosmopolitan hostel with 40 inmates and was called a miniature ‘League of Nations’ due to distinct cultural backgrounds of students residing in it.

Nizamians

Representing the urban elite, Nizamians had a choice to wear a suit and tie or don a ‘Sherwani’ with a turban, informs R. Suryanarayana Reddy, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology. Nizam College has churned out a number of famous personalities in every stream of profession, be it sportsmen like M.L. Jaisimha, Mohammed Azharuddin, Ghulam Ahmed.

Other well-known people like Shyam Benegal, Rakesh Sharma and Assembly Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy have been students of the institution.

At present, the college has four undergraduate courses in addition to fourteen masters programmes and a student population of over 3,200.

The college conducts skill and career-oriented programmes for students and also has a counselling cell.