Among the oldest colleges of North India, Government Mohindra College, Patiala, crossed the 150th milestone of its historic journey on March 30. I consider it serendipitous that I joined as principal soon after. Inevitably, I delved into some of the archival material to learn more about the institution that transforms you the moment you come face to face with its overwhelming architectural grandeur and sprawling greens.

‘Mahindra’, as it is popularly called, has among its alumni scores of individuals who have gone on to occupy high offices, and are top professionals. Gian Singh Rarewala, former chief minister of PEPSU, too, was an alumnus.

The college was started as a ‘language school’ by Maharaja Narinder Singh in 1860, with a focus on teaching three oriental languages: Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic. His son, Maharaja Mahinder Singh, with a sound vision of state education, created a regular education department on the lines of the education department of British India on June 13, 1870. In 1872, the school of languages, also referred to as the ‘Centre School’, was upgraded to a college.

In 1873, its 300 students prepared for an entrance test of Calcutta University, following which the college was affiliated to it. Due to this umbilical connection, a fair share of the faculty members and principals who served the college in the colonial period were from Bengal.

Mahindra College, in its ‘Centre School’ phase, was located in the congested areas of Haveli Nizam Khan, Samania Gate; Haveli Mahant Kashi Gir, Dhak Bazaar, and Haveli Shamsher Singh near Triveni Chowk.

The present location of 21 acres was selected for building a majestic complex blending western and Indian architecture.

Lord Northbrook, the Viceroy of India, laid the foundation stone on March 30, 1875. Built in nine years by skilled craftsmen at a cost of Rs 5 lakh, it was inaugurated by Lord Ripon, the then Viceroy of India, in 1884.

The journey of Mahindra when the freedom movement took off was not an easy one. A complete hartal was observed on the death of Lala Lajpat Rai in the college, in direct conflict with British interests. But existential crises were overcome by the sagacious planning of its insightful principals. Some of these legendary educationists deserve a mention: the tenures of Atul Kumar Ghosh (1888-1906), Edmund Candler (1906-1915), TL Vaswani (1915-1919), Manmohan Singh (1919-21), BN Khosla (1927-45), Teja Singh (1949-52), Bhagat Singh (1967-72) and Gursewak Singh (1972-1976), among others, are remarkable for shaping the destiny of Mahindra. The Government of India released a stamp to mark the centenary celebrations of the institution in 1988. A stamp was also released to honour Principal Vaswani for his contribution to Indian thought and higher education.

AK Ghosh, the longest-serving principal, was instrumental in the foundational development of Mahindra. A professor of English, he was transferred to Muir College, Allahabad, in 1906. Edmund Candler, a British journalist based in Bengal, was handed the reins of the college. Ghosh spent the last phase of his life at Allahabad in the company of Motilal Nehru and Madan Mohan Malviya. The question of his supersession was also raised in the British Parliament then. He wrote several books and commentaries, like Vaswani, but his works were downplayed due to his association with the freedom struggle.

The sturdy backbone of the college in the 1920s and ’30s were its legendary teachers. Take English teacher KK Mukherjee, for instance. His dedication, versatility and brilliance inspire awe and admiration. As incharge of the dramatics society of the college, he directed and staged several plays of Shakespeare. One play was highly appreciated by the three members of the university inspection board: AC Woolmer, Registrar of Punjab University; GA Wathen, Principal, Khalsa College, Amritsar; and Prof Ruchiram.

Prof Mukherjee himself performed the role of Shylock and Mohammed Munir, who later became the second Chief Justice of Pakistan, acted as Antonio. Mindful of the role of wit, humour and guffaws in a student’s life, he founded the Jolly Club. The first college magazine, Mohindra, was published under his stewardship. He retired as Secretary, Education, UT, Chandigarh.

Among other professors, MR Kohli of the Economics Department became the founder of the New Bank of India; Pritam Singh became a follower of Bahia religion to serve humanity; and KL Buddhi Raja was promoted to the IAS.

Post-Independence, several faculty members worked their way into the civil services and a considerable number of principals were elevated as Directors, Higher Education, and chairmen of school education boards. Principals Bhagat Singh, Gursewak Singh and Harbaksh Singh and alumna Inderjit Kaur served as Vice-Chancellors of Punjabi University.

In its eventful history, the college had periods of affiliation to Calcutta University, Punjab University, Lahore, and Panjab University; it finally dropped anchor at Punjabi University, Patiala, in 1962. The FA programme took off in 1880 and BA degree classes commenced in 1887 to mark the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria’s reign.

The FSc course was introduced in 1920 and the BSc programme in 1939. MA in Mathematics was introduced in 1912. MA in Philosophy (1922) was one of the earliest post-graduate courses to be taught, such was the thrust on rationality and humanistic values!

Post-Independence, the anglicised fundamentals of the college merged with the regional cultural ethos. Architecturally, the regal edifice erected by the Patiala monarch still stands apart from post-colonial structural additions.

With a strength of 7,000-8,000 students, it is among the largest government colleges in the state. In the last few decades, to match the growth in academic curricula, a befitting infrastructure has been put in place. Attention to the well-being of its faculty and students, and enhancement and maintenance of its resources will go a long way in upholding its legacy.

The college provided free education to all till 1930. It seems the time is right to repay its intangible debt. Its declining architectural health could do with some care. I pray its illustrious alumni, faculty and the administration respond to the structural plea of this heritage public institution.