St. Stephen's College, Delhi

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St. Stephen's College, Delhi
Motto:	Ad Dei Gloriam (To the Glory of God)
Established:	1881
Type:	College, University of Delhi
Location:	Delhi, India
Website:	http://www.ststephens.edu

St. Stephen's College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi located in Delhi, India. The college admits both undergraduates and post-graduates, and awards degrees under the purview of the University of Delhi. Famous for its rich history and many traditions, St. Stephen's is widely recognized as one of India's most famous educational institutions, offering degrees in the liberal arts and the sciences.^[1][2][3][4] Since its founding in 1881, the college has produced a long line of distinguished alumni.^[5][6] Students and alumni of the college are termed Stephanians.

[edit] Introduction

St. Stephen's is a co-educational institution of higher learning located in University Enclave on the University of Delhi's 'North' campus. In spite of its northern Indian location, the college has always striven to admit students and teachers from all communities and from all parts of India; and a number of students from overseas. The college was founded on 1 February 1881, by the Cambridge Brotherhood, an Anglican mission from Westcott House, Cambridge, England. It was initially affiliated to the University of Calcutta. Later, it became a constituent college of the University of Delhi, when that institution was founded in 1922. The Rev. Samuel Scott Allnutt was mainly responsible for founding the college and served as its first principal. He is buried in the college campus and the anniversary of his death is observed as Founder's Day on 7 December every year^[7].

The college is currently situated on a large and well-known campus in North Delhi, designed by the distinguished Welsh architect Walter Sykes George, and completed in 1941. The college had previously functioned from a campus in Delhi's Kashmiri Gate, housed in distinctive Indo-Saracenic buildings which now house some government offices. In fact, some college playing fields are still located between Kashmiri Gate & Mori Gate. In addition to the academic buildings and residences, the college is famous for its library, which also houses a collection of rare Sanskrit and Persian manuscripts. Facilities for a number of sports are provided for on the college campus. The Francis Monk gymnasium, the Ladies Common Room, and the Junior Common Room provide facilities for indoor sports and recreation. A chapel is open to all members for worship and meditation. The college has six Residences - blocks which allow around 300 men and over 100 women to reside on the premises. Student clubs and societies have always played an important role in the life of the college, and are seen as vital to student development. Each academic subject has a society which sponsors lectures and discussions. The popular extracurricular societies and clubs engage in activities concerned with debating, dramatics, trekking, film, social service, photography, quizzing and astronomy. In continuance of a long tradition, societies - such as the Planning Forum, History Society, Gandhi Study Circle, Informal Discussion Group - regularly invite distinguished visitors to address and join issue with students on various topical issues. ^[7].

[edit] College Motto and Colours

The College motto is Ad Dei Gloriam, Latin for To the Glory of God. The College colours are martyr's red and Cambridge blue.

The badge is a martyr's crown on a field of martyr's red, within a five-pointed star, edged with Cambridge blue. Around the five-pointed star, which represents India, is the Cambridge blue border, representing the impact of Cambridge University on the college, having been founded by the members of the Cambridge Mission to Delhi. On the ground, which is coloured red to represent Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr and patron saint of Delhi, in whose memory the College is built, stands the martyr's crown in gold^[7].

[edit] History

St. Stephen's College: first day cover of stamp issued by the Government of India to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the college in 1981.

Founded in 1881 by the Cambridge Mission in response to a colonial government policy promoting English-language education in India, the College's first premises were in Chandni Chowk with 5 boarders and three professors, and was initially part of the University of Calcutta. After it changed its affiliation to Punjab University Lahore, it moved into premises in Kashmiri Gate designed in the Indo-Saracenic style (now occupied by the Election Commission for Delhi State).

It was named after Saint Stephen, who was adopted by the Anglican church as the patron saint of Delhi after Christian converts were reportedly stoned to death during the 1857 uprising^[8]. (As they were the first 'martyrs' in North India and were stoned, the parallel to Stephen was obvious.)

In 1906, Principal Rev. Hibbert-Ware abdicated his post in favour of Susil Kumar Rudra who became the first Indian to head a major educational institution in India. The decision was frowned upon at the time, and was the subject of scathing editorial comment in The Statesman daily published from Calcutta, but Principal Rudra proved to have a tenure of extraordinary importance for the college, as described below.

In 1920, the decision was taken to set up a University in Delhi and land was earmarked in the area where the Delhi Durbar of 1911 had been held. The new College buildings were laid out around courts in the style of a transplanted Cambridge college (but with certain tropical elements) by the well-known British architect Walter Sykes George.

Women were first admitted in 1928, as there were no women's colleges in Delhi affiliated with the Anglican Church at the time; after the founding of Miranda House in 1949, women were not accepted as students until 1975.

In June 2007, college administrators increased the preferential admissions quota for Christian applicants to 40% and set aside another 15% of the places for applicants from under-privileged backgrounds^[9]. That St Stephens now allocates less than half of its 400-odd seats to open admissions is considered a notable development^[10][11] in the politically-fraught debate on caste- and community-based affirmative action in India.

[edit] A Larger Role

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Indian Protestants Bakht Singh Krishna Mohan Banerjee Michael Madhusudan Dutt Pandita Ramabai Sadhu Sundar Singh Jashwant Rao Chitambar Victor Premasagar Y. D. Tiwari P. C. John This box: view • talk • edit Indian Christianity Portal

From the time of its inception, St.Stephen's has played a pre-eminent role both in the field of education and in the affairs of the nation. It was senior college faculty who floated the idea of founding the University of Delhi^[12]. Later, the college was also influential in the founding of two famous Indian public schools, the Doon School and Modern School^[13].

Andrews (left) with Gandhi in 1930

Significantly, in 1914, C. F. Andrews, then a lecturer in Philosophy at the College, discussed over breakfast with Principal Rudra and other faculty members the possibility of bringing back to India the leader of the Indian political rights movement in South Africa^[8]. When Andrews finally persuaded Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to return and join the Indian freedom struggle, the latter stayed several times in the Principal's house, both during Rudra's tenure and that of his successor, Satya Nand Mukarji. The letter to the Viceroy announcing the commencement of the first Non-Cooperation Movement was drafted at the Principal's dining table. A photograph in the principal's office shows Mahatma Gandhi with the student body in 1915.

Andrews was himself active in the freedom struggle, and was named Deenbandhu (or, 'Friend of the Poor') by Mahatma Gandhi on account of his work with the needy and with the trade union movement. A portrait of C. F. Andrews by his good friend Rabindranath Tagore currently hangs in the Principal's office. It is believed that Tagore completed the English translation of Gitanjali, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, while a guest of the College^[8].

After independence in 1947 and for the next two decades, St. Stephen's became particularly well known for the large number of distinguished academics and prominent civil servants it produced^[14]. At one point in the 1970s, two-thirds of all secretary-level positions in the Indian Administrative Service were said to be occupied by Stephanians^[14]. However, the college has produced many more alumni of distinction in various fields, especially with the beginning of the latter half of the twentieth century. Eminent Stephanians may be found in, among other fields, politics, the media, literature (indeed, where a 'St Stephen's School of Literature' is sometimes made reference to), scientific research, entertainment and sports.^[15]

The college is perhaps the only Indian institution that may count among its alumni the heads of state / government of three different countries: Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed of India, Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq of Pakistan, and Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania and the OAU.

[edit] College Principals

• Samuel Scott Allnutt, Founder and first principal, 1881-1898.
• John Wright, Second Principal. 1899-1902.
• The Rev. G. Hibbert Ware, Third Principal. 1902-1906.
• Sushil Kumar Rudra, Fourth Principal. 1906-1923.
• The Rev. Francis Frank Monk, Fifth Principal. 1923-1926.
• Satya Nand Mukarji, Sixth Principal. 1926-1945.
• Douglas Raja Ram, Seventh Principal. 1945-1960.
• Satish Chandra Sircar, Eighth Principal. 1960-1972.
• The Rev. William Shaw Rajpal, Ninth Principal, 1972-1984.
• Dr.John H.Hala, Tenth Principal. 1984-1991.
• Dr. Anil Wilson, Eleventh Principal. 1991-2007.
• The Rev. Valson Thampu, Twelfth Principal. 2008-present.

[edit] Controversies

In a contentious development in January 2007, Dr. Anil Wilson was granted leave to serve as the Vice-Chancellor of Himachal University while remaining in the office of Principal.^[16] In May 2007, Rev. Valson Thampu, previously a lecturer at the College, was appointed "Officer on Special Duty" officiating as Principal.^[17] Shortly thereafter, Dr. Wilson requested early retirement from the University and expressed a desire to return.^[18] On February 5, 2008, the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions upheld the contention of University of Delhi that Rev. Thampu's appointment was "patently illegal." ^[19] The University of Delhi contended that since Thampu did not have a PhD degree - a requirement for appointment as Principal - he could not hold the office. Later, he acquired a PhD from Allahabad Agriculture Institute-Deemed University. Rev. Thampu sought a stay on this order, but was refused by the Delhi High Court. [1] He resigned on 15 March 2008, but was subsequently reappointed Principal by the Governing Body of the college a few months later. [2]

Recently, academic department heads boycotted the first day of the 2008-09 academic year to protest a new policy setting aside positions for Christian faculty, a move seen by many as being part of the new dispensation's intention to impart a specific religious character to the famously secular institution.^[20] This was done in conjunction with the new dispensation stating that they would enforce the 50% reservation for Christians in admitting students. While sanctioned by Indian law, St. Stephen's being a 'minority' institution, the college traditionally reserved no more than than 25% of available seats for meritorious Christian candidates.^[21]

[edit] Famous alumni

Many students of the college have gone on to distinguish themselves in various fields. A student at or an alumnus of the college is termed a 'Stephanian'.

[edit] External links

• Official Website
• History of the college

[edit] References