Presidency College, Chennai
Encyclopedia
Presidency College is an arts, law and science college in the city of Chennai
in Tamil Nadu
, India
. Established as the Madras Preparatory School on October 15, 1840 and later, upgraded to a high school and then, graduate college, the Presidency College is one of the oldest government arts colleges in India. It is one of the two Presidency colleges established by the British in India, the other being the Presidency College, Kolkata
.
, who in turn proposed nineteen resolutions which were passed unanimously.
As first Principal, the choice of Elphinstone fell on E. B. Powell
, a University of Cambridge
Wrangler in Mathematics
, who accepted the post. Powell reached Mumbai(Bombay) on 20 September 1840 but did not arrive at Chennai(Madras) until 24 November, the journey from Bombay to Madras taking some four weeks. In the mean time, the Committee had invited a Mr Cooper, from the Hoogly College, Kolkata(Calcutta), to carry out the duties of Principal temporarily, at a salary of Rs. 400 a month. Cooper accepted the invitation and came to Chennai(Madras). He and his staff opened Presidency School, a preparatory school
, in a rented building in Egmore known as Edinburgh Home on 15 October 1840. Cooper remained in the preparatory school for only a few months. Soon after Eyre Burton Powell's arrival and before the opening of the High School department in April 1841, he returned to Kolkata(Calcutta). The preparatory School was shifted to Popham's Broadway in 1841.
The schools grew into Presidency College. When the University of Madras was founded in 1857, Presidency College was affiliated to it.
In 1870, the college moved to its present location in Kamaraj Salai, opposite Marina Beach
.
Sciences
Commerce
History, Political Science, Public Administration, Economics, Tamil, Telugu, English and Sanskrit
Sciences
Computer Science (MCA), Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Geology, Geography, Applied Microbiology and Psychology
Philosophy
There are M.Phil courses in English, History, Political Science, Public Administration, Economics, Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Mathematics Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Geography and Commerce.
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Established as the Madras Preparatory School on October 15, 1840 and later, upgraded to a high school and then, graduate college, the Presidency College is one of the oldest government arts colleges in India. It is one of the two Presidency colleges established by the British in India, the other being the Presidency College, Kolkata
Presidency College, Kolkata
Presidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a unitary, state aided university, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. and one of the premier institutes of learning of liberal arts and sciences in India. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine...
.
History
At the behest of Sir Thomas Munro, a Committee of Public Instruction was formed in 1826. In 1836, the duties of the Committee were taken over by a "Committee of Native Education". The plans drawn up by the Committee did not commend themselves to the Governor of Madras, Lord ElphinstoneJohn Elphinstone, 13th Lord Elphinstone
John Elphinstone, 13th Lord Elphinstone and 1st Baron Elphinstone GCB GCH PC was a Scottish soldier, politician and colonial administrator. He was twice elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom as a Scottish Representative peer, serving once from 14 January 1833 to 29 December 1834 and then...
, who in turn proposed nineteen resolutions which were passed unanimously.
As first Principal, the choice of Elphinstone fell on E. B. Powell
E. B. Powell
Eyre Burton Powell CSI was a legendary British educationist who served as the first Principal of the Presidency College, Madras.- Biography :...
, a University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
Wrangler in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, who accepted the post. Powell reached Mumbai(Bombay) on 20 September 1840 but did not arrive at Chennai(Madras) until 24 November, the journey from Bombay to Madras taking some four weeks. In the mean time, the Committee had invited a Mr Cooper, from the Hoogly College, Kolkata(Calcutta), to carry out the duties of Principal temporarily, at a salary of Rs. 400 a month. Cooper accepted the invitation and came to Chennai(Madras). He and his staff opened Presidency School, a preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
, in a rented building in Egmore known as Edinburgh Home on 15 October 1840. Cooper remained in the preparatory school for only a few months. Soon after Eyre Burton Powell's arrival and before the opening of the High School department in April 1841, he returned to Kolkata(Calcutta). The preparatory School was shifted to Popham's Broadway in 1841.
The schools grew into Presidency College. When the University of Madras was founded in 1857, Presidency College was affiliated to it.
In 1870, the college moved to its present location in Kamaraj Salai, opposite Marina Beach
Marina Beach
Marina Beach is a beach in the city of Chennai , India, along the Bay of Bengal, part of the Indian Ocean. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in the south, a distance of , making it the longest urban beach in the country and the world's second longest...
.
Courses
Graduate courses
Arts- History [English and Tamil]
- Political Science [English and Tamil]
- Economics [English and Tamil]
- Economics [English and Tamil] (with vocational subject)
- English Literature [English]
- Tamil Literature [Tamil]
- Hindi Literature [Hindi]
- Malayalam Literature [Malayalam]
- Urdu Literature [Urdu]
Sciences
- Mathematics [English and Tamil]
- Statistics [English]
- Physics [English and Tamil]
- Physics [English and Tamil] (with vocational subject)
- Chemistry [English and Tamil]
- Botany [English and Tamil]
- Zoology [English and Tamil]
- Geology [English]
- Geography [English]
- Psychology [English]
Commerce
- Corporate Secretaryship [English]
Post-graduate courses
ArtsHistory, Political Science, Public Administration, Economics, Tamil, Telugu, English and Sanskrit
Sciences
Computer Science (MCA), Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Geology, Geography, Applied Microbiology and Psychology
Philosophy
There are M.Phil courses in English, History, Political Science, Public Administration, Economics, Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Mathematics Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Geography and Commerce.
Doctorate courses
Facilities for research leading to the Ph.D. degree are available in the Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Geology, Geography, History, Political Science, Public Administration, Economics, Commerce, English, Tamil, Sanskrit and Telugu departments.List of Principals
- E. B. PowellE. B. PowellEyre Burton Powell CSI was a legendary British educationist who served as the first Principal of the Presidency College, Madras.- Biography :...
(1840-1862) - Edmund Thompson (1862-1884)
- David DuncanDavid DuncanDavid B. Duncan is the United States government's star witness in the Arthur Andersen trial. He has said fears over interpretation prompted him to order the shredding of documents relating to Enron....
(1884-1899) - J. B. Bidlebeck (1899-1906)
- J. H. Stone (1907-1915)
- E. W. MiddlemastE. W. MiddlemastEdgar William Middlemast was a British mathematician and educator in India in the early twentieth century. He served as the Deputy Director of the Department of Public Instruction, Madras Presidency, as Professor of Mathematics at the Presidency College, Madras from 1910 and as Principal of the...
(1915)
Notable alumni
- Field MarshalField MarshalField Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
K M Cariappa, first Commander-in-Chief of Defence Forces of independent India - Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyer, Dewan of Travancore
- Paravastu Chinnayya SooriParavastu Chinnayya SooriParavastu Chinnayasuri is a well-known Telugu writer. He was born in 1807 in Perambur of Chengalpattu district and died in 1861. Suri was the son of Venkata Rangayya a Vaishnavite Scholar. He worked as a Telugu teacher at Pachaiyappa's College in Madras. He also worked as a law scholar for the...
, Telugu scholar - Dr. Subrahmanyan ChandrasekharSubrahmanyan ChandrasekharSubrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, FRS ) was an Indian origin American astrophysicist who, with William A. Fowler, won the 1983 Nobel Prize for Physics for key discoveries that led to the currently accepted theory on the later evolutionary stages of massive stars...
- Nobel laureate in Physics - Dr. Sarvepalli GopalSarvepalli Gopal-Background and education:He was born in a Niyogi Telugu Brahmin family. He was the son of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, India's first Vice-President [1952-1962] and second President [1962-1967].He completed his graduation at Presidency College, Madras, and D.Phil...
, Chairman, National Book Trust and historian - Sir P. S. Sivaswami IyerP. S. Sivaswami IyerSir Pazhamaneri Sundaram Sivaswami Iyer, KCSI, CIE was a prominent lawyer, administrator and statesman who served as the Advocate General of Madras from 1907 to 1911....
, Law Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council - C. R. PattabhiramanC. R. PattabhiramanChetpet Ramaswami Iyer Pattabhiraman was an Indian lawyer, politician and statesman from the Indian National Congress. He was the eldest son of Indian statesman C. P. Ramaswami Iyer...
, Minister, Law and Company Affairs, GOI - Palani G PeriyasamyPalani G PeriyasamyPalani G Periasamy is industrialist and educationalist. He is chairman of Chennai based PGP group of companies.-Early Years:Palani G. Periasamy was born in the small village of the Namakkal district. His father, Palani Gounder....
, businessman - C. RajagopalachariC. RajagopalachariChakravarti Rajagopalachari , informally called Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, independence activist, politician, writer and statesman. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India...
, Chief Minister of Madras - V. K. Krishna Menon (1896–1974), Defence Minister of IndiaDefence Minister of IndiaThe Ministry of Defence is India's federal department allocated the largest level of budgetary resources and charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the Indian armed forces.The Indian Armed Forces ; the...
(1957–1962) - K. V. K. Sundaram, (1904–1992) Chief Election Commissioner of IndiaChief Election Commissioner of IndiaThe Chief Election Commissioner heads the Election Commission of India, a body constitutionally empowered to conduct free and fair elections to the national and state legislatures...
(1958–1967) - Sir Benegal Rama RauBenegal Rama RauSir Benegal Rama Rau CIE was the fourth Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1 July 1949 to 14 January 1957. He was educated at Presidency College, Madras, and at Kings College, Cambridge. He was knighted in 1936. He was a member of the Indian Civil Service...
, Governor, Reserve Bank of IndiaReserve Bank of IndiaThe Reserve Bank of India is the central banking institution of India and controls the monetary policy of the rupee as well as US$300.21 billion of currency reserves. The institution was established on 1 April 1935 during the British Raj in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of... - Uma SambanthanUma SambanthanToh Puan Umasundari Sambanthan née Subramaniam is the wife of the late Tun V.T. Sambanthan, former Malayan Labour Minister, president of the Malaysian Indian Congress and regarded as one of the founding fathers of Malaysia. She is an activist, social worker and leading figure of the cooperative...
- social activist and wife of V. T. SambanthanV. T. SambanthanTun Thirunyanasambanthan Thevar s/o Veerasamy Thevar, better known as Tun V.T. Sambanthan Thevar, was the fifth President of Malaysian Indian Congress and one of the Founding Fathers of Malaysia along with Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tan Cheng Lock...
, one of the founding fathers of modern day Malaysia - P. SubbarayanP. SubbarayanParamasiva Subbarayan was an Indian politician, freedom fighter and diplomat and was the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency, India's ambassador to Indonesia and Union Minister of Transport and Communications in Jawaharlal Nehru's government. He is the father of General P. P...
, Chief Minister of Madras - C.SubramaniamChidambaram SubramaniamChidambaram Subramaniam , was an Indian statesman...
- Minister, Finance GOI and Father of the Green Revolution - G. N. BalasubramaniamG. N. BalasubramaniamG. N. Balasubramaniam , popularly known as GNB, was a legendary vocalist in the Carnatic tradition. He became the first superstar of Carnatic music, innovating the art through emphasis on laya control & reducing the gamakas which eventually made Carnatic music appeal to the lay and the learned...
, Carnatic vocalist - K. SubrahmanyamK. SubrahmanyamK. Subrahmanyam was a prominent international strategic affairs analyst, journalist and former Indian civil servant. Considered a proponent of Realpolitik, Subrahmanyam has long been an influential voice in Indian security affairs...
, Secretary, Defence Production, GOI - N. RamN. RamNarasimhan Ram is an Indian journalist. Ram has been the Managing-Director of The Hindu since 1977 and its Editor-in-Chief since June 27, 2003. Ram also heads the other publications of The Hindu Group such as Frontline, The Hindu Business Line and Sportstar, and has been awarded the Padma Bhushan...
, Managing Director, The Hindu - Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata RamanChandrasekhara Venkata RamanSir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, FRS was an Indian physicist whose work was influential in the growth of science in the world. He was the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930 for the discovery that when light traverses a transparent material, some of the light that is deflected...
, Nobel laureate in Physics - Srinivasa Varadhan, Abel PrizeAbel PrizeThe Abel Prize is an international prize presented annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians. The prize is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel . It has often been described as the "mathematician's Nobel prize" and is among the most prestigious...
laureate in Mathematics - K. K. SrinivasanK. K. SrinivasanKushalnagar Krishnaswamy Srinivasan known as K. K. Srinivasan was an Indian radar officer who founded a pre-school for deaf children.- Education :Madras Presidency College, Madras...
, officer and founder of a pre-school for hearing impaired children