Self Study Report for NAAC - 3rd Cycle ( Volume – I ) Submitted to The National Assessment & Accreditation Council Bangalore Submitted by Deccan Education Society’s Fergusson College, Pune Maharashtra May 2015 About Us The founders of Fergusson College had first started New English School, Pune in 1880 and later established the Deccan Education Society (DES) in 1884. This was followed by the bold initiative to start a privately managed college in India, on the 2nd January 1885, naming it as the Fergusson College. The name was given in appreciation of the support of Sir James Fergusson, then Governor of Bombay Province and also the first Patron of the DES. Principal William Wordsworth, the grandson of the famous poet, was the master of the ceremony at the inaugural function of the college. The college received affiliation of University of Bombay and began its onward march in higher education with the opening of the Arts classes, followed in 1892, with the science classes. The college held these classes, for almost ten years, in the old Gadre Wada and other locations in Pune. Presently it is affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune (formerly University of Pune). The foundation stone of the Main building of the Fergusson College was laid in 1892 and the building was completed in 1895. The college started functioning on this campus in 1895. From then onwards, the college has grown academically and acquired a reputation as nation-building institution. It has a place of pride in the hearts of the people, as a historical monument and a symbol of the country’s freedom struggle. While the founders Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, Mahadev Ballal Namjoshi and Vaman Shivram Apte have become legends, in the history of education and the freedom struggle in India. It is a matter of great significance, that the college received active and moral support from academicians and statesmen, such as Principal William Wordsworth, Principal F.G. Selby, Lord Rippon, Sir William Wedderburn and Sir James Fergusson. The emphasis of the founders on ‘knowledge’ is aptly reflected in the college emblem, which bears the inscription, ‘Knowledge Is Power’. The ‘Garuda’ (the Eagle) in this emblem, symbolizes the youth, soaring with the power of knowledge into a vast sky of challenges and opportunities. Fergusson College has produced great political leaders, such as two former- Prime Ministers of India, namely P.V. Narasimha Rao and Vishwanath Pratap Singh. Former- Chief Minister Babubhai Patel, former-Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Barrister V.N. Gadgil, Acharya Kripalani, Veer Savarkar, S.M. Joshi and Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who was described by Mahatma Gandhi, as his political guru and mentor, gave a distinctive touch to the college. All through its 130 years of a shrine like existence, Fergusson College has given to the country, from among its alumni, great patriots, thinkers, philosophers, poets, writers, teachers, social workers, scientists, industrialists, entrepreneurs, researchers, administrators and defense officers. There is no walk of life that has not basked in the sun of the Fergussonian spirit. About our parent organization- Deccan Education Society (DES) DES, a renowned name in the educational firmament, is standing at a significant milestone in its cherished history of service to the cause of education. Steeped in the glorious tradition set by its illustrious founders and assiduously nurtured by succeeding generations of devoted Life Members, the Society is an ideal blend of the traditional and the modern. Today, DES is a dynamic conglomeration of well over 45 educational institutions, acknowledged as centres of quality education, with firm commitment to the pursuit of excellence. DES has always been a student centric, teacher-managed organization. The DES looks into future with great optimism and confidence. It will enthusiastically and pro-actively embrace new opportunities of growth and development. The Main Building This simple, yet beautiful building symbolizes the entire college. Constructed in the Gothic style with basalt stone (probably quarried from the Fergusson hill) in the early 1890’s the foundation stone was laid on the 11th January, 1892 by His Excellency, the Hon’ble George Robert Canning Harris, Baron Harries, G.C.I.E., and Governor of Bombay. The building was designed by Rao Bahadur V.B. Kanitkar, the Honorary Consulting Engineer to DES and it was built at a cost of Rs. 87,500.00. His Excellency, Lord Sandhurst, the then Governor of Bombay inaugurated the building on the 27th March, 1895 and it heralded the dawn of a new era, in higher education. In 1985, Government of India released a postal stamp with a beautiful portrait of the Main Building embossed on it, to commemorate the Centenary of the college. N.M. Wadia Amphitheatre The N.M. Wadia Amphitheatre was great vision of Wrangler R.P. Paranjape, the first Principal of the college in the 20th century and the first Wrangler of India. It was made possible by the munificent donations from the Wadia Trust, Prince Aga Khan and many others. The N.M. Wadia Amphitheatre was inaugurated on the 5th September 1912 by Sir George Clarke (later Lord Sydenham) the then Governor of Bombay. It has a seating capacity of 1500 persons. Besides the auditorium, the building has one small and two large classrooms, on the ground floor which house Department of German, French and Political Science. The semi gothic design and the imposing height of the building, imparts to it a unique architectural ambience of historical significance. The Amphitheatre has been the place of birth for several new educational institutes, cultural and literary movements. The Amphitheatre has been a venue for initiating New Movements like: • The first All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) organized in the Amphitheatre in 1927 and subsequently the Silver, Golden and Platinum Jubilees were all celebrated in the Amphitheatre. • Children’s Science Movement (CSM) was launched at the hands of Prof. Raghunath Mashelkar, the then Director General, CSIR, New Delhi, in 2001. The dignitaries present included Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, Government of India, Professor V.G. Bhide, Former Vice Chancellor University of Pune and founder President CSM and Principal Dr. V.K. Wagh. The inauguration was attended by about 2000 school children from various schools in and around the city and was indeed one of the very grand events held in this auditorium in recent years. • Theatre Movements: Many theatre movements started in the Amphitheatre. The Purushottam Karandak Spardha (a state level one act play competition) was launched in this hall. Many renowned stage and cine actors and actresses as well as directors of films and documentaries made their career debut on the stage of Amphitheatre. • The theatre has hosted innumerable public debates during the freedom struggle and thereafter. Notable amongst the speakers, to name only a few were Lala Lajpat Rai, Acharya Kelekar, N.G. Gore, S.M. Joshi and Namboodripada. Many debates and discussions in this auditorium have contributed to the intellectual creativity of the college. Such outstanding and eminent personalities participating in various events are Sir J.C. Bose, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, Sir P.C. Ray, Rt. Hon. V.S. Shastri, Nobel laureates Sir C.V. Raman, Guruvarya Ravindranath Tagore and Professor Fowler have addressed the gatherings from the dais of the Amphitheatre. The Bai Jerbai Wadia Library The building of the Bai Jerbai Wadia Library, comprising of two floors was completed in May 1929 with a sumptuous donation of Rs. 1.61 lakh from the Wadia brothers and was inaugurated in June 1929 without any formal ceremony. The entire first floor of the Library serves as a Reading Hall for students and is spacious enough to comfortably accommodate around 400 students at a time. This is perhaps one of the largest Reading Rooms of any library in the State. There are two computational centres with 40 computers with net connectivity for students. The library provides services to students, teachers, scholars, researchers and senior citizens including scholars from abroad. Apart from this, the library also has collection of very old and rare manuscripts like Raobahadur Mandlik and N.B. Bramhe collections. These have been digitized with financial support from National Archives of India, Ministry of Culture. Botanical Garden The botanical garden is one of the special features of the college. The garden was established in the year 1902 and located on the eastern side and covers approximately two acres. Plants from 47 families are represented in the botanical garden. Kimaya Kimaya is an open air cultural center. Shri. P.L. Deshpande, a distinguished Marathi writer and an alumnus of College, donated Rs. 51,000.00 for raising Kimaya. The idea was to provide a place for the young artists to give performances, their work, short plays, skits, reading of poetry, telling stories and perform musical recitals. This is utilized to fullest extent by students for their extracurricular activities. The Gymkhana The Gymkhana earlier known as “Chandvadkar Pavilion” was established in 1910. The college has large play grounds, which meet the requirements of all outdoor games. Facilities for indoor games are also provided. With change in time, the infrastructure for sports has been strengthened with introduction of venture and combat sports. Synthetic basket ball courts and separate gymnasiums for boys and girls are added recently to the infrastructure. The college participates in approximately 32 sports events annually at various levels. There is “Gymkhana Managing Committee” which looks into all issues of sports and caters to needs to students participating in various sports events. There has been considerable number of “Arjun Awards” and Shiv Chatrapatti” awardees. Participation and achievement of students at National and International Level competitions has become regular feature of gymkhana. The Hostels The college provides hostel accommodation for boys and girls with all necessary facilities.