In pics: 90 years of Shri Ram College Of Commerce, Delhi University

Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi, has put up an archives gallery on the occasion of celebrating 90 years of its existence. The images on display create nostalgia for students and faculty both.

The clock strikes, and the time sets in to celebrate 90 years of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC). When the college was set up and affiliated to University of Delhi, in April 1926, commerce as a stream of education wasn’t as popular as it is today. At present, the college, probably, has the biggest commerce department in India, with 70 faculty members and 550-600 students, who compete against high cut-offs to get into the college.

The present building of Shri Ram College of Commerce is one of the earliest examples of Art Deco style of architecture in Delhi. Its façade with R.C.C. columns – typical of the British colonial style are contrasted with exposed brickwork; a sign of modernism. Usage of the clock tower, domes, vertical panels and elements define the centre and ends of the building, designed by G C Sharma.

Old campus of SRCC in Darjaganj, 1954.

To mark this occasion, milestone events have been displayed on the college walls. “We have kept our old photos and publications in a systematic way,” says RP Rustagi, principal. He adds, ““I have also given photographs from my personal collection for this archive.”

Established in Charkhewalan, the walled city of pre-Independence Delhi, the school set up by the trust first introduced a Post-Matriculation Diploma Programme in Commerce. The first batch of students was enrolled on the first floor of a hall opposite the St James’ Church at Kashmere Gate. The classes began with twelve students and four faculty members from a hired bungalow at 8 Daryaganj.

Photos from the college archives.

The memories have been captured in the sepia-toned images. The recollections include the last Governor-General of India Dr C Rajagopalachari teaching The Bhagavad Gita to a class in 1950, and students interacting with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2007. The pictures showcase the history of the college, and also chronicle the evolution of commerce as a discipline in India.

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Sir Shri Ram with Vice President of India, Dr S Radhakrishnan, at the inauguration of the new building of Shri Ram College of Commerce, on 31 January 1954.

There’s also a copy of the letter written by the first principal as a character certificate for the students, dated 1926. However, these pictures don’t just reveal the history of the college from its old campus to its present day red brick building in the sprawling North Campus of University of Delhi. They also chronicle the evolution and popularity of commerce as a discipline in India. “The first commerce school in India started in Madras (Chennai) in late 1880s. When SRCC started there was no separate department for commerce and it was operated from the arts department in 1943. M Com was introduced in 1948,” says SK Choudhury, associate professor, Department of English.

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Prof Choudhury credits the success of the institute to the founder, Sir Shri Ram. “He responded to the needs of the society. In 1949, he sought opinion on directions on how commerce education should be conducted in colleges, so that the college students are up-to-date with changes in law. Something that we fail to introduce in our system today,” he says.