Presidency set for 175-yr fete

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But for the name board, the majestic edifice facing the Marina beach is often construed as an impressive building reminiscent of the British era.

As one enters the premises, the spacious wooden staircase, large corridors and the palatial building give one the impression of revisiting history.

Presidency College, which produced stalwarts such as Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa, Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyer, Dewan of Travancore, scholar Paravastu Chinnayya Soori, C. Rajagopalachari, chief minister of Madras, and U.V. Swaminath Aiyer the grand old man of Tamil literature who worked as professor, had its humble beginning in 1840 where the Presidency Girls’ Higher Secondary School is now situated in Egmore.

The first college in south India will turn 175 in 2015. The college alumni association has, along with the college authorities, planned to establish a commemorative auditorium.

“We plan to make the event a grand one and hope to raise funds of Rs 5 crore to establish the auditorium,” says M. Roosevelt, general secretary, Presidency College Alumni Association.

“We take pride in our college, which had once accommodated the Madras University and the law department that were later shifted to their present locations,” he adds.

The college, which was the only such institution in the region, attracted students from various parts of south India. “Our students were called the princes of Presidency but it is sad to note that some of them don’t maintain the dignity. We have urged the authorities to take stringent action on the students indulging in violence,” he says.

The college was established as the Madras Preparatory School on October 15, 1840, in a rented building in Egmore known as Edinburgh Home and shifted to Broadway in 1841. It was upgraded to a high school and then a graduate college.

It is one of the two Presidency colleges established by the British in India, the other being the Presidency College in Kolkata.

The college was affiliated to the University of Madras, which was founded in 1857. In 1870, the college moved to its present location on Kamaraj Salai, opposite Marina Beach. It now has more than 3,500 students.