Established in 1875, Govt. Mohindra College, Patiala was a gift from Maharaja Mohinder Singh (1852-76) of Patiala to his state subjects. It is one of the oldest institutions in north India and is a living monument of rare and breath-taking grandeur. At the time of its inception, it was the only institution of its kind in a vast area stretching from Lahore to Delhi. The Earl of Northbrook, the then viceroy of India laid the foundation stone of the college building on 30th march 1875 and it took around nine years to build. It is a beautiful and historical monument with the mix blend of Gothic, Roman, Mughal and Indian architecture.
In 1998, the centre released a postal stamp of the college on March 14th, when it was included in the list of 100 years plus old colleges of the country.
Source: Google
The College was awarded the A+ Grade by the ‘NAAC’ in April 2003. In 2006 the University Grants Commission accorded CPE status to the College under its scheme of ‘Colleges with Potential for Excellence’, a status which the College enjoyed until 2014. In 2009, the Department of Biotechnology of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, selected the college for financial assistance under its ‘Star College in Life Sciences Scheme’. The College has also been selected for being a Community College under the Community College Scheme of the UGC.
On the occasion of the 143rd foundation Day, SBS Punjabi spoke to Ms Tripti Sharma, Vice Principal and Head of Department of English at the college.
Listen to full interview here
Group photo on 143rd Foundation day Source: Facebook
Source: Supplied
While talking about the long journey of the college, Ms Sharma said that even though, initially, it was established to provide education to the local subjects of the area, but over time, it has evolved and made a mark for itself in the education field.
“Over the years, it has evolved itself into an institution which has made a mark in the Indian education map.”
She said that the education system in the beginning was very simple but since then it has come a long way and today has become one-of-a-kind City College.
When asked about the changes in education style over time, Ms Sharma informed that there have been tremendous changes in the education system in the 21st century and the college has accepted and adopted those changes wholeheartedly. She said that even though the college still maintains the talk and chalk method, it has also equipped the classrooms with audio visual aids, has smart classrooms and modern lab facilities. The college is also aiming to implement paperless working which will improve the administration of the college on a big level. Ms Sharma said that the admission procedure to the college has already improved due to the modern changes adopted by the institution.
Source: Supplied
“We are going ahead with all the modern facilities and trying to include it in the system of college in a big way.”
As far as the attitude and interest of students is concerned, Ms Sharma said that the student these days are very concerned about their future and careers and that’s why, along with providing the traditional courses and subjects to the students, the college regularly introduces new courses to the students so that they have a better and vast range to choose from. She said that these courses are in big demand among students e.g., commerce, management and vocational subjects. The college in total offers 15 undergraduate course and 13 post graduate courses to students.
Moving forward, Ms Sharma said that the teachers need to work hard in making the students professionally efficient.
“We need to make the students more aware and give them exposure to the ways of the world.”
Ms Sharma also sent out a message to all the old students of the college saying that they should feel proud of the institution that has made a name for itself in the education map of Indian and should keep in touch for as long as possible.
“They should feel proud of it and they should associate themselves till whatever time they have active healthy life…so that the college progresses even further”.
Source: Wikipedia
