The making of the University of Madras – The New Indian Express

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Let’s rewind to 1857 when the discontent of caste issues and British social reforms, among other things, led to the Sepoy Mutiny — regarded as the first freedom fight. While the northern and central states were in the backdrop of war, port cities like Madras, Bombay and Calcutta were making great strides in education,” began journalist and author Sudha Umashanker, setting the scene for the history of the University of Madras that she narrated during Nam Veedu Nam Oor Nam Kadhai’s World Heritage Week Instagram live series.

Regarded as the ‘mother of all South Indian universities’, Madras University has been the pillar for the proliferation of western-style education in the region. And now, with 87 departments, over 230 courses, and five campuses, the institute is no less impressive than it was a few decades ago. However, the inception of the Madras University in the 19th Century began with the mushrooming of several smaller schools.

Fighting against the system

The Gurukulam system was the most prolific system of education in the Indian subcontinent at the time. “The system had no structure. Students would stay with teachers, do chores for them and the guru would conduct classes when inspiration struck. There was also no particular age at which a child could be said to be proficient at the subject. In comparison, western education was well-designed and separated the personal life of students from their education,” explained Sudha.

The latter came to the city through the various missionaries visiting south India. Starting with a western school at St Andrew’s Church at Fort St George by Father Ephraim de Nevers (eventually demolished) in the 1600s, the system was eventually carried on by the establishment of St Mary’s school in 1715 for European and Eurasian children (from intermarriages). This, ultimately, became St George’s school, considered the oldest school in India.

Other examples of the time are St Paul’s (for locals) and ELM Fabricus (for the Portuguese) by German missionary Johann Grundler; schools in Tirunelveli, Tanjore, Ramnad by the Lutherans; St Mary’s Seminary (for Catholic Youth); and Madras General Assembly school (now Madras Christian College High School) by Scottish Missionaries. 

Raising demands

The need for a western education came not only from the sprouted institutes but from people themselves. In 1839, under the leadership of advocate general to the governor Montstuart Elphinstone, George Norton, 70,000 locals signed a petition for a college, presenting it to the former. “Elphinstone was very responsive. He planned a high school and a college that, together, would make a university,” she noted. The first preparatory school was started on Whannels Road and after that, it was shifted to then Pop Ham’s Broadway. Eventually, the students were sent to Pachaiyappa’s School. 

The high school found a place on Harris Road (then also housing the University) and offered a gamut of subjects — prose, arithmetic, mechanics, philosophy, moral science and more. You may now 
know this institute as Presidency College.

Transitions on the horizon

Along with these establishments, sucessors also heralded the creation of the Department of Education. An act that followed in 1857, finally recognising the Universities of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. 
The increasing popularity of the University was accompanied by a lack of space and it had to move from its original location on Harris Road to the Marina stretch. Pachaiyappa’s and Presidency colleges also found their own structures. Robert Chisome’s architecture brought alive the new structures, including Senate House. “These were all in Indo-Saracenic style, red-bricked…the Senate House is a remarkable structure. It’s got great halls, high ceilings, a cellar, minarets and stained-glass windows; it’s a beautiful building. But, very underutilised. The space was earlier used for banquets, convocations and music programmes, but now, the last thing that happened there was the Chennai Photo Biennale two years ago,” Sudha rued.

Despite all its glory, the University of Madras’ role, initially, was only limited to examinations and drafting syllabi for courses. It was not until the early 1900s that the institute began its own classes. 

Influence and impact

The University, over decades, has seen many illustrious alumni, she listed — Dr Radhakrishnan, R Venkataraman, APJ Abdul Kalam, Subramanium Chandrashekar, Srinivasa Ramanujan. “The University of Madras truly is the mother of all South Indian universities. Then, its reach extended from Odisha to Kanniyakumari and Vizag before the territories were split up between the three universities. Now, it is spread across five campuses in Chepauk, Marina, Guindy, Taramani, and Maduravoyal,” she concluded.