Elphinstone College – #Thursday Doors

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Have you ever gone through this feeling of satisfaction? A feeling of doing something that has been on your list for years. Something that has been on your mind for long but you couldn’t because of various reasons. Well, if you do you know how I am feeling right now. Thursday Doors has been on my mind ever since I started reading No Facilities blog by my friend and mentor Dan Antion.

The reason I couldn’t write about Thursday Doors is that I felt there aren’t many doors to write about. However, Mumbai has plenty of options and I realize I just need to think differently. One of the reasons I wanted to do Thursday Doors’ is because it can offer me a chance to write about my city. It is a fun and challenging weekly blogfest organized by Norm Frampton.

Since this is my first Thursday Doors post, I’ve decided to play safe and pick my college. I have plenty of memories and stories that I can share. Hence, there is no dearth of content here, but I’ll keep it short. I joined Elphinstone College in the year 1999 and graduated in the year 2002.

Of course, I admit that this college was not my first choice, but I’m glad I became a part of this institution. I found some of my best college friends and professors here. Some friends are still in touch with me. One of the most striking features of the Elphinstone College is its building architecture.

The building of the college with its Gothic architecture is a Grade I heritage structure. UNESCO has also awarded the college with Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Culture Heritage Conservation in 2004. Recently, the Kala Ghoda Association did the restoration work of the college building.

Historically, Elphinstone College is one of the oldest colleges in Mumbai. In fact, the college is older than the University of Bombay (now University of Mumbai).

In the year 1827, Bombay Native Education Society passed a resolution to create an institution to promote education. To this, the citizens of Bombay collected Rs. 2,29,636.00 over a period of time. This money was meant for teaching the English language, the Arts and Literature of Europe.

Mountstuart Elphinstone became the Lieutenant-Governor of Bombay in 1819, a post he held until 1827. The institution was named after him as a departing tribute. The college was formally instituted in 1835 and classes commenced in 1836.

Two decades later, in 1856, Elphinstone College became an institution in its own right. In 1857, the University of Bombay was established and Elphinstone College was among the first to receive university affiliation.  Recently, the college has been re-accredited with A grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

The college has a long list of distinguished alumni which includes people that have excelled in their own fields.

• Dadabhai Naoroji (Political and Social Leader)
• Mahadev Govind Ranade (Justice and Social Reformer)
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Independence Activist)
• Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar  (Architect of the Constitution of India)
• Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata (Industrialist – Founder of Tata Group)
• Ranjana Desai (former judge of the Supreme Court of India)
• Kishori Amonkar (Indian Classical Vocalist)
• Vijay Merchant (Indian cricketer)

However, for me, there is more to this college than history. The locality of the college is quite beneficial to those who pursue Arts or Fine Arts. The college is right opposite the Jehangir Art Gallery and the Prince of Wales Museum (now CSMVS). Located in the Kala Ghoda area, Elphinstone College is close to many other heritage buildings and structures.

If you like to participate in Thursday Doors you can post picture/s and put them in a post. You can visit Norm’s page and follow the instructions to add your doors to the collection. Try and post the content between 5:30 a.m. ET on Thursday and noon on Saturday.