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109TH
FOUNDER’S DAY / 15TH FEBRUARY, 2008 / ANNUAL REPORT
2007-2008
Respected Professor M.G.K. Menon ji, distinguished guests, my esteemed colleagues and dear students.
I welcome you all to the 109th Founder’s Day celebrations of Hindu College. It is a privilege to have amongst us today an illustrious scientist, Padmavibhushan, Prof. M.G. K. Menon.
Professor M.G.K. Menon is presently President of Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata and Chairman, Raman Research Institute Trust, Bangalore. Earlier he was Advisor in the Department of Space/Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO from 2004 to 2007 and Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Distinguished Professor of the ISRO for five years from 1999 to 2004.
Prof. Menon has been variously Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad.
A Ph.D. from the University of Bristol, UK, in 1953, Prof. Menon has a large number of honorary doctorates from universities in India and abroad.
He is a Fellow of all the three Science Academies in India; and has been President of each one of them. He was President of the Indian Science Congress Association for 1981-82. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, London; honorary Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of Russian Academy of Sciences, a Founding Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences and member of several prestigious international science bodies. He was President of the International Council of Scientific Unions from 1988 to 1993.
Prof. Menon has been a recipient of many awards: “Health for All” Medal of WHO; Abdus Salam Medal of the Third World Academy of Sciences; Blackett Memorial Lecture of the Royal Society, London, and S.S. Bhatnagar Award of the CSIR.
In his illustrious career, Prof. Menon has held several important assignments. He has been Director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay from 1966-1975; Chairman, Commission for Additional Sources of Energy; Secretary to the Government of India for 12 years; Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, and of Defence Research and Development Organization.
For. 8 years Professor Menon was Member of the Planning Commission with the rank of Minister of State. He has been Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and Chairman of the Science Advisory Committee to the Cabinet. He was Minister for Science & Technology, as also for Education in the Government of India, and Vice President, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research. He was a Member of the Rajya Sabha during 1990-96. He has worked extensively in an honorary capacity for UN organizations.
In recognition of his invaluable contribution, Prof. Menon has been conferred with the Padma Shri in 1961; Padma Bhushan in 1968; and Padma Vibhushan in 1985.
I would like to take this opportunity, Professor Menon to tell you a little about Hindu College which is one of the best known co-educational institutions in India. Though the name of the college might sound otherwise, Hindu has never been a majority institution. Students from all religions have found space here to learn and grow and they have excelled in academics, sports and in the field of culture. This college has gone down in history as one of the most democratic institutions. It stands tall in public esteem and in the memories of its old students, many of whom are prominent in government, business and industry, the media and education. However, it was not built in a day.
Towards the end of the 19th century, some prominent citizens of Delhi decided to establish a college for the less privileged, and Hindu college was founded in 1899 by late Shri Krishan Dass Ji Gurwale. It was started in a humble building in Kinari Bazar, Chandni Chowk. One of the first boys on its rolls was Sir Shri Ram. He later became the Chairman of the College Governing Body and was one of its great builders. In 1902 just as the college was settling down to its schedule of academic activity Punjab University, to which the college was then affiliated, as there was no Delhi University, threatened disaffiliation on the ground that the Kundenwalan premises in Ajmeri Gate were unfit for an educational institution. In this crisis, Rai Bahadur Sultan Singh came to the rescue of the college and made available a part of his historic property at Kashmiri Gate, which was originally owned by Col. Skinner. Thus, the College was able to function out of these premises till 1953 when it moved to where it stands today.
This is the only College in Delhi to have a Students’ Parliament since 1935. The Hindu College Parliament has, in fact, provided a platform to many leaders of eminence including Mahatama Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Moti Lal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose. Hindu college played a leading role during the nationalist struggle responding whole heartedly to Gandhiji’s Quit India call in 1942. During this period some teachers and students of the college even went to prison
Since then the College has grown from strength to strength and I am sure will continue to provide the leadership and directions for the times ahead in every sphere of human enterprise and endeavour.
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