Vital Statistics

• WHAT IS IT? A Delhi University college. • WHO’S THE BOSS? Meera Ramachandran is the principal. • HOW TO GET IN? Applicants must have passed the Senior School Certificate (10+2) CBSE exam or an examination recognised as equivalent by the University of Delhi. • HOW CHEAP IS IT? The fees range from Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per year. • WHERE IS IT? Gargi College, Siri Fort Road, New Delhi – 110049. Phone: 011 – 26494544/26494215. Website: http://www.mgrmnet.com/gargicollege/ GARGIHomePage.htm

Named after Gargi, who symbolised the spirit of knowledge in the Upanishads, Gargi College was established in 1967. Set up by the Delhi administration with just two courses and about 200 students, Gargi College today has more than 2,000 students and 17 disciplines of study.

The college was earlier located behind Lady Shri Ram College but moved to its present location near the Siri Fort in 1975.

Regarded as one of the best women’s institutes among the Delhi University colleges, it is one of the few colleges in Delhi to offer an honours degree in microbiology.

Located in the south campus, it offers undergraduate courses in science, commerce and arts, apart from a course in education.

Bill of fare

In addition to the regular courses offered by Delhi University, Gargi offers a bachelors degree in applied psychology which is entirely based on fieldwork. Says principal Meera Ramachandran, “The students visit homes for the mentally ill to study their behaviour patterns.”

Gargi introduced certain career-oriented courses in journalism and advertising last year. In fact, their popularity encouraged the college to start new courses like gemology and bioinformatics under the name Expanding Horizons. So while doing a BA or a BCom, one can take any of these courses and earn a certificate.

At Gargi, the focus is on discipline and extra-curricular activities.

Ramachandran stresses that every student’s attendance is carefully monitored. But there is life outside the classroom as well. “Apart from academics, we are always encouraged to participate in other activities,” says Payal, a third-year student.

Beyond academics

Apart from academics, the college also focuses on sports. Students have been champions in chess, cricket and judo.

Societies for dramatics, dance and music also give ample opportunities to students to exhibit their talent. The college also has a Film Society called Glass I that aims at creating and sustaining an interest in cinema. The society regularly screens films of eminent directors like Ritwik Ghatak, apart from holding discussions on the movies.

The college is undergoing massive changes as part of a process to provide students with the best of facilities. “An Intranet system is in place to enable students to access information regarding their attendance and internal assessment through a special smart card,” claims Ramachandran.

There are also plans to build a 750-seat auditorium. Having been recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) as a ‘centre with potential for excellence’ the college has received grants for advanced research projects.

Unfortunately, the college does not offer hostel facility but plans to build one in the future in collaboration with the neighbouring Kamla Nehru College, adds Ramachandran.

The college library is a comprehensive one, with a collection of over 60,000 volumes. There is a placement cell that helps students in career counselling and gives information on higher education, campus interviews and placements.

Gargi has its own canteen. “The canteen offers good food at low rates. We also get to interact with students from different departments and have fun together,” says Payal.

Gargi College believes that its USP is value-based education. With an excellent faculty and location, Gargi hopes that its classrooms will chalk a bright future ahead for generations of students.

Arpita Sarkar

OLD MEMORIES

Dr Sheila Kumari, lecturer of physical education, remembers her college days

I studied botany in Gargi College and graduated in 1992. One of the strengths of the college is its faculty. They were — and continue to be — friendly and accessible to the students. The college provided a congenial atmosphere of learning.

There was active knowledge sharing between the faculty and students and between students. All of us benefited from this exchange of ideas. Since it’s my old college, I obviously feel quite strongly about it.

I took part in a lot of extracurricular activities in my college days. I was in the volleyball team and was also involved in singing, dramatics and so on. The surroundings were green and leafy, and there was quite an active green eco-club during my time there. The canteen wasn’t bad either but I suppose there’s always scope for improvement.

As told to Arpita Sarkar