Madras Christian College
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The Madras Christian College, Chennai, South India, is one of the oldest colleges of the Indian subcontinent and was established in 1837. Currently, the college is affiliated to the University of Madras, but functions as an autonomous college from its campus in Tambaram, Chennai.
It is famous for its deer and trees, and is distinguished by a lake encompassed within the campus. It also has the second largest scrub jungle in Asia, actively used by various departments like Botany and Zoology for their practical work. The college has 29 departments including day and evening streams and has four resident hostels called Halls — St. Thomas's Hall, Selaiyur Hall, Bishop Heber Hall and Martin Hall — each with their own culture and activities. Yet the most famous of these traditions is their inter-collegiate cultural programme aptly titled "Deep Woods" which attracts students from around the country and is famous for the Rock Shows.
The College is associated with the Chennai Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School.
Prominent alumni of MCC include the former President of India, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, T.N. Seshan - the 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India, as well as governors of states, vice chancellors of universities, top level politicians, academicians, civil servants, journalists and personalities in the film industry.
[edit] History
In 1885, Chaplains of the Church of Scotland in Madras, Rev George James Laurie and Rev Matthew Bowie started a School, St. Andrew.s School, on the corner of Randall.s Road in Egmore. They requested the Church of Scotland to send a missionary to run it. The General Assembly's school was opened by Rev. John Anderson in a rented house on the east side of Armenian Street (Georgetown), in heart of Chennai, with the Headmaster and 59 boys from St Andrew's School forming the core. It was named after the supreme governing body of the Church of Scotland, and aimed at attracting caste Hindu boys. The stated objective was to "convey as great as an amount of truth as possible through the channel of a good education especially of Bible truth". The college grew from a small school to a 375 acre wooded campus through the guidance of William Miller. A qualified surgeon from London, Miller sold his properties in London to build the present campus in Tambaram.
Prominent amongst the British to lead the college was the Rev. Dr. A.J. Boyd who led the college for 16 years, continuing after India's independence in 1948. It is said that Dr. Boyd knew each of his students personally, as illustrated from General Sundarji's autobiography where he writes that when he wanted to join the army and wanted to discontinue his studies, Dr. Boyd told him not to as he thought that he will end up as a good doctor than a good soldier.
After Dr. Boyd, Mr. McPhail became the principal, and was succeeded by the first Indian principal, Dr. Chandran Devanesan who was the principal for a decade affectionately called "The Devanesan Decade". The current principal of the college is Dr. V.J.Philip.
The college was granted autonomy in 1978 and the first batch of Autonomous graduates passed out in 1981. 2006 marks the Silver Jubilee of Autonomy for Madras Christian College.
[edit] Department of Botany
The Department of Botany was established in 1940. About 2000 undergraduates and more than 500 post-graduate students have been trained here. In recent years, 90 scholars have obtained M.Phil. Degrees and 15 candidates Ph.D. degrees. Many are now enrolled in M.Phil. and Ph.D. research programmes. About 150 students are currently enrolled in U.G., P.G., M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes.
Dr. K.R. Venkatasubban guided the Department for 24 long years. He and other great teachers promoted love of plants and a spirit of inquiry that are still the highlights of this Department. Those who studied here are now shaping the teaching of botany in schools, colleges, and universities. Many of our students are now leading researchers and scientists in India and abroad.
The Botany Department is now housed in a separate building with adequate space for teaching and research. Besides teaching the faculty are actively involved in research. Several funding agencies have provided financial support to carry out minor and major projects and train Ph.D. scholars in such areas as rice grain development, native fodder grasses, floristics, ethnobotany, biodiversity, biology and tissue culture of neem tree, plant hormones, fossil plants and study of pollen grains. The Department of Science & Technology has provided us with a sophisticated microscope costing more than Rs. 15 lakhs. Other current research interests of the faculty include: nitrogen metabolism and several other areas of plant physiology, algal taxonomy, genetics, floristics, ethnobotany, biodiversity, and tissue culture of useful plants.
The closing years of the 20th century were also a period of introspection, challenge and exciting possibilities. The liberalisation of economy, the crisis in funding of higher education, mushrooming of self-financed institutions and public perception have tended to undermine the importance of plant sciences in the country. We are also aware that we must respond to the changing needs of this generation without sacrificing quality. We are now involved in an exercise to update our curriculum and rejuvenate teaching of Botany. The Convention on Biological Diversity has sharply brought to focus the importance of the study of plants in our country of great biodiversity and pressing environmental problems. We are prepared to offer the best training in plant sciences that is relevant to the needs of the day and which appeals to the intellectual and vocational aspirations of the students of the present and coming generations.
