| Miranda House | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| New Delhi, Delhi, India | |
| Information | |
| Type | Women's college of Delhi University |
| Established | 1948 |
| Principal | Pratibha Jolly |
| Staff | 326 |
| Faculty | 238 |
| Number of students | More than 3000 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colour(s) | Cocoa brown |
| Nickname | MH, Miranda, Mirandians |
| Calendar | Semester |
| Affiliations | DU |
| Website | www.mirandahouse.ac.in |
Miranda House (Hindi: मिरांडा हाउस) is a highly renowned and distinguished constituent college for women at the University of Delhi in India. It is widely regarded[1] as a premier women's institution of Delhi University offering degrees in the Sciences and Liberal Arts. Miranda House has demonstrated academic excellence since the time of its inception.[2] Numerous students have secured university ranks and are awarded the most prestigious prizes in their disciplines by the university and college.[3]
MH was founded in 1948 by the then vice-chancellor, Sir Maurice Gwyer. Its foundation stone was laid by Lady Edwina Mountbatten on March 7 in the same year. Located on the university campus, Miranda House is built in warm red bricks with cool and spacious corridors. Its original design was planned by the renowned architect Walter Sykes George. The college shares an architectural affinity with other colonial educational institutions of the country. In the past six decades, as the college has grown, several buildings have been added to its original design. It is now declared an heritage building and work is on to preserve its pristine architectural glory. The college celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in 2007-08. Alumni and students of this college are popularly known as Mirandians.
More than half a century ago Miranda House came into existence as campus college for women. A generation of young women with the image of new vistas opening up entered the portals setting high goals and ideals for themselves. The college has felt the tide of changing times. There has been an ideological shift in the role that young women of today are called upon to play. Miranda House has always provided the right atmosphere for this growth. All the members of the college — the principals, teachers, non-academic staff and students — have contributed to its growth. The "Miranda Touch" always remains and is passed on from the past generation to the present and to the coming generation. Presiding over the Silver Jubilee Celebration of the college in 1973, Indira Gandhi, the then prime minister, remarked that Miranda House girls believed that all the beauty and the brains of the capital came from the college and commented "it is partly true, though not entirely so".
In its existence, Miranda House has maintained its growth. It started with a student strength of 33 in July 1948, which rose to 105 by September the same year. It was is 2,090 in 1997–98. The strength of the academic staff increased from six in 1948 to 120 (permanent) in 1997–98 and that of non-academic staff from 11 in 1948 (five in the hostel and six in the college) to 120 in 1997–98. There were only 43 students in the hostel in 1948, out of which seven belonged to other colleges of University of Delhi. The present strength of the hostel is 250. These figures speak for themselves about the growth of the college during the last 50 years.
At the time of its founding, Miranda House had six departments; at present there are eighteen. Science teaching was conducted in the university but in 1963–64, B.Sc. General and in 1971, B.Sc. Honours teaching work started in the college. Many new subjects have been introduced in the Humanities and Social Sciences since then. Miranda House has fulfilled the dreams of Sir Maurice Gwyer as a pioneering, prestigious institution of India.
Miranda House is reputed for providing quality liberal education in social sciences, humanities and the basic sciences. The college has always maintained high academic standards. Academic life is rigorous and designed to lay a firm conceptual foundation and provide professional expertise necessary for adapting to the challenging workplace. The college has its backbone in excellent infrastructure; the teaching laboratories and general facilities are among the best in the university. The faculty is distinguished[7] and the support staff dedicated. Miranda House has been consistently ranked as one of the best institutes of higher education for women in India.[8]
At present Miranda House offers education in sciences and humanities to more than 3,000 students.
Miranda House offers a wide array of undergraduate and graduate courses.
Globalization of education and economy has led the University Grants Commission (UGC) to reorient and reshape its policies and programmes to make the higher education system more relevant and career-oriented. Professionally trained graduates have more openings in service industry and for self-employment.
Miranda House offers a career-oriented add-on course on Tourism that can be opted for by students as a parallel sub-discipline while pursuing their degree-level education. This course is approved by the UGC and is self-financing.
Additionally, several other short-duration career-oriented courses have been specially designed and are on offer: Operations Research, Computer Applications, Green Chemistry among others. The college also offers one-year certificate courses in French, German and Spanish in collaboration with the Department of Germanic and Romance Studies, University of Delhi. It offers a course in Russian in collaboration with the Department of Slavonic and Finno-Ugrian Studies, University of Delhi.
Students enrol for M.A. and M.Sc. programmes in the college for which classes are held at the respective departments at the university.
Admission is strictly based on the marks secured by candidates in their senior secondary high school Examination of the CBSE or equivalent Board. As the number of seats is limited, eligibility does not guarantee admission. Limited seats are available on the basis of merit in sports and extracurricular activities as determined by a selection process.
Individual departments retain the right to determine the subjects and basis for admission.
Located on the Delhi University campus, Miranda House is built in warm red brick with cool and spacious verandahs. Its original design was by the architect Walter Sykes George, and the college shares architectural affinity with other colonial educational institutions of the country. The college hostel is among the oldest residential buildings in the university. The hostel has recently been renovated under the Heritage Building Project. The hostel section is laid out in a pleasing quadrangle, with gardens placed out by bottle palms. The design allows a spacious privacy.
Since the very beginning Miranda House has undergone numerous physical changes and has grown with additions to its original layout plan. The major features of its structure are the main college building, the library, and the hostel block. In the 1950s, the new building for lectures was constructed. The principal's office, college office, teachers' lounge, students' common room, sheds for four college buses were built during this period. The college auditorium, equipped with microphones, and the cafeteria building came up during this time. New classrooms were added by partitioning the old library hall. The new administrative section was built in the centre of the teaching wing. Some classrooms on the ground floor were converted into the administrative block which also houses the principal's new office. In the Golden Jubilee Year, renovation of the college auditorium under the supervision of interior designer and old Mirandian, Ketaki Sood, and development of a beautiful rock garden in the space behind the students' common room and in front of the cafeteria have been two noteworthy improvements.
An opportunity to reside in the Miranda House Hostel, which has been home to several famous and distinguished alumnae in their formative years, is a privilege. Miranda House was a residence before it became a college. The residence which has grown to be a premiere college was founded in 1948 by the vice-chancellor, Sir Maurice Gwyer; its foundation stone was laid by Lady Edwina Mountbatten on March 7 the same year. The building was designed by the renowned architect Walter George and shares an architectural affinity with other colonial educational institutes of the country.
The dining hall has a high arched ceiling, monastic tables and benches that comes alive at mealtime. The common room and the open coffee lounge attached to it, provide moments of leisure. Declared a Heritage Building, extensive restoration and refurbishment work has recently been undertaken in the hostel to restore the grandeur of its red brick facade and unique interiors. The residence opens on Chhatra Marg. It has 120 twin rooms and seven four-seaters. The day-to-day functioning is taken care of by a full-time resident warden and a housekeeper. The hostel administrative team including the principal, the vice-principal, the bursar, teacher representatives on the hostel committee and the hostel warden.
A Mirandian is known not only for her academic excellence but also for her involvement in extracurricular activities. Miranda House has always encouraged its students to interact and participate in diverse activities outside the classroom. Such is the range of opportunities that through out the year, the auditorium, the common rooms, the cafeteria and the lawns buzz with passionate and vibrant patter of budding actors, journalists, singers, writers, painters, social workers and political activists.
The clubs and societies document the changing face of society and that of Miranda House. They trace the evolution of individual talent of every student as she experiments and explores her own potential. Aiding this growth in the formative years are the faculty who relentlessly match zeal for zeal and prod the students to aim for the very best. The college is committed to nurturing talent and celebrating the diversity of student potential. The cultural societies provide a forum to students where they can give expression to their creativity in myriads of ways.
There are over 20 clubs and societies at Miranda House. Some of the more popular clubs are the
Miranda House's commitment to nurturing talent is evident in the long list of notable alumni, many of whom are actors, dancers, filmmakers and activists.
The Women’s Development Cell is a space for exploring gender stereotypes, making connections between private lives and public words, and sensitizing students to a feminist understanding of their lives and context. This is done through interaction. A three-day certificate course on "Women and Law" in India has, over the past years, become an integral part of the college calendar. In addition, the cell organizes lectures, workshops, documentary and discussions on topical, pertinent issues.[9]
Miranda House NCC Company has a total strength of 160 cadets out of which 80 are enrolled in the Army wing besides one cadet being enrolled in Air wing. As a result of change in the NCC policy-making training period for two years, many second-year students also joined NCC. The response was overwhelming from the first year students.
The NSS unit of Miranda House takes great pride in the work it does for the community at large. There are two core activities of NSS. First, teaching the children of the support staff and the underprivileged children in the neighbouring areas. Second, reading and recording for the visually challenged students of the college. Volunteers also participate in seminars, social campaigns and related competitions that increase their exposure and awareness about social issues.
The college gives a lot of importance to sports and games. The department organizes fresher competitions in cross-country race, basketball and table tennis. Cross-country race is always for a social cause like Run for Peace, Run for Our Kargil Heroes, Plant More Trees, etc. The school provides special coaching for basketball, badminton, chess, cross-country race, softball, tennis, table tennis, track and field, volleyball and other games like cricket as per student demand. The latest addition is rifle and pistol shooting.
College teams participate in inter-college and open tournaments. Many students are selected to represent Delhi in the All India Inter University competitions and national-level competitions.
The college organizes an inter college table tennis tournament for men and women, mainly to promote unity and sporting spirit amongst the youth of Delhi University.
The other important date in the sports calendar is the college Annual Sports Day. Eminent sports personalities are invited for the occasion to inspire the students by giving away the prized and interacting with them.
A great milestone in the history of the college sports and a landmark is the renovated basketball court. Its bounce-back shock-proof surface is unique and the first and only one at the university. A basketball invitational tournament for women teams from colleges of the University of Delhi was organised to inaugurate the court.
A team of 17 students and three faculty members from the Utrecht Business School, Hogeschool Utrecht University of Applied Sciences visited the University of Delhi for an inter-cultural contact program from 19 to 23 October 2009. Miranda House and Sri Ram College of Commerce hosted this team through a week-long course on Management and Culture. As many as 16 students from Miranda House and 15 from Sri Ram College of Commerce participated in the program. The program was the second of a series initiated in 2008 with support from Dr. K. Sreenivas, dean International Relations at University of Delhi.
Tempest, the annual festival of Miranda House, is a much-awaited event not just for Miranda House but for the entire university.
The proposal for establishment of the D S Kothari Centre for Research and Innovation in Science Education emanated from the thought process initiated by the office of the principal scientific adviser to the government of India and the Department of Science and Technology. It is in response to the growing concerns about the dwindling interest in science amongst young students, the lack of quality in science education in the country, the evident disconnect between formal education and the needs of the industry, and the consequent felt need for urgent reforms that revitalize science education.[10].
The D S Kothari Centre for Research and Innovation in Science Education is devoted to promoting creativity and excellence in science with special focus on attracting young students to careers in science and nurturing their innate talent. It aims to act as a nodal centre which will provide easy access to resources for undertaking innovative and inspiring science activities designed to give an early exposure to the scientific process and the joys of discovery. The programs are informed by rigorous science education research, results of cognitive studies on students learning and pedagogic tools established to be effective. Special emphasis is on adopting multi-representational and multidisciplinary approach to science learning in contemporary contexts and integrating the use of cutting-edge educational tools and technologies to provide the best possible environment for exploratory work.
While providing a facility outside of the formal classroom to engage creatively in scientific pursuits, the Centre aims to develop educational resources, innovative curricular materials and pedagogic instruments which can be adopted by the formal system. For large scale adoption of best practices, it will endeavor to develop research-based programs for providing the highest quality Continuing Professional Development for those involved in science education, at all levels. These programs will aim to alter the perception of the process of teaching-learning per se, develop crucial skills for effective communication by imparting pedagogical knowledge in addition to domain knowledge; and train teachers to be action researchers in their own classroom and contribute to the process of large-scale educational change.[11]
The Miranda House Library acquired its first book on 22 July 1948. In the beginning it was confined to one room. The present majestic double-storied building was constructed under the able guidance of the founder librarian P. Tandon. The foundation stone was laid by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 7 March 1973. It occupies a vantage position in the campus. On entry one notices the aesthetic touches provided by paintings, which are a riot of color, and black and white college photographs. The greenery around the building enhances its inviting ambiance.
Readers have easy access to books. The efficient and cooperative library staff carries out their duties with a professional attitude. The library boasts of a strong collection of nearly one lac books, hundreds of periodicals and several newspapers and magazines that are available to the large student population and make the library rich in its assets.
The areas on different floors are demarcated to perform specific functions. One of the reading rooms has an informal seating arrangement where students can lounge engrossed in their pursuit of knowledge.
The library is fully automated and has an audio-visual section. From this academic year, a Digital Resource Centre with several Internet-connected computers will become functional. The library is open from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. on weekdays and from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on Saturdays.[12]
Miranda House is the first college to establish a computer-based resource centre to aid its visually challenged students. Networked computers facilitate work with talking software such as Jaws and Kurjweil. The college has setup an audiobook production facility in a specially designed recording room.
It has a large collection of Braille books. The college is committed to providing rich resources to its large group of visually challenged students and is establishing a programme to make each one fluent in use of empowering technology.[13]
Since the 1960s, Miranda House has been a hotbed for political activism. In 1970, a hallowed tradition of the college, the Miss Miranda beauty contest, was abolished by an overwhelming majority of students despite strong opposition by the principal and influential faculty members. Led by the president of the Student Union, eminent feminist activist Madhu Kishwar, the students protested against beauty being the criteria for the contest.
During the Sikh riots in Delhi in 1984, students of Miranda House organized relief camps for the victims. Acclaimed filmmaker Shonali Bose, who was a student at Miranda, made the Sikh riots the subject of her first award-winning and critically acclaimed film Amu.
The placement cell of the college consists of faculty members and student volunteers. The Placement Cell coordinates the activities of career counseling and campus recruitment. The reputation of the college and the credibility of its teaching programmes aids the process of placements. Every year, it is visited by a very large number of prestigious companies and potential employers; several Mirandians qualified for lucrative placements.
Some of the recruiters include Standard Chartered Bank, Indian Express, Essar Group, Max New York Life Insurance Company, Jaypee Group, Absolutdata Research and Analytics Pvt Ltd., Star India, Thomsondigital, Oxford University Press, AC Neilson ORG-MARG PVT. LTD., IBM Daksh Business Process Services Pvt.Ltd., Teamleaseservices Pvt. Ltd., Zee Telefilm Limited, Wipro BPO, HP Ltd., Star News, Pulse Media Pvt. Ltd., NP Solutions Pvt. Ltd., HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company ltd., Triumph Institute of Management Education, Indigo Airlines, Dorling Kindersley (DK), Grail Research, Sahara Services Ltd., Agro Tech. Food Ltd,. Virgin Mobile, DBS Bank Ltd., Barclays Shared Services Pvt Ltd., GENPACT, Wipro Technologies, Narang Medical Ltd., DHL Express(India) Pvt. Ltd., Indian Air Force, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, Progeon, ITC Welcome Group, Keane Ltd., Max Healthcare, Mind Works Global Media Services Cadila Smart Analyst, Hewitt Associate, Capital IQ, Pipal Research, McKinsey, HCL Technologies Limited, Achievers Recruitment Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Quantum Market Research Pvt. Ltd., Kotak Mahindra Bank, E TV, M TV, Pantheon Advisory (India) Pvt. Ltd., Executive Access Moolchand Hospital, Evalueserve.com Pvt. Ltd., TRAC Skills, Vangelz Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Infosys, SAIPEM Triune Engineering Pvt. Ltd., Tata Consultancy Services.
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