New Delhi, Feb 8 (PTI) Delhi’s historic Indraprastha College for Women has moved into its centenary year whose current iconic premises in Civil Lines were inaugurated on February 7, 1939 by then Vicerine Lady Linlithgow.
On Tuesday, the institution — the oldest women’s college of the Delhi University — marked its 100th college day at its charming campus, with India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant as the chief guest.
“Delighted to be a part of the centennial college day celebrations of DU’s oldest women’s college, Indraprastha College @ipcollegedu. It was a privilege to share my thoughts with young women students, who undoubtedly will be the leaders of tomorrow. Spoke on Women Led Development,” Kant tweeted on the occasion.
The college was founded in 1924 and its history spans the movement for women’s education and the Independence movement of India. It will turn 100 next year.
The institution traces its origin from the Indraprastha Girls’ senior secondary school founded by a few philanthropists of the Delhi Theosophical Society in 1904 at a haveli at Chippiwara, near Jama Masjid in old Delhi. The college began as an intermediate college in two rooms of the school in 1924, according to archival records.
It subsequently moved to Chandrawali Bhawan in the Civil Lines area in 1934 and then to its present premises – ‘Alipur House’ – on August 9, 1938. The college’s premises was formally inaugurated in its new abode by the then Vicerine Lady Linlithgow on February 7, 1939.
An archival image of the invite issued for the 1939 event, accessed by PTI, mentions the institution’s name as “The Indraprastha Girls’ College”.
It is currently called as the Indraprastha College for Women or more popularly ‘IP college’. The college has also come out with a “heritage calendar” for the year 2023.
The charming ‘Alipore House’ was conceived and designed in 1917-18 by British architect Walter George as the office-cum-residence of the British commander-in-chief. The building epitomises Indo-British architectural style with semi-circular arches and turrets marking its facade and the entire roofline, according to information shared on the college’s website.
“The college, as the first women’s college of University of Delhi and Delhi, has made invaluable contributions to the freedom struggle and national politics, to women’s education and women empowerment. In 2002, the college building was declared a ‘Heritage Building’ by the government of NCT of Delhi,” it says.
“Leonara G’meiner was the founder principal of Indraprastha Girls’ High School and Intermediate College. A theosophist and a committed follower of Annie Besant, she moved from Australia to India in 1905 at the call of Annie Besant to serve the cause of women’s education.
“She was the principal of the school from 1905 onwards and then of both the school and the college from 1924 to 1934. Along with Lala Jugal Kishore, Miss G’meiner continued the effort to draw as many girls as possible to the School and strengthened her plea against early marriages and the tradition of ‘purdah’,” it said.
Under her aegis, with the opening of intermediate classes in 1924, the college was opened to girls of all castes and communities, with no economic barriers. As the college grew, she identified ‘Alipore House’ as an ideal location for housing the college – a dream that was fulfilled later by her successor, Kalavati Gupta.
Rare photographs of the college, including of the 1939 inauguration by Vicerine Lady Linlithgow, are housed at the college’s Museum and Archives Learning Resource Centre, set up in 2015. PTI KND CK
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