Kashmir's Temple of Higher Education

Sri Pratap College

By Dr B.N. Sharga

The British Parliament through a proclamation signed by Queen Victoria took over the administration of India in 1858 from the East India Company. After that to introduce the pattern of English education in this country, the British then established three universities in India at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras which were the three important port cities at that time. The British then placed the whole of north India from Peshawar to Calcutta (Kolkata) under the jurisdiction of the Calcutta University for conducting the examinations and for awarding the degrees.

Prior to this Lamartenier College was established in Lucknow in 1845 as per Will made by Maj. Gen. Clude Martin, a French national for imparting English education. It was affiliated with the Cambridge University, London. The Kashmiri Pandit boys residing in Kashmiri Mohalla at that time generally used to read Urdu and Persian in Maktabs which was the court language then, to get good jobs. The progressive minded Kashmiri Pandit boys like Sheo Narain Bahar and Pran Nath Bazaz then took the lead and joined the Lamartinier College for English education, much against the wishes of the community members. Their craze for the English education can be judged by the fact that they used to go to their college on foot which was at a distance of about 12 kms. from Kashmiri Mohalla. Sheo Narain Bahar also encouraged the other community members towards the English education for better future prospects.

In 1864 Canning College was established in Lucknow which was then affiliated with the Calcutta University. Some Kashmiri Pandit boys with progressive ideas under the guidance and leadership of Pandit Sheo Narain Bahar then joined the Canning College to have European education for better future prospects than having a traditional education in Urdu and Persian language in Maktabs. Pandit Sheo Narain Bahar just to propagate his progressive ideas and thoughts in the field of education and to bring about social reforms in the community started a caste journal in 1872 known as Mursala-e-Kashmir. Through this journal he tried his best to galvanize the community towards English education, especially the young boys of the community, so much so that in 1884 Pt. Bishan Narain Dar left for England to study law with his British Professor of the Canning College Professor Gaul, when sea voyage was considered to be an unpardonable sin by the community members . He came back to India as a barrister in 1887. Such enlightened and educated Kashmiri Pandits then formed a club in Kashmir Mohalla to carry out their ideology effectively especially in the field of education and for bringing certain reforms in the community.

Dr. Annie Besant, an Irish lady came to India in 1893 to study Vedas thoroughly. She became so much fascinated with the Hindu Philosophy and way of life that she formed the Theosophical Society of India in the country for the revival of Hindu nationalism and decided to establish a University in the country for teaching Vedantic philosophy. Her desire fructified in the shape of Central Hindu College which she started in a rented building in Karna Ghanta in Benaras (Varanasi) on 7th July 1898. A managing committee was then formed under Babu Govind Das as its Chairman to run this institution. Dr. Arthur Richardson, a Cambridge University graduate, was then appointed as the first Principal of this college. Babu Upendra Nath Basu who was a member of Syndicate of the Allahabad University, was given the task for the recognition of this college from the Allahabad University, which was done on August 6, 1898.

Dr. Annie Besant approached the then Kashi Naresh, Raja Prabhu Narain Singh and requested him to donate a big piece of land for the expansion of this college. Raja Prabhu Narain Singh very graciously donated a big building and a piece of land in Kamchha for this college to her, where this college was shifted in March 1899.

Dr. Annie Besant made Pt. Suraj Narain Bahadur who was a sub judge and a great educationist as the secretary of her Theosophical Society of India. She used to organise regular meetings of this society at the residence of Pt. Suraj Narain Bahadur in Kashmiri Mohalla, where the other progressive minded Kashmiri Pandits of the locality like Prof. Iqbal Krishna Sharga, Prof. Chand Narain Bahadur, Pt. Iqbal Narain Gurtu, Pt. Bishan Narain Dar, Pt. Sangam Lal Chak, Pt. Hari Krishna Kaul, Pt. Sri Krishna Tikku etc. who were the products of Canning College, generally used to assemble. The main thrust in such meetings used to be the education of Kashmiri Pandit boys and social reforms in the community.

There was no provision for the higher education in the Kashmir Valley at that time. The Kashmiri Pandit boys  used to go either to Lucknow or to Allahabad for higher studies where the University of Allahabad was established in 1887. This was both expensive and cumbersome. So in one of the meetings of the Theosophical Society it was proposed to open a college at Srinagar for the benefit of those Kashmiri Pandit boys who were keen for higher studies.

Consequently Dr Annie Besant herself with some of her trusted members went to Srinagar to explore the possibilities for establishing a college there. She took a house in Mohalla Bar Bar Shah on rent and started a school in it, duly named as Sir Pratap Singh Hindu School after the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir Riyasat, Maharaja Pratap Singh (1885-1925). Exactly in which year this school was started in Sathu Bar Bar Shah locality is not known.

In 1902 Pt. Brijendra Nath Sharga went to England from Kashmiri Mohalla Lucknow to study law at Lincon's Inn. He met with a tragic road accident in London in 1904. From his death bed he donated Rs 10,000 to Dr Annie Besant for development of the structural facilities for the education of Hindu students in Central Hindu College, Benaras. Consequently Dr Annie Besant built a multipurpose magnificent "Sharga Hall" in the college from that money, so that way the Sharga family came into close contact with Dr Annie Besant. The other products of the Canning College, Lucknow like Pt. Suraj Narain Bahadur a subjudge, barrister Bishan Narain Dar who became a member of the Viceroy's Imperial Legislative Council, Pt. Iqbal Narain Gurtu who became the Vice-Chancellor of the Benaras Hindu University, Pt Hari Krishan Kaul who became a district and sessions Judge, Pt. Sri Krishna Tikku who became a government pleader and Pt. Sangam Lal Chak etc. also actively helped Dr Annie Besant in her mission and donated money most liberally for this great cause.

Dr. Annie Besant then approached Maharaja Pratap Singh the then ruler of Jammu and Kashmir Riyasat around 1903 and requested him to donate a big piece of land so that a new building could be constructed for Sri Pratap Singh Hindu School for its future growth and development, which was functioning more or less as a branch of the Central Hindu College Benaras then. On her request Maharaja Pratap Singh very graciously donated a big chunk of land in Kothi Bagh area near Amira Kadal for this institution and a new building of the college was built there from the liberal donations of the Kashmiri Pandits who were very close to Dr Annie Besant at that time.

This institution from its new premises near Amira Kadal on Maulana Azad Road was formally started functioning as an intermediate college in 1905 and Prof. M.C. Moore an Irish scholar and a graduate of the Cambridge University, London, was appointed by Dr. Annie Besant as its first Principal. The management of this college was then placed under the control of Central Hindu College Trust Benaras, which was affiliated with the Allahabad University at that time. Maharaja Pratap Singh laid the foundation of this college on his birthday. Dr Annie Besant in her thanks giving speech said that "Maharaja had given a long awaited boon to Kashmir and Kashmir would be future Kashi of North Western India."

This college under the dynamic administrative control of Prof. Moore registered a marked development in all the directions, starting with a modest roll of eight students and only six teachers on its staff. Prof. Moore left this institution in 1908.

Dr. Annie Besant then appointed another British Prof. E. William Collie as the Principal of this college, but unfortunately he died a tragic death in a fire accident while staying in a house boat in Dal Lake. Prof. Vanmali Chakarborty a Bengali fellow was then asked by Dr. Annie Besant to take charge of this institution who functioned as Principal upto 1909.

Dr. Annie Besant later Prof. Iqbal Krishna Sharga who was an established authority on Hindu Philosophy with a vast teaching experience at the Bareilly College and Pt. Chand Narain Bahadur another product of Canning College, Lucknow to shoulder her responsibilities in a missionary spirit in the interest of the community to give a new direction to her work in the field of higher education in the Valley. Consequently Prof. Iqbal Krishna Sharga became the Principal of Sri Pratap Singh Hindu College in 1909 and Pt. Chand Narain Bahadur was made the Professor of English in the same institution by Dr Annie Besant.

The society in Kashmir in general at that time used to be highly orthodox and superstitious. To remove the segregation between the Pandit and Muslim boys Prof. I.K. Sharga introduced the common tea club system in the college premises for their free mixing with each other without any inhibitions and preconceived notions. He used to subsidise this tea club from his own income. To tone up the over all academic excellence of the college he introduced the monthly examination system. Due to Prof. Sharga's untiring efforts this institution saw a rapid growth in every field and became a degree college in 1911.Right from its inception in 1905 it was affiliated with the Allahabad University. Even the intermediate examination at that time known as F.A. was being conducted by the University. The Benaras Hindu University was established by Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya much later in 1916. Prof. Iqbal Krishna Sharga also started the new tradition of celebrating the spring festival (Navreh), the new year of Kashmiri Pandits on a grand scale in the college premises.

The British government then became alarmed with all these developments and the growing influence of Dr. Annie Besant in the Valley, who was a very strong votary for granting freedom to this country and was actively working for the revival of Hindu nationalism through Vedantic teachings. It was not to the liking of the British government.

The then secretary of States wrote a note on the file observing thus "Mrs. Besant's influence is bound to have political consequences and her religious teaching certainly tends and I believe is deliberately meant; to promote the idea of an Indian nation, which is spreading gradually and which in course of time many assume a form adverse to the British rule."

The then foreign secretary concurring with this view noted "that it was very desirable that the British Residence in Jammu and Kashmir through the Darbar should have a proper control over such teaching schools in the Valley for deciding their policies and programmes". Under this policy the British then shot a letter to Maharaja Pratap Singh to take over the management of this college.

As a result of all these behind the curtain activities of the British, the management of this college gradually passed into the hands of the Darbar leading ultimately to its complete takeover in July 1912 by the Jammu and Kashmir government. To give it a so-called "secular" look the word "Hindu" was dropped from its name and it was rechristened as "Sri Pratap College". It was then affiliated with the Punjab University of Lahore. There were in all 74 students at the time of its take over on the college rolls. Of these 15 were in the degree classes and 59 in FA classes.

The Board of Trustees of the Central Hindu College, Benaras authorised Dr. Annie Besant to handover the college premises to the government of Jammu and Kashmir on receipt of Rs 20,000 in consideration of the cost of the building and furniture etc. erected and supplied by them out of the donations raised by them. On the birth day of Maharaja Pratap Singh in July 1912 it was formally taken over by the state government.

For the further development of this only prestigious institution of higher education in the Valley at that time four new posts of Professors were created to appoint more qualified and efficient men. Upto 1913 it became a post graduate college with MA classes in Philosophy, English and Mathematics. Though Prof. Iqbal Krishna Sharga was simply a BA but he used to teach both Philosophy and English to MA students with great authority, ably assisted by another product of Canning College, Lucknow Prof. Chand Narain Bahadur.

In 1915 and in 1916 the regular MA classes in Sanskrit language and in history were started respectively. The teaching of the science subjects, upto the intermediate level also started almost simultaneously. The college started publishing its own literary magazine "Pratap" in 1916. A professor of the college was then sent to Lahore to learn the work of library management under Mr. Dickinson, an American expert who was engaged by the Punjab University to train the people in the field of library science.

In 1918 the then Viceroy and Governor General of India Lord Chelms ford paid a visit to this college to inaugurate its newly constructed science block. Prof. Iqbal Krishna Sharga who was appointed by Dr Annie Besant as the Principal of this college retired in 1921 after attaining the age of superannuation. After that the state government of Jammu and Kashmir Riyasat appointed Prof. Lawrence Marcdermat, a British scholar as the Principal of this college. He continued on this post upto 1931. During his tenure additional blocks were added to provide proper teaching facilities to more number of students as their strength was increasing every year. For this purpose Rs 22,759 were sanctioned by the state council for higher education on August 25, 1924. For further expansion of the college to meet the growing needs of the students Wazir Buildings adjacent to the college were taken on rent on Rs 100 per month to provide hostel accommodation for the outstation students. To properly maintain the accounts of the college the post of an Accountant and Cashier were added in the college office.

The college then made a rapid progress during the tenure of Maulvi Ibrahim, who took over the charge of Principal of this institution from Prof. Kanji Lal in 1931. During his tenure the science classes at the degree level were started.

In order to cope with the unprecedented increase in the number of students and to maintain high academic standards the Darbar then appointed a committee under the Chairman of Director of Education to thoroughly study the working of the college and to suggest necessary steps which should be taken to tone up the efficiency of the college and to divert the students to other suitable channels. This committee had the privilege to have members like Dr. Zakir Hussain, who was the Principal of Jamia Millia Islamic, Delhi at that time and Prof. G.D. Sondhi, who was the Principal of Government College Lahore. On their recommendations the bifurcation of the college into Sri Pratap Intermediate College and Amar Singh Degree College was carried out on September 1, 1942.

When the country was partitioned in 1947 Prof. R.C. Pandita was the Principal of this college. Since then Sri Pratap College has gone through a revolutionary change. Now it is purely a science college affiliated with the Kashmiri University spread in an area of 6,42000 sq. feet i.e. roughly 116 kanals. The college has 11 teaching departments with a strength of 75 faculty members and 87 members of the non teaching staff. The college has well equipped science laboratories and a library with about 65,000 books on its shelves. There are 12 buildings in its campus, housing various departments and offices. Dr S.G. Sarwar is the present Principal of this college who is taking great pains in maintaining the academic excellence of this institution for which it was famous once all over the Valley.

The Kashmiri Pandits under the patronage of Dr. Annie Besant nurtured this magnificent edifice with their sweat and blood in its formative years with a missionary zeal to spread the message of light and learning in the entire Valley. It symbolises their proud cultural heritage and represents not only their farsighted vision but also their valuable contribution for improving the prospects of the future generations by guiding their destiny for all times to come.

"Sachchai chhup nahi sakti

Kabhi jhote usoolon se,

Ki khushboo aa nahin sakti

Kabhi kagaz ke phoolon se".