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| Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai Facebook.com |
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| Philanthropist Pachaiyappa's statue in Chennai.cambridge.org |
Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai was started by a trust formed in the name of philanthropist, Pachaiyappa Mudaliar, who was a Dubash - commission agent and interpreter with the English company. When he died at the age of 40 in 1794, he left behind a vast fortune worth more than Rs.7 lakhs- a whooping sum in those days (it is now worth billions of rupees). As he was unmarried and had no legal heir, his wealth became a subject of legal battle for four decades among his relatives. It was famous attorney George Norton who put an end to the long dispute and set Rs.4.5 lakhs aside for education though as per Will executed by Pacahiyappa Mudaliar the wealth must be spent on Hindu temples, for the benefit of the poor, Sanskrit learning, etc.
Forty years after his death the trust formed with court interference had started a school which later grew into Pachaiyappa's Central Institution at Popham's Broadway on January 1842. Later it was upgraded into degree granting Pachaiyappa's college in 1889 and later shifted to the present location.
It has the rare distinction of being the first educational institution in South India, not funded by the early colonial rulers under the English company. The administration is being governed by a board of
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| Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai Pressreader.com |
Above image: The college buildings were built in the Indo-Saracenic style, incorporating Indian as well as European style. The college began in 1842 as a Central Institution at Popham's Broadway. Later shifted to China bazaar/Flower bazaar (formerly Esplanade, later called NSC Bose road).The college now has a big campus on Poonamallee High Road in northern Chennai. Both the college and the hostel buildings need urgent repair and restoration work..................
.trustees called Pachaiyappa's trust board which also manages many colleges and properties. It is one of the largest trusts in India and many scholarly papers have been published on the philanthropy of Pachaiappa Mudhaliar, a humane person with a large heart.
In the last several years, this once reputed college that produced many well-known personalities and politicians like late late K. Anbazhagan, late Musasoli Maran and others, is poorly managed, according to media report. Many buildings on the campus need repair and restoration work as they are slowly crumbling.
Today, the college is in famous and has got a bad reputation. A few years ago in 2018 several unruly students got a bad name for the college. Covering a huge campus of 43 acres of land in a prime area in Chennai, though benefactor left a large chunk of wealth for many educational as well as religious institutions as per his will, the historical college is being avoided by the public because of poor maintenance by the trust board and undisciplined unruly students.
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| building in poor shape. Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai scroll.in |
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| building in poor shape. Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai scroll.in |
it is no use living in the warmth of past glory and the trustees have to come forward and repair the crumbling building, improve the standard of teaching and restore the college back to old glory. The sooner they do it, the better. If Pachiyappa, the most benevolent man in colonial Madras were alive he would have shed tears that would drench the institutions built in his name using his hard-earned wealth. He set aside his wealth to serve the poor and needy, but the management threw his high ideals in the wind. Noted Maths genius late Ramanujan (who did FA in this college), and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister CN Annadurai are among its many alumni. Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and Swami Vivekananda passed through portals of this hoary institution.
It is the responsibility of the trustees to bring new light to this college; it is a wonderful way to honor the great man who believed: ''Service to people is service to God''
https://www.thehindu.com/arts/survivors-of-time-the-bell-still-tolls/article2221434.ece
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