Hislop College, Nagpur, a heritage institution (1883) - first in the Vidarba region!!

Navrang India June 28, 2019

Hislop College in 1927, Nagpur. calisphere.org

Above image: ''Hislop College (Church of Scotland), Nagpur". Exterior view of college at site of Nagpur; the first College founded by a Scottish missionary to have an Indian as its principal, Dr Moses....... the  mission in Nagpur in 1845 had been endowed by an army officer, Brigadier W. Hill. Based 10 miles from Nagpur at Kamptee, a military cantonment situated on the Kanhan River, he taught at the school. He learnt the Marathi quickly and integrated with local people. He had a keen interest in the sciences. He followed the principles of Alexander Duff and set up a vernacular school (1846) which  which would eventually become Hislop College.''

Hislop College, Nagpur. bschool.careers360.com

A young Scottish missionary called Stephan Hislop chose India as his destination to carry on his humanitarian activities in tune with Cristian spirits for he knew that '' service to people is service to God'. Stephen Hislop (1817–1863),  was not only a well-known  evangelist and educationist but also a geologist. A green mineral known as Hislopite is named after him. He also discovered some fossil reptiles in the  Nagpur region and one of  them being Brachyops lateceps.  He carried on his missionary and educational work for 18 long years in the Vidarba Region (region around Nagpur)  along with one Robert Hunter, editor of the Encyclopedic Dictionary. 
islop College , Nagpur. nagpurkamptee.blogspot.com

His long-lasting enthusiasm, coupled with motivation led him to start a Boy's school in 1846 in Sukrawara area, old  Nagpur (now in Maharashtra), then part of Central provinces  and later Hislop College in 1883. This college that had begun functioning in the Mahal area (now called civil lines) in the early period of the Raj, has become one of the finest institutions in central India with 5000 plus students. It is co-educational, catering to the needs of women as well to prepare them for tomorrow's challenges. It was the first educational institution in the Vidarba area in those days. The college was affiliated to the University of Calcutta until 1904, and later to Allahabad University. In 1923 it was one of six colleges affiliated to the University of Nagpur.

  Hislop College on a 2018 stamp of Indiaen.wikipedia.org
Hislop College, Nagpur. getmyuni.com

Under the management of the Church of North India Synod, this 133 year old  college that is on a plot of 8 acres of land is being run by Hislop Educational Society. With Grade A accreditation by the NAAC  in 2009, the college celebrated its 125th anniversary. Yet another credit is the college got a special Heritage Status Grant from the UGC (University Grants Commission) as it is one of the pioneering institutions in this part of Maharashtra. The other two colleges that got the special status in that state are St. Xavier's College in Mumbai and Fergusson College in Pune. The college offers Arts science and Commerce courses- both under and post-graduate degree courses. Recognized by the Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur university (formerly known as Nagpur University), the college has good facilities and faculty members to guide doctoral candidates in many fields.  Another plus point is the college is running coaching classes to help the students prepare for central govt. sponsored competitive exams that need good preparation and knowledge. 
 Hislop Inst. for Social action and research (HISAR) is a unique outreach program to help the underprivileged people in the society. Besides, the college adopted an  impoverished area in Bhandewadi 
and  and ran learning centers, offering  free courses in tailoring, etc., to women. They also teach the poor children in that area so that they can stand up on their own when they grow up.

Missionary . Hislop, India artsandculture.google.com

Keeping in mind the vision of the founder Missionary Stephen Hislop, the college does not compromise on quality of education  and gives necessary training to the students so that when they leave the portals of of this age-old institution, with the knowledge, skills and training  gained here, they can serve the society and the country well.