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| Forest College and Research Institute, Coimbatore newindianexpress.com |
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| Forest College and Research Institute, Coimbatore |
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| Forest College and Research Institute, Coimbatore .thehindu.com |
Above image: The Forest College and Research Institute (FCRI), Coimbatore. This roughly 114 year old Indo-Saracenic building is set in the midst of a large lush green campus, a lush green campus covering over 300 acres. The college is surrounded by a rich collection of native and exotic tree species, reinforcing its identity as a center of forestry excellence..................
The Forest College and Research Institute (FCRI), Coimbatore, one of the oldest forestry institutions in India was established in 1916 during colonial rule under the British Raj. The other popular one is the Forest College in Dehradun (HP) that came up in 1878 to train forest rangers and officials This historical College at Coimbatore played an active role in training forest officers for the Madras Presidency and beyond. The Madras Presidency, consisting of a vast area of Tamil Nadu, part of Kerala, part Andhra state, part of Karnataka and south Odisha state is home to a large wooded area in particular, part of Kerala, Nilgiris and part of Mysore princely state (Karnataka). The colonial administration needed a big contingent of forest officials to safeguard the forests against illegal hunting, cutting of trees, poaching, Modeled after European forestry schools, the institution was played a responsible role in shaping India’s forest management policies.
Cowley Brown was the first Principal of the college and Coimbatore has a road named after him. During World War II, Britain was one of the westerns powers to fight against Germany and her allies. Unfortunately India was also drawn into the war the building was taken over by the defence forces for treating those injured in the war and was the major supplier of arms and ammunitions, boots, uniform, beef, etc. During that period the British government took over the Forest College building and temporarily converted into hospital to treat both Indian and British army men. .
Today, the FCRI functions under Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) and continues to be a premier center for forestry education, offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in forestry and allied sciences. It remains actively involved in research on biodiversity conservation, sustainable forestry practices, and climate change and mitigation. The campus also houses a state-of-the-art museum showcasing rare tree specimens, wood samples, and historical forestry tools. Way back in 2015 seven women range officers were trained at the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy (TNFA) here notwithstanding hardship in this profession. They underwent 18 month training including handling of high-tech electronics, wild life protection, etc.
With respect to architecture, the red-colored Forest College structure exhibits a careful mix of British colonial and local, native styles. Built with red brick, sloping tiled roofs, arched windows, and intricate wooden detailing, it was designed to keep indoors cool during the summer season. The impressive main building, with its majestic façade and expansive corridors, obviously highlights the Indo-Saracenic architectural style adopted by the British architects in public buildings in many parts of India as one may come cross many institutions like Madras university, Madras High Court Madras Museum, etc.
FCRI, Coimbatore, continues to be a symbol of India’s forestry heritage, bridging the past with modern innovations in environmental conservation and sustainable forest management.A declared heritage building in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu it houses Central Academy of State Forest Service.
Historians and heritage lovers are crying horse to revote this colonial gem in Coimbatore city. The exterior portion looks slightly faced and one could see poor landscaping around the site. There are patches of wild grass and small plants growing unchecked. All these suggest poor maintenance.
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