Before Mumbai had a university, this college was already shaping icons like Ambedkar, Tilak & Tata
It all started before 1856
Although Elphinstone College was officially founded in 1856, the journey began before. In 1824, Bombay Domestic Education Association opened an English-secondary school for Indian students, a brave and progressive step for that time.
In 1827, the idea of a college was shaped. His name was named after Mountstuart Elphinstone, the governor of the Bombay at the time, who strongly believed in educational reforms. The purpose was not only to manage, but also to educate it, and that was what made such an important legacy of the rule of college.
In 1835, appropriate lessons started in the town hall, only two teachers, Arthur Bedford Orlebar for natural philosophy and John Harkness for classical literature. It may have started small, but the target was large: teaching English, science and liberal arts to Indians.
In 1856, Elphinstone became an independent college and remained connected to the newly established Mumbai University until 1860.
A launch ramp for big names in India
Elphinstone College is not an ordinary institution. Br Ambedkar produced some of the biggest names in Indian history, including Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Jamsetji Tata. Even Dadabhai Naoroji, an important figure in India’s political history, was taught here. In 1855, he began the law of legal law, which was the oldest government of legal college in Asia. Not all. In 1857, he started his journey from Sir JJ Art School from the classes of Elphinstone. And in 1948, Jai Hind College began his first classes on Elphinstone’s Fort campus before moving to its position.
Buildings tell their own stories
In 1871, Elphinstone took its first building in Byculla, designed by James Trubshawe and built by John Adams. Then he became a hospital. The existing building in the style of Gothic revival is located in Fort near the Jehangir Art Gallery. Today, it stands as a legacy monument and a working college.
A new episode since 2019
After more than 150 years with Mumbai University, Elphinstone took a new step in 2019. Dr. Homi Bhabha became a part of the University of State.
Today, College offers degrees in the field of art, science and trade. However, the role of much larger, education represents the belief that education can change a city, a society and a country.
Elphinstone College, from a modest class in the town hall to shaping India’s leaders and thinkers, is not only a place, but still a strong idea.
Entrances from TOI
