Pincode 110001: Tracing the history of St Stephen’s, among the oldest colleges at DU

Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi on their first visit to St. Stephens College. (Express archive)

Designed by Walter George, the building has a distinct architectural style — a combination of gothic, Victorian and colonial elements. The main administrative building is a prominent structure with a red-brick facade, elegant arches, tall columns and large windows. The chapel is another notable feature designed by George and added in 1952.

In his book, A History of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, FF Monk elaborates on the institution’s journey from a school to a college.

He wrote, “The St Stephen’s High School was so powerful a means of reaching the higher classes as to form a most important part of the work of the Mission. It was also felt that the influence of the missionaries would be greatly increased if they held classes in some secular subjects and did not confine their teaching to direct religious instruction. Should a college be re-established at Delhi, the committee would view with favour all attempts by the missionaries to gain influence among students at the college, as well by assisting them in their studies as by holding classes for direct religious instruction.”

Monk goes on to write that in a meeting of the Mission Council, it was “resolved that subject to the consent of the Cambridge Committee, and provision from England for necessary funds, classes should be opened in connection with St Stephen’s school in January 1881 to carry on instruction up to the standard required for the B.A degree, but they should be limited to scholars of St Stephen’s and other mission schools, the right being retained, however, to open classes to students from other schools should it seem desirable to do so”.

Allnutt took charge of the educational activities. In a letter to his father, dated February 2nd, 1881, he wrote: “Yesterday saw the opening of our college… we have five boys, or young men perhaps I should say, and might of course have many more but that we decline to open our ranks to outsiders for the present… The chief subjects are Logic, Psychology (Ambercrombie’s Intellectual Powers, a thoroughly good Christian treatise) and various selections from English literature… Everyday we commence with Scripture teaching.”

By the next year, it became affiliated to the University of the Punjab.

Speaking to The Indian Express, former principal of Hindu College and writer Kavita Sharma said, “It was supposed to be based on the OxCam model and meant to train people for administration and governance. Back then, everyone you came across in the civil services was from St Stephen’s as it was an exclusive college.”

On the collaboration and later the rivalry between Hindu and Stephen’s, she said, “Stephen’s did not have a biology lab so Hindu College principal Thadani had given them permission to use their labs. It stopped later.”

Sharma also said cricket further fuelled the rivalry: “Even during my time as a student at DU from 1966-71, the rivalry was so intense… For the cricket teams of both colleges, winning the match was a do or die situation.”

PEPSICO’s former executive director Vivek Bharati (66), who studied economics at St Stephen’s from 1971-76, reminisced about his time as a student. “Everybody aspired to study here. It had the best talent from all schools across the country. Sports too were nurtured… There used to be a Chancellor’s trophy for all-around sports performance which Stephen’s had won during my time.”

“The bureaucracy was full of Stephanians, as there was not much diversity in job profiles. Later on, the trend of IITs came in. There were certain traditions which the students were proud of upholding. There was no violence in college, they were known as the good boys of the university. There was a culture of life, discussing and debating and a certain level of discipline in college,” added Bharati.

College principal John Varghese spoke of the important role St Stephen’s played during the independence movement. “S K Rudra, who went on to become the first Indian principal of the college, had written to Gandhiji when he was a barrister telling him he should come to India and do the good work he was doing in South Africa. When Gandhiji decided to come to India, the (Angelican priest) CS Andrews gave up his position as principal for Rudra because it was time for an Indian to head the college. Gandhi later gave Andrews the name ‘Dinabandhu Andrews’.”

On the college’s ‘elite tag’, he said, “Even in the past we’ve had students from across socio-economic backgrounds studying here. The criterion which was predominant was academic credit, and that continues even today…”

He also said the rivalry between Stephen’s and Hindu college was a myth: “On the sporting field, the rivalry is there, and in the spirit of sport that competition has been there and it will continue.”