Coimbatore Govt Arts College: 170+ Year Old Heritage Meets Modern Demand

Aishwarya S

The Coimbatore Govt Arts College, established in 1852, is steeped in legacy, right down to its teakwood chairs and benches, some of which have been in use for more than 170 years.

Founded during the British era, the institution was established by collector E B Thomas, who founded an Anglo-Vernacular School opposite the Town Hall Clock Tower. It was upgraded into a fine arts college in 1868, where university entrance classes were conducted until 1869. In 1870, it became a second-grade college, renamed Coimbatore College. R Krishna Iyer is recorded as the first graduate from Coimbatore.


So, what has changed at the college? “Demand,” says M R Yezhili, principal. “It’s been growing every year. We usually get 36,000 applications every year, but this time, it looks like 40,000 for 2,314 seats.” She adds that the college is also rising in the ranks, ranking 67th nationally. “We are planning to increase undergraduate seats by 20% in the coming academic year.”

In 1946, the college introduced undergraduate courses in mathematics, geography and commerce, and was upgraded into a first-grade institution. Now an autonomous institution, the college offers 23 undergraduate courses and 21 postgraduate courses.

“We have preserved the infrastructure from the colonial era,” says P Suguna, associate professor in the Mathematics department. “The British originally built six classrooms and laboratories and equipped them with teak benches and desks, which are still in use.” The heritage, history and administrative blocks were renovated by the public works department in 2020.

“We are also one of the few colleges to offer a BA in Defence Studies. It was introduced in 2013, and one of the most sought-after courses,” says lecturer N Perunthamizh Kabilan from the department. “We have received 4,000 applications for just 48 seats.” The course, he says, includes subjects such as international defence, geopolitics, military geography, national security, defence ecosystem and the history of Indian and global military systems.

MILESTONES

• In 1914, when the institution functioned under the London Mission Society, K S Vaidyanatha Iyer became the first Indian principal. The British govt later took over the college and shifted it to its present campus near the combined court complex in 1931
• Women were admitted from 1932
• The college celebrated its centenary in 1953