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MADRAS MISCELLANY
First row, standing, third from left
S. MUTHIAH
The MCC’s Philosophy students and their faculty in 1905; (first row, standing, third from left) Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Who is that standing, third from left, first row? I’ll get to the answer presently, in case you haven’t already guessed it. Meanwhile, I must thank Dr. Joshua Kalapati, Reader in Philosophy, Madras Christian College, for sending me this historic picture dating to 1905. Dr. Kalapati and his colleague Dr. Ambrose of the History Department of MCC are busy collecting old photographs like this one, historical information and anecdotes about MCC for a pictorial history of the 171-year-old college. If you have any such material, please contact the compilers at jkalapati@gmail.com.
Meanwhile, to get back to my picture today. It is a picture of the MCC’s Philosophy students and their faculty in 1905. Seated centre is the renowned Dr. William Miller who was Head of the Department, which he named ‘The Department of Mental and Moral Science’, and Principal from 1862 to 1907. He was the first person to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Madras – in March 1900 – and went on to become the University’s Vice Chancellor from 1901 to 1904, a post he held while simultaneously being Principal of MCC. To his right is Prof. Skinner and to his left Prof. Hogg, who, from all accounts, were equally accomplished lecturers. But the answer to my question is that, standing surprisingly moustachioed, third from left in the front row is Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, then in his B.A. final year and to go on from here to become perhaps the College’s most famous and eminent alumnus.
Now who’d like to add more such pictures and information to a book that promises to be a magnificent record of a premier Madras institution? Such as for instance of Gandhiji addressing the MCC’s Associated Societies in the College’s Anderson Hall in George Town on February 16, 1916 on “Shall the Vernaculars be the Medium of Instruction in Our Schools and Colleges?”
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