The Maharajah’s Government Sanskrit College in Vizianagaram, one of the oldest in the State and the country which produced outstanding scholars in the past, in a pathetic state less than a year ago, is now abuzz with activity, thanks to the efforts of its Principal Swapna Haindavi.
Established by the Gajapati rulers of Vizianagaram in 1860, the college earned a great reputation in the pre-Independence era as a centre of Oriental and Sanskrit studies. Some of the finest Sanskrit and Telugu scholars used to teach in the college even after Independence. With the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956, it was handed over to the Andhra Pradesh Government in 1957.
However, over the past decade or so, the college lost its sheen with dwindling student enrolment as the general public gravitated to English and English medium education.
Near doom to bloom
It was just one teacher, the principal herself, and one student studying the final year of the integrated course a year ago. There were no takers for the integrated 5-year B.A. in Sanskrit. The college was gasping for survival, but the Principal, a dedicated Sanskrit activist, did not lose heart and promoted the cause of the college with a missionary zeal.
Recalling the efforts, Ms. Haindavi said she first approached the commissioner of collegiate education Sujatha Sharma with the news clipping of The Hindu - which highlighted the plight of the college - who made a note of it and asked her to go on a publicity drive. The Principal said she printed pamphlets and visited over five districts to publicise about her college. “There was a wrong notion that Sanskrit was meant for Brahmins. To dispel that we printed pamphlets saying that it is a government college and clearly mentioned 'Caste no bar and course is open to all' in the pamphlets. That was how we could get good number of students,” she said.
Just one to 42
Moreover, “The Hindu 's article and the video had gone viral in the social media and that also helped the cause. Some social organisations came forward to help the economically backward students by paying their fees,” she added.
The result? Forty two students have joined the college in the current academic year. “It is a new lease of life for our great institution. The authorities have agreed to fill the posts of five lecturers in August and the non-teaching staff, deputed to other colleges will also be brought back. We are providing lodging and boarding facilities for the students in SC hostels, and elsewhere. The Hindu has played a great role in taking the message to the public,” she said.
Incidentally, The Hindu had carried a front page report in its main edition dated December 12, 2017 and uploaded a video in its online edition on the sorry state of the prestigious institution. The video generated about 1.2k likes and 1.2k shares with 47 comments, from across the globe, including from some of its alumni.
