Approved by: Central Council Of Indian Medicines(CCIM), NACC, UGC, National Council Of Teachers’ Education (NCTE), Pharmacy Council Of India (PCI), Central Council Of Homeopathy(CCH),
Smt. Kamala Nehru was a flame that flickered briefly during the raging storm of the freedom movement in India but left the imprints for generations to follow. Her contribution as an individual is not known to everyone. During the freedom struggle, she braved lathi-charges, organised processions, addressed meetings and led picketing of liquor and foreign cloth shops. She had to languish in the prison for days for the cause of India’s independence. Her personality had a major influence on her husband Jawaharlal Nehru and she stood by him in his determination to plunge into the movement started by Mahatma Gandhi so that India could be free from the clutches of the British rule.
While her husband was sent to the prison for days and months, Kamala Nehru put all her energies into social work. To begin with, she instituted a hospital in Swaraj Bhawan (Nehru’s family mansion) to treat freedom fighters and others wounded due to severe lathi charg----
History
Smt. Kamala Nehru was a flame that flickered briefly during the raging storm of the freedom movement in India but left the imprints for generations to follow. Her contribution as an individual is not known to everyone. During the freedom struggle, she braved lathi-charges, organised processions, addressed meetings and led picketing of liquor and foreign cloth shops. She had to languish in the prison for days for the cause of India’s independence. Her personality had a major influence on her husband Jawaharlal Nehru and she stood by him in his determination to plunge into the movement started by Mahatma Gandhi so that India could be free from the clutches of the British rule.
While her husband was sent to the prison for days and months, Kamala Nehru put all her energies into social work. To begin with, she instituted a hospital in Swaraj Bhawan (Nehru’s family mansion) to treat freedom fighters and others wounded due to severe lathi charges. She persuaded women to come out of their homes and join the freedom struggle movement. Her determination for the empowerment of women pushed her to work for the education of women and encourage them to get rid of the old custom of purdah which was a prevalent practice in Rajasthan and other parts of North India at that time. She represented the modern woman with a free will at a time when women were not allowed in public places.
As a member of the Rashthriya Stree Sabha which was set up in 1921, Kamala Nehru worked for the entry of Dalits into temples. She was the first among the group of volunteers to sell contraband salt during the Salt Satyagraha. During the year 1930, Kamala Nehru led Desh Sevika Sangh along with Kasturba Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu and took up the challenging task of policing the disturbed areas of Bombay. While most men fighting for the freedom of the country were behind the bars, Kamala Nehru took up the task of organizing the work related to the freedom movement in her own ways. She was also the President of the Allahabad District Congress.
By the end of 1931, Kamala Nehru’s health started deteriorating and she passed away suffering from tuberculosis at the age of 37 in Switzerland. This was the end of the life of Smt. Kamala Nehru who left a legacy of determination and courage for women to follow. The life of Smt. Kamala Nehru instils the spirit of hard work, determination and a sense of pride in every student who becomes a part of Kamala Nehru College. The very name of the courageous Kamala Nehru encourages the young women of the college to confidently march ahead against all odds in life towards knowledge and freedom.
The Journey of Kamala Nehru College
Kamala Nehru College was established on 20th July, 1964. At that time, it was known as ‘Government College for Women’ and was located in Defence Colony. The College initially offered courses only in humanities but later the commerce stream was added. The college began the early years of its journey under the guidance of the founder Principal Dr. K. K. Gorowara. When the college was started, it only had sixsteen staff members and 209 students passed out in the first batch in 1968. The College Magazine ‘Swati’ was launched in the academic year 1965-66. In 1966-67, the College was renamed as ‘Modern College for Women’ and in 1967-68 the College Magazine acquired a new name ‘Apoorva’. On 21st November 1972, the foundation stone for a new building was laid at Hauz Khas (at present August Kranti Marg) by then President Shri V.V.Giri. The college was given a new name and it became Kamala Nehru College. In 1974, on the occasion of Founder’s Day, Mrs. Indira Gandhi visited the new building, unveiled the plaque and planted saplings.
The college has a beautiful auditorium which was built through sincere contribution made by the staff and students through fund raising campaigns. It was inaugurated on 17th December, 1991 by the then Vice-President Shankar Dayal Sharma. Today, the college has well maintained computer laboratories, sports ground, gymnasium and eco-friendly classrooms (bamboo rooms apart from the main building). The library is well stacked and has a separate audio visual section. The college is differently-abled friendly and is under constant CCTV surveillance. The Placement Cell, NSS, NSO, NCC and Counselling Cell function for the overall wellbeing of the students. Kamala Nehru College has several extra-curricular societies that cover the whole gamut of personality development aspects by providing plural avenues to students for self-discovery. All departments and the societies have their annual newsletters/magazines and the college comes up with its journal ‘Akademos’ (An Annual Miscellany ofo Liberal Arts and Scholarship, ISSN 2231-0584) each year.
Any educational institute advances on account of its efficient faculty members, diligent students, supportive administrative staff and a dynamic Principal. Kamala Nehru College has been constantly advancing on account of the efforts of all these factors. The founder principal Dr. K. K. Gorowara (21-7-1964 to 10-7-1986), with her idealism and vision gave the direction to the college and laid the foundation of everything that an educational institute needs. Her dedicated work shaped the former years of the college. She played a pivotal role in helping college forge ahead and carve a niche for itself in various domains. The college owes a lot to her for giving the name and place to Kamala Nehru College in the University of Delhi.
The second Principal Dr. Surinder J. Sharma (23-9-1986 to 31-7-2004) took forward the legacy of Dr .K. K Gorowara and brought in remarkable changes as per the need of the time which helped college rise in newer directions. It is her relentless endeavours that brought in new courses such as Commerce, Geography, Sociology, Journalism and gave a new face to the college making way for infrastructural development and producing high calibre students emerging in all walks of life. Her encouraging work for the growth of the institute will remain unforgettable.
The third Principal Dr. Minoti Chatterjee (1-11-2004 to 31-08-2015) carried forward the tradition of the college and worked hard to bring about a beautiful amalgam of academic and extracurricular excellence. Being a cultural impresario herself, she ensured that the students got a taste of the tradition and culture of the country as a part of their academic exercise. All her efforts were towards value creating education, empowerment and employability of the young women of the college. During her tenure, Kamala Nehru College made collaborations with universities abroad on both academic and cultural fronts and ushered in the Golden Jubilee Year 2014, carrying in earnest the very spirit of Smt. Kamala Nehru, with a greater vision of producing more confident, dignified and responsible young citizens. The longstanding commitment of the college towards excellence was rewarded in the form of an ‘A’ grade (CGPA 3.33) by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council in 2016 under the able guidance of the then officiating Principal Dr. Rita Malhotra (September 2015 - December 2016).
Today the college stands tall as one of the best ‘All Women College’ in the south campus of University of Delhi striving sincerely to shine on all fronts—be it academics, culture and sports.
Emblem
The college emblem is of Buddhist origin and can be seen on top of the grand gateway to India’s oldest stone structure, the Sanchi stupa. It is also engraved in other Buddhist heritage sites such as Amravati. The motto rite gyannannamukti (without knowledge there is no salvation) is from the Vedas. Together, the symbol represents ancient wisdom handed down from one generation to another through the guru-sishyaparampara or the traditional bond between a teacher and a pupil.
The emblem consists of three parts- the base of three steps, the wheel with a lotus at the centre, and the crown- denoting knowledge, action, and perfection that can lead an individual to success and enlightenment. The three steps at the base represent the three stepping stones of knowledge: mother-father-teacher or scripture-ethics-teaching or perception-inference-empirical evidence. The two arms on either side represent action or karma. The wheel represents holistic development and the lotus is the symbol of perfection attained through practice.
Thus, the emblem and motto signify the most sustained intellectual expression of Indian thought; they denote a journey where knowledge facilitates both intellectual and spiritual fulfilment.
Vision & Mission
Vision
The Vision of Kamala Nehru College (KNC) is to provide transformative education to young women thereby leading to the growth and development of an egalitarian society. A women‘s college, named after one of the women visionaries of modern India, KNC reflects the essence of a free nation. It envisions shaping young women into environment conscious, responsible and empowered individuals capable of being just, humane and visionary citizens. The gamut of the college-vision includes nurturing unbiased women citizens of the world who promote education, are well- equipped to meet global challenges, respect human rights, practice non-discrimination and non-violence, achieve gender equality and are sensitized to community service.
Mission
The Mission of the college is to nurture the minds and souls of students offering them adequate opportunities so that they develop into empowered and emancipated women equipped to face the challenges of life and be the pillars of strength of the community.
Objectives
To foster good practice by promulgating knowledge/intellectual property beyond the classroom teaching-learning process, through faculty and student research projects and programmes.
To promote teamwork and collaborative learning amongst stakeholders of the college.
To encourage interactions and collaboration with other academic bodies and the industry.
To remain consistent in providing a platform and environment to young women so that they leave the portals of the institution as environment- conscious, high calibre, empowered citizens of the country.
To be one of the highly preferred choices for students, faculty and administrative staff.
To periodically revisit our learning eco-system so as to function in complete tandem with both social and technology-driven transformations.
To provide a safe and encouraging environment where all concerned can realize their own potential while helping others to do so as well.
To develop skills necessary to thrive in a world of continuous and accelerating change through multidisciplinary approach, information gathering, inquiry and critical thinking, data analysis and the rational use of media and technology.
To remain deeply committed to achieve our green vision to see KNC as a green campus capable of being a fully sustainable campus in the University.
To pedagogically facilitate student transitions to higher levels of communicative proficiency as well as analytical competence especially with respect to textual and socio-cultural formations.
To prepare students to be responsible, questioning citizens and to productively contribute to the college community and the society outside.
