Miranda House

Miranda House is a constituent college for women at the University of Delhi in India.[2] Established in 1948

History

Miranda House was founded in 1948 by the university vice-chancellor, Sir Maurice Gwyer.[5] In a magazine published by him in 1952, he wrote three reasons as to why the college was called Miranda. His favorite actress was Carmen Miranda, his daughter's name was Miranda, and a character named Miranda in William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest was, according to him, a perfect example of what a lady should be. Its foundation stone was laid by Lady Edwina Mountbatten on 7 March in the same year. Miranda House is built of red bricks on the university campus. Its original design was planned by the architect Walter Sykes George and is architecturally similar to other educational institutions in India founded in the colonial era. As the college grew, several buildings were added.

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Miranda House

Miranda House is a constituent college for women at the University of Delhi in India.[2] Established in 1948

History

Miranda House was founded in 1948 by the university vice-chancellor, Sir Maurice Gwyer.[5] In a magazine published by him in 1952, he wrote three reasons as to why the college was called Miranda. His favorite actress was Carmen Miranda, his daughter's name was Miranda, and a character named Miranda in William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest was, according to him, a perfect example of what a lady should be. Its foundation stone was laid by Lady Edwina Mountbatten on 7 March in the same year. Miranda House is built of red bricks on the university campus. Its original design was planned by the architect Walter Sykes George and is architecturally similar to other educational institutions in India founded in the colonial era. As the college grew, several buildings were added.

Alumni and students of this college are known as Mirandians.

Miranda House started with 33 students in July 1948, which rose to 105 by September the same year. It was 2,090 in 1997–98. The academic staff increased from six in 1948 to 120 (permanent) in 1997–98 and that of non-academic staff from 11 in 1948 (five in the hostel and six in the college) to 120 in 1997–98. The college accommodation (hostel) housed 43 students in 1948, of whom seven were enrolled at other colleges of the University of Delhi. There are now 250 students in the hostel.

At the time of its founding, Miranda House had six departments; as of 2012, there were eighteen. Miranda House pioneered science education for women at the University of Delhi when it started its B.Sc. Honours (Botany) course in 1948.[6] Science teaching was conducted in the university and in 1963–64, B.Sc. General and in 1971, B.Sc. Honours teaching work started in the college. Many new subjects have been introduced in the humanities and social sciences since then.

Miranda House provides liberal education in social sciences, humanities and the basic sciences. The college's infrastructure includes teaching laboratories and general facilities. As of 2012, Miranda House has more than 4,000 students.

The Legacy... traditions and institutional values

MH has a rich legacy. Established at dawn of independence it provided a unique opportunity to young women for quality higher education. They set for themselves high goals and ideals. They worked for a new society in which women would enjoy equal opportunity with men in professional and public fields. In this, they were abetted by the founding faculty who were independent minded, and belonged to the select group of highly educated women in independent India with a deep concern for quality of education they imparted. They were also charged with a spirit of adventure, steeped in idealism, and committed to women empowerment and the task of building a nation. Proud of their mission as early pioneers, they worked with single-minded devotion in setting the Miranda traditions. These attributes of total dedication have contributed in a large measure to the position of distinction occupied by the college. Over near seven decades of its existence, the college has grown from strength to strength, continuing to provide an atmosphere of high academic excellence and rich cultural activities to its students. The college has established a niche for itself amongst the globally recognized premiere institutions of higher learning.

Being a college established and maintained by the University, Miranda House has a special place among the women's colleges of the University of Delhi. Its location in the heart of the University Campus, and its close interaction with the various Departments of the University and other campus colleges gives it a unique advantage. Although a women's college, it is not a cloister. It welcomes interaction with other colleges and educational organizations across the country, actively engaging both men and women in all its extramural activities, competing with the best on equal terms. The extremely distinguished list of alumnae imparts a sense of confidence and immense pride in students. They view themselves as torchbearers of great traditions. All this propels them to often explore uncharted territory, think unfettered, and bend traditions in a bid to create a better world, especially for women.

Vision and Mission

Vision

Swadhyayann pramaditavyam steer students towards introspection and self-learning the Upanishadic maxim in the college logo enshrines its understanding of what education must accomplish.

MH envisions a world where women have their rightful place and are given due recognition as leaders to reach the top positions in all sectors of human endeavor. To give shape to this vision, Miranda House continually reaffirms and embraces its responsibility to build on its historic legacy of leadership in education of women. It remains strongly committed to addressing issues of gender in all their complexity and preparing the young women to

lead professionally successful lives enriched by the love of learning

build personally fulfilling lives radiating integrity and strength of character

sustain purposeful engagement with the world with an open mind and balanced perspective

meet with confidence the challenges they will encounter in their lives

flourish in different cultural milieus in an increasingly interconnected world

uphold the core institutional values of respect for diversity, inclusiveness and humanism

emerge as leaders charged with new ideas and capacity to make a difference

Mission

The stated mission of the college is to provide

a stimulating active learning environment attracting young women with exceptional desire to make a difference to the world

highest quality liberal arts and basic science education through distinctive academic programmes that instill rigour in the pursuit of knowledge

culturally sensitive inclusive environment upholding core values of respect for diversity

enriching co-curricular activities linking education to the world of work and communities

dedicated and responsive faculty of scholars to assist each student fulfill aspirations and reach milestones

competencies for new domains of knowledge and the future of work in a globally connected world

early mentoring for leadership instilling capacity to explore new ideas, take intellectual risk, and usher paradigm change

The college recognizes that there are no shortcuts and what it takes to change the world. This report delineates the multiple ways in which the college ensures mission accomplishment.

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