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A R T S C O L L E G EMORE THAN AN EDUCATIONAL HUB

SURESHGHATTAMANENI

Arts College, the magnificent andelegant edifice in pink granitestone retains much of its charmeven today, though it has seenthe vicissitudes of fortune overthe last 75 years. The edificecelebrating its platinum jubileeyear is infact twenty years youngerto the college itself which startedin a temporary structure in theyear 1919.

Just as its blend of differentstyles in architecture, Arts Collegedraws together a young diverse

lot, enabling them to learn anddiscover. Historically, universitieshave played a major role asideological apparatuses, expressingthe ideological struggles presentin all societies.

Arts College played a crucialrole in the orchestration andmanagement of wider societalchanges. Right from a protestagainst theocratic state on the eveof Republic Day to that of a rallyfor Swachch Bharat Campaign,it has been accommodating allkinds of ideologues and theircontrasting ideologies, sometimeseven becoming an arena for

debating such.

Unlike the universities or collegeswhich cocoon themselves withinthe invisible hierarchies of classand language-based elitism,Osmania, and Arts College inparticular, is considered one ofthose student friendly institutionsthat welcomes all kinds of students

including the marginalized andoppressed sections creating anon-discriminatory platform. Astudent from a rural/tribal/non-English background receives

welcoming vibes in Osmania.Infact they neither have to facethe judgmental attitudes nor thefeelings of guilt which the muchhyped top notch universitiestend to create.

The educational experience at ArtsCollege or Osmania University onthe whole is beyond the classroomand the laboratory. It enables astudent to discover her/himself

and take major strides towards theircareer choices. Most progressivethoughts and actions with utmostsensitivity towards caste, class,religion and gender have beendemonstrated by generationsof students of the college at allpoints of time. The first everradical students union of the state

was formed here which signalledthe emergence of the visible anti-establishment politics. Infact,every revolutionary movementin the region of Telangana

which created an impact, had itsfirst squall at the Arts Collegeof Osmania University and itcontinues to be so!

Housing over 22 departmentsunder the Faculty of Arts andFaculty of Social Sciences, thestaff through various academicbodies give direction to thecurriculum to be followed at theundergraduate level. Faculty isalso in decision making bodiesfor Intermediate education. In

summary, the policy frameworkfor education to be imparted forfuture generations at the lowerlevels is laid in Departmentalconferences constituted byrespective departments in Artscollege. Scores of students whochoose to take up teaching as acareer take their first baby stepsin assimilating the tougher formsfor knowledge to be transferredto future generation In essence;they contribute to moulding thesociety There is a criticism that thecollege is losing its sheen in termsof academics and on account ofstudents focus on politics and

protests. On the flip side, thecollege has produced manyeminentpersonalities in academics,media, and economics apart frompolitics and it continues to do so.Politics is a part of our life and

when there is a sensitive andsensible platform like this, it is

welcoming.

The better way of understandingand looking at it is that the collegeand the university have beensuccessful in producing, sensibleand sensitive human beings whounderstand and react to the issuesin society and are not just eminentpersonalities visible for success

just in their respective fields.

The youngsters shaped by thecollege over the years have turnedout to be equally outstandingin their chosen spheres and themajestic building never fails toevoke nostalgia among the people

who had passed through thisportal of knowledge.

Mission

The University College ofArts and Social Sciences is

committed to the cause of

Higher Education by providing

world-class teaching, research

and public service. The college

seeks to serve society by

contributing to

The development of an

educated and enlightened

population capable of

informed judgment and

responsible citizenship.The availability of persons

who have the knowledge,

skills and adaptability

required by public and private

enterprise.

Advancement of knowledge,

skills and human creativity.

It is in this context that

the University College of

Arts and Social Sciences,

articulates the following

statements concerning its

goals, its accountability andits distinctive role in modern

Indian society.

Provide the highest possiblequality of teaching in thehumanities, languages, and socialsciences.

Enhance student success by

fostering an environment

conducive to intellectual and

personal growth.

Encourage original scholarship

and basic and applied researchof the highest quality.

Serve the community by

making its expertise available

to individuals and institutions.

Preserve and protect academicfreedom and intellectual

independence, and provide a

forum for critical inquiry and

debate.Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khanconsidered the architecture asa medium through which hecould convey to the people andthe world his royal ideals.

In his address at the openingof the Arts College building,he said God be praised thatthis gorgeous edifice is nowready. This structure has noparallel in the world of India forbeauty, grandeur, and nobility.

As Osmania University is one ofthe greatest achievements of myreign, this building, too, will bea lasting memorial of my rule,reminding future generations, for

centuries to come of the culture,architecture and civilization ofthis age.Later addressing the architectureof the College he remarked,Like the Urdu language, themanifestation of the fusion ofthe Hindu and Muslim styles ofarchitecture and its faade, itspillars and its portals portray theculture and the art of the twopeople. This building, therefore,is a symbol of unity, brotherhoodand cultural amalgam of theHindus and Muslims whichhas been the feature of thisstate for centuries. I considerit a part of my kingly duty to

preserve this feeling of amityamong my people. OsmaniaUniversity, which represents thebest traditions of the Hyderabadstate and its noble culture, shouldkeep as its goal the furtheranceof such fellow feeling and unity,for therein lies the welfare andprosperity of the country.

Visionary founder-Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan

Osmania CourierArts College Platinum Jubilee Special Edition

2MONUMENTALTASK AHEAD 4 8

BLOCK BYBLOCK

Bi-monthly lab newspaper, Department of Communication & Journalism, Osmania University, 24 April 2015, Vol.61, No 1

REVIVING GOODOLD DAYS

1919, August 28, College

inaugurated at Gunfoundry

11 Departments with 25teachers and 225 students atGunfoundry area.1928 : Land acquired near

Adikmet2.5 lakh square feet- total

plinth areaArchitect- Monsieur Jasper,from Belgium5 July 1934 -H.E.H. Nizam VII,laid the foundation stone4 December 1934 Collegedeclared open

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Monumental task ahead

thoughts& views

Arts College 2.0PROF. B.BALASWAMY

The University College of Arts and Social Sciences, which

is known popularly as Arts College is an iconic reflectionof not only Osmania University, but also the heartbeatand mindset/pulse of entire Telangana. In its journeyspanning over seven decades, there are myriad nostalgictangible and intangible feats in its trajectory. It has beenworld class in its mission of imparting knowledge indiverse disciplines- Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences

The College had the distinction of having staracademicians/ stalwarts including Padmabhushan andGnanpeet awardees. Its illustrious faculty include Dr. C.Narayana Reddy, Prof. AM Khusro, Prof. Shiv K.Kumar,Gidugu Ramamurthy, Prof. Bhadriraju Krishnamurthi,Prof. E . G. Parameswaran and many others. It hasproduced several Vice-Chancellors, politicians, poetsand policy makers. The alumni are spread across theworld in distinguished positions. Many people met theirlife partners for the first time in Arts college. Beingone of the heritage buildings in Hyderabad, the ArtsCollege reflects a truly composite culture of Hyderabad.

This college is the inspiration and intellectual base formany movements, including the movement for Telanganastate. It has been instrumental in realizing OsmaniaUniversitys mission of providing quality of education atan affordable cost. With three CAS Departments, it hasplayed a pivotal role in the University gaining the Universitywith Potential for Excellence status in the recent past.

Notwithstanding these laudable achievements in thesocial, political and educational spheres, there is alurking perception that the University as a whole andArts College, that academics has taken a beating owing to

the storms of disruptionand the ups and downs.Admitting that this is amisperception, what isneeded is an academicrevolution from within.This revolution shouldbe aimed at academicexcellence and innovationcontributing to seminalresearch and theory.Dissecting the societalproblems, coming up withpossible and plausiblesolutions calls forstrengthening the research

ethos. Further, unleashingthe creative energies of

students, researchers is the need of the hour for somekind of creative disruption. A concerted effort onthe part of the administration, faculty, students and theresearchers and the political class is the first step in thedirection to bolster higher education in Arts College.

There has to be a paradigm shift in the establishedways of thinking about higher education, research, andinnovation. It calls for redefinition of knowledge andits purpose, reorganization of branches of knowledge,rethinking the existing practices of teaching-learningand research and recognition of the limits of what weknow. Like all shifts, it involves recovery, reconstructionand bold re- imagination. It is time we go back to the

foundational debates on the ideals of higher education,carefully preserve all that is good in the present modeland treat this as the starting point of a reconstruction.At the same time there is no escaping the challenge ofthinking afresh to meet the new situation that confronts us.As the College celebrates its 75th year, theOsmania Courier has attempted to devote thisissue to Arts College and present its myriad facets.

It is time we go backto the foundationaldebates on the idealsof higher education,carefully preserveall that is good inthe present modeland treat this as thestarting point of areconstruction.

That the perceived image of theUniversity, especially Arts College,among diverse stake holders has beendented is indisputable. The College,

racing towards the Centenary year is known tothe present generation only as a battle groundwith the ideological outshouts- protests andmovements reverberating with the slogans ofsocial justice and identity politics. Beneath themedia projected dented image, lies the historywhich carries the memoirs of being the mostpreferred college for its academics. It hasproduced several stalwarts in different fields.

However, in the early years, the academicoutcomes Arts College were always a rejoinderto the criticisms of being termed a war-zonefor various revolutionary politics underminingthe education system. The College during thepast few years has been failing consistently tolive up to its past and its time for us to look forsome corrective measures to salvage this.Its time to introspect what went wrong overthe decades wherein the academics took abeating and the college lost its prominence inbeing the most preferred destination for thetalent pool.

First, political interference into academics over

the past few decades disturbed the autonomyof the university and the fabric of the delicaterelationship between the teachers and thestudents. While some administrative headstried fixing it during their tenures, some turneda blind eye to it not to get embroiled intocontroversies.

Agreed that Arts College has been a springboardfor several movements- political, and social,with an objective of social change producingleaders who are remembered and idolized bythe youth today. But, the point that is alwaysundermined in this discussion is the academicsuccess of the same leaders who have inspiredus.

In areas of low aspiration and poor attainment,where teachers expectations from the studentsare also low and there is an invisible andunaccepted disconnect between the teachersand students, igniting a passion in a student ismade all that much easier if the academics aretreated on par with the practicals. The oneroustask ahead is in persuading students to balancetheir political intents with academic interests.

Admitting that there is an apparent disconnectbetween class room learning and the worldbeyond, it is imperative to bridge and strengthenthis gap. We cannot mould ourselves onlyto present demands, without listening andunderstanding the history. Understandingthe history can happen only when there isimportance catered to the academic aspects ofthe education. What happens outside shouldcommensurate and complement with whathappens inside the classroom.

Grim realities matter more than the romantic

fantasies of looking beyond the classroom education. Government jobs are likecompeting for a shrinking cake and thereforethere is a need to rely more on meaningfuleducation with the skill sets received in college.Given the specialization required for manyjobs these days in the globally competitiveworld, young people entering the job marketdo need a substantial base of knowledge and,in many cases, specialized skills. Instilling theidea that students with academic success wouldhave more opportunities to choose than thosewith mere degrees is less education.

The prime duty of a university college is toproduce economically valuable intellectual

resources and college education plays a vitalrole in this. Learning is a continuum, a lifelongawakening to the complexity of the world.Knowledge and grip on the subjects learnt,boosts the confidence levels of an individualin being successful in whatever field she/he chooses to be in. Academics define ourcapability to perform in a restricted sphere. Itmay not be a determining factor, but definitelyan indicator of potential for success in oursphere of interests.

Review, Refinement and Rationalization of theacademic aspects of the college are undoubtedlythe need of the hour. But these need to takeplace in the wider context of understanding

and learning lessons from the pastIts time to restore Arts College to its earlierpedestal which carries the history of churningout globally competitive products. It is thecollective responsibility of the students, facultyand the educational administrators and policymakers to bring back the good old days. Itis a monumental task, no doubt, but notinsurmountable . SURESHGHATTAMANENI

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As the University College ofArts and Social Sciences,known as Arts College, celebratesthe 75th year Prabhakar Choutispeaks to the College Principal,Prof. T. Krishna Rao from theDepartment of Philosophy on hisfuture plans and diverse issues

How do you feel being thePrincipal of Arts College in its75th year?

I am pleased to be the Principal ofthe college in its 75th year. I amgreatly honored by this position.

This is a great opportunity forme .It has been my childhooddream. I used to play around

this Arts College (1973-74) inmy childhood. I am emotionallyattached to this college.

What are your priorities andvision for the college as aPrincipal?

My priorities are to revive the gloryof Arts College. Further, to bringthe heritage value of this buildinginto public domain; to preserveand promote cultural heritage,humanistic and spiritual values ofthis college; to develop, enhance,and improve the quality of human

resources and to cultivate resolutemoral and ethical values.

There is no personal vision. Thevision of university is the highestmission. It is to generate anddisseminate knowledge through aharmonious blend of ancient andmodern wisdom, and to serve thesociety by developing in studentsheightened intellectual, cultural,ethical, and humane sensitivities;to foster a scientific temper, andto promote professional andtechnological expertise.

What does Arts College standfor?

The College is instrumentalin propagation of Culturaldiversity and reflects the needsand aspirations of variouscommunities in the region for overeight decades. It has emerged asone of the noted Universities ofIndia. The students of the collegehave played a key role in varioussocial movements, and in theprocess of social transformationof the region and the country.

Any plans to achieveexcellence in the college?

Excellence can be achievedthrough teaching and research.

Also, empowerment of studentsthrough knowledge andinformation and moulding theminto a responsible and productivecitizenry.

What are the biggest issuesfacing the students in thiscollege?

The major issues are lack of careeropportunities for students. Nextis the outdated infrastructure

pipelines, power lines are so old

that they cannot be renovated.We need to fix them all afresh. Irequest the Government of Indiato grant developmental funds tobuild new hostels.

Outline the role ArtsCollege students in thenewly constituted state ofTelangana?

Students should concentrate oneducation and research ratherthan indulge in politics. Theyshould be stay away from politics.They should own the highest

educational values and be aninspiration to new students. Allstudents should adhere to highestdiscipline to glorify this college.

Do you have sufficientbudgetary allocations formaintenance of the College?

As Arts College is not adequatelyfunded there are financialproblems. Maintenance works arebeing undertaken by the Buildingsdivision and the authorities haveto take further steps to renovateand modernize the structure

What is the role of ArtsCollege in 21st century ?

The University College of Arts iscommitted to the cause of highereducation by providing world-class teaching and research. Thecollege seeks to serve societyby contributing to developan educated and enlightenedpopulation capable of informedjudgment and responsiblecitizenship. The College preservesand protects academic freedomand intellectual independence,and provides a forum forcritical inquiry and debate ondevelopmental perspectives.

Reviving good old days my priority,says T.Krishna Rao, Principal

EP YESUDAS

What would you doif you were madethe Vice Chancellor

of Osmania University? Iwould resign the very next day,retorted Prof. Padmaja Shaw

without a missing a beat, bafflingthe questioner.Participating in a post-retirementinteraction session at theDepartment of Communicationand Journalism, she explainedthat if the judicious allocationof university resources by acommitted Vice Chancellor isa warranted responsibility, areasonable expectation then isregular attendance of enrolledstudents and proper utilizationof departmentsinfrastructure andresources by thefaculty. Studentsregular attendanceat classes is whatmotivates the facultyto come prepared

and brings out thebest in them shesaid. Smaller classsizes and regularattendance is

what wouldmake the

instruction more effective, sheadded.Asked what could be done tomake the academic environmentin the university better,she observed that variousstakeholders of the Universityshould be driven by a commonpurpose and the Vice Chancelloralone cannot enforce things.I am personally against forcingpeople to do anything, she said.

Tracing her journey from beinga student of Arts College tobecoming a Professor,

Padmaja Shaw revealed thather entry into Journalism wasaccidental. Her interest in

writing as profession gave hera choice between pursuingEnglish Literature or Journalismat the Arts College. Since thebachelors degree in Journalismtook just a year, she opted for it.Later, she got a Masters degreein Journalism and landed aninternship in television which

was the most happening thing at

that time.

Giving further details, shesaid she enrolled for an MAin television production atMichigan State University,United States, in pursuit ofher passion. She subsequentlytravelled back to India in searchof a practical assignment in TVproduction rather than pursuing

a theoretical PhD in the US.Recounting her days atthe Michigan State, Prof.Padmaja pointed out that

apart

from creating ideal conditionsfor the pursuit of academicexcellence such as academicdiscipline, grading systems,assignments and well equippedlibraries that were open till 2am every day, the universityadministration also took care ofsmall but important things suchas the availability of food andpersonal safety, lack of which issuch an impediment for students

wanting to spend more time

pursuing academic activities inIndian Universities, she added.She contrasted this with thelack of security for the inmatesof Osmania girls hostel duringagitations and blockades. Shesaid that all it needed was the

will of the authorities to allocatethe resources judiciously to meetthe needs of the students.Lamenting the general state ofaffairs in Osmania today, shestated that though OsmaniaUniversity had always been ahot bed for political activity.Despite that, the focus of the

students and the availability ofgreat teachers across disciplinesmade academic pursuit excitingand the transition into westernuniversities less challengingfor students in those days thantoday.Prof. Padmaja imploredstudents to recognize theirown biases and the potential

danger of a reporter ending upmisreporting or misinterpretingfacts. She remarked that she didnot take up journalism sinceshe felt she was too biased.She opined that, Ultimatelyjournalism is fair only if itprovides a level playing field toair all biases.She reminded the students ofGunnar Myrdals book AsianDrama and encouraged them

to follow his advice to firstknow and then state their ownbiases and then go out in ascientific manner to test the biasobjectively and finally if proven

wrong, to have the decency toaccept that their bias is wrong.

Asked about the challengeswomen face in meeting thedemands of raising childrenand looking after households,Prof. Padmaja, who workedon Women and SocialMovements for her doctorate,stated that apart from the reallypoor who live on daily wages,

our society provides many moreopportunities for middle classfamilies. Many women findadequate social support and areable to pursue their dreams. Sheencouraged students to ensurethat they get what they want(professionally) otherwise they

will be forced to like what theyget.

Shun bias in reporting, cautions Prof. Padmaja Shaw

tete-a-tete4

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COURIERDESK

C

ut off from the din and

pollution of the twin cities of

Hyderabad, and nestling in the

green environs of the 1,500acre campus is Arts College .

Documents reveal that the Osmania

University College, (Arts College) was

inaugurated on August 28, 1919. Sir Ross

Masood was the first Principal of the college.

The college was temporarily housed in

eight rented buildings in Gunfoundry area

with 25 teachers and 225 students in the

Intermediate first year class. But since the

authorities found the location unsuitable

for expansion, it was decided to acquire

a site and have building worthy of the

University. Subsequently, a vast portion of

land was acquired near Adikmet in 1928.

Prior to executing the plans, it was

considered a important to depute two of

its suitable and experienced Engineers to

a world tour, to study the requirement of

a modern model university- both from

academic and engineering points of view

and to propose the appointment of a

Consultant Architect. A team of experts

with Sri Syed Ali Raza (later Ali Nawaz

Jung), an Engineer and Nawab Zain Yar

Jung, an architect, was sent abroad to study

and suggest a model plan.

The group toured Great Br itain, Europe,

America, Japan, Egypt and Turkey, and

recommended the appointment of

Monsieur Jasper, a Belgian as an architect.

Jasper prepared a detailed plan of all the

university buildings. After Jasper left

Hyderabad in1931, Nawab Zain Yar Jung

executed the plans for which he was awarded

a Padma Bhushan for his outstanding

service to the field of architecture.

Much thought and careful planning lies

behind the selection of the present site of

the Campus of Osmania University withthe Arts College building as the central

structure. The last Nizam Mir Osman Ali

Khan evinced intense desire for the success

of the university scheme and agreed to

lay the foundation stone of Arts College

himself.

H.E.H. Nizam VII, laid the foundation

stone for the Arts College building on 5th

July, 1934 and it was declared open by him

on 4 December 1939.

The Arts college has an architecturalheritage structure similar to College of

Sultan Hassan in Cairo, Egypt and was

meant to reflect implicitly some lofty and

noble ideals of Indian education. The

edifice is a synonym for architectural

uniqueness unspoilt by the arrival of new

fangled architectonics.

This stately granite giant, an articulate

specimen of later Osman Shahi

architecture, combines the archetypal

characteristics of the Hindu temple styles

with those of the Saracenic. Inlaid into

this unique form are motifs of medieval

Moslem, Arabic, Moorish and even Gothicschools of architecture.

The unspoiled edifice reveals majesty and

is the nucleus of the 95-year old Osmania

University.

The College was originally Osmania

University itself and from here starts a

bio-spiritual journey into the world of art

and aesthetics revealing itself in sculptured

granite.

The College of Arts and Social Sciences of

the famed Osmania University, popularly

known as the Arts College, a double-storied construction covers a plinth area of

2.5 lakh sq. ft. with cellars bringing up the

level of depressed portion to the ground

floor level of the building. The cellars

meant to be used as locker, store and cloak

rooms. The exterior of the basement is of

dressed granite, the interior lime plastered

and its roof is done in Jach arch. Built in

dressed granite of pink shade obtained

from quarries within the project area, Arts

college stands without a parallel, uniqueamongst its contemporaries.

A large number of imported

dressers, the majority of whom hailed

from remote towns in Southern India like

Tanjore, Turukapalam, Conjeeveram, etc.,

are busy like the bee, patiently carved and

dressed one of the hardest varieties of

granite.

The visitor is mesmerised by the innards

of the great welcome arch built in dressed

granite, seemingly supported by two soaring,

round and polished granite columns.

The main entrance to the building is an

immense portal in a vertical oblong stands

out from the faade and is higher than the

side walls and winds of the structure. It

encloses a trefoil arch whose peak soarshigher than the walls of the edifice toeither side of the portal. The arch houses a

semicircular vault with stalactites, resulting

in a synthesis of several major architectural

themes of iwan, arch and monumental

portal. The interior of the arch is deep to

make an iwan covered by a semi-circular

vault with stalactites. The result is a synthesis

of several major architectural themes of

iwan, arch, monumental portal, sanctifying

half dome, stalactite ornamentation

reproducing the form of a Mihrab.

The college exterior can be broadly divided

into the centrepiece consisting of a grand

arch which has a huge doorway designedafter the Persian Pishtaq or the mosque

of the yesteryears. On the either side ofthe centrepiece are two double-storied

colonnaded galleries, each reflection of the

other. The huge doorway with its marvellous

arch, welcomes the staff, students and all

the visitors to the striking interior.

Inside the college youll find the flooring,

staircase balustrade and railings covered in

pink terrazzo. The flooring of the first and

the second floor was done in -Shahabad

stones. Atop the centre of the hallway

youll find a fantastic dome with chande

liers set.

The dome is double-decked in structure,

the first deck has sixteen sides and the

second deck, a downward extension of the

first, has sixteen windows related to each

side of the first deck. The dome has 32

inverted A symbols with 16 windows. But

the uniqueness and strength is not confined

to the building.

The portal found in madrasas and mosques

of medieval welcome a visitor into a sacred

interior. The remarkable tall polishedround granite pillars flank the entrance,

accentuating the vision of height of the

portal. The main cornice and parapet were

done partly in dressed granite and partly

imitation. Railing in external verandahs

were cast and fixed in artificial granite.

The overall plan is perfectly symmetrical.

If we exclude the portal, the three faades

of the building are treated alike and the

symmetry and the repetitive rhythm of

each side is pleasing.

Into this faade of Islamic character,the look of rock-cut architecture of the

Deccan seems integrated. For the instance

a Tin Tal at Ellora, which formed part of

former Nizams Dominion. The railing of

the octagonal shafts strike one as based on

Buddhist Cave architectural elements of

the Deccan.

The entrance hall of the ground floor is

the chief attraction of the architecture of

Arts College, with a dome crowning it, its

floor in shining pink terrazzo and enclosed

by twenty-four ornamental pillars. These

pillars are the best representation of Hinduarchitectural style with shaft fluted in parts

and carrying an Amalaka capital.

Long and deep aisles, lecture halls, open

courts with columns of dressed granite

stone and three stair cases, one of which

is of cantilever type. The flooring of Ar ts

college in the ground and first floors is of

The magnificent, University College of Arts and Social Sciences building (ArtsCollege), at the centre of a sprawling 1510.85 acre Osmania University Campus,

from the stage of the planning of the Osmania Campus in early 1930s wasconceived with special care to be the central and principal architectural structure

of Osmania University.

Beautyin pinkgranite

5

contd on p13

inner grandeur

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Educational institutions,

it is said, are built onthe foundations laid by

the faculty, research,students and the buildings. While

each contributes to the growth

of the institution, the role of the

Faculty is of pre-eminence. As the

Arts college celebrates the 75th

year, Himabindu Duggirala

met a few Professors who

leveraged their positions while in

service to ensure that the College

scaled the peaks of academic

excellence. Also, they were asked

to recall the contribution of their

predecessors.

Political Science

Politics and Arts College cannot

be divorced. Same with the

Department of Political Science.

While the faculty can take credit

for shaping the political careers

of generations of students, early

history reveals that way back in

1918-19, Political Science was

a part of the Department of

History.

It was recognized as an

independent discipline in 1948

with Prof. Arun Khan Sherwani

as its first Head. In 1964, Late Dr.

Rasheeduddin Khan, a stalwart

and a confidante of the former

Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi,

infused the research culture in

the department. He conducted

Electoral Services in the elections

to the Municipal Corporation of

Hyderabad and eventually becamethe member of Rajya Sabha for

two terms.

Later in 1977, Prof. G. Ram Reddy,

Former Head and Vice Chancellor

carried on

the legacy of

Prof Khan by

restructuring

the research

a c t i v i t i e s .

M a j o r

contributionsduring his stint

included two

volumes on Regionalism in India

A case s tudy of Telangana and

State Politics in Andhra Pradesh

were published.

Having been a part of the

Department of Public

Administration initially, he

introduced Public Policy as abroad subject liberating it from anarrow confines of Government

and Policy.

This was later carried over by

Prof. B.A.V. Sharma. Since then,

the Department laid emphasis

on public policy studies which

resulted in the publication of a

volume on Reservation Policy

in India in the early 1980s.Prof.Sharma, a successor of Prof. Ram

Reddy was a student of Prof. AlooDastur and Prof. Usha Mehta. Prof

Mehta was a pioneer in Political

Sociology and Comparative

Politics. He launched the Election

Studies Programme and played

a pivotal role in starting the

Departmental Research Support

(DRS) Programme which later

helped the Department to achieve

the status of Centre for Advanced

Study (CAS). During his tenure,

the department was given

approval for a Centre for PublicPolicy in 1980 and admissions to

Ph.D saw an increase.

Prof. K. Madhusudhan Reddy,

served as the Head and later as the

Principal of Arts College. He was

looked up to as an authority on

India-China politics. He served as a

coordinator for the Departmental

Research Programme (DRS)

from 1978-85. A man with a far

sight, he pushed the proposal for

Departmental Special AssistanceProgramme (DSAP) in 1988 and

got it approved by the UGC. He

was the local secretary for the

43rd All India Political Science

Conference held in Hyderabad.

He supervised the publication

of books including Young Voter,

and Women in Politics. Political

Science was introduced at the

post-graduate level in Womens

College and other places during

his stint.

Prof. Kancha Ilaiah is a widely

recognised intellectual, known for

his book, Why I am not a Hindu.

His is a strong voice in support

of the sub-altern perspective.

His many recent books and

articles build on this perspective

to argue for the existence of an

autonomous subaltern culture and

knowledge systems. His research

on the scientific aspects of cattle-

herding practices was published

in the Subaltern Studies seriespublished by Oxford University

Press.

Prof. Rajurkar was an authority

on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and

his policies and was invited to

deliver the Nehru Memorial

Lectures. Other faculty members

who guided the progress of

the department and occupied

prestigious positions at nationaland international levels includeDr. Rama Melkote, Prof. S.D.

Jatkar, Prof. Kousar J. Azam.

English

Introducing English at a time

when Urdu was the medium of

instruction and was predominantly

spoken, was a bold initiative

towards catching up with theworld. Started in 1919 with

Prof N.G.We l i n g k a r

as Head, the

Department

of English

had an

intermediate

c o u r s e .

Later, it was

introduced at the undergraduate

level in 1921, M.A. in 1937 and

M.Phil. in 1973.

The Department was the firstto offer American Literature in

1956-57, General Linguistics

with Spoken English in 1972-73,

and Commonwealth Literature in

1978 at the M.A level.

Prof. R.S. Sharma, Former

Head and Dean Faculty of Arts,

recalls how the department has

transformed by the day. Dr. D. S.

Reddy, Former Vice Chancellor,

had brought in a lot of changes

in the location of the Departmentand faculty composition. He

invited eminent professors from

different parts of the country,

who contributed immensely to

the stature of the University.

R e s e a r c h

b e c a m e

one of the

i m p o r t a n t

aspects of

not just

English but

also otherdisciplines.

E m i n e n t

scholars like Prof. Shiv K. Kumar,

Prof. Vasanth A. Shahane, Prof.

Isaac Sequeira, Prof. Doraiswami,

Prof. M. Sivaramakrishna, and

Prof. Venkatachari served the

Department.

Prof. Shiv K. Kumar initiated

several measures that catapulted

the Department to the top of

the national academic scene.Prof. Kumar and Prof. Shahane

founded the Osmania University

English Forum in 1960 to

conduct academic discussions.

The Osmania Journal of English

Studies, launched in 1961,

brought out special numbers

on the different dimensions of

Shakespeare, American Literature,

Indian Writing and Poetry in

English etc.

The Department was the first

to introduce courses for the

disadvantaged students. American

Literature was introduced by Prof.

Isaac Sequeira.

The Department collaborated

with ICRISAT (International

Crops Research Institute for the

Semi Arid Tropics) from 1979-94. Later in 1994, the UGC

sanctioned the English LanguageTeaching Centre (ELTC) since

then the activities were taken over

by the ELTC.

Prof. Kumar, Prof. Shahane,

Prof. Sequeira and Prof. Sharma

served in the position of Dean,

Faculty of Arts. Prof. Kumar and

Prof. Shahane had the distinction

of being the Principals of Arts

College.

Linguistics

The Department of Linguistics

was established

in 1962 with

the institution

of a Tagore

C e n t e n a r y

Chair in

Linguist ics,

funded by the

Government

of India

and the University GrantsCommission. Prof. Bhadriraju

Krishnamurti was the first

occupant of this Chair.

In mid70s, Prof. Krishnamurti, as

the Head of the Department, had

the foresight to make the linguistic

programme applied in nature. He

worked closely with the Indian

Statistical Institute in Calcutta and

the Institute for Experimental

Phonetic Speech Pathology

(IEPSP) in Yugoslavia. He starteda collaborative research institute

with the IEPSP and organised

workshops. He also imported a

22-channel equipment along with

Selective Auditory Filter Amplifier

(SAFA) and other vibrotactile

devices with which one could

train children (especially, Telugu-

speaking kids) with hearing and

speech impairments to speak

better.

He was the one to design anAudiometric room and asked me

to start with the training, says

Prof. Vasanta, faculty member

cum a speech language therapist,

Department of Linguistics, OU.

As a person, Prof. Krishnamurti

was a man with high standards

of discipline and he instilled

the same work ethic among his

colleagues, recalls Prof. Vasanta.A man of high repute, severalfamous linguists and personalities

visited the department during his

tenure.

Today, were identified as the

one and only department that has

entered the fourth phase of CAS

[Centre for Advanced Studies]

and the seeds were sown by

Prof. Krishnamurti, exults Prof.Vasanta. Prof. Krishnamurti

strived hard to ensure thedepartment attained international

stature. Weve been keeping up

with it for the past 50 years by

organizing national seminars,

workshops and guest lectures.

Apart from Prof. Krishnamurti,

Prof. Ananthanarayana, Prof.

C. Rama Rao, Prof. Lakshmi

Bai, Prof. Aditi Mukherjee have

significantly contributed to the

growth and evolution of the

department in their respectivefields by their extensive planning

and diligence in theoretical and

applied linguistics.

The Department was selected

for the Special Assistance

Programme (SAP) of the UGC

in 1977, and was accorded Centre

for Advanced Study status in

1985. The Department has been

actively publishing an annual

research journal Osmania Papers

in Linguistics since 1975.

Islamic Studies

The Department of Islamic

Studies came into existence in

1965 after the bifurcation of

Department of Religion and

Culture, with Dr. Hans Kruze

as its first Head. Islamic Studies,

as a separate discipline was

strengthened during the period

of Dr. Anwar Moazzam, Dr.

Suleman Siddiqui and others.

Prof. Anwar Moazzam was

instrumental in preparing the

Islamic Studies syllabus for the

Jamia Hamdard and the Kashmir

University. He also published

several books. A disciplined

person, punctual and principled

he played a key role in building the

department to what it is today.

Dr. Siddiqui, Former Head,

Departmentof Islamic

Studies, has

also served

as Principal,

U C A S S ;

D i r e c t o r ,

Competitive Examinations

Coaching Centre; and Director,

Dairatul Maarif; and Vice-

Chancellor. He is said to take pride

and relish every bit of his journeyfrom studentship to retirement.

Osmania University is the

oldest seat of learning in the

new state of Telangana, he

starts off, noting how the

times have drastically changed.

The academiccontd on p13

Leading Faculty who nurtured academics

guiding lights6

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M. NAVEENKUMARANDJ. YASHODA

Eleven departments in ArtsCollege have either crossedthe 50- or 60-year mark. Theyinclude : Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit,Economics, History, PoliticalScience, English, Kannada,Marathi, Telugu and Urdu. These

were offered at the Intermediatelevel with 25 teachers and 225students at Gunfoundry area.

ARABICThe Department of Arabic wasstarted with Prof. Abdus SattarSiddiqui, as the head with threefaculty members. Six teachers

were awarded the Certificateof Honour by the President ofIndia. The Department todayoffers a special course in Arabicto professionals being deputed tothe Gulf countries by the MNCs.

PERSIAN

Maulana Syed Ashraf Shamsi wasthe first Head of the Departmentof Persian. Prof. Sharif Unnisa

Ansari of the department was

awarded with Padma Shri.

SANSKRIT

The Sanskrit Department runsa Masters course to meet theteaching requirements of collegesoffering Sanskrit as a secondlanguage or as an optional at theIntermediate and Undergraduatelevels. It has a course on Telanganaliterature.

TELUGU

The Department of Telugu wasstarted with Rayaprolu SubbaRao as its first head. One of thestalwarts of the department was

Prof. Divakarla Venkatavadhani,who was the son of twin poetsknown as Tirupati VenkataKavulu.

Prof. C. Narayana Reddy, whoearned his fame as a lyricist for

Telugu films, also taught in theDepartment. Prof. Reddy picked asmall topic and traced its evolutionand connect it to the present.

The UGU selected Departmentfor the Departmental ResearchSupport Program in 1994. SevenFaculty members have become

Vice-chancellors while two areGyanpeeth award winners.

ECONOMICS

Teaching of economics beganat Intermediate through Urdumedium in the Department ofHistory. A full-fledged Departmentof Economics was established

in 1935 with introduction ofEconomics in B.A. and M.A. in1937. Prof. C.H. Hanumantha Rao,

who served as a member of thePlanning Commission, member,Rama Krishna Sastry, memberof the National Academy ofDevelopment, undertook researchon the economy of AP and

Telangana. As Vice Chancellor,Prof. D.S. Reddy had invitedeminent scholars like GautamMathur and Raja J. Chellaiah toteach in the Department.

KANNADA

Kannada received prominenceright from the inception ofthe University 1918-19. ProfD.K. Bhimsen Rao was the firstHead. Osmania University isthe only University in Telanganaoffering Post-graduate andResearch programs in the

Kannada language. The KannadaDevelopment Authority, instituteda fellowship of Rs. 2,000 permonth, to encourage the studyof Kannada outside KarnatakaState for five students of both 1stand 2nd year of PG. Kannada isoffered as second language and asmodern language in undergraduatecourses in the University Collegeof Women, Koti.

HISTORY

The Department was establishedin 1919 with Sri Qazi Badruddinas the first Head. It offered under-graduate courses in 1919 and thePost-Graduate programme wasstarted in 1924. The UGC hasgranted Departmental Special

Assistance (DSA) for a periodof five years from 2007. Thedepartment has completed over15 major research projects fundedby different agencies. Prof.

Vaikuntham of the Departmentserved as the Vice-Chancellor ofKakatiya University and also as theDean, Faculty of Social Sciences.. Prof. Sarojini Regani servedas Director, State Archives andResearch Institute and as Dean,Faculty of Social Sciences. Prof. A.Satyanarayana has been awarded

visiting Fellowship by JacobUniversity, Bremen, Germany fortwo semesters during 2010-11.

MARATHI

The department was establishedin 1918-19 with Sri C. N. Joshias its first Head. Marathi isoffered as the second languagein affiliated colleges. Duringthe Golden Jubilee celebrationsof the University in 1968, thegovernment of Maharashtrainstituted a Professorship

called The Maharashtra Chairof Marathi, Dr. Sreedhar RaoKulkarni was the first to occupythe Chair in 1970. Prof S.R.Kulkarni, Prof V.D. Kulkarni andProf Manik Rao Dhanpalwar ofthis department were prominentacademicians. Those whocompleted PhD in Marathi areawarded Madhekar MemorialGold Medal.

MEN AT

THE HELM

Nawab MahediyarJungbhadur(1921-22)Prof. Abdus Sattar Siddiqui(1922-24)Prof.Mohd AbdurRahmankhan (1924-26)Prof. Qazi Mohd Hussain(1926-37)

Hussain Ali Khan(1937-45)Prof. M.S Doraiswamy(1945-54)Prof. Syed fazl-e-Haque(1954-54)Prpf. Abdul Khader(1954-60)Prof. Aryendra Sharma(1960-65)Prof. S.K Kumar(1965-67)Prof. V.A Shahane(1967-67)Prof. Bh Krishnamurthy(1967-71)Prof. M.A Muttalib(1971-73)Prof. E.G Parameshwaran(1973-75)Prof. G.Ram Reddy(1975-77)Prof.C.Lakshmanna(1977-80)Prof. K.S Upadhyay(1981-85)Prof.V.NarayankaranReddy (1985-86)Prof.YadavaReddy(1986-88)Prof. K.MadhusudhanReddy (1988-93)Prof. K.SubhashchandraReddy (1993-94)Prof. M.Gopal Reddy

(1994-95)Prof. Suleman Siddique(1995-95)Prof. R.Soma Reddy(1995-96)Prof. T.Mohan Singh(1996-01)Prof. M.Venkateshwar(2002-05)Prof. G.Satyanarayana(2005-06)Prof. P.L Vishweshwar Rao(2006-08)Prof.S.Sudharshan Rao(2008-10)Prof. T.KeshavaNarayana(2010-12)Prof. Sankasala Mallesh

(2012-14)Prof. S.V Satyanarayana(2014-14)Prof. Maimoona(2014-14)Prof. Krishna Rao(2014-)

COURIERDESKStudent politics in Arts Collegehas had a roller coaster rideduring the past few decades.and the body politick isfractured on several lines.In Arts College, studentpolitics can be understoodin two phases: pre andpost Emergency . In thepre-Emergency era, YouthCongress and NSUI, both partof Indian National Congress,played a dominant role.

In the post-Emergency period,when the super powers playedout Cold War politics, Left-wing student organisationsemerged, among whichextreme Left organisationssuch as Revolutionary StudentsUnion (RSU) and ProgressiveDemocratic Students Union(PDSU) occupied most of thespace. These organisationsremained strong till 1985because of their strong base atthe grassroots level.The early eighties saw thewaning influence of the LeftParties and the blossomingof Independents for a brief

spell. The ban on the LeftWing groups by the StateGovernment saw their holdwaning and the rise of theAkhil Bharatiya VidhyarthiParishad (ABVP) as a majorforce. According to Prof. V.Jagadeeshwar Rao, an ABVPstudent leader during 1987-89, the period between 1985-89 saw ABVP hold powerand play an active role in theUniversity till the electionswere banned in 1989 and inthe 1990s, several studentorganisations were born.A few years later, nationalpolitics made an impact on

students. The emergenceof the Bahujan Samaj Partyin Uttar Pradesh influencedstudents who formed theKranthi Sangrama Pasrishad2000 onwards till date: Withthe founding of the TelanganaRashtra Samithi, severalstudents rallied for the causeof Telangana resulting in thelaunch of TRSV, TNSF, TGVPeven as the ABVP continuesto be a force to reckon with.The Left parties- PDSU, AISFSFI and other groups havemarginal presence. Alongsidethese, another developmentwas the emergence of a host

of caste-based organisationsincluding the MRPS, MSF,tribal organisations, BackwardClasses, Intriguingly, theNational Students Union ofIndia( NSUI) the student wingof the Congress, failed to makemajor inroads into studentpolitics except during the preemergency period

Flux instudent

politics

through the years 7

50plus, and

going strongSir RossMasood(1921-21)(FirstPrincipal)

7/24/2019 Osmania Courier 75 Years Spl Issue

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vignettes from the past8

BLOCK byBLOCKBLOCK byBLOCK

7/24/2019 Osmania Courier 75 Years Spl Issue

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poetry in stone

PICS BY:

Suresh.G

Yasir Muhammed

Vanitha

9

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MYADHARINAVEENKUMAR

Its not everyday that one getsto hobnob

w i t hsomeone whohas seen thegrowth of auniversity, itshighs and lows,its sunrises andsunsets over several years. A chat

with S. Yadagiri, one of the most

senior and experienced Class IVemployees in Arts college, was anopportunity to see the universitythrough his eyes.I come from Nalgonda district,he says, recounting how he endedup working at the OsmaniaUniversity. My father migratedto Hyderabad in search of alivelihood.He started working asa construction labourer, supplying

bricks during the constructionof University College of Sciencebuilding. And then I becamea part of the university too.

Yadagiri joined the Geophysicsdepartment of Science Collegeas a Lab attendant in 1973and

worked there till 2004.On his initial years, he says, Theacademic calendar was strictlyfollowed. Classes were conductedregularly and commenced at 9

am sharp. He remembers thelearner- friendly atmosphereon campus. One could witnessactive discussions and facultyteaching with the aid of maps anddiagrams. The campus was abuzz

with activity all the time. Today,things are good, but they could bebetter, Yadagiri rues and adds thatthe present generation has variedpriorities. Yadagiri was later

appointed as the Junior Assistantin the office of the Principal ofthe Arts College and served thereuntil February, 2012. In Marchthat year, he was promoted to thepost of Senior Assistant servedthe college till his retirement thesame year.Of all the administrative challengesthat the university faced duringhis tenure, he says, it was a bolddecision to hold exams when the

2009 Telangana movement was atits peak saving the academic year.

What does he think of the studentscontribution in the struggle fora new state? Several students,including girls were injured inthe police attacks and the campusturned into a battlefield . Studentsparticipated in the struggle atthe expense of their studies andcareer. We saw a spate of suicides

across the State he says.When the conversation turnsto Arts Colleges Platinum

Jubilee celebrations, Yadagiriis enthusiastic. Arts Collegeis famous for its remarkablearchitecture. It attracts severaltourists from various places. ArtsCollege has made significantcontributions to education,preparing students to becompetent in todays world. Many

bureaucrats who occupy toppositions graduated from here.

The college has seen the birth ofmany movements like the Pro-

Telangana movements in 1969and in 2009, he gushes.

Yadagiri, now on contract withthe College remarks, a dailymaintenance regime is neededto preserve the beauty of thisheritage symbol.

THIRUPATHIGUGULOTHU

The founder, architect,construction labour

would be turning intheir graves watching

the pitiable plight of the woesthat have befell Arts college,the wonderful edifice they have

worked for. After weathering theravages of time for nearly sevendecades, Arts College seems tohave fallen on bad days- bad daysbecause of the poor quality ofmaintenance and upkeep.

While the exterior structure hasretained some of its old charm,the interiors tell a different tale

altogether. Water seepage intocorridors, classrooms, cellar andthe toilets has become a commonfeature during the monsoonseason. The buildings division

which takes up repair work hasnot been able to come up with apermanent solution. As a resultof the continuous seepage,corridor walls are stained and arean eyesore to the visitor. Thespotless white walls stretch only asfar as the Main Hallway. Beyondthe Principals office area, onecan see the paint peeling off the

walls.The College is no exception to themalaise that plagues most heritage

structures in India- graffiti on

the walls. The walls on the upperfloor, especialy the ones aroundthe grand staircase have beendefaced by memories etched inpen. While this is the handiworkof human miscreants, their aviancounterparts add to the mischief

with their droppings on thebalustrades and sunshades. Broken

window panes and blackenedchandeliers do not speak well ofthe upkeep. The huge woodendoors and windows, perhapsattended to years back needurgent attention as they are underthe threat of a termite attack.Spaces adjacent o the College,present a pathetic scene and one

would be tempted to describe itas a dust bowl . The lawns, afavourite haunt of both studentsand casual visitors, are nowmarred by the ever increasinggarbage . With no dustbins todispose off waste, empty plastic

bottles, water sachets, used plates

and cups end up in the grass.The road that leads to the Libraryfrom the Arts college now has, onits left, a huge pile of constructiondebris that is never cleared. Thepond now stands empty and dry.

The Buildings Division of theUniversity is clueless about theunderground sewage system.Despite several complaints bysome departments about foulsmell from the toilets, they havefailed to fix the problem. Tocompound woes, the Arts collegetoday has just two functioningtoilets for nearly 1000 students, faculty and staff . Thoughrepair work commenced, , acouple of toilets have beenlocked with construction materialscattered and remains unattended.Students visiting the Competitiveexams coaching centre, centrefor handicapped, psychology andjournalism departments operating

in the cellar are the worst hit as

repair of toilets has been stoppedmidway. Points out an employee,even the toilets which have beenfixed, and have wall tiles, theelbow space in the toilets has beenreduced due to thickening of walls.

The Principal, Prof. T. Krishna

Rao, says, Arts college building isa cultural heritage building so wecannot change its basic structure.Hence its impossible to constructnew toilets for girl students.Rues a senior faculty, it is sadthat we are not able to maintainsuch a beautiful edifice, handedover to us by the foundingfathers. Instead of indulgingin a blame game and complainabout lack of funds, it is timeauthorities take the initiative andcall for likeminded institutions,individuals, UGC and the alumnito evolve an action plan to protectthis engineering marvel for future

generations. Is anyone listening?

Growing old with the College, University .

An object of neglect

KARWANIBRAHIM& TEOPOLINATUYENIAfter 75 years, Arts College is home to notjust local students, but also a huge numberof foreign students who hail from as far asthe Middle East and Africa. They share theirthoughts about Arts College with OsmaniaCourier.Nasir Ahmad, from Afghanistan says, I likethe Arts College building for its architecturethat showcases the regional history. ArtsCollege has experienced faculty and offers alarge number of courses compared to other

colleges.Zinah Sahib from Iraq studies Arabic. This

is my 4th semester here. I feel sad to leave thisbeautiful college after two years. she says.She echoes Nasirs opinion about the facultyand feels that it has been an enriching andrewarding experienceSuren Akram from Kurdistan doing Sociologyhas mixed feelings. He says, Arts college givesa nice feeling. Being a historical landmark, itsa tourist spot too. I am reminded of my owncountry with its many historical places. Butthe frequent postponement of exams andsome infrastructural problems bother him.

Anatoria Joel from Tanzania, who studieslinguistics , expressed her anguish at the lack of

adequate teaching staff in some departmentsand delay in conduct of exams She feels thatthe delay upsets the students as they havestiff visa issues. It would be better to holdseparate exams for the foreign students, shesuggests.Concurs Bridget Le, from Namibia, Africa,studying economics, and complains aboutthe pathetic maintenance of the toilets. Butshe says, I feel honoured to be a part ofthe best college in India. Arts college offersquality education that is recognized not only

in India, but all over the world.

Like Arts College but not exam delays....

DOWN MEMORY LANE

TRIPTIKABASU& MANOJSADULA

A GOODTEACHERWASADORED

Prof. K. MadhusudhanReddy, Professor,Department of Political

Science, recalls hisassociation with ArtsCollege over 40 years,first as a student and

later as a faculty member, Dean, andPrincipal.Prof. Reddy says there was not muchby way of research in Osmania then butthere were a lot of job opportunities.Till 1960s, Osmania emphasised onteaching. A good teacher was adoredthose days. Urdu as a medium ofteaching and learning was given up in1950s,he reminisces.In early 1960s, Osmania excelledin courses and research gainedimportance. Teaching was blooming.Even during the 1969 Telenganaagitation there was no shortage of facultymembers. Many eminent Professorsfrom all over India joined Osmania

University.Till the 1970s, most of the studentshailed from an urban background. After1970s, English became a new trend asalso a new culture emerged with theinflux of rural students . Today, there is aperceptible dip in the quality of teachingas also research. PhD h as became asubstitute for unemployment. Politicalinterference led to a decline in OUseducational standards.

EXPERIENCEOFALIFETIME

Prof. Kousar Azam(Political Science)recalls her first visit toOsmania when shewas eight years oldalong with her teacherwhich she describes

as an experience of a life time. It waslike a kings palace. She remembers herteacher telling them that Osmania is theultimate seat of knowledge and that theyall have to end up here someday.Prof. Azam recalls the location of a lladministrative offices in the ground floorof Arts College.When, 20 years later, she cameto Osmania to do her Masters, theProfessors of Political Science dividedtheir time between two institutions. Forthree days, they would go to NizamCollege and teach at Arts College forthe remaining three days. Professorsthen were high-profile people but werealso very gracious. Prof. P.V. RajagopalsEnglish was so impeccable a nd he hada good sense of his sense hu mour. By listening to him, students wouldlearn a lot, Prof. Rashiuddin Khan, wholater became an MP and also played

an important role in India-Pakistan warover the creation of Bangladesh was anerudite man, she recalls.Prof. Azam also recalls that for the firsttime, Department of Political Scienceintroduced two subjects in 1963, namely,International Law and InternationalRelations. When she joined theDepartment, Prof. M. A. Muttalib hadestablished a separate department forPublic Administration, which was till thena part of Political Science. She recallsthat the Department of Political Sciencedelinked itself from the Department ofHistory in 1948.

NEED INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE

For a long time, Prof. Laxman Raowas the face of the Library Sciencedepartment. He started his career as astudent in year 1968-1969 in OsmaniaUniversity and went on to complete hisMasters from Banaras Hindu University.He returned to OU as a faculty memberin 1975.Prof. Laxman Rao says that in recenttimes, In this course, we need toupdate regularly. The syllabus inOsmania was ahead of all otheruniversities. Now more practicals are tobe done. Students should be exposed tointernational practices.

view from the ground10

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EP YESUDAS

The tectonic changes inthe mediascape with theadvent of the social mediademanded that journalism

students need to learn and adopt anew set of core skills, said K.SrinivasReddy, Resident Editor, The Hindu

Addressing students on Reportingfor Print Media - Trends at thedepartment on 20 January, SrinivasReddy stated that the changes intechnology have revolutionized themedia landscape. This necessitatedthe adoption of skil ls for new media

technologies where people demandedto be up to time instead of up todate with the latest happenings.Gathering content and contentcuration have undergone dramaticchanges in the context of new newsdelivery platforms- web and mobile.He personally felt that publishingon Twitter was the most challengingform of writing for the media todayas one had to say it all in just 140characters.

While underlining the importance of agood classroom education, Mr.Reddyemphasized the importance ofdeveloping skills that the classroomalone cannot provide; particularly the

human component of cultivating asource, especially a reticent one. Heencouraged the students to familiarizethemselves with the activities anddecision dynamics of the newsroom

where the pressures of deadlines andlimited news pages test their skills toreport and write; as they collect andcollate data or present and analyzenews.

Responding to a question on his takeon the freedom of speech, whetherthe freedom was that of the journalistor that of the organization that thejournalist worked for, Reddy seemedto opine that though freedom ofspeech was a necessary right it has

always had opposition in variousforms, from state to organizationto the individual himself, who havesought to constrict it or abuse it to

various degrees.

He explained this by summarizingthe changing role of the media in

Indias modern history; from a pre-independence educator and promoterof the ideals of the freedommovement, to the post-independenceusherer of socio-economicdevelopment. The emergency of1975-77 that gagged it and clipped its

wings and the post emergency era thatsaw it transform itself into a moreinterrogatory platform reflectingthe questioning nature of the state.

The present avatar of the corporatemedia can be traced back to the

LPG - liberalization, privatizationand globalization era from which itstepped out, cutting out the red tape,but also cutting across geographies,timelines and delivery platforms, andcutting in to pervade peoples lives.Given this changing character of themedia and the circumstances they areinto right now, he urged students todraw their own inferences regardingthe freedom of speech

Reminiscing about his academicyears in the Arts College as a studentof department of communicationand journalism in 1983-84, Mr Reddyrecalled that his initial attraction tothe Journalism Department was its

open and accommodative cultureas compared to that of the EnglishDepartment where he was pursuinghis Masters in English Literature. Thisnot so serious entry into the realmof Journalism would however soonbe replaced by his decision to pursue

something as serious and critical asconflict reporting.

Mr.Srinivas Reddy, hailing fromKarimnagar district, took studentson a trip down memory lane ashe recounted his experiences as ajournalist and the challenges that hefaced along the way. Having witnessed

violence personally during the daysof the CPI ML Peoples War duringthe 80s, Mr.Reddy feels that it wasalmost guaranteed that he would takeup coverage of the conflict.

A conflict reporter is in danger ofconstantly being accused of takingsides, either for or against themovement, besides being targeted forelimination as it happened in the caseof Ghulam Rasool of Udayam dailyin Hyderabad. The violence and thebrutality takes its toll by dehumanizingthe one who is trying to report it hesaid. Being a totally impartial anddistant observer is what is requiredfrom a journalist. This is an uphilltask since it is the lives of people thatare at stake in the conflicts.

Mr.Reddy opined that havingsolid premises and consistent

logical analysis are absolutelynecessary for conflict reporting.The Department presented a mementoto Srinivas Reddy and wished himsuccess in his new assignment asSenior News Coordinator, to berelocated at Chennai.

CATCH UP WITH DIGITAL SKILLS,SENIOR SCRIBE ADVISES STUDENTS

COURIERDESKResearch in higher education institutions is the bedrockof all academic activities. The University College of Artsand Social Sciences is no exception.

Research in the areas of the faculties of Arts and SocialSciences housed in the Arts College, is of paramountimportance despite varied perspectives on their relevencein the academia and the political class. Given the currentsocial political climate in the country ridden by increasingintolerance levels, conflicts, social fragmentation, identitypolitics, assertion by disadvantage sections, clamourfor effective implemention of civil and poltical rights,research is imperative. The onus lies on the departmentsof Social Sciences and Arts to rivet their researchefforts trying to gain insights and come up with possiblesolutions.

In the course of interactions with senior faculty it was

found that there is a general disenchantment with thequality and quantity of the research being undertaken.A quick scrutiny reveals that the foundation programMPhil has been silently phased out. It is learnt thatthough admissions take place, the returns in the formof submission of dissertations has been patheticallylow. Qualifying the NET and having a PhD as a pre-condition for recruitment of Assistant Professors asstipulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC)with no mention of MPhil has also led to studentdisinterest in MPhil course. This is a win-win situationfor both University and the students.

But it is having an adverse impact on the PhD programand posing problems to the research scholars who haveno initiation into research.

Due to UGCs insistence on PhD for recruitment, thereis a mad rush for doctoral programs and scholars whowish to obtain a doctorate without actually subjecting

themselves to the academic rigour. A few facultymembers regret that the primary objective of thissection is to have a doctoral degree without any tangiblecontribution to the knowledge base.

The UGCs initiatives to streamline research is a welcomestep. Making Universities accountable for admissioninto the research programs, mandatory presentationof seminars, publication of articles and periodicsubmission of progress report are laudable. Alongwith these measures, the anti-plagiarism techniques islikely to have positive impact in near future. Be that asit may, what is needed is a strong research culture withinquisitive young minds constantly seeking answers toproblems of concern. In this direction, efforts may bemade to strengthen library facilities, net connectivity toenable students to access databases worldwide. Also,professional development programs for faculty may befruitful.

The institution of several fellowships to pursue researchacross all faculties has already seen an increase in thenumber of applicants. A section of the students feel thatfellowships should be extended to everyone who wantsto pursue research. However, grants and fellowshipsshould not become a carrot for doing research. Insteadthere should be a proper monitering mechanism tomake the institution and the scholars accountable for theinvestments made in the form of fellowships.

K Srinivas Reddy, Resident Editor, The Hindu, Hyderabad,addressing journalism students

Need to step up

research culture

TS governance issues come under focusThe two-day national seminar on Regional

autonomy, new politics and Statehood

with special focus on Telangana debated

diverse issues like: Political Parties, JACsand Telangana Movement for Statehood;

identity Movements, Social Groups and

Civil Society; Regional autonomy and

cultural realm; federalism and Regional

Autonomy Movements with special focus

on Telangana;Challenges to Governance in

Telangana- Issues and Policies; Media and

Telangana

The seminar was organised by the SRC-ICSSR

and the CAS, Department of Political Science.

wider horizons 11

7/24/2019 Osmania Courier 75 Years Spl Issue

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Telugu12

7/24/2019 Osmania Courier 75 Years Spl Issue

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Osmania Courier

Registered with the Registrar ofNewspapers in India (RNI) underNo. 8132/62 Published monthlyexcept during vacationReported and edited by the studentsof Department of Communication

& Journalism, Osmania University.Views express herein do notnecessarily represent the officialview of the University.

EditorProf. B. Balaswamy

Issue EditorProf. K. Stevenson

Editorial AssociateRamakrishna

Research ScholarsSneha Varghese, Ramesh Palvai

Editorial Trainees

Himabindu Duggirala, YasirMuhammed, Suresh Ghattamaneni,EP Yesudas, Rahman Rasool,Vanitha, S.Manoj, Triptika Basu,M.Naveen Kumar, J Yashoda,Teopolina, Karwan Ibrahim,

Prashanthi, G Tirupathi, Prabhakar

Chouti, Rakesh Kumar MFORM IV

Place of Publication:HyderabadPeriodicity of Publication:MonthlyPrinters Name and Address:Director, University Press &Publications, Osmania UniversityWhether a citizen of India: YesIf foreigner, state the country oforigin: Not applicablePublishers Name and Address:Prof. B. Balaswamy, Head,Department of Communication& Journalism, Osmania Univeristy,Hyderabad 500 007

Whether a citizen of India:YesIf foreigner, state country of origin:Not applicableEditors Name and Address:Prof.B. Balaswamy, Head, Departmentof Communication & Journalism,Osmania University, Hyderabad500 007.Names and addresses ofindividuals who own thepublication and the partners or

shareholders holding more thanone per cent of the total capital:Osmania University, Hyderabad500 007

contd from p6educational architecture. stan-dards, the quality of education

and the sobriety which has to flowfrom a teacher to student is miss-ing today, he says.

Prof. Siddiqui was also the

Registrar of Maulana Azad

National Urdu University, and the

Director of the Academic Audit

Cell, as well as Dean, Faculty of

Arts, O.U.

Born in Warangal in 1944, he was

the first student of Islamic Studies

in the year of 1965, and a student

of Late Prof. Hans Kruze.

Library and Information

Science

Tucked away in a corner on the

ground floor is the Department of

Library Science,

established in

1959. It rose in

stature due to

the concerted

efforts of

Prof. Masood

Yazdani, Prof. P.B. Shenoy, Prof. Raghava Reddy,

Prof. A.A.N. Raju, Prof. Laxman

Rao and others. Although it

started off with offering just a

post-graduate diploma course,

later it was replaced by PG

degree course. The Department

was renamed as Department of

Library and Information Science

in the mid-1980s as per the UGC

directive.

Recalling his association withProf. A.A.N. Raju, Prof. Laxman

Rao said that he was punctual and

disciplined, which reflected in his

work. Prof. Raju had significantly

contributed to the growth of the

Department, where there was

not much scope for innovation,

said Prof. Laxman Rao, Former

Chairperson, BoS, Library

Science.

Prof. Raju was the first to start the

practice of having internationalconferences while serving as the

Dean. Prof.Laxman Rao

i n t r o d u c e d

i n t e r n s h i p

p r o g r a m m e s

and issue

systems. A

self-financing

M.L.I.Sc. summer programme

was held in 1993-94 for in-service

librarians, which was discontinued

in 2000.

Psychology

Think of the Psychology

Department, the first name

that crosses ones mind is E.G.

Parameswaran. Known popularly

as EGP, the Department cannot

be conceived without EGP.

In the early 1950s, Psychology

as a subject was first introduced

as a part of Philosophy

department, but later got carved

out of i t in 1962 with Prof. E.G.Parameswaran as its first Head.

He was invited by the then Vice

Chancellor, D.S. Reddy, to the

University, and earned the rare

distinction of being the youngest

Professor in India to head a

department. Fondly known as

EGP by his students, he was a man

with a sharp intellect, progress ive

thought and a tremendous wit.

Apart from heading the

Department of Psychology, healso served as the head for six

other departments. He held several

administrative positions including

as Principal of Arts College, Dean

of the Faculties of Arts and Social

Sciences, Education and Business

Management, Director of ICSSR

as well as Chairman for the Centre

of Distance Education, OU.

As Director of Competitive

Examination Coaching Centre,

he initiated many programmes.

He was also the author of severalbooks, which were not only for

Psychology students but alsoothers from various disciplines.

He believed in a mission to

share and impart knowledge and

he was a visiting professor for

many national and international

universities.

Apart from Prof. E.G.P., Prof.

N. Yadagiri Reddy also served

as the Dean during 1992-94.

He specialised in Industrial

Psychology. He also served as the

Head and Chairman, Board ofStudies. He was actively associated

with A.P. Government Project for

many years.

Prof. K. Ramchandra Reddy, Prof.

K. Ravichandra, Prof. Pratibha

Sood, Prof Beena and others

have added to the glory of the

department.

Journalism

In the cellar of the Arts College is theDepartment of Communication

and Journalism founded in 1954

by De Forest ODell. Noted media

professionals

such as B.

Nageswara Rao

from Deccan

C h r o n i c l e ,

Pran Nath

Malhan from

the Ministry

of Information & Broadcasting

and Indian Institute of MassCommunication provided the

much needed impetus to the

Department.

However, Prof. Bashirudin is

most closely associated with the

department by former students

as well as seniors all over the

country. He held an aura for

outsiders, while faculty members

recall Bash breathing life into

the department with his highly

informal conduct in class. Thislab publication, Osmania Courier,

was the centre of activities in thedepartment at the time. Known

as Bashir baba or Bashir Saab or

even just Bash, Prof. Bashiruddin

served as Head for several years,

though intermittently.

Prof. Malhan, who served as

Head for three years during and

immediately after the Emergency,

was not flamboyant or flashy

like his predecessor, but is

remembered for his sense of fair

play. Mr. T.Nageshwara Rao wasalso down-to-earth in his manners

but his lectures are said to be rich

in real-world wisdom, dealing for

instance with the development

patterns after Nagarjunasagar

project. His philosophy was

that journalism students should

respond to what was happening

around them, rather than be

confined to the syllabus. The

Department came under the

Special Assistance Programme

in 1991 and today it has beenaccorded the Centre for Advanced

Study in Communication and

Journalism starus- second phase

polished shahabad stone. The College s tands

as a pioneer in the history of state buildings

for having adopted RCC work on a large and

comprehensive scale.

The arcades around the open countryard, the

ornate parapets on the first floor, all of same

dimensions and of Moorish variety, give a

mirror like effect, again a characteristic form

of the medieval Islamic architecture.

The building in pinkish granite stone

represents a harmonious blend of pillars

and lintel style of Ajanta and Ellora. The

architectural uniqueness stirs romance and

the stunning structure blows the mind.

The arches were modelled on the arches from

the monuments of Delhi, Agra, Charminar

and the Mecca Masjid of Hyderabad.

This style of arches is called as Indo-Saracenic

tradition. In some places arches and slender

pillars in the Arabian have been constructed.

The octagonal pillars similar to the columnar

architecture found in Ellora.

Relief, brilliance and excitement are the

objects of decorative elements in Islamic

architecture. Judicious, limited but balanced

decorative elements are found mainly on the

walls of the first floor, around the railing

going round the open space above the

entrance hall of the g round floor and on

the underside of the dome. Architectural

decoration consists of the muqaranas,

stalactite and simple niches and mihrabs,

geometric shapes of rectangles, squares,

various types of diamonds. Geometrically

conceived star patterns, various net patterns

based on geometric principles, meanders and

circles have been used. The ornamentation

College has a sobering, ennobling and eye

soothing effect befitting

The building is one of the heritage structures

in Hyderabad. The diamond jubilee of the

college building was celebrated in December

1999.

Initially, the Arts College building

accommodated offices of the Vice-Chancellor,

Registrar and Controller of Examinations,

University Library, Law College and College

of Commerce and Business Management.

These were subsequently shifted to separate

buildings.

Undergraduate courses in Arts and Commerce

were discontinued from this College in 1973

and Arts College assumed the status of a

full-fledged postgraduate college exclusively

for postgraduate studies, diploma courses

and research studies in the Faculties of Arts

and Social Sciences. Shortly thereafter, it was

renamed as the University College of Arts

and Social Sciences.

Beauty in

pinkgranite

Leading academics ......

Get your facts right about

Arts College

13

Editors note:

The students who have takentheir first stepinto the world ofjournalism have made an earnestattempt to contact several amongthe galaxy of luminaries whohave studied in Arts College. Giv-en the time, space and resourceconstraints we may have failedto capture several individuals anvaried dimensions. Nevertheless,Osmania Courier , acknowl-edges the contribution of leadingstalwarts to the University andalso the sautes all the seniors whohave excelled in diverse walks of

life.

7/24/2019 Osmania Courier 75 Years Spl Issue

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C.H. HANUMANTHA RAO,

MA Economics (1955-1957)Member, Seventh and EighthPlanning commissionAfter graduating from NizamCollege, I joined Arts College in1955. I was inspired by Prof. AMKhusro, then a Lecturer. Later,he became a Professor in DelhiSchool of Economics (DSE). AbdulKhader from the London Schoolof Economics was the Head of thedepartment then.I was active in the studentsmovement and I contested for thepost of President of the College in1956 in the final year of MA andwas defeated by seven votes. Earlier,I was the Vice President of NizamCollege.My defeat in Arts College was ablessing as I concentrated on my MAand passed out in first division. After1957, I was invited to join the DelhiSchool of Economics by VKRVRao, Vice Chancellor of DelhiUniversity.I distinctly remember I persuadedC.Narayan Reddy to take part inthe student politics. CNR refusedand remained consistent in his

approach to politics.

seniorsspeak14

PROF. SHANTHA SINHA,MAPolitical Science( 1966-1970) ,Magsaysay AwardwinnerI have a longassociation with

Arts College.I remember

with fondness my graduation daysfrom 1966-1970. This has been aperiod when I was exposed to thebest of faculty in English, Historyand Political Science and enrichedby the teachers who were seriousand at the same time had a personaltouch. Indeed, I had also attendedclasses in Psychology and Linguisticsthat were taken by my friends andwas exposed to the developmentsin knowledge and literature. I wasproud to be studying in Arts Collegeas every other department, in factevery department had stalwarts inthe faculty. The Golden jubilee ofthe College in 1968 was celebratedwith full fanfare. We lost anacademic session in 1969 due to the

Telangana agitation, but we usedthe time to learn Russain languageand learn more about Russianand Chinese Revolution. I did myMA in Political Science from ArtsCollege, which was vibrating withthe mood of the times. There was

a student rebellion, inspired by LeftWing activism world over- MayRevolution in Paris; stories of CheGuevara; heroic battles of tribalsand peasantry for land rights inAndhra and Telangana; liberationof Bangladesh and the changesin the sub-continent were trulyinspirational. This influenced manyof us in the student community evenas there were fierce debates on socialchange, transformation, violence ornon-violence as a means of struggle.I am glad that I was part of thatglorious era in student movement inthe country.I joined Jawaharlal Nehru Universityfor my Phd and joined as a Lecturerin Political Science in 1976 in theCollege. This was Emergencyperiod and we had to be cautious

as responsible teachers on what wesaid and did. Although I never hadany bad experience, one felt beingwatched. By 1977 there were theGeneral Elections and a victory forfreedom and democracy. This gavea relief to Arts College as well. I left

Arts College in 1979 when I wasselected as a lecturer in University ofHyderabad.A long and memorable associationwith Arts College that shaped my life,thought process and gave me a senseof pride studying in the magnificentbuilding. Me and my friends exploredevery nook and corner of thebuilding, climbed up the terracethrough a small staircase which wasreally awesome. We looked at thesmall symbol of Om carved in onecorner inside the dome, that reflecteda truly secular character of ArtsCollege. I do wish it retains all thepositive and invaluable characteristicsit acquired over a period of t imeand continues to occupy a place ofpride in the academic culture in ourcountry.

S. JAIPAL REDDY, BCJ (1954),Former UnionMinister forInformationandBroadcasting

I feel proudto havebelonged tothe first batchof Journalismdegree course

of Osmania University. I had doneMasters in English and developedintense intellectual interest in politicsbefore I took to study of journalism.That interest impelled me swiftlyto take a direct plunge in politics.However, the training I received fromjournalism department has stoodme in good stead for the last halfcentury, as I dealt with media both asa spokesperson at the national leveland as a politician. My attachmentas an alumnus is thus both romantic

and real

SYED OMER JALEEL,MAEnglish (1983-85), BCJ (1986)Special Secretary, MinoritiesWelfare, Government of TelanganaIts great to know that the Artscollege OU is celebrating PlatinumJubilee of its inception. I alwaysremember feeling special enteringits imposing entrance and thebeautiful architecture. It was alwayssurprising and refreshing that theinteriors were always cool even atthe peak of summer. I also fondlyremember the seriousness with

which we followed the lectures andthe visits to the canteen and chai

shop whichwe stole inbetween theclasses. Thenthere wasthe loungewhere wespent hoursplayingtable tennis

and listening to music from thegramophone records. Then therewas the times when the electionfever took over and we reallyenjoyed heckling the prospective

candidates. The campus became

specially romantic at the changeof summer into monsoon with thehigh winds and the scent of rainswaying man, woman, trees et al.I still remember roaming in themoonlit nights for a break fromcombined studies or stealing aswim in the dead of the night at thecampus swimming pool. These areall very beautiful and very specialmemories which bring a fond smileon my face and a heartache forthe times gone by which will nevercome again. God bless Arts college.God bless OU. Thanks for giving

me the opportunity to share mymemories on this occasion.

P MURALIDHAR RAO pursued

MA (Philosophy) and M Phil

(PoliticalPsychology)

courses at

Arts College

from 1983-

87. BJP

National

General

Secretary

Arts

College is the symbol of student

activism. Being hyper active instudent politics it inspired me to

valiantly fight for a cause. Arts

college also reflects the political

consciousness of Telangana. Also

those were the days when student

politics ran on ideological lines.

Thus my years at Arts college

were very eventful and intense.

(After being injured in a gun

fire in 1986 at A Hostel on the

campus, he shifted to Rajasthan

and continued his work.

Eventually, he rose to become the

BJP national general secretary)

C.V. ANAND (M.A. Economics,1989-91), (IPS officer)

I have pleasant memories of mydays as a student at Arts College.The campus was very peacefulduring my time, as student electionshad been banned and there was nopolitical activity. We had regularclasses and very good Faculty likeProf. Raghuram and Mr. Kishan Itwas here that I made good friends.I remember performing a skit withmy friends Jyothi Babu and HariKrishna for the Farewell party.My friends and I used to spend alot of time at the library, on thelawns and at the hostel. Though Ihad played cricket for OU duringmy under g raduation at Nizams

college and was also a State-lev