Meerut College, Meerut city - an early institution of the Raj!!


Meerut College, Meerut city. indiapicks.com
Soon after the major rebellion was over in 1858-59, The British rulers packed off the East India Company and inorder to please the Indian natives, the administration of  British India Government came  under the direct control of the Crown in London.  The British Raj introduced many reforms to suit the Indians to avoid yet another rebellion. The Indian rebellion of 1857 almost shook the foundation of the British Empire. As part of their reforms, the British gave priority to education in India and founded universities in Madras, Bombay and Calcutta Presidencies. Several colleges also came up in the later years. The Meerut College at Meerut is one among the earliest educational institutions in India. 

Meerut city of Uttar Pradesh has been a historic and legendary city and it was here in the cantonment area the first  major war of Independence began on 10th May 1857 against the East India Company's misrule. In the subsequent years, the city played no less role in our struggle for freedom from the British.   Located about 65 km from India's capital New Delhi, the Meerut College is one of the prestigious  colleges in India  and the main campus is a big one, covering roughly 100 acres of land.  First started in 1892  during the early period of the Raj after the exit of the English company, lately, it has become a big college with more than 10000 students  enrolled for under graduate and post-graduate studies.Its alumni included famous parliamentarians, ministers, judges, countless administrators, etc. 

When Meerut College was started on 15 July 1892 it was functioning in a municipal school building with a few students and teaching staff. Within weeks the college was moved over to  a  its new campus and in the beginning the going was a tough one as there was shortage of funds. Consequently, it was unable to secure a permanent status in the early stages. Later, Public, individual donations, grants, etc became available and this helped the college t tackle the financial crunch. With financial backing, the college expanded its  educational activities and introduced several useful courses for the students in terms of job opportunities. The new campus has excellent hostel, research and sports  facilities for prospective students. There are PG facilities available in Commerce, Humanities, Law and education. The college is affiliated to Meerut University when it was formed in 1964.  
The Indian postal Deptt. has issued a postal stamp commemorative  on this historic collage on 25 April 1993 to mark its milestone in its history. 
http://www.istampgallery.com/meerut-college/