Osmania

Courier

Arts College Platinum Jubilee Special Edition

MONUMENTAL
TASK AHEAD

REVIVING GOOD
OLD DAYS

BLOCK BY
BLOCK

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

ARTS COLLEGE

MORE THAN AN EDUCATIONAL HUB

SURESH GHATTAMANENI
Arts College, the magnicent and
elegant edice in pink granite
stone retains much of its charm
even today, though it has seen
the vicissitudes of fortune over
the last 75 years. The edice
celebrating its platinum jubilee
year is infact twenty years younger
to the college itself which started
in a temporary structure in the
year 1919.
Just as its blend of different
styles in architecture, Arts College
draws together a young diverse
lot, enabling them to learn and
discover. Historically, universities
have played a major role as
ideological apparatuses, expressing
the ideological struggles present
in all societies.
Arts College played a crucial
role in the orchestration and
management of wider societal
changes. Right from a protest
against theocratic state on the eve
of Republic Day to that of a rally
for Swachch Bharat Campaign,
it has been accommodating all
kinds of ideologues and their
contrasting ideologies, sometimes
even becoming an arena for
debating such.
Unlike the universities or colleges
which cocoon themselves within
the invisible hierarchies of class
and language-based elitism,
Osmania, and Arts College in
particular, is considered one of
those student friendly institutions
that welcomes all kinds of students

including the marginalized and

oppressed sections creating a
non-discriminatory platform. A
student from a rural/tribal/nonEnglish background receives
welcoming vibes in Osmania.
Infact they neither have to face
the judgmental attitudes nor the
feelings of guilt which the much
hyped top notch universities
tend to create.
The educational experience at Arts
College or Osmania University on
the whole is beyond the classroom
and the laboratory. It enables a
student to discover her/himself
and take major strides towards their
career choices. Most progressive
thoughts and actions with utmost
sensitivity towards caste, class,
religion and gender have been
demonstrated by generations
of students of the college at all
points of time. The rst ever
radical students union of the state
was formed here which signalled
the emergence of the visible antiestablishment politics. Infact,
every revolutionary movement
in the region of Telangana
which created an impact, had its
rst squall at the Arts College
of Osmania University and it
continues to be so!
Housing over 22 departments
under the Faculty of Arts and
Faculty of Social Sciences, the
staff through various academic
bodies give direction to the
curriculum to be followed at the
undergraduate level. Faculty is
also in decision making bodies
for Intermediate education. In

summary, the policy framework

for education to be imparted for
future generations at the lower
levels is laid in Departmental
conferences
constituted
by
respective departments in Arts
college. Scores of students who
choose to take up teaching as a
career take their rst baby steps
in assimilating the tougher forms
for knowledge to be transferred
to future generation In essence;
they contribute to moulding the
society There is a criticism that the
college is losing its sheen in terms
of academics and on account of
students focus on politics and
protests. On the ip side, the
college has produced many
eminentpersonalities in academics,
media, and economics apart from
politics and it continues to do so.
Politics is a part of our life and
when there is a sensitive and
sensible platform like this, it is
welcoming.
The better way of understanding
and looking at it is that the college
and the university have been
successful in producing, sensible
and sensitive human beings who
understand and react to the issues
in society and are not just eminent
personalities visible for success
just in their respective elds.
The youngsters shaped by the
college over the years have turned
out to be equally outstanding
in their chosen spheres and the
majestic building never fails to
evoke nostalgia among the people
who had passed through this
portal of knowledge.

Visionary founderNizam Mir Osman Ali Khan

Mission
The University College of
Arts 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 and
its distinctive role in modern
Indian society.
Provide the highest possible
quality of teaching in the
humanities, languages, and social
sciences.
Enhance student success by
fostering an environment
conducive to intellectual and
personal growth.
Encourage original scholarship
and basic and applied research
of the highest quality.
Serve the community by
making its expertise available
1919, August 28, College
inaugurated at Gunfoundry
11 Departments with 25
teachers and 225 students at
Gunfoundry area.
1928 : Land acquired near
Adikmet
2.5 lakh square feet- total
plinth area
Architect- Monsieur Jasper,
from Belgium
5 July 1934 -H.E.H. Nizam VII,
laid the foundation stone
4 December 1934 College
declared open

to individuals and institutions.

Preserve and protect academic
freedom and intellectual
independence, and provide a
forum for critical inquiry and
debate.
Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan
considered the architecture as
a medium through which he
could convey to the people and
the world his royal ideals.
In his address at the opening
of the Arts College building,
he said God be praised that
this gorgeous edice is now
ready. This structure has no
parallel in the world of India for
beauty, grandeur, and nobility.
As Osmania University is one of
the greatest achievements of my
reign, this building, too, will be
a lasting memorial of my rule,
reminding future generations, for
centuries to come of the culture,
architecture and civilization of
this age.
Later addressing the architecture
of the College he remarked,
Like the Urdu language, the
manifestation of the fusion of
the Hindu and Muslim styles of
architecture and its faade, its
pillars and its portals portray the
culture and the art of the two
people. This building, therefore,
is a symbol of unity, brotherhood
and cultural amalgam of the
Hindus and Muslims which
has been the feature of this
state for centuries. I consider
it a part of my kingly duty to
preserve this feeling of amity
among my people. Osmania
University, which represents the
best traditions of the Hyderabad
state and its noble culture, should
keep as its goal the furtherance
of such fellow feeling and unity,
for therein lies the welfare and
prosperity of the country.

thoughts & views

Arts College 2.0

PROF. B.BALASWAMY

The University College of Arts and Social Sciences, which

is known popularly as Arts College is an iconic reection
of not only Osmania University, but also the heartbeat
and mindset/pulse of entire Telangana. In its journey
spanning over seven decades, there are myriad nostalgic
tangible and intangible feats in its trajectory. It has been
world class in its mission of imparting knowledge in
diverse disciplines- Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences
The College had the distinction of having star
academicians/ stalwarts including Padmabhushan and
Gnanpeet 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 has
produced several Vice-Chancellors, politicians, poets
and policy makers. The alumni are spread across the
world in distinguished positions. Many people met their
life partners for the rst time in Arts college. Being
one of the heritage buildings in Hyderabad, the Arts
College reects a truly composite culture of Hyderabad.
This college is the inspiration and intellectual base for
many movements, including the movement for Telangana
state. It has been instrumental in realizing Osmania
Universitys mission of providing quality of education at
an affordable cost. With three CAS Departments, it has
played a pivotal role in the University gaining the University
with Potential for Excellence status in the recent past.
Notwithstanding these laudable achievements in the
social, political and educational spheres, there is a
lurking perception that the University as a whole and
Arts College, that academics has taken a beating owing to
the storms of disruption
and the ups and downs.
Admitting that this is a
It is time we go back
misperception, what is
to the foundational
needed is an academic
revolution from within.
debates on the ideals
This revolution should
of higher education,
be aimed at academic
carefully preserve
excellence and innovation
contributing to seminal
all that is good in
research and theory.
the present model
Dissecting the societal
and treat this as the
problems, coming up with
possible and plausible
starting point of a
solutions
calls
for
reconstruction.
strengthening the research
ethos. Further, unleashing
the creative energies of
students, researchers is the need of the hour for some
kind of creative disruption. A concerted effort on
the part of the administration, faculty, students and the
researchers and the political class is the rst step in the
direction to bolster higher education in Arts College.
There has to be a paradigm shift in the established
ways of thinking about higher education, research, and
innovation. It calls for redenition of knowledge and
its purpose, reorganization of branches of knowledge,
rethinking the existing practices of teaching-learning
and research and recognition of the limits of what we
know. Like all shifts, it involves recovery, reconstruction
and 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 model
and treat this as the starting point of a reconstruction.
At the same time there is no escaping the challenge of
thinking afresh to meet the new situation that confronts us.
As the College celebrates its 75th year, the
Osmania
Courier has attempted to devote this
issue to Arts College and present its myriad facets.

Monumental task ahead

hat the perceived image of the

University, especially Arts College,
among diverse stake holders has been
dented is indisputable. The College,
racing towards the Centenary year is known to
the present generation only as a battle ground
with the ideological outshouts- protests and
movements reverberating with the slogans of
social justice and identity politics. Beneath the
media projected dented image, lies the history
which carries the memoirs of being the most
preferred college for its academics. It has
produced several stalwarts in different elds.
However, in the early years, the academic
outcomes Arts College were always a rejoinder
to the criticisms of being termed a war-zone
for various revolutionary politics undermining
the education system. The College during the
past few years has been failing consistently to
live up to its past and its time for us to look for
some corrective measures to salvage this.
Its time to introspect what went wrong over
the decades wherein the academics took a
beating and the college lost its prominence in
being the most preferred destination for the
talent pool.
First, political interference into academics over
the past few decades disturbed the autonomy
of the university and the fabric of the delicate
relationship between the teachers and the
students. While some administrative heads
tried xing it during their tenures, some turned
a blind eye to it not to get embroiled into
controversies.
Agreed that Arts College has been a springboard
for several movements- political, and social,
with an objective of social change producing
leaders who are remembered and idolized by
the youth today. But, the point that is always
undermined in this discussion is the academic
success of the same leaders who have inspired
us.
In areas of low aspiration and poor attainment,
where teachers expectations from the students
are also low and there is an invisible and
unaccepted disconnect between the teachers
and students, igniting a passion in a student is
made all that much easier if the academics are
treated on par with the practicals. The onerous
task ahead is in persuading students to balance
their political intents with academic interests.

Admitting that there is an apparent disconnect

between class room learning and the world
beyond, it is imperative to bridge and strengthen
this gap. We cannot mould ourselves only
to present demands, without listening and
understanding the history. Understanding
the history can happen only when there is
importance catered to the academic aspects of
the education. What happens outside should
commensurate and complement with what
happens inside the classroom.
Grim realities matter more than the romantic
fantasies of looking beyond the class
room education. Government jobs are like
competing for a shrinking cake and therefore
there is a need to rely more on meaningful
education with the skill sets received in college.
Given the specialization required for many
jobs these days in the globally competitive
world, young people entering the job market
do need a substantial base of knowledge and,
in many cases, specialized skills. Instilling the
idea that students with academic success would
have more opportunities to choose than those
with mere degrees is less education.
The prime duty of a university college is to
produce economically valuable intellectual
resources and college education plays a vital
role in this. Learning is a continuum, a lifelong
awakening to the complexity of the world.
Knowledge and grip on the subjects learnt,
boosts the condence levels of an individual
in being successful in whatever eld she/
he chooses to be in. Academics dene our
capability to perform in a restricted sphere. It
may not be a determining factor, but denitely
an indicator of potential for success in our
sphere of interests.
Review, Renement and Rationalization of the
academic aspects of the college are undoubtedly
the need of the hour. But these need to take
place in the wider context of understanding
and learning lessons from the past
Its time to restore Arts College to its earlier
pedestal which carries the history of churning
out globally competitive products. It is the
collective responsibility of the students, faculty
and the educational administrators and policy
makers to bring back the good old days. It
is a monumental task, no doubt, but not
insurmountable .
SURESH GHATTAMANENI

tete-a-tete

Reviving good old days my priority,

says T.Krishna Rao, Principal
Any plans to achieve
excellence in the college?

s the University College of

Arts and Social Sciences,
known as Arts College, celebrates
the 75th year Prabhakar Chouti
speaks to the College Principal,
Prof. T. Krishna Rao from the
Department of Philosophy on his
future plans and diverse issues

Excellence can be achieved

through teaching and research.
Also, empowerment of students
through
knowledge
and
information and moulding them
into a responsible and productive
citizenry.

How do you feel being the

Principal of Arts College in its
75th year?
I am pleased to be the Principal of
the college in its 75th year. I am
greatly honored by this position.
This is a great opportunity for
me .It has been my childhood
dream. I used to play around
this Arts College (1973-74) in
my childhood. I am emotionally
attached to this college.
What are your priorities and
vision for the college as a
Principal?
My priorities are to revive the glory
of Arts College. Further, to bring
the heritage value of this building
into public domain; to preserve
and promote cultural heritage,
humanistic and spiritual values of
this college; to develop, enhance,
and improve the quality of human

What are the biggest issues

facing the students in this
college?

resources and to cultivate resolute

moral and ethical values.

What does Arts College stand

for?

There is no personal vision. The

vision of university is the highest
mission. It is to generate and
disseminate knowledge through a
harmonious blend of ancient and
modern wisdom, and to serve the
society by developing in students
heightened intellectual, cultural,
ethical, and humane sensitivities;
to foster a scientic temper, and
to promote professional and
technological expertise.

The College is instrumental

in propagation of Cultural
diversity and reects the needs
and aspirations of various
communities in the region for over
eight decades. It has emerged as
one of the noted Universities of
India. The students of the college
have played a key role in various
social movements, and in the
process of social transformation
of the region and the country.

The major issues are lack of career

opportunities for students. Next
is the outdated infrastructure
pipelines, power lines are so old
that they cannot be renovated.
We need to x them all afresh. I
request the Government of India
to grant developmental funds to
build new hostels.
Outline the role Arts
College students in the
newly constituted state of
Telangana?
Students should concentrate on
education and research rather
than indulge in politics. They
should be stay away from politics
.They should own the highest

educational values and be an

inspiration to new students. All
students should adhere to highest
discipline to glorify this college.
Do you have sufcient
budgetary allocations for
maintenance of the College?
As Arts College is not adequately
funded there are nancial
problems. Maintenance works are
being undertaken by the Buildings
division and the authorities have
to take further steps to renovate
and modernize the structure
What is the role of Arts
College in 21st century ?
The University College of Arts is
committed to the cause of higher
education by providing worldclass teaching and research. The
college seeks to serve society
by contributing to develop
an educated and enlightened
population capable of informed
judgment
and
responsible
citizenship. The College preserves
and protects academic freedom
and intellectual independence,
and provides a forum for
critical inquiry and debate on
developmental perspectives.

Shun bias in reporting, cautions Prof. Padmaja Shaw

EP YESUDAS

hat would you do

if you were made
the Vice Chancellor
of Osmania University? I
would resign the very next day,
retorted Prof. Padmaja Shaw
without a missing a beat, bafing
the questioner.
Participating in a post-retirement
interaction session at the
Department of Communication
and Journalism, she explained
that if the judicious allocation
of university resources by a
committed Vice Chancellor is
a warranted responsibility, a
reasonable expectation then is
regular attendance of enrolled
students and proper utilization
of departments
infrastructure and
resources by the
faculty. Students
regular attendance
at classes is what
motivates the faculty
to come prepared
and brings out the
best in them she
said. Smaller class
sizes and regular
attendance is
what would
make the

instruction more effective, she

added.
Asked what could be done to
make the academic environment
in the university better,
she observed that various
stakeholders of the University
should be driven by a common
purpose and the Vice Chancellor
alone cannot enforce things.
I am personally against forcing
people to do anything, she said.
Tracing her journey from being
a student of Arts College to
becoming
a Professor,

Padmaja Shaw revealed that

her entry into Journalism was
accidental. Her interest in
writing as profession gave her
a choice between pursuing
English Literature or Journalism
at the Arts College. Since the
bachelors degree in Journalism
took just a year, she opted for it.
Later, she got a Masters degree
in Journalism and landed an
internship in television which
was the most happening thing at
that time.
Giving further details, she
said she enrolled for an MA
in television production at
Michigan State University,
United States, in pursuit of
her passion. She subsequently
travelled back to India in search
of a practical assignment in TV
production rather than pursuing
a theoretical PhD in the US.
Recounting her days at
the Michigan State, Prof.
Padmaja pointed out that
apart

from creating ideal conditions

for the pursuit of academic
excellence such as academic
discipline, grading systems,
assignments and well equipped
libraries that were open till 2
am every day, the university
administration also took care of
small but important things such
as the availability of food and
personal safety, lack of which is
such an impediment for students
wanting to spend more time
pursuing academic activities in
Indian Universities, she added.
She contrasted this with the
lack of security for the inmates
of Osmania girls hostel during
agitations and blockades. She
said that all it needed was the
will of the authorities to allocate
the resources judiciously to meet
the needs of the students.
Lamenting the general state of
affairs in Osmania today, she
stated that though Osmania
University had always been a
hot bed for political activity.
Despite that, the focus of the
students and the availability of
great teachers across disciplines
made academic pursuit exciting
and the transition into western
universities less challenging
for students in those days than
today.
Prof. Padmaja implored
students to recognize their
own biases and the potential

danger of a reporter ending up

misreporting or misinterpreting
facts. She remarked that she did
not take up journalism since
she felt she was too biased.
She opined that, Ultimately
journalism is fair only if it
provides a level playing eld to
air all biases.
She reminded the students of
Gunnar Myrdals book Asian
Drama and encouraged them
to follow his advice to rst
know and then state their own
biases and then go out in a
scientic manner to test the bias
objectively and nally if proven
wrong, to have the decency to
accept that their bias is wrong.
Asked about the challenges
women face in meeting the
demands of raising children
and looking after households,
Prof. Padmaja, who worked
on Women and Social
Movements for her doctorate,
stated that apart from the really
poor who live on daily wages,
our society provides many more
opportunities for middle class
families. Many women nd
adequate social support and are
able to pursue their dreams. She
encouraged students to ensure
that they get what they want
(professionally) otherwise they
will be forced to like what they
get.

inner grandeur

COURIER DESK

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 designed
after the Persian Pishtaq or the mosque
of the yesteryears. On the either side of
the centrepiece are two double-storied
colonnaded galleries, each reection of the
other. The huge doorway with its marvellous
arch, welcomes the staff, students and all
the visitors to the striking interior.

ut off
from the din and
pollution of the twin cities of
Hyderabad, and nestling in the
green environs of the 1,500
acre campus is Arts College .
Documents reveal that the Osmania
University College, (Arts College) was
inaugurated on August 28, 1919. Sir Ross
Masood was the rst 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 rst 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 Britain, 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 eld of architecture.

Much thought and careful planning lies

behind the selection of the present site of
the Campus of Osmania University with
the 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 architectural
heritage structure similar to College of
Sultan Hassan in Cairo, Egypt and was
meant to reect implicitly some lofty and
noble ideals of Indian education. The
edice is a synonym for architectural
uniqueness unspoilt by the arrival of new
fangled architectonics.

Beauty in pink
granite
The magnificent, University College of Arts and Social Sciences building (Arts
College), 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 was
conceived with special care to be the central and principal architectural structure
of Osmania University.
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 Gothic
schools of architecture.
The unspoiled edice 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 doublestoried construction covers a plinth area of
2.5 lakh sq. ft. with cellars bringing up the
level of depressed portion to the ground
oor 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, unique
amongst 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 soars
higher than the walls of the edice to
either 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

Inside the college youll nd the ooring,

staircase balustrade and railings covered in
pink terrazzo. The ooring of the rst and
the second oor was done in -Shahabad
stones. Atop the centre of the hallway
youll nd a fantastic dome with chande
liers set.
The dome is double-decked in structure,
the rst deck has sixteen sides and the
second deck, a downward extension of the
rst, has sixteen windows related to each
side of the rst deck. The dome has 32
inverted A symbols with 16 windows. But
the uniqueness and strength is not conned
to the building.
The portal found in madrasas and mosques
of medieval welcome a visitor into a sacred
interior. The remarkable tall polished
round granite pillars ank 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 xed in articial 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 oor is
the chief attraction of the architecture of
Arts College, with a dome crowning it, its
oor in shining pink terrazzo and enclosed
by twenty-four ornamental pillars. These
pillars are the best representation of Hindu
architectural style with shaft uted 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 ooring of Arts
college in the ground and rst oors is of

contd on p13

guiding lights

Leading Faculty who nurtured academics

ducational institutions,
it is said, are built on
the 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 rst Head. In 1964, Late Dr.
Rasheeduddin Khan, a stalwart
and a condante 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 became
the 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
activities.
M a j o r
contributions
during his stint
included two
volumes on Regionalism in India
A case study 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 a
broad subject liberating it from a
narrow connes 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. Aloo
Dastur 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 Public
Policy 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 Assistance
Programme (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 scientic aspects of cattleherding practices was published
in the Subaltern Studies series
published 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 national
and international levels include
Dr. 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 the
world. 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.

Crops Research Institute for the

Semi Arid Tropics) from 197994. Later in 1994, the UGC
sanctioned the English Language
Teaching Centre (ELTC) since
then the activities were taken over
by the ELTC.

The Department was the rst

to offer American Literature in
1956-57, General Linguistics
with Spoken English in 1972-73,
and Commonwealth Literature in
1978 at the M.A level.

Linguistics

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 Department
and faculty composition. He
invited eminent professors from
different parts of the country,
who contributed immensely to
the stature of the University.
Research
b e c a m e
one of the
important
aspects of
not
just
English but
also other
disciplines.
Eminent
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 rst
to introduce courses for the
disadvantaged students. American
Literature was introduced by Prof.
Isaac Sequeira.
The Department collaborated
with ICRISAT (International

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.

The Department of Linguistics

was established
in 1962 with
the institution
of a Tagore
Centenary
Chair
in
Linguistics,
funded by the
Government
of
India
and the University Grants
Commission. Prof. Bhadriraju
Krishnamurti was the rst
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 started
a collaborative research institute
with the IEPSP and organised
workshops. He also imported a
22-channel equipment along with
Selective Auditory Filter Amplier
(SAFA) and other vibrotactile
devices with which one could
train children (especially, Teluguspeaking kids) with hearing and
speech impairments to speak
better.
He was the one to design an
Audiometric 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, several
famous linguists and personalities
visited the department during his
tenure.
Today, were identied 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 the
department 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
signicantly contributed to the
growth and evolution of the
department in their respective
elds 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 rst 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,
Department
of Islamic
Studies, has
also served
as Principal,
UCASS;
Director,
Competitive
Examinations
Coaching Centre; and Director,
Dairatul Maarif; and ViceChancellor. He is said to take pride
and relish every bit of his journey
from studentship to retirement.
Osmania
oldest seat
new state
starts off,
times have
The

University is the
of learning in the
of Telangana, he
noting how the
drastically changed.
academic

contd on p13

through the years

Flux in
student
politics
COURIER DESK

50

plus, and
going strong

Sir Ross
Masood
(1921-21)
(First
Principal)

Student politics in Arts College

has had a roller coaster ride
during the past few decades.
and the body politick is
fractured on several lines.
In Arts College, student
politics can be understood
in two phases: pre and
post Emergency . In the
pre-Emergency era, Youth
Congress and NSUI, both part
of Indian National Congress,
played a dominant role.
In the post-Emergency period,
when the super powers played
out Cold War politics, Leftwing student organisations
emerged, among which
extreme Left organisations
such as Revolutionary Students
Union (RSU) and Progressive
Democratic Students Union
(PDSU) occupied most of the
space. These organisations
remained strong till 1985
because of their strong base at
the grassroots level.
The early eighties saw the
waning inuence of the Left
Parties and the blossoming
of Independents for a brief
spell. The ban on the Left
Wing groups by the State
Government saw their hold
waning and the rise of the
Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi
Parishad (ABVP) as a major
force. According to Prof. V.
Jagadeeshwar Rao, an ABVP
student leader during 1987-89
, the period between 198589 saw ABVP hold power
and play an active role in the
University till the elections
were banned in 1989 and in
the 1990s, several student
organisations were born.
A few years later, national
politics made an impact on
students. The emergence
of the Bahujan Samaj Party
in Uttar Pradesh inuenced
students who formed the
Kranthi Sangrama Pasrishad
2000 onwards till date: With
the founding of the Telangana
Rashtra Samithi, several
students rallied for the cause
of Telangana resulting in the
launch of TRSV, TNSF, TGVP
even as the ABVP continues
to be a force to reckon with.
The Left parties- PDSU, AISF
SFI and other groups have
marginal presence. Alongside
these, another development
was the emergence of a host
of caste-based organisations
including the MRPS, MSF,
tribal organisations, Backward
Classes, Intriguingly, the
National Students Union of
India( NSUI) the student wing
of the Congress, failed to make
major inroads into student
politics except during the pre
emergency period

M. NAVEEN KUMAR AND

J. YASHODA
Eleven departments in Arts
College have either crossed
the 50- or 60-year mark. They
include : Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit,
Economics, History, Political
Science,
English,
Kannada,
Marathi, Telugu and Urdu. These
were offered at the Intermediate
level with 25 teachers and 225
students at Gunfoundry area.

ARABIC

The Department of Arabic was

started with Prof. Abdus Sattar
Siddiqui, as the head with three
faculty members. Six teachers
were awarded the Certicate
of Honour by the President of
India. The Department today
offers a special course in Arabic
to professionals being deputed to
the Gulf countries by the MNCs.

PERSIAN

Maulana Syed Ashraf Shamsi was

the rst Head of the Department
of Persian. Prof. Sharif Unnisa
Ansari of the department was
awarded with Padma Shri.

SANSKRIT

The Sanskrit Department runs

a Masters course to meet the
teaching requirements of colleges
offering Sanskrit as a second
language or as an optional at the
Intermediate and Undergraduate
levels. It has a course on Telangana
literature.

TELUGU

The Department of Telugu was

started with Rayaprolu Subba
Rao as its rst head. One of the
stalwarts of the department was
Prof. Divakarla Venkatavadhani,
who was the son of twin poets
known as Tirupati Venkata
Kavulu.
Prof. C. Narayana Reddy, who
earned his fame as a lyricist for
Telugu lms, also taught in the
Department. Prof. Reddy picked a
small topic and traced its evolution
and connect it to the present.

MEN AT
THE HELM

The UGU selected Department

for the Departmental Research
Support Program in 1994. Seven
Faculty members have become
Vice-chancellors while two are
Gyanpeeth award winners.

ECONOMICS

Teaching of economics began

at Intermediate through Urdu
medium in the Department of
History. A full-edged Department
of Economics was established
in 1935 with introduction of
Economics in B.A. and M.A. in
1937. Prof. C.H. Hanumantha Rao,
who served as a member of the
Planning Commission, member,
Rama Krishna Sastry, member
of the National Academy of
Development, undertook research
on the economy of AP and
Telangana. As Vice Chancellor,
Prof. D.S. Reddy had invited
eminent scholars like Gautam
Mathur and Raja J. Chellaiah to
teach in the Department.

KANNADA

Kannada received prominence

right from the inception of
the University 1918-19. Prof
D.K. Bhimsen Rao was the rst
Head. Osmania University is
the only University in Telangana
offering
Post-graduate
and
Research programs in the

Kannada language. The Kannada

Development Authority, instituted
a fellowship of Rs. 2,000 per
month, to encourage the study
of Kannada outside Karnataka
State for ve students of both 1st
and 2nd year of PG. Kannada is
offered as second language and as
modern language in undergraduate
courses in the University College
of Women, Koti.

HISTORY

The Department was established

in 1919 with Sri Qazi Badruddin
as the rst Head. It offered undergraduate courses in 1919 and the
Post-Graduate programme was
started in 1924. The UGC has
granted Departmental Special
Assistance (DSA) for a period
of ve years from 2007. The
department has completed over
15 major research projects funded
by different agencies. Prof.
Vaikuntham of the Department
served as the Vice-Chancellor of
Kakatiya University and also as the
Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences.
. Prof. Sarojini Regani served
as Director, State Archives and
Research Institute and as Dean,
Faculty of Social Sciences. Prof. A.
Satyanarayana has been awarded
visiting Fellowship by Jacob
University, Bremen, Germany for
two semesters during 2010-11.

MARATHI

The department was established

in 1918-19 with Sri C. N. Joshi
as its rst Head. Marathi is
offered as the second language
in afliated colleges. During
the Golden Jubilee celebrations
of the University in 1968, the
government of Maharashtra
instituted
a
Professorship
called The Maharashtra Chair
of Marathi, Dr. Sreedhar Rao
Kulkarni was the rst to occupy
the Chair in 1970. Prof S.R.
Kulkarni, Prof V.D. Kulkarni and
Prof Manik Rao Dhanpalwar of
this department were prominent
academicians.
Those
who
completed PhD in Marathi are
awarded Madhekar Memorial
Gold Medal.

Nawab Mahediyar
Jungbhadur (1921-22)
Prof. Abdus Sattar Siddiqui
(1922-24)
Prof.Mohd Abdur
Rahmankhan (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.Narayankaran
Reddy
(1985-86)
Prof.YadavaReddy
(1986-88)
Prof. K.Madhusudhan
Reddy
(1988-93)
Prof. K.Subhashchandra
Reddy (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-)

vignettes from the past

BLOCK by
BLOCK

poetry in stone

PICS BY:
Suresh.G
Yasir Muhammed
Vanitha

view from the ground

10
DOWN MEMORY LANE
TRIPTIKA BASU & MANOJ SADULA
A GOOD TEACHER WAS ADORED
Prof. K. Madhusudhan
Reddy, Professor,
Department of Political
Science, recalls his
association with Arts
College over 40 years,
rst as a student and
later as a faculty member, Dean, and
Principal.
Prof. Reddy says there was not much
by way of research in Osmania then but
there were a lot of job opportunities.
Till 1960s, Osmania emphasised on
teaching. A good teacher was adored
those days. Urdu as a medium of
teaching and learning was given up in
1950s,he reminisces.
In early 1960s, Osmania excelled
in courses and research gained
importance. Teaching was blooming.
Even during the 1969 Telengana
agitation there was no shortage of faculty
members. Many eminent Professors
from all over India joined Osmania
University.
Till the 1970s, most of the students
hailed from an urban background. After
1970s, English became a new trend as
also a new culture emerged with the
inux of rural students . Today, there is a
perceptible dip in the quality of teaching
as also research. PhD has became a
substitute for unemployment. Political
interference led to a decline in OUs
educational standards.
EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME
Prof. Kousar Azam
(Political Science)
recalls her rst visit to
Osmania when she
was eight years old
along with her teacher
which she describes
as an experience of a life time. It was
like a kings palace. She remembers her
teacher telling them that Osmania is the
ultimate seat of knowledge and that they
all have to end up here someday.
Prof. Azam recalls the location of all
administrative ofces in the ground oor
of Arts College.
When, 20 years later, she came
to Osmania to do her Masters, the
Professors of Political Science divided
their time between two institutions. For
three days, they would go to Nizam
College and teach at Arts College for
the remaining three days. Professors
then were high-prole people but were
also very gracious. Prof. P.V. Rajagopals
English was so impeccable and he had
a good sense of his sense humour
. By listening to him, students would
learn a lot, Prof. Rashiuddin Khan, who
later became an MP and also played
an important role in India-Pakistan war
over the creation of Bangladesh was an
erudite man, she recalls.
Prof. Azam also recalls that for the rst
time, Department of Political Science
introduced two subjects in 1963, namely,
International Law and International
Relations. When she joined the
Department, Prof. M. A. Muttalib had
established a separate department for
Public Administration, which was till then
a part of Political Science. She recalls
that the Department of Political Science
delinked itself from the Department of
History in 1948.
NEED INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE
For a long time, Prof. Laxman Rao
was the face of the Library Science
department. He started his career as a
student in year 1968-1969 in Osmania
University and went on to complete his
Masters from Banaras Hindu University.
He returned to OU as a faculty member
in 1975.
Prof. Laxman Rao says that in recent
times, In this course, we need to
update regularly. The syllabus in
Osmania was ahead of all other
universities. Now more practicals are to
be done. Students should be exposed to
international practices.

An object of neglect
THIRUPATHI GUGULOTHU

he founder, architect,
construction
labour
would be turning in
their graves watching
the pitiable plight of the woes
that have befell Arts college,
the wonderful edice they have
worked for. After weathering the
ravages of time for nearly seven
decades, Arts College seems to
have fallen on bad days- bad days
because of the poor quality of
maintenance and upkeep.
While the exterior structure has
retained some of its old charm,
the interiors tell a different tale
altogether. Water seepage into
corridors, classrooms, cellar and
the toilets has become a common
feature during the monsoon
season. The buildings division
which takes up repair work has
not been able to come up with a
permanent solution. As a result
of the continuous seepage,
corridor walls are stained and are
an eyesore to the visitor. The
spotless white walls stretch only as
far as the Main Hallway. Beyond
the Principals ofce area, one
can see the paint peeling off the
walls.
The College is no exception to the
malaise that plagues most heritage
structures in India- grafti on

the walls. The walls on the upper

oor, especialy the ones around
the grand staircase have been
defaced by memories etched in
pen. While this is the handiwork
of human miscreants, their avian
counterparts add to the mischief
with their droppings on the
balustrades and sunshades. Broken
window panes and blackened
chandeliers do not speak well of
the upkeep. The huge wooden
doors and windows, perhaps
attended to years back need
urgent attention as they are under
the threat of a termite attack.
Spaces adjacent o the College,
present a pathetic scene and one
would be tempted to describe it
as a dust bowl . The lawns, a
favourite haunt of both students
and casual visitors, are now
marred by the ever increasing
garbage . With no dustbins to
dispose off waste, empty plastic
bottles, water sachets, used plates

and cups end up in the grass.

The road that leads to the Library
from the Arts college now has, on
its left, a huge pile of construction
debris that is never cleared. The
pond now stands empty and dry.
The Buildings Division of the
University is clueless about the
underground sewage system.
Despite several complaints by
some departments about foul
smell from the toilets, they have
failed to x the problem. To
compound woes, the Arts college
today has just two functioning
toilets for nearly 1000 students
, faculty and staff . Though
repair work commenced, , a
couple of toilets have been
locked with construction material
scattered and remains unattended.
Students visiting the Competitive
exams coaching centre, centre
for handicapped, psychology and
journalism departments operating
in the cellar are the worst hit as

repair of toilets has been stopped

midway. Points out an employee,
even the toilets which have been
xed, and have wall tiles, the
elbow space in the toilets has been
reduced due to thickening of walls.
The Principal, Prof. T. Krishna
Rao, says, Arts college building is
a cultural heritage building so we
cannot change its basic structure.
Hence its impossible to construct
new toilets for girl students.
Rues a senior faculty, it is sad
that we are not able to maintain
such a beautiful edice, handed
over to us by the founding
fathers. Instead of indulging
in a blame game and complain
about lack of funds, it is time
authorities take the initiative and
call for likeminded institutions,
individuals, UGC and the alumni
to evolve an action plan to protect
this engineering marvel for future
generations. Is anyone listening?

Like Arts College but not exam delays....

KARWAN IBRAHIM & TEOPOLINA TUYENI

After 75 years, Arts College is home to not
just local students, but also a huge number
of foreign students who hail from as far as
the Middle East and Africa. They share their
thoughts about Arts College with Osmania
Courier.
Nasir Ahmad, from Afghanistan says, I like
the Arts College building for its architecture
that showcases the regional history. Arts
College has experienced faculty and offers a
large number of courses compared to other
colleges.
Zinah Sahib from Iraq studies Arabic. This

is my 4th semester here. I feel sad to leave this

beautiful college after two years. she says.
She echoes Nasirs opinion about the faculty
and feels that it has been an enriching and
rewarding experience
Suren Akram from Kurdistan doing Sociology
has mixed feelings. He says, Arts college gives
a nice feeling. Being a historical landmark, its
a tourist spot too. I am reminded of my own
country with its many historical places. But
the frequent postponement of exams and
some infrastructural problems bother him.
Anatoria Joel from Tanzania, who studies
linguistics , expressed her anguish at the lack of

adequate teaching staff in some departments

and delay in conduct of exams She feels that
the delay upsets the students as they have
stiff visa issues. It would be better to hold
separate exams for the foreign students, she
suggests.
Concurs Bridget Le, from Namibia, Africa,
studying economics, and complains about
the pathetic maintenance of the toilets. But
she says, I feel honoured to be a part of
the best college in India. Arts college offers
quality education that is recognized not only
in India, but all over the world.

Growing old with the College, University .

MYADHARI NAVEENKUMAR
ts not everyday that one gets
to hobnob
w i t h
someone who
has seen the
growth of a
university,
its
highs and lows,
its sunrises and
sunsets over several years. A chat
with S. Yadagiri, one of the most
senior and experienced Class IV
employees in Arts college, was an
opportunity to see the university
through his eyes.
I come from Nalgonda district,
he says, recounting how he ended
up working at the Osmania
University. My father migrated
to Hyderabad in search of a
livelihood.He started working as
a construction labourer, supplying

bricks during the construction

of University College of Science
building. And then I became
a part of the university too.
Yadagiri joined the Geophysics
department of Science College
as a Lab attendant in 1973and
worked there till 2004.
On his initial years, he says, The
academic calendar was strictly
followed. Classes were conducted
regularly and commenced at 9
am sharp. He remembers the
learner- friendly atmosphere
on campus. One could witness
active discussions and faculty
teaching with the aid of maps and
diagrams. The campus was abuzz
with activity all the time. Today,
things are good, but they could be
better, Yadagiri rues and adds that
the present generation has varied
priorities. Yadagiri was later

appointed as the Junior Assistant

in the ofce of the Principal of
the Arts College and served there
until February, 2012. In March
that year, he was promoted to the
post of Senior Assistant served
the college till his retirement the
same year.
Of all the administrative challenges
that the university faced during
his tenure, he says, it was a bold
decision to hold exams when the
2009 Telangana movement was at
its peak saving the academic year.
What does he think of the students
contribution in the struggle for
a new state? Several students,
including girls were injured in
the police attacks and the campus
turned into a battleeld . Students
participated in the struggle at
the expense of their studies and
career. We saw a spate of suicides

across the State he says.

When the conversation turns
to Arts Colleges Platinum
Jubilee celebrations, Yadagiri
is enthusiastic. Arts College
is famous for its remarkable
architecture. It attracts several
tourists from various places. Arts
College has made signicant
contributions
to
education,
preparing students to be
competent in todays world. Many
bureaucrats who occupy top
positions graduated from here.
The college has seen the birth of
many movements like the ProTelangana movements in 1969
and in 2009, he gushes.
Yadagiri, now on contract with
the College remarks,
a daily
maintenance regime is needed
to preserve the beauty of this
heritage symbol.

wider horizons

11

CATCH UP WITH DIGITAL SKILLS,

SENIOR SCRIBE ADVISES STUDENTS

Need to step up
research culture
COURIER DESK

Research in higher education institutions is the bedrock

of all academic activities. The University College of Arts
and Social Sciences is no exception.

EP YESUDAS
he tectonic changes in
the mediascape with the
advent of the social media
demanded that journalism
students need to learn and adopt a
new set of core skills, said K.Srinivas
Reddy, Resident Editor, The Hindu
Addressing students on Reporting
for Print Media - Trends at the
department on 20 January, Srinivas
Reddy stated that the changes in
technology have revolutionized the
media landscape. This necessitated
the adoption of skills for new media
technologies where people demanded
to be up to time instead of up to
date with the latest happenings.
Gathering content and content
curation have undergone dramatic
changes in the context of new news
delivery platforms- web and mobile.
He personally felt that publishing
on Twitter was the most challenging
form of writing for the media today
as one had to say it all in just 140
characters.
While underlining the importance of a
good classroom education, Mr.Reddy
emphasized the importance of
developing skills that the classroom
alone cannot provide; particularly the
human component of cultivating a
source, especially a reticent one. He
encouraged the students to familiarize
themselves with the activities and
decision dynamics of the newsroom
where the pressures of deadlines and
limited news pages test their skills to
report and write; as they collect and
collate data or present and analyze
news.
Responding to a question on his take
on the freedom of speech, whether
the freedom was that of the journalist
or that of the organization that the
journalist worked for, Reddy seemed
to opine that though freedom of
speech was a necessary right it has
always had opposition in various
forms, from state to organization
to the individual himself, who have
sought to constrict it or abuse it to
various degrees.
He explained this by summarizing
the changing role of the media in

Research in the areas of the faculties of Arts and Social

Sciences housed in the Arts College, is of paramount
importance despite varied perspectives on their relevence
in the academia and the political class. Given the current
social political climate in the country ridden by increasing
intolerance levels, conicts, social fragmentation, identity
politics, assertion by disadvantage sections, clamour
for effective implemention of civil and poltical rights,
research is imperative. The onus lies on the departments
of Social Sciences and Arts to rivet their research
efforts trying to gain insights and come up with possible
solutions.

K Srinivas Reddy, Resident Editor, The Hindu, Hyderabad,

addressing journalism students

Indias modern history; from a preindependence educator and promoter

of the ideals of the freedom
movement, to the post-independence
usherer
of
socio-economic
development. The emergency of
1975-77 that gagged it and clipped its
wings and the post emergency era that
saw it transform itself into a more
interrogatory platform reecting
the questioning nature of the state.
The present avatar of the corporate
media can be traced back to the
LPG - liberalization, privatization
and globalization era from which it
stepped out, cutting out the red tape,
but also cutting across geographies,
timelines and delivery platforms, and
cutting in to pervade peoples lives.
Given this changing character of the
media and the circumstances they are
into right now, he urged students to
draw their own inferences regarding
the freedom of speech

Reminiscing about his academic

years in the Arts College as a student
of department of communication
and journalism in 1983-84, Mr Reddy
recalled that his initial attraction to
the Journalism Department was its
open and accommodative culture
as compared to that of the English
Department where he was pursuing
his Masters in English Literature. This
not so serious entry into the realm
of Journalism would however soon
be replaced by his decision to pursue

something as serious and critical as

conict reporting.
Mr.Srinivas Reddy, hailing from
Karimnagar district, took students
on a trip down memory lane as
he recounted his experiences as a
journalist and the challenges that he
faced along the way. Having witnessed
violence personally during the days
of the CPI ML Peoples War during
the 80s, Mr.Reddy feels that it was
almost guaranteed that he would take
up coverage of the conict.
A conict reporter is in danger of
constantly being accused of taking
sides, either for or against the
movement, besides being targeted for
elimination as it happened in the case
of Ghulam Rasool of Udayam daily
in Hyderabad. The violence and the
brutality takes its toll by dehumanizing
the one who is trying to report it he
said. Being a totally impartial and
distant observer is what is required
from a journalist. This is an uphill
task since it is the lives of people that
are at stake in the conicts.
Mr.Reddy opined that having
solid premises and consistent
logical analysis are absolutely
necessary for conict reporting.
The Department presented a memento
to Srinivas Reddy and wished him
success in his new assignment as
Senior News Coordinator, to be
relocated at Chennai.

TS governance issues come under focus

The two-day national seminar on Regional
autonomy, new politics and Statehood
with special focus on Telangana debated
diverse issues like: Political Parties, JACs
and 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.

In the course of interactions with senior faculty it was

found that there is a general disenchantment with the
quality and quantity of the research being undertaken.
A quick scrutiny reveals that the foundation program
MPhil has been silently phased out. It is learnt that
though admissions take place, the returns in the form
of submission of dissertations has been pathetically
low. Qualifying the NET and having a PhD as a precondition for recruitment of Assistant Professors as
stipulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC)
with no mention of MPhil has also led to student
disinterest in MPhil course. This is a win-win situation
for both University and the students.
But it is having an adverse impact on the PhD program
and posing problems to the research scholars who have
no initiation into research.
Due to UGCs insistence on PhD for recruitment, there
is a mad rush for doctoral programs and scholars who
wish to obtain a doctorate without actually subjecting
themselves to the academic rigour. A few faculty
members regret that the primary objective of this
section is to have a doctoral degree without any tangible
contribution to the knowledge base.
The UGCs initiatives to streamline research is a welcome
step. Making Universities accountable for admission
into the research programs, mandatory presentation
of seminars, publication of articles and periodic
submission of progress report are laudable. Along
with these measures, the anti-plagiarism techniques is
likely to have positive impact in near future. Be that as
it may, what is needed is a strong research culture with
inquisitive young minds constantly seeking answers to
problems of concern. In this direction, efforts may be
made to strengthen library facilities, net connectivity to
enable students to access databases worldwide. Also,
professional development programs for faculty may be
fruitful.
The institution of several fellowships to pursue research
across all faculties has already seen an increase in the
number of applicants. A section of the students feel that
fellowships should be extended to everyone who wants
to pursue research. However, grants and fellowships
should not become a carrot for doing research. Instead
there should be a proper monitering mechanism to
make the institution and the scholars accountable for the
investments made in the form of fellowships.

Telugu

12

13
Osmania Courier
Registered with the Registrar of
Newspapers in India (RNI) under
No. 8132/62 Published monthly
except during vacation
Reported and edited by the students
of Department of Communication
& Journalism, Osmania University.
Views express herein do not
necessarily represent the ofcial
view of the University.
Editor
Prof. B. Balaswamy
Issue Editor
Prof. K. Stevenson
Editorial Associate
Ramakrishna
Research Scholars
Sneha Varghese, Ramesh Palvai
Editorial Trainees
Himabindu Duggirala, Yasir
Muhammed, 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 M
FORM IV
Place of Publication: Hyderabad
Periodicity of Publication:
Monthly
Printers Name and Address:
Director, University Press &
Publications, Osmania University
Whether a citizen of India: Yes
If foreigner, state the country of
origin: Not applicable
Publishers Name and Address:
Prof. B. Balaswamy, Head,
Department of Communication
& Journalism, Osmania Univeristy,
Hyderabad 500 007
Whether a citizen of India: Yes
If foreigner, state country of origin:
Not applicable
Editors Name and Address: Prof.
B. Balaswamy, Head, Department
of Communication & Journalism,
Osmania University, Hyderabad
500 007.
Names and addresses of
individuals who own the
publication and the partners or
shareholders holding more than
one per cent of the total capital:
Osmania University, Hyderabad
500 007

Leading academics ......

contd from p6

educational architecture. standards, the quality of education

and the sobriety which has to ow
from a teacher to student is missing 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 rst 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 oor 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 with
Prof. A.A.N. Raju, Prof. Laxman
Rao said that he was punctual and
disciplined, which reected in his
work. Prof. Raju had signicantly
contributed to the growth of the
Department, where there was
not much scope for innovation,
said Prof. Laxman Rao, Former
Chairperson,
BoS,
Library

Get your facts right about

Arts College

Science.

Prof. Raju was the rst to start the

practice of having international
conferences while serving as the
Dean.
Prof.
Laxman Rao
introduced
internship
programmes
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 rst 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 rst introduced
as a part of Philosophy
department, but later got carved
out of it in 1962 with Prof. E.G.
Parameswaran as its rst 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, progressive
thought and a tremendous wit.
Apart
from
heading
the
Department of Psychology, he
also 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.

Beauty in
pink granite
polished shahabad stone. The College stands
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 rst oor, 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

As Director of Competitive
Examination Coaching Centre,
he initiated many programmes.
He was also the author of several
books, which were not only for
Psychology students but also
others 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 of
Studies. 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 the
Department of Communication
and Journalism founded in 1954
by De Forest ODell. Noted media
professionals
such as B.
Nageswara Rao
from Deccan
Chronicle,
Pran
Nath
Malhan from
the Ministry
of Information & Broadcasting
and Indian Institute of Mass
Communication 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

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 rst oor, around the railing
going round the open space above the
entrance hall of the ground oor 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

outsiders, while faculty members

recall Bash breathing life into
the department with his highly
informal conduct in class. This
lab publication, Osmania Courier,
was the centre of activities in the
department 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 amboyant or ashy
like his predecessor, but is
remembered for his sense of fair
play. Mr. T.Nageshwara Rao was
also 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
conned to the syllabus. The
Department came under the
Special Assistance Programme
in 1991 and today it has been
accorded the Centre for Advanced
Study in Communication and
Journalism starus- second phase

Editors note:
The students who have taken
their rst stepinto the world of
journalism have made an earnest
attempt to contact several among
the galaxy of luminaries who
have studied in Arts College. Given the time, space and resource
constraints we may have failed
to capture several individuals an
varied dimensions. Nevertheless,
Osmania Courier , acknowledges the contribution of leading
stalwarts to the University and
also the sautes all the seniors who
have excelled in diverse walks of
life.

College has a sobering, ennobling and eye

soothing effect betting
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 ofces 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-edged 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.

seniorsspeak

14
C.H. HANUMANTHA RAO,

MA Economics (1955-1957)
Member, Seventh and Eighth
Planning commission
After graduating from Nizam
College, I joined Arts College in
1955. I was inspired by Prof. AM
Khusro, then a Lecturer. Later,
he became a Professor in Delhi
School of Economics (DSE). Abdul
Khader from the London School
of Economics was the Head of the
department then.
I was active in the students
movement and I contested for the
post of President of the College in
1956 in the nal year of MA and
was defeated by seven votes. Earlier,
I was the Vice President of Nizam
College.
My defeat in Arts College was a
blessing as I concentrated on my MA
and passed out in rst division. After
1957, I was invited to join the Delhi
School of Economics by VKRV
Rao, Vice Chancellor of Delhi
University.
I distinctly remember I persuaded
C.Narayan Reddy to take part in
the student politics. CNR refused
and remained consistent in his
approach to politics.

PROF. SHANTHA SINHA, MA

Political Science
( 1966-1970) ,
Magsaysay Award
winner
I have a long
association with
Arts College.
I remember
with fondness my graduation days
from 1966-1970. This has been a
period when I was exposed to the
best of faculty in English, History
and Political Science and enriched
by the teachers who were serious
and at the same time had a personal
touch. Indeed, I had also attended
classes in Psychology and Linguistics
that were taken by my friends and
was exposed to the developments
in knowledge and literature. I was
proud to be studying in Arts College
as every other department, in fact
every department had stalwarts in
the faculty. The Golden jubilee of
the College in 1968 was celebrated
with full fanfare. We lost an
academic session in 1969 due to the

Telangana agitation, but we used

the time to learn Russain language
and learn more about Russian
and Chinese Revolution. I did my
MA in Political Science from Arts
College, which was vibrating with
the mood of the times. There was
a student rebellion, inspired by Left
Wing activism world over- May
Revolution in Paris; stories of Che
Guevara; heroic battles of tribals
and peasantry for land rights in
Andhra and Telangana; liberation
of Bangladesh and the changes
in the sub-continent were truly
inspirational. This inuenced many
of us in the student community even
as there were erce debates on social
change, transformation, violence or
non-violence as a means of struggle.
I am glad that I was part of that
glorious era in student movement in
the country.
I joined Jawaharlal Nehru University
for my Phd and joined as a Lecturer
in Political Science in 1976 in the
College. This was Emergency
period and we had to be cautious

as responsible teachers on what we

said and did. Although I never had
any bad experience, one felt being
watched. By 1977 there were the
General Elections and a victory for
freedom and democracy. This gave
a relief to Arts College as well. I left
Arts College in 1979 when I was
selected as a lecturer in University of
Hyderabad.
A long and memorable association
with Arts College that shaped my life,
thought process and gave me a sense
of pride studying in the magnicent
building. Me and my friends explored
every nook and corner of the
building, climbed up the terrace
through a small staircase which was
really awesome. We looked at the
small symbol of Om carved in one
corner inside the dome, that reected
a truly secular character of Arts
College. I do wish it retains all the
positive and invaluable characteristics
it acquired over a period of time
and continues to occupy a place of
pride in the academic culture in our
country.

S. JAIPAL REDDY, BCJ (1954),

Former Union
Minister for
Information
and
Broadcasting

SYED OMER JALEEL, MA

English (1983-85), BCJ (1986)
Special Secretary, Minorities
Welfare, Government of Telangana

shop which
we stole in
between the
classes. Then
there was
the lounge
where we
spent hours
playing
table tennis
and listening to music from the
gramophone records. Then there
was the times when the election
fever took over and we really
enjoyed heckling the prospective
candidates.
The campus became

specially romantic at the change

of summer into monsoon with the
high winds and the scent of rain
swaying man, woman, trees et al.
I still remember roaming in the
moonlit nights for a break from
combined studies or stealing a
swim in the dead of the night at the
campus swimming pool. These are
all very beautiful and very special
memories which bring a fond smile
on my face and a heartache for
the times gone by which will never
come again. God bless Arts college.
God bless OU. Thanks for giving
me the opportunity to share my
memories on this occasion.

BALKA
SUMAN, MP,
Peddapalli
Lok Sabha
constituency.
The role of
Arts College in
formation of
Telangana State is
undenable. It is
not only imparting quality education
but also sensitizes students to the
social issues.

I have pleasant memories of my

days as a student at Arts College.
The campus was very peaceful
during my time, as student elections
had been banned and there was no
political activity. We had regular
classes and very good Faculty like
Prof. Raghuram and Mr. Kishan It
was here that I made good friends.
I remember performing a skit with
my friends Jyothi Babu and Hari
Krishna for the Farewell party.
My friends and I used to spend a
lot of time at the library, on the
lawns and at the hostel. Though I
had played cricket for OU during
my under graduation at Nizams

college and was also a State-level

player, I gave it up during my PG
to focus on the civil services exam.
I attended classes at the University
before going for the evening classes
at the Hyderbad Study Circle. Arts
College gave me the exibility and
freedom to pursue my dreams while
nishing my post-graduation. I
cleared the Civils in my rst attempt
with the All India Rank of 147, and
I still remember the day my results
were announced. It was just two
days after my M.A. results. I have
pleasant memories of Arts College,
because thats where I became what
I am today.

Its great to know that the Arts

college OU is celebrating Platinum
Jubilee of its inception. I always
remember feeling special entering
its imposing entrance and the
beautiful architecture. It was always
surprising and refreshing that the
interiors were always cool even at
the peak of summer. I also fondly
remember the seriousness with
which we followed the lectures and
the visits to the canteen and chai

P MURALIDHAR RAO pursued

MA (Philosophy) and M Phil

(Political
Psychology)
courses at
Arts College
from 198387. BJP
National
General
Secretary
Arts
College is the symbol of student
activism. Being hyper active in
student politics it inspired me to
valiantly ght for a cause. Arts
college also reects 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
re 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 ofcer)

ANANDA SHANKAR
JAYANT, (M.A., M.Phil, PhD

, Department of History and

Archaeology)
Senior ofcer, Indian Railway
Trafc Service, Secunderabad
There was a sense of learning
and growth at Arts College- a
laissez-faire feeling, because
there was open exchange of
ideas, and debates among
students from different depart-

NANDINI REDDY, MA, (Telugu)

MPhil, PhD

I spent around eight years in the

College which was truly a great
experience. There were many
student movements throughout
that decade. Arts College was
instrumental in moulding me

ments. Open discussions over

chai and dosa were the norm of
the day. We had great professors
like Dr. Radhakrishna Sharma

as a poet, activist and as a person

dedicated to the building of
Telangana state. I was fortunate to
be taught by eminent professors
like Dr. C. Narayan Reddy and
researchers like Rama Raju. The
department helped me grow as a
poet and researcher. Hostel life is
also an unforgettable aspect of my

and Dr. Dhareshwari, with whom

we could discuss anything under
the sun, from movies to cricket.
It was my time at the campus
that dened me and gave me an
identity. It was when I was in the
campus that I took the decision
to appear for the UPSC exam.
Im glad I was there at Arts college. Thank you Arts College,
and thank you Osmania!

time at Arts college. The College

had a charged atmosphere, with
emotions running high. Elections,
seminars and conferences gave
me new insights,. The College was
a symbol for new revolutionary
ideologies.
All I learnt on campus was what
I had heard in my classes. The

I feel proud
to have
belonged to
the rst batch
of Journalism
degree course
of Osmania University. I had done
Masters in English and developed
intense intellectual interest in politics
before I took to study of journalism.
That interest impelled me swiftly
to take a direct plunge in politics.
However, the training I received from
journalism department has stood
me in good stead for the last half
century, as I dealt with media both as
a spokesperson at the national level
and as a politician. My attachment
as an alumnus is thus both romantic
and real

GADARI KISHORE KUMAR,

Parliamentary
Secretary for
Health Ministry,
Telangana State.
Relentless
ght for a
genuine cause
will certainly
yield result as is
evident with Telangana movement.
The Arts College is a great platform
for meeting of an array of minds
which guided me to set foot in
the Assembly at a young age. I
successfully completed my odyssey
from Arts College to Assembly with
the help of great academicians in the
educational hub.
MOTHUKUPALLI
NARASIMHULU, MA Political
Science,
TDP leader
and former
minister.
I am
blessed
to have
education
in Arts
College.
I learnt
so many lessons from great
academicians who moulded my
political career.

library represented a vast sea of

knowledge to us. The College was a
common home for students coming
from various districts and different
social strata, and continues to be so
even today. Arts college nurtures
nurtures knowledge, friendship and
philosophical thinking. My salute to
Arts College!

events

15

College Annual day held

ROUND UP
Effective Counselling
The Psychology Department has witnessed hectic activity in the
resent past organizing workshops and lectures.
A one-day workshop on Effective Counselling Skills was
organized on 16 March 2015on different themes- Understanding
the client by Dr. P. Srilakshmi, Psychiatrist, Personal attributes
of a counselor by Dr. Pragya Rashmi, and Child & Adolescent
Counselling Skills by Dr. Geeta Challa, Psychologis
Senior Professor, K. Ravichandra, inaugurated the workshop
attended by students from St. Francis, Womens College, Koti and
Nizam College.
Earlier, in collaboration with the A.V. College, Hyderabad it
organized a three-day national conference on Challenges of
Contemporary Life Role of Positive Psychology. Tthe themes
included-Emotions and Mental Health, Personality and Positivism,
Positive Psychology in Diverse Settings, Positive Psychology and
Adolescence and Indices of Positive Psychology.
Prof. P. Raghurami Reddy, Psychiatrist and retired Principal of
Osmania Medical College was the chief guest.
This was a part of the Platinum Jubilee year of Arts College, O.U
and the ninth Annual Conference of the Indian Association of
Mental Health.
Prof. Ronald, Greaves University of Liverpool,delivered a guest
lecture on Reections on a Life- Studying Religion
LECTURE SERIES IN ISLAMIC STUDIES
The Department of Islamic Studies organised a lecture serries
commemorating its Golden Jubilee year
Prof. Bruce Lawrence, Islamic Studies Emeritus at Duke University,
USA, spoke on Abrahamic faith and inter-religious cooperation:
why citizenship matters. Prof. Suleman Siddiqui, former ViceChancellor, Osmania University, traced the Mystic Movements
in the Deccan With special reference to the discovery of a 17th
century scroll. The third lecture was on Love and Punishmentfrom Perspective of Law by Dr. Flavia Agnes in March.
Fresh insights into Tribal literature
The Department of Marathi conducted a one-day National
Seminar on Adivasi Sahitya: Sadyasthiti Aani Navya Disha on 30
March, 2015. Experts in Tribal literature, Prof. Vinod Kumre from
Mumbai University and Prof. Maheshwari Gawit from Premrai
Sarda Senior College, Ahmadnagar, were the chief speakers. .
Around 12 research scholars and speakers presented papers at
the seminar presided by the Chief Guest, Prof. Shailendra Lende
from Nagpur University.
KANAKADASA REVISITED
The Department of Kannada, in collaboration with Mangalore
University organised a one-day lecture on Kanaka Chithana
Pracharopanyasa- a discussion on the Kannada poet Kanakadasas
kritis. Called Bagilanu Theredu.. (An opening door), the lecture
focused on the use of day-to-day activities of man as similes for
philosophical insights in Kanakadasas poetry. The lecture was
preceded by a national seminar on Kannada literature.
Workshop on research methods
The Department of Linguistics organised a two-day research
methodology workshop on February 3 and 4. It dealt with
different aspects of research in Humanities.
Prof. Mohammed Ansari, Head, Dept. of Linguistics said, Arts
College Principal Prof. T. Krishna Rao inaugurated the event
attended by nearly 160 research scholars and post-graduate
students.
EDUCATION WAS PRIORITY TO NIZAM
Several historians reiterated that the seeds of education in
Telangana were rst sown in the time of Nizam Mir Osman Ali
Khan,
They were participating in the one-day seminar on 27 March,
Educational Development under H. E. H. Mir Osman Ali
Khan, the Nizam VII conducted by the Department of History,
Osmania University.
Dr. Zareena Parveen, Director, State Archives and Research
Institute, in her presidential remarks, remarked that the seventh
Nizams regime was a golden age for educational development
in Telangana. Apart from allocating ten percent of the budget
for education in the region, the Nizam started medicine and
engineering streams in colleges, and established several hospitals.
She lamented that the Nizam was however, known more for his
autocratic rule than his contributions to the region.
Principal of Arts College, Prof. T. Krishna Rao, inaugurated the
seminar while Prof. V. Kishan Rao, former Registrar, Osmania
University, was the Chief Guest.

(L to R) Akella Raghavendra, Special invitee,College Vice Principal, Prof. Ramulu, Prof. Venkata Chalam, Vice
Chairman, TSCHE, Chief Guest, Pidamarthi Ravi, Chairman, SC Corporation, Telangana , Prof. T.Krishna
Rao, Principal, Prof. E.Suresh Kumar, Registrar, Prof. S.Mallesh, Vice Chairman, TSCHE, College Vice
Principal, Balu Naik, Surya Dhananjaya, Cultural Coordinator Prof. Laxmaiah, Dean Students Aairs, at the
Annual day function. Prizes were distributed to winners of extra curricular activities and sports.

Plug in social inequities:

Dr. Felix Fadel

RAKESH KUMAR MALKA

ow can constructing
dams and industries at
the cost of displacement
of communities and destruction
of
ecosystems
be
called
development, questioned Dr.
Felix Padel, anthropologist, writer,
and the great grandson of Charles
Darwin.
Addressing a seminar on
Development
and
Social
Movements
organised
by
Indian Council of Social Science
Research (ICSSR) Southern
Region, Dr. Padel explained
that real development meant
raising everyones standard of
living, providing equal access to
food, water, sensitive education,
healthcare, and upholding the
principles of justice and equality
before law.
Around 50 to 60 million tribal
people are directly displaced
since 1950, and indirectly many
more than that, in the name of
development.
The
rapid
industrialisation
devastated forest lands, looted
states non-renewable sources

and eroded job security, he said,

describing mining and industries
as major causes of expropriation
of forest from adivasis.

signicance all over the world,

indicating the
heightened
awareness about ecology among
people, he added.

Describing
tribals
as
underdeveloped, backward or
primitive is insult to the society
which injured them badly, Dr.
Padel said and described the
Dongriyas as highly evolved and
as being much more civilised than
common people. As an indication
of their affection for the forests,
he quoted them saying: Forest
does not belongs to us, we belong
to the forest.

Concurring with Dr. Padel, Prof.

Kodanda Ram, Department of
Political Science, OU, stated that
every individual in the world
wanted development but the
question of real development
surfaced since 1970.

He recalled the tribal rebellions

during
1770-1940
against
the genocide and ecocides,
and explained that physical
extermination and destruction
of cultures (ethnocide) were two
sides of genocide. He posited the
emergence of social movements
in the exploitation of natural
resources in India and underscored
their importance in ensuring real
development.
Ssocial movements in the
country against nuclear projects
like Kudankulam, Tarapur and
Kakrapur projects have their

After liberalisation, the societys

view of development was mere
production and investment,
and people are not showing any
interest in the living standards
of the individual. For sustainable
development in society, social
movements are very necessary
he added.
Prof. Krishna Reddy, Director,
ICSSR, said that social movements
reminded us of the forbidden
social rights of backward classes
and the need for social justice.
Other speakers included Prof.
Bhangya Bhukya, Department of
History, University of Hyderabad,
Dr. Nageshwar Rao, Department
of Zoology, OU, and Dr.
Ravinder, Deputy co-ordinator,
CAS, Department of Political
Science.

Journalism students emerge cricket champions of Arts College

The Journalism Department
team celebrating their
victory over Sanskrit
Department. In a nocontest game, journalism
team posted 130 runs on
the board and skittled out
their opponents for a paltry
57 runs. It was an all round
display as they combined
well in bowling, batting and
elding.

in and around

16

WELCOME
GREENERY

RAHAMAN

The lush green lawns in front of

Arts College never failed to add to
the existing sheen of the age-old
architecture. Developed by Syed
Hashim Ali, Vice Chancellor
during the period 1982-1985, the
lawns which were witness to a
host of events, ranging from plain
moments to that of turbulent
politic al movements warmly
welcome people from various
walks of life
Even before the mildest of early
morning suns rays plant a kiss on
the buildings exteriors, people of
different ages, sexes, shapes and
sizes, the green herbages turn into

an open tness gym with people

performing yoga, breathing
exercises and what not.
As the day gets brighter, the
university along with its scenic
lawns out there happens to see
more footfalls. Students see it as
a pleasant, open talk space, and
an exchange of a dialogue or two
becomes a daily ritual. Im at the
garden outside, bro! is more or
less used as pet-phrase by many
that qualies it as a landmark
location for people who are in
one way or the other, a part of the
university.
Just not that, the grasses also
played a host to several student

organisations on campus for both

their formal and informal social
gatherings. Also, many popular
faces are known to have delivered
their debut performances to the
local masses, amid this very green
ambience. Even as the sun goes
down, the garden teems with
families from nearby colonies
with kids in tow and the place

turns into a virtual picnic spot.

The universitys priced possession,
outsiders from the nearby areas
also come to take a couple of tolls
while enjoying the elegance of the
half-light hues. Old timers also
converge here to reminisce their
old, beautiful memories.
If something has not changed over
time, it is the illustrious university

Lazing in the students lounge

COURIER BUREAU

Times have changed. So have the places

and leisure time activities of students. If
former students had the students lounge,
in the cellar of the Arts college on the
right side, as a favourite hangout place,
todays networked generation hang out in
the virtual world texting away to glory.
The lounge had to be booked to organize
parties to welcome freshers and one
would see enthusiastic seniors trying to
impress the freshest face. Initiated into
the academic ambience of the college,
breathing the fresh air of freedom skipping
classes predominantly in the lecture mode
one would make his way to the lounge for
the gruelling duels in indoor games- table
tennis, caroms, chess listening to popular
songs on the gramophone records. For a
break one would see smokers come out
to take a puff. Very soon, the year would
come to an end and it is time to bid adieu
when there would be broken hearts or
two souls bonding together for a life time.
Scenes of teary eyed classmates and juniors
exchanging pleasantries to meet again in
life would be common.
Apparently, the students lounge no longer
echoes the oohs and aahs of winning
and losing games as the present generation
is focused on battling the realities of lifeto enter the job market.
As a result, today classes are conducted
for various competitive exams early in the
mornings while occasionally, one would
hear the shouts of joy and loud music
reverberating across the college indicating
that it is either a farewell or a welcome
party. Party time during hard times! Times
never come back.
Dil ke arma...
Remember the song. Dil ke arma aasuo
me bahe gaye sung by Salma Agha in the
movie Nikaah. What binds the song to
Arts college. Yes, the entire song and the

sequence of shots were shot in the hall

under the central dome, squarish in shape,
which continues continues to glisten under
the light piercing from various corners.
With solid columns on all the four
sides, there are restrictions on peoples
movements in the arena.
Today the place is used by students to
display their artistic skills for Rangoli
competitions or for blood donation camps
etc. Further, suddenly banners and posters
would spring announcing some event or
an exhibition.
Changing interiors
Keeping pace with the changing needs
and requirements of the students and the
faculty, the interirors of the college have
also undergone a change in the recent past.
Courier criss crosses the college and nds
a few welcome spots and a few blighted
areas.
In the cellar, the Journalism department, is
perhaps the only one which, has a red carpet
to welcome visitors, and the classrooms
and the news lab are wall panelled . The
adjacent Psychology Department has
spruced up the entire ooring and has an
EGP hall. .To help physically handicapped
students, ramps have been constructed and

wheel-chairs provided at the entrances.

Other conspicuous changes are the output
units of the air conditioners in several
departments This is despite the thick walls,
mortar construction which is airy and
adequately ventilated. The thick insulation
of the copper tube wires hang about freely
in the corridors/ oors as also the mesh
of the telephone and internet cables.
Elaborate sofa sets, window curtains are
a major departure, though they may not
match the elegant furniture in private
colleges. Ergonomic chairs have invaded
the staff rooms but students make do with
the decades old joint tables and chairs with
a desk.
The spacious rooms perhaps housed the
limited faculty and staff then but today
these rooms have been partitioned with
cubicles, corporate style.
A new seminar hall adjacent to the seminar
library on the rst oor hosts meetings of
students and faculty. Sandwiched between
the seminar library and the hall is the Aziz
Jamaluddin Computer lab named after
Aziz Jamaluddin. Water coolers stationed
at select points quench the thirst of the
students. Surprisingly, the college does not
have a Ladies room despite the tall talk
of gender equality and safety in the class
rooms.
Winged messengers ??
They have made the College
their

building, and an old lady along with

a few more people there, who tend
to see the same piece of land as a
means of livelihood. Apparently,
they have introduced the culture
of munching some fried spicy
nuts and other light eateries while
one tries to go back in time; or
on a wait for somebody; or even
as they lean back to simply relax
before indulging into a casual talk.
However, today the grassy piece
of land shows many signs of
having been neglected over time.
Apathetic administration, callous
citizenry and poor maintenance
have turned it into an eyesore.
Its no exaggeration to say that the
grass there is not just green, but
one can easily nd white plastics,
yellow fruit peels, and a palette
of many such colours spread all
over the garden area. Anyway,
thanks to the national festivals or
special occasions have retained its
last drop of life from just being
another place to litter.

permanent home. Yes, we are talking

about scores of pigeons. They utter
about freely from their safe and secluded
places.
The typical crooning breaks the silence
in the corridors which are not without the
fur and pigeon poop . Pigeons are known
to carry messages over long distances
in the yore. In both the rst and second
World Wars the pigeon saved hundreds
of thousands of human lives by carrying
messages across enemy lines. Pigeons
were carried on ships in convoys and in
the event of a U-boat attack a messenger
pigeon was released with details of the
location of the sinking ship .The earliest
large scale communication network using
pigeons as messengers was established in
Syria and Persia about 5th Century BC.
Much later in the 12th Century AD the
city of Baghdad and all the main towns
and cities in Syria and Egypt were linked
by messages carried by pigeon
Recall, Kabuthar, Ja, Ja , ia one of the
popular Salman Khan lms,. can no longer
be called winged visitors.
Outside the college one can witness people
feeding pigoens as many religious groups
including Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs feed
pigeons for hoing such good deeds would
pay them dividends.
Pigeons are also known to be life savers
.Although pigeons are one of the most
intelligent of all the bird species man has
found limited uses for the birds other
than for the purposes of sport, food and
as a message carrier. A team of navy
researchers, however, has found that
pigeons can be trained to save human lives
at sea with high success rates.
Is the inux of the pigeons in the recent
past into the college , any indication that
they have arrived to save an edice and its
mission??

Comments and feedback are

welcome at
courier.ou@gnail.com