Empowering women

Breaking away from the chaos of a busy road teeming with traffic, inside the campus of Kanya Maha Vidyalaya (KMV), Jalandhar, peacocks stroll leisurely in the verdant gardens of the 134-year-old historic educational institution. Widely accepted as the ‘first’ institute for girls in northern India, KMV was established in 1886 by academic and women rights champion Lala Devraj.

With its campus known to have aided and sheltered many a freedom fighter, and its forefathers defying the British to assert their voice in favour of Indian Independence, KMV has a rich legacy of supporting the Indian freedom struggle. Bearer of several firsts, it was also declared a heritage and an autonomous institution in 2015 (among 19 Indian institutions to be accorded heritage status in the year).

The institution also has a state-of-the-art home science, fashion, animation, cosmetology and other labs, a Gandhian Studies Centre, archives (conserving old publications, journals and literature), a botanical garden and an in-house shop which has products made by students; these are up for grabs on Amazon all round the year.

Today, it has 4,000 students, runs 19 skill development programmes, 29 postgraduate and 21 undergraduate programmes in an array of streams and has 54 industrial collaborations. Principal of KMV, Dr Atima Sharma, reveals more, “The hall of fame at Krishna Hall was set up to document KMV’s rich legacy. I was astounded by the history. The main building is all historic and painstakingly restored to retain authenticity. Our institution is an amalgam of the ethos of the freedom movement and contemporary progressive and modern education. In 21st century we are still a noted girls’ education hub in South Asia.” 

Badridas Hostel: Most of the photographs from 1900s with girls lodging in saris with charkhas, self-defence implements, in fancy dresses etc were pictured at its entrance. The decades-old banyan tree stands majestically here; some say it even predates the building. Also, a bust of Bhagat Singh inside its lawns pays tributes to KMV’s illustrious past. This was once used as a hideout by freedom fighters like him. The renovation works done prolongs the authenticity of the hostel.

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The seer

Lala Devraj had a vision to provide free education to girls which resulted in its foundations being laid. Started with only 11 girls, the first and exclusive girls school in Jalandhar, it was christened the ‘Arya Kanya Pathshala’. The present name — Kanya Maha Vidyalaya — would replace 10 years later, in 1896.

With Re 1 monthly shelled out by Lala Devraj’s mother for girls’ education, he first started tutoring them — visiting home to home. Amongst the earliest means to fund the purpose by him included money earned from selling scraps and wheat donated by families. He was stoned, ridiculed and rebuked for his initiative.

However, in the years to come, a list of eventual successors like Rai Bahadur Badri Das, Savitri Devi, Shanno Devi and the legendary Acharya Lajjawati brought legendary status to the institution. From Bhagat Singh to Sarojini Naidu to Mahatma Gandhi, several speeches and even personal exchanges of noted leaders bear testimony to KMV’s status as a premier girls’ institution.

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Dwars to past: The institute is marked with four gates — Astha, Swadheenta, Vande Matram and Pragati Dwars — which bear testimony to its freedom movement ethos.

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Mor Bagh

KMV has a ‘Mor Bagh’, a whitewashed historic building housing fine arts, psychology, commerce and biology departments. One can see peacocks doing their thing every now and then. The picturesque pink-walled ‘Badridas hostel’ is said to have provided a safe harbour to a wounded Bhagat Singh and houses the old banyan tree with a poem dedicated to it.

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Garden, lotus pond: The sprawling botanical garden at KMV houses innumerable trees and plants, including many indigenous herbs and medicinal plants. It also has a lotus pond and an old tower, which previously served as a water tank.

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Dignified: Many national leaders – before and after the Independence – have visited the college’s premises. From first President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad (R) to Pt Jawaharlal Nehru (L) & Indira Gandhi, all have had a glimpse of the institution’s lush history.