Events September 2024

          The outstanding Parliamentarian and Founder President of Feroze Gandhi College, Rae Bareli, was remembered with a deep sense of reverence and indebtedness on his 112th birth anniversary on 12.09.2024 by the Management, Principal, teachers and non- teaching staff of the College.

          The guests and the members of the audience were welcomed by the Principal, Prof. Manoj Kumar Tripathi. The Managing Secretary, Shri Atul Bhargava threw light on the close association between Feroze Gandhi and the Founder Managing Secretary of the College, Onkar Nath Bhargava during the years when the idea of establishing a Degree College for the higher education of the students of Rae Bareli and surroundings areas was taking shape. The Senior Vice President of the Managing Committee, Shri Rajeeva Bhargava spoke eloquently about the institutional values and visions of the Founder President and the Founder Managing Secretary which have sustained and nurtured the College over the last 64 years since its foundation in the year 1960. The Joint Secretary of the Managing Committee, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Pandey traced in brief the development plans to be adopted by the College for its development and upgradation in future.

          Speaking on the occasion, Shri Shailendra Tripathi, Associate Professor, Department of Economics said that in the long course of India’s history, the period from the second half of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century, was on the one hand, the worst of times because it was time of the consolidation of the colonial subjugation of India, massive drain of Indian wealth to Britian, racial and civilisational humiliation of Indians at the hands of the British, the destruction of agriculture and local local industries, widespread famines, extreme poverty and unemployment. On the other hand, it was the best of times because it was the time when national awakening, social reforms and freedom struggle were taking shape and the period produced a galaxy of leaders who led India’s freedom movement, framed our Constitution after independence laid the foundations of an independent, modern, democratic nation. Feroze Gandhi, born on the 12.09.1912, was the Pole Star of that galaxy who stood firm on his principles and beliefs.

          Shri Shailendra Tripathi threw light on the stellar role played by Feroze Gandhi in the nationalisation of life insurance companies and the formation of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) in 1956 which at later stages showed the way to the nationalisation of General Ineurance Corporation (GIC) in 1964 and two stage nationalisation of Banks in 1969 and 1980, getting the Parliamentary Proceedings (Protection and Publication) Bill, 1956 passed by the Parliament which after the advent of TV era over time inspired the process for the partial telecast of Parliamentary proceedings from 1989 and full live telecast of Parliamentary proceedings from 2005 and the establishment of Feroze Gandhi College, Rae Bareli in 1960 for the purpose of overall socio- economic development of educationally and economically backward District of Rae Bareli through the provision of inclusive, quality higher education for the students of Rae Bareli and surrounding areas, especially girls and students belonging to the deprived classes.

          Shri Gaurav Awasthi, freelance journalist and former Rae Bareli Bureau Chief of the Hindi daily, Hindustan highlited the role played by Feroze Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Onkar Nath Bhargava in bringing the College to the present level from its very humble beginnings in 1960.

          Summing up the ideas of previous spekers while delivering his address as the keynote speaker, Dr. R.P. Singh, former Principal of the College traced the impact of national freedom movement on Feroze Gandhi’s peronna due to his early education in Allahabad and the ideological influence of Feroze Gandhi’s higher education in London School of Economics and Political Science inculcating the abiding faith in Parliamentary democracy in Feroze Gandhi’s mind. Dr. R.P. Singh expressed his deep sense of anguish at the decline of the ethical standards of Parliamentary democracy in India due to emergence of the pernicious mix of authoritarian brand of politics, crony capitalism and valueless education system.

          The President of the Managing Committee, Shri S.L. Chandwani delivered his Presidential address. In the end, Prof. B.D. Mishra, Vice Principal of the College proposed a vote of thanks for everyone present. The function was conducted by Dr. Ajendra Pratap Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of Hindi.