Sydenham College
Coordinates: 18°58′30″N 72°49′33″E / 18.97500°N 72.82583°E
| Motto | Labor Omnia Vincit (Work conquers all) |
|---|---|
| Type | Government |
| Established | 1913 |
| Principal | Dr. Annasaheb Khemnar |
| Location |
Churchgate, Mumbai, Maharashtra,  India |
| Campus | South Mumbai |
| Website | http://www.sydenham.ac.in/ |
Sydenham College or Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics is the first college of commerce in Asia.
It is an institute in Mumbai (previously Bombay), affiliated to the University of Mumbai, and offering undergraduate degrees in commerce and undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in management. The college's motto is "Labor Omnia Vincit" ("Work conquers all") and in Sanskrit, "samudyogo hi vishvajita" {Diligent Efforts Conquer the World} . The college is operated by the government of Maharashtra.
History
Sydenham College, "the first college of commerce in Asia," was established in October 1913. It was named after the then-governor of Bombay, Lord Sydenham of Combe,[1] who was instrumental in making the undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Commerce possible in Mumbai. This makes Sydenham College the oldest degree-awarding institution in commerce. K.S. Aiyar acted as first honorary principal of the college. It was only in 1941, twenty-eight years after the establishment of Sydenham College, that any other institute started offering courses in the subject.
On the college's seventy-fifth anniversary in 1988, the Indian Post Office issued a commemorative stamp. In 1990, TIME rated Sydenham College as the "Best Commerce College this side of the Suez."
Location
- 1955 onward: Since 1955, Sydenham College has been on "B Road" at Churchgate, very near the terminus of the Western Railway section of the Mumbai suburban railway. It is close to the Marine Drive sea front on the Arabian Sea.
- 1922–1955: The college was on the premises of the present-day Sir J. J. School of Architecture in Fort, opposite the Victoria Terminus railway station. It was then known as the Indo-British Institute.
- 1914–1922: The college moved to the Whiteway Laidlaw Building on Hornby Road, near the present-day Handloom House in Fort.
- 1913: The college was run from the Elphinstone College premises in Fort.
Courses offered
- Bachelor of Commerce (since 1913)
- Master of Commerce (since 1925)
- Masters in Management Studies and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (since 1983; under "Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education" SIMSREE)
- Bachelor of Management Studies
- Bachelor of Commerce (Banking and Insurance) (since 2003)
Student activities
As part of educating the whole human, Sydenham College students participate in programs beyond the classroom setting. They are encouraged to be involved in student-organized events, community service, and a wide range of cultural, recreational, and social activities. Sydenham offers many opportunities for students to learn new skills and improve on existing ones through our creative and eclectic clubs and societies. The college festival "Brouhaha" and the magazine A-Mag are such great examples of student-managed endeavor.
- The Annual Magazine Committee (A-Mag): As the name suggests, A-Mag (as popularly known) publishes the college annual magazine at the end of each year. In addition to the annual magazine, A-Mag explores the realm of journalism with a well-received periodical, a newspaper called Speak. Sydenham has won many awards for the best college magazine.
- The Book Circle (BC): Aims at promoting reading habits amongst the students. Runs an informal library in the common room and organizes other literary events.
- Dramatics Society (DS): Aims at promoting theatre by organizing various plays. Also helps potentials with valuable on-stage experience and professional breaks.
- Hindi Sahitya Mandal (H.S.M.): Promotes traditional Indian culture and Hindi as a national language. Also organizes other popular events and programmes.
- Marathi Wangmaya Mandal (M.W.M.): Promotes Marathi, the state language both culturally and literally.
- Nature Club (N.C.): Promotes love for nature and environment awareness. Organizes awareness drives and outdoor trips.
- Performing Arts Society (P.A.S.): Discovers and encourages potential talent in dance and music. Organizes stage events, musical programmes, talent parades and fashion shows.
- Planning Forum: Creates awareness about various aspects of business and commerce through their workshops and seminars.
- Public Speaking and Debating Society( P.S.D.S.): Promote literary thinking and analytical ability. Organizes competitions, quizzes and debates.
- Poor Students' Education Relief Fund (P.S.E.R.F.): Aids financially underprivileged students in completing their studies by providing textbooks and funds.
- Rapport News Media: India's only college news media publishes newspapers, an annual issue, handles two daily bulletin boards — the Wallpaper and Happenings — and organizes workshops and competitions related to creative media.
- Social Service League (S.S.L. - N.S.S.): A programme initiated by the government and launched by Sydenham College. Organizes blood donation drives, health and AIDS awareness and adult education programmes. Adopts villages to bring about rural upliftment by building schools and such infrastructure. Serving members are granted 10 grace marks by the university.
- Sydenham Auditorium Committee (S.A.C.): Maintains the college auditorium and allocates it for society events. Also handles the security arrangements for such events.
- Sydenham Audio Visual Education Society (SAVES): Promotes education and entertainment through audio visual means like laser disc shows and slides.
- Sydenham College Co-operative Stores (Co-ops): A co-operative company solely managed by students. Promotes hardcore business skills among students. Its three divisions include an on-campus retail outlet, C3 - the Computer Centre and La Pub - a publicity agency.
- Sydenham College Gymkhana (Gym): Coordinates all sporting activities in college and maintains the sport infrastructure.
- Sydenham College Students' Council: Regarded as the apex body of students, the Council represents the student community to the management and serves as a channel of communication between the two.
- Sydenham Computer Centre (SCC): Manages the computer lab in college besides organizing programmes related to information technology and provide internet service to the students of the college, as well as manage website of the college.
- Sydenham Photographic Society (SPS): Promotes photography as an art, science and a profession. Also provides a Platform for amateur photographers and models through competitions, Workshops and exhibitions
- Sydenham Foreign Trade Association (SFTA): The Sydenham Foreign Trade Association is the representative council of the foreign trade course in the college. Its conducts Annual Workshops and Summer Training.
- Sydenham Advertising & Event Management Organisation (SAEMO): SAEMO, the newest entrant in college was formed in 2003. It is a non-profit organization which solely caters to the benefit of the students. SAEMO hosts intercollegiate events and fests.
- Sydenham Banking and Insurance Society (SBIS): It is a society that works for the students of banking and insurance and acquaints them with the various developments in the field of banking and insurance.
- Sydenham Career Fair was started in 2004 to help students find out more about various careers
Notable alumni
There are a number of alumni from Sydenham who hold senior positions in corporations large and small. There are also celebrities who have graduated from Sydenham.
- Sanjiv Mehta, owner, East India Company London[2][3]
- Deepak Parekh, chairman HDFC
- Uday S Kotak, chairman Kotak Mahindra
- Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, trader and investor, Rare Enterprises
- Girish Paranjpe, joint CEO Wipro Technologies
- Dr. Jagdish Bhagwati, eminent economist and professor of economics at Columbia University
- Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of Aditya Vikram Birla Group of companies
- Ronnie Screwvala, chairman, UTV
- Pramit Jhaveri, CEO, Citi India
- Vinod Khanna, Indian film actor
- Juhi Chawla, Indian film actress and Femina Miss India Universe 1984
- Lymaraina D'Souza, Indian model and Femina Miss India Universe 1998
- Rahul Bose, an Indian actor
- Neha R. Krishna, poetess, author
- Fazila Allana, notable TV producer, founder and MD of Sol
- Hrithik Roshan, Indian film actor
- Suchitra Krishnamoorthi, Indian pop-singer and actress
- Gita Johar, Meyer Feldberg Professor of Marketing, Columbia University
- Gayatri Joshi, Indian actress known for her role in Hindi film Swades
- Uday Chopra, Indian actor
- Sanjay Gupta, film director
- Atul Agnihotri, director and actor in Hindi films
- Shiamak Davar, dancer and singer
- Aditya Chopra, film director and producer
- Sameera Reddy, Indian film actress
- Sheetal Mallar, Indian supermodel
- Shamita Shetty, Indian film actress
- Omar Abdullah, politician
- Milind Deora, politician
- Dinesh D'Souza (1961–), United States writer
- Emraan Hashmi, Indian actor
- Indu Shahani, principal of HR College and present sheriff of Mumbai
- Priya Hiranandani, Entrepreneur
- Meera Sanyal, politician, formerly country head of ABN AMRO and RBS
- Vijay Merchant, cricketer
- Praful Patel, notable politician
- Zeenat Aman, Indian film actress
- Swapnil Joshi, TV actor-comedian
- Nimesh Kampani, chairman, JM Financial Services Pvt. Ltd.
- Sanaya Irani, Television Actress
- Karanvir Bohra, Television Actor
- Mufaddal Saifuddin
- Niranjan Hiranandani , entrepreneur, cofounder, managing director - Hirandani group
- Krish Iyer president and ceo - Walmart India
- Ashwin Choksi entrepreneur, promoter and non executive vice chairman of Asian Paints
- Yogesh Mahansaria founder and ceo multinational Alliance Tire Group
- Karishma Tanna Indian actress