On May 1, 2022, the University of Delhi or more popularly DU (Delhi University) turned 100 years old, an outstanding historic landmark that every Indian should be proud of. Befitting to the occasion a special celebratory event was organized by the DU where Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu, who is also the chancellor of the university, was the chief guest. Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, along with university VC Prof Yogesh Singh and others were part of the event organized at the University campus.
Situated in the historic landscape of the capital city of Delhi and spread over 407 acres, the University of Delhi was established in the year 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislature. At that time, only three colleges—St. Stephen’s (1881), Hindu (1899) and Ramjas (1917) preceded the founding of the University. The Bill to constitute the University was introduced in the Central Legislative Assembly on the 16th of January, passed by it on the 22nd of February and by the Council of States on the 28th of February 1922. The Viceroy gave his assent on the 5th of March, the Notification was issued on the 6th of April and the Delhi University Act came into force on the 1st May 1922.
100 years later, Delhi University, has journeyed by leaps and bounds and as VC Singh put it reached every home and nook and corner of the country. Starting with 750 students (82 of them girls), DU today has 606228 out of which more than 50% are girls (324067). From Arts and Science it has metastasized to 16 faculties and from 57 programs to 540 programs all these 100 years. The number of affiliated colleges has zoomed from 3 to 90. The university budget has likewise increased from Rs 40,000 to Rs 838+ Cr.
Ranked 12th in the NIRF Rankings, DU is also among the 800-1000 band in the Times Higher Education list, in the 501-510 (2022) QS World University Rankings and 77th in QS Asia University Rankings. In terms of citations and research papers, DU is a leader in countries universities with more than 57000 Scopus index publications. It is also one of the 20 IoEs (Institution of Eminence) by Ministry of Education as declared in 2019.
Vice President during his address at centenary celebrations overwhelmed by the talk of excellence reminded the gathering that ancient India had enjoyed the reputation of being a Viswaguru and was a renowned cradle of culture. He said reputed centres of knowledge, among the earliest known to humanity, like the universities of Nalanda, Takshashila, Vikramshila, Vallabhi and Odantapuri bear ample testimony to this fact. Declaring that it is his deep-seated wish to see Indian Universities ranked among the top 10 universities of the world, the Vice President asked all stakeholders to work with this aim in mind.
Education Minister Pradhan who preceded VP in speaking said that the Delhi University will offer solutions to global problems, emerging as an incubator of the world. He said the Delhi University is not just an educational institution, it is an emotion for people associated with it. He called upon DU Alumni to create a model for the country in alumni contribution.
In his welcome address the VC expressed the hope that DU will excel to the extent that it will be among the 100 top universities in the world before 2047 given the outstanding journey that we document today.
On this occasion, the Vice President also released the Commemorative Centenary Stamp, Commemorative Centenary Coin, Commemorative Centenary volume and the Delhi University Undergraduate Curriculum Framework- 2022 (Hindi, Sanskrit & Telugu versions). He also launched the Centenary Website of the University and felicitated Kritika Khinchi, 3rd year student of Gargi College and creator of the Centenary Logo for the University of Delhi.
Going further the DU has plans for a year-long celebrations and some of the plans include Adoption of Centenary Village and its Development, Centenary chance for completing pending education at the University, Setting up of a University Studio for Live streaming Academic and Co-Curricular Programmes , Revival of the Community Radio of the University, Release of Coffee table book, Showcasing Initiatives Depicting the Present Status and Vision of the University in the Areas of: Research and Development, Intellectual Property Rights, Innovative Practices, Green Initiatives, Including Energy Conservation and Eco -friendly work.
Creation of Commemorative Centenary Volumes Showcasing the History, Work and Achievements of the University through Diverse media, Further Documentation on Ways and Means for Augmentation in Placement of the University in Global Rankings; Development of Blueprints for Diverse and Contextual Online Courses / Pedagogies of Teaching / Learning; Organisation of Distinguished Academician / Alumni Lecture Series; Organisation of International Conferences on Multi Interdisciplinary Themes, Felicitation of Prominent Sportspersons from within University Alumni.
