The match was at Gujarat College which had these sprawling grounds and had the look of an old University. Naturally I went to explore the campus during lunch and discovered some wonderful buildings. Its straight out of the past. And with a history to boot.
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| Main Building - Gujarat Arts and Science College |
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| A side view of the imposing building |
The Gujarat Arts and Science College was started in 1845 and is one of the oldest colleges in Ahmedabad and the second Arts and Science College in Gujarat. Originally started as a small educational institution by an Englishman Theordore Cracraft Hope as Gujarat Presidential College it got 33 acres of land and was designed by Engineer Rai Bahadur Himmatlal Dhirajram with sprawling grounds and very English look. There were Arts and Science faculties. Later on the college benefited from the largesse of local businessmen such as Rai Bahadur Sheth Ranchodlal Chotalal and later his grandson Sardar Sir Chinubhai Madhavalal Bert, ICE, a philanthropist, who donated both the land and large sums of money.
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| A very cute canteen |
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| Looks like the auditorium |
Interestingly, Gandhiji is part of its history. On September 28, 1920, Gandhiji addressed a large gathering of students at the Gujarat College urging them to join the Non-Cooperation movement citing the atrocities of the British. So moved were the students and Professors that they left the college in large numbers and joined the Gujarat Vidyapeeth. In the Quit India movement of 1942, large number of students from the Gujarat College organised rallies and protests against the British resulting in the death of a student Vinod Kinariwala who was shot by an English policeman on August 10, 1942 inside the campus. Today there is a memorial for Vinod Kinarawala in the campus.
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