About Department

  • A brief historical sketch of the foundation and evolution of the Department of English
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A brief historical sketch of the foundation and evolution of the Department of English

As part of the initiatives of the East India Company and Christian Missionaries working for the spread of literacy in India and even before the British Government took over the full charge of Indian Administration (1858). Pithapur Raja’s High School promoted education    in general and English education in particular in the year 1852. Obviously, English besides being the Lingua franca was also the official medium of instruction in the high School.

 

Hence, we may claim that the Department of English has been functioning right from 1852 and through 1884 ( when the institution was upgraded as second grade college offering pre-university and undergraduate courses in selected disciplines) and 1926 (when the college was upgraded into first grade college - allowed to offer courses in all subjects/ disciplines.)

 

The college and more specifically the department of English witnessed tremendous intellectual activity during the period of the famous trio (of Principals ) of the college between 1905 - 1941  for over three decades - Sir Raghupathi Venkata Ratnam Naidu, Rao Bahadur Vemuri Ramakrishna Rao and Sri Peddada Ramaswami - all the three accomplished English teachers and unquestioned scholars.

 

The department of English had occupied. a seminal Position in the organizational structure of the Co1lege having Twenty-five staff members for at least 7 decades till 1952- when Government took over the College from the Pithapur Rajah. IN THE FIRST DECADE OF INDIA'S INDEPENDENCE there was a paradigm shift –from the predominance of literature of the dynamics of language - in the Peruvian dream of transforming India into a modern nation with a necessary accent on Science and Technology. 'The institution and the department too had undergone changes - keeping in view - the Peruvian vision. The Department also thinned down to 12 first, and then to 8 till 1997 and 5 since then (with the separation of +2 Sections). Nevertheless, the contribution of the department has been phenomenal to the growth and vibrancy of the College - with individual talents of Nemani Venkata Rao, Nimishakavi Venkata Rao, I.V. Chalapathi Rao, G.L. Prabhakara Rao and M.Veeraswamy et. al. in the post- independence Decades.

 

At present, every effort is made to strike a balance between literature and language components keeping in view contemporary needs and considering globalizing tendencies without being insensitive to social and cultural background of rural / semi urban student population.