Towards Modernity: The Story of the First College in India

The first college in India: The 'Cotym college' or the 'Syrian College of CMS Kottayam'. The establishment of the College happened through the union of some accidents and certain designs-accidents in history and designs of a philanthropic colonial officer, namely, Col John Munro. The ancient christian church in Kerala was exposed to the western world. As a result the Church Mission Society's endeavour named the 'mission of help' to the Syrian Church began.The first fruit of this ecumenical fellowship was the 'Cottayam College'. The Kottayan college opened for teaching-learning in March 1815. It was after four decades of the establishment of the Kottayam college that the first university in India was founded-in 1857. Until the nineteenth century, Kerala society was a feudal one. With the coming of colonial modernity, the feudal system was thrown out. The entry of colonial modernity into the fabric of Kerala society was effected through two important factors: Modern liberal education and the Printing. The Kottayam CMS college played a critical role in bringing modernity into Kerala society. Contents 1. The Inception 2. Two Forgotten Years and Two forgotten Principals in the History 3. Syrian College of CMS, Cotym The First College in India 4. Many Ways and Single Aim: the Modernity 5. Kottayam College: the Cradle of Printing, Publishing and Modern Prose in Malayalam 6. A New Campus for the College: a Prophecy or a Sense of Foreboding? 7. The Principal who Inspired 8. Universities for India; Writer Couple for Kottayam 9. Kottayam College: The Passage along which Modernity Blew in End Notes Appendices Short Notes Chronology British Officers Kings of Travancore Dalavas and Dewans of Travancore Malayalam Months Bibliography Glossary Index