A tradition lost to violence

Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsIt has been 16 years since the student body at the historic Pachaiyappa’s College was dissolved, bringing down the curtains on a tradition that some of Tamil Nadu’s foremost sons would have been a part of.  The college, having been at the eye of many a political storm in the State for over 150 years, is notable for being the most prominent institution not to have a student body.These problems at the historic college ranged from unnecessary disturbances caused during the regular functioning of classes to violence among groups contesting elections. Now, that would seem natural for a college that has been a key playground for the emergence of Dravidian politics. But things seemed to have gone overboard in 1996. A student union representative had been rusticated from the college after he was found cheating in an examination by then Principal RS Raghavan. Some members of the student union planned an acid attack on Raghavan in response to the expulsion of their comrade. But the attack was averted.This prompted Raghavan to obtain the ratification from the Directorate of College Education to disband the student union and ruled that the college would never again have one. Pachaiyappa’s College is the alma mater of two Chief Ministers of Independent India – CN Annadurai and K Brahmananda Reddy. It has also grown leading politicians of the Dravidian movement.That a college with such a rich history of politics should stand without a student union is but a testament to the prevalent violence,  not unlike what we are witnessing at Presidency College.first published:September 08, 2012, 08:30 ISTlast updated:September 08, 2012, 08:30 IST 
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