165 years of Mumbai University: A look at the history of the premier institution

One of India’s oldest educational institutions, the University of Mumbai, earlier known as the University of Bombay, was established by the British in 1857. Some reports say the premier institute was founded on July 18, 1857. The same year two other educational institutions – the Madras and Calcutta universities – were also established consequent to ‘Wood’s Education Dispatch’, a formal dispatch by Sir Charles Wood, the President of the Board of Control of the British East India Company, to then Governor-General of India Lord Dalhousie. The Wood’s Dispatch is considered to be the ‘Magna-Carta’ of English Education in India.

On July 18, 1857, the University of Mumbai was incorporated as an affiliating and degree-granting body. Initially, the university operated out of the Town Hall, which currently houses the Asiatic Society of Mumbai. Later, the Convocation Hall at the Fort campus was established with a munificent donation of Rs 1 lakh by Parsi industrialist and philanthropist Sir Cowasji Jehangir. In 1883, it became the first university in the country to admit women to all degrees.

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One of the most prominent features of the university is the Rajabai Clock Tower, which was designed by English architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. The clock, which rises to a height of 280 feet, was modelled on Big Ben in London. The structure was completed in 1878 at a total cost of Rs 5.48 lakh, of which a majority was donated by a prosperous broker Premchand Raichand. The tower is believed to be named after his mother Rajabai.

Following the change in the name of the city from Bombay to Mumbai, the university’s name was changed from University of Bombay to University of Mumbai on September 4, 1996.

According to the university website, some of its notable alumni include Mahatma Gandhi, Dr BR Ambedkar, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Dadabhai Naroji, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr Vikram Sarabhai, Dr Homi Bhabha, Jamsetji Tata, Azim Premji and Mukesh Ambani.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accorded 5 star status to the university in 2001 & -y‘A’ grade status in April 2012, the website said.

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At present, the university has 781 affiliated colleges, 56 departments, 12 specialised centres, two main campuses and two sub-campuses, two model colleges, and a ‘School of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ at Kalyan. The university has perhaps the largest geographical area under its jurisdiction that stretches from Thane district to Sindhudurg district, covering an area of over 600 km.