Mumbai - Siddharth College of Arts, Science, and Commerce, established on June 20, 1946, by Bharat Ratna Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, is celebrating its 79th anniversary today. This college is the first educational institution founded under the People’s Education Society (PES), the foundation of which was laid by Dr. Ambedkar on July 8, 1945.

The sacred ashes of Babasaheb are securely preserved in cupboard number 13 on the ground floor of the college, rare books from his personal collection, used during the drafting of the Indian Constitution, are carefully preserved here. These invaluable relics are stored in a specially designed strong room, secured with a door crafted by the renowned London-based company Chubb Lock & Safe Makers. This room is exceptionally robust and secure. Originally, this strong room served as a locker room for a Japanese bank. When Dr. Ambedkar acquired the building, it was repurposed to safeguard these precious artifacts.

The college, founded by Babasaheb, aimed to meet the educational needs of a growing metropolitan city like Mumbai and to promote higher education, particularly among Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other backward communities.

Siddharth College began with morning classes held in barracks meant for soldiers at Marine Lines, which continued for about five years. In 1951, the college was relocated to the Fort area in the magnificent buildings named ‘Menkawa’ and ‘Albert,’ later renamed ‘Buddha Bhavan’ and ‘Anand Bhavan.’ To cater to the needs of India’s commercial capital, the college introduced the commerce stream in 1980. Currently, the college operates from Buddha Bhavan, while its administrative office is located in Anand Bhavan.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar envisioned this college as a model institution. The path to academic excellence was paved under the guidance of eminent educators such as Dr. V.S. Patankar, Dr. H.R. Karnik, Padmashri Prof. Anant Kanekar, Prof. Madhu Dandavate, Prof. T.A. Kamat, Prof. Apsangikar, Prof. Badant Shivli Bodhi, and other distinguished scholars. Prof. Madhu Dandavate later served as India’s Finance Minister.

Affiliated with the University of Mumbai, Siddharth College is a multidisciplinary institution offering courses from 11th grade to PhD. It provides undergraduate programs such as B.A., B.Sc., B.Com., B.Sc. (IT), B.M.S., and B.A.F., along with M.Sc. in Physics, Chemistry, and Botany, and PhD programs in Physics, Chemistry, Hindi, and Marathi. The college has six research supervisors. The National Education Policy (NEP-2020) has been implemented for postgraduate courses since 2023-24, and it is being extended to undergraduate courses from 2024-25.

The college is not limited to academic achievements. Units like the National Service Scheme (NSS), National Cadet Corps (NCC), and Gymkhana encourage students to participate in co-curricular and extracurricular activities. An “Earn and Learn” scheme is also operated for economically disadvantaged students, helping them become self-reliant.

The library at Siddharth College houses rare books from Dr. Ambedkar’s personal collection, which he used as references while drafting the Indian Constitution. Additionally, a copy of the Constitution with Babasaheb’s name embossed on it is displayed in the library.

The college has produced many illustrious students who have excelled in their respective careers. M.C. Bhandare, Ex-Governor of Odisha is one of them. Justice Mr. P.B. Sawant, a Judge of the Supreme Court of India, Justice Mr. H.H. Kantharia, a Judge of the Bombay High Court, Manohar Joshi, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, N.M. Kamble, Dadasaheb Rupawate, Adv. Sangharaj Rupwate and Ramdas Athavale, B. Shankaranand, Mr Ratnakar Gaikwad IAS ex chief secretary of Maharashtra and Ex CIC Maharashtra, Margaret Alva and Sayeed Ahmad Ex-Minister in the Central cabinet. It is also a matter of pride that Sashikant Karnik, and Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar, became the Vice Chancellors of Mumbai University. Film Actor Jitendra, Actresses Rajshree, Sulbha Deshpande too have studied from this college.

The College cricket team has been an awesome force on the inter-collegiate scenes. It has given to Indian Cricket nearly 20-25 top-notch cricketers. Narayan Tamhane the world famous Wicket-Keeper, Dilip Sardesai-Batsman, Padmakar Shivkumar, Sunil Rege, Ramakant Keni, Sudhir Naik and Ramakant Desai were some of the brilliant cricketers selected by Prabhu Desai and coached by Dattu Phadkar.