Celebrations
of teaching in Geology
Sir,
Refer news
item "Geology Alumni to educate
about disaster preparedness" Daily
Excelsior, dated 10.5.2005.
Some
genuine clarifications based on the
available official records need to be
made regarding the proposed Centenary
year celebrations of teaching in Geology
in Jammu by the Geology Alumni
Association of Jammu University in 2006.
Teaching
in the erstwhile Prince of Wales College,
Jammu, then located at Ajaibgarh,
presently in the premises of New
Secretariat, Jammu was started on 20
April, 1907 at the Undergraduate level
during the regime of Maharaja Pratap
Singh. Initially teaching subjects then
offered were English, mathematics,
Sanskrit and Persian. In July 1907, Prof
D N Wadia, MA BSc was appointed as
teacher of English Literature.
Subsequently, in January, 1910, the
teaching of Geology was introduced at the
Undergraduate level.
On
December 16, 1910, Sir Francis
Younghusband, the then Resident of the
British Administration in J&K laid
the foundation stone of Prince of Wales
College, Jammu at the present location
which was later on rechristened as GGM
Science College Jammu. On Sept 18, 1912,
Prince of Wales College was shifted from
Ajaibgarh to its present location.
Although, Prof D N Wadia was initially
appointed as a teacher of English
Literature, but later on he taught and
worked in the field of Geology and became
a celebrity and legend in his own
lifetime in the world.
Since the
actual teaching of Geology at
Undergraduate level in Jammu commenced in
Jan. 1910 in the premises of erstwhile
Prince of Wales College, now known as GGM
Science College, Jammu and when the Post
Graduate teaching status has been granted
to this Department in the GGM Science
College in 2004 by the Education Minister
of J&K State, Harshdev Singh,
therefore, it becomes the right and
prerogative of the State Department for
Higher Education to celebrate this
centenary celebrations in the year
2009-10 in the Post Graduate Department
of Geology at GGM Science College, Jammu.
It is the teaching of Geology at
Undergraduate level and not at the Post
Graduate level for which centenary
celebrations need to be held in 2009-10
and not in 2006 as proposed by Geology
Alumni Association of Jammu University.
Further the centenary celebrations should
be unifocal State organized affair at the
original alive institution (GGM Science
College), and not by any other NGO or
associations, related simplicity or
explicity, at any other venue.
Let the
right thinking people and public at large
ponder ever the issue and allow the right
cause to be hijacked by the wrong hands
at the wrong time and the space so as to
suit to their narrow vested interests.
Yours
etc...........
Dr Y P Kundal
Head, P G Department of Geology,
Govt GM Science College,
Jammu.
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