From first batch of 12 to over 3,000 students across courses: SRCC marks centenary year

On the first floor of a rented bungalow at 8, Daryaganj, in Old Delhi, about a hundred years ago, 12 students gathered for classes in commerce — a subject that was not being taught at the majority of universities in the country at that time. This was an experiment taking shape that would eventually redefine how the country trained its economists, administrators and business leaders.

A century later, the outcome of the experiment — the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) — stands tall as an institute that draws students aspiring to build careers in commerce, economics and business management.

On Friday, Delhi University’s SRCC formally began its centenary year, marking 100 years since its affiliation with the varsity. The curtain-raiser ceremony held at the North Campus reflected on a journey that began in the pre-Independence era and has, as the college noted, “closely tracked the evolution of India’s economic and governance architecture” over the last hundred years. The college currently has a strength of more than 3,000 students across programmes.

In 1920, on the day of Basant Panchami, a Hindu festival that marks the arrival of spring, seven leading businessmen led by industrialist Sir Shri Ram established the Commercial Education Trust in Delhi. Their aim was to nurture indigenous business leadership at a time when education in fields related to commerce was largely absent from Indian universities.

The Trust’s first institution — the Commercial School — was set up the same year in Charkhe Walan in the city, offering a post-matriculation diploma in commerce.

Classes soon moved to a hired bungalow at 8, Daryaganj, where the first batch of 12 students was taught by four faculty members under the supervision of R K Kumar, who would later become the college’s first principal.

In 1926, the Commercial College was affiliated with the University of Delhi, formally bringing commerce into the university system.

Over the next two decades, the institution expanded steadily — it launched its annual magazine ‘Yamuna’ in 1928, upgraded to a degree college, and introduced honours and postgraduate programmes in economics well before Independence.

In 1951, as it marked its silver jubilee, the institute decided to specialise fully in commerce and economics and rechristened itself Shri Ram College of Commerce, in recognition of its founder. Three years later, it moved to its present campus in the University of Delhi’s North Campus.

A major shift came in 1957 when SRCC adopted a co-educational system, opening its doors to women students in a discipline that had long been male-dominated. The introduction of BA (Honours) Economics in 1958 completed the undergraduate academic framework that continues to define the college today.

The 1960s saw rapid infrastructural growth. Student centres, tutorial blocks and hostels were built, and a swimming pool, constructed through a student-led voluntary labour movement initiative, Shramdaan, made SRCC the first college in the University of Delhi to have one. In 1967, the installation of Sir Shri Ram’s bust in the front lawns gave the campus a centrepiece.

The construction of a girls’ hostel in 1985 made SRCC the first co-educational college in the university to have a residential facility for women. The introduction of the Post Graduate Diploma in Global Business Operations (PGDGBO) in 1999, a self-financed programme focused on international business reflected India’s post-liberalisation ambitions and rounded off the college’s academic offerings.

By the early 2000s, SRCC had set a national benchmark in its own right. In 2007, its main building was declared a heritage structure by the Delhi government.

At the centenary curtain raiser on Friday, University of Delhi Vice-Chancellor Professor Yogesh Singh described SRCC as a “globally recognised academic brand” whose contribution extended far beyond rankings or reputation. “Hundred years is long enough to build institutions, shape generations and influence the journey of a nation. SRCC has done all three,” he said, adding that the university took pride in the college’s role in producing “economists, administrators, judges and business leaders who continue to shape India’s growth story.”

Principal Simrit Kaur, welcoming guests, framed the centenary as a collective achievement shaped by generations of students, faculty, administrators and alumni. “For a hundred years, SRCC has stood for purpose over profit and ethics over expediency,” she said, adding that the college remained committed to nurturing socially responsible leaders grounded in ethical business practices, sustainability and national service.

The ceremony brought together alumni from across public life, industry and civil society. Sangeeta Jaitley, wife of former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, recalled the formative impact SRCC had on his thinking and values. Former Supreme Court judge Justice A K Sikri was also present.

Sminu Jindal, managing director of Jindal SAW Ltd and founder of Svayam, reflected on the institution’s inclusive ethos, recalling how the college provided an accessible and enabling environment. Former Union Minister Vijay Goel spoke of lessons learnt not only in classrooms, but through sports, student politics, NCC and NSS, which he said shaped both career and character.

A commemorative coffee-table book, Timeless Frames, chronicling SRCC’s journey from its early years in Daryaganj to its present stature, was also released on the occasion.