Maharaja's College B.A Review By Shisymol Ps

Maharaja's College is a government autonomous college located in the heart of Kochi. It was established in 1875 and has a rich history of arts and literature. This is a prestigious college where many politicians, actors, writers and musicians have studied and built their careers in. Every year a large number of students apply to this college where meritorious students are selected according to their marks. The admission process is quite simple. Because students are selected based on their merit, the fee is also very affordable even for students coming from the economically weaker backgrounds. There are also many types of scholarships provided by the government which helps students in their needs.

This is a college where students of diverse minds and students coming from different economical and cultural backgrounds sit together and study. Many students from economically and socially weaker sections have come here and found their dreams and achieved success. Maharaja's College is a very wide platform which gives students a great learning experience and exposure with quality teaching and great infrastructure for comfortable learning. Students who join here can be sure of finding something to choose from according to their interests and various opportunities to grow in life.

The college offers various courses in both arts and science, but arts is the main essence of the college. I joined Maharaja's in the year 2018 for Bachelor of Arts in Hindi language and literature. I was selected based on my marks in 12th. The reason to join this course was the reputation of both the department and the college. 3 years in my department was a great learning experience.

Every semester there were modules designed to include a wide area of topics. English was also a subject in the first 2 years and there was also a second language which we could choose. This assured that students do not get bored by studying a single language. The course has a variety of career options because Hindi is a language used in communication and every official work across India. There are jobs in translation, teaching, editing, writing and various other options. For further studies there are also post graduation and PhD seats in the department.

Including the HOD there are 11 teaching staff for different papers. All the teachers are highly experienced and have completed their research work. They teach their papers very systematically not only on their topics but also on general subjects related to their topic. This college is not a one way learning place where teachers teach and students copy, but here both the students and teachers engage in a two way learning, where classes are held through discussions and debates helping both teachers and students to learn from each other.

The college has a very friendly faculty who support students in both classroom studies and extracurricular activities. Teachers are ready to impart the knowledge they have acquired to any curious student willing to learn. They are always helpful and give attention to every single student. They not only help students in their education but also talk to them personally about the problems they face. Teachers are not just teachers in this college but are like our extended friends who know every aspect of our life and about our abilities. The teachers work on building the talents and giving a proper direction to the students.

There is a placement cell in the college but because I did not want placements just after bachelors, I did not look into the details.

Maharaja's College has separate hostel facilities for both men and women where students mostly from the Lakshadweep Islands and far off places stay. The hostel facility is quite decent. As a non- hosteler I do not have much knowledge of the quality of food and security, but my hosteler friends were quite satisfied with the facilities provided.

The college is built in a large area with a vast campus. The buildings architecture has been built in the ancient way mostly with wood and it adds a nostalgic feel to the campus. There are renovations and buildings made recently in the modern style. The classrooms even though old are pretty decent. There is a library with rare collections of books on a wide range of subjects with friendly staff who are always willing to help find the books students want. The science departments has lab equipped with the needed tools for the practical and experiments. There is a main auditorium with galleries on the top where every programmes like college day, Freshers day etc. are conducted. There are also other galleries for conducting seminars and meetings.

Maharaja's College has a great playground where students interested in sports practice, their game. The college has a strong football and hockey team. There is a cafeteria where hygienic food is available for price that students can afford. A stationery shop is also there where students can take photo stats and buy necessary items. The Ernakulam general hospital is just beside the college in case of any emergencies or health issues students face. The blood bank is also nearby.

The college has an excellent campus, yet unique and totally different from other colleges in the state. The campus is nature friendly with lots of ancient trees under which students sit and spend their leisure time. There are many clubs like the music club, arts club and the debate club which conducts activities and competitions frequently. The campus is also active in student politics. Every year transparent elections are held in which student select their chairman and student body to voice their opinions and dissent. There also lady representatives for problems girls face in college. The college has very active wings in NCC and NSS. The NCC has three wings- the army, navy and air force which conduct interviews to select interested candidates and then train and discipline them. The NSS wing is also very active in the social and environmental activities both inside and outside the campus. The students here celebrate every festival irrespective of religion and spread love and friendships. Students always have great opportunities to showcase their talents onstage and even participate in inter- collegiate festivals and kalolsavams taking their talents to the next level. The kalolsavams are a great pathway to take students talents to a bigger audience and turn their passions into their profession. Students practice days and nights in unity to win the kalolsavam cup every year.

The campus has given birth to many famous writers and poets because of its melancholy and romantic atmosphere. The students who pass out always keep in touch with the college and come back often to relive memories of their college hood. As the college is active in student politics, there are many students who grow in political fields. Many of Kerala's ministers and MLA'S have studied in this college. Because of the fame and beauty of the campus, many Malayalam movies, short films and documentaries have been shot here. This provides students looking for opportunities in movies and is interested in acting to interact with people from the film industries. Every year there are a number of students who choose this field as their career. Many Malayalam movies are also made based on Maharaja's College. To build the career of students there are career guidance classes, NET and UPSC coaching given frequently. The district collector also comes to college to motivate the students and give guidance who are UPSC aspirants. The students here are very active in every kind of social activities and have great helping minds. Whenever a student faces a hospital issue, funds are collected to support their friend with the hospital bills. Maharaja's College is unique and special because students here do not believe only on classroom learning. The campus helps the students bring out their inner talents, provides a platform to develop them and also teach them various aspects of life and helps in making them better human beings. It is an overall learning experience and students who study here can never forget the years they spent here.