Kannur :

In what can be termed yet another feather in the cap of this illustrious institution, Government Brennen College, Thalassery, has been accorded special heritage status by the University Grants Commisson (UGC). The college, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, has been sanctioned Rs 1.5 crore for the conservation of valuable articles of historic and archaeological importance.

“We have received a communique in this connection from the UGC. The recognition and financial support would go a long way in preserving several articles of historic significance in the college dating back to the colonial period,” said principal P M Ismail. “Every department in this historic college has something or the other, including rare furniture, and they need to be preserved.”

As a start, the college plans to set up a small museum on its campus. Later, steps would be taken to preserve vintage buildings, too. “From the specimens and microscope in the zoology department to various other articles and documents in other departments, the college is a treasure trove that needs to be preserved for posterity,” said Valsalan A, head of the history department, who took the initiative – along with colleagues Dinesan V, Gireesh Vishnu Namboodiri and Sudheer Kumar P – to obtain UGC aid as part of recommendations in the 12th Plan.

The college, incidentally, also houses the remains of a fort on its campus, which has been described as a redoubt (temporary fortification) in William Logan’s Malabar Manual. This too needs to be protected, Valsalan said. Since there are limitations to use the UGC aid for this purpose, their plan is to approach the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the coming days, he said.

The college was established in 1862 by Edward Brennen, a master attendant at Thalassery port, as a free school in Thalassery town. Later, in 1890, it was elevated to the status of a II-Grade College, and was shifted in 1958 to the new building at Dharmadam. In 2011, the college was accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council with A-grade.

Now, with this rare accomplishment, the college plans to organize a year-long 125th anniversary celebration, which would be finalized later, the principal said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / by P. Sudhakaran, TNN / July 04th, 2015