Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Delhi

In a significant development in May 1968, in consideration of Shri Atma Ram Chadha having agreed to render direct financial assistance to bail out the College of its financial crisis, Shri Sanatan Dharma Sabha agreed to change the existing name of the College from Sanatan Dharma College to Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, New Delhi. On 12 July 1959, permission arrived to open a College as a Constituent College of the University of Delhi in a rented building at Anand Parbat area. Shri F.C. Mehra took charge as the Chairman of the Governing Body and Dr. R.N. Rai, a reputed physicist, became the first Principal of the College. On 3rd August the grand inaugural ceremony of the College was performed under the Chairmanship of the then Speaker of Lok Sabha, Hon’ble M.A. Ayyangar, the Chief Commissioner of Delhi, Shri A.D. Pandit, and the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof. V.K.R.V. Rao, who declared the College open. A commanding site spanning 12.31 acres of land at Dhaula Kuan was acquired from the government at a cost of Rs. 87,000 and on 6th December and the foundation stone of the new building was laid by Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant. To keep up the traditions of Sanatan Dharma culture, earth brought from old institutions at Rawalpindi was poured over the current site.

Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College is a premier educational institution of Delhi University which aims to nurture excellence in education. It emphasizes on fostering the quality of human resources and promoting productive ideas that benefit the students. Since its inception, the College as focused on character building and idealism inspired by Sanatani values. The College embraces Inclusivity and Equitability as its founding principles. Promotion of women’s education and ensuring a barrier-free, nondiscriminatory, and supportive ecosystem for all members of the College are, therefore, a priority at ARSD College.

The College is concerned primarily with creating an institution in tune with contemporary demands and enabling the holistic development of all its stakeholders. College’s exponential growth over the past few years, its emphasis on undergraduate research, entrepreneurial initiatives, skill development, strong industry-institution linkages, and ICT-enabled learning environments, are geared towards the facilitation of sustainable and self-sufficient systems as well as institutions. The motto of the College, Tejasvi-naavadhitam-astu, has been taken from Taittriya Upanishad and means, “May our learning be endowed with radiance”. The College takes pride in its past achievements and looks to the future with great hope and determination.

Research is a transformative activity with the power to change the world. Through consistent transformation, we wish to broaden access to our college, maintain our excellence, and increase our social impact to contribute to a society of social justice and equal opportunities. We continue to strive towards our ideal of making a global impact in areas of local relevance through our research & innovation.

ARSD College promotes research activities by providing the necessary infrastructural set up to faculty and students at large scale. Several research labs have been established with the support of the college and external funding agencies. And our young faculties of different departments are continuously engaged in creating new knowledge through research and innovation.

The College has been selected as a STAR COLLEGE under the scheme launched by the Department of Biotechnology (Government of India) and has been sanctioned Star Innovation Project Grant by the University of Delhi. The Dramatic society of the College Rangayan has recently become possibly the first such society of the University to organize a three-day theatre festival titled “Rangshirsh Jaidev Natya Samaroh”. An active North-east Students’ Welfare Committee has likewise blazed a trail in organizing a day-long Northeast festival, Rainbow Fest. The College takes pride in its past achievements and looks to the future with great hope and determination. The year after, notable developments included launch of the College wall magazine Atma Darpan and also inauguration of the College Mountaineering Association. 1971 onwards, the South Campus Evening Law Centre of the University of Delhi, i.e., the Law Centre II, began to share ARSD College’s building and grounds, resulting in optimal use of infrastructure.