We all know how all Delhi University colleges have a story to tell. However, there are a few constituent colleges that carry with their names a legacy of pride. Fragrant with a history of struggle and passion, Shivaji College happens to be on that list! Founded in 1961 under the authority and guidance of the known activist and farmer leader, Honourable Dr. Panjab Rao Deshmukh, the college speaks till the date of his efforts. Shivaji College was established as a higher education institute in an agrarian area. It certainly was a wise initiative by the hands of the then Union Minister for Agriculture to help reduce the gap between desiring candidates and opportunities available.

What began as a gift to the land of village Matiala, the campus was soon recognized and shadowed by the government of Delhi and found a new home in Karampura with better facilities. To accord to its charm a proper infrastructure, the college moved one last time to its present location in Raja Garden, West Delhi, in 1976. It has been quite a journey for Shivaji College from a tiny campus building in rural Delhi with borrowed or shared premises to a full-fledged, A grade institution today under the University of Delhi!

Although this college is one of the lesser-known gems of Delhi University, allow us to remind all the newbies why the off-campus colleges often prove to be the best options they have:

1. The Sufficient Cause – West Delhi

Famous for its malls, West Delhi has a few more attractions up its sleeve for the young crowd. You know you’ve got to go to West Delhi for all your shaadi shopping – known for the innumerable shopping corners for reasonable ethnic clothing, it’s THE place to go. To contrast the ethnicity and culture, let us not forget that West Delhi is also host to some of the first and the most famous clubs in Delhi, making it one of the preferred locations for partying by youngsters in the Delhi NCR area. Punjabi Bagh and Rajouri Garden often top the lists for the same, with the likes of club Masaba and Raftaar. Every night is party night in Rajouri!

If you’re not aking to the disco lights and the dancing, fret not. Walk a few miles from your campus with a Mcpuff in hand as you enter the splendid and irreplaceable, Dilli Haat! A confluence of cultures and ethnographies, the market is a replica of the traditional trade setting with handloom, cuisines, jewelry, artworks and textile designs from different regions in India. Prepare to be confronted by the artistic richness that each state in India is influenced by and shake your hands with history! We’re certain of the grins that must mark the faces of students who go to Shivaji college as they read this – you lucky kids!

2. The Ring Road

Especially beneficial to students with their homes in areas surrounding Delhi and the ones who travel every day to college from afar! You’re in luck if you go to a college in West Delhi for commuting shall never be a cause of strain. Making it far more convenient to be connected to different parts of Delhi – north, south and central – it gives you more time to focus on additional projects and interests that you could take forward knowing that there is nothing stopping you. It becomes far more feasible to take the metro to the main campus, DU, for competitions and workshops with the college’s centrality backing you!

Inter-state travel, too, becomes much easier as North Delhi, ISBT, and the bypass tend to be in the close vicinity of the college campus. Say goodbye to Delhi and catch a bus back as and when you please! Adding to that, endless hours spent on the metro shall no longer be an excuse as we’re sure that you’ll make it to class in time … or the movies.

3. The College Campus

Offering 20 courses in undergraduate studies in arts, science and commerce and 3 postgraduate courses – Shivaji College sure has come a long way from borrowed labs to a land of 10 acres. Th college is well structured with 46 lecture rooms famous for their multimedia projection facility. The 14 science laboratories make sure that the brainies find their way through the hall to the right chemical, and there are 6 tutorial rooms for all the students. With 4 computer labs, the college assures that every student gets access to research-based work. Sadly, that rooms little room for you to come up with an excuse for submitting that assignment late. Oops!

The auditorium is well air-conditioned, thank god for that, with a seating capacity of almost 300 students at a time. And the best bit, you ask? The campus is Wi-fi enabled! Much easier to zone out during boring lectures.

For all the lazy bums, the college campus also comes with a Central Bank of India branch within the campus, a XEROX facility for swift photocopies and equipped medical and insurance facilities! You can even get a health card at a mere cost of 120 rupees per year … say whaaa?

4. The Library

You can’t talk campus without mentioning the one thing that makes it Sikhsha Ka Mandir – The Library! Shivaji College’s library houses an enormous collection of over One Lakh books covering different disciplines! And since one can never read too much, the college also holds a subscription to 48 newspapers and magazines – widening the student’s reach to endless reference sources!

For the researcher in you, the college library has access to 6000 e-journals and 97,000 e-books through the N-list programme and the databases subscribed to by the Delhi University Library System. With two reading halls, there is space for everybody on campus! Shivaji College also ascertains the comfort of all its students, hence, a provision is made for visually impaired students as they’re given access to Braille Kits that comprise of 221 Braille books and CDs with some more facilities that the library ensures they receive. That’s the way to go, Shivaji College! – nods in pride–

5. Vibrations!

The annual cultural fest, Vibrations, is a much-sought relief from the burden of books and assignments. Each year, Shivaji College organizes this fest for students to display and take a part in the multiple societies that work throughout the academic year to hone different skills and talents. Colleges under the Delhi University and many more partake and collaborate in the festival, making West Delhi light up with performances and creative genius!

Besides the formidable NCC and the philanthropist NSS, one must give credit to the cultural society for being one of the most functional limbs of Shivaji College. The veins of which spread out into Bizarre– the fashion society, Dictum– the debating society, Footloose– the dance society, Reverb– the music society, Shutterbugs– the photography society, Vayam– the theatre society and Vibgyor– the fine arts society. Covering all stages at once, the clubs give each student an opportunity to pursue the needs of their inquisitive mind – be it with a camera or a pen! So drop all your hesitations, find that stage and rock those moves in the spotlight!

Enticing this, apart from the arduous hours spent at college campuses and libraries trying to get your grades right, there must come some respite in the form of home! Coho.in understands the predicament you might be in when you’re stuck looking for an affordable, homely and luxurious accommodation. You don’t have to look too far, little one. Pack your bags and let us help you adjust to this colorful world called university life.

We bring to you the best rooms in north campus to help facilitate what is going to be the best years of your life! Check out coho.in for a home away from home, and go take that walk down your college campus, never miss a lecture again, and never worry about making it to the metro station before rush hours – knowing that you’re coming back to security and comfort.