‘Bharati’, meaning speech, reflects another name of Goddess Saraswati, an authority on academics, arts and knowledge. Bharati College, a premier and prestigious college for women, was established as a constituent college with permanent affiliation to the University of Delhi by Delhi Administration on 20th September 1971 as Bharati Mahila College. The distinguished veteran leader and former Deputy Prime Minister of India, Shri L.K. Advani, who has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna Award, served as the first Chairman of our College's Governing Body. As the name reflects, it focused on women education and development where the girl students had the space to express and learn. The college believes that an abiding social and humane engagement is the hallmark of its students.
It started functioning from the premises of a Government Senior Secondary School for Boys located on the Link Road in Karol Bagh. A modest number of two hundred and forty-one students and a team of thirteen teaching staff spread over six disciplines formed the building bloc. Though, the college did not possess its own building, classes took place after 12.00 noon when the school time got over. However, in its third year, the building was taken over entirely by the College and started operating full time.
Situated tantalizingly next to the erstwhile Naaz Cinema and the “Mata Ka Mandir” on one hand and the Bhuli Bhatiyari Ka Mahal and the Buddha Gardens on other, the college was situated right in the heart of the city. The Karol Bagh Market was a stone’s throw away and Connaught Place was within three-kilometer radius. In multiple ways, the location defined the college and it was called the ‘Pahariwala College’ in common parlance. Later, the college was allotted 8.6 acres of land in C-4 Janakpuri, West Delhi in 1976-77. Since the building could not commence immediately, jhuggi dwellers took over the site. It was in 1985, that the authorities could re-possess the land and construction of the building started in 1994.
In 1998, the college began functioning at its new location, which was inaugurated by the late Smt. Sushma Swaraj, who was then the Minister of Information, Broadcasting, and Communication, Government of India. Situated in an eco-friendly environment, it possesses 23 classrooms, 46 tutorial rooms, a seminar and conference room, a studio theatre and 3 Computer Labs with over 120 computers. The new building in the campus with 26 rooms, 2 labs and a staff room has been a welcome addition to the college. The institution offers a number of facilities to its students viz. a fully digitized library, three computer labs with more than a hundred computers with broadband connections, access to a number of portals under the UGC-Infonet E-journal Consortium, a seminar hall, a committee room as well as a studio theatre. There is facility of a photostat shop, telephone booth, a canteen and an extension counter of the Punjab National Bank in the premises. A medical room, manned by a doctor and a nurse, a counselling center for those who need psychodynamic counselling has been actively functioning.
The college offers hostel facilities to incorporate 70 students, with 25 spacious and fully ventilated rooms under the guidance of full-time warden. The mess serves four meals at a very nominal charge. The utmost care is taken to serve wholesome nutritious food served under hygienic conditions. Kitchen and dining hall are kept under strict supervision for cleanliness. The college auditorium with all the state-of-the-art modern facilities.
In 1998, the college commenced operations at its new location, which was inaugurated by the late Smt. Sushma Swaraj, who was serving as the Minister of Information, Broadcasting, and Communication for the Government of India at the time.
Bharati College, one of the top women’s colleges in West Delhi, catering to about 3500 Girls students, offers instruction in sixteen disciplines in the Arts and Social Sciences. In its initial phase, the college offered courses in B.A. Programme (then known as B.A. Pass) and a few vocational courses like Office Management, Tailoring & Dress Designing. With the passage of time, it included (Honours) courses in English, Hindi, Sanskrit, History, Political Science, Economics, Mathematics and Commerce. Four newly introduced Honours courses in Psychology, Sociology, Journalism and Math are sought after courses. Under the Discipline Courses, students can opt Human Resource Development, Marketing Management, Human Development & Family Empowerment and Hindi Patrakarita Jansanchar. Part-time self-financing courses in foreign languages such as French, German, Russian and DOEACC level computer courses are offered to the regular students as well as to the outsiders. These courses run in the afternoon after the regular classes are over, or in the early morning, before regular classes begin, and are manned by highly trained personnel.
Care is taken to enhance holistic development of students. Besides their academic commitments, students are required to participate in co-curricular activities like NSS, NCC and Sports. The College has a very active cell of the National Service Scheme as well as a very capable and enthusiastic wing of the National Cadet Corps. The NSS works with physically and visually challenged students, inmates of the Tihar Jail, as support staff for the nearby Deen Dayal Hospital and with many other agencies. Along with this, the students associate with the community to provide services to various sectors. The NCC parade takes place on Thursday afternoon and on Saturday. NCC cadets take up ‘C’ and ‘B’ certificate exams for employment in the army and other wings of the government. A pro-active Eco-Club looks after the ‘Rain Harvesting System and Garbage Disposal’, maintaining pits for wormy culture. It produces enough manure which takes care not only of the college gardens but also to be able to sell. In sports, the college possesses basketball and volleyball courts, kho-kho, hockey and throw ball fields and a full-fledged cricket ground. There is a treasure of herbal garden in the campus. The Students’ Union of Bharati College was affiliated to the Delhi University Students Union in 1984. It also produced some outstanding student leaders like Amrita Dhawan, who was Vice President of the Delhi University Students Union in 2005-2006 and President in 2006-2007. However, in 2008, a majority of the students of the college voted for disaffiliation from the Delhi University Student’s Union and today the Bharati College Students Union follows its own trajectory.
The college offers a number of avenues for personality development and nurturing of talent through extra-curricular activities in theatre, dance and music as well as debates, literary and cultural activities and departmental societies. Chilman-The dramatic society, Chintan-The Debating Society, Manthan-The Nukkad Natak Society, The Eco-Club and The Gandhi Study Circle all motivate students to be actively involved with their environment and the world around them. Artvilla: Art and Aesthetic Society gives a platform to the students to express themselves. The society endeavours to build a community that appreciates and celebrates various forms of art through their own perspectives. Bharati College students have done well in all walks of life and has produced incredible achievers. Bhartians have distinguished themselves across various fields, excelling as academics, athletes, Chartered Accountants, journalists, actors, and fashion industry professionals, among many others, including notable figures like Maithili Thakur.
This rich heritage of the college puts us in a privileged position as one of the constituent colleges of University of Delhi. Not only do we expect our students to graduate with a solid understanding of the theories, practices, but also, with an appreciation of how to create a more just and humane world. The College endeavors constantly, to live by both, its name and its motto.
