Sir K. P. College of Commerce

The establishment of the Sir Kikabhai Premchand College of Commerce was a landmark in the growth and development of the Sarvajanik Education Society. This new institution of higher education in Commerce, started by the Society in 1946, owed its exis rce, started by the Society in 1946, owed its existence to the generous donation of Rs.1,00225/- by Sir Kikabhai Prerhchand, then president of the society, and to the untiring efforts of some of the leading members of the society. In 1945 Sir Kikabhai Premchand, who had been greatly impressed by the educational activities of theThe college was named as Sir Kikabhai Premchand College of Commerce and it started working from June 20, 1946 with a total number of 181 students. Shri Y. D. Keskar, who had worked as professor of commerce for a number of years at the H.L.College of Commerce, Ahmedabad, was appointed the first Principal of the College. To begin with the College was housed in a spacious bungalow in Athwa Lines opposite the Police Headquarters. The opening ceremony of the College was performed by Hon'ble Shri B. G. Kher, Prime Minister, Government of Bombay, on July 3, 1946. The Hostel students were accommodated first in a bungalow on the Kentish Road behind the College building, but the demand for hostel admissions having increased the very next year, a bungalow called 'Green Gate’ situated near the College was hired for the purpose and about Rs.12000/- were spent in remodeling it to suit the needs of hostel life. This spacious plot situated to the north-east of the M.T.B.College was allotted to Sir K.P.College of Commerce for its building and on 22nd March 1948, the Sarvajanik Education Society got the foundation stone of the building laid by his Excellency Raja Sir Maharaj Singh, C.I.E.,the Governor of Bombay and an old friend of Sir Kikabhai Premchand. Earlier on December 8, 1947, a Local Inquiry Committee, appointed by the Bombay University in connection with the application of the College for extension of affiliation, had visited the College and had recommended the extension of affiliation for teaching courses leading up to B.Com.degree. So from June 1948, the College provided Instruction in all the three optional subjects at the Intermediate Commerce level and Advanced Accountancy and Auditing, Cotton Economics and Statistics at the B.Com. level. The introduction of the teaching of Statistics as an optional subject proved to be of great value to the students owing to the paucity of statisticians. From the inception of the College efforts were made to arrange for the enrolment of the students in the University Officers Training Corps (U.O.T.C.) but as the scheme of the formation of the N.C.C. was being prepared, the efforts had not succeeded. In November 1948. However, the Government sanctioned one Company for Surat with two platoons for the M. T. B. College and one for the Commerce College as part of the Fourth Bombay Battalion. For the College, the prospect of having its own building materialised sooner than was expected. The construction work started during the summer vacation of 1949-50 and the building, which cost Rs.3,29592.67,was ready by June 1951.The opening ceremony was performed by “ Sheth Kasturbhai Lalbhai ” on November 23, 1951. Moreover from the new academic year, the college was granted recognition to start M.Com. classes. On March 10, 1953, a full-size statue of Diwan Bahadur Gandhi was put up by the Society in front of the college. It was in grateful commemoration of Diwan Bahadur Gandhi's devoted services to the cause of Education and to the Co-operative movement in the District of which he was a pioneer. Sir Kikabhai, after whom the College is named, was a great benefactor of the Society. He was the President of the Society for twe ...view more