Mahatma Gandhi College, the institution dedicated to the memory of the Father of the Nation was established in the year 1948 by the legendary social reformer Bharatha Kesari Sri Mannathu Padmanabhan. It is one of the largest and oldest institutions of higher education in the capital city of the state of Kerala run by the largest educational agency of Kerala, the Nair Service Society.
Padma Bhushan Sri. Mannathu Padmanabhan was a great phelanthropist who dedicated his life to the upliftment of the society and Nair community. He was born in Perunna, on 02 January 1878 AD, which is a small town in Kerala, India.
Sri. Eswaran Namboodiri of Nilavana Illam was his father and his mother was, Chiramuttathu Parvathy Amma.
He started his career as a teacher in 1893 in a Government Primary School [Kanjirapally Govt. School],
At the age of 16. In 1905, he started practising law in the Magistrates Courts and soon became a leading member of the Bar.
In 1914 “Nair Bhruthya Janasangham” was formed to organise and bring social upliftment of Nair community. In 1915 he gave up a lucrative practice and became its full-time secretary. In 1924 he took part in the Vaikkom [30-03-1924] and Guruvayoor temple-entry campaigns and lead the famous “Savarna Jadha” , an anti-untouchability agitation in 01-10-1924.
In 30-07-1925, Nair Service Society was registered under the Indian Company act and on 1st of November 1929 he lead the famous “Guruvayoor Sathyagraham”. In 15-05-1932, Mannam married “Thottakkattu Madhavi Amma”, who was the daughter of Diwan Peshkar of Cochin and was the first lady member of the Cochin legislative council. Thottakkattu Madhavi Amma, was the daughter of the Diwan Peshkar (Chief Minister) of Kingdom of Cochin and her mother was the famous Malayalam poetress Thottakkattu Ikkavamma. Madhavi Amma herself a writer of many books, wrote famous malayalam books like “Thathvachinda” etc. Mannathu Padmanabhan’s first wife Mechettu Kalyani Amma, whom he married in 1901, had expired in 1912. In 11-02-1950 he renamed himself as “Padmanabhan” removing the sir name, stating that cast should not be a dividing factor amongst the human beings. In 09-08-1959, the President of India, for his outstanding and unselfish social service confered him with the ….. gave him “Bharatha Kesari” [Lion of India] . He was also awarded the “Padmabhushan” in 26-01-1966, by the Government of India.
Mission & Vision
Our Mission
Mahatma Gandhi College stands for excellence, equity and inclusiveness and social justice in education and aims to set standards in educational excellence and competence through curriculum enrichment and information dissemination. The mission of the institution is to provide cultural and physical training inputs for building a healthy and viable society through the balanced orientation towards basic and applied sciences with due importance to humanities and social sciences.
Our Vision
The College envisages the translation of its motto “ Sa Vidya Ya Vimukthaye” into actuality.
We see education as a means of socio-cultural emancipation and economic empowerment of the underprivileged masses and also as a tool for the development of character, competence and commitment.