5 interesting facts about Vizag’s Mrs. AVN College that you probably did not know

It was the year 1860, a high school with a humble dream of transferring knowledge sprang up in a building known as Kasimkotavari Haveli. Situated to the south of G.N. Gajapati Rao’s reading room, the school started with only 30 students. Consequently, the status of the High school was raised to that of a second-grade college. With the help and support of the Zamindars, the general public, and the Maharaja of Bobbili, Mrs. AVN College, and school was able to impart education at a mere cost. While the institution celebrated the achievements of its alumni, it’s interesting to know the latent facts of Mrs. AVN College in Vizag.

5 interesting facts about Mrs. AVN College:

#1 The Mrs. AVN college boasts 160+ years of legacy. It is one of the oldest vernacular schools in the whole of Andhra Pradesh. The school witnessed a journey of converting to a high school in 1886 under the leadership of headmaster E.Winckler. It was later raised to the level of a second-grade college and renamed as ‘Hindu College’ affiliated to The Madras University.

#2 The elite college in Vizag stands as the only South Indian college to have a Nobel Laureate as its alumnus. Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Ramana famously known as C.V.Raman was an Indian physicist and was known primarily for his works in the field of light scattering. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930 and the discovery of scattering of light was named after him.

#3 While Nobel Laureate Sir C.V. Raman was its leading pillar, the college was also the alma matter for several others. Mrs. AVN college alumni include Sonthi Ramamurthy, ICS, Sri B.S. Sarma, Member of Viceroy’s Executive Council in the twenties, Sri Vepa Ramesam, High Court judge, Madras, Padma Bhushan Dwaram Venkata Swami Naidu, Sri Tenneti Viswanadham, Prof. B. Rama Chandra Rao, Ex-Vice Chairman, UGC, Sri S.V. Rangarow, Dr. M. Gopala Krishna Reddy, Former Vice-Chancellor, Andhra University, Padma Vibhushan Prof. C.R. Rao. A feather to the cap, Telugu states legend Alluri Seetharama Raju graduated from the Mrs. AVN College and school in Vizag.

#4 The college ranked 19^th by CCE Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. The Commissionerate of Collegiate Education ranking is given for educational institutions that have shown promising results in various areas including academic and non-academic. This ranking provided by the board puts the college amongst the top colleges in the state.

#5 When the college slipped into a financial crisis, it was the then Deputy Collector of Visakhapatnam, Sri Ankitam Vekata Narsinga Row, who generously offered his support. In his will, dated 8 May 1892, Sri AVN Row donated 11 acres of land with a palatial building, a lakh of rupees, and a building grant of Rs 15,000/-, hence the name, ‘Mrs. AVN College’, after his wife.