From Ghalib’s school to Old Delhi junction: Civic body to create database of heritage landmarks

Anglo Arabic School had invited the legendary poet Mirza Ghalib in 1840 to teach Persian there. The school located at Ajmeri Gate is still operational. For that matter, the legacy of iconic institutions or buildings like the Old Delhi railway station and Tibbia College evokes interest amongst the aficionados of history and heritage.

These passionate lovers of the rich past of the national Capital are in for a pleasant experience, as they can now scan through the updated official records of centuries-old institutions of the national Capital, courtesy the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The civic body will soon undertake a project to identify and document railway stations, schools and colleges in the city that are over 100 years old or more for record-keeping purposes, officials said.

Deputy Commissioners across all 12 zones of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will be tasked with compiling details of such institutions as part of the initiative to create a record of long-standing public buildings still in use, officials added.

Among the sites likely to be covered are the 1903 Old Delhi Railway Station, the Anglo-Arabic Senior Secondary School complex at Ajmeri Gate, and the 1916 Tibbia College in Karol Bagh, all of which are still operating. Several schools and colleges in Delhi are over 100 years old, with many featuring historic, heritage-listed, or locally recognised buildings.

Key examples include Zakir Hussain College (dating back to 1792), St Stephen’s College (original campus from 1881), and the 125-year-old Hindu College building at Kashmere Gate. Others founded in the early 20th century include Modern School on Barakhamba Road (1920), Ramjas College (1917), Sri Ram College of Commerce (1926, starting from a bungalow in Daryaganj), and Delhi College of Engineering-now Delhi Technological University-established in 1941 at Kashmere Gate. (Note: Rajputana Rifles Heroes Memorial Senior Secondary School in Delhi Cantonment, at 99 years old.)

“Delhi has a vast number of railway stations and educational institutions which have served the city for over a century. This exercise will help us to identify these places and maintain an updated record,” an official said.

Similarly, the oldest railway station in Delhi is none other than Old Delhi Railway Station, popularly known as Delhi Junction, which is 162 years. Established in April 1864, this railway station was originally designed to handle just 100 passengers a day. Today, however, it caters to over one lakh passengers daily.

The civic body aims to maintain a consolidated database of such institutions, many of which have continued to serve residents for decades despite rapid urban expansion, officials said, adding that details such as the name of the building, its age, ownership status and current condition will be documented during the process.

The exercise follows an order issued in February. Additionally, assistance will also be sought from the Archaeological Survey of India. Further details on the timeline and scope of the project are awaited, they added.