Genesis:

The establishment of St. Berchmans College was the outcome of a strong public demand for higher education in Central Travancore, supported by Catholic bishops and encouraged by the Sreemoolam Tirunal Dewan. The college emerged through a combination of community aspiration, ecclesiastical leadership, and government support, eventually becoming a landmark institution in the region.

When Community, Church, and State Converged

The demand for a college in Central Travancore became widespread and insistent in 1920. The Catholic Bishops had long recognized the urgent need for such an institution and had discussed the matter on several occasions. Bishops of Malabar assembled in Trichur in July 1921 unanimously decided that Rt Rev. Dr. Benziger, Bishop of Kollam, the only bishop with the financial independence to should undertake the project. However, as his diocese lacked qualified priests, he felt that the Diocese of Changanacherry was better placed to take up the initiative. In a generous gesture, Rt Rev Dr Benziger contributed Rs 15,000 toward the initial expenses.

In the Sreemoolam Popular Assembly, several representations were made to establish a government college in Central Travancore. These proposals were opposed on financial grounds, as the government was unwilling to bear the heavy cost of running a college. Dewan Raghavaiah therefore invited private agencies to undertake the task and assured them of government assistance.

Responding to these appeals, Mar Thomas Kurialacherry, Bishop of Changanacherry, rose to the occasion and took active steps to establish the college.

Founding Leadership and Affiliation

In 1921, soon after Rev. Fr. Mathew Purackal, the first postgraduate from the Diocese of Changanacherry,  returned from Kandy following his ordination, the Bishop entrusted him with the responsibility of doing everything necessary to start a college in Changanacherry and appointed him as its first Principal.

An application was submitted to the Registrar of the University of Madras seeking affiliation for St. Berchmans’ High School to function as a Second Grade College, and on 21 January 1922, the University approved the request and granted affiliation for the establishment of the college.

Temporary Campus at Parel

It was decided that the college would initially function in the new building constructed for the Minor Seminary at Parel. The college began classes on 19 June 1922 with 125 students enrolled in Group III of the Intermediate Course and a faculty of six teachers. Subjects taught included Indian History, World History, and Economics, with Malayalam, Sanskrit, and Latin as second languages.

In 1923, Dewan Raghavaiah accepted the Principal’s invitation and laid the foundation stone for the college at Vedikunnu, the site of the present campus. The site, where Mar Charles Lavigne, the first Bishop of Changanacherry, purchased the property for the college and laid a foundation stone there in 1895. Thus, the college’s foundation was laid twice—an exceptionally rare occurrence.

The Dewan of Travancore was the head of government of Travancore during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Dewan served at the pleasure of the Maharaja. The position was broadly comparable to that of a prime minister.

When the college applied to expand its courses, it initially avoided science subjects because of the high cost of establishing laboratories. Dewan Raghavaiah, however, advised that introducing Science Groups in the Intermediate classes would be more beneficial. The Principal therefore approached the government for assistance in meeting the substantial expenses involved.

In response, the Dewan offered the following support: 1,500 cundys [1 cundy = 100 cubic foot of solid wood] of teakwood as a grant, Rs 50,000 as a loan for laboratory equipment, and an additional grant to be released after the completion of the building

Although Dewan Raghavaiah later left office, he ensured that the government records reflected its obligation to support St. Berchmans’ College in introducing the costly science groups.

The teakwood was made available without delay and was used for the construction of the first building. As the promised government loan remained pending, the Principal was compelled to secure a bank loan instead. In the meantime, Mr. Morris Watts succeeded Mr. Raghavaiah as Dewan. The Principal informed the new Dewan of the serious financial crisis facing the college.

By 1925, the first building on the present campus had been completed, and the college moved to its permanent site. To mark this milestone, Dewan Morris Watts was invited to preside over the college’s first annual meeting for 1925–26.

In his presidential address, he announced the government’s historic decision to extend financial assistance to St. Berchmans’ College. The grant was structured as follows: Rs 30,000 to be adjusted against the value of the teakwood already supplied and Rs 47,000 to be released immediately. The total grant of Rs 77,000, as requested by the Principal, made St. Berchmans the first private college in Travancore to receive government financial aid. This support enabled the college to clear its outstanding debts without delay.

On 6 December 1929, His Excellency Lord Irwin (Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax , known as the 1st Baron Irwin), the Viceroy, accompanied by Lady Irwin, visited St. Berchmans College, marking an event of exceptional distinction in the institution’s history. The photograph of the occasion reflects its grandeur, with the Viceroy and Lady Irwin flanked by the Dewan Bahadur Subramania Iyer, government officials, Mar James Kalacherry, other bishops, Principal Fr Mathew Purackal and other dignitaries. The visit signified that the College had attained a stature that drew attention beyond Travancore and earned recognition at the national level. As the highest representative of the British Indian administration, the Viceroy’s presence brought great prestige to the College and publicly affirmed its growing reputation as an important centre of higher learning. It also highlighted the College’s rapid emergence, within a short span of time, (just seven years after its commencement) as an institution of influence, dignity, and wider public importance.

The College Day celebrations of 1931 were presided over by Dewan Bahadur Subramania Iyer, whose presence lent the occasion notable distinction and public importance. The event was further honoured by the attendance of K. Ramunni Menon, Vice Chancellor of the University of Madras, whose participation reflected the esteem in which the College was held in academic circles. The presence of these eminent figures underscored the institution’s growing reputation and testified to the recognition it was beginning to receive both from the government and from the wider university community.

In 1932, Mr. T. Austin, ICS, the Dewan of Travancore, visited the College and made a careful inspection of its classes, laboratories, and buildings. His visit was a significant mark of official interest in the institution’s development and provided further evidence of the government’s continuing attention to its progress.

The 1933 visit of the Travancore royal family stands out as one of the most dignified and memorable occasions in the early history of St. Berchmans College. Sri Chithira Thirunal Maharajah, accompanied by Amma Maharani Sethu Parvathy Bai and Ilayaraja Karthika Thirunal, paid a visit to the College, lending the occasion considerable public significance. At the entrance to the campus, the Maharajah was formally received by the Principal, Rev. Fr. Mathew Purackal, and the Manager, Monsignor Jacob Kallarackal, who presented gifts in accordance with customary practice. In keeping with royal protocol, the Maharajah remained in the royal carriage throughout the visit and did not alight at the gate. During the reception, the Principal informed him that the College had already reached an enrolment of five hundred students. The Maharajah is said to have reacted with marked surprise at the rapid growth of the institution and conveyed his warm good wishes for its continued progress and success.

1934-36: Financial Struggles and the Diocese’s Assumption of Responsibility

Although official grants and support gave the institution an important beginning, the College continued to face a heavy financial burden, especially after the construction of the science block and its tower began in 1927. The introduction of science education required laboratories, equipment, buildings, and trained personnel, all of which demanded substantial expenditure. In 1934 the construction work came to a halt because of shortage of funds, placing the future development of the College under serious strain.

Determined not to abandon the project, the founder Principal, Rev. Fr. Mathew Purackal, who had the sole responsibility, made strenuous efforts to raise money from relatives, well-wishers, and members of the public. These contributions reflected the goodwill and confidence that the College had already inspired in the wider community. Yet, generous as they were, they could not meet the mounting expenses. Bank loans and chit funds were also used in an attempt to bridge the deficit, but these measures only provided temporary relief and did not solve the deeper financial crisis.

To make up the shortage of funds, the salary of the staff was cut down by 10% and it was delayed. On receiving complaints, the University of Madras raised concerns regarding the management of funds, putting the College’s affiliation at risk. At this decisive moment, the Diocese of Changanacherry assumed responsibility for safeguarding the institution. On 31 December 1935, the Diocesan Council passed a resolution assigning the diocesan rubber plantation known as Kudukkavally Estate to the Managing Board of the College. The estate, spread over 130 acres in Kanjirappally Pakuthy, was intended to strengthen the College’s financial base and provide a more stable source of income. In addition, the Bishop took over the outstanding liabilities, thereby preventing the crisis from endangering the College’s future.

In 1936, taking up the responsibility, Fr Mathew Purackal resigned and Rev Fr Romeo Thomas TOCD [CMI congregation] was appointed principal.

On 22 February 1937, Sir C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer, the Dewan of Travancore, presided over the College Day celebrations, with Rev. Fr. E. Carty, S.J., a member of the Madras University Syndicate and professor at St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli, also in attendance. The college magazine Excelsior 1935–36 recorded the full proceedings, including the texts of their speeches. Fr. Carty delivered a thoughtful address on ‘Education’ and referred to Sir C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer’s association with the University Syndicate. In his learned speech, Sir C. P. praised the management for the construction of new buildings and the efficient administration of the College, while also reflecting on its motto, Caritas Vera Nobilitas. Drawing on quotations from Indian and foreign works, he held the audience’s attention and kept them in good spirits.

The principal, Rev Fr Romeo Thomas TOCD, in presenting the college report said “Here we gratefully acknowledge that the Travancore Education Department and the Government of His Most Gracious Highness have been sympathetically considering our enterprises, especially in running very expensive science groups and that they have been generously helping us with building grant, equipment grant and hostel grant”

Travancore Dewans and Their Association with the College

Between the founding of St. Berchmans College in 1922 and the end of princely rule in Travancore in 1948, seven Dewans served the state, five of whom visited the College. This notable record reflects the close ties the institution built with the Travancore administration during its formative years. Their visits were not merely ceremonial; they expressed the College management’s loyalty to the ruler of Travancore and signalled official recognition of the institution’s growing importance as a centre of higher education. The presence of successive Dewans strengthened public confidence, enhanced the College’s prestige, and affirmed its place in Travancore’s educational and civic life.

In 1952, His Highness Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the former Maharaja of Travancore, inaugurated the College’s first Science Exhibition. The event commemorated the Silver Jubilee of the Science Departments, marking twenty-five years since their establishment. The presence of Amma Maharani Sethu Parvathy Bai further enhanced the dignity and significance of the occasion.

It is worth quoting what the Rajpramukh of Travancore-Cochin state pronounced on the occasion: “We have been watching with keen interest the growth of this college, as, practically from the time of its inception, the then Bishop of Changanacherry and especially Fr. Purackal had been keeping us constantly informed of the progress of this institution. It may not be out of place for me at this juncture to acknowledge the selfless and devoted service which Fr. Purackal has rendered in helping to build up this institution from small beginnings and establishing it on a very firm, lasting footing.”

S B’s Collective Resolve, Enduring Mission

St Berchmans College’s first three decades, briefly described above, are more than a chronology; they are a tapestry woven from the shared labour of the Church, the community, and the state. From its founding to its steady advance, the college relied as much on the personal sacrifices of visionary leader as on the Diocese’s unwavering commitment and the local community’s timely support. Financial hardship, rather than breaking the institution, clarified its purpose and steeled its resolve; those difficult years revealed the depth of faith in education held by the management, diocese and civic patrons alike. Equally important were the state’s engagements—recognition, regulation, and occasional aid—that provided the institutional framework enabling the college to mature. Together these forces nurtured not only facilities and curricula but also a moral culture that values service, scholarship, and social responsibility. Remembering this collective struggle encourages humility and gratitude today, and it offers a guiding lesson for the future: the preservation and growth of St Berchmans depend on sustaining that same spirit of shared responsibility across generations.