N. S. S. College, Pandalam is a higher education institution in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, affiliated to the

University of Kerala University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...

. It is one of the three oldest colleges established and managed by the

Nair Service Society The Nair Service Society (NSS) is an organisation created for the social advancement and welfare of the Nair community that is found primarily in the state of Kerala in Southern part of India. It was established under the leadership of Mannathu ...

. The college was founded by

Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai Mannathu Padmanabhan (2 January 1878 – 25 February 1970) was an Indian social reformer and freedom fighter from the south-western state of Kerala. He is recognised as the founder of the Nair Service Society (NSS), which represents the Na ...

in 1950, with intermediate course offerings from the University of Travancore. The college is situated at the heart of Pandalam town adjacent to several other educational institutions under the same management. NSSCollegePandalam3

The college has 15 departments in science, arts, commerce, and physical education. It offers 14 under-graduate courses, seven post-graduate courses, and one doctoral programme. The college motto (inscribed on the college emblem) is derived from the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

smriti ''Smriti'' ( sa, स्मृति, IAST: '), literally "that which is remembered" are a body of Hindu texts usually attributed to an author, traditionally written down, in contrast to Śrutis (the Vedic literature) considered authorless, that ...

''Sreyohi Njanam Abhyasath'' (''Knowledge indeed is superior to constant practice''). The college is accredited as a special grade college by the University Grants Commission. It was accredited as B++ in 2007 and later re-accredited to A grade in 2014 by the

National Assessment and Accreditation Council The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is a government organisation in India that assesses and accredits Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It is an autonomous body funded by the University Grants Commission and headquarte ...

. The college campus covers of land, and houses a study centre of the University of Kerala and the University District Information Office. The Zoology department receives financial assistance from the

Sir Ratan Tata Trust Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) came into being in 1919 with a sum of Indian currency 8 million. It is under the ownership of Ratan Tata. Established in accordance with the will of Sir Ratanji Tata, the Trust is now one of the oldest grant bestowing ...

. The English department has a theatre called the ''Pandaleeyan English Theatre'', which was formed by N. G. Kurup who was college principal in the 1960s. The theatre has staged

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

and

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

. In 2013, the department staged a

Kathakali Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...

adaptation of Shakespeare's

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

at its literary fest "Lumina Literati". The college library has approximately 50,000 books and 1800 reference books. It also has active units of the

National Cadet Corps National Cadet Corps may refer to: *Bangladesh National Cadet Corps * National Cadet Corps (Ghana) *National Cadet Corps (India) * National Cadet Corps (Pakistan) *National Cadet Corps (Singapore) *National Cadet Corps (Sri Lanka) The Nation ...

, the

National Service Scheme The National Service Scheme (NSS) is an Indian government sector public service program conducted by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India. Popularly known as NSS, the scheme was launched in Gandhiji's Centenary yea ...

, the Women's Studies Unit, the forestry club, Entrepreneurship Development Club and the Film Club. The college has hosted several national seminars and workshops on various topics such as cinema, Malayalam literature, and water resources management. Notable alumni of the college include P. S. Sreedharan Pillai , Pandalam Sudhakaran,

Adoor Gopalakrishnan Adoor Gopalakrishnan (born 3 July 1941) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film '' Swayamvaram'' (1972), Go ...

, V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai,

Narendra Prasad Raghava Kurup Narendra Prasad (26 December 1946 3 November 2003) was an Indian actor, playwright, director, teacher and literary critic. He was born at Mavelikkara in the erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore. Appreciated for his body language and ...

, and Dr Biju. Notable lecturers who worked here include

Kadammanitta Vasudevan Pillai Prof. Kadammanitta Vasudevan Pillai, is a Padayani exponent from Kerala, India. He is the former Vice Chairman of the Kerala Folklore Academy, a professor in mathematics, a writer and public speaker. Early and professional life Vasudevan Pillai ...

and

Manoj Kuroor Manoj Kuroor (Malayalam മനോജ് കുറൂർ; born 31 May 1971) is an Indian poet and lyricist who writes in Malayalam. Personal life Manoj Kuroor was born at Kottayam, to chenda exponent Kuroor Cheriya Vasudevan Namboothiri and Sre ...

Notable alumni

* P. S. Sreedharan Pillai, Governor of Goa * P. Prasad, Minister for Agriculture, Government of Kerala *

, Actor * Pandalam Sudhakaran, Politician * V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai *

Dr. Biju Bijukumar Damodaran, known mononymously as Dr. Biju, is an Indian Homoeopathy, homoeopathic medical doctor, doctor turned film director and screenwriter. He is best known for films such as ''Saira (film), Saira'' (2005), ''Veettilekkulla Vazhi'' ...

, Director *

Director

Notable faculty

Rajalakshmi Thakkathu Amayankottu Rajalakshmi (June 2, 1930 – January 18, 1965), better identified as Rajalakshmi, was an Indian novelist, short story writer and poet of Malayalam literature. She was the author of three novels, two poetry anthologies a ...

, novelist, short story writer and poet

Gallery

File:NSSCollegePandalam2.jpg, Front view of NSSCollege Pandalam File:NSSCollegePandalam.jpg, Distant view of NSSCollege Pandalam

References

External links

* {{Education in Kerala Arts and Science colleges in Kerala Nair Service Society colleges Colleges affiliated to the University of Kerala Universities and colleges in Pathanamthitta district Educational institutions established in 1950 1950 establishments in India