The Rajkumar College (or RKC) in

Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

is one of the oldest

K-12 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

institutions in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. RKC has a 26-acre (105,000 m²) campus in Rajkot.

History

The foundation stone of Rajkumar College was laid in 1868. The institution was designed by Colonel Keatinge and was formally opened by the Governor of Bombay, H. B. Sir Seymour Fitzgerald, in 1870. The college was founded for the education of the princely order by the princes and chiefs of

Kathiawad Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, it i ...

for their sons and relations. In 1938, on the initiative of its founding members, the college became a

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

(private school in American terms). The college is a founding member of the Indian Public Schools Conference and a member of the

Round Square Round Square is an international network of schools, based on the educational concepts of Kurt Hahn, and named after a distinctive building at Gordonstoun. Founded by a group of seven schools in the late 1960s, by 1996 it had grown to 20 member ...

conference of schools, a worldwide association of more than 60 schools that allows students to travel between schools and tour the country or do community service. In 2001 the college opened its doors to girls, in what has been a boys' bastion for over a century. The school has around 50 girls, with boarding facilities. Another endeavor of the Rajkumar College Administration has been Priyalok Villas, a pre-school program for the kids; originally housed in a 1909 Hyde sanatorium but now housed in a different building. Whilst having its own domain, it has access to all the facilities of the Rajkumar College. The school is expanding. The Rajkumar College for Girls, a secondary school was inaugurated on 24 March 2011; before this, the fully functional elementary co-ed school had flourished for a decade. Rajkoomar Indian College, Kattywar

Inauguration of the Rajkumar College for Girls, Rajkot

The Rajkumar College for Girls was inaugurated on 24 March 2011, by

Kamla Beniwal Kamla Beniwal (born 12 January 1927) is an Indian politician. She was a senior member of Indian National Congress party. She served as a minister on different posts and Deputy Chief Minister during different time in Rajasthan. Later she served ...

, governor of Gujarat. The principal, Mr. Thakkar, said that it was a special day for the Rajkumar family. Almost 140 years ago on 16 December 1870 the college was inaugurated by the governor of the Bombay Presidency, Sir Seymour Fitzgerald.

Student life

Sport teams from the college travel around the country to participate in inter public school competitions and district/state/national level events. Co-curricular activities include public speaking/recitation/debates, bio-enrichment camps, and other cultural activities. The college motto is ''Yasya Bhuddhi, Balam Tasya'' ("Power is where there is knowledge").

Notable alumni and faculty

Alumni

* Lael Anson Best, Chief of

Thoracic Surgery Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of organs inside the thoracic cavity — generally treatment of conditions of the heart (heart disease), lungs (lung disease), and other pleural or mediastinal stru ...

and Chief of Surgery 2005–2012 at

Rambam Medical Center Rambam Health Care Campus ( he, רמב"ם - הקריה הרפואית לבריאות האדם) commonly called Rambam Hospital, is a teaching hospital in the Bat Galim neighborhood of Haifa, Israel founded in 1938, 10 years before the establishme ...

, Israel Awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2017 * Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur: ruler of the erstwhile Kolhapur State *

Yashwantrao Martandrao Mukne Yashwantraoji Martandraoji Mukne (also known as Patangshahji Mukne) (V) (Dada Saheb) (11 December 1917 – 4 June 1978) was an Indian Koli Maharaja of Jawhar State, a flight lieutenant in the Royal Indian Air Force, politician, social wor ...

, Maharaja of

Jawhar State The Jawhar State was a princely state in India. As a princely state, it became a part of Bombay Presidency during the British Raj. It was the only state belonging to the Thana Agency. The last Koli Ruler of Jawhar at Indian independence wa ...

, the first

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

from

Thane (Lok Sabha constituency) Thane Lok Sabha constituency (formerly, Thana Lok Sabha constituency) is one of the 48 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies of Maharashtra state in western India. Assembly segments At present, after the implementation of the Presidential ...

* Nawab Ahmad Khan Sidi Ibrahim Khan of

Janjira State Janjira State was a princely state in India during the British Raj. Its rulers were a Siddi dynasty of Habesha descent and the state was under the suzerainty of the Bombay Presidency. Janjira State was located on the Konkan coast in the prese ...

* Krishnakumarsingh Bhavasingh, Maharaja of

Bhavnagar State Bhavnagar State was a princely state with 13 Gun Salutes during the British Raj. It was part of Kathiawar Agency in Saurashtra. The State of Bhavnagar covered an area of 2,961 sq. miles and had a population of 618,429 in 1941. Its ruler ...

, the first Governor of Madras state *

Nawab Nawab (Balochi language, Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi language, Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian language, Persian, Punjabi language, Punjabi , Sindhi language, Sindhi, Urd ...

Muhammad Mahabat Khan III Sir Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III Rasul Khanji, (Gujarati language, Gujarati: મુહમ્મદ ખાન ત્રીજાની, Urdu: 2 August 1898 – 17 November 1959), was the last ruling Nawab of Junagadh of the princely state of Jun ...

, the last

Junagadh State Junagarh or Junagadh ( ur, ) was a princely state in Gujarat ruled by the Muslim Babi dynasty in British India, until its integration into the Union of India in 1948. History Muhammad Sher Khan Babai was the founder of the Babi Pashtun d ...

Ghulam Moinuddin Khanji Ghulam Moinuddin Khanji (22 December 1911 – 13 February 2003) was the ruler of Manavadar State, one of the princely states associated with British India. Although Khanji chose to accede to Pakistan after the partition of India, the state wa ...

Babi of Manavadar State * Sahibzada Omeir Ahmed Khanji Babi of Devgam

Raol Shri Dharmakumarsinhji Raol Shree Dharmakumarsinhji (April 1917 – January 1986) was an Indian ornithologist, environmentalist and writer as well as a ruling prince. His elder brother Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji was the last Maharaja of the Bhavnagar State in weste ...

, prince, ornithologist and environmentalist *

Madansinhji Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Madansinhji Vijayaraji Sawai Bahadur (12 October 1909 – 21 June 1991) was the last official ruler of the Princely State of Cutch, from 26 February 1948 to 1 June 1948.Kutch * Natwarsinhji Bhavsinhji of Porbandar, Maharaja of

Porbandar Porbandar is a city in the States and territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat, perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama. It is the administrative center of the Porbandar District and it was the former capi ...

* K.S. Digvijaysinhji, Maharaja

Jam Sahib Jam Sahib ( gu, જામ સાહેબ), is the title of the ruling prince of Nawanagar, now known as Jamnagar in Gujarat, an Indian princely state. Jam Sahibs of Nawanagar References External links Nawanagar History and Genealogyat '' ...

of Nawanagar *

Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji (13 June 1905 – 5 December 1959) was a cricketer who played for England. Playing in the era before the Indian cricket team, he is considered one of India's first great batsmen, alongside his uncle Ranjitsinhji, who als ...

, cricketer * Bhagvatsingh of Gondal, Maharaja, physician and architect * Kumar Indrajitsinhji, test cricketer *

Rajendrasinhji Jadeja General Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja (15 June 1899 – 1 January 1964), also known as K.S. Rajendrasinhji, was the first Chief of Army Staff of the Indian army, and the second Indian, after Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, to become Comman ...

, commander-in-chief of the Indian armed forces *

Kavi Kalapi Sursinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (26 January 1874 – 10 June 1900), popularly known by his pen name, ''Kalapi'' was a Gujarati poet and the Thakor (prince) of Lathi state in Gujarat. He is mostly known for his poems depicting his own pathos. He liv ...

, poet *

Ruswa Majhalumi Imamuddin Murtaza Khan Babi (Gujarati language, Gujarati: બાબી ઈમામુદ્દીનખાન મુર્તઝાખાન), better known by his pen name Ruswa Majhalumi (Gujarati: રુસ્વા મઝલૂમી), was a ...

, poet * Manoharsinhji Pradyumansinhji, 15th Thakore Saheb of Rajkot, cricketer and politician *

Ashok Kamte Ashok Kamte AC (23 February 1965 – 26 November 2008) was an Indian police officer, serving as the Additional Commissioner of the Mumbai Police supervising the Eastern region. He was killed in action during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He was po ...

Mumbai Police The Mumbai Police (Marathi: मुंबई पोलीस, IAST: ''Mumbaī Pulīs'', formerly ''Bombay Police'') is the police department of the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibiliti ...

, additional commissioner for the East Region, martyr of 26.11.2008 Mumbai attacks *

Ranjitsinhji Colonel H. H. Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, (10 September 1872 – 2 April 1933), often known as Ranji or K. S. Ranjitsinhji, was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Nawanagar from 1907 to 1933, as Ma ...

, test cricketer and later Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar *

Takhtsinhji Maharaja Raol Sir Takhtsinhji Jaswantsinhji KIH (6 January 185829 January 1896), was Maharaja of Bhavnagar, a Rajput chief of the Gohil clan, and ruler of Bhavnagar state in Kathiawar. He succeeded to the throne of Bhavnagar upon the death o ...

, Maharaja of

Bhavnagar Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a States of India, state of India. It was founded in 1723 by Gohil Koli, Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, whi ...

* Sujan R. Chinoy, diplomat and China expert; Ambassador of India to Japan * Maharaja Bhavsinhji II of

Forty Years (1870–1910) of the Rajkumar College by Chester Macnaghten. First principal of the college and other sources. Compiled by Sir H.H. Bhavsinhji, Maharaja of Bhavnagar. * Himmatsinhji Vijayaraji, noted ornithologist and a prince of Kutch State *

Bhavsinhji Madhavsinhji Maharaja Rana (title), Rana Shri Bhavsinhji Madhavsinhji Sahib Maharaja Bahadur, Bahadur (26 December 1867 – 10 December 1908) was the Maharaja of Porbandar belonging to Jethwa dynasty, who ascended the throne of Porbandar State, princely sta ...

, the Maharana of Porbandar. *

Amarsinhji Banesinhji Captain H.H. Maharana Raj Shri Sir Amarsinhji Banesinhji Sahib (4 January 1879 – 25 June 1954) was the last Maharana Raj Sahib of Wankaner belonging to Jhala dynasty, who ascended the throne of princely state of Wankaner on 12 June 1881 and ...

, the Maharana Raj Sahib of

Wankaner Wankaner is a city and a municipality in Morbi district in the State of Gujarat. Until 2013, Wankaner was part of the Rajkot district. Etymology The city was named after its location on the Machhu River, "Wankaner" translating to "riverbend" ( ...

* Thakor Saheb Chaitanyadev of Wadhwan – past President of the College Council *

Meghrajji III of Dhrangadhra-Halvad Maharaja Sir Mayurdwajsinhji Meghrajji III, KCIE, FRAS, FRAI, FRHistS (3 March 1923 – 1 August 2010) was the last ruling Maharaja of Dhrangadhra-Halvad. He was an academic, politician, member of several distinguished academic bodies, and ...

– past President of the College Council *

Lavkumar Khachar Lavkumar Jiva Khachar or K.S. Lavkumar (24 February 1930 – 2 March 2015) was an ornithologist, nature and wildlife conservationist from India. Biography Khachar was born on 24 February 1930 in the royal family of the former princely state of ...

, ornithologist

Faculty

Herbert Barritt Herbert William Barritt (12 February 1904 – 26 May 1967) was an English first-class cricketer and educator. Barritt was born in the North Yorkshire village of Cross Hills in February 1904. He was educated nearby at Keighley Grammar School, ...

, principal of the school in the 1940s

Council presidents

* Darbar Saheb Shri Mahipal Vala of Jetpur * Thakor Saheb Chaitanyadev of Wadhwan – past *

– past

References

External links

https://www.edustoke.com/rajkot/rajkumar-college-sadar-residential
Founding member of the Indian Public School Conference

Forty Years (1870–1910) of the Rajkumar College. Rajkot abridged from the papers of the late Chester Macnaghten first principal of the college and other sources. Compiled by Sir H.H. Bhavsinhji, Maharaja of Bhavnagar.
{{Member Schools of Round Square Education in Rajkot Private schools in Gujarat Boarding schools in Gujarat Schools in Colonial India Boys' schools in India Girls' schools in Gujarat Educational institutions established in 1868 1868 establishments in British India Education in the princely states of India Round Square schools