Beyond the Obvious: Sri Venkateswara College

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Sri Venkateswara College (Venky) was founded in 1961 by Durgabai Deshmukh, a former member of the Constituent Assembly of India. The first building of the college was set up at Rouse Avenue (now Deen Dyal Uppadhyay Marg near ITO). The college shifted to its present location (Dhaula Kuan) later in the founding year itself and was inaugurated by former President, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

Venky, as it is fondly called, is situated in the heart of South Campus with colleges like Ram Lal Anand and Motilal Nehru around it. Located almost at the centre of South and West Delhi, connectivity via bus has never been a problem for the students. The nearest metro station is AIIMS and students travelling by the metro have to tackle the occasional traffic on the Ring Road to reach college.

Satya Niketan which has eating joints like Big Yellow Door (BYD), QDs, CCD, Chowringhee Lane is situated right across the college. Students have various options to hangout after college like Sarojini Nagar, PVR Priya, Rajouri Garden and INA.

Venky’s canteen is tad overrated. The canteen is situated in the open and can be a real mess during the monsoon season. It is usually filled with political party goons, over enthusiastic first years and happy-go-lucky students. Due to regular change of the contractor, it is difficult to pick the most edible food item on the menu. However, the chole bhature, samose and chilly potato can satisfy the rats inside one’s stomach anytime.

The college features a wide range of societies, some of them being Nritya (Choreography Society), Verve (Western Dance Society), Verbum(English Dramatics), Anubuti (Hindi Dramatics) and Effulgence (Film and Photography Society). Other than these, students can also join societies like E-Cell, Placement Cell, Blue Chip Society and the Parivartan Society to nurture their innate talents. Venky has dedicated cricket, football and basketball teams as well.

Nexus, the annual cultural fest of Venky is one of the most awaited college fests in DU. While rock bands like Parikrama, Pentagram and Junkyard Grooves have performed in the past, pop star Jazzy B has also brought the Punjabi flavor to this three-day long fest. This fest also features its one of a kind Sufi night which is held in parallel to the rock night, thus, satisfying both kind of music lovers at once.

The college’s administration is little tardy and is divided into two kinds of people. The first being ‘keep calm’ brigade and other being ‘we don’t give a damn about your issue’ crew. Booking a room for an event can be a real mess. With lack of better equipments in the seminar room, the famous Uday Bhaiya is always at your rescue.
The college campus is pretty spacious and is mainly divided into two blocks- Arts and Science. As most of the non-Venky people don’t know, the college has a temple situated inside the campus. Other than the canteen, students are frequently found hanging out in Audi Lawns or the foyer. The college’s main ground religiously turns into a picnic spot during the winters. The under-constructed auditorium was inaugurated a year back and is yet to be fully functional.

Going by academics, Venky is considered one of the best colleges in DU for Science and Commerce courses. With advanced laboratories and experienced staff, Venky is a go-to for students who aim to pursue science courses like Biochemistry, Botany etc. Economics is also a sought after course at Venky.

The college is also sometimes referred as the ‘SRCC of South Campus’. The campus is filled with energy and enthusiasm as students are pretty carefree and like to live in the moment. With little flaws here and there, Venky is a complete package of academics, drama and life!