AVN College — 165 years of legacy

AVN College — 165 years of legacy

The institution was founded in 1860 as a school and grew with the support of the public, especially the zamindars of the time. It gained the status of a high school in 1866 with a European headmaster, Mr. E. Winckler, who became the principal in 1878 when it was elevated to the status of a college in the name Hindu College as a second-grade college affiliated to Madras University.

Other principals who succeeded him were Messrs H. H. Anderson, R. S. Sheppard, W. Ramaiah, and P. T. Srinivasa Iyengar. In 1892, Ankitam Venkata Narasimha Rao, a landlord endowed the amount of Rs one lakh, an 11-acre site and a huge building, besides a building grant of ₹15,000 in memory of his wife. The college thus came to be known by her name, i.e., Mrs. A.V.N College

The college was started with a strength of 50 in 1878. In 1938, the institution celebrated its Diamond Jubilee. In 1938–39, the strength of the college was 227 and of the high school was 732.

The citizens of Vizagapatam requested a Government School be established in Vizag by the administration of Madras Presidency and offered a donation of Rs 5000 to start the school. The Director of Public Instruction, Mr McDonald, rejected the request stating that there were adequate Missionary administered schools to serve the public. Consequently, the Visakha Hindu Anglo-Vernacular School was independently started by the efforts of the Inspector of Schools Mr Alexander Grant, Vizagapatam District Collector Mr E Fane, Rajah Goday Gajapathi Rao and Chendiga Venkataswami Naidu. The first Headmaster was a European Mr. E. Winckler and the schools first teacher was Nalla Ramaya Garu. The school was later elevated to a High School and taught to the Matriculation standard. For many years the school survived by the subscriptions of wealthy local Zamindars like Vizianagram and Bobbili, donations from some Government officials and local business enterprises.1878, the school was raised to a Second Grade College affiliated with Madras University under the name of The Hindu College. Subsequently a hostel for 50 students was attached to the college

For over 160 years, Mrs AVN College has been an iconic educational institution in the history of Vizag. Through is hallowed verandahs have passed illustrious teachers and lectures who have influenced the formative education and outstanding success that many a scientist, engineer, doctor, lawyer, politician, scholar and many other professional graduates that have underpinned the industrial and population growth of Vizag.