Sarojini Naidu Vanita Maha Vidyalaya

Department of English – A Brief History

English being a mandatory subject for all course offered by the college, the Department of English has been in existence right from the time of the College’s inception. The growth and development of the department and the College has therefore been parallel. Like the college, the department evolved from fledgling beginning to its present stature as one of the largest departments with strength of fifteen members on its faculty.

The department began literally as a one-man show in 1962 with Mr. Lingam as its founder-lecturer who served for two years and paved the way for an all-women work force to take charge of the department. From then on Ms. Rankin Maeckinon took over as head who was married to an Irish gentleman and it is perhaps a matter of happy coincidence that the department burgeoned with appropriate roots; Dr. Mrs. Sudha Ranganathan who joined the department in 1966 took over from Ms. Maeckinon as Head in 1975 and continued till her retirement in 1986. A Postgraduate from the hallowed Presidency College, Madras; Ms. Ranganathan is fondly remembered for her immense erudition, cultured elegance and razor-sharp wit