Description
Patkar College was founded by Chikitsak Samuha, formed by the three like minded persons – late Dr. V.B. Sukthankar, a well known medical practitioner, late Shri J. V. Pilgaonkar, a social worker and late Shri B.M. Kabadi, an educationist and a journalist. Chikitsak Samuha began its activities on 4th November 1906 as a club and subsequently developed into an institution keenly interested in educational activities in the city. After running a school successfully in Girgaon for many years, the Samuha decided to establish a college for higher studies. Present college was built on the plot of land donated by Late Smt. Motiben Dalvi with the condition to start a college on it and name it after Sir Sitaram and Lady Shantabai Patkar. Justice Patkar was a distinguished judge of the Bombay High Court who was knighted after his retirement. He was deeply interested in furthering women’s education and was the Vice-chancellor of the S.N.D.T. University for many years. To commemorate this close association, the S.N.D.T. University’s Convocation Hall was also named after him.
Sir Sitaram and Lady Shantabai Patkar
Patkar-Varde College is affiliated to the University of Mumbai and conducts under-graduate courses in the faculties of Arts, Science and Commerce. The College of Arts & Science started functioning from the academic year 1964-65 with Late Prof. A.N. Kothare, a distinguished lecturer in Chemistry, as the first Principal. 330 students enrolled in the very first year of the college for the under-graduate courses in Arts and Science. Next year, this strength increased to 740. In the year 1966-67, 1234 students enrolled in various courses like BA special courses in Economics and English, BA general courses in Psychology, Politics, Sanskrit, Gujarati, B.Sc. (principal) in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, B.Sc. (subsidiary) in Botany, Physics and Mathematics, M.Sc. Inorganic Chemistry and MA. English. M.Sc. (by papers) in Physics started from 1967-68 and the total strength of the college students rose to 1330. The existing strength of the college for Degree College is 2430 and for Junior College is 2250. The college started M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry (by papers) from 1972–73 and by research, from 1973-74.