The Ramnarain Ruia College of Arts & Science

Divya Naik TAKES YOU ON A WALK-THROUGH OF HER CAMPUS

When one talks of Ruia College, what comes to mind instantly is the Katta. And naturally, one cannot deny that it is impossible to imagine Ruia without its famous Katta, which is a promenade built around a huge playground, where one can sit back and stare across at the campus and the bustling street. That apart, what is really appealing about Ruia is the interesting crowd, which comprises all sorts of people – right from the spoilt, rich brats to the fun loving, lecture bunking hippies to the studious and geeky teacher’s pets. One can never really feel lost here.

Academically speaking
Ramnarain Ruia College offers courses in the arts and science streams. The college doesn’t offer commerce courses as the famous Podar College is located adjacent to it. The junior college building is a separate one and is known as the ‘New Building’ or the Ramnivas Ruia Junior College – so freshers, straight out of class 10 have a reason to rejoice; they will have an entire building to themselves! The faculty is well qualified, with the college offering MSc courses related to various disciplines. Ruia is in fact renowned for its well-equipped laboratories and its library, which has some rare and excellently archived books. The Reading Hall has WiFi facilities and computers with Internet connections for research purposes. It remains open from early morning to late evening for all those who wish to stay back and study.

Extracurricular activities
The Natyavalaya or the Theatre Group of Ruia College is one of the best and most popular among the theatre and acting circles among Mumbai colleges. Most of the students who have taken part in its activities have made their way into television serials, while some have been featured in Marathi or Bollywood films. Another exciting and popular feature is the Shooting Range, which offers the best infrastructure for of shooting. Other popular activities include Taekwondo, boxing and even a specialised gym which offers discounts for students of the college. The college also hosts festivals such as Rose Day, Utsav (intra-college annual festival) and Aarohan (inter-college annual festival). All the activities are hosted by the Vidyarthi Pratinidhi Mandal (VPM), which is the student body of the college. Apart from that, each department of the college has its own departmental festival, which allows the students to exercise their creativity. The college also has its own e-Radio on the Internet named Ruia College Radio (www.ruiacollegeradio.com) wherein students record and upload their own radio shows. The college has its own film society, which holds screenings and discussions of films and activities related to filmmaking.

Popular hangouts
There is no dearth of hangout joint and eateries for foodies studying at Ruia College. Right outside Matunga station, you will spot Ram Ashraya, which offers amazing South Indian fare at a cheap rate – albeit with no ambience, it being a no-frills Udipi restaurant. As you go further, you will come across Snow Point, which has cakes, pastries, sandwiches and rolls at fairly reasonable prices with a café like seating arrangement. Meat lovers will love Café Gulshan, an Iranian restaurant that offers yummy non-vegetarian food at cheap rates. Opposite this, is Monginis for those who wish to relish some pastries, and Hokey Pokey, which is ‘ice-cream central’ for most Ruia-ties. Right opposite Podar, you will find the famous Subhash Sandwich Wallah, which is almost always crowded with college kids whom Subhash efortlessly serves with a smile. Don’t forget to try out his famous chocolate sandwich, a rare treat not found in too many places.
Much further, but closer to the college itself, is the famous DP’s restaurant, the eternal favourite of all Ruia-ites. Check out the pav bhaji, masala pav, samosas as well as the wok hei, a Chinese dish with an Indian touch. For those who love Chinese food, Chinaman will be your best bet, while those looking for cheap rolls and quick bites should visit Sherry’s. However, South Indian food lovers must not miss out on the amazing dosas and wada sambar at Mani’s – you will miss out on something huge if you don’t try the food here! And when you are really low on cash and incredibly hungry, the frankie at Gala’s comes to your rescue. And of course, the Juice Centre is another place that needs to be checked out for its famous lime juice and cold coffee.

RUIA-ITES LEND A HELPING HAND
Who: A group of five Ruia students have united for a good cause – to provide notebooks to under-privileged students in Thane. They teamed up with AURED, an NGO for people with hearing disabilities.

The Mission: To collect unused pages from their teachers, friends and families and distribute them to needy students.

Who: A group of four girls from Ruia College have set out to donate bicycles to needy students.

The Mission: To collect scrap bicycle parts and abandoned bicycles that can be repaired to donate them to the underprivileged. Th e group, who has a goal of 40 cycles, has already managed to collect 20 cycles.

Location: Matunga, Mumbai
History: Established in 1937 by the SP Mandali, Pune

Courses:
Junior college: BA and BSc
Degree college: BCom, BA, BSc, BMM, BLiSc
Postgraduation courses: MSc, PhD (botany and history), and a host of diploma courses

Volume 1 Issue 3