There is a Chinese proverb which states, “If you plan for a year, sow the seed; If you plan for a decade, plant a tree and If you plan for a century, educate the people”. The founder members of this institution had this noble ideal in mind when they started this college. It is said that when a person crosses a river, he ought not to forget that he has left the other bank behind. This college has s
een the light of the day due to the Herculean efforts of some of the elders of Ilayangudi. Ameen Nainar Howth sounded the idea of establishing an Arts and Science College in Ilayangudi. The unique feature of this college was that unlike other colleges, this College was not started by any single rich man or business people. Rather, this college was started by the ordinary citizens who have the thirst to start an educational institution for higher education in their locality. A membership fee of Rs.11/- each was collected and every citizen of Ilayangudi has contributed for the emergence of the College. (At present, the membership fee was increased to Rs.3000 and today there are 550 members in the College Society). The yearning for a college in this area arose in the minds of the elders of Ilayangudi, when they had bitter experience in admitting their wards to colleges situated at far off places. Before the inception of the college in 1970, the people of Ilayangudi had to depend on Colleges at far off places like Jamal Mohamed College, Trichy, New College, Madras, or colleges at Madurai. The colleges in Sivagangai, Karaikudi and Ramanathapuram were not convenient for them due to some reasons or other. The position of the people in the interior villages was pathetic. Therefore, with the main objective of providing facility for higher education in Ilayangudi, this College was named after the great educationist, a devout scholar and the III President of India, Dr. Zakir Husain, in 1970. Ours is the 10th College started in Tamil Nadu by the efforts mostly of the Muslims of Tamil Nadu. Of the other nine, three are in North Arcot District, two in Chennai, one in Tanjore District, one in Trichy and two in Madurai District. This College has been established and is administered under Article 30 (1) of the Indian Constitution, by the Muslim Minority Community which has invested in them, all the funds required. This College was registered under the Societies Registration Act No.64 / 68. The Govt. of Tamil Nadu has permitted to open the College here vide its G.O. No.450 dt. 23.03.1971. Later it was registered in the name of “The Dr. Zakir Husain College Society” as per S. No. 8 of 1983 under the Societies Registration Act 27 of 1975. On April 28, 1970, His Excellency Sardar Ujjal Singh, Governor of Tamil Nadu, laid the foundation stone of the College building. The function was presided over by Dr. Meenakshi Sundaram, Vice-Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University. On July 1, 1970, the College began to function with three sections at the Pre-University level with 173 students. It was on July 5, 1970, the inauguration of the College was formally held. Quide-Millath Alhaj. Mohamed Ismail Shahib, M.P., presided. V.R. Nedunchezhian, Hon’ble Minister for Education, delivered the inaugural address. The first team of Management Committee was headed by Janab. V.K. Ibrahim Ali Ambalam. Without enough money, the college depended entirely on the donations given by philanthropists and people of Ilayangudi living in Chennai and various countries like Singapore, Malaysia, etc., to start the College. In the initial years of establishment of this College, the donations made to the College were made exempt from Indian Income Tax Act, 1961 vide the IT Commissioner’s Order No.C.212 (140) / 70 dt. 16.1.1971. Members were enrolled with Rs.11 each as contribution in 1969. The old students of Ilayangudi Higher Secondary School started ‘Aid College Club’. They staged a drama ‘Vithiyin Vilayattu’, under the auspices of the Old Boys Association of that school. The proceeds of the drama Rs.14500 had been given to the College for putting up cement sheets in the main building. Some philanthropists came forward to donate the land for the buildings and also for the University Endowment.”
The college remembers with pride those who donate in the initial period of establishment of the College with their money, lands and properties.
