The origin of Commerce Department owes
itself to the typically oriental socio-cultural backdrop of the region to which
it belongs. It would not be out of place to mention here that in order to sketch
a truly realistic portrait of the department, a bird's eye view of the features
of the region surrounding Gorakhpur which houses it, stands logically relevant.
Gorakhpur represents a region which has been under absolute desolation from the
influences of modern socio-economic metamorphosis. The interdependency of the
factors responsible for its abysmal plight has formed a horrendously shocking
interaction matrix. Fast growing population, galloping unemployment and poor resource
management- all have synergistically contributed to the present form of the economy
of this region. Juxtaposed is the psychology of its people, by and large, to stay
indifferent to the developments taking place in other parts of the world. They
are always content with their present possessions and are oblivious of their future.
They seem to be destined to have succumbed to the immortality of age old poverty
and deprivation. Agriculture has been, and still is the mainstay of this territory
and the cottage and the tiny industries continue to serve as the hub and the head
and shoulders of its industrial economy. A woeful lack of entrepreneurial ability
combined with an absence of adequate infrastructure creates a hiatus between the
actual and warranted level of growth of this region. Employment opportunities
are getting dried out fast, thanks to our craving for advanced technologies, and
consequently, a myriad number of the youths is left staring at the monster of
jobless growth with horror and despair. Many of these variables are chronic, obdurate
and the die-hard, yet they can be neutralized with concerted efforts, and in this
context, the role of higher education, particularly in the field of Commerce can
never be overemphasized. Commerce education promises to serve as a catalyst to
socio-economic development of any region. It supplies the inputs that suit the
requirements of today's hostile and competitive commercial environment. It helps
the youth choose the right course of action for their survival and prosperity.
The speed at which Commerce education is currently expanding in this area is in
itself a testimony to its growing acceptance as a source of awareness, skill and
creativity which are essential preconditions of economic prosperity of any region.
These issues must have a definitely figured in the vision of those who had vowed
to make Gorakhpur a centre of purposive learning so that the people belonging
to its surroundings could be made free from centuries old drudgery and destitution.
The dream of these extra ordinarily gifted and immensely clairvoyant people came
true in 1957, when the University of Gorakhpur came into existence and the department
of Commerce as one of the first six departments saw the light of the day. Dr.
A. B. Mishra had been the first head of the department of Commerce from 1957 to
1962. In November 1962, Dr. R. L. Agrawal took over as the first Professor and
head of the department. Prof. Agrawal was an astitute motivator especially in
the field of academics and it was due to his continued efforts that the department
diversified its activities by starting in 1965 a three year PGDBM course, equivalent
to MBA and recognized by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi.
In
June 1975, following the retirement of Prof. Agrawal, Prof. A. P. Baijal took
over as the Head of the department. Under his dynamic leadership the department
emerged as one of the largest departments of the university. It was due to his
untiring efforts that the sanctioned strength of teachers in the department rose
to 23 from 15. Prof. Baijal had a broad nimbus and a magnetic personality. He
was an accomplished and exceptionally effective organizer and is acknowledged
to be chief architect of the current design of the department. During his tenure
as the Head of Department, the department gained strength to strength in all directions.
A major research project on marketing problems of Informal sector- A study of
Hawkers and vendors of Gorakhpur District" sanctioned by ICSSR was completed
during this period under the supervision of Prof D P Agrawal and Dr M L Jalan.
On
January 5, 1995 Prof. D. P. Agrawal assumed the headship of the department. He
was a visionary in real sense of term. Prof. D. P. Agrawal was deeply conscious
of the long felt need of management education in eastern UP and it was solely
due to his inspiring leadership and tireless efforts that the department started
an MBA programmed in 1995. He will ever be remembered by us for his personal sacrifices
for the cause of uplift of the department. The MBA program started by Prof. D.
P. Agrawal has flourished leaps and bounds within a very short span of time and
is now approved by AICTE and Ministry of HRD, Government of India. After the retirement
of Prof. D. P. Agrawal, in Oct 1999, Prof. S. N. Chaturvedi took over as the Head
of the department, Commerce and Management education received further impetus
under his guidance. The department found in him a man of substance and under his
redoubtable leadership the department reached the zenith of its glory in almost
all dimensions related to both the areas- academic and corporate. It was because
the initiative of the Prof. Chaturvedi that the department restructured its courses
extensively at the PG level to meet the expectations of changing business environment.
It was due to his drive that the MBA programmed which was the offspring of the
department of Commerce, graduated to acquire a separate entity as the department
of Business Administration, on January 9, 2001. It has the privilege of being
nursed and nurtured under the leadership of an academician and administrator of
the caliber of Prof R. S. Singh, who was appointed its chief. Even in its infancy
and as a part of the department of Commerce, the MBA programmed had been recognized
as one of the hot favorites for the aspirants of Management learning in the state.
On Jan 2001, Prof I A Ansari assumed the headship of the department. The department
of Commerce has the privilege of taking advantage of his ability of leading from
the front. Prof. Ansari is expeditiously endeavoring to uphold the tradition and
the values established by his illustrious predecessors in the context of maintaining
and elevating the overall profile of the department-with the cooperation of its
extremely committed and assiduous teachers.
Under the affable leadership of
Prof. Ansari, the department has been revising and updating the course designs
at regular intervals keeping in view the needs of the local environment and also
in an attempt of fulfilling the expectations of competing in the wake of fast
changing environment of Commerce education in India and abroad. The latest revision
of the courses at the UG level took place in 2002, which was effected in accordance
with the UGC norms, following the recommendations of a courses restructuring committee
constituted under the convenorship of Shri. H. S. Bajpai. The revised course structure
became effective from the session 2004-05. The department has recently constituted
a committee under the convenorship of Prof. M. L. Jalan to recast the existing
course structure at the PG level and also to recommend several add-on courses
at the UG level as also professional management courses under the self financing
scheme at the PG level which has been implemented in 2004-05.
