2020 Volume 20 Issue 1 Pages 128-138
This paper focusses on the heads and munshis (native language teachers) of the Hindustani Department at Fort William College (FWC), who undertook several educational and translation activities. Further, this paper attempts to organise information on their careers and activities at the college. FWC was established in Calcutta in 1800 with the aim of educating junior officers of the British East India Company who were to be assigned to administrative posts in India. Although the college was abolished in 1854, it succeeded in producing many competent individuals. The FWC Faculty Division was divided into the European Establishment and the Native Establishment. Western teachers belonged to the European Establishment, and teachers from the East belonged to the Native Establishment. One of the characteristics of FWC was that munshis worked under the instruction of European teachers. The language teachers at FWC mainly taught one or more Indian languages such as Hindustani, Arabic, Persian, and Bengali. Heads of the Hindustani Department who followed John Borthwick Gilchrist produced no noteworthy achievements, but they did work to promote FWC’s educational activities and the status of teachers. In addition, FWC hired munshis in a way that was recognised by FWC officials, and the munshis were invited to the college. It is noteworthy that Lallulāl was a munshi at FWC for an extended period and emphatically promoted FWC’s publication activities. Such activities by the munshis prolonged the continuation of FWC.
