History

A great centre for higher education in Kerala, the PRDS Arts & Science College is a pillar of the pride of people in Kerala, especially the marginalized, alienated sections of the society as it built by their dreams and sweat. The college stands ever as a symbol of the efforts for right to education of un- privileged sect of people in Kerala. The college was inaugurated by Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan, the then Chief minister of Kerala on November 12th of 2016. It is a historical assignment that this institution stands at Amarakkunnu, in Kottayam district, a land of pride that has upheld the history of property acquisition of the serf communities in Kerala.

The PRDS Arts & Science College belong to Prathyaksha Raksha Daiva Sabha (P R D S), a spiritual movement which was founded by Poykayil Sree Kumara Gurudevan in the era of 1910. Gurudevan unleashed a spiritual rebellion by building an ideology against all forms of slavery, oppression and discrimination prevailing in the society. Gurudevan problematized the racial interests of ideologies, philosophies and all forms of knowledge on the ground of the experiences of serf communities. He proclaimed that the serfs all over the world are the people who have been expelled from the prevailing histories, doctrines, philosophies, religions and different ways of spiritual –beliefs. Gurudevan propounded a new spiritual ideology in order to re- construct the society of mere freedom, equality, peace and fraternity. PRDS is a non-caste movement upholding these values and going forward with the effort to re- construct this world.

The Kerala renaissance process held in the 19th century has a prominent role to reform and to make a novel Kerala, especially, the reformative interventions emerged from the leaders belong lower stratum of the society. Gurudevan’s interventions also a part of it and it focused on the salvation of oppressed and enslaved was a standout one in the history of Kerala renaissance movement. It was not only for the spiritual salvation but for the material upliftment of all alienated and under privileged communities regardless of caste and sub-caste differences. P R D S also comes into educational activities during the renaissance by addressing the educational challenges facing by the children in lower caste communities when the mainstream of Kerala Renaissance was not considered seriously. Gurudevan had been selected twice as the member of Sree Moolam Praja Sabha Assembly (on 1921 and 1931), and apart from other burning issues, he tried many times to find solution by highlighting the educational issues in the Assembly as well as he submitted the petitions before this feudal Government. But he did not limited his activities to such submissions before the authority.

The significance of the intervention of Gurudeavan and his disciples was self –reliance and self –effort and that way they performed into meaningful interventions by establishing their own educational institutions for their children by themselves. They made number of small schools ( Kudippallikkudam ; the class room of single, small sheds made of thatched walls and roofs ) in many of the places in the State. The major part of them were attached with the prayer centers (shakha mandirams) established by PRDS as their regional branches all over Kerala. An English medium residential school, established at Vengalathukunnu near Mallapalli in Pathanamthitta district and another school, the PRDS UP School also established by him in Amara has been serving as a light of Knowledge for many thousands of Kids still now.