Zakir Husain College stands on the deep foundation of a 300-year-long history, one that speaks of a vibrant tradition of knowledge building in the Indian sub-continent. While the strength of its foundation offers tremendous scope to reach heights, it also demands a dynamic engagement with contemporary ideas, life and education. The progressive ideals demonstrated and nurtured by this institution from as long back as the beginning of the eighteenth century, through the turbulence of 1857 and the upheaval of the Partition in 1947, to the present times, have included a concern for women's education; stress on vernacular education alongside learning of the English language; spreading scientific awareness through education and by making western texts accessible through translation into Urdu; and upholding the values of a composite culture. Despite some grave setbacks and threats, the institution has demonstrated great optimism in its energetic revivals under different names - Anglo-Arabic College in the pre-independence period, Delhi College in 1948, and later, Zakir Husain College.