1899 — 1908 Late Shri Krishna Dassji Gurwale establishes the College in the historic Kinari Bazar (Chandni Chowk), with prominent Delhi citizens as trustees. A boarding house serves as student residence since 1899. In 1908 the College shifts to a building donated by Rai Bahadur Sultan Singh in Kashmiri Gate, and a Hostel is built on its campus. 1910s From the time of its inception, the College is deeply connected to the national movement for Independence; some of the Governing Body members and trustees are directly involved in the Swadeshi and boycott movements. Board member Master Ameer Chand, associated with Lala Har Dayal and Rash Behari Bose, is executed by the colonial government in 1915.
1922 Previously affiliated with Panjab University, the College is now affiliated with the University of Delhi and is approved to offer M.A. classes. 1920s The College pioneers a model for democratic student governance. To this end, the College Parliament with a Prime Minister and a Leader of the Opposition is established. Honorary Members include Annie Besant, M.A. Jinnah, Babu Rajendra Prasad, Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Ali. College Hostel gives refuge to revolutionaries like Chandrashekhar Azad. Both male and female students join the Non-cooperation Movement and take part in Chandni Chowk demonstrations against the Simon Commission.
25th January 1930 Mahatma Gandhi visits the College. 1930s College students form the Harijan Service League. The Hostel Warden N.K. Nigam is put on a trial for supporting 'terrorist' activities. College Parliament continues to host speeches by national figures like Pt. Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, C.F. Andrews, and Motilal Nehru as the national resistance intensifies. Meetings of the Tarun Samaj (Social Reform Society) are attended by Sarojini Naidu. Surya Sen and Anant of the legendary Chittagong Armoury Raid visit the Hostel. Munshi Premchand is a guest of the Hindi Sahitya Sabha. Two College students excel in the Indian Civil Services Examinations. K.K. Birla takes his Intermediate Science degree from College in 1937.
1940 The College remains a site of anti-colonial agitation. Students and teachers join the "Quit India!" movement. Students, in particular, participate in ―unlawful‖ picketing, processions and other civil resistance. 1941 Ghanshyam Das Birla, the famous industrialist, joins the College Board. Rabindranath Tagore visits the College. 1947 'Double shifts' are organized to help Partition refugees in Delhi.
1950s Dr. Raj Narayan Mathur, an alumnus, becomes the Principal. The first lady lecturer, Satya M. Rai, is appointed. Debaters of the College Parliament—Inder Sharma, Giri Lal Jain, Lalit Bhasin—impress many; BBC documentary on grassroots democracy records the College Parliament proceedings. 1953 College shifts to its permanent E-shaped building. The 25-acre campus houses classrooms, laboratories, a library, playing fields, a sports pavilion, a seminar hall, an auditorium, computer rooms, a canteen, and halls of residence.
1960 A state-of-the-art auditorium is constructed whose stage is designed by Ebrahim Alkazi. The first qualified librarian, C.P. Vashishtha, is appointed and 29,000 books are acquired. College wins the DU water polo championship 6 times in a row. Dr. Naresh Trehan is a pre-med alumnus of the College. 1965 Indo-Pak War College donates generously to the National Defence Fund. The new Student Parliament Constitution enfranchises all students.
1970s-1980s The Student Parliament becomes the launch pad for bright minds such as Subramanian Swamy, Bhikhu Ram Jain and Kapila Vatsyayan. Savita Datta is elected the first lady Prime Minister. Hardip Puri, Siddharth Basu and Mahesh Rangarajan win laurels in debates. Animesh Srivastava, Mahesh Rangarajan and Sanjay Chouhan become Rhodes Scholars. The sports complex is inaugurated by Minister Margaret Alva. President Giani Zail Singh lays the foundation stone of the new canteen. A new Science Block is added, after which 'Honours' classes begin at the College. Amitabh Bachchan is the Chief Guest at the launch of the commemorative souvenir, at the Le Meridien. Platinum Jubilee is celebrated with the launch of ‘MECCA’ (the annual festival). Rajesh Sharma and Suman Dutt Sharma are appointed as the first women administrative staff. College receives the status of "Extended College".
1990s Alumna, Dr. Kavita Sharma, is appointed as the first lady Principal. Infrastructure is upgraded—new computer laboratories, a new seminar hall, a common room, a photocopy shop, and a bank branch are set up. Green initiatives such as the installation of solar lights, solar-powered heating system, and the introduction of rainwater harvesting begin. Best practices are established, such as repairing and restoring the 1825 vintage colonial guardhouse, eventually the Bharat Ram Centre for the Arts. Vyjayanthimala Bali visits the College. Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the Chief Guest at the College‘s centenary celebrations. He releases a commemorative stamp featuring the iconic College building. 1999 The Old Students Association (OSA) releases the Alumni Directory. The first Distinguished Alumni Award is given to the oldest living alumnus, Advocate Jivan Lal Seth, who is 99 years old.
2000 to 2006 Arun Jaitley, Justice Adarsh S. Anand, Jairam Ramesh, Javed Akhtar, Tavleen Singh, Ashok Vajpayee and Amitav Ghosh visit the College. The NSS and NCC work consistently to serve the College and the nation. Women's Development Cell is set up to spread awareness about gender issues. The College starts part-time courses in foreign languages—German, French, Spanish and Russian. Many student societies such as Abhirang, Alankar, Masque, Ibtida, Panchtatva and Earthlings come into being. They successfully organize events and represent the College. Disha, the placement cell, is established. Departments organize their own festivals, lectures, debates and cultural events. The Third Premchand Memorial Debate which is also the first international event at College, with teams from Australia, Singapore and Pakistan is held. Writers’ Meet is organized with four Pakistani writers as panel experts. ‘Global Action Day’ is observed to honour Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims, and to protest against corporate crime that results in man-made disasters.
2007 — 2014 Bharat Ratna Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is the Chief Guest on Founder’s Day. Personalities such as Gulzar (Film personality), Dr. Kiran Bedi and Somnath Chatterjee (Politicians), Arnab Goswami (Journalist), Binalakshmi Nepram (Activist), Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Olympian) are Chief Guests/panel discussants in different events. Campus becomes wi-fi equipped. New ICT laboratories and a Central Computer Lab are set up. The College is connected to the University network through optical fibre. Symposium, Caucus and the International Hindu College Model United Nations (IHCMUN) are formed. IHCMUN organizes an international event. The College campus is one of the venues for the Commonwealth Games. It is also a location for popular films such as Sarfarosh, Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi and Rockstar. The practice of Prime Minister‘s Debate is introduced to increase accountability in student elections.
2015 Prof. Anju Srivastava takes over as Officiating Principal, the second College alumna to hold the office. The construction of the Girls’ Hostel and a new Academic Block begins. The foundation stone is laid by the Lt. Governor of Delhi. More than 600 students and teachers participate in the National Knowledge Network Video Conference held in the auditorium. The College participates in the launch of MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) by Delhi University. The College participates in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and launches an e-waste-reduction drive. Rashtriya Ekta Diwas and Good Governance Day are celebrated. The College continues to evolve and excel, while remaining true to the ideals of its founding fathers.
2016 The College receives A+ grade in the first cycle of NAAC Accreditation.
2017 The construction of the Girls' Hostel begins and the hostel becomes fully functional. The College signs an MoU with the National University of Singapore, and becomes a partner and host institution for the Asian Undergraduate Summit.
2018 Prof. Anju Srivastava becomes the Principal of Hindu College, the second alumna of the College to hold this office. The construction of the New Science Block, and the STP is complete. The Science Block becomes fully functional.
2019 The Girls' Hostel is named Shrimati Indu Punj Girls' Hostel in memory of Shrimati Indu Punj. The Chairman of the Governing Body, Shri S.N.P Punj passes away. Shri T.C.A Rangachari takes over as Chairman of the Governing Body of the College.
2020 The College is ranked first in the Arts and Science streams, and second in the Commerce stream, in the India Today College Rankings.
March 2020 COVID pandemic breaks out. The College, following University recommendations, and GOI guidelines, moves teaching-learning work to the online mode. The College adapts well to the unprecedented circumstances. Many societies initiate COVID relief work.
2021 The College inaugurates the renovated auditorium. It is renamed ‘Sanganeria Auditorium’. ‘Utsav’, a new amphitheatre is inaugurated.
2021 The College is ranked first in the Arts and Science streams, and second in the Commerce stream, in the India Today College Rankings.
2022 The College ranks second in the NIRF rankings, conducted by the Ministry of Education. The College is ranked first in the Arts and Science streams, and second in the Commerce stream, in the India Today College Rankings. The College restarts offline classes on 17th February 2022. The College initiates industry-academia collaborations with esteemed organizations such as Shriram Institute for Industrial Research, Reckitt Benckiser etc. The College signs MoUs for research and innovation partnerships with international institutes like York University, King's College, London, Whiteria University, New Zealand etc. The College, in association with three colleges from North-East India, launches the Vidya Vistar Scheme.