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CMS College, Kottayam has many firsts, and a college magazine is one of them. Named ‘Vidyasamgraham’, the college magazine was an in-house journal meant for educating students in various subjects beyond the syllabus and also for engaging them in writerly and scholarly activities. The first issue came out in 1864, and the college’s pioneering efforts in establishing a printing press during the early part of the 19th century itself had helped this initiative. Rev. George Mathan was the editor of the Magazine. The founding fathers of the college were true visionaries who could think of a college journal that was unheard of in many parts of the country.

The relief work by Biju C Bharathan stresses the peculiarities of Vidyasamgraham, which literally means the summary of knowledge. One of the hallmarks of this journal was an eight-issue-long series on the game of chess, which was an intellectual game and pastime not only for the royals but also for mathematicians and musicians. The series was written by an anonymous author; hence the artist does not introduce a human presence in the work. In a space divided by floating squares, the artist has placed a chessboard and the pieces. On the left side of the mural, a partly opened journal, Vidyasamgraham, is seen. The uniqueness of such knowledge-based literature is emphasized in the relief.