Page 1

DU C0LLEGE
910 - 2004 கல்லூரியின் கதை
Ints' Association SJubisce மாணவர் சங்கம் DI LD60s
)4

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Page 3
KOKUWIL N
(HI)STOR
E S. RATNA
கொக்குவில் இந்து
Publishers:
Kokuvil Hindu College C
(Colombo Brai Diamond Jub
கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லு (கொழும்புக் கி6ை
வைர வி
60 ஆண்டு
2C

DU COLLEGE
Υ1910 - 2004
Y 2RAGASAM
க் கல்லூரியின் கதை
)ld Students' ASSOciation nch) Estd. 1944 bilee SOUVenir
ாரி பழைய மாணவர் சங்கம் ா) ஸ்தாபிதம் 1944
ழா மலர்
கள் நிறைவு
O4

Page 4
Title
Author
First Edition
Size
No of pages
Paper used
Printed By
Price
Published by
(HI)STORY OF KG (1910 -
Diamond Jubile
Mr. S. Ratnapra,
2005
B5
XX -+- 334 = 354
80 GSm. White P
Unie Arts (Pvt)|
No. 48B, Bloem
Rs... 1000/=
Kokuvil Hindu (
365/1. R.A. De

KUVIL HINDU COLLEGE 2004)
e Of Colombo O.S.A- 2004
gasam
aper
Ltd.
endhal Street, Colombo -13
College Old Students' Association Colombo Branch)
mel Mawatha,Colombo-3.

Page 5
(H)STORY CF KOKU
This is called the “Story of not history of K.H.C in view the record of the historic fac present precise details as far: derived from available archi the stories told by locals fam is not an exact detail of his
made to base the story on a
KOKUVIL HI
Head Masters
Period Titl
1910 - 926 Head
1926-1928 Head
1928 - 1940 Head
January 1941 - May 1942 June 1942-January 1943 February 1943 - June 1946 February 1946-June 1946 July 1946-March 1949 April 1949 - March 1960 April 1960- October 1960
November 1960 - December 1970
January 1971 - May 1971 June 1971 - May 1972 June 1972 - December 1980 January 1981 - March 1991 April 1991 - January 1996
24 January 1996 - 24the Sep 1996
{
Princ
 
 

—R
VL HINDU COLLEGE
Kokuvil Hindu College' and 7 of the many shortcomings in S. An effort has been made to as possible. The historical facts val resources are balanced with liar with the school. This story ory, although all efforts were vailable archival records.
NDU COLLEGE
and Principals
e Name
ma Ster Mr. E. Chelliah (Founder) master Mr.S. Thiagarajah master Mr.M.Karthigesu
ipal Mr.M.Karthigesu
Mr. C.K. Kanthaswami (Acting)
ipal Mr.S. Seenivasagam
Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami (Acting)
ipal Mr. V. Nagalingam
ipal Mr. S. Handy Perinpanayagam
ipal Mr.C.K. Kanthaswami (Acting)
ipal Mr.C.K. Kanthaswami
ipal Mr.C.Gunapalasingam (Acting)
ipal Mr.P.S. Cumaraswamy
ipal Mr. M. Mahadeva
ipal Mr.A. Panchalingam
ipal Mr. R. Mahendran
ipal Mr. T. Ganeshapillai (Acting)

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CON
The College Flag
கொடி வாழ்த்துப் பாட்டு Foreword - S. Sinnathamby Message - K. Ketheeswaran J.P. (President) Significant years and events K.H.C Student Strength கல்லூரி வாழ்த்துப்பா பழைய மாணவர் சங்க வாழ்த்துப்பா
Preface
Historical Background
Chapter- Early beginnings
The English Day C The Tamil School The English Schoo
Chapter-ll Karthigesu Days
Chapter-Ill Seenivasagam Da
Chapter-IV Nagalingam Perioc
The College Staff K.H.C Ground Pla College Song
Chapter-V Our Veteran Teach (i) Reminiscences -
Capter-V Perinbanayagam
List of teachers wh the year 1940 Linga Light Carniv
கல்லூரி வணக்கம்
Chapter-VII Farewell to Handy இயன்மொழி வாழ்

TENTS
heliah Days
lThiagarajah Days
yS
1947-1948
- 1941
erS Mrs Kanagambikai Ranganathan
Decade
no served in the staff of K.H.C after
al- 1950 (in pictures)
(மாணாக்கியர் பிரிவு)
த்திதழ்
iv
PAGE
wii
viii
xii
xii
xiii
Xiv
Xviii
15-23
24-36
37-39
40
41
42 - 59
60 - 64
65-79
80
82
83
84 - 93
94 - 98

Page 7
Chapter - Will
Chapter - IX
Chapter-X
Chapter-X
Chapter- XII
Chapter - XIII
Chapter - XIV
University System
C. K. Kanthaswamr இயன்மொழி வாழ்த் நாமகள் போற்றி மா
(ii) Remisciences !
- அ. முத்துலிங்கம் Order vesting the
Farewell to an epi
Cumaraswamy Da Mahadeva Days K.H.C. Staff - 1976
Education Reform Parents Charter,
Extra Curricular A College Magazine Prize Functions
O.S.A Dinners
Scouts and Guide:
Kokuvil Hindu Colle
in Colombo
Reminiscences - M Notification re-App KHCPTA Building in the U.K
in Canada
in Kokuvil in Germany in Norway NeW Centenary Bu

- Expansion
į ERA
ந்திதழ்
66
நான் பாடகன் ஆனது
School in the State 140
Clife.
yS
S after 1971
ctivities
ge Old Students’ Associations
Mr. V. Theagarajah 193
roved Charity
Fund in Colombo
ilding
99-104
105-129
130 - 31
132-133
134 - 137
4-142
43-144
145-147
48-149
150-16
162 - 164
65-168
169-170
171-172
173-183
184 - 207
208
213 - 214
216 - 220
223 - 224
230
231
228 - 230

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Chapter - XV
Chapter - XVI
Chapter-XVII
Chapter - XVIII
Chapter - XIX
Chapter - XX
Chapter - XXI
Chapter - XXI
Chapter - XXIII
Chapter - XXIV
Chapter - XXV
Chapter XXVI
Appendix
Panchalingam Peri K.H.CGround Plan
Our School Library
The Boarding Hous
Games and Athlet
International Schoc
School Inspections
Mahendran Years
கல்விமாதரசை வை
Kamalanathan Per
KOKUVil Hindu Prin
Jaffna Hindu Colle
College Crest (iv) Reminiscences நான் கற்பித்த கால
Epilogue Dedication
(i) World War II
(ii) Education in Sr (iii) Schemes for U (iv)Medical Educat

Od
-2004
எங்கிவாழ்வோம்
iod
lary School
ge Board of Directors
நினைவுகள் - செ. வேலாயுதபிள்ளை
iLanka- Important years and events niversity Admission in Sri Lanka ion in Sri Lanka - Major events
vi
232 - 242
245
246 - 251
252-254
255 - 265
266 - 267
268 - 270
271 - 275
276
277 - 282
285 - 287
288 - 294
295 - 298
299 - 310
311 - 314
315
316 - 320
320 - 329
330 - 331
332 - 333

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The C
 

ollege Flag

Page 10
C
C
C
s
s
SSS555 R5RSS 5 கொக்குவில் இந்துக்கல்லு
பல்ல கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கொ குனிந்து வணங்கி வாழ்த்
FryeoTI கம்பத்தின் உச்சியில் ஓங்கி - அது 'கற்ற தொழுகு' எனும் வ செம்பட்டி சேர்வெண் பட்டுக்கொ செம்மையும் தூய்மையும்
ஓங்கார எழுத்து வடிவத்தினுள்ளே ஒளிதரும் குத்து விளக்கி பாங்கிலே சங்கு சக்கரப் படையும் பதுமமும் கொண்ட சின்ன
எட்டுத்திக்கும் கலையொளி பரட் எங்கள் கலைக்கொடிக்( பட்டுக் கொடியென லாமோ - தமி பண்பாட்டுக் கொடி என்ட
செந்தமிழ் ஆங்கிலம் செழுங்கை தேர்ந்து பயிற்றும் கல்லூ இந்துப் பண்பாட்டுக்கு இலச்சின இறுமாந்திருக்கச் செய்வ
எங்கள் மணிக்கொடி வாழியவேஎங்கலைக்கோயிலும் வா மங்கலத் தமிழ்மொழி வாழியவே
மணித்திரு நாடும் வாழிய
O KO) O KO) O O O) O O KO)
vii

O O O O O O O KO) O O ரிக் கொடி வாழ்த்துப்பாட்டு
აoიმ டியிது பாரீர் துவோம் வாரீர்.
ங்கள்
ாசகம் தாங்கி τtη - Θέδι உணர்த்துதல் காணிர்!
(கொக்குவில்)
ா - சுடர் னைக் காணிர்;
- நல்ல னத்தைப் பாரீர்
(கொக்குவில்)
பி - விளங்கும் கு) இணையில்லை என்போம்; ழ்ெப் பதே சாலும்
(கொக்குவில்)
ல - விஞ்ஞானம் ரிக் கொடியிது; னயாய் - எம்மை தெம் கொடியே.
(கொக்குவில்)
என்றும் ழியவே
ஈழ வே.
(கொக்குவில்)
O O O O O KO) KO) O O
CCCCع
C
CCC
C
оCCCCC
C

Page 11
FOREN
It was with ver Ratnapragasam's requ
The history of K No other institution h that had been the fate the war, the occupati the Indian Peace Kee people from Jaffna in the usual difficulties í other person who is as qualified and competent KHC. He had been associated with KHC from even after leaving school, he maintained an int involved in all the development work of the scl momentous task. To supplement his own persona all the records and other sources that were avail. of our college that is possible with the materials of Mr. Ratnapragasam at KHC from boyhood, Ih can vouch for the authenticity of the early incid
To most of our contemporaries who had g is a pleasant journey down memory lane revivin long - forgotten boyhood memories. Unlike at major part of our life and we spent the evenin activities in which teachers also participated. The had intimate knowledge of the home circumstar them with paternal interest looking not only in personal matters
Mr. Ratnapragasam has not confined him culled a great deal of information from various st educational system of Sri Lanka to cricket, so t only to those connected with KHC, but to othel
S. Sinnatamby B.Sc. (Ceylon) Attorney at Law.
 

WORD
y great pleasure that I acceded to my friend est to write this foreword for his book.
okuvil Hindu College (KHC) is a fascinating story. ad undergone that many vicissitudes of fortune of KHC. The baptisms of fire, the ravages due to on of Jaffna by the army, the curfew imposed by ping Force (IPKF) and the mass exodus of the October in 1995, created problems in addition to aced by a rural, penurious school. I know of no as Mr. Ratnapragasam to compile this history of his childhood and grown up with the school and imate connection with the school. He was fully hool and we are thankfull that he undertook this ll knowledge, Mr. Ratnapragasam had delved into able and has produced the most complete history that we have today. Having been a contemporary have shared many of the experiences with him and 2nts related by him,
rown up with the school, a perusal of this history g many a happy hour spent at KHC and recalling present, during our time school life constituted a g hours at school indulging in extra - curricular school was indeed an extended home. The teachers ices of the students and their families and treated nto their curricular activities, but also into their
self merely to the bare history of KHC, but has ources relating to varied subjects ranging from the hat the book is bound to be very interesting not 's as well.

Page 12
President”,
The year 2004 was Kokuvil Hindu Coll with foresight, in 1 years in the life of proud of. It cannot
Sixty years. As in th and downs in its act
achievements of th
944 to 1994. I St
association's Golden Jubilee was celebrated in
Show was also organised on the following day a raise over rupees. One million to our Associatio The Interest that is being realised from this dep School. A grand colourful souvenir was release
Mr. S. Ratnapragasam, our senior - most of our "Alma Mater" from its humble beginni Kanapathipillai Appakutty, (incidentally my Gr in Kokuvil and started this school at his reside his son in law N. Chellappah, a matriculate, to be theorist, who was approached to head this new the school was shifted to the present premises, t donated the site. We all are proud that our Alm in the Jaffna peninsula. The story runs into twe historical narration of the school with a comme education in Sri Lanka. The narrative is not a co restricted to essentials, recording what is impor School. It includes personal perspectives of Pri. and of administrative and supportive staff who
Mr. S. Ratnapragasam left KHC, in May He had the advantage of having lived in the imr Witness to the early happenings in the school. been a very active member in our Association.) its inception in its various departments and, re
 

s Message
the Diamond Jubilee of the Colombo Branch of ege Old Students' Association. It was inaugurated944 by Principal S. Seenivasagam. Sixty fruitful a service organisation is indeed a matter to be claim to have achieved all that it wanted in these e case of human institutions, there have been ups tivities and fortunes. I cannot claim credit for the e Association during the fifty year period from epped in as President in June 1994, when the a grand manner at Hotel Taj Samudra; a Musical it Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium which helped us to n and we still have this money in our Trust fund. osit has been allocated for the development of our d to mark this memorable occasion.
Vice President, has attempted to trace the history ngs to the present day. In 1910, a senior citizen, and father) foresaw the need for Hindu Education 'nce, near 3rd Mile Post, Kokuvil. He persuaded a teacher and to assist E. Chelliah, an educational school. When enrollment in the school increased, hanks to Head Master Chelliah's generosity who a Mater' is today one of the prestigious colleges :nty six chapters. This book is a unique blend of ntary on the trend of developments in the field of ld formal academic essay. The contents have been tant and relevant for a review of the history of the ncipals, of alumni who have enriched the school,
have given long service to the school.
1948 and had been living in Colombo ever since. mediate vicinity of the school in Kokuvil and was He had been our Secratary in the 1950s and has He served in the Central Bank of Sri Lanka from stired in June 1989 as Director of Management

Page 13
Audit. At the request of our former Principal A. F has devoted his leisure hours to compile this I "Alma Mater. Our thanks are due him for this l
This book styled “The story of Kokuvil H. the Diamond Jubilee of our Association. This is every student who has had his/her education at to possess. The Colombo Branch of the KHC(C be associated with it's publication just 5 years ah to celebrate in the year 2010.
Unie Arts (Pvt) Ltd have performed a good servi
May, 2005

anchalingam, in the year 2003 Mr. Ratnapragasam ecital of men and matters of significance to our bour of love.
indu College' is being published to commemorate a well documented history of the school, which Kokuvil Hindu College will be proud and happy SA) and I, as its current President, are pleased to ead of our school's Centenary which we we hope
ce in publishing this book.
K. Ketheeswaran JP President
xi

Page 14
1910
1914
1916
1926
K.H.C.- Significan
Anglo - vernacular School at Feeder school to Jaffna Hindu Registered as a "Grant in Aid School shifted to Chelliah Ha A Tamil school with classes English School elevated as Ju with classes up to Junior Sch
1940 Elevated as Senior Secondary with classes up to London M. 1941 Kokuvil Hindu English Scho and named Kokuvil Hindu C 1945 Free education scheme Introd Direct Payment of teachers’ s 1948 Kokuvil Hindu College was e 1955 The Tamil School was amalgi 1960 State take over of the Colleg 1966 K.H.C was elevated to the Su 1975 Primary School separated fro 1996 K.H.C. was classified as I.A.E
K.H.C. - Stud
Year Teachers Students
1916 100
1927 139
1937 274
1939 15 400
1940 501
1947 29 820
1963 158
1967 1800
1978 58 1632
1979 61 1593
1980 1626

t Dates and events
north of Puthukovil.
College named Kokuvil Hindu English School. School' in Department of Public Instruction.
II.
up to year 5 was also set up.
nior Secondary School - 'C' Grade
)ol certificate (J.S.C) Level.
School - 'B' Grade
triculation level.
3l was elevated to collegiate status.
ollege.
uced
alaries by Education Department.
levated to Grade I Status
amated with the English school.
a
per Grade
m Senior School (Grade 8 upwards)
College.
ents' Strength
Year eachers Students
1981 1646 1982 1386 1984 1752 1986 1696 1988 1892 1989 1897 1990 1922 1992 68 1989 1998 1265 2000 1435 2002 64 1410 2003 66 1640 2004 74 1740

Page 15
r @○ (... C
கல்லூரி வாய்
செ. வேலாயுதபிள்ை
உலகெனப் படுவோ ருள்ளத் துணர்வி கலைவளர் மதியம் போன்றின் கலைெ கலைமக ஞறையு ளாகக் கவினுறத் த குலமணி கொக்கு விற்கோர் கொழுஞ்
முந்தைய ரிளைஞர் கற்பான் முறைை சந்திரன் வளர்வ தொப்பச் சிறப்புற வ சிந்தையி னிருள கற்றிச் செழும்பொரு விந்தையிற் கொக்கு விற்கோர் விளக்
இந்துமா சமய வுண்மை இவையென
சந்தமா யறிவுறுத்துச் சமரச ஞானந் சிந்துவாய் கொக்கு விற்கண் செழுங் இந்துவாழ் சடையா னொப்ப இலங்கு
செந்தமிழென்னுந் தேனைச் சிறார்த வந்தனைக் குரிய வெங்கள் வளர்கை சந்தத மிளமை விஞ்சத் தளர்வுறா ே அந்தமில் தமிழைப் போன்றிவ் வவனி
தெளிவுறு மாங்கி லத்தாற் றிசைக்கன துளகலைத் துறையி னெல்லை யோர வளமுறு கொக்கு விற்கண் வாய்த்து உளமுறு மாங்கி லம்போல் உலப்பிலா
கைப்பொருள் கொடுத்துங் கற்றல் கு எய்ப்பினில் வைப்பா மென்றே இயம்பி பொய்ப் பொருள் போக்கி ஞான போ மெய்ப் பொருள் போலநாளும் மேதினி
மிக்குயர் கலைகள் யாவும் மாணவர்ச் தக்கவ ராக்கி வாழ்விற் றகைபெற ந: கொக்குவி லிந்து நீதான் குறைதவிர் எக்குல மலையுந் தாழ எழுந்திடு மிம

Žổg/Ü Unr
6J B.A. (Hons.)
னைப் பிணித்து மங்காக் யனு நிலவைக் கான்றக் நிகழுமெங்கள் நசுடர் விளக்கே வாழி.
மயிற் கண்ட சாலை! ளர்ந்து மக்கள் நட் காட்சி நல்கி கென வாய்த்தாய் வாழி.
விளைஞர்க் கெல்லாம் தன்னைச் கலை நிலையம் நீயே க வைய மீதே.
மக் கினிதினல்கும் ல நிலையம் நீயே தாங்கி நாளும் யில் வாழ்க மாதோ.
லை தெளித்து ஞாலத் ள வுணர்த்து மாற்றால் ள மணியே வல்லோர் தென்றும் வாழ்க.
வலய மாந்தர்க் கெல்லாம் னர் மேலோர், அன்னாய் தநீ வழங்க லாலம்
மீது வாழ்க.
5 குவந்தளித்துத் ல்கு மெங்கள் ந் தோங்கி வாழ்க பம் போன்றே.
iii
○○

Page 16
0.
மீன்சினை புரையும் வித்தே வான்கிளை நாலா திக்கும் தான்தரு நிழலால் யார்க்கும் கான்வரு கொக்கூ ரிந்துக் க
ஓங்கிய நோக்கம் வாய்மை : தாங்கிய நடையென் றான்றே பாங்குடன் வளர்க்கும் பண்ப வீங்கிய புகழுற்றோங்கி வழி
ஒதரு கலைகள் வாழ்க உண கோதறு கொக்கு விற்கண் க போதக நிலையம் வாழ்க.பொ ஆதரவளிப்பார் வாழ்க அன்
62a5/76i5gj6,765 & Ucoupus Dr7ozzuosi (fsnija
வாழ்த்
கொக்குவில் இந்து வாழ்க கொழு தொக்க நற் சங்கம் வாழ்க தொட
முக்கிய பதவி யேற்று முயன்றுளே முக்கண் மா முதல்வன் தந்த முரு
பேணிநம் அன்னை யென்று கல்லு காணிகொள் வதற்கும் மாடிக் கட் மானுற நிதி திரட்டி மகிழ்வொடு மாணவர் சங்கம் செய்த பணிமை
கல்லூரி அதிபர் சேவை முற்றியக் நல்விருந் தளித்தும் சேவை நலம் பல் வாழ்த்து மலர் படைத்தும் பார பல்விதம் பணிக ளாற்றும் பழைய

மரபினில் முளையுற்றோங்கி Φ) வனப்புறப் போக்கி மண்ணிற் சார்பென விளங்கு மால்போற்
ழகநீ வாழி வாழி.
உயர்வுறு மொழுக்கம் செம்மை )ார் சாற்றிய குறிக்கோ ளெல்லாம் ாற் பல்கலை தெரிக்கு மன்னாய்! வழி சிறக்க மாதோ.
ர்த்திடு மறிஞர் வாழ்க கலைவளம் பெருக்கு மெங்கள் ாருள் கொடுத் துன்னைப் பேணி புளார் யாரும் வாழ்க.
1950 K.H. C Carnival Souvenir
/ந்துக் கல்லூரிப் 5ம் (கொழும்புக் கிளை)
துப் பா
ழம்புவாழ் பழமா ணாக்கர் ர்ந்துசெய் தொண்டு வாழ்க ார் எல்லாம் வாழ்க }கவேள் அருள்முன் நிற்க 1.
லூரிப் பெருமை பேசிக் டடம் நிறுவுதற்கும்
வழங்கு முன்னாள்
ல விளக்க மாமே. 2.
கால வர்க்கு
புனைந்துரைத்து மேலும் ாட்டு விழா வெடுத்தும் மாணவர்கள் வாழ்க. 3.
1994 Colombo O.S.A Souvenir ஞகு

Page 17
(H)STORY OF KOKU
"Whatever you do or dreamy Boldness has genius, power a
PRE
"The thought of our past years doth breed perpetual benediction” said Wordsworth. Perpetual benediction first and foremost to the founder E.Chelliah. Let us also offer benediction to others who had helped in rearing this great school. To rise from very insignificant and poor beginnings and shine in the educational firmament amidst innumerable ups and downs was the destiny of Kokuvil Hindu College (KHC). The reputation, esteem and prestige that the college can boast of today by being ranked as one of the great educational institutions in Jaffna have not been achieved overnight or without effort. The selfless service of its largehearted principals enabled the school to withstand misfortune and adversity and move forward steadily to achieve the cherished ambition of establishing a good Hindu school at Kokuvil by the founder E.Chelliah. It was M. Karthigesu who steered the ship in stormy seas sans finances and even a word of admiration or encouragement in the early period. But he braved all these obstacles by dint of hard work, devoted service, great sacrifice and unshaken determination and emerged victorious to elevate Kokuvil Hindu English School to collegiate status before he retired in 1943 as the first Principal of the College.
Today it is almost impossible to envisage the educational scene in Colonial Ceylon in the late 19th century. English was the sole language

VIL. H.NDU (COLLEGE
ou can, begin it. nd magic in it. Begin now"
Goethe
FACE
of administration, and to secure any position in government, education in English was vital. Every school where English was the medium of instruction had been established by Christian missionaries. The poorly equipped village primary schools were meant for "hewers of wood and drawers of water'. If people had to raise themselves out of their humble lot they had absolutely no alternative but to attend Christian schools, and here, at an impressionable age, they were steeped in Christian values and a way of life that made them look down on the local traditions of their birth with contempt. The native elite of that era, Mudaliyars, doctors, lawyers etc were invariably Christian, having lost their traditional religion in the crucible of missionary schools. English medium schools sprang up in many parts of the country to keep pace with the demand for English education which opened the path to prestige and preferment. The International usage of English, the richness of its cultural, technical and scientific content was another consideration. These schools had a social cachet and a great attraction for upwardly mobile "natives'. The schools had to follow the syllabuses prescribed by the Education Department to enable them to get government grants. The subjects included among others English, English literature, Latin or Greek - one could not enter the Medical College or the Law College without a pass in Latin at the London Matriculation Examination.

Page 18
English Literature greatly enriched the mind by their aesthetic values and imagery. It introduced readers to dramatists like Shakespeare, poets like Milton and to authors like Dickens. Speakers and writers who, till today, have been seeking to achieve distinction cultivated English by paying meticulous heed to its nuances and won esteem by the skill and perceptiveness they displayed. After a series of communal riots in 1956, 1958, 1971 and 1977 culminating in the race-riots in 1983 in Sri Lanka, some militancy emerged in the North-East. Such travails, did not occur in the time of Martin Wickremasinghe or Sri La Sri Arumuga Navalar. But there is a difference. There was the Dharma which helped us to face and cope with these upheavals. We had a collective consciousness which helped us to live normal lives even in the midst of War. The ability to cope comes from firm and steadfast Hindu vision which was not shattered by events. We have the good fortune to anchor ourselves in the vision of our Hindu Saints and Sages. Religious Education is of such great importance to our students.
Sri la Sri Arumuka Navalar led the revolt against the activities of the missionaries. He devoted 32 years of his life to revive and diffuse the Saiva religion and its literatures by expounding its tenets to the Tamil people, by establishing schools in various parts of the peninsula and by delivering lectures on the principles of the Saiva cult. He wrote some school books in prose, of which Pala Padam in three parts has made a name for itself. After working tirelessly for Saivaism and Tamil language he passed away in 1876 in the 54th year of his life. The Services which Navalar rendered to the Tamil language are manifold. All the Tamil works on Saiva religion and also some of the best known classical literary works saw the light of publication by the labours of this Great Savant.
Χ

"The special committee Report on Education (1943) comprehensively enumerated the defects of the educational system as follows:-
(1) The existence of a dual system "English" and "Vernacular” schools leading to the creation of two social classes and the neglect of our national languages by the English educated.
(2) The excessive uniformity of the system, which is purely academic in character and bears little relation to the practical aspects of life.
(3) The absence of equality of opportunity, viz. the absence of an educational ladder by which those unable to pay fees could profit by the best education available in the island.
(4) The compulsory education was, in
substantial measure, not compulsory.
The shameful reality is that a considerable Section of our population is utterly and hopelessly illiterate. In a democracy where people select governments through elections, illiteracy of the populace is a major drawback which must be removed early. Illiteracy is our fundamental educational problem, and high priority should be given to its removal. Liquidation of illiteracy should be in the foreground of educational programme in independent Ceylon.
"Even the most elementary form of primary education is now not being received by hundreds of thousands of our children. Denominational schools almost entirely shouldered the burden of secondary education in the past, To get the full benefit of secondary education, the mere absence of tuition fees is far from sufficient. Many more amenities are required to obtain modern standards of education. The educational ladder is far from being a reality and that the equality of

Page 19
opportunity which Free Education system ostensibly set out to establish is as yet but a dream'.
Wrote Father Peter A. Pillai commenting in 1948 on the "New order in Education". Even in 2004 we are still struggling to adequately remedy the defects and achieve the ideal.
Before 1944, religious education was governed by the Ordinances of 1920 and 1939. Under both these, Religion was not part of the curriculum in government schools and "no instruction in religious subjects was to be given as part of the ordinary course of studies at the school'. As education was not complete unless it instilled discipline into the young and brought about some spiritual advancement in them as well, Mr.Kannangara placed a recommendation before the State Council in 1944 to the effect "that religious instruction (appropriate to the religion to which the parent of the child belongs) shall normally be provided in all state schools including all State Training Colleges subject to the right of the individual parents to withdraw their children from such instruction by written request addressed to the headmaster"This was passed on 5 June 1945, with an amendment to make such religious instruction compulsory even in assisted denominational schools. The amendment however was not given legal effect due to strong lobby from the church, and the democratic right of a child to instruction in his/ her religion was thus not conceded by some denominational schools.”
The Soulbury Constitution was adopted in 1946 in Sri Lanka then Ceylon. It received the consent of all the minorities. This was achieved through a process of mutual consultation and negotiation by the representatives of these communities. The constitution itself was an Order - in Council of

vii
the King who was then the King of Sri Lanka as well. The British Government insisted that it should be approved by a special majority of three quarters. In fact it was approved by 80% of the members of the State Council. The constitutional document received the approval of the minorities because it contained certain safeguards for them. There was the section 29 which prohibited discrimination-positive affirmative action to favour any particular community or negative discrimination against a minority. There were also the Senate, the multi member constituencies, some weighing of voting in favour of the Tamil areas and a list of appointed members to provide for communities that could not win in an electoral contest, so the minority support required the majority providing safeguards for them. But after 1956 the two communities, Sinhalese and Tamil, drifted apart and a civil war broke out in 1983 and it has lasted for nearly 20 years.
The infringement of civil rights and problems of majoritarianism, as some rode roughshod over the rights of the minorities lay at the root of the crisis. Sri Lanka bacame a society where violence became accepted and condoned; where human rights were preached but humanity and humaneness were forgotten. The following comment by Lee Kwan Yew of Singapore in his autobiography amply describes the position.
"Ceylon was ahead of the Far Eastern countries in the post World War II period, but tragically plummeted to its present state. Its criminal follies turned a success into a failure - Sinhala only in 1956, the constitution of 1972 with the hegemony of Sinhala and Buddhism, the anti - Tamil riots of 1958 and 1983. If federalism as a solution is not implemented and the minorities given a better deal Sri Lanka will remain the epitome of conflict, pain, sorrow and hopelessness”

Page 20
Historical
The colonial government handed over the monopoly of education in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) to anglicized clergy - the three Protestant Christian Missions, vis: The Anglican Mission, The American Mission, The Wesleyan Missionand gave them financial assistance because "Its definite policy was to convert the people of Ceylon to Christianity through education." But Catholics, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims were left out. Christopher Bonjean, a French Missionary, who was Bishop of Jaffna and later Bishop of Colombo, headed the agitation and strongly advocated a school system which permitted each religious denomination to open and conduct schools for its children with financial aid from the State. So in 1865, a committee was appointed by the Legislative Council to inquire into and report on Education. On a recommendation by this Committee, the government abolished the Protestant dominated Central School Commission set up in 1841 and, in its place, established in 1869, the Department of Public Instruction, which is now the Department of Education. The Committee also laid down two principles regarding education in the country.
(1) that every religious denomination could
open schools for its children; and
(2) that government grants would be given
impartially to all such schools that provided sound secular education.
These principles formed the basis of the denominational school system which came into
'Subramanium Rajaratnam from Valvetty was a lawyer who abai and development of the Tamil Language. He was the General Secre established in 1923 and set up more than 200 schools all over the Ja Navalar. He was popularly known as "assroadsdiest fair stadicatif lamp of native culture in huts and hamlets of Jaffna
XV

Background
being and has been known also as the "Grants - in - Aid System' or "Assisted School System'. Kokuvil Hindu College was one of the many schools that came under this system; this is confirmed by the following extract taken from the Jaffna Hindu College Magazine (Vol - II) of March 1912 No. 1.
"Kokuvil Hindu English School - Mr. E. Cheliah, the Head Master of the Primary Department of Jaffna Hindu College, has taken charge of this school as its permanent Head Master. The School is gaining popularity and strength under the supervision of Mr. Cheliah. The Manager has applied to the Department of Public Instruction for its registration as a grants - in- aid institution'. The school was registered as "Grants in Aid School' in 1914.
This system of education developed extensively in the country and lasted nearly a century until the State take-over of schools in 1960. Thus, the State on the one hand and the religious denomination on the other became partners in education. Here we must remember with gratitude two great men of Jaffna. viz: Mr. S. Rajaratnam * (of the Hindu Board of Education) and Sri La Sri Arumuga Navalar, who were largely responsible in providing Hindu children with education with a Hindu background. Quite early in life, Navalar selected service to language and religion as his mission in life. He established several Tamil scnools. That most of these schools are still functioning is a tribute to the "father of Tamil Prose".
1doned his legal practise in 1930 and worked in promoting Saivaism tary of the Hindu Board of Education. (ense, ossflurt Scié& Fristi) ffna Peninsula. He gave practical shape to the ideals set by Arumuka situsvar "one who continued the Navalar tradition. He kindled the
viii

Page 21
Religious piety and devotion must spring from within out of religious fervour and conviction. Religious consciousness must be left to the parents and children.
At the end of the 19th century the American and Foreign missions came to develop our country. They were a type of Christians called the Congressionalists, the founding parents of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India. For some strange reason the British sent these Americans to labour in Jaffna. In the peninsula, the American Missionaries began work in the areas of education and healthcare. Hence, Jaffna College, Uduvil Girls College, Manipay and Inuvil Hospitals were established. The work of these Americans enhanced the work done by earlier missionery societies and the result was the creation of an educated community. Education being the passport to livelihood in the context of other factors, the products of Jaffna schools embellished Ceylon's Public Service.
It was by establishing the Batticotta Seminary in 1823 that Rev. Daniel Poor and his colleagues provided the facilities for the development of Tamil. Dr. Daniel Poor (18161855) through the 39 years of his missionery endeavours brought about a radical social change in the Tamil Community. Since the " first intellectual want of civilized man' was a newspaper he began the publication of the "Morning Star” (g gu girysos) in 1841 which was devoted to Education, Science and General Literature with a brief summary of important news. The seminary was the centre which radiated goodwill, stimulated a spirit of enquiry and extended knowledge beyond its walls, reaching the homes of its students and their friends. The Christian missions saw education as a means to conversion. The State Council was compelled to introduce "the consciences cause” because proselytising was going on at a pace.

ix
Dedicated American missionaries set up excellent missionary English Language Schools (with funds from America) that gave the Jaffna Tamils of all socio - economic and religious groups a head-start over their Sinhalese brotheren. The American educationists chose Jaffna peninsula because they considered it virgin territory without much competition from the Anglican and Catholic Church Schools.
In 1929 the school system consisted of a few English Schools and a large number of vernacular schools. English schools were fee levying whereas vernacular schools were funded by the Government and the medium of instruction was the mother tongue. The majority of the English schools was in the Western and Northern Provinces. There were about 33 English schools in the Northern Province at the time and Kokuvil Hindu English School was one of them. The selection of students into these English schools depended on the parents' income and wealth and hence access to higher education was restricted to the elite even though there were very few scholarships given to exceptionally clever students without sufficient financial resources.
In the nineteen thirties, "the new trend in educational theory was towards the development of self activity in the child". There was a marked reversal of this trend with private-tutor assisted examination - orientation. This was largely the result of fear, on the part of parents and students alike, of failure to secure suitable employment, in an environment of minimal opportunities, fierce competition and deficiencies of education in schools. The scarcity of resources such as school buildings, teachers, laboratories and libraries continued to perpetuate inequalities in education. Primary concern of the student was with "education for life'not "education for livelihood" but he was realistic enough and human enough to know that the latter could not be neglected without frustration of the former.

Page 22
In 1940, Sir Ivor Jennings was appointed Principal of University College. In 1942 University of Ceylon was established by amalgamating the Ceylon Medical College (established in 1870) and University College (established in 1921) under the University Ordinance No.20 of 1942. Sir Ivor Jennings was appointed the first Vice Chancellor of the University of Ceylon. The first batch of graduates came out in 1943. Vast changes in the educational set-up in Sri Lanka have taken place. In 1945, free education was ushered in; Dr. C.W.W.Kannangara declared in 1946. “I have done one thing where I may lay some credit with a certain measure of pride and satisfaction, that is in spite of the fiercest and most dogged opposition from a large and very influential section of the people of my land, in spite of abuse and claumny, vilification and ridicule, I have succeeded in obtaining the sanction of the State Council for a scheme of free education providing for all children of the land equal opportunity to climb to the highest rung of the education ladder, from Kindergarten to the University irrespective of the status or financial capacity of their parents and for obtaining our national languages their rightful place in that scheme as an essential prerequisite for building up a free, united and an independent nation' When he triumphantly introduced the Education Reform Bill and obtained State Council approval, the Indian Government representative in Colombo walked up to the Sri Lankan Minister and said "You would have been worshipped as a god had you been in India'. It demonstrates how the Asian world acknowledged this contribution to education in Sri Lanka.
* Before he came to Ceylon, Sir Ivor Jennings had established on constitutional law and history but also on local governm attack on theories of Dicey, one of the greatest writers on the constitutional adviser" to Prime Minister Senanayake. Sir Ivorc He advised the Government of Pakistan. His services were ob Sri Lanka in his honour. He was the "real architect' of the Per age of 62. His name will inextricably be linked for all time w
XX

Tuition fees were abolished from October 1945. The switch-over to swabhasha, Sinhala or Tamil, as the medium of instruction took place in 1947. University entrance examinations were held in swabhasha from the year 1959. A transition from denominational institution to director managed schools was effected in December 1960; vesting of the school in the government was made effective from 1963 and the primary school was separated from the collegiate section in 1975. Kokuvil Hindu College continued to produce excellent results both academically and in extra curricular activities, not withstanding the changes.
Prior to 1945, higher education, which was in English, was the prerogative of the rich. University education was beyond the reach of even those with an average income. The poor had to be satisfied, at most, with secondary education. Free education from the kindergarten to the university, then called “Pearl of Great Price', opened wide the doors of higher education for the poor. Scholarships from the fifth standard to the university, providing free board and lodging, were endowed to poor helpless talented children, selected by a competitive examination. But unplanned education has created unemployment among the educated. Disparity in educational opportunity gave rise to unrest and many other social evils. Swabhasha and free education were fine in themselves and a great boon to the non-English speaking and the poor. Discontinuance of literature and history from the school curriculum had a devastating effect on the growth of human sympathy and understanding and allegiance to democracy and justice among the young. Neglect of the humanities was causing catastrophic spiritual impoverishment at all levels.
a reputation based on years of teaching and writing not only
Lent and Parlimentary reform. He won fame in 1933 by his British constitution. Sir Ivor was "virtually enrolled as honorary irafted many of the provisions of Ceylon's 1948 constitution. tained by Nepal as well. A 75cts pಂಟ್ಗಿ stamp was issued by adeniya Campus. Jennings died on 19 December 1965 at the ith Peradeniya.

Page 23
EARLY BEGINNINGS
CHELLIL
(1910
THE ENGLI
As early as 1900 originated the idea of founding feeder Schools to the Jaffna Hindu College, the premier National Institution in the North. From this time onwards the
authorities VᏙ Ꮎ re seriously thinking of giving practical shape to the scheme. Certain elderly members on the staff of the College with a broad vision too were inspired with zeal towards this course.
The revered Tamil Pandit of the College Mr.Somaskandar of innocent simplicity from Tha vady, Mr.E. Chelliah an experienced and efficient teacher of sterling character from Kokuvil and Mr.K. Appakutty were the pioneers who exerted themselves in this
E. Chelliah.
K. Appakuty
 
 

Chapter - 1
4H DAYS
-1926)
SH SCHOOL
direction. They were joined later by other well wishers of the locality who contributed not a little towards the attainment of this worthy object.
In October 1910 a humble beginning was made (Small beginnings lead to great ends ). A few boys from the neighbouring Tamil School anxious to learn English formed the nucleus of a small class held in Mr. Appakutty's house in Kokuvil near the 3rd mile post facing the main road - Jaffna-KKS road. Mr.N.Chellapah, a Madras Matriculate was in charge of this class. In spite of its growing Strength Mr. Chellapah proved equal to the task of maintaining the necessary discipline and tone. Within an year's time the infant school was housed in a semi-temporary shed in the land adjoining the outer Northern courtyard of the Puthukovil Temple. As a result of pupils from neighbouring villages seeking admission into different classes, the school developed into a full fledged primary school with the late Mr. E. Chelliah as its first Head Master and it was named Kokuvil Hindu English School (K.H.E.S).
Kokuvil Hindu College 1

Page 24
Mr.N.Chellappah was one of the coterie of young men who helped Mr. Chelliah, the first Head Master, in founding and organizing the woon School in the year 1911. : \r. Chellappah had been closely associated with the improvements of the school in its incipient years. He was a close V friend and colleague of the ནི་ founder. After well-nigh
- 33 years of strenuous Mr. N. Chellappah work he retired at the age of 57 years in 1944. His period of service saw the College grow from an efficient Primary School to a full fledged Secondary Institution; and he played no mean part in fostering its growth to attain an exalted position. He was helpful in organising and conducting not only the studies but also the office. To him the progress of an institution from Strength to Strength has no meaning unless knowledge grows'. He never tolerated carelessness and irreverence in the child. He was always harsh with the careless and the irreverent. He punished Such delinquets. A man of many parts and merits he was essentially an assistant master doing work in the primary classes, and he combined in himself a consummate knowledge of the subjects of the school curriculum with a perfect mastery of the art of teaching. particularly arithmetic, gained in the hard School of experience and an unrivalled grasp of the office routine. This happy combination made him almost indispensable. He was a plain simple country gentleman unassuming with a halo of aristocracy about him. Like his forbears he owned a farm where he worked day in and day out. That had been his wont even as a teacher. He never cared for the results of his actions, yet he was able to enjoy the fruits there of at school and at the farm. He was a father of many
2. Kokuvil Hindu College
 
 

children, his son and daughters and his grandchildren loved him and adored him with a patriachal affection. He was a useful member of the Society, useful on occasions of stress and Straln.
This writer recalls a very interesting incident in the third standard class of Kokuvil Hindu College. The time table provided for Mr.N.Chellappah to teach religion for us. One afternoon the teacher explained the fundamentals of Saivaism, the significance of Wearing the holy ash and Rudraksha garland etc. Then he Said “கடவுள் எல்லாம் வல்லவர், எங்கும் 3(b(U6)ir Those Were days when two students Occupied a table (without drawers) but with two holes at the two ends to keep the inkwells. Beneath was a shelf to lodge the books securely. When teacher mentioned '67 figup 3(bs U6) it' a boy K.Ganeshu in the third row closed both fists of his two hands within the book shelf and shouted b1631 tugg (3 Jr. (6L6ör'. It was a Surprise to both the class and the teacher who summoned him to his table and asked for an explanation from the boy who went with closed fists. Mr. Chellappah rewarded the bold boy with a slap on his face shouting "Don't play the fool here'. Ever since that day this student was known as 'JL6)6O)6 its pg5 d5(36)01d,. For Well Over fifty years, I had lost touch with Mr.Ganesu. Last year (2003) at a crowded wedding hall, he Walked up to me and enquired whether I could remember him. The face was familiar; his form was not the One I knew as a boy. Having had a hard look at him for a while, I said 'Aren't you கடவுளைப் பிடித்த கணேசு”? Promptly he remarked "you have a wonderful memory to remember Chellappah master reprimanding me. I am that Ganeshu'. We later exchanged greetings and parted company with a feeling of regret that most of our class-mates were not among the living now (2004).

Page 25
to be acute., Mr. Chelliah acquired the present site along the Railway Station Road, Kokuvil on the southern part of the temple and got a
1916. At this stage Mr.Chelliah handed over the school to the Board of Directors of the Jaffna Hindu College. A preparatory Tamil School was started in the same premises and it served its purpose well. Later on girl pupils too were admitted into the English School at the request of several parents who found it inconvenient and expensive to send their daughters to schools three or four miles off.
THE TAMIL SCHOOL
Tamil education was imparted to pupils in schools attached to Churches during the Portuguese period. Gnanaprakasar, hailing from a family of staunch Saivites, abhorred the idea of giving a cow for slaughter, under a government order, and left his native place, Tirunelvely, in Jaffna and went overto South India. He perfected himself in the knowledge of Tamil grammar and classics and wrote a learned commentary on Sivagnana Sithiyar showing his deep knowledge of the Saiva Siddhanta philosophy. During the Dutch period, Tamil education was encouraged to a good extent. Small schools, attached to churches, teaching elementary Tamil were built throughout the peninsula. There was one such school opposite the Kokuvil Church on Kankesanthurai-Jaffna road. Seminaries were established for the dissemination of more advanced Tamil. The Company used to send outstanding scholars to Holland for higher studies on subjects such as Theology, Philosophy, Medicine and Law. Many Tamils were sent from Ceylon for higher studies in Holland. One of the scholars to whom posterity is indebted for information on historical anecdotes and events

of Jaffna is Mylvagana Pulavar, whose famous work is Yalppana Vaipava Malai. Among the literary men of this period was the famous poet of Jaffna, Sinnathamby Pulavar of Nallur. When Ceylon passed into the hands of the British, the earliest band of American missionaries arrived and made Jaffna the centre of their activities. Only a few people then could read and write. So they established Tamil Schools in different villages. Later on in the year 1823 they started a central school at Vaddukkoddai in Jaffna for imparting education of the University standard. It was renamed a Seminary in 1827. The main object of founding the institution was to give the youth of the country a thorough knowledge of the English language.
When in 1916 the school was shifted from premises at North of Puthukovil to the premises in the South of Puthukovil two large halls were constructed. One, the present Chelliah Hall, housed the English School whilst the other was occupied by the Tamil School with Mr. Ponniah as its Head Master. The two halls were partitioned by shiftable wooden screens to make up a class room, depending on the number of children in each class. To gain admission to Kokuvil Hindu English School (as Kokuvil Hindu College then was) one had to pass at least the third standard in the Tamil School situated in the same premises. Mr.N.Kandiah from Idaikadu Suceeded Mr. Ponniah in 1930 as Head Master of the Tamil School.
"In the early part of the 20" century, primary schools taught the 3R's (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic) in order to enlarge and extend the means of communication. Payment of grants to the school depended on the results of an annual examination in the 3R's. Subjects like art and needlework (for girls) carried a separate grant. Vernacular medium was imposed on all primary schools. English
Kokuvi Hindu College 3

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Primary Schools were allowed an equipment grant of Rs. 2.50 per annum per pupil while the grant in the 'ernacular school was only Rs. 1.50 per pupil. With the abolition of the scheme of "pay") ent On results" in the 1930s the school at 17 O Sphere was freed and subjects were COI solidated into an integral and balanced Curriculum. Children in the primary stage of their education need things to handle, to manipulate, to Odel, to talk about, and to ask questions about, they require time for their experiments and explorations. A child's power to reason in words (tild to clothe his experience in language, grows "ith the opportunities to do things after his taste, his attempts to solve problems urge him to learn hois' to read, write, count and measure and even investigate and explore the exciting world around him. "Learning by doing' should be the key-note of education in the primary School. At about Seven years of age children begin to delight to be taught and to acquire Skills” wrote Mr.M.Sinnathamby who started his teaching career in a primary School (Kokuvil Station C.M.M. School) and Served in it for over eight years till 1938.
Grey mustached Mr. Sambanthar from Nallur, a ferociously blue eyed figure, formidably marching up and down, a prominent cane in hand, hawkishly Surveying the activities in the class rooms for miscreants was a terror to the little children. Woe unto the brats he caught. With all this exterior hardness, he was very kind to the students. He had the interests of the School and students at heart. Under Mr. Sambanthar, Navarathiri festival was a special Occasion in the School. A group of Students were trained to sing Navarathiri Songs and taken to the houses of parents and well-Wishers by prior appointment. The opening Song given below Was always an invocation to Lord Vinayagar.
சீரோங்கு கன்னிமதி சேர்ந்த நவராத்திரியில் பேரே7ங்கு சீர்விருத்தம் பேசுதற்கு - ஏரே7ங்கும் 3h76i 7 கொக்குவில்வாழ் செய்ய கிருபாகரன்நர்
கல்வியருள் ஜங்கரனே காட்பு
4. Kokuvil Hindu College

After the singing was over short eats were served to the teachers and Students in those houses and cash present was given to the teacher-in-charge. This viruththam paaduthal (6)(b5b D ITGB356) was conducted in the houses of prominent personalities who gave bounteously to the school. Funds were thus collected for the school then. Later other forms Were adopted.
Then there was the matronly Mrs. Thamb a pilla i Muthammah from Chankanai, dreaded for her telling pinches. She shaped her students both by kindness and punishment. ། She never spared the rod and Mrs. Thambapillai spoiled the child. Her dance Muthammah and song and story played their part in her educational technique as well as Sterner measures. She lived in Kokuvil close to the School. Mr.S.Sathasivam from Meesalai was the other lady teacher in charge of the infant beginners in nursery classes.
To counter-balance these disconcerting figures not easily forgotten there was the petite, genial Mr.Kanagasabai from Kondavil, trim and dapper Mr. C. Kanagasabai in White nationals and Head Master 1959-1979 shawl, and a broad Smile on his face, chewing betel all the while. Letting not a harsh Word escape his lips, he Succeeded, nevertheless, in maintaining discipline and teaching the children their lessons. The children learnt, for their fondness and respect for him was no less than was his for them. The Head-master Mr.N. Kandiah retired from Service in 1937. Tall and portly Mr.V. Kanapathipillai from Karaveddy was the new Head-Master of the Tamil School.

Page 27
THE ENGLISH SCHOC
THYAGARA (1926 -
In 1926, the English School at Koku vil was
Stil &l Junior Secondary School. It was known as Kokuvil Hindu English School. Mr. S. Thi ya garajah frOm Kollankalad V.
S. Thiyagarajah "Tellipalai. Succeeded Mr. Chelliah as its Head Master. Mr. Thiyagarajah began his teaching career in 1922 at the Arunodhaya School in Alaveddy. In 1924 he left to follow the English Trained Teachers' course in the Training School at Maharagama. The Dahanayake brothers from Galie, who were his colleagues in the Training School befriended him and retained their association with him until their last days. As a full fledged English Trained Teacher he was transferred from Jaffna Hindu College to assume duties as Head Master at Kok u vil Hindu English School in 1926 Succeeding Mr. E. Cheliah the founder. Mr.Thiyagarajah married in 1927 Sivanayaki, the daughter of the renowned Tami Scholar
Courtsey- Mr& Mrs. R. Kandiah. U.S.A. (Mr.Thiagarajah
 

DL
JAH DAYS 1928)
Proctor Thambiah, his maternal uncle. With the advent of the new Head Master, post-primary classes leading up to the J.S.L.C (Junior School Leaving Certificate) were formed. Student tnumberS Steadily increased and a high Standard of education was maintained. Mr. Thiyagarajah joined the Education Department as an Inspector of Schools in August 1928. There were 139 children in the English School when he left Kokuvil,
He was a great devotee of Puthukovil, the temple adjacent to the School. Years later, he Was amongst those present at the two Maha Kumbabichekams conducted in this temple in the years 1945 and 1966 at Mr.Sangarasivam’s invitation. Mr.Thiyagarajah played a significant role in his own village in the early Stages of developing the famous Durgai Amman Temple at Tellipalai. He functioned as Treasurer in its management committee with Miss.Thangammah Appakutty. He passed away in 1982 and Mr. A. Amirthalingam, as Leader of the Opposition in SriLanka Parliament, paid him a glowing tribute.
's daughter and son-in-law)
Kokuvi Hindu College 5

Page 28
KARTHIG (September 19
"Strong Towers dec Shall never pass aw
In the nineteen thirties Ceylon had no local university. Education WS completely in the hands of Government and of Missionary Schools. The few Hindu and Buddhist Schools could not afford to be M. Karthigeyu altogether independent of a grant-dispensing Government Department. The natives could not receive an education worthy of the name until Government in 1832 insisted on efficient teaching of Tamil (or Sinha lese) in all Government or grant-in-aid Schools.
Ceylon was the largest Cambridge local centre, outside England, sending up to 700 candidates. The examinations which determine school curricula were Cambridge Locals and Matriculation and Intermediate examinations of the University of London. The Government also held a special "University Scholarship Education examination (l) in English, Latin and Greek and (2) English, Mathematics and Natural Science, in alternate years. The Successful Scholars proceeded to an English University. The famous physician from K o ku v il Dr. R. S. Tha na ba la S u n d e r a m, M.D., F.R.C.P(Lon) was one such scholar from Our School.
6 KoRu vil Hindu College
 

Chapter - 11
ESU DAYS 28 - May 1942)
ly,
but a Great man
αν
- Park Benjamin
These examinations made no provision for native languages of Ceylon nor for a knowledge of the history or literature of the East, When oriental studies were not encouraged, Students neglected Study of their own language and literature and the "educated" grew up in total ignorance of their language, literature and national traditions and were estranged from the bulk of their countrymen. One's own language must ever remain the means by which one can most simply, most truly and most naturally express one's deepest feelings. Mother tongue can alone appeal to him with all the power of association and tradition. He should know well his own tongue as well as English. Ceylon History is one of the oldest, most interesting and fascinating histories in the World.
Mr.M.Karthigesu from Puloly succeeded Mr.Thiagarajah and was its (K.H.E.S.) Head Master from September 1928. The school functioned under the Board of Management of the Jaffna Hindu College and affiliated Schools. Mr. Sabaratna Muda liyar of Saiva Siddhanta fame and Mr.A.Sabapathy of Thalaiyali, both of Kokuvil Served as members in this Board at that time. In the same premises at Kokuvil, there began two independent Schools-a Preparatory Tamil School with classes up to the fifth standard; and an English School from the First Year Class upwards to the J.S.C (Junior School Certificate) class. Both primary and postprimary sections were administered by one head until 1928 when they were separated and put in

Page 29
charge of two different Head Masters. Mr. Ponniah from Thavady was made Head Master of the Tamil School. He was of fair complexion and had the appearance of a Tamil Pulavar with his curly hair combed backwards. Daily after School he kept Students spell-bound by relating the Story of Mahabharatha in a manner that could be followed with ease by little children.
Mr. M. Karthigesu, who hailed from Puloly West, Point Pedro was in charge of the English School, housed in that majestic old Chelliah Hall, which to date (2004) has not undergone any change whatsoever. There was a Boarding House to help teachers from far off places to have their meals and lodging. The Headmaster lived in the School and helped protect School property. He saw to the proper maintenance of live fenced boundaries preventing Stray cattle and goats from entering the premises and destroying his Small garden of Vegetables. The Malabar Nair who ran the Boarding House was a Very clean and genial perSon. Mr.Karthigesu was strict in enforcing discipline more by a show of the rattan than by its actual use. His favourite exhortation was, "Sit erect, sit up properly". Students thus acquired erect carriages and Strong Spines (in more Senses than one) Mr.Karthigesu believing as he did on "Mens sana in corpore sano" (a Sound mind in a Sound body) led the Students jogging round and round the School buildings as the School had no playground of its Own convenient for Such an exercise. Besides being an administrator, he was also a good teacher of English and Tamil. He loved music.
*"The state of Kerala boasts of the highest literacy rate in We are familiar with Georges, Johnes, Kuriens and Verghes in Sri Lankan Schools, When Mr. K. R. Narayan was elect "Before a Keralite could reach the highest office in India, Sil to Devan Nair who was the first President of Singapore) A in Cochin, written in her unique style, won the coveted BC

The management : equired at least a lady (eacher on the Staff as Kokuvil Hindu English School was a mixed School with co-education. That was a period where Jaffna had little or no lady teachers. Finding one ट्रै8888 for Koku vil in the Mrs.P.P Bhagavianna peninsula was difficult. 'Lady Teacher Mr. Venka tra man, Principal of Jaffna Hindu College was deputed by the management to interview applicants in India and choose one to Suit the requirements of the School. Mrs. P. Bhargaviammah was Selected as a consequence. Hailing from Kerala, *she came to Jaffna and joined the school on 20th May 1929. She was the first graduate teacher in Kokuvil. Her mother tongue was not Tamil, but she acquired the necessary fluency and gave her spoken Tamil an attractive Malayalam drawl. Born, bred and educated in a different country She found her life mission in a totally different environment and became merged with it in a teaching career of 28 years at Kokuvil. She was a Hindu steeped in the values and traditions of our ancient faith. She lived in Kokuvil close to the school. Her children, Pathmawathy and Chandrasekaran lived with the mother and studied at K.H.C. up to the Senior level. She taught mainly History and English. Her husband Mr. Mathavampillai M.A.B.L died in Senkanoor South India on 17-04-1967. By the time she left
India. Keralan teachers are now spread all over the globe. ses who were the first teachers of science in mid 20th century ed President of India, Singapore Strait Times commented ngapore had already chosen one for its Presidency (referring run thathi Roy, another Keralan, with her brilliant story set poker prize.
Kokuvi Hindu College 7

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in 1957, she had left behind a symbolic image of a prospective guardian and a foster mother to a continuing bevy of girls year after year. In a message from Trivendrum she conveyed her good wishes to Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami (in 1971 July) for a happy and prosperous life of rest and peace. She died on 15 May 1975.
The sacred letter AUM (QLD) the creative vibration that externalizes all creation was
Selected to form the School Crest. The School's motto "absbBT5(5 (p(5' was incorporated in the crest circumscribed with the words "Kokuvil Hindu English School'. One of the most significant symbols of Brahman, both personal and impersonal is AUM. It is the symbol of both of the Personal God (in His aspect of Creator, Preserver and Destroyer) and of Impersonal Reality. AUM represents respectively creation, preservation and destruction. AUM is eternally existent. It was not invented by any man, but was revealed to pure souled mystics when, in meditation, their minds communed with the highest. All that is the past, the present and the future; all this is the syllable AUM. Whatever else is beyond the three-fold time, that too is only the syllable AUM. Kokuvilities feel proud to carry Such an important symbol for Hindus in their school crest. Over the years, the motto has been changed as "BigQg5|T(p(5' but learned opinion favours the original lettering "Efim (TISIGd5(T(g(5'. The school may consider making amends and ensure that Tamil letter LD’ is conspicuously displayed in all school crests. The wooden sculptured image of Lord Nadarajah with his consort embedded at the centre (in a circle) of the emblem AUM was the handiwork of the renowned achary from South India, who with his team, came down to Kokuvil and worked on the construction of that marvellous decorative chariot used by the deity
8 Kokuvi Hindu College

presiding at the Manchavanapathy Murugan Temple, opposite the school. The sculptor was honoured with presents at the College morning assembly in 1941 by Principal Karthegesu.
There was a fire in the cadjan roof of the English School Hall in 1940 in the afternoon one day in a week-end during the dry season of the year. Mr.Karthigesu was not in school and the gates were all locked. Fortunately, he had left the keys with his confidante and neighbour Mr.Ramalingam as was his habit whenever he went home to Puloly. Villagers were able to open the gates, enter the premises and with water carried in buckets and other vessels successfully doused the fire preventing it from spreading to a large area. Arson was not suspected. Damage to the school was not severe. Soon after tiled roof replaced cadjan roofing in the main Hall.
The notable social event of the Karthigesu period in the school was the celebration of the school's Silver Jubilee in 1937 which served as a suitable occasion for unveiling the portrait of the founder Mr.E.Chelliah. The gradual increase of admissions to the various classes necessitated the provision of additional accommodation, the staff too had to be suitably strengthened. The General Science block was put up during Mr.Karthigesu's time with funds raised from parents of students. It comprised two model class-rooms and the science laboratory. The walls had plastered black boards. This solid building stands to this day as a lasting monument to Mr.Karthigesu's dedicated service at Kokuvil. A portion of this building has since been demolished in 2003 to give way to a new storied block, at that spot, as a gift by the children (Mrs Rewathy Kamalasingham and Balakumar) of former teacher T. Sinnathamby.
The unique feature of Kokuvil Hindu English School which enhanced the quality in

Page 31
the silver Jubilee year was the provision under one roof for a multiplicity of disciplines, whilst providing the opportunity and ambience for the students to interact with their teachers and their peers in a friendly atmosphere in which friendships are forged, tolerance and understanding are learnt and practised, divergent views respected with the correct flavour supportive of character building. The sizing of the classes helped in achieving quality and excellence with more of quality learning leading to interactions and independent study, reflective practice and scientific thought.
The school was blessed with a competent group of teachers who performed their duties with proper understanding of the teaching - learning process having proper attitudes and commitment and who were involved in the upliftment of the school. They had the willingness and capabilities to understand and analyze and gained the respect of the students. They formed a remarkable team with rare qualities seldom seen in other Schools.
The English school ranked as "Junior Secondary', had strength of 400 students in the year 1939 and a teaching staff of about 15, all huddled in a few cadjan sheds. That was the position 30 years after it was founded. That indefatigable old gentleman Mr.M.Karthigesu decided that this school must take additional responsibility. He had the school raised to the status of a Senior Secondary School with classes up to the E.S.L.C (English School Leaving Certificate). Later London Matriculation classes followed. The school then assumed its present name Kokuvil Hindu College. Mr.Karthigesu's incalculable contribution to Kokuwil Hindu College will endure as long as the College stands.
One of our ancient traditional games, the PANKAM, may be foreign to our youngsters

today. In the nineteen forties, after Hindu New Year, individuals competed with one another in breaking coconuts using another coconut. Many nuts are fielded in rapid succession as they are broken and the owner of the coconut that withstood all strikes wins the game, this is known as "Porr'. But when groups of persons compete fielding a large collection of coconuts, say 500 or 1000 nuts, that game is known as “PANKAM' and the side that had first broken all the fielded coconuts is declared the winner. Many persons talented in the art of smashing the fielded cocounts participate in this competition. In the year 1941, one such PANKAM WS organized by Mr.A.Kuddithamby with the active participation of Head Master Karthigesu. It was held at the outer Southern temple courtyard adjoining the school. With Jaffna-KKS Road as the dividing line, persons living in East and West Kokuvil, collected a number of coconuts and competed as two opposing sections. Each side fielded well over 1000 coconuts. Coconuts from Gale dominated in the collection as they had very strong shells that withstood many strikes without being easily broken. The competition commenced around 9.00 a.m. that day and lasted till sun-down. Mr.Viswalingam Manoharan's father was an expert in this art. He successfully smashed a large number of the fielded coconuts and excelled other equally good participants like Mr.C.Palanithurai. The contest was vigorous and feelings ran so high that by 5.00 p.m. a breach of the peace was feared. Respected senior persons in the village intervened by night fall when the level of the coconuts awaiting fielding drew a balance in both sides and the contest was declared a draw, with neither side the winner. It was indeed a thrilling experience for the whole village. It was the first and last PANKAM held in Kokuvil. In reconciling the bitter feelings of the two sides Mr.Karthigesu along with other
Kokuvil Hindu College 9

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Senior citizens played a significant role; this explained the highesteem in which he was held by the Kokuvil community. Credit must be given to Mr. Karthigesu who formed the matricuation classes and put an end to Kokuvil Hindu College being a feeder School.
Mr. T. Sinnatham by and Mr. A. Amirthalingam who were Sons of the Kokuvil Soil (Thalayali) had long been on the teaching Staff of the School. With a view to inspiring a Sense of belonging in the community and increasing the quota of local teacherS. Mr. Karthigesu arranged for the recruitment of Mr. M. Sinnatham by in 1938 and Miss, Suhirthaluxmy Chelliah (Mrs.S. Supiramaniam) In 1942 as additions to the Staff. Both were residents of Kokuvil and, true to expectations, they displayed an abiding interest in the growth of the School. Mr.M.Sinnathamby had been a teacher from 1930 in a Preparatory Christian Mi SS i On School in Koku vil Whil St Miss. Suhirthaluxmy was the first past pupil to he appointed teacher in hI Oku vil. Both Were Shining examples of teachers who continued to an as they taught and enhanced their academic (chievements leading to a degree from the London U n i v e r S i t y . M. Sinnatham by Mr. M. Sinnathamby of hallowed memory joined Koku vil Hindu College as a Tamil Pundit and went on to collect a B.A(Hons) London degree. Such was his sheer dedication to learning that he copied in his own inimitable, beautiful English handwriting, entire books which were rare and not readily available. However his students remember him for the knocks he administered with gusto on their heads and the accompanying remarks, which hit
1O Kokuvil Hindu College
 

the target more accurately than did the knocks. Many a student gratefully remember him for the profound knowledge of Geography, Tamil literature and grammer Mr. M. Sinnathamby imparted to them. He often edited the Tamil Section of the College magazine and had been the live-wire of Saiva Tamil Manram that was responsible for all the religious activities in the School. Mr. M. Sinnatham by retired from Service in May 197() and passed away in December 1972. Not with Standing her ret i re ment í贯 September 983 Mrs. Supiramaniam continues to be of great Service for the progress of Koku vil Hindu College, though domiciled in Canada, right up to date (2004). Mr.T.Sinnathamby who hailed from Thalaiyali counted 35 years of Service at Kokuvi Hindu. He was an able and Successful Mathematics teacher in the middle forms. He took a particularly great interest in the Welfare of the school and very often acted as a Sort of lia son between the
School and the
management. AS minister Of eXtern (al a f f a i r S ' . Mr.T. Sinnathamby had from time to time conveyed to the management the needs of the School and moved them to act. By his efforts Kokuvil Hindu never Stepped back and forged ahead with new Schemes. Short in stature but deep in intelligence Mr.T. Sinnathamby cultivated wide and Varied interests outside. As a successful election propaganda agent, a businessman, and a farmer he had held his own against his contemporaries. His cheerfulness and good humour were always appreciated by both staff and students. He regarded Kokuvil Hindu
T. Sin natham by

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College as his own. The College is deeply indebted to his children Mrs Revathy Kamalasingham and Balakumar who have jointly provided the finance not less than Rs.25 lacks to construct a new office for the deputy principal in-charge of the Southern campus and a rest room for teachers near the Chelliah hall, in their father's memory.
Astrologer Ragunatha Iyer of Sothida Prakasa Press, Kokuvil, of international fame in compiling the Tamil Almanac *(Vakkiam) annually from the year 1925, established a Book-Depot in 1930 at Jaffna-KKS Road, just opposite the School. This met the school book and stationery requirements of the students in its early days. Later as its stock of books laid emphasis on astrology, religion and classical literature, the school had to set up a small book shop in its own premises to meet students needs. The exercise books sold here carried the letters “Kokuvil Hindu English School' boldly printed on the front cover. Students prefered to use these exercise books. Sothida Vilasa Book Depot had been shifted out of Kokuvil in 1946 and is now operating from No. 46, Grand Bazaar, Jaffna.
Student prefects were nominated to assist the teachers in maintaining discipline. S.Nagalingam and S. Arulpragasam held the position of Senior and Junior Prefects. Mr.Karthigesu, besides being a good teacher was a firm but benevolent administrator. Over the years, he has grown like a massive oak tree whose sanguine branches give that essential shade to many a Kokuvilite, exuding vibrancy and a fragrance of rectitude and integrity. For
* The popular Sinhalese Epa almanac (The Epa Panchan Appuhamy. He studied astrology under Pandit Vishvanath the Ganesh Kovil at Colombo. Later he went to India and con of Kanchanur. On his return to Lanka he published the alm is today. The 150" Epa almanac was printed and published guidance of Indika Epa, Seneviratne, Walter and Wijenayal

the service rendered, with loving care to Kokuvil Hindu College he will remain one of its most noble and revered teachers. When Mr.Karthigesu retired from service in 1943 several farewell functions were held in school by the teachers, students, past pupils and parents. Of all these functions, the one organized by the Old Students' Association at Kokuvil was the most colourful one. Mr.S.C. Thillainathan delivered the farewell address. The school quadrangle was beautifully decorated for this function. Miss. Suhirthaluxmy Chelliah and Miss.Gnanambikai Gnanasuntheram sang the farewell song at the function. Isaivallar Sellathurai, also called Kuppilan Sellathurai trained them both to sing. Unfortunately the celebrations ended on a tragic note. One weekend Mr.Karthegesu invited the staff and many students for lunch at his residence in Puloly. The school made a picnic of the day by special buses and hired cars. After a sumptious lunch at the host's residence, Mr.S.Nagalingam joined so many others to go to the Point-Pedro bazaar. At the roundabout the carin which Mr.S.Nagalingam was traveling crashed into another vehicle and death was instantaneous to Mr.S.Nagalingam. The sad and shocking news of the accident was conveyed in a milder way to the other members of the party that Mr.S.Nagalingam was sinking in hospital. The following day the death was announced to the school in the morning assembly by Mr.A.Nagalingam who broke down. Mr.S.Nagalingam who taught at Kokuvil for well over ten years did not live to retire. Fate snatched him away from our school and we all mourned with his family.
ga Litha) was first published in 1854 by Don Philip Epa a Shivacharya Kumaraswamy of Jaffna who was residing at inued his studies under a famous astrologer Atthawaiyangal inc in 1855 at a time when astrology was not developed as it in March 2004 by a four member editorial board under the
Kokuvil Hindu College 11

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Once the College attained Collegiate status in 1940 the necessity arose to have teachers, who were competent to prepare students for the London Matriculation Examination including science subjects. The name Kokuvil Hindu English School was changed to Kokuvil Hindu College and the name of the head of the school also changed from "Head Master to Principal'. There were no changes in the staff. Flowing from the historical sense of tradition is the lesson that institutions, as the accretions of individual achievements over the years, are ultimately what endure the test of time. The relationship between the individual and the institution is a symbiotic one. Neither is more important than the other. The legendary M.Karthigesu may well have left his footprints to be erased in the sands of time had he not worked in Kokuvil Hindu College where he is immortalized.
Mr.C.K.Kanthaswamijoined the staff in September 1940. It was Kokuvil's good fortune to have him in her fold. He had an attractive offer to join the popular Catholic School in Jaffna viz: St.Patrick’s College as a teacher. We should remember here with gratitude Kalaipulavar Navaratnam for having dissuaded Mr.Kanthaswami from joining a Catholic school and for having prevailed on him to join the then less known village school at Kokuvil and be of some service to Hindus. At Kokuvil, Mr.Kanthaswami was put in charge of teaching science subjects to the higher forms. Mr.N.Ganeshalingam was the only teacher who taught General Science to the lowerforms until
"Mr. Navaratnam was a teacher at Jaffna Central College the gifts of an analytical and discriminating mind, he soug the light of contemporary research and modern thought, Vethanta and Saiva Sidhanta reveal the authors penetr "Development of Art in Ceylon" earned for him the title pioneer work exposition in Tamil language of Hindu aesti
12 Kokruvit Hindu College

Mr. Kanthaswami's arrival. The school decided to publish for the first time a magazine as an annual event and it was Mr.Ganeshalingam who edited it for release in the year 1941. The magazine was named "KOKUVIL MIRROR
Mr.S.Seenivasagam joined the staff in 1942 and undertook administrative functions assisting Mr.Karthigesu. The students and staff of the school were then divided into three houses-Chelliah House, Sabaratnam House and Sabapathy House. In naming the houses, the school reckoned the valuable services rendered by these three sons of the soil for the development of the school. Children were grouped in this manner to encourage active participation of students in all the extra curricular activities and to give off their best. More than winning or losing in any competition each house places due accent on the importance of participating. In any team event the emphasis was on the value of co-operation, the necessity to complement each others failings and the importance of functioning as a unit. Every student in the House, be he a participant or nonparticipant, gets the feeling that he is actively contributing something to his particular house. The sense of personal participation and an impression of everyone's individuality has been the most noticeable factor in this house grouping in schools. Mr. Chelliah was the founder of the school and brief notes on the other two of these men are given below:-
A. Sabapathy was the appointed second Tamil member of the Ceylon Legislative council
for nearly four decades, A self-made scholar endowed with ht to re-interpret and re-state Hindu religion and culture in His introductory studies to the Bhagavad Geetha, Advaita tive mind and spiritual insight. His publication in Tamil Kalaipulavar'. His book on South Indian sculpture was a letics with special reference to 'South Indian sculpture'

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in 1917. He and Sir P. Ramanathan were a formidable force in the Legislature. He was honourary co- editor of the Hindu Organ from 1891-1913 and chief editor from 1913- 1924. He lsacrificed his time and energy for the sake of his religion. He succeeded V. Casipillai as the manager of Jaffna Hindu College. He espoused many public causes and belonged to the great band of Tamil patriots who worked ceaselessly for Hindu cultural revival in Ceylon. In recognition of his services to the community a street has been named after him in Thalaiyali Kokuvil.
WM T sen
S. Sabaratnam of Puthukovilady Kokuvil was a beacon light to the Hindu population of Jaffna for nearly 50 years since the last quarter of the 19th century. He kept the torch of Hindu renaissance aflame by his prolific writings in Tamil and English. In recognition of his services the colonial government conferred the title of Gate Mudaliyar in 1919. He S served as Deputy S. Sabaratna Mudaliyar Fiscal at Jaffna Kachcheri for nearly 10 years before his retirement in 1921. Mudaliyar has many publications to his credit. Of his work in Tamil Jeevanmabetham, Icuranichchayam and Pirapancha Vicharam are discourses on various aspects of Saiva Sidhanta religion and philosophy. His master piece 'Essentials of Hinduism' is an exposition
 
 

of the Saiva Sidhanta school of Hinduism in English.
Inter-House sports competitions commenced in K.H.C and in the first competition held in July 1941, the following students emerged champions. Senior Champion - S. Nagalingam of
Chelliah House Intermediate Champion- V. Navaratnam of
Cheliah House Junior Champion - S. Somasegaram of
Sabaratnam House
Chelliah House were the champions that year and S.Nagalingam was selected as sports captain. Red and White were chosen as the College colours for the School flag. Flag waving exercises, normally reserved for special occasions in need of an added touch of glamour, pre-dominated in the event. This was held in the new play-ground, sited almost half a mile away from the school in a leased out rocky gravel land (present premises of Kokuvil Technical College). Mr.K.Kanagasingham (from Thavady) won the mile race that year. Until the new play-ground was set up students used the outer courtyard of Puthukovil for their morning drill and to play football. The Volley Ball court was sited along the Jaffna-KKS Road (just where the present two storied building of the Primary School stands). Inter-house competitions were held both in volleyball (not played under present setting and dashing method) and football. Inter-Collegiate football competitions were also introduced; the first such match, captained by S.Nagalingam, was played against Karainagar Hindu College in which Kokuvil won by two goals. (3-1).
Mr.S.M.Arunasalam was one of the teachers in the early days of the English School. He had a London Inter-Arts academic
Kokuvi Hindu College 13

Page 36
qualification. He hailed from Kokuvil and he did his lessons well to produce good results by his students in public examinations. He was a very good geography teacher. He used to demonstrate in the class with a large globe and large size world maps hung on the black board. He encouraged his students to learn to draw the maps of Ceylon, other continents and the world, free hand. Each student had to have an atlas. Climatic changes and changes in the monsoons from South West to North East and the areas which receive rainfall in Ceylon, various countries and their capital cities would all form part of his class. He would not permit students to trace and draw maps. He was himself an expert in drawing free hand on the black board the various maps required for the class. Mathematics was another subject he taught. He left on transfer to Jaffna Hindu College in the early 1940s. Mr.S.M.Arumugam his brother was an Engineer who served in the Irrigation Department and retired as Deputy Director of Irrigation. He was one of the senior vice-presidents of the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association (Colombo branch) and took charge of the Association when Mr. M. A. Nadarajah died. Mr. Arumugam contributed liberally to the College Building Fund. The Principal was President Ex-offico of the association then. His nephew Mr. Satkunam another old boy of Kokuvil Hindu College ventured into industry and set up a cigarette factory at Potpathy Road, East Kokuvil. Its manufactured products were named "Farmers Paradise'.They could not get a good market and the factory had to be closed within two years. This only manifests the adventurist spirit, inspired into its students by the teachers in Kokuvil Hindu College even in
its early days.
14 Kokuvil Hindu College

Miss Gayathiri Ponnudurai, petite and energetic, who was at K.H.C for just two short years, endeared herself to the little ones by involving them in extra curricular activities such as dramas and also by joining the children in games as one among them. She combined her devotion to English Language, Literature and to European drama to involve her youthful students in plays by Shakespeare that were presented at the school hall. In the background were dedicated teachers of speech and drama such as M.Vaithilingam and Amirthalingam and other theatre enthusiasists in the area of make up and stage sets who coached and dressed up student actors for the year end drama competition. S. Somasegaram's role as Rawbagathoor Ashadapoothi Aiyangar in one of those dramas with his short lean figure in the dress for that role. captivated the audience. There was indeed a sense of fun and excitement (and also hard work) involved in the production of plays and dramas by students. Gayathiri has since obtained her PhD from the California University in the United States
In the early years (1943) schools conducted fortnightly tests, term tests and Promotion tests on passing which students moved to a higher class. Report books were issued to students at the end of these tests indicating their performance in each subject. When one failed in the promotion test he was retained in the same class for another year. All this ended with the introduction of automatic promotions regardless of the child's performance. Besides school teaching/learning today is narrowly examination oriented and that too to meet the demands of an out-dated "sitin ', " pan and paper only' and "one shot" summative examination systems.
婆

Page 37
SEENVASA (February 1943
The purpose of educ inind so that the rece resources of the hiting ennancipate the perso qılınci novıy". You are ab íslings.'
S. Seenivasagam
Sri Lanka inherited from the British a System of education in English which was confined to the elite. It was not geared to development needs. It's main objective was to meet the administrative and clerical needs of the Colonial Government. No attempt was made to orient or gear the education system, both School and university, to the Socio-economic needs of the country. Facilities in Schools were not equalized; there was a wide divergence in the distribution of facilities for Science education. The School system based on a modern curriculum was the greatest gift to Sri Lanka by Colonel Henry Steele Olcott. The process of decolonisation was introduced at the level of education by a well oriented synthesis of South Asian and Western classical culture along with the Sciences. Students were inducted into humanistic traditions devoid of parochial thinking. This was the best of the liberal arts tradition Olcott introduced from his country the U.S.A and his ideal
An american citizen who travelled to Sri Lanka in 1880 afters and Buddhism, famously known as the "Panadura Vadasa'of 1S native schools like Mahinda College in Galle Ananda and Na schools in other parts of the island. He recognised the need to learning opportunities in English to those who were otherwis mainstream of employement-under Colonial British rulers. The No. 61, Maliban Street, Pettah was later shifted to Maradana at a national hero. A life size statue was erected in front of the renamed Olcott Mawatha. He died on 17 February 1907. A pos
 

Chapter - III
GAMI DAYS - January 1946)
ution is to expand the resilience of the human sses of darkness are also penetrated by the In hind. The principal aim of education is to n being educated from the tyranny of "here le to Stand back and take an Objective view of
Bertrand Russel
Before the Kannangara reforms of 1943, there were two systems of education - one for the poor masses and the other for the elitist few. The former in the vernacular was provided free by Sinhala and Tamil Schools-both government and assisted. The latter was by fee-levying English Schools—both government and assisted. The demarcation whether the education was free or fee-levying depended upon whether it was in the vernacular or in English respectively. English education was patronised by the affluent few because it provided the opportunity for lucrative employment as well as for higher education, which was only in English. On the other hand, Vernacular education while denying the poor any opportunity of higher education, did not place within their reach any job beyond that of a vernacular teacher, an ayurvedic physician or a notary. This dual system of education or Schools, in addition to the dual control by the state and Christian denomination created a Society of two classes of people.
udying the proceedings of the theological debate on Christianity '8. He formed the Theosophical Society and helped in promoting anda colleges in Colombo, Dharmarajah College in Kandy and establish institutions that could impart knowledge and provide ' lot able to gain admission to an English School and enter the Buddhist English Academy established in 1886 November 1st at d named Ananda College. In 1967 government proclaimed him Fort Railway Station, Colombo and also the road in front was al stamp was issued to commemorate the 60' death anniversary.
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Mr. C.W.W.Kannangara always felt that it was through the medium of a student's mother tongue that the potential of his talent was best developed. He placed the following recommendations on the media of instruction:-
1. The medium of instruction in the primary
school shall be the mother tongue.
2. The medium in the lower department of the post primary school may be either the mother tongue or bilingual.
3. The medium of instruction in the higher department of the post-primary school may be English, Sinhalese or Tamil or bilingual.
In introducing these recommendations he commented:-
"We have two classes of society in this country divided by English education. The affluent, the rich, the influential, those that can afford to pay attend one kind of school imparting the higher education. which is given in a foreign tongue. They have to pay for it. Why? Because the official language in this country is English, because no one without a knowledge of English can fill any high post."
As from January 1946, the medium of instruction was changed over to the mother tongue commencing from the kindergarten, and moving progressively upwards year by year.
In Kokuvil, Mr.M.Karthigesu, the first Principal, retired in May 1942. Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami acted for the Principal till February 1943 when Mr.S.Seenivasagam from Moolai was appointed Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College. He received his early education at Victoria Institution, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, where he completed his Cambridge Junior Examination. Returning to Ceylon he
16 Kokuvil Hindu College

continued his studies at St.Thomas College, then located at Mutwal, Colombo. He later went to London School of Economics and graduated with an Honours degree in Economics with Public Administration the special subject. On his return from UK he joined the Lake-House Group of Newspapers in Colombo as chief subeditor looking after economics, constitutional and financial affairs. With a ring-side view of wheeling and dealing in Ceylon politics and the way Tamil people were being side-lined, he left Lake House in April 1938 and planned to set up a national newspaper to voice the interests and views of Tamils. With the out break of the Second World War in September 1939 his ambitious project had to be abandoned as more and more obstacles had to be faced. It was at this stage of his life, he was invited to join the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College. He was equally at home whether he taught, English or Chemistry or Civics or Geography. It was in English that he took great pains in improving the writing skills of senior students. Being essentially a product of Western culture he could hardly adapt himself to our local ethos, strive as he might.
Being a highly educated and well informed person with methodical and amiable ways, Mr. Seenivasagam did not take much time to win the confidence of the staff and the admiration of the students and their parents. The staff held him in high esteem and had an affectionate regard to the new Principal. He had grand schemes for the school and set about fundraising with great enthusiasm. Confronted with finding additional accommodation, securing laboratory equipment and other requirements of a Senior Secondary School, Mr. Seenivasagam was wise to involve the old students and parents in his development programme. The sight of the thatched roof of the College Main Hall (Chelliah Hall) going up in flames so shocked him as to

Page 39
unbalance him. On an SOS from Principal Seenivasagam informing the old students in Colombo that the school was a prey to a fire, the past pupils of Kokuvil Hindu College assembled on 29 February 1944 in Colombo, formed themselves into a branch association and commenced activities. Regrettably the parent body (O.S.A Kokuvil) was virtually dormant after their fine farewell function arranged on the eve of Mr.Karthigesu's retirement. Forming the Colombo branch association was indeed a far sighted move and a great step forward in the progress of the College.
In building for itself an image of eminence and recognition in all departments, the school had the good fortune of the guidance and support of the branch association of past pupils in Colombo. This band of young, energetic, enthusiastic and active members have displayed a rare and remarkable maturity by guiding their "Alma Mater wisely, helping it substantially without yielding to the temptation of interfering in the school's internal affairs. It was this beautiful interaction which bestowed on this Institution a transformation that was unique--a tradition for high standards, and for simplicity that was admirable. These are the School's precious possessions.
One day in the JSC class Mr. Seenivasagam announced that he would award a big prize to the student who submitted a collection of proverbs either in English or Tamil or in both languages, neatly hand-written in a Monitors Exercise book. The maximum number of proverbs he fixed at 1000. He made a similar announcement in the sixth and seventh standard classes and this was an assignment during the 1st term holidays. Well over 20 students engaged themselves in this competition. This writer enthusiastically worked on this and

recalls having submitted a collection of nearly five hundred (500) proverbs in his exercise book. But the prize was won by Miss. Sornamalar Arumugam (Mrs.Tharmalingam) whose book contained about five hundred and seventy five (575) proverbs. Competition apart, this method of his teaching helped the students to acquire a wide knowledge.
Mr. Seenivasagam was also functioning as the Secretary of Northern Province Teachers' Association; Mr.J.C.Charles was its chairman. It was the N. P.T. A that had first taken the enlightened step of demanding free and compulsory education to be taught in the vernacular in 1934. Both were members of the Junior School Certificate (J.S.C) Examination Council. Kokuvil Hindu College presented candidates for this examination; a number of students passed with distinctions. Principal Seenivasagam led excursion trips with his students to places of importance in the peninsula with visits to the old Dutch Jaffna Fort and to the Operation Theatre in the Jaffna Hospital; Junior students were aghast at the sight of the huge electricity lamp just above the operating table at the hospital. His two sons Mr.Shanmugam and Mr. Swaminathan both students of Jaffna Hindu College joined in these excursions. Years later Mr. Swaminathan joined Kokuvil's teaching staff during Handy master's period. In 1944 Mr. Seenivasagam organized a Food and Health exhibition in the school; it drew large crowds from various schools. A novel feature was the format of the invitation cards sent out by him printed on four loose dry palmyrah ola leaves, cut 5 inches in length, and linked by an attractive cord (somewhat similar to our traditional ancient astrological records) His winning smile and a slight stutter masked a brilliant interlect, exceptional organizing skill and steel administration.
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Mr. Seenivasagam was firm in his view that teachers who discipline our children should be a dignified lot, capable of maintaining their dignity. He laid emphasis on four basic means/ modes of expressing ideas. Viz. gestures; pictures; speech and writing. What is most important and useful for teaching is speech. Language, as the vehicle of thought, is basic for both speech and writing. All those who profess to 'teach English should realize that it is not a 'subject' in itself but an integral part of every day life of every brand of knowledge, learning, science, industry and business. He belonged to a generation which stood above narrow nationalism or racism in their commitment to the furtherance of knowledge and peace and understanding between people.
Mr. Seenivasagam used to tell us "As language is the most important form of human communication as a conveyer, interpreter, and also a shaper of social activities it should adhere perfectly to the rules of grammar. If a person wants to achieve proficiency in any language he should at least acquire a knowledge in logic, vocabulary, and rhetoric. The proper force of words lie not in the words but in their proper elegant application. In most of the modes of communication in conveying information, ideas or feelings, importance should be given to the elegance and grace of the language. Syntax finds an important place when man transfers his ideas to another man. Syntax is the essential ingredient of the elusive literary element called style. It is primarily by his syntax that the stylistic speaker or writer distinguishes himself from his fellows He concluded Verba velant Scripta manent “What is spoken flies away, what is written endures”.
He set his face against bullying that is common in schools mostly in the form of namecalling (nickname) and teasing. Verbal bullying
18 Kokuvil Hindu College

among students, he said, was preferable to the physical form like being kicked or having money stolen. Students feel that they can get away more easily with verbal bullying since it is less serious. Name calling and taunting can be so severe that some students choose to drop out of school rather than put up with it. Apart from name calling the problem can range from snubbing a school-mate to physical violence and extortion. Children who get bullied are usually the quiet, submissive types, or who are not doing well in school or are over-weight or are boys who seem effeminate. For these bad effects students should refrain from such practices, he said.
Mr. Seenivasagam used to say that a good teacher should be exemplary and illustrious and should be a model to the student population and society. He should be critical, analytical and inquisitive. He should have the straight forwardness to abhor/condemn those who do not deserve respect and appreciation and honour those who deserve to be honoured/respected. Mr. Seenivasagam's vision had been to produce a perfect citizen through a perfect student. For this you need a perfect teacher endowed with all the necessary ingredients/requisites. An enlightened nation was the end product of quality education/quality teaching. The school is a reputed institution to which the precious young population is entrusted in its formative years. It should be a dynamic community institution and should be an institution entitled
to independence.
The second world war ended in 1945. After this, there was a massive upheaval in the West. A whole culture was shattered and it disappeared. In this uproar man was turned upside down. Both the ordinary man and the artist was caught up in this stressful distortion.

Page 41
Pressure for the replacement of English as the official language by Sinhalese and Tamil began in the 1920s. In fighting for the dethronement of English Sri Lanka followed the lead by India. Some members of our political and academic elite decried the use of English and advocated instead the use of the mother tongue of a child as the medium of instruction in Sri Lanka's Primary and secondary schools. In 1943/44 it was decided that within a reasonable time, Sinhalese and Tamil should become the national languages. The Swabasha movement arose as a protest against the dominance of the majority by an English educated minority, British rule produced an English educated class of about 6% of the population. It was this small coterie which monopolised the best jobs in government or mercantile sectors of Sri Lanka apart from dominating the professions.
Government accepted the Special Committee Report of 1943 on Education which enunciated Basic Policy as Free Education and providing equality of opportunity for schooling for all children in Sri Lanka. Access to education had begun to increase as the result of several far-reaching educational reforms such as the introduction of the Free Education Scheme in 1945, switch over to national languages (SWabasha) as media of instruction (1947 onwards commencing from Grade I) and the establishment of 54 (SuperGrade) Central Schools spread over all districts. These schools provided education of high quality to the rural children and opened the doors for social mobility in the rural areas. Each central school had feeder primary schools within 3-6 miles of radius. Students were eventually prepared for university entrance. The heavy school enrolment began to have its spill-over into universities after

1958/59. The 54 Central Schools Started between the years 1944 and 1947 attracted bright students from their "catchment area'. They often out-performed students from schools in Colombo both at the university and at work. Among the significant recommendations contained in the 1943 report was that on lauguages-the replacement of English by the mother tongue of the student as the medium of instruction in schools in Ceylon
We pride ourselves on our system of free education, the so-called "Pearl of Great Price'. But the education we impart in our Schools and universities is an apology for modern education. It is neither true to the traditions of our ancient culture nor in accordance with the trends in modern education. We have not even succeeded in imparting any moral or religious values. Education imparted through Government owned schools has, in many cases, been a social and moral disaster. People are becoming beastly; crime is abundant and viscious crime at that.
In Kokuvil, Principal Seenivasagam always emphasised that what was needed was value education and that the values should not be left for students to unearth and develop. It should be imposed on the students by the educators, the teachers. That should be the school's influence on the community. School should be the place where the highest and most refined values of the community are taught and even enforced on the young. That was what schools did in the past. They were not institutions for training for employment, or developing skills or specialisms.
Class-room should serve as a springboard for acquisition of skill in
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speaking. It is from this nucleus that the interaction should extend to school as a whole, then home and finally the society at large. Parents expect the school to play the key role, making it the teacher's bounden duty to instill a sense of confidence in students to speak the language Education is a life long process and it fashions the total man. School is but a phase albeit a crucial one.
The school should aspire to produce sons, who could match dedication with self-discipline and enterprise with discretion. They should uphold faith untarnished by fanaticism, service rather than self and community before the individual. All our great religions have extolled the virtues of service, of sharing and of charity and warned against the evils of greed, avarice and selfishness. Caring and Sharing are deeply ingrained in the traditions to which we are heirs.
The first Great War that changed the map of the world and the Second World War which brought about a cataclysmic upheaval in the World are no ordinary events. The second world war affected Sri Lanka too. Rice rationing ** through co-operative societies, black outs and bombs were a new experience for our people. With the fall of Burma, Malaya and Singapore in early 1942, Ceylon could conceivably be the next target. That became a stark reality on Easter Sunday 1942, when carrier-borne air-craft from Japan, under the command of Admiral Chechi Nagumo, of Pearl Harbour fame, bombed Colombo and Trincomalee and caused havoc. Royal College Colombo moved to Bandarawela as a war-time measure. Admiral Geoffrey Leighton gave “The big Colombo Schools'just 24 hours notice to clear out to make room for
"See Apendix 1-page 316
2O Kokuvil Hindu College

his troops. Royal College Colombo was moved to Bandarawela, the boarding School at Glendale which some described as Belsen Camp.The threat of invasion by Japan receded in 1943. Kokuvil Hindu College had its quota of students who evacuated from Colombo schools following the Japanese air raid in April 1942. Persons like A. Pathmarajah, Varatharajah, N. Sivadason and Miss Roopavathy Appiah came to Kokuvil. Air raid precautions were then the order of the day. The effectiveness of forewarnings and disaster control was explained to the people by Wardens of air raid precautions. On siren sound from these ARP wardens people rushed into V shaped trenches specially dug up in their homes for safety and protection. The Dutch Canal, (free of water) located along the school premises, served as the air raid precautionary trench for Kokuvil Hindu College students if the siren went off while the school was in session.
Kokuvil Hindu was no more an orphan adopted by the Board of Management of Jaffna Hindu College and affiliated Colleges, purely as a feeder school for the parent institution (J.H.C). Unfortunately for us at Kokuvil Mr. Seenivasagam fell seriously ill and so all too soon he was obliged to relinguish his post as Principal and request for lighter duties. On grounds of ill-health, the management gave him a transfer to Jaffna Hindu College in 1946. He later served in Urumpirai Hindu College from where he retired prematurely in June 1952. He led a quiet retired life in Jaffna. During his last years he moved over to Colombo and lived with his son Swaminathan. He passed away on 22" July 1972 in Colombo. A number of his past pupils were present at his funeral.

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In 1945, one of our old students Mr.S.Senathirajah inaugurated a Paper Factory in Jaffna. It was the first attempt at cottage industry to produce paper long before the Government started cottage industries in Sri Lanka. The factory was located in a large house at Poonari Marathady, Vannarponnai, Jaffna along the Jaffna-KKS Road. Expertise and know how obtained from India helped him to launch on this ambitious project. Some members of the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College abandoned teaching (Mr. A. Amirthalingam, Mr.N.Ganeshalingam and T. Sinnathamby) to accept administrative appointments in the new factory. Mr.D.S.Senanayake, 'then leader of the House in the State Council came down to Jaffna to open the factory. The school declared a holiday to commemorate the event.
Mr.K. Pathmanaban, son of our former Principal M. Karthigesu, a degree holder, joined the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College in 1944. Mr. E. Sabalingam came on transfer from Urumpirai Hindu College in May 1945 to Kokuvil Hindu College. Mr. Pathmanaban played an important role in persuading Mr. Sabalingam to go to Kokuvil. Mr.Pathmanathan was a good teacher of English and History. He edited the College Magazine for a few years. After a short spell of teaching at Kokuvil Hindu College he left Kokuvil in 1952 to become the founderPrincipal of Ratmalana Hindu College.
'Mr. D. S. Senanyake successfully got together all commu British that the people of this country could rule themselve Black knight; as he was called, co-operated with the British ultimately to independence. He got the Tamil leaders t Constitution. His method differed markedly from the
Mr.E.L.Senanayake, one time a minister of lands in an a D.S.Senanayake, the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. D.S.S a draughtsman. His parents asked him about the nature of Ceylon. Before long, he stopped going to work and when Ceylon and what else to do now". D.S. Senanayake, Prime M mare "Chitra" at the Galle face green on march 22nd 1952

Mr.Sabalingam's association with Kokuvil Hindu College spans well over 18 years, first as Assistant Teacher and later from 1960 as VicePrincipal. Sharp of intellect, ready-witted, clever and versatile he had the rare knack of success ful ly negotiating through the intricacies of any problem. He was a m a r v e l l o us combination of sportsman, teacher and Vice-Principal all of E. Sabalingam which interacted with one another to produce the ideal man that he was. He was fortunate to have had his early education in Malaysia under able English masters brought up in the Nelsonian tradition of "England expects every man to do his duty". Thanks to their inspiring influence he developed from his childhood a high sense of discipline, an exemplary devotion to duty and a passionate love for games. Coming for good to Sri Lanka with his parents from Malaysia, Mr.Sabalingam joined Jaffna Hindu College and continued his education doing well both in studies and at games. He completed his University education with B.Sc degree and joined the teaching profession of which he had always been not only a shining ornament but a valiant champion.
nal and religious leaders as a United Nation to convince the
s. Unfortunately very little of this unity remains today. The and persuaded them to grant Constitutional Reforms leading o agree to the grant of independence under the Soulbury civil disobedience struggle of Indian freedom fighters, ddress to Surveyors disclosed an amusing anecdote about
enanayake was once employed in the Survey Department as
his work; he said he was assigned with drawing the map of parents questioned him, he quipped "I completed drawing finister of Ceylon, used to ride horses. He fell from the police
and died.
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A hefty figure with sinewy arms, broad shoulders, athletic chest, majestic countenance and piercing eyes he was the cynosure of all eyes in the playing fields of Jaffna for many an year, first as a nimble footed and agile soccer player and then as a referee in imposing appearance. He captained the university and Sri Lanka in soccer. So much did he get involved in sports and games that he didn't merely participate but dominated them and the arena of Jaffna sports in one way or another all along his life.
In 1959, Mr.Sabalingam was chosen by the all Ceylon Union of Teachers to represent the teachers of Sri Lanka at the annual conference of the World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Profession (W.C.O.T.P). He also attended the International Congress of Organisations of Secondary Education in Sevres, France and visited schools in England to acquaint himself with the educational trends there. He returned to Kokuvil Hindu College enriched with new experiences and fresh orientations. He was the Prefect of Games at Kokuvil Hindu College and was a major influence in the development of sports and games in Kokuvil. The foundation in the sciences and sports he laid in our impressionable minds enabled us to build upon later and made men of us. As Vice-Principal he was an able lieutenant to Principal C.K.Kanthaswami; their combine was a happy synthesis which made Kokuvil Hindu grow great. Mr.Sabalingam left Kokuvil to become Principal of Jaffna Central College and wound up his career as Principal of Jaffna Hindu College (1971-1975), his old school. After a few years of retired life in Jaffna he left with his wife Malarsothy to Malaya where he lost his wife in April 1985. He was disheartened and slowly slipped in health. He left for London to be with his sons and passed away in London. It
22 Kokuvi Hindu College

was Mr.Sabalingam who brought Thambinathan to Kokuvil Hindu College as its first lab-boy and office peon. Thambinathan served the school in this capacity all his life. Ringing the College bell at the appointed hour-opening, closing, intervals and at the end of each period-was assigned as one of his functions to Thambinathan.
Mrs. K. Kumaraveloo was amongst the lady teachers in Kokuvil Hindu College in the latter part of 1940s. She came on transfer from Urumpirai Hindu College. She was an English trained teacher who taught in the lower forms Civics, History and Tamil. She was soft spoken; she adopted a motherly attitude in class and was very kind to the students. She used to come to School in a rickshaw a common mode of travel during that period. She was a friend of the Gnanasunderam family and she spent her leisure hours at “Chelvacot”, Kokuvil. Mr. V.K.Gnanasunderam Proctor S. C. N. P. himself owned a rickshaw and he travelled daily to Jaffna courts in it. Sellan was his rickshaw puller and he worked also in the garden whenever he was free. When Mr. Gnanasunderam died suddenly of heart attack, the wife gifted the rickshaw to Sellan to enable him to earn his livelihood, as a kind gesture for his loyalty and devotion to the family. Rickshaws have now disappeared and three wheelers (Autos) have taken their place. "The origin of the rickshaw is stranger than its disappearance. It is said that an American Baptist missionary working in Japan invented the Rickshaw. Hence the Japanese name "Jin Rickshaw'meaning man powered wheels. The name was anglicized to Rickshaw, when introduced to Ceylon by the British, probably just before the first World War. The human power was provided by South Indian labour, also introduced by the British mainly to work on their

Page 45
tea estates' Mrs. Kumaravelu was also a great social worker. Around 1951 she left Kokuvil on transfer to Hindu Ladies College Jaffna but she retained her friendly connection with Chelvacot. She was largely responsible in arranging the marriage of Gnanaranjitham Gnanasundaram to Mail vaganam from Chulipuram. The writer was privy to this detail as he was a colleague of Mr. Mailvaganam in the Exchange Control Department. Miss Gnanaranjitham was at that time a teacher at Kokuvil Hindu. Mr. Mailvaganam died in September 1989. Mrs Mailvaganam emigrated to Canada with her family in 1991.
In the 1940s Mr.M.Vythilingam taught English Literature and Latin in the higher forms in Kokuvil Hindu College. His students remain grateful to him for their competence in the English language. Oblivious of the students he will be lost in the world of literature, waxing eloquently about the subject be ita poem, essay or a Latin unseen translation. He was an expert in the effective transmittal of the spirit and beauty of literature to his students. Once, in explaining the poem "Isabella” students were simply transported to Isabella's world; living her life of love, desperation and misery. He was affectionately called “Aden Vythy' because he had sailed up to Aden on his way to England for his higher studies, when the World War II broke out and he was obliged to return. Those were days of steamships and the journey from Colombo to London took eight weeks. Once, digressing from the text, Mr. Vythilingam explained the Royal College motto "Disceaut Discede” which means "Learn or Depart” One
驾 9ቆ፲

of the students had the temerity to retort "Doceaut Discede” meaning (Teach or Depart) and was summarily ordered out of the classroom. On the following day, the student apologized, and was graciously admitted to the class, after having had to listen to a short lecture on keeping away from bad company. As an English teacher, he was unforgettable as any one taught by him would unreservedly testify. We are particularly indebted to him for our competence in the English language. Moving out of Kokuvil he was later Principal, Chavakachcheri Hindu College. His "Magnum Opus" was that erudite and flamboyant biography of "Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan” the illustrious national leader of the Tamils in his time.
Mr. Vythilingam encouraged the students to take part in debating as it is one of the best ways of preparing them for becoming confident and it enabled them to put forward a point of view eloquently and efficaciously. Having to get up on one's feet in front of an audience and make a speech at a debate teaches one to arrange one's thoughts in a logical sequence, to speak in a manner that will be understood by one's listeners, and make assertions that can be defended. One who has experience in debating will have learned to attack an opponent without being rude or insulting and also to take criticism without getting hot under the collar, and to contend with the opponent without hitting below the belt or punch beneath the robes. It was Francis Bacon who said "Histories make men wise logic and rhetoric, able to contend”
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NAGALING (July 1946
"Getting by heart t with them and tak, yourself educatedl, which character is intellect is expande feet.”
V. Nagalingam Jaffna had an early lead as regards education in its modern form which had its beginnings in the colonial period. Jaffna schools took an early lead in the provision of higher School education. It was natural that this lead provided for greater opportunities for personal advancement. Thus with social examples of success being the product of education it was also natural that education was perceived as the best patrimony to be bestowed on the young and supported as such. This perception has been an enduring feature in Jaffna.
Good education is the most valued legacy or bequest that a parent can pass on to his or her child. Education is an experience that sharpens the edges of ordinary living. It makes life more enjoyable. It gives life a deeper meaning. Everyday activities become more meaningful and fruitful. That is the pith and substance of education. True education has to inculcate a proper sense of human values amongst our young; amongst the most important of such values are honesty, integrity and humility. Education should enable our
24 Kokuvi Hindu College
 

Chapter — IV
AMPERIOD March 1949)
le thoughts of others and stuffing your brain ng some university degrees, you consider 's this education? We want that education by formed, strength of mind is increased, the d and by which one can stand on one's own
Swami Vivekananda
children to become truthful and humble citizens in a competitive world in which they should take their rightful and legitimate place, free of dishonesty and deceit, to become useful and productive citizens of the country.
The position of Principal, Kokuvil Hindu College, fell vacant with the transfer of Mr.S.Seenivasagam to Jaffna Hindu College in January 1946. Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami acted for the Principal for nearly Six months; the management of the school found him suitable and offered to confirm him as the permanent principal. He declined the "kingly crown" of Principal, Kokuvil Hindu College for he knew that Principal's life at Kokuvil can never be totally smooth and easy and that an uninterrupted development of the school would need a more mature person to be its Head. He was content to bide his time. There was a rumour that Mr.Srinivasan, Principal of Urumpirai Hindu College, who was not very popular at Urumpirai, was to be appointed Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College to fill Seenivasagam's vacancy. The residents of Kokuvil along with a batch of students demonstrated against this

Page 47
proposal by going in processions through the lanes of Kokuvil shouting slogans and banners. This protest was led by Mr.S.Balasingham, an uncle of a later Principal Panchalingam. With the result the Hindu College Board prevailed upon Mr.V.Nagalingam of the staff of Jaffna Hindu College to accept the Principalship of Kokuvil Hindu College. "Shakespeare' Nagalingam (so-named for his mastery of William Shakespeares' works) who sacrificed the status of Professorship of English at Jaffna Hindu College, volunteered to shoulder the responsibility of building up Kokuvi Hindu. Mr.Nagalingam was actually loaned to Kokuvil from our elder sister Institution at Vannarponnai. She did make a fuss too, while giving him to us at Kokuvil. Mr.Nagalingam was the son of Kokuvil soil and hailed from Thalaiyali. He became Principal in July 1946. He was warmly welcomed by the staff, students and their parents as he was no stranger to people of Kokuvil, Kondavil and other adjoining villages served by the school.
The school was lacking in land space and buildings; resolving this problem was his first priority. Until 1946, Kokuvil Hindu College had only a rectangular piece of land located at the south of Puthukovil and bounded on all four sides by public lanes and roads (K.K.S.-Jaffna Road, Kokuvil Railway Station Road, College Lane and another lane leading to the Temple and then the southern outer-courtyard of the Temple). The south-eastern portion of even this land belonged not to the school, but to the heirs of the founder Mr. Chelliah; The school was denied even the use of this portion. One of the early achievements of Mr.Nagalingam was to persuade the owners to donate in 946 their portion of land, of about 4 larchchams in extent, to the College. In arranging this donation from that family Mr.V.Nagalingam used the good

offices and influence of Mr.S.Sivanesan, who hailed from Sandilippai but married one of the nieces of the Founder. The school owes a deep debt of gratitude to Vijayaratnam family. Mr.Vijayaratnam was the son of the Founder Mr. Chelliah. One of Vijayaratnam's daughters, Nageswary, served for nearly thirty years in the teaching staff of Koku vil Hindu College commencing from 1951. The ground plan and lay-out of the school in its premises (in 1946) South of the temple Puthukovil is attached as Chart A at the end of this chapter.
Immediately after this donation of land a row of five class rooms was built alongside College lane and station road to meet the pressing needs of growing numbers of students. They were typical semi-permanent constructions; palmyrah trunks took the place of today's concrete columns; the four walls were built from foundation upto DPC levels in stone; floor was just loose sand (5 (5 (3) LD 600T 6) no cement floor; roof was thatched roof and class rooms were partitioned with wooden screens. This was the condition of the senior form classes at Kokuvil Hindu College in 1947; girl students in each class used eakle-brooms to sweep the sandy class rooms every morning. Principal Nagalingam commanded the love and reverence of all his students and their parents to such an extent that his slightest desire would be fulfilled with utmost veneration. Yet such was his true democratic spirit and humility that he was ever open to suggestion from any quarter, nay even to correction, be it seniors equals or juniors.
Mr.Nagalingam felt (and so did Mr. Seenivasagam feel before him) that unless the lands in the vicinity were acquired, and that too acquired immediately, before the area got populated, the College cannot break the shell, open out its wings and flap up to the height of a leading educational institution in the Island.
Kokuvil Hindu College 25

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Funds were the problem. The entire land belonged to Mr.Thamboo of Kokuvil, who had taken residence in Araly East, Vaddukoddai where he married. It was a good nut yielding coconut estate which he visited periodically to collect coconuts. He kept Kathiravelu as a caretaker who lived there with his family. Sellachchi was Kathiravelu's wife and a family of four lived in this estate. Mr.Thamboo never entertained any requests for sale so long as he lived. The property was dowried to his children who were also not permitted by the father to sell. It was only after the father passed away, the children were free to sell this property. Mr.Nagalingam got wind of their inclination to sell and made the timely move of negotiating with the owners and obtain their consent to sell it to the school. The management could not provide the entirety of funds for the purchase; they however offered a sum of Rs.25,000/- on loan to the school and left it to the Principal to raise the balance. Mr.Nagalingam sought the assistance of the Colombo Branch of the Old Students' Association of the College, which was functioning steadily even when the trunk organization was not there, for the collection of funds. We must here remember with gratitude the vital role played by Mr.S.Sangarasivam (a Vice-President in Colombo OSA). Utilizing the personality of Mr.M.A.Nadarajah, the then senior Vice-President Mr.Sangarasivam combed the Colombo Pettah merchants who had nothing in common with Kokuvil Hindu collected a tidy sum of money on a musical performance and helped the Principal in acquiring about two and a half acres of lands, without which the College would have been in the shell yet.
*"In the nineteen forties, Dr.R.Saravanamuthu of Colombo Nort keen on Tamil music and Tamil drama, founded the famous "Sub drawn from mercantile and Government services. Foremost amor who played in the early years the role of “Raja part” (Hero) and hi. in the role of “Sthiri part" (Heroine). They successfully staged S Madras and traditional plays like "Valli Thirumanam" "Sathiya Mr.K.Ponnampalam Postmaster from Kokuvil appeared with a fir Manipay appeared in the "Sthiri” part role. Ever since he was aff Sabha was the fore-runner to the Issai Kalai Manram of Wellawa at the Jaffna Town Hall.
26 Kokuvi Hindu College

Mr.Sangarasivam was at that time Secretary of the Wellawatte Isai Kalai Manram, which had successfully staged many dramas in Colombo, and was able to liberally draw on the services of its members for his mission to help Kokuvil Hindu College. One of its dramas styled “Mantharai”, a scene from Ramayana, was staged at Kokuvil Hindu College at the quadrange to a packed audience in 1945. (Shylock) Sornalingam's role of Kooni (6,60f) earned great praise from the audience. Both Sangarasivam and Ponnampalam were largely responsible for arranging this entertainment at Kokuvil school. Years later Mr.Balakrishnan, a son of Sornalingam, served as a member of the staff in Kokuvil Hindu College for many years from 1952 and held the position of "Sports Master' when he left Kokuvil.
Mr.V.Nagalingam firmly believed that the success of a school depends on a sense of involvement which comes from parents and past students and a sense of dedication on the part of the teachers. He inspired them all and enlisted their moral and financial support in implementing the several schemes of development which he initiated. The provision of adequate accommodation, equipment and staff and the high level of efficiency attained by the College at large, enabled him to get the School raised to Grade I status in August 1948.
Kokuvil Hindu College was passed by as a stereotype of a premier village school till the great English teacher from Jaffna Hindu College. Mr.V.Nagalingam stepped in and took charge of the Institution. His greatness as a
h (later Sir Ratnajothy) gathered around him a band of young men, oda Vilasa Sabha' at New Chetty Street Kotahena. Members were g them was K.Sornalingam (later Kalaiarasu) of Navaly, Manipay, s long time friend S. Sarawanamuthu of Chekku street who excelled hakespeare's plays translated by Pammal Sampantha Mudaliyar of van Savithiri” “Harichandra Vilasam” etc. In the play “Chankili” he pressence on the stage in the "Raja Part" role and Mr.Medows of sectionately known as Raja Part Ponnampalam. The Suboda Vilasa tte in which Mr.S.Sangarasivam was secretary. They staged dramas

Page 49
teacher of English had seeped even into the backwoods of the land so that students from distant Kaithady too joined the trek to Kokuvil Hindu College. The College then had no imposing buildings. There were some scattered stone buildings to house the office, the science laboratories and few class rooms. The mass of the Institution was only a clutter of high roofed thatched structures and shacks. The whole sprawling area was loosely girt by a hedge of tulip trees. It stood hesitantly uncertain what it was fencing in or fencing out; that fence still serves as a good metaphor of the kind of education Kokuvil Hindu College imparted then. There was no formal barrier between what was taught in the class and the life that went on outside it. Shakespeare Nagalingam's English lessons for the Senior class were a revelation of the variety of his approach, the depth of his knowledge and the catholicity of his taste. Each was an inspired performance. Students were touched by this unique Guru's scholarship and skill. The words came trippingly on his silver tongue. Students deemed it a great privilege to have sat at his feet. There was realization of the meaning of education; as initiation, illumination and transformation.
'This priest became the celebrated Tamil scholar Ven. H Tamil. He was a graduate of Ceylon and London univers degree. He had also passed the Pandit's Final examination Besides Sinhala and Tamil, he was proficient in English, E translating into the Sinhala language, the Tamil epics "C translations were said to be a praiseworthy rendering of "magnum opus' and won for him a UNESCO award. He edi the benefit of Tamil students). Dr.I.D.S. Weerawardena's ". was a recognized authority on "Thirukkural" the widely and the fundamentals of ethical conduct. He was a pioneer Lanka. He was Principal of Saraswathie Pirivena, Balagall Second International Seminars on Tamil. At the two semina and of the similarity between the "Thirukkural" and "Loko Kokuvil Hindu College in the late 1940s artd picked up t whom he ever remained grateful. On his return from J Nawalapitiya. Having lived among the Tamils in Jaffna a Ven. Hissele Dharmaratna Thero, the eloquent preacher, l only Sinhala and Tamil languages but zealously advocated remarkable scholars of his time and Kokuvil Hindu Colleg was a force, a steady influence in advocating national inte Parameswara" in 1972. Thus ended an epoch in the intelle

Mr.V.Nagalingam created in his students love of literature and poetry. He used to say that Poetry consists of "the best words in the best order" and begins to communicate before you understand its meaning. Poetry is the fusion of knowledge with crystalised language. We remember his reading "Snock Arden' one rainy day; it was not only the elocution with its exterior finish that touched us students but also the swift and subtle changes of tone and feeling which made the poem so alive until the poem, the reader and the listener were held together in silent communication. With nostalgia, we look back to the care free days of childhood and adolescence, the Wonder and excitement of sharing new knowledge, the spur of competition, victory and defeat in the playing field, the mutual solace in times of trial and tribulation. In that by gone era we had a harmonious blending of cultural values and traditions of our Hindu society.
An interesting student in the S.S.C class (1947) at Kokuvil Hindu College during the time of Mr.V.Nagalingam was a very young Sinhala Buddhist priest, innocent of both English and Tamil then. Some of us undertook
iselle Dharmaratne Thero, who obtained his M.A (Ceylon) in
ities. Tamil being one of the subjects offered by him for the in Tamil conducted by the Oriental Studies Society of Ceylon. -indi, Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit. To him goes the honour of hilappadikaram' (Pattini Deiyo) and "Manimekalai". The he style of the original. His Pattini Deiyo" was indeed his ted a Sinhala-Tamil dictionary and translated into Tamil (for Arthika Vidya Pravesaya' an introduction to Economics. He translated Tamil work which teaches the great values of life in the teaching of Tamil language in Buddhist Pirivenas of Sri a and was one of Sri Lanka's representatives at the First and ars he spoke on "Dravidian influence on Buddhist Literature" pakaraya". As a student, he lived in the "Boarding House" at he threads in Tamil from Mr.M.Sinnathamby of the staff to affna, he taught for a short period at Kathiresan College, s a student he strongly believed in the brotherhood of man. inguist, writer, broadcaster, and social worker enriched not and promoted communal harmony. He was one of the most ge is proud of its association with this renowned scholar. He gration. The final silence fell upon this modern "Shad Basha ctual and literary history of the country.
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to teach him Tamil and English, while he taught us Sinhala. In the case of one student, it proved to be a portent of events to follow, years later.
"In the prayer ground of Birla House in India (Delhi) a mad man, planting himself two feet in front of Gandhi, fired three shots from a small automatic pistol. Gandhi was dead murmuring "Hey Rama" around 5.00pm that day 30 January 1948. Most of those present broke down and cried without control. Gandhi now lay before them, dressed only in the white loin cloth, as they and the world had known him. It was decided to burn the body the next day. At 4.45pm Ramdas, Gandhi's third son set fire to the funeral pyre. The logs burst into flames. A groan went up from the vastassemblage. Women wailed. Gandhi's body was reduced to ashes. The pyre burned for fourteen hours. All the while prayers were sung, the entire text of the Gita was read. Twenty seven hours later, when the last embers had grown cold, priests, officials, friends and relations held a special service around the pyre and collected the ashes and the splinters of bone that had defeated the fire. The ashes were tenderly scooped into a home-spun cotton bag. A bullet was found in the ashes. The bones were sprinkled with water from the Jamuna and deposited in a copper urn. Ramdas placed a garland of fragrant flowers around the neck of the urn, set it in a wicker basket filled with rose petals, and pressing it to his breast, carried it back to Birla House. Some Gandhi ashes were sent to Ceylon, Burma, Tibet and Malaysia. But most of the remains were immersed in the rivers of India, exactly fourteen days after death as prescribed by Hindu ritual. Everywhere the public display of ashes drew huge pilgrimages. The chief immersion ceremony took place at Allahabad, in the United Provinces, at the confluence of the sacred Ganges, the Jamuna and Saraswathy.
28 Kokuvil Hindu College

Gandhi's assassination caused dismay and pain throughout India. Never in modern history has any man been mourned more deeply and more widely. On 30 January 1948, the Friday he died, Mahatma Gandhi was, what he was always been; a private citizen without wealth, property, official title, official post, academic distinction, scientific achievement or artistic gift. The United Nations lowered its flag to half-mast. The Security Council paused for its members to pay tribute to the dead Mahatma. Humanity lowered its flag. Men with governments and armies behind them paid homage to the little brown man of seventy-eight in a loin cloth''
Sir Arthur Ranasinghe commenting on Gandhi's Sri Lanka visit wrote thus:-
"I was privileged to be introduced to Mahatma Gandhi when he visited Jaffna (1926) on a collecting tour for funds to fight the dire poverty of the masses of his countrymen by providing them with the spinning wheel. Entering the room in which the Mahatma sat on a carpet was like entering a shrine, with shoes taken off. I recall the Mahatma's piercing eyes penetrating deep into our souls as it were, and he spoke of untouchability, the old problem, which Mr. Kantawala (who was additional District Judge) introduced and as a topic of our conversation. As we were moving out of the room he reminded us of the couplet
"Never be dejected, while one man's blessed Never be elated, while another's oppressed"
and I have endeavoured to bear this in mind through the vicissitudes of my life.” Gandhi
gave the entire credit for his ideas to ancient wisdom and he is certainly not diminished by that admission.
*' Courtsey - Louis Fisher.

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Principal Nagalingam was a Gandhiite. During his university days in Calcutta of the 1930s he lived and breathed the air of freedom purified by the presence of Gandhi, Rajendra Prasad, Vallabhi Patel and others. So when he returned home to join the teaching profession, he did not remain a simple teacher; he was an inspiring institution that made even the dullest student to speak, to write, to create and to relive the spirit of the liberal arts. Gandhian ideals were his inspiration. He trod the path outlined by the Mahatma and held him in great reverence. His lessons to his students were not complete without reference to Gandhi, his principles and his achievements by non-violence. The sad news of the Mahatma's assassination shattered him; he was grief-struck. Sri Lanka was baffled, stunned and hurt by the sudden news of this man of peace, who loved his enemies and would not have killed an insect, had been shot by his own countryman and co-religionist. A portion of Gandhi's ashes, sent to Sri Lanka, was given by the government to Mr.K.Kanagaratnam, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education, to be brought to Jaffna, to enable its people to pay their homage and for immersion in the sea at Keerimalai. The procession carrying the casket was scheduled to travel along JaffnaK.K.S Road, passing Kokuvil Hindu College. The organizers would not permit of any deviation from this route. Unfortunately the main entrance to Kokuvil Hindu College then was located at Railway Station Road, 75 feet away from K.K.S Road. To overcome the problem of deviation, the Principal arranged for the live fence of the school abutting K.K.S.Road to be cut open and a safe passage made ready overnight to enable direct entry into the school premises. Early in the morning on the appointed day, senior students and teachers assembled at Poonari marathady entrance to Kokuvil to

receive the procession bringing Mahatmaji's ashes. We were disappointed when the organizers now refused to bring the urn containing the ashes into the College premises, having agreed with the Principal earlier to do so. This was deemed an insult to both the College and the Principal. Agitated, Mr.Sabalingam, a senior teacher, promptly stretched himself and lay down across the road; other teachers and students followed him and performed Satyagraha, preventing the procession from advancing further. Bitter feelings were whipped up and the organizers had no alternative but consent to bring the urn of ashes to the College, permit its display for some time there enabling students, teachers and the public to pay their homage. The journey proceeded uninterrupted thereafter to Keerimalai. Mr.V.Nagalingam was happy that the satyagraha, introduced by Mahatmaji himself, helped us at Kokuvil to pay our homage to his ashes. Mr.K.Kanagaratnam, M.P. conducted the immersion ceremony after which well over 7000 persons, without any caste distinctions, were fed in the same hall that day at Keerimalai. Mr.S.Sangarasivam played a key role in organising this mass-feeding.
Mr.S.Parthasarathy, a graduate of the Madras University, then on the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College led the procession of some of Kokuvil students who walked eight miles all the way to Keerimalai and had a dip in the tank and sea that day. Mr.Sathasivam Sangarasivam from Kondavil, an uncle of our Teasurer S. Rajendran and a classmate of Parthasarathy in Madras, also joined us in this pilgrimage. This was indeed an unforgettable event; a few of the songs, specially composed for the occasion, and sung by the students in the procession are given below:-
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Kokuvil
3O Kokuvi Hindu College
பேரருளின் திருவுருவைப் பெ ஈரமனப் பெரியானை இழந்த கண்ணிழந்து தவிக்கின்றோம் மண்ணிலெமக் குண்டோ வர
அகிலமு மேத்துமகான் அன் நகுலகிரிக் கெடுத்தேகு நன்ற வாந்தி யொடுதும்மல் வந்தெ காந்தியி னஸ்தியைக் கண்டி
அகிலமு மேத்துகாந்தி அன் நகுலகிரி சேரவரு நன்நாள் வாடி யவரகிம்சை வாய்மை நாடிட வோடியதென் நெஞ்சு.
காந்தியடிகளின் பிரிவு க
உலகிடை மாந்தர்க் கெல் நலமுறு வாழ்நாளெல்லாம் பலமுறை நோன்பிருந்து L நிலமக ஞனையிழந்தும் !
உயிர்வகைக் கிம்சை செ செயிருறு நாகமன்று தீண் மயர்வறி வுடையமுடன் ம அயர்வுறும் உலகம் நைய
பாதகன் கையெடுத்துப் ப வேதனை சிறிதுமின்றி வி தீதறு சிந்தையோடு திருச் மேதகு முள்ளப் பான்மை
சத்தியம் அகிம்சை யன்பு ஒத்தொரு வடிவுகொண்ட வித்தக வானம் சக்தி வி புத்துயிரளிக்கும் வேளை

ருந்தகைமைக் கிருப்பிடத்தை னமே - காரிருளில்
காந்தியே நின்போல
ன்.
பனுடற் சாம்பர் நாள் - மிகுநெருக்கால் ன்னை வாட்டிற்றே லேன்.
J6OTTT OFTLDLjT - மிகுதுயரால்
யருளன்பு
23rd February 1948.
கருதிய இரங்கற்பாக்கள்
)லாம்உய் நெறிகாட்டியுன்றன்
நாட்டது சேவைக்காகப் படுந்துயருழந்தா யெம்மான் நிலைபெற்று நிற்பாளாமோ?
ய்யா உத்தம உனதுகையைச் டிட மறுத்த தின்றோ ாய்த்தனன் உன்னை யென்றால் பும் அகங்குழைந் தழுமே அந்தோ!
கைகொண்டு சுட்டபோழ்தும்
ளங்கிய வதனம் பூத்துத்
கைகள் உயர்த்தினாயுன்
மக்களால் உள்ளற் பாற்றோ?
சமரசம் சாந்தம் எல்லாம் தொத்த மெய்த் தோற்றத்தாயுன் ளங்கிய உலகை யாண்டு புனிதநீ போகலாமோ?

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5. அணுக்குண்டின் ஆற்றலெ நுணுக்கிய நோன்பினையு கணக்கிலா மக்கட்கெல்ல வணக்கமே பெறுவதல்லா
April 1948
வே
6. ஏசுவைக் காட்டிக் கொடுத் ஏப்ரஹாம் லிங்கனைச் ஏந்திளை ஜோன்என்னும்
எங்களின் காந்தி மகா கூடப் பிறந்த குலத்தவரே கொன்று குவித்தவ ரா கூடப் பிறந்த வியாதியதே
கொன்றிடு மென்பது
Nathu Ram Godse who fired the shots at Gandhi was condemned to death by hanging but his accomplice brother Gopal Vinayak Godse was given life imprisionment. Life term is indefinite. It should come to an end naturally with the death of the life convict. The special court's decision at the Red Fort, New Delhi, on 10th February 1949 was not overturned in 1961 seeking reduction of life sentence in appeal by Gopal Vinayak Godse who stressed “hate the sin, not the sinner” A Gandhi memorial Hall at Cape Comorin had been erected at the very spot where Gandhi's ashes were kept for homage by the public before immersion in the sea. (5LDf(yp60601 a 35L65). The hall has been so designed to astronomic precision that on 2" of October each year, between 11.50 am and 12.05 noon sun's rays will fall on the same spot
'Another case of precision astronomical calculation is the Pyra down on the northern edge like an advancing snake - a feature a even calculate where the shadow of the Sun would fall at each sols Empires were advanced civilizations; they were not interested in

ல்லாம் அற்பமாய்ப் போகச் செய்யும் ன் நுண்ணுடல் மறையாதென்றும் ாம் “காந்தி” யாம் ஒளியாய் நின்று ல் வடுப்படா தினிமே லெந்தாய்!
K.H.C.Magazine
று
தவனும் 5 கொன்றவனும் ஞானியையும் ன்தனையும்
வரய்யா!
5 பொய்யாமோ!
where the urn of ashes of the Mahatma was kept. Mahatma Gandhi is undoubtedly modern India's greatest son, as well as one of the world's leading apostles of peace and non-violence. The intensity of Gandhi's struggle for Indian independence enabled Sri Lanka to gain her independence effortlessly. Gandhi was the catalyst, if not the initiator of three of the major revolutions of the 20th century-the revolutions against colonialism, racism and violence. His life was an example of religious tolerance and respect for the freedom of conscience.
"All the education that you are receiving will be reduced to nothing if it is not built on the foundation of a pure character. How nice would it be if we could raise a foundation of good character so that we might look back on
mid at Chichanitza (Mexico) where an advancing shadow comes dmired by visitors who flock to see it. The Mexican Aztecs could tice at sunset. Mexico and Peru, the home of the Aztec and Incas devoting themselves to developing weapons for destruction.
Kokuvil Hindu College 31

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that edifice with joy and pride. But character cannot be built with mortar and stone. It cannot be built by other hands than your own. Professors cannot give you character from the pages of books, character building comes from their very lives and really speaking it must come from within yourselves. There is a fundamental unity moving amidst the endless variety that we see in all religions Christianity, Hinduism and other great faiths of the worldviztruth and “innocence” to meanu non-killing and non-violence. If you boys will take your stand definitely on Truth and innocence you will feel that you have built on solid foundations".
The above was Gandhi's message to students in Colombo in 1927. The depth and novelty of his message was as impressive as the calm and quiet of his manner. His exhortation to the Ceylonese was to cherish their indegenous values and prophetically added then "there is no path to peace, Peace is the path"
Mr.Nagalingam had a way of putting you at ease, meeting you at a level that was not uncomfortable in any way. And yet, he was
'Swami Vipulananda earned the respect and regard of .
Hindu College. His assignments as Professor of Tamil in t were singularly unique as he became the first occupant of orator, the Swami had no equal in the entire Tamil speaki would cast a spell on the audience. His spoken Tamil was To listen to him was truly an elevating experience. His tra Madras Centre, Ramakrishna Mission in eight volumes) for world. The language and style are simply easy and enjoyab Tamil prose. Likewise his translation of "the Song of Sanr Vipulananda did make a big contribution to the discoveryo from prosody bound influential pundit groups in Tamil Na the Halls of Annamalai University. Bharathi's works ran i took his Sannayas from the greatest living Guru of his time, and lovingly called by the Master himself as "Mahapurish attainments. Swami Vipulananda hailed from Karaithivu temple. A verse by him invoking the blessings of its presid “அணியாரங் கற்புக் கருங்கலமே நல்ல/வணிககுலத்
தூய சிலம்பணியுஞ் செவ்வியே காரைநகர்த் தாயே
32 kokuvi Hindu College

always a teacher. He had an impeccable memory. He taught us, his students, the worth of remembering, of being meticulous about reference, of striving for perfection. They were more than "academic tips. There were other "lessons' which were taught, although not in a teaching mode. He taught by simply living in a particular way, engaging with a sense of integrity, dreaming to make a better world. His sense of humour was unique. Knowledge, he taught us, is not meant to be kept under lock and key; scholarship had no shortcuts. Loyalty and gratitude, held somewhat in low esteem today, loomed large in his scale of values. He had a heart that embraced, felt deeply for and responded most generously to the heart of everyone he met. The warmth of his personality, genial smile and the comprehensive embrace with both arms was characteristic of him.
One day in the senior class Principal Nagalingam made reference to the passing away in Colombo of Swami Vipulananda on 20" July 1947 at the age of fifty five. In a glowing tribute, he said, that news of the Swami's demise cast a gloom all over South Asia. Swami Vipulananda was, no doubt the most outstanding personality of his time in Ceylon. He was the
one and all by dedication and efficiency as Head of Manipay he Annamalai and Colombo Universities were brief but they the chair of Tamil in the history of the two universities. As an ng world of his time. His voice had a unique intonation that phonetically perfect which left a lingering effect on one's ears. anslation of Swami Vivekananda's works in Tamil (issued by Tn a treatise on the tenets of Hinduism suitable for the modern le. The rendering of dialogue is a soul-stirring masterpiece of lyasin" is unparalleled in the literature of asceticism. Swami f the poetical genius of Bharathi. Despite organized opposition du, the Swami overcame the vested interests by his lectures in into several éditions after these lectures. Swami Vipulananda namely Swami Shivananda, a direct disciple of SriRamakrishna i" for the sheer purity of his character and depth of spiritual in Batticaloa. Kannaki Amman temple there was his family ling deity is given below:-
துதித்த மாதே-அணிநடையும்
என்னைக் காத்தருள்வாய்”

Page 55
author of a number of books in Tamil including a work on South Indian music, the Yarl Nool a mathemetical research work on music and musical instruments that were about ancient Tamil glory. He had served as Professor of Tamil and Oriental Studies in the Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu. In the closing years of his life he was Honorary Professor of Tamil in the Ceylon University. He was highly esteemed in University circles for his natural talents and academic attainments both in Tamil at the Madurai Academy and in the graduate
'குவலயத்தில் விழிபோன்ற தேவிபதம் மறவாத தீர ஞா தோழர்களே மங்களம் சேர் வானவர் கோன் யாழ்ப்பாண சங்கரன் என்றெப்போதும் மு சரணடைந்தால் அது கண்டீ
மகாகவி சுப்பிரமணிய பாரதியார் யாழ்ப்பாணத்துச் சுவ 'குவலயத்தில் விழிபோன்ற யாழ்ப்பாணத்தான்” என்று சந்தித்ததாகவும்:யாழ்ப்பாணத்தீசன் தன்னைச் சரணடை என்று கூறுவதன் மூலம் தான் சரணடைந்ததையும்
“செகத்தினிலோர் உவமையி *சாமிதனைச் சிவன்என்றன் அகத்தினிலே அவன்பாத ம அன்றே அப்போதே வீடது
என்று கூறுவதன் மூலம் குருவழிபாட்டையும் பற்றி நிற்
'Yogar Swamigal was perhaps the greatest of the mystics th in appearance as he was pure in thought. He was a "Gn experience was “summa iruttal" (HübuDIT SCbëj6id) and his gi and beard along with the spotlessly white raiment he wors and breadth of his country and transformed the lives of
refuge to souls in distress and despair. He infused faith in happiness. Even those whose contacts with him were casu life. He methis Guru, Sellappar, under the shade of the "vil surrendered himself completely to that frail old figure wit revelation. People of all ages and from all walks of life, irre guidance from Yogar Swami. Santhaswami, son of the forn loyal and devoted disciples who gave shape to the Swami'

study of Science and Mathematics at the University of London. He did a brief spell of teaching at St.Partick's College, Jaffna during which period he called on Yogar Swamigal at Columburai and was blessed by the Swami.
Mr. Nagalingam did remind the class that
Jaffna should be proud that the famous poet Subramaniya Bharathi's guru was said to be a Swami from the Jaffna peninsula.The following words in a poem by Bharathi himself support the claim.
யாழ்ப்பாணத்தான்*
னி.
திருவிழியால் அருளைப் பெய்யும்.
ாத் தீசன் தன்னைச்
ழன்னே கொண்டு
ர் சர்வசித்தி’
ாமி ஒருவரின் அன்புப் பிடியில் சிக்கியிருந்தார்.
தன் பாடலில் கூறிய பாரதி, புதுவையில் அவரைச் .ந்தால், அது கண்டீர் சர்வசித்தி”
ல்லா யாழ்ப்பாணத்துச்
மனைக்கொணர்ந்தான் லரைப் பூண்டேன் வே வீடு”
* மெளனம் அருளம்பலம் சுவாமி
வியாபாரி முலை. பது தெரிகின்றது.
lat lived in this island in recent times. He was as immaculate ani". The result of Gnanam is "mounam"; and his great reatest emphasis was on "mounam". The silver white hair 2 were symbolic of his saintliness. He traversed the length many who otherwise would have gone astray. He was a his devotees and led them out into the light of hope and al or cursory had a glimpse of the spiritual significance of va' tree, near the parking site of the Nallur temple car and h a striking personality and that was indeed a moment of spective of creed, caste, or race sought solace and spiritual ner Governor General, Lord Soulbury, was one of his most s philosophy of education.
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Another day in the S.S.C class (1947) Principal Nagalingam was conducting his English lesson in all seriousness with students in rapt attention. Just then an officer in uniform came to the class. The Principal promptly stopped the lesson and went up to him to enquire into the purpose of his visit. That was a time when unannounced, inspectors visited schools to ascertain whether teachers meet targets or maintain norms, failing which teachers were held answerable or penalized in a suitable manner. Students assumed the visitor to be a new Inspector of schools for they knew that Miss.Chelliah (later Mrs. Navaratnam) was Kokuvil Hindu College's inspectress then. The Principal got down the office boy Thambinathan, directed him to assist the visitor and resumed work in his class. He did not
continue the lesson from where he left but he told the students that the visitor was Public Health Inspector of the area, a past pupil of his at Jaffna Hindu College, who said to the Principal that “he was on his official round'. "It was discourteous on the visitor's part to have interrupted in my class, but he took the liberty of doing so as he knew me well as his old teacher. ' Then came the caustic remark "இவர்களுக்கெல்லாம் பருத்தி புடவையாய்க் assiugzgis' Observing that the class did not catch up his joke, he explained that the visitor's success was in the S.S.C examination of 1945 in which year the Education Department released a Supplementary List of successful candidates. By then, the bell rang and the class was over. That was the first and perhaps the last occasion when the Education Department resorted to releasing Supplementary List of successful S.S.C candidates.
Some private students were lucky to have been included in this supplementary list. Private
34 Kokuvi Hindu College

student is a candidate not sitting the examinations as a student of a particular school; a student with no formal school affiliation, student at large. There were no stringent rules to debar non - school candidates from sitting the examinations conducted by the Examination department.
The practice of holding the London Matriculation examination in Sri Lanka had been abandoned for a number of years. Late in the year 1947, however the University of London announced its decision to hold this examination in Sri Lanka with the assistance of the Education Department in the months of January 1948 and June 1948. As the syllabus for the G.S.S.C and Matriculation examinations was almost the same, Principal Nagalingam decided to present some students of the 1947 batch of S.S.C class at Kokuvil Hindu for the January 1948 London Matriculation examination. With active participation ofteachers like C.K.Kanthaswami, Sabalingam, and M.Sinnathamby, the Principal prepared the students with extra classes (without any remuneration) during the December holidays, in the required four subjects and got the students to sit the Matriculation Examination in January 1948. One person K.Kathirgamathamby (later Kalabooshan) passed the examination from Kokuvil Hindu College that year, whilst four others were referred in one subject or another. Results of the June 1948 Matriculation examination from Kokuvil Hindu College were also encouraging. The eligible students were lucky to have been provided with such an opportunity as this exam was not held in Sri Lanka thereafter. The above is an illustration of the teaching skill and dedication of teachers in Kokuvil Hindu and their commitment to do their duty to provide a decent education.

Page 57
Kokuvil Hindu provided the opportunity and ambience for students to interact with their teachers and their peers in a friendly atmosphere in which friendships were forged, tolerance and understanding were learnt and practiced, divergent views respected with the correct flavour supportive of character building. The sizing of the classes helped in achieving quality and excellence with more quality learning leading to interactions and independent study, reflective practice and scientific thought. The school was blessed with a competent group of teachers who performed their duties with proper understanding of the teaching-learning process having proper attitudes and commitment who were involved in providing their services to uplift the school. They showed willingness and capabilities to understand situations with the ability to analyse and skills leading to gain respect from the students and they formed a remarkable team with rare qualities seldom seen in other schools. To those who knew Principal V.Nagalingam his memory will always be close to their hearts. Many Kokuvilites remain deeply indebted to him for moulding them to a glorious future.
"It might be said that by the time of independence, in 1948, Ceylon had witnessed the growth of a class of persons, small in number, Whose cultural and attitudinal underpinnings were those borrowed from alien cultures. By 1948, this small group had formed a class of powerful powerbrokers in Ceylon through whom the departing colonial power hoped to influence the governments and its institutions of independent Ceylon. This comprodore class was expected to chart a course for the island's future in which the English language and western

cultural values and attitudes shall have a place of prominence. The political cultural revolution of 1956, occasioned by the first Bandaranaike government, was a natural consequence of this colonial education policy.”
At independance we began dismantling our society alienating its constituent components. First came the disenfranchisement of the most productive sector of our society, the plantation Tamil people of recent lndian origin. Then after 1956 with the Official Language Act the twin alienation of the second largest community, the Ceylon Tamils and the most cosmopolitan element, the Burghers (Eurasions). The Catholic minority was distanced with the schools take-over of 1961. In the same year 1961, the Tamils were pushed further away by sending an army detachment to crush a peaceful Federal party "Satyagraha' in Jaffna. In the years after independence (1948) human rights were respected, the judiciary was independent as was the Public service and above all we had the rule of law. We also enjoyed the right to private property. The rot set in after 1956 and we saw every value we held sacred debased. The standards in our schools, Universities, in the workplace, in the professions and in every sphere of human activity, were devalued and debased. We certainly must regain the values we held sacred in yester-year and rebuild our institutions. Value based democracy must be taught as a subject in our schools as an imperative to rebuild the nation.
In the years preceding 1950, the elite in Sri Lanka were taught in western styled public schools in the English language and they
Kokuvi Hindu College 35

Page 58
imbibed deeply of English Literature and culture. There was a great gap between the western educated elite and the rural peasantry. It showed wherever they met and whatever they did, from the way they spoke, dressed, ate, drank, married, made love, worshipped and finally were interred. Our education system is not properly equipped to relate to the contemporary social complexities. Rapport between the teacher and pupil is something of the past. Over-crowded class - rooms and lapses on the part of teachers make it difficult to impart education properly. Private tutories rob schools of their importance.Television is
36 Kokuvi Hindu College

a window to the outside world and children also learn through that "Idiot Box"
Mr. C.W.W. Kannangara's free-education scheme in 1944, Mr. M. D. Banda's scheme in 1955 of teaching the students in their mother tongue (Swabhasa),Mr. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaiakes” scheme in 1956 of making Sinhala and Tamil languages of administration and Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranaiakes take over of assisted and denominational schools in 1960, all tended to miligate the ill effects of the colonial education system dominated by Christian missionaries.

Page 59
The Colleg
Mr. VNagalingam Mr. C.K.Kanthaswami
Mr. S.C.Thillainathan Mrs. PBhargaviammah Miss.Gnanambikai Gnanasuntheram Miss. Suhirthalakshmy Chelliah Miss.Saraswathy Sarawanamuthu Miss. Suntherambikai Manickavasagar Miss.Gnanaranjitham Gnanasutheram Mr.A.Nagalingam
Mr.V. Kandiah
Mr.A.Kanthaswamy Mr.E.Sabalingam Mr.K.Kanthaswamy Mr.S.Parthasarathy Mr. K.Mailvaganam Mr.S.Velauthapillai Mr.A.Amirthalingam Mr.M.Sinnathamby Mr.C.Palanithurai Mr.S.Veeragathipillai Mr.N.Namasivaya Idaikadar Mr.A.Sinnathamby Mr.K.Pathmanaban
Mr.V.Sivasubramaniam Mr.T.Sinnathamby
Mr.S.Sivaguru
Mr. K.Rajasabai Mr.A.Paramanantham

e Staff - 1947
Principal Vice-Principal
(Lady Teacher) (Mrs.G.Perumalpillai) (Mrs.S.Supiramaniam) (Mrs.S. Packiarajah) (Mrs.S.Sivanarayanamoorthy) (Mrs.S.Mailvaganam)
(Madras)
Kokuvil Hindu College 37

Page 60
/ţ76||
}
ļeļS ə6ə||OO əų L
38 Kokuvi Hindu College
 

Page 61
9:76) - ļģeļS Ə6Ə||OO ƏųL
 

Kokuvil Hindu College 39

Page 62
K.H.C. Grou
KANKESAN DRA ROAD
Wol y Bala Court
Primary School
s MA T Principal's office Principal's
慧期
GATE
A s 魏 燕 f CONCRETE (s D LO4NG
x w 欧ー
季
A 翡 店 V 翌_菲菲 E E A. D } هره
ץ || |דגלה
호
(tt Cءdم\ -X حصسسسسسسسسسس | fao ay«{ iʼ Y9 w it cic さ COLLEGELANE
ܵ ܗܝ ܫܪ• ܀ ܀ ܫ ܪ *
ァー w 3. Z a شہ
When Kokuvil Hindu Englis (
40 Kokuvil Hindu College
 

nd Plan - 1941 Chat "A"
- -
School Became Kokuvil Hindu College fear 1941)

Page 63
Chorus
Chorus
Chorus
COLLEC கல்லு
தெளிதரு கலைபயில் பல கொக்குவில் இந்துக்கல் g
கொக்கூர்க்கு இந்துக் கல் கிராமத்துக் கொண்மணி ம நினதுயர் கலைமுறை நித நினதருள் யாமினி மறவே நீயே வித்தையினுறையுள் நினதடி யேத்து வோமே.
U நினதருள் மிகுமொழி நம ஜெயஹோ! ஜெயஹோ ( நீதரு ஞான மதீதம்.
அறிவுச் சுடர்கொண் டற தழுவும் வாழ்வினைத் தந் கற்றன ஒழுகும் சீருறு வழி காட்டினை நீடுக எனவே அற்புத நடமாடமலன் அட வழிமுறை மிளிர்க நின் ந
L நினதருள் .
உள்ளத் துறுதி தருவா யுன் பாரம் பரியம் பேண
பூமியில் நீபெறு நல்லிசை பெருமிதம் மாணவர்க் கெ முயல்குவம் நீயுயர் வழிக கொக்குவில் இந்து நமதே
L நினதருள் .
LLeLLL0LLLLLL0LLLL0LLLL0LLL0LLL
 

GE SONG ரி கீதம்
மாணவர்தேர்
லூரி
லூரி நீ தீபம்;
}(35LLD ம் நிதம் பெற்றோம்; ாம்
, நினதே எங்களினுயர்வு
ல்லவி தே பொருளாம்; நீதரு ஞான மதீதம்
(20
3.
ஜெயஹோ! ஜெய, ஜெய ஜெயஜெயஹோ!
ம் பொருளின்பம் தாய்
ழிநீ
டிமன னொடுவழி படுவோம்; ITLob
ல்லவி
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLYLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLL LL ஞான மதீதம்
ன்றன்
மேலாம்
5ன்றும் ள் முழுமனனொடு மகிழ்வாக
5.
ல்லவி
LL LLSL LLLLL LL LL0 Y0 LLSL 0LLL0L0LL0LLS LLLL LLLLL LL LLLLL LL LLL LLLL SL0LL LLL ஞான மதீதம்
Y Y YY YAY N YAY N Y4Y
S.
YY
Kokuvi Hindu College 41

Page 64
OUR VETE
By any human yardstick the year 1947 was a long time ago. Men born in that year are, today past their prime. Teachers have a predominant role in steering a nation's children directing, guiding, educating, enlightening and fashioning their young lives. They are not only educators, they play multiple roles, at times as parents, advisers, counsellors, reformers, and disciplinarians. Teaching certainly is not smooth sailing. It is a mixed cup; teaching, research and writing is a teacher's trio. Unlike in the past, teachers today join the profession as they have no other alternatives. When teaching is thrust on them they lack that dedication and diligence expected of a teacher. They wait for an opportunity to leave the profession for another job, with a better remuneration. Class-room preparation, correction of books is seldom done; they do not up-date their knowledge. As a result the profession is brought to disrepute. Teachers are duty-bound to mould the lives of the young who remain in school for nearly five hours a day. It is imperative that they make sacrifices, dedicate and devote their time in imparting knowledge and inculcating values into the students's young minds and disciplining them. Teachers should pledge to dedicate themselves to the tasks of Steering a nation's children towards unity, solidarity and a sense of patriotism for they are the leaders of tomorrow. The second world War concluded in 1945 and the world leaders were meeting together to chalk out a lasting peace
42 Kokuvi Hindu College

Chapter - V
RAN TEACHERS
by the formation of the United Nations. The complicated tug of war between Stalin and the Western Powers was the dominant feature of international relations. We in Sri Lanka, were yet in the lap and mercy of Britain and a colonial government sent its tentacles wide in the city of Colombo and the white masters were everywhere. British Government Agents in provincial administration was the order of the day.
It was during 1920s and 1930s that the youth of Sri Lanka felt the stirrings of a national awakening. Ideas and events in India have through the ages influenced the course of our history. It was our fortune to witness the political and cultural impact on Ceylon of a re-awakened India. It was our greater fortune that the message was brought to us by Visits to our shores of some of the very men and women who were shaping India's and Asia's destiny, Gandhiji and Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore and Sarojini Naidu, Rajagopalachariar and others. The Youth Congress (1924) that stood for national unity, social equality and the revival of our national languages and culture, had introduced Kamaladevi Chatoapathiyaya, S.Sathiamoorthy, R.Krishnamoorthy (Kalki) and V.Kalyanasundara Mudaliyar to the backwoods of Jaffna. The response was most marked in North Ceylon; names of Subas Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekananda and others were household names. Pictures of these great

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men of India adorned drawing rooms of many houses even in the remote corners of Jaffna.
Principal V. Nagalingam, who was himself a product of the Calcutta University and an admirer of the achievements of these great men of India, arranged a grand celebration in Kokuvil Hindu College on 15 August 1947 the day India was granted independence from Britain. A few days earlier he combed the entire grand bazaar of Jaffna and other places for a full-size statue of Mahatma Gandhi and succeeded in purchasing one from a temple stall at Maviddapuram. This big statue adorned the stage. The College quadrangle was beautifully decorated; the stage was erected opposite the College Office almost at the Main Entrance to the School at Kokuvil Railway Station Road; chairs neatly arranged in rows served to seat the audience. The celebration commenced with the hoisting of the Tri-Colour (Indian) flag and the College flag.(Jaffna dared even earlier to fly the tri-colour flag heralding independence on the Jaffna Esplanade on National Day, the 13th of April 1932). The Indian National Anthem and the College Song (composed by Mr.A.Nagalingam of the staff and this was its inaugural rendering) were sung in chorus. A music recital by Miss.S.N.Saraswathy (Sarawanamuthu Nithiyanantham Saraswathy) who had returned to Sri Lanka recently from Malaysia was the main item in the programme. Miss.S.N.Parameswary, her sister, accompanied on the mirithangam, a rare and novel feature at that time in Jaffna. This served to introduce the new artistes to Kokuvil audience.
The name and the lady did acquire the halo of love and admiration for her superb rendering in song and the violin. The audience saw her in blossoming beauty of youth, shy to a

fault, possessing the complexion of a North Indian Brahmin, sharp of features easily standing out. She radiated charm and moved unobtrusively and with humility. She radiated a pervading sense of awe and admiration in the beholder; called upon to sing for the children of the school she sat on the floor on a carpet and holding the violin and sang those songs which thrilled the audience. The voice modulations were effortless and there was the ever present smile the singer had with the song. The rendering of the various songs and tunes were a mere prologue to the myriads of them she developed later. Kokuvil Hindu witnessed only the beginning of the saga that was to follow in later years. Mr.T.Packiarajah from the audience made a special request to her to sing a particular song in the last stages of the recital and at the instance of her father, she readily obliged; this was the early beginning of a romance which Mr.Peethamparam later ensured that it ended up in their marriage. Her music was Saraswathy's fortune. The life of an artist, whether an actor, singer or painter is a highly meritorious one as their work provides solace and entertainment to people immersed in trials and tribulations of day to day life.
In Sri Lanka even first rate singers cannot live by singing alone. So she joined the permanent staff of Kokuvil Hindu College as a music teacher later in 1947. Prior to her appointment Miss.Gnanambikai Gnanasuntheram (Mrs.G.Perumalpillai) and Miss. Suhirthaluxmy Chelliah (Mrs.S.Supiramaniam) were in charge of the music lessons in the different classes in addition to their teaching other subjects. A substantial amount was collected for the school in 1947 by the efforts of the trio in preparing some children for a concert of music and dance. The Principal led the troupe to Colombo where
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two concerts were held in St. Peter's College, Bambalapitiya and the Colombo Town Hall. Miss.S.N. Saraswathy was at her best in the recital at the Colombo Town Hall and won the admiration of all those present. Mis S.S.N.Parame Swari, her Sister, whose accompaniment on the mirdhangam lent the recital a charm all its own
The dance performance by Miss. Sakunthala Gnanas un daram (Mr S. S. Ramachandra) and Miss. Balambikai Nadarajah (Mrs. Bhuvanendrarajah) earned great praise and brought much credit to their Guru. Mr. S. Gnanasegaram, an amateur artist himself, was responsible for the high standard that the pupils reached in dancing, as a fine art expressive of the Soul of a people. Mr. Gnanasekeram was an inspired and dedicated male dancer who had been widely acclaimed for the exquisite perfection of his dance and as a creative artist who brought - to his work a depth, intensity and naturalne SS. The Last fe w years of Mr. Gnanasekaram's life was the denouements of full filment and exactly consumated in the secrenity and tranquil repose of life of contemplation and Service as enunciated by Sathya Sai Baba. The really great dancer is perhaps an even rarer phenomenon than great musicians or painters or Sculptors. This is because dance is a consummation of all the arts. The dancer, in addition to the qualities that pure dancing demands, must be Sensitive to and have an uncanny feeling for music. He or she should have an artist's sensibility to the significant line and a sculptor's approach to form. He or she should have a practiced actor's response to a dramatic situation. Rarely does one come acroSS all these attributes in one and the same person. That our young dancing pair had a generous measure of all these was the candid impression of the audience at those functions. The abinayam and dance by a five year old child (now
44 Kokuvil Hindu College

Mrs. Jeyadevi Rajagopal) from the school captivated the audience. Miss. Vijayalakshmi Rajendram's music recital was one of the highlights in the St.Peter's College hall concert. The entire dance troupe travelled up to Matale in the hill-country and Staged a third concert in that town which drew a large crowd
Mr.S.Muthammah's brother. Paramanantham had come from Malaysia and joined Kokuvi Hindu as the sports coach in 1946. Until this appointment Mr.T. Sinnathamby of the staff was handling sports and other allied activities in the School in addition to teaching Arithmetic and Mathematics. He sets the class tasks from the textbooks, "Do the Sum I to 35 in the text-book he says and promptly fades away from view instructing the monitor to supervise. Yet on the foi lowing day, he used to take pains to explain the difficult problems. Mr. Paramanantham was the live wire of all I activities in the sports field, producing in the process generations of Sports imen. On the footbali field, he boomed out his favourite expressions of encouragement: Mark file it (in " Dis tiu rb i ii e pri al li! " ' Dodge the hilan" He was truly an inspiration to all an athletes and
Sport Coach Sportsmen. The College recorded good progreSS in Sports, football and volleyball during his period. He also trained some students in wrestling and Boxing Mr. K.Thuraisingham was declared the Welter Weight Champion in the Northern Province Schools Boxing Meet in the year 1956. Besides his contribution in the Se fields

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Mr.Paramanantham was largely responsible for clearing the land and preparing the playing field. The 2 1/2 acres of land newly purchased for the school in 1947 was really a coconut estate covered with a thick layer of shrubs and jungle, served by three wells in different locations. The tall coconut palms had to be felled, the wells filled up and closed, jungle and shrubs cleared and the land had to be leveled and turfed for it to be converted into a suitable playing field. This was a tall order and the job was difficult. The entire operation took more than six months. Mr.Paramanantham did an excellent job with dedication. Kokuvil Hindu owes him a deep debt of gratitude. As a token of appreciation when he died in November 1961 leaving his family in poor circumstances the school setup a "Paramanantham Fund' with contributions from the staff, students and their parents and past pupils and provided some relief to his family.
Originally three old wells dotted this estate in the land area ear-marked for the playground. They had perforce to be filled up and closed in the year 1948 as their locations interfered with playground, Later to serve the need for water in construction work and for the use of the children of the school, a new fairly deep well was sunk in 1952 at the south eastern corner of the grounds. The entire cost of sinking this new well, plastering the circular sides with a concrete covering of the top portion was borne by two leading tobacco merchants from Kokuvil Messers S. K. Kanapathipillai and A. M. Suppiah. To commemorate this gift, their names in initials "S. K. K. and A. M. S' remain engraved in the inside plastering of the well. Though belated, the expression of gratitude for this gift to the donors by the college today is genuine.
Education can and should provide participants with the ability and motivation to

learn. In this sense, it is a foundation (albeit a foundation with ever expanding breadth and scope) on which a life-long learning process can take place. Learning is aimed at what skills and innate abilities are operational here and now manifest. The process of learning can make an individual especially competent on a given range of skills. The competencies gained through skills training can be further developed into corecompetencies through vigorous application and psychological maturity. Our schools, universities, claim that they are primarily engaged in education. Training of skills and developing competencies are of secondary concern which ought to be hopefully tackled by the employing organizations or through some vocational Training Institution.
In the past a galaxy of great teachers was associated with a particular period of a school and often covering more than one generation of students. At Kokuvil Hindu College there were no slide projectors, let alone multi media, and those clever teachers used the blackboard to the maximum to illustrate their lessons; and how well they did it. The greatness in a human being is judged not by his or her qualifications or by the awards he or she has won but by his or her ability to fulfill tasks which have been entrusted to him or her to perfection with dedication and efficiency. Indeed these last two words were synonymous with the teachers at Kokuvil. Their names represented the pillars on which young enthusiastic students depended to seek knowledge, righteousness, decency and dignity. It was an era when the teaching profession enjoyed such prestige that the need for private tution was not only unheard of but even shunned and teachers enjoyed the highest respect and confidence of the students. The hearts and minds of the boys/girls were set on academic and sporting goals.
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Mr. S. C. Thillain a than was one of Kokuvi Hindu College's veteran teachers who were landmarks in the evolution of the School. Beginning from the year 1919, he had been on its teaching staff for forty years. He retired from teaching in 1959. Even after retirement, he retained his association With the School by serving as the Librarian for a few years. He loved books and loved to be in contact With the young Mr.Thillainathan had seen the school grow from infancy to maturity; and in this process his own contribution in building up goodwill for the School from amongst Students, parents and past pupils was no little. He maintained a warm teacher student relationship throughout his long teaching career. He was an eminently Successful teacher in English, Civics and History. His art and ability in teaching these Subjects left an indelible impress on his students. He never used the cane. Gifted with a quiet Soft nature his method allowed no physical punishment on children he taught. He won loyalty and affection of his students by love. His tender care for them was fatherly. He hardly reprimanded; he would rather advise with Sobriety and calm that was touching. To the dull and backward child, he had a special concern. As a teacher of the humanities, he embodied in himself the values that these disciplines foster and set alight enthusiasms that have borne fruit in hundreds of young men and women who even today (2004) are proud to recall their indebtedness to Mr.Thillainathan. He died in 1978 June.
S.C. Thilainathan
Miss. Su hirthalakshmi Chelliah 's (now Mrs. Supiramaniam) ties with Kokuvil Hindu WaS 56 years long a record few can excel.
46 Kokuvil Hindu College
 

15 years as a Student, 38 years as a teacher and 3 years as Deputy Principal. Commencing from the year 1927 as a student she proved her competence in different capacities and rose to the enviable position of Deputy Principal when she retired in September 1983. She started teaching ut Kokuvil Hindu College in January 1942. That was κ Wa time when English education was at a premium. There was stiff Mrs. Subramanium P'o' for the Vice Principal teacher S Vacancy at Kokuvil Hindu College. Mr.M.Karthigesu, Kokuvil's first Principal was responsible for her selection over the claims of many a contender. She continued to learn as she taught and collected the B.A degree(Lond.) by private study. She was an excellent teacher in Latin, Tamil and English. Her commitment to the well-being of her students earned praise from parents. She identified with the life of the school, cheerfully undertaking extra responsibilities. She along with her five year old niece played a significant role in the school concert of 1947. The performance of that little child was marvellous, where the hand goes Bhava should follow and where the Bhava goes there rasa arises-these Shastric principles were well demonstrated by the child amidst applause from the audience. The little child's abinayam was graceful and enticing. At School sessions "Suhirtha teacher', as she was fondly called, had a "watchful eye' for excellent behaviour and conduct of young girls in a co-educational institution. She carries the distinction of having been the first woman Deputy Principal at Kokuvil. She was an asset to all Principals of Kokuvil Hindu College as she served the college with indefatigable energy. After retirement she

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emigrated to Canada and is the life-wire in the activities of the Old Students' Association there.
Mr. V. Kanapathipillai from Karaveddy was Head Master of an Independent Tamil School when Mr. S. Handy Perinbanayagam became Principal. The school was flourishing and could have developed into Something of a rival institution. People interested in the growth of Kok u vil Hindu College V. Kanapathipillai naturally did not ook forward to this possibility with favour, Mr. Kanapathipillai was approached with a proposal for amalgamation of the two Schools. With a full realization of the implications of the proposal Mr. Kanapathipillai accepted the Scheme and to the date of his retirement played an active and fruitful role not merely in the Primary Department but generally building up Kokuvil Hindu College. Genial, humorous, tactful and endowed with a fund of worldly Wisdom, Mr. Kanapathipiliai played a wholesome and useful part in the social and civic life of the community. When Principal Perinbanayagam and his staff went about raising funds for the first three storeyed building, these qualities of Mr.Kanapathipillai were very much in display. All his children studied in Kokuvil Hindu College initially as boarders and later from their home when Mr. Kanapathipillai took up residence in Kokuvil. He retired after 41 years of teaching service, twelve years of which werė spent at Kokuvil Hindu College.
Mr.A.Amirthalingam, a son of Kokuvil Soil, is one of the Veterans who toiled in Kokuvil
 

Hindu College and devoted the finest energies of their manhood to Service in and for the College. Teachers at Kokuvil Hindu then were fully conversant with the domestic circumstances of each student at School.
They knew not only the A.Amirthalingam, parents of the students but also their relatives. They showed interest in the affairs of the students and the concern they showed in the welfare of the Students was reminiscent of Guru-Shisya relationship of the ancient day S. Mr. Amirthalingam was no exception to this rule. He was a man of mercurial temperament that was cheerful nevertheless. His commonsense and knowledge of the World Was admirable. His sense of proportion, amiable manners and his large heartedness have been the Secret of his professional Success. He has been sociable and bene Volent that he became very popular in the village and has been a catalytic agent in many happy Occurrences in Kokuvil. He was noted for his humour of speech and devotion to God and man throughout his life. He opted to abandon teaching in 1945 and took up an administrative appointment in a new paper factory Set up in Koku Vill by Mr.S.Senathirajah, one of his past - pupils. Unfortunately this new venture did not make much progress and the factory was closed in a few years. Mr. Amirthalingam later returned to Kokuvil Hindu and continued as a teacher. He continued to learn as he taught and collected the B.A (London) degree by private study. He taught Latin and English. He often told his Students "English Opens the door to all modern knowledge and to a different culture. This is a necessary complement to Our Own. Some defects in our national character may be corrected by
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the study of English literature and Philosophy, The harmonious proportions and sobriety of English prose and verse cannot but tend to remodel and purify vernacular literature” He was a teacher with a grip. He was sure-footed and would have his way even if the skies should come down. Thus he commanded the esteem and respect of his fellow teachers.
Mr. Amirthalingam served Kokuvil Hindu College for well over 30 years. He identified himself in all the activities of the School even after retirement. He was the President of the old students association in Kokuvil for a few years. He had a tensed-up family life and neglected his own health. He lost the vision of both eyes in the last stage of his life. He moved out of Jaffna and lived with his daughter in Kelaniya. The Writer visited him and when the daughter told him that a visitor had arrived, he sat up from his bed and shouted "Announce yourself, 1 can't see". It pained me a lot to hear those words from my old teacher. He did not live long thereafter and died there in 1984. His remains were cremated in Colombo, at Kanatte after a simple funeral. Mr. K. Yogarajah, one of his nephews recalled at the funeral that even Amirthalingam's father Arumugam was also cremated at the Kanatte, cemetery.
Mr. A. Nagalingam was another of the veterans who had been on the College staff from its very early days. He was a Superb teacher. He taught Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry. He was a person in whom honesty, integrity, kindness and compassion were blended at their very best. He had a sharp analytical mind and an unquenchable thirst for new knowledge. He was well versed in music. He who was short and stocky and a rigid adherent of principles, got students to sing poems and the Varams
48 Kokuvi Hindu College

(Hindu devotional hymns). Errors in repeating them irked him, which were promptly rewarded with a sharp knock, which left an indelible mark not on the Skull but in it (in the A. Nagalingam memory). "Spare the rod and spoil the child" was a kind of motto of teachers those days. Many of the Students have forgotten the intense pain and black Welts suffered from beatings and knocks by those pedagogues whom Strangely We remember with awe and reverence. In retrospect it has to be admitted that students remain thankful that those Savage beatings made them into men and helped make young boys better citizens.
Mr. A.Nagalingam (AN) was mostly a chalk and talk teacher. His lectures were lucid; he made complex phenomenon look simple and inspired the students. He was a father figure to students and some junior staff. He assisted every Principal in the office as well, in handling all confidential work especially in relation to examinations held in the various classes in the School. His other important assignment was the preparation of the time table for the whole School (for each class and for each member of the teaching Staff). He was a specialist in this field. Besides all these he was a scholar in Tamil; he was an expert in composing poems in Tamil conforming to all grammatical rules. As indicated elsewhere, he was the author of the "College Song'. He was well versed in the tenets of Saivaism and had, in retirement, composed many devotional hymns in praise of the presiding deity Lord Murugan at Puthukkovil, Kokuvil, Kirupakara Sivasubramaniya Swamy Kovil adjacent to the College and Sang the praises of his (56)G5uisito) kulatheivam Neeravi

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Sri Jeya Veerakathi Vinayagar in more than four pirapanthams (Siyujigsila,6ir). By the disciplined life he lived as a true Saivaite he evoked in the students an enthusiasm for and a desire to lead such a life. He had all along been the personality behind all efforts to build up a religious atmosphere in the school. Devoid of religion or culture, life was barren and it fills the gap in a society bent on materialism.
Mr. A.Nagalingam embodied in himself the highest ideals of the Gandhian way of life and the values he fostered enthusiastically in the school community by his disciplined life have had their effect on hundreds of pupils who passed through his hands. His past pupils go into ecstasies in their admiration and love for their
teacher. He had novel methods of class control and once he even prostrated himself before his pupils in an effort to keep them quiet. On another Occasion, when he came to the class-room to take up the lessons, the foul smell emanating from the adjacenturinal and lavatory irritated him. The class monitor reported that the lavatory cooly had been absent for a few days and that the bad smell originated in that area. He promptly called out his favourite student A. Selvarathinam from the class to help him draw the water from the nearby well, folded up the sleeves of his national dress and cleaned both the urinal and lavatory assuming the role of the Scavenger and that was how he gave his most eloquent discourse on the dignity of labour and of dedication to duty. It was a rude shock to the students, though it was a practical display of the Gandhian influence on Mr.A.Nagalingam. The news spread all over the school and this incident remains etched in the minds of all the students of that period. His wife pre-deceased him and he lived with his nieces at Vadaku

Veedu” in Arally East, Vaddukkoddai. He fell ili there and was warded at the nursing home at Anaipanthy. The writer was on leave in Jaffna. Mr. C.K.Kanthaswami took me in his car to see Mr.Nagalingam in hospital. The patient's eyes were in tears when he saw the two of us. He was seriously ill. Yet he held Mr.Kanthaswami's hands and kissed them. Later he held my hands too and sobbed as he kissed.The two of us were deeply moved to tears with sorrow by his loving act. That Was the last occasion we saw him. A few days later he passed away.
Lack of qualified teachers with a high degree of both proficiency and efficiency was one of the problems the Principal faced at Kokuvil Hindu. In 1948, H.S.C classes were formed in both the Arts and Science streams. Mr. Namasivaya Idaikadar joined the teaching staff and he taught Chemistry in the higher forms. He was an intelligent and painstaking teacher with a gift for sententious wit. His disciplined ways and genial temperament and devotion to duty have earned for him the enduring regard and respect of the school community. Kokuvil was known for its religious orthodoxy and social conservatism. Some persons were apprehensive of any romance in a co-educational institution. Mr. Idaikadar loved one of the girls in the senior form and married her eventually in 1950. This extra-ordinary event left a bad taste in orthodox Kokuvil but it became a precedent not to be missed by a few other teachers in the years that followed. He continued on the staff for many long years and left on transfer to another school, Osmaniya College in 1971. He was another of the silver jubilarian teachers of Kokuvil Hindu. His transfer was a rude shock to him and he was sorry to leave Kokuvil. When the Editors
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column of the College magazine of that year Was Styled “Qg5 LUúh (Gu Gi é66ởT Og he gave expression to his grievance with the Words "why not "6) 656th (Eug 6,56606). When he later learnt from the then Director of Education, Jaffna that neither the Principal nor the Member of Parliament for Nallur did want him at Kokuvil Hindu, he was deeply disappointed and exclaimed "what an honour for 25 years of dedicated Service
Mr. S. Sivaguru from Araly joined Kokuvil Hindu in April 1947 at Principal Nagalingam's invitation. He was fresh from the University with a B. A Econ. Degree. He was assigned to teach History. He ob Served that the
teachers in Kokuvil Were the traditional types in their habits, attire and thinking and were steeped
S.Sivaguru
in the old Hindu traditions, manners, customs and culture. As President of the Historical Association of the School, he invited in July 1949, Mr. S.J. V.Chelvanayagam, the M.P. for Kankesanthurai to speak on the "Federal Constitution for Ceylon" to the students. This remains a controversial subject to this day (2004). Mr. Sivaguru left Kokuvil Hindu in September 1950 and became a Chartered Accountant (F.C.A). He recalled with gratitude the timely help, his colleague Mr. Somakanthar Volunteered which enabled him to abandon teaching and take up to accountancy. He worked in Various Government Departments and Corporations. He had a Diploma in Cost and Management Accounting and lectured in Financial
5O Kokuvil Hindu College
 

Management Accounting at the Ceylon Technical College. He also functioned in the Management Development Arm, of the Ministry of Industries which was a forerunner of the N.I.B.M (National Institute of Business Management). He had overseas assignments in Guyana (South America) and Tanzania (Africa). He retired from the Government Accountants' Service in 1984 and became a partner of the accounting firm, A.I. Macan Markar & Co and served as a consultant in Management in the University of Sri Jaya Wardenapura.
Mr. S. Vela uthapillai from Thalayali joined Kokuvil Hindu College as a teacher in August 1947. He was another young teacher, just out of the University with a B.A (Honours) degree who was lured into teaching by Principal Nagalingam. As Student at Jaffna Hindu College he came under the influence of Mr. Nag a ling a m . & Mr. Velauthapillai acquired a very good grounding in Tamil from the renowned
grammarian Vid van N.Suppiah Pillai in his early school life. English mastery he derived from his teachers like (Shakespeare) Nagalingamand C.Subramaniam (Orator). In the University he came under the influence of Swami Vipulananda who had ambitious plans for him. The untimely death of the Swami in 1947 devastated Mr. Velauthapillai and significantly affected his chances of acquiring higher qualifications although he was amongst Swami’s best Students. He however made good this loss by falling on Pulavar Sivan Karunalaya Pandiyanar to quench his thirst for
Sellathurai Vellauthapillai

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knowledge in Tamil grammar and literature. Vedanta and Saiva Sidhanta. To Mr.Velauthapillai, education was a life long process. In Kokuvil Hindu College he was assigned to teach Tamil and Sanskrit to the H.S.C class. In composing Tamil poetry he was very talented. His translation of the English Poem. “The Pet Lamb' was so excellent that it was published in the J.H.C annual "The Hindu'. The opening lines of his translation Were - முன்னமோர் காலந் தன்னில் முருகனாம் மந்தை மேய்ப்போன் சின்னவோர் கிராமந் தன்னில் சிறுவனா யிருக்கும் காலை. One day in discussing appreciation of poetry in the H.S.C class he effortlessly-wrote these verses on the black
board.
குயி
கோல மாவின் கிளைகளிலே குலவி மகிழு நீல வுருவுங் கரந்துநீநெஞ்சம் உருக இை ஆலு முன்றன் இன்றுணையை அருகே வ பாலுங் கைக்கப் பண்ணிசைப்பாய் பாரில்
மன்னுங் காதல் மனத்துற மடவார் இசை தன்னங் குழவி தாலாட்டும் தாயின் பாடல் கன்னற் சாற்றின் கனிவென்கோ? கணிக துன்னு யாழின் நரம்பிலெழும் தூய இசை
பள்ளிக் கேகும் பாலகனாய்ப் பாடி யாடும் தெள்ளத் தெளிந்த இன்குரலிற் றெய்வ க துள்ளிக் துள்ளிக் கூவினேன், துருவித் து கள்ளக் குயிலே கரந்திருந்து காண வாரி (
தேனிற் பாலைக் கலந்தனைய செழுமை மி வானில் வாழுங்கின்னரரும் வணங்கும் வ வேனிற் கால வருகையினை விரும்பி யுல கானத் தூதன் நீயென்றே கருதி மகிழ்ந்ே
அன்றென் செவிகள் குளிரக்கேட் டானந் இன்றுங் கேட்ட வளவினிலே இன்பக் கன சென்று மறைந்த நாளெல்லாந் திரும்பி ெ ஒன்றன் பின்ன ரொன்றாக ஓடிக் காட்சிப

காதலன் கூற்று :- ஆசில்லாத எழிலுடையாய் அணங்கே யென்றன் மனந்தன்னை ஊசலாடச் செய்தாயுன் ஒளியார் வதன் முறுவலினால் நேசங்கொண்டேன்நினைவெல்லாம்நின்பாலுய்க்க வேதனையால் வீசுங்காற்றைத்தனைநோக்கி விளம்பாயென்றேன் என் குறையே
காதலி கூற்று:- சீரார் செவ்வேளனையாயுன் சித்தமறிவே னெனினும் நான் ஊரார் பேசும் உரைக்கஞ்சி ஒன்றும் பேசா தன்றகன்றேன் நீரா யுருகும் என்நெஞ்சு நித்தம் இரவிற் துயிலுங்கால் ஆராக் காதல் மீதூர அணைக்கு மும்மைக் கனவினிலே
With such verses in simple language in explaining "appreciation of poetry” he won the admiration of the class. "Kokuvil', the magazine of Kokuvil Hindu College carried a poem titled "gushsil ' by Mr.Velauthapillai.
ழங் கோகிலமே
சப்பதென்னே?
ாவென்றழைத்தாயோ?
உனக்கு நிகருண்டோ! 1
க்கும் பண்ணென்கோ?
அமிழ்தென்கோ?
ள் மூன்றின் பிழிவென்கோ? பின் தெளிவென்கோ? 2
பருவத்தில்
ானம் நீபாடத்
Iருவித் தேடினேன்
பெய்தாயோ! 3
க்க தீங்குரலில்
பண்ணம் இசைமிழற்றி
கர்க் கெடுத்துரைக்கும்
தன் கோகிலமே! 4.
தித்த அக்குரலை
வு காண்கின்றேன்
பன்றன் மனத்திரையில் பளித்திடுமே! 5
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திரையிற் காணும் படமேபோற் சீராய்த் தே உரையிற் கடங்கா இன்யூறல் உளத்திற் ெ புரையிற் றீர்ந்த அந்நாட்கள் புதுக்கி யெ6 கரையில் இன்பக் கானத்துக் கென்னே 6
அன்பு கனிய இசைமிழற்றி என்பும் உருக இன்பப் பெருக்கின் ஊற்றேயோ? இசைே துன்ப மென்ப தறியாய்நீ தொலைவில் இ துன்பம் மிக்க உலகத்தில் தோய்தல் கூட
மண்ணின் மக்களிடைத்தோன்றும் மடியு எண்ணில் அடங்காக் கவலைகளும் ஏய்ப் விண்ணில் திரியுங் குயிலேநீ விரைவாய், மண்ணில் யானும் பெறுவேனோ? மற்றுன்
கவலை தோயா நின்னோசை காற்றில் மி கவலைக் கிடனாம் இவ்வுலகும் கான மய திவலை யாய நானும்மண் சேர்க்கை நீங் அவல மென்பதில்லாத அமுத வுலகில் தி
இன்பக் குயிலே யுன்னைநான் இரந்து ே பொன்னை மண்ணைப் பொருள்பிறவைட் புன்மை தவிர்த்துப் பொய் நீக்கிப் பொன் அன்பிற் குழைத்த அருமருந்தொன்றளி
This poem was highly appreciated by Mr K. S. Arulnanthy. Assistant Director of Education and Senior Lecturer in Tamil Department of University of Ceylon who wrote to Principal Perinbanayagam commending Mr.Velauthapillai's style of the composition which compared well with that of Wordsworth and Bharathi. When Principal Nagalingam died in September 1948, Mr.C.K.Kanthaswamy got Mr.Velauthapillai to compose an elegy on the departed Principal. Abandoning the traditional style of Kalveddu (56 Go)"G) his verses ran thus:-
என்னத்தைக் கண்டாய் இளம்பிள்ளை நீயறியாய் சொன்னத்தைக் கேளாய் துரையே யெனக்கொஞ்சி கன்னத்தில் முத்தமிட்டுக் கட்டியெடுத் தணைத்து என் தந்தை யேபோல இதம் சொல்வார் யாரேயோ?
52 Kokuvi Hindu College

நான்றும் பழங்காட்சி
பருகிப் பாயும்மே
னக்கின்றளித்தாயுன்
கைம்மா றியான்செய்கேன்! 6
ச் செய்வாய்நீ
ய உருவாய் வந்தாயோ?
ருந்து கூவுவது
தென்றேயோ? 8
ம் நோயும் இலம்பாடும்
புங் களவும் வஞ்சனையும்
வாழ்வில் நின்னின்பம்
T இனத்திற் பிறவேனோ? 9
தந்து பரந்திடவே
மாய்க் கவினுமால்
கியப்போதுன்
ரிவேனே O
கட்ப தொன்றுண்டு
போற்றி வாழும் இம்மாந்தர்
றா வின்பம் பெற்றுய்ய
ப்பா யோநி அன்புருவே? 11
இத்தை செய்யாதே இதனை இயம்பாதே வித்தை விரும்பென்று நாளும் விதம்விதமாய் புத்திதனைச் சொன்ன.
Mr.Velauthapillai later admitted having allowed his own feelings to flow into this composition remembering one Bibilical line, "In the midst of life we are in death” He left Kokuvil Hindu College in August 1953, abandoned teaching and took up an appointment in the Official Languages Department in Colombo. He made steady progress in his career. His translation into Tamil the The wonder that was India' by A.L.Basham (University of London) brought him great fame in that field. He had also

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composed many devotional hymns on Puthukovil Murugan and other deities installed at this temple. He emigrated to Canada in March 1988 and passed away in August 1996.
Mr. K. Rajasabai who was transferred from Karainagar Hindu College in 1946 served at Kokuvil Hindu for a few years. His father Mr. Kanagasabai was Principal at Karainagar Hindu College. Mr.Rajasabai taught Ceylon History to the S. S.C class. He was an able conscientious teacher. He had a sturdy heart and sturdier wit which started scintillating only when sufficiently provoked. All his students enjoyed the quiet humour of his, sometimes with even biting sarcasm, given with a smile at the corner of his lips but based on deep history, culture and science. It was his view that the study of history helps broadening one's mind and outlook to enable him to view problems in a dispassionate manner and also enable him to acquire qualities of wisdom, spirit of tolerance, civic sense and duties. Written or Oral History evolves in societies because of their functional value. It was popularly held that the past determines the way we view-the present, though it is now evident the present also shapes how we view the past.
The teaching of history in schools had been dropped from all school curricula at the diktat of the Education Ministry in the early 1970s. History was flung out and substituted with a wishy-washy concoction called "Social Studies' The result is that generations of students have come out of school with no knowledge of Sri Lanka's ancient traditions, let
*"In 1985 the Principal of a leading school in Colombo lamen towards the sciences and technology and youth has drifted av foundations, Emotional development of the child has been dwarfe, and formative years. Child's education which caters not only to growth, has to take place side by side with the development of his be empty, furtile and devoid of vision". -

alone the rest of the world. With no understanding of the past, the country's youth have no vision of the future and live in impoverished and uncertain present. Sri Lanka is unique in this suicidal exercise to erase its own history.
Mr.A. Kandaswamy, a person from Kokuvil soil came in 1946 to Kokuvil Hindu College on transfer from Victoria College, Chulipuram. He was a Botany teacher in that school. He had a fancy to pluck mahogany fruits from the tall trees that were in plenty then in Kokuvil and take them to demonstrate to his students at Chulipuram. Classes in commerce subjects were assigned to him at Koku vil Hindu; teaching subjects like Commerce, Book-keeping and Typewriting were just then begun at Kokuvil Hindu College. The Principal, V.Nagalingam did not have the luxury of an office staff. He used the services of teachers like Mr A. Kandaswamy, Mr.A.Nagalingam besides Mr.C.K.Kanthaswamy to handle the office work in addition to teaching in classes according to their time-table. Most of the typing work in the office was handled by Mr. A Kandaswamy. He was an excellent teacher of commerce subjects. He won the estimable regard from his fellow teachers and students by his amiable ways. He had a flare for economics. He was the one teacher who made full use of the annual reports of the Central Bank of Ceylon; he had a private collection of all these reports year wise. He had a stroke while at work busy typing question papers for the N.P.T.A examination to assist Mr.A.R.Rasanayagam who
ted thus:- "The Pendulum for obvious reasons has swung too far ay from humanities and religion, thus endangering his spiritual land suppressed by pure intellectual pursuits from his very young is intellectual development but also to his emotional and spiritual
moral, ethical and ideological values without which his life would
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was the Secretary. Mr.A.Kanthaswamy died in 1964.
Another teacher who joined the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College in 1946 was Mr.A.Kandiah from Kopay Christian College. He taught English and History to the senior forms. He also prepared students for the London Matriculation Examinations held (in January and June 1948) after a long interruption in Sri Lanka. He was a very good teacher with a fund of knowledge and wisdom, soft-spoken and unruffled in any awkward situations. He was a renowned pedagogue of the halcyon days of English language education in Ceylon (ending 1950s). That was an era when education though very much teacher-centered, was yet sheer joy, enjoyable and memorable; competition, though keen, was meant to be savoured. Never was it more evident than during the English language lessons. The sanctity of Queens English was jealously guarded and any slip in grammar, incorrect spelling, or mispronunciation was met with howls of laughter to the annoyance of the teacher. One day, Mr. Kandiah taught us how to pronounce and spell the word 'coup-de tat. Something many of us took time to come to terms with. He had the uncanny knack of making men out of weak students with personal attention. He was very kind and was never known to offend anyone or hurt one's feelings. He always took a low key role and his simplicity endeared him to his students. He had a favourite phrase with which he would reprimand a persistently erring student. It went thus "the first time could be an accident. the second time may be a coincidence, but the third time. young man, is nothing but a damn habit". He was a scholarly gentleman and he taught his students much about books and men. We envied his English and turn of phrase that were inpeccable. He was eloquent, sharp witted and had a compelling techique of commanding
54 Kokuvil Hindu College

ones entire attention. The touch of silver in his hair portrayed an aura of destinction and his English flowed easily in an effortless performance. He inspired national consciousness in his students adding that it is only with political independence that national culture would, have its due place in society. Only then could the ancient glory of this country be reinstalled in the minds of the people to inspire them in their forward march of building a nation.
Mr. C. Sivasothy was one of the veteran teachers at Kokuvil Hindu. He was a science graduate who joined the school in 1949. He had a fancy for demonstrating scientific theories in practical application. He was the Instructor in the Technological Association in the school in 1956. With his inspiration and guidance the students earned praise for their talents in practical work in the science section. The model Electric Railway constructed by the Technical Association obtained the first-place as the best exhibit at the Science exhibition organized by the Science Teachers' Association in 1956. A five valve super heterodyre Receiver was successfully made by Master S.K. Subbiah of the G.C.E class in 1956. In the same year, model of a Blast furnace constructed by H. S.C students won the prize for the best exhibit in the Chemistry section of the science exhibition. Members of the Technical Association of the School successfully made and assembled a model of the Canadian Diesel Engine. It had 24 volt motors, 6 volt lighting system and a double tone 2 volt horning mechanism. The College also had a Radio Club with Mr. Sivasothy as the Instructor. The school bought and provided a sound projector and a 30 watt vortexion amplifier to the club. The operation and maintenance of these apparatuses provided practical training to the students. Two students of the H.S.C class (M. Masilamany and R.Nalliah) constructed three

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valve tuned Radio frequency receivers in 1957. N.S.Selvarajah made a Radio set in 1963 for Mr.Namasivaya daikadar with the help of Mr. Sivasothy. During the period of the Linga Lights carnival in 1950 Mr. Sivasothy was always seen at the control room, when illuminations and loud speakers were at work. When a colleague of his (ldaikadar) enquired why he does not move out, Mr. Sivasothy's reply was that "if anyone is electrocuted, he will be held responsible and therefore he was at work all the time". Such was his dedication to duty and commitment. Having served the school for well over 30 years, he retired in 1980.
Mr.Kuppilan Sellathurai was appointed as the music teacher for a short period at Kokuvil Hindu College. He was a renowned musician from Kuppilan who had acquired proficiency in carnatic music from one of the Saiva
Aatheenams in South India. He married in
Kokuvil and lived close to the school. He used to proudly claim that he did excel Thandapani Thesikar, another celebrity of his time, in a music competition at the Indian Aatheenam. He made it easy for his students to pick up the fundamentals of carnatic music. The music class commenced with lot of enthusiasm but the drop out rate was heavy as it was an after School class; the participants had to stay late when other students left for their homes, or for games in the College playground located at a distance far away from school. He also conducted individual lessons in carnatic music to some selected
students in their homes. He was stern and severe in appearance, frank and outspoken in eXpression, painstaking and Studiqus in his work. He was conscious of his achievements in
music and his ambition was to learn more and more. His quest for knowledge in his chosen field, abided with him to his last days. His

scholarship and versatility in music made him participate in Radio Ceylon programmes in which he displayed the depth and range of his knowledge.
His often quoted statement runs thus in Tamil:-
“இறைவன் நாத வடிவானவன். நாதம் உலோக தோற்றத்திற்கு மூலாதாரம். குழலொளி, யாழொளி கூடிவரும் நாதமே நிலையானது. “ஓம்’ நாத ஒலியில் ஒலிக்கின்றது. அதில் நாதம் அடங்கியுள்ளது. நாதத்தினின்று ஸ்ருதியும், ஸ்ருதியிலிருந்து ஸ்வரங்களும், ஸ்வரங்களினின்று இராகங்களும் உண்டாகின்றன. வேத புராண ஆகமம் முதலிய சாஸ்திரங்களுக்கு ஆதாரமான நாதத்தை, இனிமையான சங்கதிகள், வார்த்தைகள் மூலம் பக்தியுடன் கானம் செய்வதே பாக்கியமாகும்.”
“ஓம் என்பது அகாரம், உகாரம், மகாரம், விந்து, நாதம் என்ற ஐந்தின் தொகுதி. அது நாததத்துவத்தின் சின்னம். நாத தத்துவனின்று பல தத்துவங்கள் தோன்றும். கடைசியில் யாவும் அதில் அடங்கும். முதலில் இருப்பது ஓம். இறுதியில் நிற்பதும் அதுவே. பலர் கூடிய சந்தையினின்றும் விலகி நின்று கேட்டால் எல்லா ஒலியும் சேர்ந்து'ஓம்' என்று ஒலிக்கும். ஒன்றும் இல்லாத சட்டியில் காதை வைத்துக் கேட்டால் ஒலிப்பது ஒம் என்ற உண்மை இதனால் புலனாகும்.”
“ஒரு ராக தேவதை தன்னுடைய முழு செளந்தர்யத்தையும் இலகுவில் காட்டிவிட மாட்டாள். மெள்ள மெள்ளத்தான் உன் சாமர்த்தியத்தைப் பிரயோகித்து அவள் பூரண அழகை வெளியே கொண்டு 6J)(6.6doTGlth.'was another of Mr. Sellathurai's advice to his music students.
During his time, on every Friday after the evening poojah at Puthukovil, some of his music class students participated in the night bajan singing devotional hymns with thalam and struthi (Thevaram) around both the inner and outer courtyards (9.6i, G166f 65566ir) led by Kuppilan
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Sellathurai. the music master. The student leader of the bajan group was Miss. Punithavathy Kuddithamby (late Mrs.R. Thirunavukkarasu). Students living in the vicinity of the school including the writer too joined in this bajan. It was indeed a pleasant and inspiring experience to listen to the rendering in chorus the thevarams led by the Guru.
Mr.K.Kandaswamy from Kondavil had been on the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College from the year 1927. He has watched with pleasure the phenomenal growth of the school from its humble beginnings. His work was mainly confined to the middle forms and he impressed his students with his sound knowledge and method of teaching. He was a regular reader of the Ceylon Observer. He carried this newspaper daily to the class and encouraged his pupils to do additional reading outside the textbooks. He was a plain simple and unassuming country gentleman with a halo of aristocracy about him. Like his forbears he owned a farm wherein he worked in his spare time. That has been his wont even as a teacher. Like the typical farmer he rises with the crowing of the cock and does his morning farm work with the proverbial love of the farmer. He was quite free with advice to budding farmers, an advise entirely based on his extensive knowledge of farming gathered in the whole course of a life time. The one beauty about him was whatever he touched he adored; and whatever he adored suffered a sea change into something rich and strange. Though he never cared for the results of his actions yet he was able to enjoy the fruits thereof at school and at the farm. He was a useful member of the society, useful on occasions of stress and strain. He retired from teaching in 1963 afler 35 years of devoted service in Kokuvil Hindu College.
56 Kokuvi Hindu College

Mr. C. V. Rajasuntheram was another of the young graduate teachers who served in Kokuvil Hindu in the late 1940s He was the son of Mr.C.Vinasithamby who was Maniyagar at the Jaffna Kachcheri. Mr. Rajasuntheram did excellently well in his studies and by the time he came up to the Matriculation class he was under-aged and the father had to obtain special permission from the London University for the son to sit the London Matriculation examination. One had to be over 18 years of age in August to gain admission even to our University College, the academic year beginning in August of each year. Having passed this exam he later qualified as a graduate in Arts. He was a good teacher in both Tamil and English. He was very good in translation. In the Matriculation Tamil exam paper. translation from English to Tamil or from Tamil to English formed an important part. He trained the students well in translation work. He left Kokuvil Hindu in 1952 and joined Radio Ceylon as he had a fancy for broadcasting. He did very well in that field and rose to the position of Assistant Director. Along with Sivanayagam and a few other friends he produced and staged in Colombo "Meenachchi Kalyanam". Lord Siva manifesting himself as Kalyana Sundarar wedded to Meenakshi, the daughter of the King of Madurai in the month of Pankuni under the asterism uttharam (Uri (560fp 55Jih); the Wedding Scene was beautifully displayed in stage. It was an excellent production and was a revelation of Rajasuntharam's talents. Years later, his brother Mr.C.V.Rajasekaram a graduate himself also joined the Teaching staff of Kokuvil Hindu College and served in the school for many years until he emigrated to Canada following his brother who had emigrated to that country earlier. Both the brothers were so well qualified and proficient in English that they were

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assigned to edit the college magazine during their respective periods at Kokuvil Hindu College.
Mrs.G nanambikai Perumalpillai joined the staff of Kokuvil Hindu in 1942. She had her early education at Kokuvil Hindu College and after her 7th Standard she went to Chundikuli Girl's School. She qualified as a :8 Graduate of the University of London with Mathematics and Sanskrit as her subjects. She was a good teacher of Mathematics and English. She was gentle, Soft-spoken and was a pleasant companion to friends and relations. "Ettei," "Chelvaco" at Kokuvil was the home of her father V.K.Gnanasundaram, Proctor S.C&N.P. After her father's demise when she Was 21, she had been the guardian of the family-her widowed mother, four sisters and a brother. She married Dr.C.Perumalpillai of Point Pedro in 1950, who then headed Veterinary Research Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Peradeniya. The Hindu religious values that permeated the house-hold had doubtless contributed to the notable achievements of her children in their chosen fields. She gave up teaching in Kokuvil Hindu College and joined the staff of Good Shephard Convent, Kandy. Dr. Perumalpillai joined the F.A.O (Food and Agricultural Organisation) in 1963 and had been with this international organization for over 20 years. He was a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (MRCVS) and was awarded FRCVS in 1965. Mrs.Perumalpillai left
 

teaching in Sri Lanka and followed her husband to various countries overseas.
In 1958 Dr. Perumalpillai joined the University of Khartoum, Sudan as the head of the Animal Health Department. Gnanambikai having retired from her teaching position at Kandy, had continued to teach Mathematics at Unity High School for girls in Khartoum for five years. She held classes for her three children at home. Gnanambikai's African sojourn ended in January 1969 when she moved to Bangkok, Thailand where her husband became the FAO Regional Animal Production and Health officer for the Pacific region. She travelled around Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore and moved to Rome in 1979 and soon after to Afghanistan where her husband established the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Kabul. She loved Kabul and the snow-capped Hindu Kush of the Himalayan Mountain Range which surrounded the city at 8000 feet above sea 1 evel. Anxious to be of service to the community she became the President of the United Nations Women's Association of Afghanistan where she demonstrated her skills in organization and delivery of humanitarian aid. When the husband retired in 1982 the two of them launched on a six months World tour. They were impressed with the openness of the American society and the easy life style of the people there. Yet she preferred to return to her native Sri Lanka in December 1982 to be with her mother whom she dearly loved. With the passing away of her mother, she pursued meditation as a vehicle to achieve spirituality and final release. "Her visit in October 1993 to Swami Satchithananda's ashram at Yogaville. Buckingham. Virginia. U.S.A was a revealing experience for her" she said. Her final release came on December 12, 1993.
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Dr. Perumalpillai contributed to a core fund and established the Srimathi Gnanambikai Trust in her memory. The family members of Chelvacot were and are genuine devotees of their kula-theivam Puthukovil Kirupakarar. One of the publications of this temple was dedicated (Part 11 of its Pirapan thathiradu SITUg5ġ5 6 TG6) gJ 6ÕTTL) UT 35th) to Gnanambikai's memory. Two of her sisters. Mrs.Gnanaranjitham Maivaganam and Mrs Gnanapakiam Balasubramaniam had also been on the teaching staff of Kokuvil Hindu College for short periods. Their maternal grand-father Mr.Candiah, Proprietory Planter of Balangoda donated a princely sum of Rs.25,000/= in 1950 in Mr. Gnanasundaram's memory and this money was the nucleus of the Building Fund raised in 1950 by Kokuvil Hindu College during principal Perinbanayagam’s peroid.
Mr. Suppiah was a dance teacher at Kokuvil Hindu College for a short period. He was an expert in both Baratha Natyam and the Kathakali style of dancing. He learnt Bharatham from the world famous Dr Gopinath Completing his training in India he returned to Ceylon in 1956 and started a dance School in a Small Scale.
In 1958 he constructed “Kala Bavanam ” in close proximity to the College where regular dance classes commenced in May 1960. Students from different parts of the country came to learn dancing at his feet. The students had a methodical training in Bharatha Natyam under his guidance and many of them emerged as experts in this field of dancing. Miss. Shanta Ponnuthurai and Krishanthi Ravindra who held
Mr. Suppiah
58 Kokuvi Hindu College
 

high positions in the Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts owe their achievements to "Kala Bhavanam”. Mr. Vel Ananthan specialized in the Kathakali form and brought credit to Mr. Suppiah. Mrs.Thiripurasunthari Yogananthan, Miss. Shyamala Nadarajah and Mrs.Vyyanthimala are some of the other famous products of “Kala Bhavanam”. Mr. Suppiah meticulously imparted the shastric principles of these two forms of dancing to his students and would present them for "Aranketam' only when they were fully qualified and had achieved acceptable standards in Music, Dance and Natuwankam. Mr. Suppiah died suddenly in 1975 when he was only 55 years of age. His daughter Mrs. Shantini Sivanesan. who is herself fully qualified in this field and an expert exponent of these two forms of dancing now heads the “Kala Bhavanam” maintaining its traditions and following the father's foot steps.
Dr.V.Ponniah (B.A.Hons.PhD) fondly known as Spencer Ponniah hailed from Kokuvil. He was not merely a school teacher. He was truly a philosopher or more aptly a Gnani. From his boyhood days he had been a loyal devotee of Mother Sellachchi in Chunnakam. He often visited her and had the opportunity to take Yogar Swamigal as his “Guru'. It was perhaps the blessings of these two spiritual leaders of his time that brought him eminence in every field of his activity. He won a Ceylon government scholarship and obtained his Doctorate in Philosophy in 1945 from the Annamalai University in India. His dessertation "Saiva Siddhanta Theory of knowledge” in English demonstrated his excellent proficiency in the language. It was published by the Annamalai University. He was equally well versed in Tamil, Sanskrit, Latin, Mathematics and astrology. Because of his all-round knowledge he was coopted into the Language committee of the

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Official Languages Department of Sri Lanka and he earned great fame in choosing appropriate Tamil words for many difficult Scientific terms in English. He served in the staff of Jaffna Hindu and Parameswara Colleges and was with Maharagama Training College as a lecturer during the period 1949 - 1954. But he taught much more from his home, from where he satisfied the thirst for higher education for many Kokuvilites and youths from adjoining villages. Senior persons and many others who had abandoned worldly life also joined in his classes of religious instruction covering Bagavath Gita, Upanishads, Brahma Shutra, Bhamathy, Sivagnana Bodam (in brief) Sivagnana Botha Maapadiam, Tholgappium, Senavaraiyam etc. He was a preceptor who followed meticulously what he preached.
His spiritual knowledge and attainments were beyond the reach of ordinary mortals. He used to regularly join Yogar Swamigal in his ashram at Colombuthurai and indulge in contemplative spiritual sadhana till late into the night. The guru sloka in his book "Saiva Siddhanta Gnana Leela' read thus:-
“சும்மா விருவொருபொல்லாப்புமில்லையெனத் தெருட்டி நின்றே யிம்மாநிலத்து யானுய்ய ஞானவிளையாட்டருளிய பெம்மான் தென்னம் பொழில் சூழ் கொழும்புத்துறை நகர்மேவிய வெம்மா னருள்வள்ளல் யோகசுவாமி போற்றி போற்றி”
In the preface to this book he mentions
that he launched on this work to share his experiences, in associating with the revered Yogar Swami of Colombuthurai for well over forty years, with other devotees. The book is a synopsis of Agamic conclusions and Upanishadie thought he adds. The conclusive advisory verse reads thus:-
“சிவன்வேறு நீவே றென்ற நிலைநீங்கி
யலைகடலிற் சென்றடங்கு மாறு போலவும்
பண்ணையும் ஒசையும் போலவும்

நீரு மிரதமும் போலவும் கலப்பு முடனாதலும் வேறாதலு நின்கட்டோன்ற வான்ம போதமுங்கண் ணொளியுந் தம்முணிற்கு மாறு அத்துவித நிலைபெறும் வண்ணஞ் சிவனொடு வேறற நிற்க”
Dr. Ponniah had not taught in the school at Kokuvil but he was indeed a good guide and leading light to many Kokuvilites and should rightly find a place in this story. He was a veteran teacher, venerated by the entire Hindu community. Special mention should also be made here to another renowned Scholar from Kokuvil, little known to the younger generation.
Dr.T.N. Ramachandran, Director, International Institute of Saiva Siddhanta Research, Dharmapuram, TamilNadu, South India in his book "The Scriptures of Tamil Saivism” wrote
“We are fortunate to have with us a work in English called “Vedanta Moola Saram' by a Sri Lankan scholar, a scholar extraordinary who chose to call himself "a science graduate "... We know he is A.Viswanathapillai of Kokuvil. This work appeared in 1950 and this is the one and only reliable work and not many are aware of its greatness. Our Pillai's “A study of Suetasvatara Upanishad” (1956) is another excellent opus.
If any one of the readers who possess copies of either or both these books could oblige by sending it/them to us we could arrange to have them reprinted and give them renewed life.Messrs N. Chellappah. N. Ganeshalingam, T. Sinnathamby, Mrs. Bhargaviammah, S.Sabalingam, M.Sinnathamby, M.Vaithilingam and K.Pathmanaban were some of the other veteran teachers in the early day's at Kokuvil
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Hindu college and references have been made to them individually in the preceding chapters.
Mrs. Kanagambikai Ranganathan B. A(London) Dip.in.Ed (Ceylon) is a Kokuvilite and a true product of Kokuvil Hindu College. She is a daughter of V.Manickavasagar Proctor SC & NP, Kokuvil. Her maternal grandfather, Sabaratna Mudaliyar, had been one of the founding fathers of this institution and her family members of two brothers and two sisters had served as Principal Mrs Kanagambikai (M.Mahadeva) and Ranganathan members of the teaching staff in Kokuvil Hindu College. The following from her pen serves as an admirable record of life in Kokuvil Hindu during Principal V Nagalingam's period.
Recalling memories of her days at Kokuvil Hindu College Mrs. Kanagambikai Ranganathan from Maryland, U.S.A wrote in 1995:-
"It was a golden time, a time free from the ravages we see around us now, a time of peace and prosperity, a time for institutions such as Kokuvil Hindu College to flourish. It was an age of innocence and hope. an age untainted by the wiles and vices of the world, an age echoing the trails of glory from whence we come and, above all, an age ready to receive in humility all knowledge imparted within the portals of this hall of learning. In such a period of time, the fusion of both elements provided a great opportunity, not only for the smooth acquisition of knowledgc. but also for the potentiality of a rich background to develop a child's personality
6O Kokuvil Hindu College
 

in many faceted ways. The school formed the nucleus ofvillage life. The village, Kokuvil, vivas the area for the unfoldment of my life, the first thirty years.
"Freed from the sophistication of modern life that can tragically warp up the personality of a young child the village Kokuvil at that time had all the ingredients necessary to make one grow as a child of nature moulded by all the simple and godly things of life. Kokuvil Hindu College was a modern school of modest proportions, flanked on One side by the village temple and on the other by the main road dotted with shops and houses. It was a school well administered by a Principal and well managed by a Board of Directors who had several schools under their management. It was a coeducational school starting from the nursery to the SSC class, taught by a staff of teachers who were able and dedicated in their profession. It drew a crowd of children not only from Kokuvil but also from neighbouring villages like Kondavil, Thavady, Inuvil, Suthumalai etc; in the primary classes education was in Tamil. We were taught well the three basic skills reading, writing and arithmetic by teachers who meant well. A significant event was the great inspection day when we turned up in school dressed in our best to be tested by the school inspectors. In the English school we were introduced to subjects such as history, geography, nature Studies, general Science, music, religion, English literature and Tamil literature. Besides our studies we were taught the basic rudiments of physical education and literary societies. We had several side activities to lighten our school life, concerts with music and dance, competitions and prize-giving activities to short excursions or trips to nearby places of interest".

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"It was indeed a pleasant time in childhood and innocent enjoyment with companions of my own age with no particular interest to excel in the educational sphere. It was home away from home, where the teachers taught and disciplined us and where we, the children, were all bonded members of a larger community. It was when I entered the form II class (Grade 7 of the present day) in Kokuvil Hindu College that my slumbering spirit, which hitherto was content to jog along in the educational sphere, woke up suddenly to explore the riches found in all the subjects taught to me, English literature, Tamil, Mathematics, Latin. Religion and other allied social subjects".
"My avidity for learning and my insatiable desire to delve deeper and deeper into the mysterious realms of knowledge were equally matched by most of the teachers whose primary purpose was to impart all that they knew. With little distractions to turn our minds away from books, fired by an enthusiasm that was overwhelming and inexplicable, I let my mind endlessly roam through pleasant pastures the alluring background of classic novels, the breath taking beauty of Shakespeare's dramas, the poignancy and pathos of poetry, the miraculous stories of the Hindu Saints, the conjugation of Latin verbs and its power of access to Latin literature, the recorded history' of ancient Sri Lankan kings and in no unequal way the intricacies on Mathematics. Whatever interest I have today, whether it be in appreciating literature, in composing literary and poetical pieces, or in any other sphere of life, it could be traced to the inspiration, I received from the teachers who taught me at Kokuvil Hindu College at that time. Their dedication and interest was so admirable that those teachers were able to help the diligent students who cared

to absorb all that was imparted to reach to the top. Now and then, at reflective moments of my life, the vision of my school life at Kokuvil Hindu College does flash before my inward eye, trying to recapture the images of those great stalwarts who taught me and shaped my life at such an impressionable age. Ever since I exited through the gates of Kokuvil Hindu College, I have wended my way along my path, studied at different institutions of learning, taught at many schools in different countries, lived and shared experiences of different people in different parts of the world and finally domiciled in a country far away from Sri Lanka. Apart from academic success, we also gained proficiency in extracurricular activities such as sports, drama, music, dance and literary societies. We were trained to take active part in debates and address literary societies. Our performances in dance and music were presented to a large audience of students, parents and well wishers in the form ofan yearend concert,
The teachers also moulded our whole personality by inculcating in us values of life. such as respect for elders, honesty in speech and action, value of friendship, a sense of healthy competition, punctuality, cleanliness and religious living. The twelve years of my school-life at Kokuvil Hindu College provided a firm base and formed an integral part of my life; this is indeed a glowing tribute to Kokuvil Hindu Gollege.”
In the late 1940s. the cry for balanced representation or Fifty-Fifty was the rage in politics. It stood for the perceived need to guarantee the equality of all citizens of Sri Lanka under the rule of law and the
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constitution. It was a formulation of the concept of balance of power within the body politic, so that every individual would be equal in fact as well as in law. Its relevance stands out lucidly in establishing a harmonious polity. It meant the equality of human existence and ways of ensuring it. In the world of power it meant equal power at the centre; as a byproduct the liquidation of the urge towards separation, for who would want to separate if equality is already there for everybody? It was laughed out of court by people who want to measure intensity of feeling by counting of heads Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam was a vehement opponent of the (50-50) Fifty Fifty cry and to his credit he published a booklet "Communalism or Nationalism" against the communal cry of the Tamil Congress. Principal Nagalingam did not allow his politics to interfere in his school work or influence his students' thinking. He did not swim with the current when all Jaffna was behind the Tamil Congress. The well ogranised and elaborate theatricals of the Fifty-Fifty school did not attract him. He strongly and silently supported Sir Waithilingam Duraiswamy, the then Speaker of the State Council. Sir Waithilingam as the speaker played an important role: he allowed the first reading of the 1945 Education Reforms Bill in the State Council when D.S.Senanayake and others tried to scuttle it. That the Bill was finally passed without a division owes much to the wisdom of the Speaker Sir Waithilingam Duraiswamy and members of the Council. This bill became the 1947 Education Reforms Ordinance.The State Council of Ceylon found education dear and left it free; they found it a sealed book and left it an open letter; they found it the patrimony
62. Kokuvil Hindu College

of the rich and left it the lasting inheritance of the poor. Truly it may be said of Sir Waithilingam that he was a man not for an age but for all time. Speaking after the Jaffna Boycott of the 1931 elections to the newly created State Council Sir Waithilingam declared :-
"We are not weak to depend on such sectional ideas: we are able to think for the whole of the good of Ceylon. Never did I think in terms of communalism when I advocated reforms for the island. We Tamils, always worked for the good of the country making no difference between race and race. Our safety lies in the safety of the Sinhalese, our freedom lies in the freedom of the Sinhalese, our progress in Constitutional Reform depends on the cooperation of the Sinhalese. The policy of "Divide and Rule' shall not make us great. Therefore let me once again assure the people of Ceylon that we are acting on behalf of the whole of Ceylon and not from sectional motives".
Mr. Waithilingam Duraisamy had represented the northern Province in the Legislative Assembly in the 1920s. Duraisamy was speaker for (12)twelve years and received a knighthood in the process. He was popular and his impartiality was legendary.
Mr. V. Nagalingam shared these sentiments of his leader Sir Waithilingam. But he shrewdly masked his leanings in his dedication to work for the progress of Kokuvill Hindu College. He devoted the evenings to go round the village accompanied by a few of his teachers in raising funds for the School. On his return journey one night he accidentally fell into the Dutch canal just where it meets the Jaffna-K.K.S Road near where the Primary

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School is now located. At that time it was just the location where the College had its volleyball court The two banks of the Dutch Canal at this section were neatly built in cement and leveled later during Principal Perinbanayagam's period through the good offices of an Engineer past pupil of his at Jaffna College, Vaddukkoddai. Apart from a few bruises and mild pain Mr. Nagalingam did not suffer any serious injuries. Few people took it as a forerunner of what was to follow. A few weeks later in 1949 Mr.V.Nagalingam died after a massive heart attack. His sudden passing away was an irreparable loss to the school. It took a long time to recover from this shock.
In a tribute to Mr. V. Nagalingam, Mr A M.A. Azeez, Principal of Zahira College,Colombo who was one of his students, described him as a Great Teacher and wrote in 1950 as follows :-
"Mr. V. Nagalingam belonged to a great band of pioneers in the field of education. In his school days University education was almost unheard of Barring a few veterans of the Batticotta Seminary who had graduated in Indian Universities and the privileged few of the Colomho schools, the advantages of higher education were denied to students of his day. Mr.Nagalingam and others of his time followed in the footsteps of great teachers like Mr. Nevins Selvadurai. They were not satisfied with the
meagre learning available to them in Ceylon. Jaffna Hindu College then was a Second Grade
'The first truly collegiate university level institution in Asi. an institution whose contribution we today are very reluctant
8&SOS,

Institution affiliated to the Calcutta University. Only Colleges in the First Grade were permitted to start the B.A. Class. The great Indian University of Calcutta was then at the height of its prestige. Mr. Nagalingam was attracted to this centre of learning. He returned as a graduate well versed in English Literature and History to begin his lifes work. Teaching was not merely a career or a profession - to him it was a vocation, almost a Divine calling. To the last this conception of his ideal never changed.
True, at an early stage the lure of law seemed irresistible. But his true inclinations sent him hack to his first love. But even in his days as a student - at - law he did not forsake his first choice entirely. He continued as a teacher in Colombo at Ananda College. Generations of Anandians remember him as a teacher with a way of his own, and as an inspired exponent of Shakespearean literature. Almost his entire working life was devoted to the two Hindu Colleges-Jaffna Hindu College and Kokuvil Hindu College. For close on forty years he guided the students of Jaffna and never tired of showing the way. He lived for his work and died for it".
Neatly attired with good demeanour, Eagerly sought after, kind, gentle teacher, Sage, suave, sincere Gandhian guide, In such principles we students learnt to abide. And pass through life's varying vicissitudes Helped by memories of your exemplary attitudes.
a the Seminary, was founded in 1821 in Vaddukoddai. It was -to acknowledge for very pedestrian, perhaps even dishonest
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PERINBANAYA
(April 1949
“N. поth
S. Handy Perinbanayagam
After serving Jaffna College for more than two decades Mr.S.Handy Perinbanayagam came to Kokuvil Hindu College with a wide experience of men and matters, moral probity, and intellectual acumen. The untimely demise of the visionary Mr.Nagalingam caused a temporary set back for the progress of the College. But fortunately, the successor Mr. S.H.Perinbanayagam commenced working on a very much broader base to place the College on the map of Ceylon. Mr.S. Handy Perinbanayagam took charge of Kokuvil Hindu College at a time when the College was looking for the guidance of an educationist of his stature. The College had been fortunate in securing his services. He was a product of Jaffna College, Vaddukkoddai. He got his B.A(London) degree and joined the staff there. He was an idol with the pupils in the classroom and outside both for his lucid exposition and versatility in teaching his subjects in a human way and also for the interest he had created in the students to
 

Chapter - VI
GAM DECADE
March 1960)
thing is possible without men: but ing is lasting without institutions”
Jean Monnet IThe architect and inspirational genius of the modern European Union)
appreciate and learn the finer things of life. The younger generation learned that religion should not be a barrier to the observance of national customs, national festivals and the development of national culture. He decided in 1933 to enter the profession of Law which has, for generations supplied the leaders of the country. His attachment to law was only a matter of temporary weakness. After one year of study of law he came back to teaching, his old love, and remained in teaching at Jaffna College until August 1944. A born educationist and a lover of youth he had no lasting glamour for law.
He gave up active practice and became the editor of "Kesari'a weekly paper in Jaffna. It was named Kesari after a nationalist periodical published by Loka Mania Tilak in India. Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam was an editor of that rare breed for whom nothing human was alien. He gave colour, texture and depth to his editorials. He brought courage and wisdom to
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journalism. His editorials were an index of his deep and wide political knowledge and his ability to give clear and precise directions to the people to make proper use of Universal Franchise. He emphatically stated that democracy presumes every person's capacity to exercise the vote intelligently.
Democracy is more than elections. Democracy is about judges that are independent and dispense justice without fear or favour. Democracy is about human rights. Democracy is about respecting the franchise of people rather than manipulating it. It is respecting places of worship and living without discrimination and exploitation. Sri Lanka has a challenge ahead to become a functional state that is moored in the rule of law, human rights, freedom and competition. In a system of multiparty participatory democracy the right of each citizen, especially the right of freedom of expression, the principle of gender equality and right of minorities should receive sufficient recognition.
The political culture after the 1960s has eroded our values, basic human rights, law and order and norms of civilized behaviour. The tragedy is the present generation accepts this as normal political and social order. Alternatives are not inculcated into their mind set by the present teachers, religious and political leaders. The teachers are coaching children for examinations, priests of various denominations practise ritualistic religion, both groups fail to impart any moral and spiritual values to children, Parents are to be blamed as well. Their main aim nowadays seems to be to educate children for jobs, at any cost without the guidance of moral values, the idea of a conscience and instruction to do the "right thing' always.
66 Kokuvil Hindu College

Kokuvil, in 1949, was known for its religious orthodoxy and social conservatism. Some persons were then apprehensive of a Christian heading a Hindu school and feared that the new Principal may practice his radical social philosophy at the institution. They little knew then that long before he came to Kokuvil he embraced Hinduism after having abjured the religion of his birth and early up-bringing as he sensed something alien in Christian beliefs and practices. He proudly claimed to have returned to the faith of his forebears out of conviction and firmly remained in it till the end of his days. He was no stranger to Hindu culture, literature and Saiva Siddhanta. He always felt agrieved that his conversion to Hinduism had been interpreted as political opportunism.
This writer is thankful to Principal Handy Perinbanayagam for having rekindled in him the memory of the late Sabaratna Mudaliyar, an illustrious son of Kokuvil. Mr.Perinbanayagam recalled having read some of Mudaliyar's devotional hymns in praise of Lord Murugan. It was on his suggestion I was able to unearth the priceless literary treasures left behind by the Mudaliyar and preserve for posterity by reprinting them. Handy master was no atheist or agnostic. He commenced his Principalship at Kokuvil Hindu College after performing a pooja at the adjoining temple "Puthukkovil' amidst large gathering of staff and students.
Like many others, he has had his disappointments and disillusionments, but he has not allowed these to embitter him in any way. He was the epitome of the qualities that are expected of a good man-independence, fearlessness and liberality of thought. He always maintained the respect and regard he was entitled to by virtue of these qualities. He will be cherished in the memory of the nation as a

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pioneer who with a patriotic sense of selfrespect, prepared the path of freedom, possessed as he was of an imaginative insight beyond the range of his contemporaries so bound by traditional habits and so fond of conventional thinking.
One of the best things that happened to Handy Perinbanayagam was the linking of his fate in matrimony with Aruntha Devi. A gracious and a gentle lady she brought to their home charm and beauty which Handy in his grim struggle against the world and injustice would have missed. She was a perfect foil to his greatness and supplied in great measure what he lacked. It was a cruel blow to Handy when death deprived him of his wife early in his life in 1948. Manfully he had continued to struggle on, but few will realize against what odds. Mr.Perinbanayagam became Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College in March 1949. At the age of 50 he was a mellowed man. The same fate that had dealt him a blow brought to us in Koku vil a blessing. His predecessor Mr.V.Nagalingam died just when Kokuvil Hindu College has been raised to Grade I status. But acquiring the stature of a Grade I institution was left to his successor. Mr.Perinbanayagam did succeed in no small measure in bridging the gap and giving the stature that the College lacked. The task became more difficult when as a result of free education the numbers swelled from year to year and admissions could not be restricted. Elevating the standard of education in spite of growing numbers was a stupendous task which he had faced with fortitude and courage. He worked unremittingly to solve the accommodation problem. The floor space of the College had nearly trebled during his time. The first three storeyed building at Kokuvil, built with funds collected from parents, pasts pupils and well wishers of the College, will speak for

itself. He ensured that the child at Kokuvil did not lack opportunities for his development. He endeavoured to create an atmosphere for the harmonious development of the personality of the child. He did set up healthy traditions in the College. It was during Handy's days that the school sent its first batch of students to the University.
Kokuvil Hindu received him like a longlost parent. He came to live in Kokuvil and spent his time and leisure with his eager and devoted friends. A great amount of his personality rubbed off on them, imbibed through stimulating discussions and cultured debate. The chief beneficiaries, the students were elevated to a higher plane of collegiate life. There was interaction at national level. Contemporary national figures came to Kokuvil. National issues were generated and debated. Students began to think on a national plane and emerge from the parochial outlook based on caste and creed which were endemic to Jaffna. During his tenure Kokuvil Hindu College flowered into maturity. Education to meet life's challenges became the basis of student thinking. Knowledge acquired by omnivorous reading was encouraged. The school was able to take meaningful strides towards better buildings, equipment and library facilities. "Swabasha' was the term used in the late nineteen forties and early fifties as long as the issue was replacement of English, in administration and education by Sinhala and Tamil. But by 1955 the term had been submerged by the Sinhala Nationalist's demand for 'Sinhala only' and the Tamil resistance to it.
It was during his Principalship that Kokuvil Hindu began a series of annual Old Students' dinners with laid-outtables and toasts, unprecedented in Kokuvil life, to which Chief
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Guests included Such Southern Stal warts like Dr. N. M. Perera, Wilmot Perera, Sir Claude Corea. and S. Na de San Q, C, Actively involved Dr. N. M. Perera arrives in the Organization of these dinners, Si Vanayagam proposed the toast S to Dr. N. M. Pere fra and S. Na de San. Dr.M.Kanthaswamy, who served in the College staff in 1952 was the Secretary of the Old Students' Association in Jaffna and was responsible for organizing the first Old Students annual dinner in that year. The Dinner Hall was beautifully decorated with potted palms and flowers borrowed from I.P. Thurairatnam, Principal of Union College. The dinner was on Western lines but with a strictly vegetarian menu; plantain leaves being placed over the plates to satisfy the Orthodox. The Chief Guests aired their individual liberal views on men and matters. They were really exhilarating and illuminating times. One could palpably feel the cadian fences of the village being rolled away and new Winds of change and progress blowing in, transforming everything. Students in large numbers were admitted from Kokuvi to the Various faculties of the Ceylon University during Handy's period. The fame of the institution, bearing the un mistakable stamp of his excellence, began to spread all over the island.
The "Handy Master that Kokuvil Hindu came to know in 1949 was only one aspect of the man. His was a multi-faceted personality. A quarter century before he became Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College, he had already left an indelible mark on Jaffna society as a dynamic
68 Kokuvi Hindu College
 

youth leader, a liberal thinker, a Social reformer and an energetic path-finder brimming with idealism in the cause of freedom. Drawing inspiration from the emerging Gandhian Struggle for Indian independence, it was he who was mainiy instrumental in in viting Mahatma Gandhi to Jaffna in 1927. He was the moving spirit of the Jaffna Youth Congress whose goal was “Purna Swaraj'. He was a rebel in thought and belief. At a time when European attire was in vogue, he took to wearing national dress in simple Khaddar. When caste oppression was rife in Jaffna, he stood defiantly against it. Later as a teacher, he set his face against corporal punishment. Born a Christian, he became a student of Saivaism and Saiva Siddhanta., and combined in himself the best of Christian and Hindu values. Even his writing had a freshness about it. He had a limpid prose style, shorn of hackneyed pharases and overworked idiom. The Jaffna youth Congress, in 1938, moved that “the teaching of Sinhalese and Tamil be made compulsory in all Schools in Ceylon'. The Hindu Board of education which controlled the Hindu Schools in the North took a far sighted and enlightened position when they decided to introduce Sinhala as a compulsory Subject in all Schoois.
Mr. Perinbanayagam organized a carnivai in Kokuvil Hindu College called "Linga Lights' in honour of the late Principal Nagalingam in 1950. Students of the College had been grouped upto now into three houses - Chelliah, Sabapathy and Sabaratnam. KarthigeSu and Nagalingam houses were later added to be the fourth and fifth houses in School. All Ceylon Industrial Rally, Agriculture, Arts and Crafts and Science exhibitions were also a part of the carnival. The carnival and door to door collections both in Sri Lanka and distant Malaysia and Singapore

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were some of his efforts to meet Kokuvil's needs. He availed himself of his friendship with Rajaji (C.Rajagopalachchariar) and Kalki Krishnamoorthy to get down to Kokuvil popular film stars and artists from South India to give benefit performances. The artists were great crowd-pullers, especially the famous comedian N. S. Krishnan and his partner T.A.Mathuram. A souvenir to commemorate the carnival (March 24th to April 2"d 1950) was released as it was declared open by Sir Francis Molamure, Speaker of the House of Representatives at that time.
At Kokuvil all arrangements for the Carnival opening ceremony were complete. All invitees had come to be present at the auspicious hour, the organisers were only awaiting the arrival of Mr. Molamure. Just then, noticing the absence of the wife of Mr. Nagalingam, the principal was disappointed. He checked with his staff who were themselves concerned about her absence despite a special invitation. Immediately he summoned the writer and directed him to take a car and go to Mr. Nagalingam's house and try to fetch her. When Mrs. Nagalingam saw me at her door-step and heard of my mission she cried aloud with the thought of her husband and refused to come, she however listened to my pleadings and compromised to send her Sons to accompany me and participate in the opening ceremony of the Carnival named after their father. As a student I was well known to Nagalingam family and her cry of distress was a shocking experience to me. Once earlier in 1948 January when the College watcher Sathasivam and I went and broke the sad news of Gandhi's assasination first to Mr. Nagalingam we saw how he reacted to the distressing message, but the wife's reaction on this occasion was worse than that

Amongst numerous other events that were put on Stage at the college hall during the Carnival period, was the dance recital by young Miss Vairamuthu (now Mrs. Indra Panchalingam) and her troupe. This was arranged by Mr. S. Sangarasivam who was a very close friend of Vairamuthu (Survey Dept) family. They travelled down from Colombo for this performance and stayed in Kokuvil during the carnival week as the recital was programmed for alternate days. Mr. Sangarasivam hosted them at his residence. The college is indebted to the Vairamuthu family for volunteering to conduct this performance at Kokuvil.
In the year 1953 a cut in the rice subsidy triggered a mass protest styled a "Hartal' where all transport in the city of Colombo was paralysed. It was also an expression of discontent with unfinished decolonization which took a majoritarian manifestation. This writer recalls his walking all the way from Mount Lavinia a distance of over eight miles to attend his office that day located then at Echellon Square in the Colombo Fort. This hartal led to the resignation of Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake and Sir John Kotalawela became the Prime Minister.
In September 1954, when Sir John Kotalawela, the Premier visited Jaffna Handy master invited him to the College. Regarding
Sir John's visit Mr.Perinbanayagam wrote in July 1971 as follows:-
His visit was not Kokuvil Hindus’ doing. A few days before Sir John was due to arrive in Jaffna, I had a letter from the Government Agent, Jaffna, telling me that the Premier would be passing the College at a certain time on a certain date and asking me "Would I be good enough to line up our pupils and teachers on
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the road and give Sir John a rousing welcome." I had always been opposed to this practice of initiating school children into this kind of blatant toadyism and cashing in on their helplessness. As a matter of fact I raised this question in the National Education Commission. I do not remember whether the commission made any recommendation although I remember vividly how keenly the members of the commission shared my views. Kanthaswami shared my detestation of this practice of teachers and pupils lining roads to offer compulsory homage to visiting VIPs as their motorcades flashed past. After some anxious thinking, we decided to write to the Government Agent, asking him whether it would not be better if Sir John could visit the school so that we could give him a civilized welcome. The Government Agent agreed.
On the eve of the visit a portion of the school buildings with cadjan roofs were all burnt down by mischief makers. About this fire he wrote:- "The blaze that cast its grim brilliance over Kokuvil is now part of Ceylon history. When the flames licked our poor cadian sheds, we looked on dazed. Sir John was due next afternoon. Next morning when the ashes were yet simmering and occasional sparks were yet flashing, the staff assembled in the old school Hall. We had not lost heart. It was decided to go ahead with the reception to Sir John. We would not be brow beaten by people whose political philosophy found expression in arson. But there was a grimmer problem. What were we to do with nearly 2000 boys and girls who could not be left high and dry till we were able to put things into shape again. Exercising authority was a new experience to me, and I was quite unequal to the crises confronting us. I was willing to clutch at any straw. Kanthaswami proposed that the College be run
7O Kokuvi Hindu College

as a double session school from 8.00am to 5.00 pm. The staff whole-heartely welcomed the proposal and adopted it for some years. We also made another decision. No more cadian sheds. We would find the money to put up permanent structures and we have done so".
Sir John's declaration, at this reception of parity of status to Sinhala and Tamil and his later repudiation in Colombo was a different story but the College paid heavily and suffered a set back on account of the visit. The double session school later returned to normal working hours on 1st August 1957 and this was a memorable date in Kokuvil's history. Permission from the Department for the arrangement of conducting the school in two sessions, extended more than once after the original grant, expired on 3.12.1956. There were difficult times, but memories mellow with the passing of the years.
Mr. S. Handy Perinbanayagam was blamed for raising the issue of Parity of status for Sinhalese and Tamil languages. The phrase "parity of status'alarmed many people in South Ceylon. In explaning his position he wrote in October 1958 in the following words:-
"In the whole history of the campaign for Swabasa, the position implicity assumed and explicity stated as in the State Council resolution of 1941 and in the recommendations of the offical languages commission and in policy statements made by responsible leaders like the late D.S. Senanayake, Sir John Kotalawela and Mr. S. W. R. D. Bandaran ayake, parity for Sinhalese and Tamil was accepted. When on the occasion of Sir John Kotalawela's visit to Kokuvil Hindu College, I made my welcome address which elicited his declaration that statutory provision would be made to confer parity of status on both Sinhalese and Tamil,

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I was not aware of demanding any deviation from the accepted principle. I merely asked for action that would in unambiguous form crystalise the policy accepted by the government of the country, and put an end to the uncertainty and apprehension that were created by sporadic utterances that seemed to challenge or ignore the accepted position "
The enthusiasm generated by the formation of the first Bandaranaiake government (1956) un fortunately brought in its wake opportunities for place-seekers to attempt to advance themselves by suddenly displaying an outward eagerness for the Buddhist religion and Sinhala culture. It was observed that government departments, corporations and other institutions like schools were not altogether free from extraneous and irrelevant influences. Evincing a keen interest hitherto unsuspected in their religion and language, some Sinhala Buddhists in the service of these institutions formed themselves into societies which professed to pursue the very laudable objective of making them better Buddhists. The outward and visible sign of this inward urge to an apparently better spiritual life was the discarding by some few officers of the usual working dress of the more business-like trousers, and the adoption instead of what was called the 'Arya Sinhala costume. Even senior government officers were seen to don this latter dress, the quality of the material varying over the whole range from home-spun to rich silk according to their assessment of the importance of the occasion. This puerile exhibition was harmless in itself but when deterioration in standards of loyalty, discipline and efficiency set in, and an aggressive militancy began to show itself, intervention became necessary. A good-humored warning by Heads of institutions, not to be drawn into the vortex

of politics averted serious and undesirable consequences.
In 1956 the LS.S.P was pilloried for its principled stand for parity of status for Sinhala and Tamil. The country has come a long way from that time. If that was granted then, the problems which have snow-balled would not have occurred. The nationalist movement of 1956 led us to the present sorry shambles. Though we did need to throw away the shackles of colonialism at that time, we should have done so as Ceylonese (Sri Lankans) without adopting the short-sighted "Sinhala only' policies that have since then ruined the country. All the problems that beset our country today-including the threat to division-can be traced to incompetent, self-serving and corrupt politicians and political parties. Southern politicians have not genuinely practised devolution of power even to the Provincial Council set up under the 13th amendment to the constitution.
In early 1958 Kokuvil Hindu was to hear of another tragedy; a distinguished old boy of the College who was a pilot was killed in an air crash. It was the first jet plane crash in Sri Lanka nearly fifty years ago, killing its pilot Appiah Varatharajah (brother of A.Pathmarajah of the Foreign Service, Consul General and Permanent Representative to the European Office of the United Nations 1971) who was flying his first solo flight in a trainee jet plane. The plane had crashed just as it was preparing to land. The site of the crash was part of a coconut estate bordering the Air Force base at Katunayake. The trajectory of the plane as it came down cutting down the coconut trees as it crashed to the ground making them look as if a giant sword had been used to slash them. In the burnt wreckage of the plane all that remained of the pilot was a burnt boot. The
Kokuvil Hindu College 7

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72 Kokuvil Hindu College
 

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officer who had been on duty at the control tower of the Air Force, with ear-phones clamped to his ears who was directing Varatharajah as he was coming in to land at the Air-Strip said he had heard the Pilot shout "The canopy has come off". This was followed by the words "My God, My God, I am going to die” after which there was a resounding crash. Then silence. What a fate to a distinguished Kokuvilite - our first Kokuvil Air Pilot.
Eight members of the staff completed 25 years of service at Kokuvil Hindu in the year 1957. Regarding their long and meritorious service Principal Perinbanayagam wrote:-
"There are among our teachers two women and six men who have given devoted service to Kokuvil Hindu College for 25 years or more. Their lives are an epitome of the school's growth from its humble beginnings. They loved the school. loved their work and loved their pupils so much that they are today a part of the Kokuvillegend. Mrs.M. Thambapillai (popularly known by her maiden name Muthammah), Mrs. P. P. Bharga vi ammah (fondly called "Lady Teacher'), Messers.S.C. Thiliainathan, K.Kanthaswami, A.Amirthalingam. T. Sinnathamby, A. Nagalingam, and C. Kanagasabai. All deserve the recognition they have earned and the affection they have won. Their colleagues, our children and their parents and the Management gave expression to their appreciation and esteem at an elaborate function held in the College quadrangle on 15" March 1957. I too share in the rejoicings and thankfulness for such faithful and enduring loyalty'.
Two other teachers Mrs. Suhirthaluxmy Suppiramaniam and Mr.N.Manicka Idaikadar

were also Silver Jubilarians at Kokuvil Hindu College in the year 1971. This tradition has been continued by the administrations that followed.
Long before the Government of Sri Lanka thought of introducing the mother tongue as the medium of instruction, it was Handy Perinbanayagam who put this idea forward as early as 1924. According to him, no nation under a spell of foreign culture and learning could give expression to its genius. Initially there was wide spread opposition but subsequent years have proved that his views were sound and correct. AS President of the "Northern Province Teachers' Association, All Ceylon Union of Teachers, the Principals Association and as a member of the University Court and the Advisory Council of the Official Language Commission and as a member of the National Education Commission of 1961, Handy played a vital role in shaping the educational policy of Sri Lanka. In 1949 he spoke to the teachers at Kokuvil Hindu College on his philosophy of education and said "Education consists of bringing out to full flowering the potentialities and possibilities of the child. The human child is endowed with a body, an enquiring mind and a feeling heart. The curriculum should be organized to nourish and develop the physical, intellectual and emotional aspects of the child. Teachers should help in the developmental process. All types of corporal punishment should be avoided. Teaching should be child-centred and not be merely examination oriented. The schools should make the children of today, the thinking men and women of tomorrow".
Regarding the building project he started in Kokuvil Mr. Perinbanayagam wrote in 1961:- "When I accepted the Principalship of Kokuvil Hindu College there was of course no
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formal stipulation that I should launch a building programme. But even before I thought of assuming the Principalship I knew Kokuvil's resources were meagre and that Kokuvil though a growing institution and rich in promise lacked resources and that whoever went to Kokuvil as principal would have a stiff assignment.
Our carnival in 1950 was the beginning of our efforts to measure up to our needs. The profits sufficed merely to pay off part of the debt to Board of Management incurred by my predecessor, the late Mr. V. Nagalingam in acquiring the land where our new building stands and to meet certain pressing needs in the matter of equipment and accommodation. Thereafter my energies and my thought were devoted to building up a wholesome and friendly relationship between the school and the community which it served. I lived in Kokuvil in order to make this process easier.
For mobilizing the villages served by the College for our building programme a society called the Koku vil Hindu College WellWishers' Association was brought into being on 14-02-1957 with the Principal as President and Mr. C. Palanithurai as secretary. The committee elected Mr. C. Kulaveerasingham as Treasurer. Mr. Kulaveerasingham. who had thrown himself into our work unreservedly and inspite of his feeble health had trudged with us along the highways and byways of Kokuvil and Kondavil and had kept our accounts with meticulous care, passed away on 30-04-1959'.
His eldest son, Mr. K. Nadesan, after obtaining his degree from the university, taught for a short period at Kokuvil Hindu College, mainly mathematics and physics in the senior forms. Mr. Nadesan held a high position in the
74 Kokuvi Hindu College

Colombo Observatory, later worked a long spell in Zambia and has now settled down in New Zealand. Mr. Sabalingam coached Mr. V. Theagarajah in applied mathematics (a subject not covered in the time table then) and made him pass this subject in the S. C. C exam. Mr.V Theagarajah, Chairman of the Browns Group of Companies recalled with gratitude the help and encouragement given by Mr. Sabalingam in a great way and added that he owes his achievements and the present position in life largely due to the grace of God and the dedication and commitment of teachers of Kokuvil Hindu College.
Mr. A. Kanapathipillai father of Ketheesswaran, (Colombo Old Students Association, President) stepped into the breach on 17-05-1959 and had been functioning as our Treasurer with equal zeal and efficiency. Construction work was completed by this Society and the new building was declared open by Mr. T. Muttusamipillai, Bar-at-law, Crown Advocate, Jaffna, on 27 January 1971 and handed ᎤᏙᏮe1r tO the Principal Mr. C.K.Kanthaswami. With the state take over of the school in December 1960, Kokuvil Hindu College Well-Wishers' Association ceased to function as it could not fit into the new dispensation.
The parent body of the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association, at Kokuvil had its origin in 1937 when the school celebrated its silver jubilee in which parents and past pupils residents, in and around Kokuvil played an important role besides the students and teachers. After that, past-pupils and parents assembled in the school as and when the occasion demanded and helped the Principal in developing the school. It was not a formally organized

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association then with a constitution, meetings, office bearers etc. Mr. Seenivasagam who with foresight initiated the organization of the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association in Colombo did not initiate a formal organization in Kokuvil as most of the dedicated past pupils were already members in Colombo, their work-place. The terms of office of both Principals Seenivasagam and Nagalingam were short and they relied heavily on the Colombo Branch for whatever help needed by the school. But Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam got a constitution for the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association drawn up in English and this was adopted at a meeting of past pupils held in Kokuvil Hindu College on 27 June 1954. The parent body in Kokuvil operated under this constitution from this date. The Principal forwarded a printed copy of this constitution to the Colombo Old Students' Association and suggested that it be considered for adoption by the Colombo Branch as well. But the Colombo committee which had already adopted its own constitution six years earlier at its Annual General Meeting held on 27th June 1948, did not deem it necessary to change it, more so when it provided for the Principal to be the Presidentex-officio. After 46 years Rules 3", 4th, 5th, 7th and 9th were amended for the first time at the Annual General Meeting held on 5 June 1994 and a Reprint of the Colombo constitution has been issued in August 1997. As the road from Colombo to Jaffna after 1990, has become unfortunately long, the Colombo Branch, departing from tradition, had to function under an elected President like those Old Students' Association branches in overseas countries. Until 1994 the membership fee of the Colombo branch was only Rs.2/= per annum; as from June 1994 the membership fee was raised to Rs 50/= per annum and Rs 500/= for life-membership.

Mr Handy Perinbanayagam also got a separate constitution drawn up in Tamil for the Kokuvil Hindu College Parent-Teachers' Association and got it adopted at a meeting held in the school in December 1954. A copy of this constitution had to be forwarded to the Commissioner General of Inland Revenue in Colombo in support of his application for declaration of the Building Fund as an Approved Charity under Section 67 of the Inland Revenue Act, with a list of office-bearers. In response, the Kokuvil Hindu College Parent-Teachers' Association - Building Fund was declared an approved charity by Notification (under section 16A of the Inland Revenue Act No. 4 of 1963 as amended by Act No. 6 of 1969) dated 30th March 1971 by the Hon. Minister of Finance Dr.N.M.Perera (Government Gazette No: 14953 of 8th April 1971)".
Miss. Ma il vag an a m (later Mrs.Manivasagan Underwood) was the amongst a few lady teachers from 1950. She specialized in Home Science and taught this subject in almost all classes in the senior forms in Kokuvil Hindu College. She was very popular amongst her students as she gave individual attention. She lived in a house adjacent to the Northern campus and the school was almost her second home. She was pretty charming and graceful and that, to the envy of many others gave her a seat at the Head Table in all the Old Students' Association Dinners we had at Kokuvil Hindu. Her sister (later Mrs.K.Thirunavukkarasu) also served in the staff of Kokuvil. She was an English Trained teacher and was well in demand amongst her students because of the importance of acquiring a good knowledge of English. She wrote in May 1997 from the U.K. (where she now resides) "Our school was fortunate in having eminent, untiring,
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painstaking Principals. They thought that the school was part and parcel of their life. They spent most of their time in school. From dawn to dusk they toiled. Living in the vicinity of the school, I had so many times pondered and wondered how these Principals could spend so much time in the school. It is a strange coincidence that Messrs Handy Perinbanayagam, C. K. K. Kanthaswami and A. Panchalingam. each one of them, had been Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College for eleven years'.
Education in our country is a sacred cow. Over the years there has been much fuss made about free education and the so called national system of education. Traditionalists have attacked the system of denominational schools for other reasons like alleged proselytisation and proclaimed the virtues of state education as enhancing equality of opportunity. Any proposed reforms are viewed with great suspicion. Vast strides in education, especially in secondary and tertiary education were taken in the 1950s. It improved social mobility. The take over of assisted schools paved the way for the development of a national system of education which came to be improved through a series of reforms, culminating in introduction of the reforms of 1994 to reorient education in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Despite half a century of state provided free education in Sri Lanka, educational opportunities are no more equally distributed. Such factors as nutrition, perceptual deprivation in the pre-school years, lack of constructive play, family insecurity and socio economic deprivation, lack of libraries, inaccessibility to newspapers, media and other materials fail to contribute to intellectual enhancement.The old academic notion that the teacher was in “loco
76 Kokuvi Hindu College

parentis" (in the parent's place) also seems to be on the way out, at least at University level. The teacher pupil relationship is today largely, if not wholly, contractual. "Good education should produce three results. Firstly to see a thing as it really is, and to have the courage to look things in the face. Secondly to resolve to do all we have to do as well as we could and thirdly to live one's life by right values. We need to return to greater simplicity of life and singleness of aim, to strive for one thing above all and that the best'. One of the crucial problems of higher education relates to undergraduate and post graduate studies, which however remained unchanged for a long time, simultaneously matched by archaic teaching methods. Most universities still follow the continental method of teaching. Lecturing method is teacher-centred and the one-track approach does not encourage creativity and innovativeness. Effective teaching is a two-way process, forming into collective interactive process of teacher and students. New group learning techniques like panel discussion, brain storming Session must be incorporated in the teaching and learning process to give productive, creative and functional balance.
The curriculum development is a well planned programme of guiding learning experience to bring desired attitudinal / behavioral changes among students, keeping in view the objectives of the institution or the larger interests of the society or nation. The interaction of teachers and students through curricular activism develops an integrated personality. Curriculum development focuses on open structured learning which combines theoretical with practical knowledge and skills.
Higher education is undergoing changes to accommodate needs of the emerging

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knowledge based economy. Science, Technology and Engineering education need changes and re-orientation to satisfy current and future needs. Globalization and Information Technology revolution had enabled social changes to match up to a complex global Society. Such changes lead to creation of new values, norms, perspectives and imperatives. ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has been accepted as the main tool and major driving force for economic development. To sustain such a knowledge based economy, Sri Lanka needs IT(Information Technology) literate population, IT professionals and IT skilled manpower. Our education system-the schools and universities can play an important and dominant role in this regard. A computer laboratory has been set up at great cost in Kokuvil Hindu College and is in use for the last few years. Students should be encouraged to make the maximum use of this opportunity.
Mr. Perinbanayagam was gentle in his manners, in his language and in his demeanour. Although gentle, he had a strong will power and would not flinch from his principle. As a student, he had inherited the noble and gentle qualities of that great Principal, Rev. Bicknell B.A., B.D., M.Ed., alumni of Harward and Yale and in his
Some Members of
Name and Service Period
1. M.Kanthaswamy
MA(Madras) Dip.in. Ed(Cey) 1954-1972 2. V.Kandiah
B.Sc(Cey) 1954-1963 3. K. Chanthramowleesan
B.Sc(Cey) Dipin. Ed(Cey) 1959 Aug-1981 Aug
4. Mr.K.Ganeshamani
B.Sc(Madras) 1959 January - 1971

youth, as an ardent admirer of Gandhiji, had adopted his ideals. He thus became an embodiment of a good man, namely attachment to ideals, independence, patriotism, fearlessness, honesty and sincerity. He was a man of letters with cultivated tastes. His reading list covered books on widely different subjects. He was quite at ease in any learned company and would make an intelligent and worthwhile contribution to discussion on any subject. He was gifted with a phenomenal memory and an enviable mastery of the written and spoken word. He was a delightful after dinner speaker. His speeches were spiced with sparkling wit, erudition and apt quotations. He was a guide, philosopher and friend to so many of his colleagues and pupils. Verdict of history would be that he was a unique man whose ideas were ahead of his times.
A school's progress depends largely on the teaching staff who work with dedication and commitment. A list of some of these teachers is given below. Though their contribution to school development have not been individually commented upon we will be failing in our duty if appreciation of their valuable services to the school remain unrecorded. We express here our genuine gratefulness and thanks to them all.
the Staff of K.H.C.
5. N.Sivarasah
B.Sc(Cey) Dip.in. Ed (Cey) 1960 August - 1970 6 K. Kathirgamaththamby
B.Sc(Cey) Dip In. Ed(Cey) 1961-1970 7 V. Senathirajah
B.Sc(Cey) 1961-1963 eft
College to do accountancy
8. Mrs. S Ramanathan
B. A(Cey) 1976- 1985
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9 Mrs.V.Thanabalasingham
B.Sc(Cey) 10. Mrs.Srikanthan
B.Sc(Cey) 11. Mrs.G.Panchalingam B.Sc(Cey) Dip in. Ed(Cey) 12. Mr. K. Perairampillai
B.A(Lond) 13. Mr. S. Balayogan
B.Sc(Cey) Dip m Ed(Cey) 14. Mr. S. Suntharalingam
Inter Sc(Lond) 15. Mrs K. Thirunavukarasu 16. Mr.K. Selvadurai
B.Sc(Lond) 17. Mr. Sivagurunathan
B.A(Cey) Dip.in. Ed(Cey) 18. Mr. S.Ganesvaran (R)
Vice Principal
B.Sc Dip-in. Edu 19. Mr. K.Perampalam (D)
Vice Principal B.Com Dip-in. Edu 20. Mr. A.Navaratnam (R)
Vice Principal B.Sc Dip-in. Edu 21. Mr. T.Devarajah (R)
Vice Principal English sp Trained 22. Mr. M.Kulasegaram (R)
Vice Principal
H.N.D Com Dip-in. Edu 23. Mr. T.Kanesapilli (D)
Vice Principal Acting Principal B.A Dip-in. Edu 24. Mr. P.Jaganathan
Vice Principal B.A. Dip-in. Edu, Maths sp 25. Mrs. S. Kunaratnam (R)
Vice Principal
Science sp Trained
78 Kokuvi Hindu College
1976-1988
1978-1984
1961-1990
1976-1979
1973-1984
1974-1979
1962-1980
1961-1972
1970-1973
(1981-2000)

26. Mr. R.Balasubramaniam(R)
Vice Principal
27. Mr. K.Mailvaganam
28. Mr. N.Puvirajsegaram
Vice Principal
29. Mr. S. Nagarajah (D)
Vice Principal
30. Mr. T.Selvarajah (R)
Vice Principal
31. Mrs.N.Kunapalasingam (R)
32. Mr. T.Vilvarajah (R)
Sectional Head
33. Mr. K.Vythianathan(1970-1986) (D)
34. Mrs. S.Sithampalam (R)
35. Mrs. PShanmugaratnam (R)
36. Mrs. Shanmugalingam (R)
37. Mrs. T.Tanapalasingam (R) 38. Mr.T.Balasubramaniam (D)
39. Mrs. S.Satchithanantham (R)
40. Mr. T. Krishnakumar
41. Mrs. K.Rajasundram (R)
42. Mrs. N.Nagarajan (R)
43. Mr.T.Thirugnaanam (R)
44. Miss. N.Velupillai (R)
45. Mrs.N.Sivakumar
46. Mrs. J.Navaratnam (R)
47 Mr. TSoundrapandian
48. Mr. S.Ganesalingam (R)
49. Mr. TKulasingam (R) 50. Mrs.N.Mathanasurendiran(R)
51. Mr. T.Kathirkamanathan
52. Mrs. S.Maheswaranathan
B.Sc Dip-in. Edu
(1979-1993) B.Sc Dip-in. Edu
B.Sc Dip-in. Edu
B.Sc Dip-in. Edu
B.A. Dip-in Edu
English sp Tr
English sp Tr
B.Sc Dip-in. Edu
Science Tr.
Commerce Tr.
B.Sc Dip-in. Edu
Maths spTr.
B.A. Dip-in. Edu
B.A. Dip-in. Edu
B.A. Dip-in. Edu
Music Diploma
Music Diploma
B.Com Dip-in. Edu
B.A. Dip-in. Edu
English sp Tr.
English sp Tr.
English sp Tr.
Maths sp Tr.
Maths sp Tr.
B.Sc Dip-in. Edu
B.A. Dip-in. Edu

Page 101
53. Mrs. PKantharajah B.A. Dip-in. Edu
54. Mr. T.Thangarajah (R) B.A. Dip-in. Edu
55. Mr.T.Patkunan (R) Maths sp Tr.
56. Mrs. S. Alagaratnam (R) Science sp Tr.
57. Mr. T.Kasinathan (D) General Tr.
58. Mr. T.Anandarajah (D) Artsp. Tr.
59. Mrs. P.Selvendrakumar Dip-in Dance
60. Mrs. M.Ragavachari B.Sc Dip-in. Edu
61. Mr. Rathakrishnan English sp Tr.
62. Mr. Srikandan (R) English sp Tr.
63. Mrs. S.Nadarajah (R) Maths sp Tr
64 Mr. S. Ponampalam B.A Dip-in. Edu
65. Mrs. S.Ramanathan (R) B.A Dip-in. Edu
66. Mr. M.M.Manzoor (R) Agriculture sp Tr.
The above group of teachers and those disted in page 80 have also been Kokuvil Hindu's strength. Preparing the students for the real world that is neither black nor white, they guided their charges through the deceptive shades of grey. They were teachers for whom teaching profession was a vocation to which they dedicated their efforts irrespective of the remuneration they received. They helped to build Kokuvil Hindu College and its traditions. Todays need is to create the conditions under which teachers occupy a venerated place in society. Amidst the swirling tide of post independence nationalism Kokuvil Hindu remained steadfastly true to its values of inculcating a deep knowledge and respect for our national languages and culture, religious tolerance and a robust sense of community and solidarity in which the individual was as important as the group he belonged to. All this

67. Mr. Nadesan English sp Tr.
68. Mr. Subramaniam English sp Tr.
69. Mr. Suthesan Dip in Maths
70. Mrs. R.Sritharan Science sp Tr.
71. Miss Kandiah (R)
72.Mr. S.Logathasan 1972-73(R)
73.Mir, Ratnarajah (D)
74.Mr. Ambikaipakan
75.Mr. K. Kunarajah 76. Mr. S.Balakrishnan
77.Mr. V. Ganeshalingam
R - denotes retired from service
D - refers to the deceased
was accomplished while the school maintained the highest standards of academic scholarship providing opportunities for sports, the arts and other creative talents. So it is this historical sense of being fortunate successors to a great tradition as well as its responsible custodians that makes Kokuvil Hindu College unique. Kokuvilites have excelled in various professions both here and in several countries abroad bringing acclaim and honour to their country and the school. They will always guide, lead and serve mindful of the teaching in the classrooms and playing fields of this great institution. Generations to come will chant these names in acknowledgement of their enviable share of this edifice-the Kokuvil Hindu College Things well begun are not half done, but well done for ever, Commensurate with growth the rich initiation passes on. Together they brought her (Kokuvil Hindu College) up. Now she stands like a colossus bestriding the whole environment of Kokuvil.
Kokuvil Hindu College 79

Page 102
01. O2. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 2. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.
80 Kokuvil Hindu College
List of teachers who sel
after the
Mr.C.K. Kanthaswami 41. Mr. C.Sivas. Mr.E. Sabalingam 42. Mr. S.P. Nac Mr. S.Thigarajah 43. Mr. G. Mani Mr. V. Sivasubramaniam 44. Miss. S. Mai Mr. M.Sinnathamby 45. Mr. C. Kana Mrs. P. Wijeyaratnam 46. Mr. C.S. Ras Mr.A.R. Rajanayagam 47. Mrs. Sathasi Mr. N.N. Idaikkadar 48. Mr. N. Kidn Mr. A.L.B. Hensman 49. Mr. C. Naga
Mr. S. Maheswara Aiyer 50. Mrs. M. Nag Mr. C. Gunapalasingam 51. Mr. M. Kuru
Mr. M. Kanthaswami 52. Mr. A. Nama Mrs. P. Ganeshalingam 53. Mr. K. Sitha Mrs. R. Sathasivam 54. Mr. S. Sivap Mrs. S. Subaramaniam 55. Mr. E. Chell Mr. C. Balakrishnan 56. Mr. R. Satha Mr. V. Rajasekaram 57. Mrs. S. Pack Mr. K. Selvadurai 58. Mrs. C. Amb Mr K. Kanthapillai 59. Mrs.S. Eham Mrs. B.Kanthapillai 60. Mr.V. Kanes Mrs. M.S. Sivagnanam 6 l. Mrs. S.T. Ra Mrs. A. Panchalingam 62. Mrs. J. Nava Mrs.K. Ganeshamani 63. Mr.S.M. Para
Mrs. K. Chandramowleesan 64. Mr. P. Ratna Mrs. J. Shanmuganathan 65. Miss. R. Sin
Miss. N. Nagalingam 66. Mr. R . Mahl Mr. N. Sivarasah 67. Miss. S. Nag Mrs. G.Panchalingam 68. Mr.S. Soosa Mr. K. Kathirgamathamby 69. Mrs. Puvana Mr.S. Ramanather 70. Mr. S. Kasin Mr. V. Aiyathurai 7. Mrs.S. Vadiv Mr. S. Kumarasami 72. Mrs. M. Rat Mr. C. Palanithurai 73. Mrs. Sellath Mr. T. Selvarajah 74. Mr. S.Kanag Mr. A. Kanthasami 75. Mr. S. Sivası Mr. C. Somaskantar 76. Mrs.M.R. Th Mrs.L. Arasan 77. Mrs. T. Vive Mrs. N. Thurairajasingam 78. Mr. S. Kandi Miss. A. Nagalingam 79. Mr. Mansoo Mr. V.C. Ramanathan 80. Mr. E. Suppi

ved in the staff of K.H.C
year 1940
thy
arajah Vasagan lwaganam gasabai
iah
Wa
samy lingam alingam samy usivayam mparapilai alasingam iah
sivam irajah pikaipakan nparam halingam tnathurai
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ah
8l. Mrs. J. Navaratnam 82. Mr. S.A.C.S. Hameed 83. Mr. K. Kunarajah 84. Mr. A. Saravanabavan 85. Mr. K. Kanagaratnam 86. Miss. U. Kandiah 87. Mr. V. Thankarajah 88. Miss. P. Sivakkolunthu 89. Mrs. R. Selvarajah 90. Mr. V. Rajasekaran 91. Mr. V. Mailvaganam 92. Miss. V, Inthiranee 93. Mr. K. Perampalam 94. Mr. M. Mahadevan 95. Mr. P.S. Cumarasamy 96. Mrs. A. Nadrajah 97. Mr. V.V. Navaratnam 98. Mr. T. Rajalingam 99. Mr. M. Nagalingam 100. Mr. Vaithiyanathan 101.Mr. S. Sivaprakasam 102. Mrs. S. Nadarajah 103. Miss. S. Sinnathampu 104.Mr. S.Kulathungam 105.Mr. S. Ratnarajah 106. Miss. S. Sinnadurai 107. Mrs. I Sabaratnam 108. Mrs. A. Balachandramoorthy 109.Mrs. M. Balasingam 110. Mrs. A. Ponnampalam 111. Mrs. R. Vivekanandan 112. Mr. T. Selvarajah 13. Mr. S. Sinnadurai 14. Mrs. T. Arumairatnam 115. Mrs. S. Arumainayagam 116. Mrs. L. Suntharalingam 117. Mrs. K. Sathianathasivam 118. Mr. T. Eliayathampy 119. Mr. S. Sivagurunathan

Page 103
College's 1st two stc
Mr. M. A. Nadarajah ( Senior Vice Pr.
 
 

sident Colombo OSA) speaks at a dinner
Kokuvil Hindu College 81

Page 104
K.H.C LNGA LGHTS ( MARCH 24TH
Stall 1
Stall 2
Pictures of Main En
82 Kokuvil Hindu College
 
 

ARNIVAL GROUNDS 1950 TO 2ND APRIL
Entrance
Stall 3
D s
rance and some Stalls

Page 105
கல்லூரி வ (மாணாக்கிய
திருமிகு மெங்கள் கொக்கு
திகழ்ந்திடுங் கல்லு பெருவருமிந்துப் பெண்களு பிறங்கிடுங் கல்லூரி மருவுறு கலைகள் யாவைய வழங்கிடுங் கல்லூரி பெருகிடும் அன்பால் புந்திய புகழினை வாழ்த்தே வந்தே மாதரம் வந்தே மாத என்று வணங்கோே
இந்துமதப் புகழ் எங்கும் வி இசைந்திடுங் கல்லு சிந்தை வளம்பெற மெய்ப் ெ சேர்த்திடுங் கல்லூr செந்தமிழ் ஆங்கில வடமெ சுரந்திடுங் கல்லூரி வந்தனை செய்து பைந்தமி வாழ்த் தொடுசூ டே வந்தே மாதரம் வந்தே மாத என்று வணங்கோே
மங்கையர் மாண்பை மன்ப முழங்கிடுங் கல்லூரி பொங்குயர் அறிவுச் சுடரின பொறித்திடுங் கல்லு நங்கையர் வாழ்வின் இலட் நல்கிடுங் கல்லூரி - அங்கையில் மலர்கொண்ட அனுதினம் ஏத்தோ வந்தே மாதரம் வந்தே மாத என்று வணங்கோே
கலைமகள் உலவக் களிநட கண்டிடுங் கல்லூரி மலைமகள் கொழுநன் மலா மாண்புறுங் கல்லூரி நிலமகள் நெற்றித் திலகடெ நிலைத்திடுங் கல்லு தலைமுறையாகத் தொழுது துதி சொல்லிப் பாே வந்தே மாதரம் வந்தே மாத என்று வணங்கோே
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Kokuvil Hindu College 83

Page 106
FAREVELL
"Honour and shamef Act well your part, the
One of the most important channels through which social and economic mobility occurs is the educational system and specially university education. This mobility took place in Sri Lanka, particularly after the introduction of free education in 1945 and the switch over to national languages, Sinhala and Tamil as the media of instruction from 1947 onwards. While free education made education affordable the use of the mother tongue made it more accessible.
Oldsters among us sometimes speak nostalgically of a time when those of our people who were admitted to the University and obtained their degrees were assured of government employment that was then a passport to privilege and a pension. Public school boys in the various "Colleges' bestowed with more brawn than brain provided they had the right connections, could aspire to plum planting and mercantile jobs that assured comfortable life styles. Those who entered the Civil Service copped fat dowries and steadily plodded up the career ladder along the rungs of "minuted' posts. Appointments to the Ceylon Civil Service during the early Colonial period was by nomination by the Colonial office in London. Direct recruitment in U.K. was replaced in 1872 by the highly competitive examination which involved a stiff selection process.
84 Kokuvil Hindu College

Chapter - VII
TO HANDY
rom no condition arise re all the honour lies.'
When a minority is seen as privileged, it is seen as posing a threat to the legitimate interests of the majority and that was the crucial factor behind the anti-Tamil riots of 1956 and 1958. There was deep resentment among the Sinhalese Buddhists, who conceived of themselves as the only true bhumiputras, over the alleged privileged position enjoyed by the minorities, particularly the Tamils. That was the motivating drive behind anti-Tamil riots of 1956 and 1958, the latter of which was particularly notable for mass participation in it. Tarzie Vittachchi's Emergency 58 showed us how people can become ferociously cruel in our own day and time. "Sinhala only” of 1956 is now widely recognised as an act of stupendous ethnic folly and so more or less or the other major cause for Tamil grievance, "Standardisation" in education of the early Seventies.
At the time of independence in Sri Lanka in 1948 the Ceylon Civil Service was at the apex of a public service that were considered as outstanding success for an Asian country. In the days of the Civil Service the intake was between 5-10 per year, the average being 6. It did not matter what subjects-classics, economics, and mathematics, they had studied for their first degrees because they had first rate brains. Mr. T. Rajadurai B.Sc(Lond) Advocate and formerly

Page 107
of the Civil Service from Thavady, was the first old boy of Kokuvil Hindu College to enter this prestigious service. He confessed in 1995 that he was exposed to an environment and to teachers at Kokuvil who had a very wholesome and beneficial influence on his life. With the abolition of the Civil Service and its replacement by the Sri lanka Administrative service, the quality has gone down a great deal, though there are a few stars of the former caliber.
Unity is not uniformity. Attempts at achieving unformity in a country that is profoundly pluralistic, led to worse divisions. This is the lesson of 1956. We have lived to see what "Sinhala only' a slogan that was coined to catch votes, started doing to our country-the large inferior status of the Tamils in this country continued unremedied. The process advanced inexorably with a section of our people being alienated to the point that a demand for a separate state now sits squarely on the laps of us all. It is clear that a solution within the "unitary' structure is now an impossibility. Only an advanced "Federal' set-up subject to unity and integrity of the country which will be inviolable seems practicable.
Commenting on the “Future of Tamil' Mr. Perinbanayagam wrote in 1957:
"The future of Tamils in this country is intimately linked with the status their language will hold in the Nation's affairs. To impose an inferior status on Tamil would inevitably confer a lowly status on those who speak Tamil. The conflict is not for preservation of Tamil. A language which has survived in Ceylon 400 years of foreign rule is not likely to be crushed out of existence by anyone. The fundamental issue is whether those citizens of Ceylon who regard Tamil as their mother tongue will enjoy equal esteem and equal opportunities with those

whose mother tongue is Sinhala. Statutory parity alone will avail to make such a state of affairs even remotely possible. The least that ought to be done to allay the natural fears of a group that will continue to be numerically weak is to assure them that at least in law their language, culture, traditional observance and religion will be deemed equal to those of the majority group. On a righteous and reasonable solution of this problem depends the future of a community, which has played a dynamic and fruitful role in the history of this country. Sri Lanka's claim to full nationhood will for ever remain a sham and a mockery as long as there dwells within her territory a group of people who will find it difficult to feel any loyalty or devotion to the land of their birth. A sense of national solidarity and a consciousness of nationhood in Sri Lanka will have to be created to ensure her stability and the success of all her constructive enterprise”
The racialist chauvinism on which the government of M.E.Pachieved its triumph bore tragic fruit in the events of May-June 1958. In the communal riots that started on 23rd of May 1958 several Tamil people were killed, assaulted and tortured; several houses were damaged and burnt down; several shops and hotels were broken down, opened and looted. A state of emergency was declared after a lot of delay when the Governor General Sir Oliver Goonetilake took control of the State. On the night of 26th May 1958 a curfew was imposed. People who turned refugees overnight were sheltered in camps and taken by ship loads to Jaffna. Sri Lanka has had its own share of ethnic violence with periodic riots, climaxing with the pogrom of 1983. Tamil ethnic nationalism has Wreaked Vengeance in return and continue to do so. The policies of Mr.S.W.R.D.Bandaranayake made a positive contribution to the Sri Lankan polity- the people at large felt that the
Kokuvi Hindu College 85

Page 108
opportunity had at last come for them to savour their own language, their religion and their culture. Any institution the Catholic Church that was seen to thwart that opportunity, was naturally treated with suspicion. Interpreters generally view the attempted military coup as a Christian action to Buddhist resurgence and ascendancy of the several years preceding 1962. The national system of education was merely the conversion of the medium of insturction in all schools to Swabasha. Far from unifying the nation it led to alienation of the Tamil minority which ultimately led to the war of secession.
In their monumental stupidity the ultranationalists had not heeded the very practical and sensible advice offered by Robert Marrs, the British expatriate, who was first principal of the Ceylon University College. He had alerted the Ceylonese to the danger of the triumph of "swabasha'. If at that time Ceylon was devided on the basis of English into two nations, the removal of English would lead to the more dangerous division of the nation on the basis of Sinhala, the language of the majority and Tamil, the language of the minority.
Mr.S. Handy Perinbanayagam was one who had leftist leanings; he was a strong supporter of the policies of the L.S.S.P. He was disillusioned when they consciously and deliberately bartered away Tamil rights in 1972 for a share of power that they thought would enable them to push the Government in the direction of socialism. In defence they declared "that the content of social justice on the plane of democratic rights in regard to language had to be subordinated to the question of economic transformation that is necessary for the establishment of socialism." The L.S.S.P accentuated the ethnic polarization of Sri Lankan politics. The irony of the L.S.S.P story is that in
86 Kokuvi Hindu College

1955 and 1956 and for a few years after, their leadership stood up courageously and even heroically to the high tide of Sinhala linguistic nationalism. Thereafter they surrendered to it and it was a national tragedy with those consequences we are living today. Not all the smarmy quotes from its unlamented leaders can exculpate the Samasamajists of the horror, misery and tragedy the L.S.S.P has brought to this country by this detestable performance. Dr.Colvin R.DeSilva, the veteran politician who in 1956 prophesied that one language would lead to two countries, failed in the 1972 constitution to address the problems of the Tamil people and their desire for regional autonomy. It was unfortunate for the country that the leftist parties which were the only groups with inter racial membership and a policy that gave full recognition to minority rights and minority sensibilities also decided to weaken Tamil resistance. History can never forget what the L.S.S.P did when it had the chance to press for regional autonomy. They played their part in drafting of the 1972 constitution which was the single most triggering event which gave rise to Tamil militancy. They entrenched the designation "Unitary', (strenuously defended by Colvin R. De. Silva) when the Soulbury Constitution did not. It stripped the safe-guards for the minorities. It enthroned Sinhala only and gave pride of place to Buddhism, which D.S.Senanayake had rightly refused to do. It built in the Public Security Ordinance with its draconian emergency and essential services powers.
At Kokuvil Hindu, Mr.Perinbanayagam created an atmosphere for the harmonious development of the personality of the child. He instilled the spirit of democracy in the minds of his pupils. His educational philosophy was not merely preparation for livelihood but also for a full life in a democratic state. Finance avilable to School, in the pre-school take over days, was

Page 109
chronically too meagre to meet essential needs. Fund raising became a vital function of the Principal. Door to door collctions from past pupils and parents in Colombo were not altogether Smooth. Handy master did face the rough edge of the Jaffna man's teeth in one place where he was brushed aside when he asked for a contribution to Kokuvil Hindu College. Some earlier incident in Colombo during his predecessor's (V.N) period had embittered the gentleman So much that he turned antagonistic to Kokuvil Hindu College ever since even after a lapse of nine years. Another parent in Colombo willingly contributed to the Building Fund but did nothesitate to speak to the Principal in strong language indicating his disappointment in refusing a teaching appointment to his daughter in Kokuvil Hindu College. A third creditor of the school sent the Principal a Letter of Demand through his lawyers asking for immediate payment of the Outstanding money due to his firm from the school. The Proprietor who hailed from Manipay and was well known to Handy master had supplied all the building materials required for the three storeyed building in Kokuvil from Colombo. Payments were made by the School as and when the materials were delivered at the site always leaving a running credit balance of about Rs. 10,000/- as the Principal was hoping to claim a waiver of this sum as the firm's contribution to the school. When the firm reported this plan of the Principal to the Proprietor, he out-smarted the Principal with a Letter of Demand. On receipt of the notice the full payment was made by the school and the issue was solved.
The early design and drawing of the plan for the building was a labour of love by Mr.S.P.Ragunath, an alumnus of Kokuvil and Jaffna Hindu Colleges. Engineering consultations were provided by Dr.P.Selvanayagam, Lecturer in Engineering at the University.

Masonry was entrusted to contractor Rasiah from Araly Vaddukoddai. Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami, the Vice-Principal drew on the services of his friend Mr.K. Krishnapillai, a qualified architect with a degree from Melbourne, Australia and got him to give the finishing touches from the aesthetic angle. The timber purlins and the steel open webbed trusses odered from Colombo and used at roof level was a new type of truss which baffled the local masons and carpenters then. The real test of the structure was the overloading it stood when thousands of refugees were sheltered in the building during IPKF occupation days in 1987. Mr.S.Ponnampalam of North Ceylon Traders helped with advice technically and supervision. The work was completed and building declared open in 1961 January by Mr.T.Muttusamipillai. Secretary cum Manager of the Board of Directors. Issue of a souvenir on 27th January 1961 marked the occasion.
For the major part of Mr. Perinbanayagam's life he taught at Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai handling English and Latin in the London Degree classes. His 30 year associatioon with Jaffna College as student and teacher came to an end in 1944. From then on it was a slow but sure journey to the religion of his forefathers. The journey ended at Kokuvil Hindu College, a Grade 1 school. About a student being sent from Kokuvil to Jaffna College to better his chances for admission to the University, Mr.S.Sivanayagam wrote in 1978:-
"I was among a handful of student pioneers in the University entrance form, helping the school Kokuvil Hindu College to live up precariously to its newly won status. That was 1949. Early in 1950, Handy master called me aside one day, 'Sivanayagam' he said looking thoughfully at me you would like to enter the University, wouldn't you? Yes sir' I said. There
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was a pause "As Principal I shouldn't be telling you this. I am sorry, but we are still not equipped here to prepare you for University admission' I kept silent, 'I don't want to defeat your chances in life by keeping you here. Would you like to join Jaffna College?'"
"Two weeks later, I was at Jaffna College, a hosteller for the first time in my life; I awakened into a new world of student life, a world that I never knew existed, used as I was to my cloistered existence in Kokuvil. When much later I read a line from Ralph Waldo Emerson; "The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil.” I knew what it meant. I thought immediately of Handy master. I knew then from where his hidden springs of educational philosophy issued forth. Any Principal could be relied upon to look after the interests of his school. It calls for the range of values of a Handy Perinbanayagam to give thought to the future of his pupil."
This writer was witness to another case of Mr. Handy Prinbanayagam's concern for the progress of one of his students who was on the verge of interrupting his education despite free education. He was selected for admission to the University but his poor circumstances led him to look out for employment. When he approached the Principal for a certificate, Handy master ascertained the reasons for his not pursuing his higher education. A few days later in the midst of the door to door collection rounds we made in Colombo, both Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami and Mr.Perinbanayagam wanted us to drive up to an address at Ratmalana where this student's elder brother was living with his family. It was rather late in the night; yet the Principal did not want us to put this off for anoher day. So we went to Ratmalana and the Principal prevailed on the brother and succeeded in
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obtaining his consent to finance the student's university education. That brilliant student from Kokuvil Hindu College successfully completed his university education and is today an Engineer working in Brazil.
Given below are the words of Dr.N.M.Perera about Mr.Perinbanayagam:-
"Handy proved to be an excellent leader of the Jaffna youth, ably expounding the sentiments of the Congress in the North. He provided an excellent link with those of us in the South struggling against great odds for independence. Handy became a close friend of us who subsequently built the L.S.S.P.Although his sympathies were with us when we formed the L.S.S.P in December 1935 he never formally joined the organization. Politically he found himself in complete agreement with the policies the party advocated but he hadn't the time or inclination to fit into the rigid discipline demanded of a radical political organization. His more intimate concern was the economic regeneration and the political elevation of the masses in the North.”
"His outstanding contribution is undoubtedly in the field of education. He was a stalwart in the struggle for improving the condition of those in the teaching profession. Above all he was concerned with the quality of education. A man of upright character, he set a worthy exmple to all his pupils by the high nobility of his conduct. He was wedded to a United Ceylon where Sinhalese and Tamils could live in perfect harmony and friendship.”
Having begun the dinner tradition at Kokuvil, Handy Master retired in 1960. It was left to the succeeding Principal Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami to take off from that point and sustain the record. Holding Western style dinners (at Kokuvil the menu was always vegetarian), the practice of toasting, the

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cultivation of the art of after dinner speaking, even the seating arrangements whereby there was a free inter-mingling of the sexes, were things unknown in Kokuvil before Handy Master's time.
"As a member of the University Court Handy Master played a key role in setting up the chair of Sinhalese in the university in the teeth of opposition of even some dons of the oriental faculty. When the famous writer and historian Arnold Toynbee was in Lanka and returned to Colombo after a visit to Jaffna he remarked that his conversation with Perinbanayagan was one of the most stimulating ones he had here. When Gandhi Centenary year was celebrated in 1969, in Jaffna Sri Lanka, Mr. Perinbanayagam gave the welcome address to Mr.Jayaprakash Narayan to mark the opening of the year's celebrations on January 9th and I (Mr. K. Nesiah) chaired the last meeting on October 8th with Shrimathi Vijayalakshmi Pandit as the Chief Guest.”
"A study of the origins of the national movement at National level cannot ignore what emerged out of those epoch making sessions (of the Youth Congress) spreading the illumination from the Nothern Sky during the preindependence decades, the opening the road of the harijans (Dalits) to freedom, the battle for Sinhala and Tamil in education and civic life, the demand to relate education to the life of the Nation, and the spectacle of unfurling the Tricolour flag, heralding national independence would be history in depth and truth.' Wrote Mr. K.Nesiah in 1977 December.
The eleven years of Handy Perinbanayagam’s Principalship (1949-1960) had been a period of rapid almost feverish, but steady growth for Kokuvil Hindu College.

Activities of significance were often highlighted in the Principal's Prize-Day Reports annually. In his report for the year 1952 Handy Master is alleged to have made some derogatory remarks about the (then) Board of Management of dispensing favoured treatment to its "darling” Jaffna Hindu Ladies College as against the niggardly treatment to a step-child like Kokuvil Hindu in disbursing funds for school's needs. The Board took offence, felt denigrated and had required the Principal to obtain its prior approval for his reports in future years. This was something that the rebel in Handy could not stomach. So he ceased to hold any such functions thereafter at Kokuvil Hindu as a protest against the directive. It was left to the successor Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami to restore the practice of holding annual Prize Day functions commencing from July 1963 after Kokuvil Hindu College became a state School in December 1960-and that was full ten years after the last prize giving held in Kokuvil Hindu.
At a garden party held in August 196U at the lawn of the Jaffna Town Hall to fete Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam, Dr.H.W.Thambiah said that "Handy was no ordinary teacher of the classics but a philosopher who had influenced the political thought of this country. He was nationalist in outlook and he stood for a United Ceylon without distinction of caste, creed and race.” Mr.Perinbanayagam said that "though not endowed with the so-called good things of life at the end of his career as a teacher he was glad of the influence he had exercised in whatever small measure in his pupils in their public and private lives. He had no regrets, he added, and his conscience was his guide and not his accomplice.” In a Handy memorial lecture delivered in March 1983 at Kokuvil Hindu College. Prof.John Walter Bicknell declared that "Mr. Perinbanayagam was a moment in the
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conscience of Sri Lanka' and that he lived by words "To bigotry no sanction, to persecution по assistance. ”
In May 1960, the Colombo branch of the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association published abrochure of Veledictory Tributes to Handy Perinbanayagam. This brochure was a complete surprise to Handy Master and he was pleasantly overwhelmed when his past pupils presented him an album containing these tributes at the farewell Kokuvilities had for him at "Sri Kotha', Kollupitiya. The editors gathered later that Mr.Perinbanayagam had one regret; that it did not include a contribution from Senator S.Nadesan. Somasuntheram Nadesan Q.C. was one of the most brilliant lawyers this country has produced. Nadesan (1964-1986) served a major part of his life, a full 55 years at the bar and was deeply involved with human rights and Social justice issues which are largely reflected in his contribution in the Senate of which he was an independent member from its inception in 1947 until its abolition in 1972. Nadesan's speeches and writings tend to be timeless because, although he was dealing with cont mporaneous problems, he always looked beyond them to principle. In December 1977 the editors forwarded a copy of this brochure to Mr.Nadesan and solicited an article from him as a kind of reparation for their earlier omission. Mr.Nadesan phoned in and said that he was unable to add anything more to what has already been said in the brochure of 1960, which was indeed. “A Portarit Of A Rare Spirit.
Sivanayagam recalled an incident that happened in 1960. "When Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam retired as Principal that year, the Colombo Alumini decided at short notice to present him with an album of tributes. Inspired
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by an irreverent idea that is a professional trait with journalists, I wondered what Sir John Kotelawela, then as ex-Prime Minister in political disgrace would have to say about Handy Master. Without giving warning of the nature of our mission, we managed to fix up an early morning appointment with him at Kandawela, Ratmalana. Having arrived and received with normal courtsey, we gently broached the subject of Handy Master and our intended volume of tributes. Our interview did not last a further minute. The name Handy Perinbanayagam seemed to give him an inward shudder. He held up his hands in a violent gesture and said decisively "Leave me out of this place.” Sir John's reaction was based on a wrong premise, shared by others, namely that Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam had somehow disturbed the hornets nest, thereby accelerating or even creating the whole process that led to the sordid drama of Sinhala Only."
Mr.S.Handy Perinbanayagam (1899-1977) was a social thinker who in his whole life was on the side of change against forces of reaction and repression. Gandhian ideals were his inspiration. He was firm in his conviction that the Tamils though a minority could not be subordinate to the majority in a free country. As early as the 1920s he had openly accepted the untouchable as an honoured guest in his home and led the movement for social fair play. He could not agree with the orthodox ideas of religion and in time drifted from them towards the philosophy enshrined in the religion of his forefathers. To the end, he held that the tenets of Christianity and Saiva Siddhanta were close enough to be regarded as one. Being invited to head a Hindu Institution (Kokuvil Hindu College) was also the crowning culmination of a process that had begun with him earlier. Corporal Punishment in schools is a matter on

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which he felt very strongly. It was part of his philosophy of education not to inflict physical punishment on the pupil. He saw to it that corporal punishment was gradually dropped in Kokuvil.
Undoubtedly the present generation has had very indulgent parents and teachers who couldn't care a damn about their students. In the good old days discipline was enforced with the cane and the saying "spare the rod and spoil the child' was considered an infallible maxim. Today a teacher who dares exercise corporal punishment could well be facing a charge of violation of human rights brought by parents. This is peculiar not only to our country but is a global trend. In the traditional system of learning, education without a teacher was unthinkable. It was regarded as a sacred task which the teacher and the pupil jointly pursued with a keen sense of responsibility. The duties and obligations inherent in the relationship between teacher and pupil were intensely personal and based on mutual regard. The teacher looked uopn the pupil as his son and the pupil had a filial regard for the teacher. The non-academic duties of the teacher encompassed the cultivation of good habits and the guidance of the pupil so that he may eschew evil and cleave to that which is good. Under the "Gurukula system', there was a healthy feeling of solidarity and responsibility and ample opportunity for exercise of self reliance and individuality. There was a high standard of culture, self-imposed discipline and stern regard for duty, selfless action and sacrifice combined with self respect and reverance for others; a high standard of academic dignity and a sense of nobility and the great purpose of human life. Teachers in the past were'scholars who believed in furthering their knowledge. The teacher-pupil relationship, which was based on the teacher's concern for the welfare of the

student and the students' respect for the teacher, has broken down.
Mrs. Bhagawathy Kanthapillai, who left Kokuvil Hindu College as a student in the 1940s returned to teach at Kokuvil Hindu in 1958. Moving out of the College she emigrated to the U.K.She records the spectacular turn-around Mr.S.Handy Perinbanayagam had brought about in the College by his ceaseless and tireless efforts in these words "the school had undergone an amazing transformation with a storeyed building, up-to-date laboratories, a wellequipped library, a galaxy of dedicated teachers and above all a good number of intelligent and hard-working students in the Advanced Level classes. In fact, the school had been regularly sending students to several faculties of the universities.” Mr.Perinbanayagam was a father figure. His encyclopaedic knowledge, wisdom, experience, liberal temperament, gentle manners and friendliness inspired everybody to do their best. Under him teachers worked fearlessly and freely. He once said, “No worthwhile teaching can be done by a teacher whose spontaneity and zest has been smothered; his dynamism and creativity wilt and perish in such a milieu.” She retired pre-maturely in 1982 to join her husband in Nigeria. Mr.K.Kanthapillai was also on the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College during the years 1952 to 1968. He came from Driberg's College. He improved on his academic qualification from Inter Arts to a degree in 1954 whilst in service. Having served at Kokuil for sixteen years he proceeded to the University of Peradeniya to do his Diploma in Education. On completing this course he was sent to Jaffna Hindu College in 1971 when Mr.E.Sabalingam was Principal there. He left Jaffna Hindu in 1979 to take up a teaching post in Nigeria. In 1989 he moved with his family to England and continues to live there. The two of them are active members of the Old Students' Associatioon in the U.K.
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Mr. C. Palanithurai was secretary of the KHC Well Wishers' Association which did play an important part in finding the resources for the School that was growing day by day When Kokuvil Hindu College was a denominational school in the pre 1960 period. He came from Urumpiray Hindu College and had been in the Staff of K.H.C from 1947.
He was from Kokuvil and had grown with the school identifying himself with it. He was a Mathurai Pundit in Tamil and was also a trained teacher. Quiet, SoftSpoken, but with a definite philosophy of his own he had been a
Wholesome and elevating influence in the life of the School. As Secretary of the two organizations W. W. A : and PT.A. he discharged Mr. C. Palanithurai his duties with great honour and complete acceptance. He spent his leisure hours at the school assisting the Principal and his Deputy. He loved the Tamil language and inspired his students to acquire greater proficiency in Tamil. Quoting K. Balasingham, he used to say to the credit of Jaffna. "that the revival of Tamil learning started in Jaffna and passed on to South India in the middle of the 19th century. It was the Tamil scholars from Jaffna who held the torch of Tamil learning in Tamil Nadu and showed the way for its rejuvenation in all related fields. About that time Jaffna was the scene of labours of many noble-minded missionaries who made the study of Tamil literature and shastras their chief object. Some of the scholar missionaries carried the rekindled torch of Tamil learning to India, Till then, Tamil scholarship was mainly confined to the mutts, but these savants for want
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of touch with western culture were not fitted for a critical Study of Our literature and Shastras, nor would they allow the rare nant (Scripts they had to be printed. Even the revival of Saivaism began in Jaffna and then passed over to India. That was the Jaffna of 1860 " Mr. Palanithurai Was an Outstanding Volley Ball player. Sri Lanka began to play volleyball way back in 1916. It reached its peak in 1950s and was the common man's game. It was a healthy recreation. Sri Lanka made Volleyball its national game. Once a much loved game in this island it now has lost its glamour Over the years. During the 1970s Other games Superseded volleyball. He was an expert in the game of contract bridge in cards. As secretary of the Kokuvil Hindu College WellWishers' Association, he records that "it took three years to collect the necessary funds for the building. The progress of the building work vas performed simultaneously with the fiind - raising compaign. The building vivas completed structurally before the end of the decade (1960), The towering personality behind it, Mr.S. Handy Perinbanayagan had retired in March 1960 and the building was formally handed over to his successor Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami the Principal On 27th January 1961 after a pooja at Puthukovil. A public meeting was held to commemorate the event and Portraits of E. Cheliah, V. Nagalingam and Perinbanayagam were unveiled at the new hall." After retiring from service in 1980 Mr. Palanithurai lived in Kokuvil. With the maSS exodus of people from Jaffna in October 1995, he came to Colombo and lived with his niece at Wel lawatte where he died On 20-04 - 1996.
As Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College Mr. Perinbanayagam had left and indelible imprint on the stature and destiny of the College. The School gathered strength in number and in every way. He developed the tutorial staff creating facilities at Kokuvil

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together With academic and administrative Structures. These were onerous undertakings which needed the vision and ability of both an academic and an institution builder. He shared the commitment of his colleague Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami to serve the College as long as he could do So. Mr. Perinbanayagam had a? uncompromising dedication to high moral principles in public life. He belonged to the category of men of moral Stature who compared favourably with legendary men, who under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership waged India's epic struggle for freedom from British rule. He had a caiminess of outlook on life and its problems, a Serenity which was classic. It was not popularity that he sought but that he should act in the way which he thought was in the best interest of the country. Persona i consideration never weighed with him. He was a Superb statesman who took criticism in the proper light and never carried a vendetta or animosity against his critics. These qualities of head and heart which enable him to rise above the Ordinary and Stand On an elevation where while he was in the World yet he was not of it. When he died in Colombo on December 1977, his funeral was well attended by his pastpupils, friends and relatives. The Homage to a Guru' was published on 10 January 1978 as a tribute from those of us in Colombo, Jaffna's “Handy Perinbanayagam-A Memorial Volume was a later issue by the Handy commemoration society in June 1980. His sprit will be with his Students wherever they go, it will dwell in the
an Old s
for the farewell F
 

buildings he planned and built, it will keep watch and guard over Kokuvi Hindu College where his ambitious dreams and translating them into action found its finest flowering. In Mr. S. Handy Perinbanayagam's Birth Centenary year 1999, an adulatory publication was published by Kokuvil Hindu College Old students Association (Colombo Branch) on 28th March 1999 and issued at a grand celebration at Ramakrishna Hall, Wella watte. In his message Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami from Australia said that "he was prolid to take part in celebrating Mr. Perinbanayagan's greatness and that he belongs little less to its than to his Own Country'
As a skillful lawyer, a gifted writer, a persuasive and convincing Speaker, as an ardent educationist, a many sided Social Worker, a Sagacious, and a Wise guide to Serveral public concerns he rendered in Valuable Service to the country. His affable manners, his in-born humility and readiness to help others enhanced the immence worth of this lovable and Solid personality. His friendship towards the people of all communities and religious denominatoins and to persons of all walks of life endeared him to many. To deal effectively with S. Handy Perinbanayagam's many faceted life and his achievements will require more than a book and in a short chapter like this one can best quote the words "who can say that a life So rich it. nei no ries vy'a S incomplete”''
ধ্ৰুঞ্জ
ts Receive Principal Function -- 1960
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கொக்குவில் அதிபராகப் பத்தாண்டு
திரு. ஹன்டி (
அவர்களைப் மேற்படி கல்லூரிப் பழைய மா6 28-5-1960 அன்
இயன்மொழ
வெண்பா
பார்புகழும் மக்கட்காம் பண்பென்னும் நீர்பாய்ச்சிச் சீர்திகழும் செய்யாம் சமூகத்தில் - ஏர்திகழும் கல்விப் பயிர்வளர்த்துக் காத்தோனே நின்றொண்டு சொல்லுந் தரத்ததோ தான்.
பெருமைக் கொருவரம்பாய்ப் பேச்சே செயலாம் ஒருமைக் குதாரணமாம் ஓதி! - அருமைமிகும் காந்தி நெறிநிற்கும் கண்ணியனே மெய்ப்புகழை ஏந்தி இளைப்பாறிணி.
25dubuq
உலக முவப்ப ஒளிக்கதிர் பரப்பி அலகில் இருளை அகற்றி ஞாலம் மலர்வுறக் கடலினின் றெழுந்து வானிற் பலர்தொழ விளங்கும் பரிதியே யென்ன ஆங்கில மிலத்தின் அருந்தமிழ் மொழிதரும் 5 ஓங்குயரிலக்கியப் பரவையிற் படிந்தெழுந் தறிவொளி பரப்பி அறியாமை யென்னுஞ் செறியிருள் சீத்துச்செழும்புல வானில் மாணவர் நண்பர் மற்றுளோரெல்லாம் பேணிப் போற்றப் பீடுற விளங்கும் 1O பல்கலை தேர்ந்த நல்லாசிரிய கல்வியியலைக் கசடற வாய்ந்தும் சட்ட மரசியல் சமயந்தத்துவம் ஒட்டிய சமூகக் கலைத்துறை தோய்ந்தும் உள்ளமு மூளையுமொருங்கு வளர்த்துத் 15 தெள்ளிய அறிவே செல்வமாத் தொகுத்தோய்! சாதி சமயப் பேத மிலாது நீதியென்னு மடிப்படை மீதில்
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இந்துக் கல்லூரி
பணிபுரிந்திளைப்பாறிய
பேரின்பநாயகம் பாராட்டுமுகமாக ணவர் சங்கக் கொழும்புக் கிளை ானாருக்கு வழங்கிய
2 வாழ்த்திதழ்
அன்பொழுங்கமைதி அறிவெனுங் கால்நட் டின்பச் சமூகம் ஈழநாட்டகத்தே 2O உருவாக்குவதே ஒருநோக்காக அல்லும் பகலும் அருங்கனாக் கண்டே ஒல்லும் வகையெலாம் ஒவாதுழைத்தோய்! அரைசியல் அறநெறி பிறிழினும் ஆள்வார் உரைசெயல் மாறினும் உலகோர் எள்ளினும் 25 செய்வினை வெற்றி சேர்க்கா தொழியினும் மெய்யெனத் தெளிந்த மேதகு கொள்கையில் திரியாத் திறலோய்! பெரியோய்! அரியோய்! எண்ணிமுதற்கண் எதனையுந் துணிந்து திண்ணிதிற் கருமஞ் செய்வோய்! செய் 3O கழிந்ததற் கிரங்காக் கரும வீர இழிந்தவை யெண்ணா இயல்பினை யாதலின் உள்ளுவ வெல்லாம் உயர்வுள்ள லென்னும் வள்ளுவன் குறளுக்குதாரணமாக உயர்ந்த நோக்கும் ஓங்கிய பூட்கையும் 35 நயந்த நெஞ்சும் நலம்விளை பேச்சும் கூரிய மதியுங் கொண்டு வாழும் ஊருக் கணியாய் ஒளியாய்த் திகழ்வோய்! பேரின்ப நாயகப் பெருமான் நீயே தக்கவர் கல்வி தரும்பயன் கருதிக் 4O கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரி யாகென முன்னாள் இட்ட விதைமுளைத் தாங்கே வளருங் காலைத் தளர்வு போக்கி அன்பொடு புரந்த அதிபருள் ஒருவனாம் நாகலிங்க நல்லோன் மறைவாற் 45 சோக மெய்தித் துயருழந் திருந்த நிலையி லாங்கதன் தலைமையேற்றுத் துயரந்துடைக்கத் துணிந்துமுன்வந்தாய் உயரும் மாடிக் கட்டட மெழுப்பும் முன்னோன் எண்ணம் முற்றாமையினால் 5Ꮕ

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அந்நாள் முதலாய் ஆங்கதன் வளர்ச்சிக் காவன செய்யும் அருங்கடன் பூண்டாய் கல்லூரி அதிபராய்க் கடமைநீயேற்றபின் கொழும்பில் வதியும் பழையமாணவர்யாம் விருந்தெடுத் திங்குனை வரவேற்றுவந்தோம்.55 அருந்தொண்டதனை அகத்துக் கொண்டே எம்மோடளாவி இனிக்கப் பேசி “உம்மிடம் வருவேன் உறுபொருட் கொருநாள்” என்று மொழிந்தன்றேகினை பின்னர் நின்று நிலைக்கும் நெடுநிலை மாடம் 6O ஒன்று முடிக்கும் உட்கோள் தெரித்தனை நிதிதிரட்டுதற்கென நீமேற் கொண்ட முயற்சியிலெல்லாம் முன்னின்றியாமும் ஏம்மா லியன்ற உதவிகளெல்லாம் செய்தன மென்னுஞ் செம்மாப் பெய்த 65 வைத்தனை பெரும! வாழிநின் ஊக்கம் கட்டட நிதிக்கெனக் களியாட்டு விழாவொன் றெட்டுத் திசையும் இசைசெல யாரும் இணையிதற் கினியொன்றிலையென்றேத்த அணிபெற நடாத்தி அரும்பொருள் சேர்த்தாய் 70 பெற்றோர் பெரியோர் நட்டோர் நயந்தோர் உற்றோர் முன்னாட் கற்றோர் இவரிடம் கலையின் பொருட்டாய்க் காசுசென்றேற்றும் அலைகடல் தாண்டி மலாயா சென்றும் ஆங்குள வண்மை அன்பரா தரவைப் 75 பாங்குறப் பெற்றும் பணம்பல தொகுத்தும் ஓங்குயர் மாடிக் கட்டட மதைநின் வீங்கு புகழ்க்கோர் வியஞ்சனமாக எழுப்பினை கொக்குவில் விழிப்புற மேலும் உயர்நிலை மாணவர் மன்றமொன்றமைத்துப் 80 பெயர்நிலை நாட்டிய பெரியாரையழைத்து மாணவர் அவரோடு பயின்றுரையாடவும் யாணர் அறிவினை அவர்பா லீட்டவும் வழிவகை செய்தனை வளர்ச்சி குறித்துப்

பழையன கழித்துப் புதியன புகுத்திப் 85 பல்லாற் றாலும் கல்லூரியோங்கப் பாடு பட்டனை அன்றியும் பழைய மாணவர் பெற்றார் மற்றாசிரியர் பேணித் தமக்குட் பிணக்கில ராகி உற்றார் போன்றங் குறவு கலக்கவும் 9O ஆக்கஞ் செய்தாய் அயலூர்ப் பிறந்தும் கொக்குவிற்குரிய குரிசிலே போன்றுன் உடல் பொருள் உயிர்ப்பெலாம் உரிமையின் நல்கினை இன்றுநீ ஒய்வெடுத் துன்பதிக் கேகினும் என்றுமே எங்கள் இதயத் திருப்பாய் 95 பழுத்தநின் புலமை பலர்க்கும் பயன்பட எழுத்தாற் பேச்சாற் செயலால் இனியும் விழுத்தொண்டாற்றி வீயாச் சீருடன் ஆழிசூழிலங்கை வாழ வாழி பல்லாண்டு வழிவழி சிறந்தே 1OO
விருத்தம்
ஆர்கலி படிந்து நீர்மொண்டம்புவிக் குறை வழங்குங் காரெனக் கல்வியென்னுங் கடலிருந்தறிவை யீட்டி
நீரெனப்பொழிந்துநின்றாய் நின்புலச்செல்வமின்னும் ஊருணியென்ன மாந்தர்க் குறுபயனுதவ வாழி
ஆன்றவிந்தடங்கியன்பால் அறிவினால் உலக மாளும் சான்றவர் மரபு வாழச்சால்பெனும் வித்தையுள்ளத் தூன்றிமாணாக்கருய்ய உழைத்தனை இனியுநின்னால் ஈன்றநாடுயர்வுகொள்ள இருந்தமிழ் குறள்போல் வாழி
செ. வேலாயுதபிள்ளை கொக்குலில் இந்துக் கல்லூரி- பழைய மாணவர் சங்கக் கொழும்புக் கிளை சார்லில்)
28th May 1960
Kokuvil Hindu College 95

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திருவாளர் ஹன்டி பேரின்பநாயக
*மறைந்திலை நீ.”
பேரின்ப நாயகநீ
பெயர்ந்தங்குச் சென்றதிங்கு பேரன்புடன் பழகப்
பேரறிஞரின்மைகண்டோ? சீரின்மிகு செகப்பிரியர்
ஹோமர் ஷெல்லி மில்ரனுடன் நாரின்மிகு வள்ளுவனும்
நக்கீரன் கம்பனுமே 1
வாவென்றுனைக்கூவி
வண்ணமலர்த் தேரேற்றிச் சாவின்றி வாழத்
தம்மருகு வைத்தனரோ? பூவுலக மன்றிப்
பொன்னுலகு முன்னதுவே தேவுலகு மின்று
சிறந்து மகிழ்ந்ததையா. 2.
கொக்குவில்செய் நற்றவமே
கூறு மிந்துக் கல்லூரி பக்குவமாய்ப் பேணி
பலர்வியக்க வைத்தனையே தக்கதன வந்தரிடம்
தகுபொருள்கள் தனை இரந்து மிக்கெழுந்த மேல்மாடிக்
கட்டிடமு மாக்கினையே 3.
மூதறிஞ! நீ நாட்டும்
முன்மாதிரிபலவே பேத மொன்றும் பாராட்டாய்
பேணினை நீ சுதந்திரமும் நோதகவு செய்தநிலை
நோன்மை மிகவுடையோய் ஆதரவு யாரிடமும்
அன்றளித்தாய் ஆரமுதே 4.
96 Kokuvi Hindu College

கத்தின் மறைவு குறித்த பாடல்கள்
நீயளித்த கல்வி
நேயமுடன் பெற்றுயர்ந்தோர் பாய புகழ்மேவி
பலவிடத்து மின்றுள்ளார் சேயவிடமெல்லாம்
சென்றதுவே உன்கீர்த்தி தாயளிக்கு மன்பு
தக்கோய்நீ காட்டினையே 5.
சிறந்த மொழிப் பற்றுடனே
தேசீயப் பற்றுடையோய் நிறைந்த மனம்போல
நீ வாழ்க்கை செய்தமர்ந்தாய் மறைந்தனை யென்றுன்னை
மண்ணோர்கள் மதிக்கின்றார் மறைந்திலை நீ மாண்புடனே
மனங்களிடை வாழ்கின்றாய் 6.
ஆ. நாகலிங்கம் (11-01-1978)
பேரின்பநாயகம்
கருணைசேர் முக்கண்ணும் கடிமணம் சேரும் அருநீர மழைமொழி ஆணையைப் போற்றி அறிவும் பணிவும்அமையும் திரு ஹன்டி செறிவுடை வாழ்க்கையைச் சொல் புலமையின் புகலிடம் பொறுமயின் இருப்பிடம் 5 அலகிலா அறிஞன் ஆயும் பேரின்ப நாயக நாமென்றும் நின்னலம் பெறுவோம் கண்ணியம் கடமையும் கடைப்பிடித்(து) அரசியல் பண்புடைத் துறையெனப் பயின்ற நாயக கொக்கூர்க் கல்லூரி பெற்றிடு தலைவ 10 எக்கலையும் இங்கே ஒக்கவே வளர்த்தாய் மாணவர் குருமார் மதித்திட நடந்தாய் பூணது வெனவே செய்தாய் கடமை அன்புடை மனமது அணியாய்ப் பெற்றாய் மன்பதை புகழும் மகாத்மா உனதுகுரு 15

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நேர்மை நினது நிகரிலா ஆயுதம் ஆர்வமாய்க் கடமையை எளிதாய்ப் பின்பற்றி வேரொடு குறைகளை மடக்கிட முயன்றாய் புதுமை முறைகள் புரியாத மூடரும் கதுமென நின்குணம் அறிந்திடு பலரும் 20 தூற்றவும் முறுவல் தவழ நின்றாய் போற்றவும் அடக்கம் பேர வாழ்ந்தாய் பலரைப் பிணிக்கும் பேச்சாளன் என்றுநீ பலரும் புகழும் கருத்தாளன் நீயே என்னநீ கதைக்கினும் புதுமை சேரும் 25
இறப்பறியான் இ
சின்ன வயதினிலே என்சிந்தை பென்னம் பெரியன் பேராசிரியன் எண்ணி எண்ணிப் பார்க்கின்றே கன்னித் தமிழ்மலரால் கவிதையி
1. கற்றவர் பலரைநான் கண் கல்வியை மறக்க அ விற்றவர் கல்வியைப் பிழை வித்தகம் காட்டி அவ பெற்றவள் போல்அருள் டே
பேறெலாம் பெற்றிட பெற்றிடக் கற்றவர் அல்லே பேரின்ப நாயகனாம்
2. ஈழத்தின் அடிமைநிலை க எழுச்சிமிகு போர்க்ே ஆழத்தில் வேர்விட்டுக் கி அழுக்கெல்லாம் தன் வாழத்தன் வாழ்வதனை ஈ வளையாத குன்றை வேழத்தின் தோற்றத்தான் வித்தகர்க்கு மேலா6
3. தன்நெஞ்சு பொய்யாத சா சமர்க்களத்தும் சரம் புன்நெஞ்சர் புகழ்மொழியே போற்றாதார் புறம்டே கன்நெஞ்சர் அவர்பெருை கலிகாலம் கயமைக் என் நெஞ்சம் இளமையிே இறப்பறியான் இருக்

அன்னதோர் அறிஞன் என்றே போற்றுவம் எல்லோரும் ஏங்க எங்கு சென்றாய்? கல்வியும் இழந்தது கரையிலா அறிஞனை அரசியல் இழந்தது சிந்தனைச் சிற்பியை நாங்களும் இழந்தோம் நட்பின் செம்மலை. 30.
திருமதி அமிர்தாம்பிகை சதாசிவம் April 1978
இருக்கின்றான் கவர்ந்த வள்ளல் பேரின்ப நாயகனை ]ன் எழுத விழைகின்றேன் லேசரம் தொடுத்தேன்.
டதுண்டு வர் செய்ததுண்டு }த்ததுண்டு பர் ஏய்ப்பதுமுண்டு Iணி இவ்வுலகு நெஞ்சு வா
பெரியோன்.
ண்டஅன்றே
காலம் கொண்டவீரன்
டந்த புன்மை
ாகையால் அகற்றி வைத்தோன்
ந்த வள்ளல்
னய கொள்கைக் கோமான்
வேந்தர் வேந்தன்
ா வித்தை வல்லோன்.
ன்றோன் என்றும்
தொடுக்கும் கொள்கை வீரன்
ா பொருளோ பொன்னோ
ாகா மான வீரன்
ம காண மாட்டார்
கே யுரிய காலம்
ல கவர்ந்த சான்றோன்
கின்றான் இருக்கின்றானே!
வித்துவான் க. ந. வேலன்
(10-01-1978)
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UNIVERSITY SYS
Universities are where the most learned persons congregate to train a younger generation, and to pass on to it a love of learning and the indefinable excitement of pushing the frontiers of knowledge. A university is more than a glorified extension of a school whose sole aim consists of turning out human products stamped with degrees. No less important than teaching is doing research. Unless the teaching faculty is involved with research as well, the system will become stale and sterile. The university will educate leaders of tomorrow and will be positioned as a "global think tank”. The university is also an extra-ordinary journey. It is a road marked by daring, discovery and distinction. The intellectual atmosphere in our campuses is far removed from the ideal of campuses in the west; of light, liberty and learning. The importance of a university is measured not by its structures but by its propagation of knowledge and research.
The years 1950, 1951 and 1952 were Ceylon University's infant years. In 1950 it was a mere 8 years old, although its predecessor, the University College, which was affiliated to the London University, was much older. The University of Ceylon had been created in the classical mould of a British University. After completing the H.S.C examination, which was the equivalent of the present G.C.E. (Advanced Level), students had to sit for a special competitive examination. Places in the

Chapter - VIII
TEM EXPANSION
University were limited and therefore competition was intense. As a result of the difficult competitive examination, the number of students in the University at that time was far fewer than it is today. The fewer number then led to a much highter teacher/student ratio than is conceivable today. Consequently there was much closer interaction between teachers and students than possible today. The teaching methods then were quite different from those of today (2004). Sri Lanka has since increased the number of universities; now (2004) we have as many as 13 universities, but to many of our students university admission is as evasive as the distant horizon.
Commenting on the inadequacy of facilities available for university studies in Sri Lanka in 1959, Mr.Perinbanayagam wrote:-
"The University entrance examination is a competitive test - meant to pick out the number for whom there is accommodation at Peradeniya and Colombo. Hundreds of young people who have the aptitude for university studies are being denied the opportunity for such studies. Apart from the personal tragedy and frustration that falls as a blight on these young people the nation itself will in the long run pay for its failure to provide the wherewithal for these young people to enrich their minds and enhance their usefulness. Creating machinery for granting external degrees is the
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Only practical way out of the present impasse. At best such a step can be only a temporary expedient and cannot be regarded as a lasting solution. The value of residential institutions where there is constant association between teacher and learner and which provide wholesome conditions for research and the cultivation of academic excellence is an accepted fact and needs no reiteration. But even if these intangible values are ignored, scientific, technological and medical studies cannot be carried on without well equipped laboratories, workshops and hospitals, even for subjects like Sociology, Psychology etc. practical work under expert guidance is necessary. Therefore external degrees are a poor make shift and cannot in any meaningful manner take the place of a university education'.
Until 1960, university admissions posed no problem in Sri Lanka. Every child who qualified for admission on the basis of performance at a University Entrance Examination was admitted, merit being the only criterion for entry. Free education from kindergarten to the university was introduced in 1945. The medium of instruction in schools was changed to national languages progressively from year five class upwards as from 1947. Consequently 13 years thereafter there was a large inflow of students educated in Sinhala and Tamil seeking admission to the university. In and after 1960 when large numbers started qualifying it became a problem as the facilities for university education had not grown commensurately. University of Peradeniya was conceived and built as unitary and residential in character. Two Buddhist centres of higher learning, Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara were elevated to university status in 1959. Every student qualified for admission, as judged by a
OO Kokuvil Hindu College

raw aggregate mark of 160 was provided access to university education until the year 1965/1966. The introduction of Swabasha as media of G.C.E (A/L) Examination in and after 1959 gave rise to widely varying marking standards in the different media giving undue advantage to candidates of one medium and from some districts vis — a - vis the others. To alleviate this situation subject and medium - wise standardization of marks was adopted in 1971 and students were admitted on the basis of merit according to these standardized marks.
The United Front Government first introduced standardization in 1970. It made the controversial decision to admit students to the science based courses on the basis of predetermined mark levels applicable to the three language media (e.g.: For admission to the medical faculty, the minimum marks for entry were set at 229 for Sinhala medium 250 for Tamil medium and 250 for English medium). This was a totally unethical Scheme and it was abandoned the very next year. In the 1971 scheme of standardization, raw marks were standardized media wise to effect what was perceived to be over - marking by examiners in the Tamil medium. A scheme of district quota was also introduced in 1974. These standardization procedures were abandoned in 1977 and admissions were made on the basis of raw marks. District quotas continue to be used as these help to reduce the disparities available in the more disadvantaged districts. Admissions may be made solely on all island merit if better educational facilities are provided throughout the country. The new government in 1979 made significant changes in university education. The University Act No. 16 of 1978 was introduced and the University Grants Commission was established under this Act.

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Until the 1960s we had in Sri Lanka four
Universities
l.
2.
University of Colombo University of Peradeniya Dumbara Campus to Peradeniya (established in 1978 for the 1st year Arts Faculty students and the 2nd year students doing a General Degree in Arts) was scrapped by the students in the midst of political upheavals in the late 1980s. University of Kelaniya (earlier Vidyalankara Privena) Sri Jayawardenapura University (earlier Vidyodaya Privena) The number increased to eight in the year 1970.
University of Moratuwa
University of Moratuwa was established by an order under the University Act No.: 16 of 1978 but has its origin in the Ceylon Technical College of Maradana, Colombo 10. which was established in 1893. Engineering education commenced at the Moratuwa university first as the Institute of Practical Technology before it became a University in 1992. University of Jaffna-Vavuniya Campus
-Trincomalee Campus
Ruhuna University Eastern University, Chenkalady
With the setting up of the Open University of Sri Lanka (with 26 centres island wide) for distance education in 1980, the number increased to nine. Middle level Higher Education institutions styled Affiliated University Colleges (AUC) were opened in October 1995 and were later made universities in May 1996 this increased the number to eleven.
Rajarata University of SriLanka, Mihintale.

10. Wayamba University of Sri Lanka,
Kuliyapitiya 11. Sabaragamuwa University at Belihuloya
In 1998 the South - Eastern University was opened at Oluvil and we now (2004) have twelve conventional Universities and one Open University that makes up a total of thirteen. The expansion of university education, the initial impetus for which came with the conversion of ancient centres of learning into Universities - Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara-smashed the back bone of the privileged English educated and opened the doors for the rural youths to aspire to higher positions in society. The core competencies of the Universities lie in the creation, preservation and dissemination of knowledge. Universities should train future generations of students and contribute to national development. Schools keep producing students qualified in subjects that have no employment potential and more and more universities are being opened to absorb these students who end up as unemployable graduates.
By an Act of Parliment (No:27 of 1988) the Kotelawela Defence Academy was granted full University Status on January 19, 1989 and became a degree granting institution. Its mission is to educate train and inspire the cadets to a life-time of dedicated service to the nation and to promote leadership skills and intellectual growth, combined with professionalism as officers of the regular security forces. Sir John Kotelawela, a former Prime Minister, bequeathed his property in Ratmalana to the nation for the establishment of a much needed Defence Academy.
Unrealistic steps taken for the expansion
of university eduction, without plan or purpose, has resulted in the existence of a University
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Student population without even the basic requirements foramicable university education. Tertiary education, that embraces all institutions that provide an education at postsecondary level (universities, technical colleges, teacher training colleges, colleges of technology that give specialized education and training to secondary school leavers) has not received appropriate planning all these years resulting in a disgruntled student population. Several universities came into being in an arbitrary manner. Undeniably, there had been need for a few more universities besides the University of Ceylon founded in 1942. Yet, the manner in which the additional universities were established resulted in a university system short of fundamental university prestige and standing. The University of Ceylon successfully introduced British University traditions into the local University system. Such traditions and similar standards emualted by the University of Ceylon rendered University education in the country Well recognized and of international standard. This is in contrast to the current situation where a majority of graduates produced in Sri Lanka Universities are found ill equipped sometimes even for the local job market.
University' - it means obtaining a universal knowledge or a vast and complete learning. It is designed to generate lively men and women who would steer the country in the future, who would analyse, criticize, consider pros and cons' of a situation; but today, are children able to obtain a universal knowledge or a complete or vast knowledge from a Sri Lankan university? They should perhaps be designated "Colleges of Further Education' and not universities. There had been many changes in designating the terminal examination at
102 Kokuvil Hindu College

secondary level. In the 1950s it was called H.S.C - Higher School Certificate. This was replaced by G.C.E. Advanced Level examination in 1964. One welcome innovation in the matter of admission to University in 1965 was the elimination of "viva-voce "-interview. This gave added reality to the ideal of equal opportunity. The advantage enjoyed by children from urban - particularly metropolitan schools - and the higher rungs of society have resulted in frustration and injustice to children from under privileged homes and rural schools. Psychologists have often drawn pointed attention to the unnaturalness of the conditions prevailing at these ordeals. An employer may be justified in seeking to assess the social graces of a prospective employee. But there is no justification for a seat of learning in a democratic age to give any weightage to factors which the 'viva-vOce’ claims to gauge with a few loaded questions within a few minutes. Students are happy that the University Authorities had held fast to this wholesome decision so far.
Until 1968 candidates who obtained minimum stipulated marks for university admission were called for practical examinations held in Colombo and Peradeniya. Practicals in Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology were held in April of each year. During the years 19691977 G.C.E Advanced Level examination was also held in April. Deviating from accepted international practice in 1970 the practical exam was abolished. As from 1978 to 2001 the G.C.E Advanced Level exam was held in August of each year. This examination is now held in April commencing from the year 2002.
Sri Lankan higher education is at present going through a series of crisis. Government's aim of University reforms generally mean sharpening the technical aspects of education

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and the consequent down grading of Social Sciences and Humanities. Already, university training in medicine, engineering and the natural Sciences essentially means the churning out of technically competent individuals with very little conscience or creativity or imagination. We should clearly understand the importance of social Sciences and humanities not simply in science and technical education but also more generally. The social sciences, the humanities and the arts should enjoy a renaissance in the 21st century. The humanities cultivate wonder, provide meaning, and allow us to look at Society through the past, present and future. They have regretably been neglected and under-funded far too long. The realization of the critical importance of post-secondary education may be of benefit to our education policy makers and academics. Policy on university admissions has tormented educational policy makers and educationists for a long time. United Front government of 1970 introduced media-wise standardisation of marks obtained at G.C.E.A/L examination for university admissions. It was an invidious move to shut-out deserving Tamil Students from entering university. This measure was branded as a policy to discriminate against Tamil students. A district quota was introduced in 1974 but its significance was lost beacuse of retention of media - wise standardisation.
Media-wise standardisation was abandoned in 1977. But District quotas have survived to this day. District quotas benefit the underprivileged. It enabled Tamil students from peripheral areas toget into universities. The use of mid-year populations for each district in the computation is flawed as competition for university places is among A/L students only. A/L science population is a combination of both physical and bio-science streams and it is desirable to compute their quotas seperately for each district.

The Supreme Court in 1980 squashed (affirmative action) the ratio used by the University Grants Commission in relation to apportionment between two examinations - April and August 1979. The court by “obiter dictum” endorsed the clssification of merit, district and under previleged quotas. This classification has held to this day. The best performing students in the whole country do find their way into university through the 40% merit list; the best are not shut out. The second best gain entry through the respective district quotas. Those who get eliminated are about the third best in the high performing district. They yield their places to the best in the low performing districts. District quotas have the nature of an entitlement-a correcting factor introduced to off-set the incapacity of the state to provide a level playing field in secondary education. Equity in the final analysis is a value judgement.
Government policy in education in the early seventies did introduce positive discrimination with regard to university entrance, through standardization based on the principle that any disparity in results when comparing subjects, mediums and even areas of origin had to be compensated for. Discrimination with regard to education that worked against the Tamils resulted in positive discrimination for them with regard to state employment. The perception that this policy was unfair led the 1977 UNP Government to abolish it. Re-introduction of the quota system was again clearly motivated by a desire to discriminate. Compartmentalization of education, whereby Sinhalese learnt in Sinhalese and Tamils in Tamil was initially based on an egalitarian ideal, intended to be fair to Tamils as well as Sinhalese. However the fact that Tamils had no knowledge of Sinhala placed them in an inferior position
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when the latter became a pre-requisite for state employment at almost every level. Bogged down in their mother tongue Tamils found that it was useless as far as productive employment was concerned. English was considered the most important qualification for private sector jobs. With state employment geared towards those proficient in Sinhala the prospects for young Tamils continued to be bleak and those with resources opted to go abroad.
Successive governments have opened new universities in various parts of the country. But for violent classes the public hardly feel the existence of Sri Lanka Universities. Despite the pressence of a few eminent scholars, they are said to have become an acadamic wasteland. Year in and year out- these universities churn out graduates whose quality is considered poor
104 Kokuvil Hindu College

and not in keeping with modern day needs. Mayority of students who qualify for higher education are without means of pursing it as the state is unable to accomodate them in national universities. Anyone who scores more than the so called, cut off marks, which indicates the eligibility for university education, suffers because of this bottleneck. This is tentamount to violation of one's right to education. Some universities have turned out to be empty shells for want of quality teachers who leave for greener pastures. University education today has to meet several demands and expectations striking a balance between the tradition of scholarship, learning and maintaining cultural values, with the new trends associated with globalization and commercialization of higher education, geared to meet the needs of the market.

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C. K. KANTHL (November 1960
"There is a ripeness of ti well as ourselves. This is too for it is really a form we should drop off and When we have lived ou encroach on another'
C.K. Kanthaswami
Mr.S.Handy Perinbanayagam didjust this enabling Mr. C.K.Kanthaswami to be the Supreme Head at Kokuvil Hindu College.
After a distinguished school career at Jaffna Hindu College, Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami entered University College, Colombo. (the predecessor of University of Ceylon) where he specialized in Physics. He joined the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College in September 1940. Mr.S.Nagalingam, one of the senior teachers who was traveling from Vannarponnai daily to the same school, shared his horse carriage with Mr. Kanthaswami. From the day he arrived in a horse carriage in natty European attire far back in 1940 and through the years when he arrived by push bicycle and later in his black Ford motor car in equally spruce national attire he had grown with the school. He shepherded it from behind, smoothed the path for successive Principals and shared the load with them. His working life was devoted to education. He was
 

Chapter - LX
4SWAMIER4
December 1970)
me for death regarding others as most appropriate for retirement of death. When it is reasonable make room for another growth. r generation out we should not
Jefferson.
a teacher par excellence. He was tutor and mentor to many students. He was generous and inspirational as a teacher and embodied the finest traditions of teaching and mentorship of both the East and the West. With his encyclopaedic knowledge and incisive analytical powers he provided an academic environment for his pupils where learning was a pleasure. He guided them with benevolence and care. Their achievements delighted him. His praise was wonderful reward for those who learned at his feet. He taught Chemistry and Physics but he taught a great deal more. Following a teaching session with him, one was drawn by genuine intellectual curiosity to explore further in the library-this was an incessantjoyful experience. He enriched us in a way few others ever did. As a teacher and guide he was simply great.
He was baptized C.K.Kanthaswami
(Chinnappah Kanagaratnam Kanthaswami) at Kokuvil Hindu since there was another senior
Kokuvi Hindu College 105

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teacher with the same name and initials K.Kandaswamy from Kondavil on its staff; this abbreviation used by Kokuvilites avoided confusion and helped identification. At the time he joined Kokuvil Hindu College, it was a 'B' grade school with about 500 pupils with nearly a dozen pupils at the newly formed London Matriculation class. The responsibility to prepare students for the London examination was left to qualified teachers like Mr. Seenivasagam, Mr. Amirthalingam and Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami. Four of their students (Mr. R. Navaratnam, Mr. Varnakulasingham, Mr.Muthukumaraswamy and Mr.Tharmakulasingham) passed their matriculation examination from Kokuvil that year (1941).
Mr. Kanthaswami was appointed VicePrincipal of the school in January 1947. In the same year he was placed on a Grade I special post. He was the youngest teacher in the North to be placed on this grade then. He had a wonderful personality and had a vision for Kokuvil Hindu College which no one could match. He walked about the school compound with that absent minded far away look, biting his lower lip wondering perhaps how he could realize all his hopes and dreams for the school. It was Mr. Kanthaswami's life long ambition so to develop Kokuvil Hindu College as to equip it so that it could compete and vie for the lead position held by Jaffna Hindu College in the peninsula. It was rather similar to the competing positions held by Ananda and Nalanda Colleges in South Sri Lanka. A Sunday Buddhist School started in 1886 by Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangal Maha Thera in Maliban Street, Colombo was elevated to the position of Buddhist Boys School and was named "Ananda College'. This school was subsequently moved to its present location in Maradana. Mr. Kanthaswami was an excellent physics teacher and a person with few words.
106 Kokuvil Hindu College

But his far-sighted vision combined with the tremendous potential for work he committed himself for the improvement of the school. All Mr. Kanthaswami’s children had their schooling at Kokuvil Hindu. He believed that if his children did not attend the school he taught at, it would demonstrate both his lack of confidence in it and his own inadequacy as a teacher. The extra attention paid to them by teachers - as children of a fellow teacher - was not always to their comfort. It is only a teacher's child who knows the perils attendant on this elevated status. Their less remarkable escapades had a way of filtering homewards to disapproving parents and any attempt to extricate themselves from blame were rapidly quashed
Mr. Kanthaswami decided to dedicate his life to Kokuvil Hindu College and the cause of education. He was an innovative and enterprising type. As a Science graduate and a Tennis player of repute he could have chosen any one of the dozen jobs, but selflessness influenced his decision and Kokuvil Hindu College was to gain more than a mere teacher. It was the C.K.Kanthaswami type that helped the student personality to fulfill itself more completely. The liberal thinking and open mindedness of men like Mr. C.K.Kanthaswami enabled the student to adjust to the changes that lay ahead. Their role was all the more valuable since Sri Lankan education was drawing away from its neo-colonial approach.
C.K.K, as we fondly refer to him, belonged to a generation which regarded teaching as a vocation or calling based on commitment and dedication and was one like several others of his age and time, whom we recall with pride, gratitude and admiration and by whom we are fortunate to have been taughtnames like E.Sabalingam, A.Amirthalingam,

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A.Nagalingam, M. Sinnathamby, Mrs.P. PBhargaviammah and a host of others too numerous to mention here. Mr. Kanthaswami instilled into us, the students, the need for discipline, and good manners, punctuality and team work. Generations of his students owe him a deep dept of gratitude for having moulded their characters and given them a sense of values. He was truly a father-figure to everyone in the school, combining firmness with consummate tact. Himself a deeply religious person dedicated to spiritual life, he was a distinguished past pupil of that pre-eminent Jaffna Hindu College. A few decades before his time, in Jaffna Sri la Sri Arumuga Navalar*' started the revival of a Hindu bias in education (Buddhist revival was heralded by Anagarika Dharmapala). At that point of time education was in the hands of the Christian Missionaries and it was Navalar who broke this monopoly. Navalar started a Hindu School in Vannarponnai and in subsequent years paved the way for the birth of Jaffna Hindu College. It must however be acknowledged with gratitude that it was the services rendered by Christian missionaries in the North, which gave a head start to the Northerners in the field of education.
Education divorced from religion is like a barque-a sailing ship drifting aimlessly in unchartered seas, ominous rocks and deep perils. And over the years Kokuvil Hindu College has given every child that solid steadfast, religious education which would stand him in good stead
"Arumuga Navalar the Great leader emerged in the early p culture perhaps reached their lowest ebb, He was one of the of the causes he believed in. The outstanding service here earliest inspirer to work for the restoration of the ancient S lected service to language and religion as his mission in life learn he established several Tamil Schools. He printed Tamil He opened to the outside world the innate beauties of Tamil phy, the distilled wisdom of our ancestors. He wrote a large prose a general purpose vehicle suitable for day to day use, simple enough to be understood by even illiterate persons. H title Navalar (orator) bears this out. He fought hard against

when called upon to face life's struggles manfully. Nothing has been left undone to help every child develop cultural, moral, physical and social skills in a liberal environment. This is a grave and noble duty that needs proper guidance and right direction. Kokuvil Hindu College has produced men who have been ornaments in the public life of this country luminaries of the Bench and Bar, eminent Physicians and Surgeons, Engineers, Administrators, Academics, Bankers and Captains of Commerce and industry.
We belong to a generation which still revers their old teachers. Those venerable teachers are still addressed by us with that charming affix "Sir". Not that there is any expectation for that reverence but the students of those days continue that tradition out of a sense of genuine veneration. Teachers in the past were scholars who believed in furthering their knowledge. The teacher-pupil relationship, which was based on the teacher's concern for the welfare of the student and the student's respect for the teacher has regrettably broken down in recent years.
The College comes alive with the singing of thevaram and the College song authored by that great Tamil scholar and teacher A.Nagalingam. The story of Kokuvil Hindu College that has grown from small beginnings will not be complete without a reference to the staff. Kokuvilites are deeply grateful to them for
art of the 20th century a period, when Hinduism and national greatest men Sri Lanka produced. He was a fearless defender indered was to resuscitate Saivaism at his time. He was the van temple at Thiruketheeswaram. Quite early in life he se; for the benefit of poor children who had no opportunity to classics with notes and commentaries and popularised them. poetry and the intrinsic excellence of Saiva Sidhanta philosonumber of books in lucid and logical Tamil and made Tamil His writings were idiomatic, crisp and chaste, and yet were e developed Tamil as a medium for platform speeches and his proselytisation.
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their contribution to the progress of the school and through the years it is they who helped to maintain the traditions and values of the school. Most of them are no longer with us. We remember them with gratitude. They rendered an unselfish service by educating the students who are proud to say that they are Kokuvilites.
The looks of Kokuvil Hindu College have indeed changed with passage of time. This of course, was inevitable. But what is important is that this change has been a very successful one, the success of which is measured by the performance of those who have passed through the portals of this great school. Loyalty to their Alma Mater' and family loyalty is a binding force in Asian society and it has a firmness and discipline of its own for which there can be no substitute. Eitheritflourishes in trust and mutual regard or it stands dormant or confused through jealousy and mutual suspicion.
When Mr.V.Nagalingam died, Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami was made acting Principal and in the natural course of events, he would have been made Principal, and after a time the management offered it to him. He declined it. He had an earlier spell of acting period when Principal Seenivasagam was on long medical leave in 1943 and later from April 1960 when Mr.Perinbanayagam retired in March of that year. Kokuvil remains grateful to Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami who in 1949 declined the principalship and welcomed whole-heartedly Mr.S. Handy Perinbanayagam as Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College. He was then content to be second in command and made life at Kokuvil smooth and easy for "Handy Master' who confessed later in July 1971 that "his ten years at Kokuvil were fruitful largely because of the friendliness and goodwill that bound them together. Kanthaswami was living for Kokuvil
O8 Kokuvil Hindu College

Hindu College and he believed I would do likewise'.
Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami was appointed Principal in November 1960 and Mr.E.Sabalingam, who had been on the staff for over 20 years was made Vice Principal. Mr. A.R. Rasanayagam also assisted C.K.Kanthaswami as Vice-Principal. The staff under them were inspired and worked as a team. The students fared well at the public examinations and in the field of sports. The school teams shone in competitions in cricket, football and netball. The school helped and encouraged the poorer but talented students. Likewise, the not so talented ones were helped to clear the examination hurdles. During this period the school beat other elite schools in the number of students who entered the University. As many as thirteen (13) students gained admission to the University in 1965.
Under British rule, the English medium private schools established by the Missionaries for the affluent class held a monopoly of preparing students for the coveted positions in the Government, private sector and the professional field. The architects blundered when English was totally dropped from school curriculum, and higher education, depriving students of acquiring good knowledge of this international “Lingua Franca” through a bi-lingual system of education. In the new millennium (2004) the tide has turned. The English language has emerged as the key language of a globalised world of communication, the dissemination of knowledge and in the Information Technology revolution, shorn to its Sri Lankan detractors of its imperialistic stigma. The phobia of Kaduwa’ and its associational shibboleths have been exorcised. An enlightened Government has

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given English its lead as a driving force in our educational system by re-introducing it as a medium of instruction.
Education for life has a four-fold objective. Education should make people learn to know, learn to do, learn to live together, and learn to be. While students are helped to acquire knowledge they should also be trained in some skills that relate to life and practice not only for self betterment but also for the benefit of society in which they live. Education should help each one to develop a personality to himself capable of making one's own judgement and acting on one's own personal responsibility. Education should help students learn to appreciate the innate dignity of each human being and with their acquisition of knowledge and skills, learn to show respect for the rich variety of cultures, and the religious values which our great founders of religions have enunciated in their quest for authentic freedom and the building of a world of solidarity, justice and peace.
A good school is one where there is sustained give and take between the school and the community whose needs it serves. The state take over of school and bureaucratic “modus operandi' is an obstacle to the establishment of warm community concern for the school and of an abiding rapport between the school and the community. Principals Handy Perinbanayagam and Kanthaswami did their utmost to build up such an ethos at Kokuvil. The two of them had well over two decades to grow into the school and build a personality for the school and become intimately involved in the life of the community. The past pupils and the community in turn identified themselves with the College and took pride in its growth and achievements. The love and loyalty that Mr. Kanthaswami bore Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam were profound.

Different from each other in many ways though they were- Mr. Kanthaswamia devout Saivaite and Handy, a lukewarm and reconverted Hindu; Mr. Kanthaswami a conservative in every way and committed to the Tamil Congress and Handy a radical and a leftist- they made a strong team, a teamwork that extended at times Outside the College into their homes. Never was a Principal blessed with a more capable, loyal and indeed an affectionate associate.
It has no doubt been a long and arduous grind to get to the exalted position which the College holds today in that it is a leading and prestigious learning centre in the peninsula. The story of the growth of Kokuvil Hindu College from an anglo-Vernacular school to a Grade I Collegiate institution which does not fear comparison with institutions enjoying longer history and greater prestige, had its quota of achievements and adversities. Eternally growing in its perpetual spring time the College is now complete with more sophisticated computer Science laboratories and a much needed sports complex cum auditorium. For thirty (30) long years Mr.Kanthaswami had seen the best and worst of Kokuvil and had been Principal for well over a decade to lead the destinies of Kokuvil Hindu College. He did so much for the College that there lies an indebtedness to him which may never be fulfilled. Kokuvil Hindu College does not live by the figures of passes and failures at examinations, success in the field of sports or the high honours gained by its past pupils. Such things are taken for granted. The leading position Kokuvil Hindu College occupies amongst renowned schools of our country did not just happen. It is the supreme result of devoted prayer, self-sacrificing labour, unending affection and true abundant love. Thanks to Almighty God for all the blessings showered on the school. The unseen hand that guided it from
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the day of its inception will continue to lead it to freshfields and pastures new. It is the bounden duty of every present and future Kokuvilite to always keep alight the lamp of virtue, knowledge and true Kokuvil spirit so that every Kokuvilite could hold his head high and be proud of his "Alma Mater for what it has bestowed on them and still more, what they have done for it.
On December 1st 1960 Kokuvil Hindu College became a Director - Managed institution. The College was vested in the Government with effect from 1st January 1963.- vide Vesting Order No 2117 dated 3rd December 1962 by the Minister of Education under the Assisted Schools and Training Colleges supplementary Provisions Act No.8 of 1961Gazette Extraordinary No. 13429 of Dec 11, 1962. A copy of the Vesting order appears at the end of this chapter.
In 1948, the College play-ground covered nearly 40 lachchams (2/2 acres), land occupied by school located south of Puthukovil was nearly 14 lachchams; Kulapiddy land located north of College play-ground was 20 lachchams; 9 lachchams of land were acquired in 2001 along the eastern boundary of College play-ground and 2 lachchams of land along the western boundary of the College play-ground was purchased in 2002. Seven lachchams of land was donated to school by Mr & Mrs. V. Ramakrishna in 1999, a further 10 lachchams of land with houses along the eastern boundary were acquired in October 2002. In all Kokuvil Hindu College covers a total land area in extent of nearly 102 lachchams or 6% acres today (2004). Mr.Kanthaswami deftly handled the transition from assisted school to a Director Managed institution and the 1963 vesting of the school in the Government. Not long ago, the entrance to the College faced south along the Railway Station Road, Kokuvil and then for a time
11O Kokuvil Hindu College

it faced some what uneasily the west (along Jaffna K.K.S Road) and with one imaginative stroke Principal Kanthaswami gave it a cool dignified entrance on the North and today the old faces the new, across a vista of shade growing trees and the courtyard of holy precincts. With the help of Mr.T.Neethirajah, Mr. Kanthaswami successfully negotiated with Dr. Arudpragasam and secured a path for direct access to the College play-ground along the Jaffna Kankesanthurai road. This fulfilled a great and pressing need of the College. In fact the College was allowed at the instance of Mr.Perinbanayagam, the use of this pathway from the year 1957 by the land's previous owner Mr.Chanmugam Pillai, the philanthropist from Kokuvil West.
It was not long ago when Kokuvil Hindu College depended on the goodwill and generosity of its past-pupils, parents and school community for its growth. The fact that the Government has taken over our school, although it had diminished this dependence, has not wholly eliminated the bonds that bind the school to the community whose goodwill the College always needs. With the state take over of the school; the Kokuvil Hindu College Well Wishers Association ceased to function as it could not fit into the new dispensation. Under the new educational set-up the Parent Teachers' Association (PTA) assumed an important role in the development of the school. It was expected to maintain liaison between the school and the Government. Additional building constructions, relationship between the school and the community and other allied matters came under its purview. A.P.T.A was inaugurated in Kokuvil in 1961 with the Principal as its Ex-officio President and Mr.C.Palanithurai as its Secretary and a committee of 14 members. It entered the life of the College with a sense of responsibility and concern for the well being of the school.

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Students are the most vital and vibrant component of any School. They are surely the jewels that adorn the crown. Emanating from diverse and varied backgrounds and homes, the School nurtures them to blossom in character, personality and individuality. The school teaches them patience, tolerance, respect for the views and ideas of others, tactfulness, honesty, gratitude, morality, ethics and spiritual values; all essential ingredients in character building. Kokuvi lites have certainly acquired them. The great-heights reached by many past-pupils, serving many institutions in Sri Lanka and abroad, are testimony to Our School's high standards. Every Kokuvilite, irrespective of what post or position he/she holds, has the opportunity to radiate the Koku vil spirit, acquired in the formative years in his/her own home and in the place of work. All past pupils, including those who have left Sri Lanka's shores have upheld the Koku vil spirit in their endeavours and disseminating these to the world.
Mr.A.Muthulingam is one of our distinguished old students who is a well known story writer in Tamil. His collection of short stories published in 1998 had won the State Literary Award in that year. The book is a dedication to the fauna and flora of the World which are mercilessly being annihilated by human beings all the time arrogating and priding themselves as superior to all other forms of life. A concern to preserve life is the chord that links all the stories. Mr. Appathurai Muthulingam from Kokuvil holds a science degree from Peradeniya and had qualified as a Chartered Accountant and as Computer Systems Analyst. He had authored a book in English as well for Computer Students. His story 'Computer' in QJLj, (5 63'g' is a study on the complex relationship of a man with a computer, and its

slow but steady impact on the computer agnostic is artistically distilled. The Story "Ottagam 69.5 h is placed in foreign soil. A love story where the pangs of a mother, father and their daughter is refreshingly told. Their beautiful assets are the camels. On United Nations assignments (UNDP) Mr.Muthulingam had served in various countries-Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nairobi (Kenya). He lives now in retirement in Canada. His creative talents have not confined him to his profession. His first book "g,55.T.'
A.Muthulingam
Selected his second book 6 Log 6(555 for its Literary Award for Best Published Literature in Tamil in 1996. The third book "g SL555, Jub' won the first prize in the Devasagayagam memorial award in Tamil Nadu. It was reviewed by London BBC in its Tamil Osai channel. In September 1999 he wrote “I do not write for money or fame, I write to share my experiences with various people in different countries". His books are a readable, excellently crafted collection-truly the voice of the inner World around him. "The author has a unique inimitable style. He has a gestalt sense of humour that is not often seen in Tamil writers. The stories tell of life's many cross-currents. He describes events with a leisure and a ritual and shows such passion for details that one does not find any where in Tamil writing. His observations are breath taking. He manipulates the language that is at once arresting and capable of creating envy in other practitioners” wrote a Madras Hindu correspondent in reviewing Muthulingam's book. Mr.A.Muthulingam is a full-fledged Kokuvilite and Kokuvil Hindu College is indeed very proud of his achievements that have brought
Kokuvil Hindu College 11

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credit to his old school, his village and to Jaffna since the reviewer adds that "the reader is richer by many a Tamil word that are in Vougue in Ezham (North Sri Lanka)”.
Good writers do not come in the hundreds. They are, and always have been, a mere handful. In recent times short story and the poem have suffered; people are not buying them. Time is long; the poem and the short story are literary forms that are robust enough to survive and flourish. The turn-around is often made by an exceptional piece of work like that of Muthulingam. His earlier works have all been highly acclaimed; they show his maturity as a short-story writer. His writing can hold its own in any literary company. When you start reading his book it is impossible to put it down. The author has a penchant for inter-weaving several layers, several personalities and realities and wrapping them in so subtle a social commentary. The words, the images and the thoughts move in and out of multiple realities without jarring the senses of the readers to the point of confusion. He draws his line deftly and the reader's attention is retained within the boundaries of his narration. When this happens, at the end a host of questions that provoke reflection arise. He has words and the capacity to unravel. This is why he is one of the best exponents of Tamil story writing today. Mr. Muthulingam has written in April 2004 a small story for this book. It is styled (BT66T ur L3,67 96(Tg). I became a Songster and this appears at the end of this chapter.
The good work done by the support staff of the school of yester years and today, often easily forgotten, should be appreciated. They have worked diligently backstage, maintaining the wonderful atmosphere of the school. Through their services and dedication they have
112 Kokuvil Hindu College

provided one of the cleansed and prettiest environments any student can hope for in Sri Lanka. For the first time, the College office had a clerical assistant in 1948. It was Mr.Nadarajah, a kinsman of Mr. Kanthaswami. He left Kokuvil Hindu in a couple of years and his place was taken by Mr. Ratnasingham, who was a very methodical officer. Writer recalls with gratitude how Mr. Ratnasingham helped him to salvage his 1947 SSC certificate in 1967 from the office where it remained uncollected for years, from 1949. Mr. Sittampalam an old student, succeded Mr. Ratnasingham and worked as clerk during CKK's period
A ship without a captain to provide direction and make decision goes nowhere and will soon be lost. Principals of yester years must have spent many sleepless nights in prayer asking God for wisdom courage and foresight to provide the best vision and direction for the school, especially when the education systems in the country were being overhauled from time to time. They have carried out their heavy duties with undaunting courage, without compromise and phenomenally well. Their understanding nature, words of wisdom and encouragement to one and all, unreserved support for all progressive activities and gentle but firm negative responses to retrogressive ones and advice to mischievous students have made Kokuvil Hindu what it is today and Kokuvilites what they are. To all these Principals who have played a pivotal role and been the guiding light at Kokuvil Hindu College we are deeply indebted. May the past successes be a strength and an inspiration to the present and future teachers and students so that Kokuvil Hindu College will reign supreme for another hundred years. May the strong edifice and the committed teachers be an everlasting fountain that will continue to provide a sound and fruitful

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education to all those who come under Kokuvil wings.
The take over of assisted schools by the Government in November 1960 was another landmark in the history of Education in the country. This date ironically synchronized with the date Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami was appointed Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College (November 1960). From January 1947 he had been VicePrincipal of Kokuvil Hindu College. During the 23 year period of his waiting he had served three principals viz; S. Seenivasagam, V. Nagalingam and S.H. Perinbanayagam and had seen the best and worst of Kokuvil. The best cannot hurt the worst of man but the worst can hurt even the best of men. Among all these well loved Principals Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami was the first authentic home bred Principal. While most of the schools (including KHC) had come under State control, only a few schools opted to remain private. This was carried out under the provisions of The Assisted Schools and Training Colleges (Special Provisions) Act No.5 of 1960 and disabilities were imposed on schools that had decided to go private. Section 6(d) of this Act prohibited levying fees from parents; cadetting was suppressed; special posts were abolished, pupils of other faiths could not be admitted without permission from the Director of Education and Teachers appointed after December 1960 were denied right to pension. "The work of the Principal (of a State school) in the new set up became more exasperating as most of his time was spent in battling with the red tape bound government administration. However the Principal and Staff (of Kokuvil Hindu College) quickly adjusted themselves to the new circumstances, which did not in any way hinder the rapid development of the school'- wrote Mr. Kanthaswami in 1994. Nurtured in the Handian tradition and for several years

Mr.S. Handy Perinbanayagam's loyal assistant, Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami had already proved his mettle as a successful administrator. On him fell the mantle of guiding the destinies of the College at a crucial period of its history-a period marked by the transition from denominational to Director-Management. Backed up by a loyal and enterprising staff Mr. Kanthaswami weathered the initial storms connected with the "take-over skillfully and tactfully and the College had settled down under his leadership to anotherera of useful service to the community.
Under the Assisted Schools and Training Colleges (Supplementary Provisions) Act No. 8 of 1961, all Grade III schools (primary and junior secondary) were taken over by the state without compensation-by far the great majority of denominational schools. Schools of Grade I and Grade II (which had senior secondary classes as well) were given the option to become private, but without any state aid and worse still without any right to levy fees. Thus both sources of support to the school were cut off. Section 25 (i) of the above Act also states that no school, admitting children of school going age, can be opened in Sri Lanka without the sanction of the Ministry of Education. With the 1960-1961 Educational Reforms and Schools take-over some feared that it would be an over-centralized system which would inevitably undermine the independence of the principal and his staff and smother whatever creativity there was in teaching under the new educational system. Kokuvil Hindu College was fortunate that it had a man of Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami's vision and integrity to handle the transition from the old to the new. The transition was smoother than one. had reason to hope it would be. He had guided the school safely through the rapids of an era of remarkable changes in education and in politics. Over the years, as the process of
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bureaucratization of education became more pronounced one reflected on the past, on principals and teachers of the past and often used the example of men like C.K.K as a point of comparison in the more troubled times when School principals and teachers could no longer resist bureaucratic and political pressures.
By 1962 when non-government schools were taken over by the state and those precious denominational Schools, which had an undisputed reputation for student discipline, good management, high educational standards and an exemplary teacher cadre, after a short time of Government takeover, became no better than government schools where political interference, indiscipline and teacher lethargy became the order of the day. Indiscipline in society which followed was a direct manifestation of this deterioration in schools. Principals in schools are the first line managers in education and they must be talented administrators. The essence of administration is equity, fairness, openness, proper investigation and analysis before decisions, and decisions based on balanced judgement. Credibility in one's dealings is of highest importance and should never be lost. All are human and all make mistakes but should not be aggravated by the greater mistake of lying about them. Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami as Principal had displayed all these qualities in full measure. By nature, training and personal discipline he was both mild of character and patient. But mildness should not be mistaken for weakness. To him personal chemistry was vital.
In a tribute to Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami in July 1971 Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam wrote:- "During my ten years at Kokuvil, I found in Kanthaswami a loyal colleague and a devoted personal friend. Our relationship did not remain
14. Kokuvi Hindu College

formal and official for long. Our personal problems, our philosophies of life, our homes were all themes for friendly converse without reserve or inhibition. My idea of a good school is one where there is sustained give and take between the school and the community whose needs it serves. That the state is now exercising total authority over education should not mean that this authority should also be totalitarian, and that the state should ignore community sentiment and community concern. My humble opinion is that the bureaucratic modus - operandi is an obstacle to the establishment of warm community concern for the school and of abiding rapport between the school and the community, Kanthaswami and I did our utmost to build up such an ethos at Kokuvil. The Principal and the staff should be given time to grow into the school and build a personality for the school and become intimately involved in the life of the community. The community in its turn will identify itself with the school and take pride in its growth and achievements. It looks to me that the times are hostile to such an outcome". Mr.Kanthaswami’s vision to uplift the facilities for education of the students at Kokuvil Hindu had produced remarkable results. Kokuvilites have over the years achieved academic excellence and ventured into professional fields bringing fame to their Alma Mater and their country. He gave the highest priority to teamwork as opposed to individual brilliance which he never commented at a morning assembly or in public. However in private, he greatly appreciated individual performance. He publicly commended the College football team.
Kokuvil Hindu College succeeded every year to send up a few students to the university yet it had no cause for exuberance. Its best students had been migrating after the G.C.E

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(O/L) to other older institutions and thereby denied Kokuvil Hindu College the opportunity of sending more students to the university during the period 1950-1963. With the quality of the highly qualified teaching staff and the adequate laboratory and library facilities available to the students, Kokuvil Hindu College held out the assurance with confidence to the Students and their parents that they will not suffer in the least by remaining at Kokuvil Hindu College. In 1963 the Indian High Commission made a generous gift of Valuable Volumes to the Library. It has been re-organised adding new Volumes to the references section to provide greater facilities to students.
Mr.A.R.Rasanayagam had been in the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College from 1950. He came from Heartly College, Point Pedro. He had his education at Jaffna College. Vaddukoddai and then prosecuted his higher studies at Serempore College Calcutta. He obtained the Bachelor of arts degree from the University of Calcutta. Serampore had within its campus - 2 students who studied A.R. Rasanayagam Theology, Arts, Science
Deputy Principal
and Commerce. His contact with Students of Theology at his young age greatly influenced his life. He was a keen churchman who took a lively interest in religious activities. His contribution to the publication of the "Morning Star” was very much valued by everyone. He also showed deep concern for the handicapped, and was an active member of the Nuffield school for the Deaf and Blind at Kaithadi. His christian faith did not interfere with his work at the Hindu School at Kokuvil.
 

He never failed to participate in all the religious functions of the College. He had carved for himself a place among the celebrities of Kokuvil Hindu. He was much loved. He was a very good English teacher. By his sense of devotion and loyalty he had endeared himself both to the teachers and Students. He displayed administrative capabilities and qualities of leadership. He maintained an unequivocal rapport with the Staff, Students, parents and others from every walk of life. He performed his duties diligently with dedication and devotion. He was so methodical in keeping track of events that affected the staff and students that nothing escaped his notice. He had a way about him that inspired trust. His source of strength was his Sweet but firm temperament. He was always ready to comfort and console and give every possible encouragement and confidence to those who sought his advice. Those who came under his influence will not hesitate to say that he was a man of tremendous charm. In October 1964 he was appointed Deputy Principal. His was a difficult role but he played with grace and ease and was of tremendous assistance to Mr. C.K.Kanthaswami in managing the school office. Mr. A. R. Rasanayagam, as business manager and co-editor of the College magazine for Well over a decade had borne the brunt of this irksome responsibility to give "Kokuvil'- the magazine of Kokuvil Hindu College the enviable position it held in college magazines. As secretary for the Northern Province Teachers association, N.P.T. A Examination Council for a number of years he made his mark as a leader in the teachers world. He was elected to the high office of President of the NPTA in 1962. He retired from teaching service in August 1970 and he passed away on 6th June 1990.
Before the takeover the only limitation on the rights of the manager in regard to staffing
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the school was the quota of eligible pupils per teacher as fixed by the Code of Education. Subject to this limitation, the management, which in practice meant the Principal, was able to staff the school according to its needs. Government felt that science teachers complement in Jaffna schools was adequate and was averse to increasing science teachers. Entrance to university is based on G. C. E (Advanced Level) and the quality of the attainment demanded by the university became increasingly exacting. Teaching at entrance level in any subject needs to be done by specialists in that subject. Efficiency of advanced level science teachers remained to be upgraded on the theoretical and practical aspects of science teaching. Kokuvil Hindu College student numbers which stood at 1581, increased in 1967 to 1800. In November 1966 Kokuvil Hindu College was raised to the Super Grade. Under the new scheme the Primary School with classes from Grade I to Grade VII had to be separated from the Senior School with classes from Grade VIII upwards and the two schools began functioning under two different administrations. The scheme of progressively winding up the Primary Classes from Grade I to Grade V at Kokuvil Hindu College and sending those children to another school in Kokuvil west which began in January 1975 threatened to cause needless hardship to that section of the student - parent community in the very area in which the school is situated. The parents whose children were put to trouble and disadvantages registered their protest and requested the Northern Region Director of Education to set up a separate primary school in the premises of Kokuvil Hindu College to function under a separate administrative Head. They pointed out that at Kokuvil Hindu College until 1959 there existed an independent primary school within the premises of Kokuvil Hindu College serving
116 Kokuvil Hindu College

as a feeder to the main school. The 1959 amalgamation did not disrupt the primary schooling facilities that existed. The winding up of the primary classes will do away with what was once a primary school by itself. Children of Kokuvil Central will be deprived of a facility of being able to walk up to a school that is close to them. The protest was supported by the Past Pupils Association and the MP of the area Mr. C. Arulampalam. As a consequence the decision to do away with primary classes at Kokuvil Hindu College was abandoned and a separate primary school was allowed to continue in its original location by earmarking that portion of the staff and the buildings earlier occupied by the independent Tamil School. This arrangement ensured that the “status quo” remained undisturbed. The proponents of splitting Kokuvil Hindu College into a boys school and a girls School were also silenced.
Mr. V. Sivasubramaniam from Kaladdy, Vannarponnai was on the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College for well over 25 years having joined it in 1941. He rendered yeomen service in working for the progress of the school. He taught English and Geography in the lowerforms. In his youth he was an amateur weight lifter. He could lift a 400lb stone from the ground to his chest; he could snap steel chains. He was the Northern Sandow' in his time. Displaying his strength and skills, he had won many medals. He used to exhort his students "Be a lion in strength, conquer your passions, never be passions' slave'. “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost everything is lost', "Inhale and exhale well through the nose at all times the breath of life'. He was the father of the scout movement in Kokuvil and worked tirelessly in furthering it till he retired from service in 1967. He advised his students to take learning seriously since education is the mainstay of any country.

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Learning school work alone is not enough for one's happiness - every student must participate in sports, music, debating, relaxed reading and keep his mind and body fit. Students should learn good values, realize the dangers of smoking keep away from bad company and have a good influence on others. He was of the view that lessons in the biological Sciences and social studies can impart ethics and values, the importance of nutrition, health and good living, free of communicable diseases. He always declared that "memorizing does not help, what is memorized is soon forgotten. Mental arithmetic always sharpen one's mind. Education should be geared to continuing and life-long learning. An efficient and satisfied teaching profession will not warrant the scourge of private tuition that goes on". He did not suffer from any major illness; till his last days he was in fairly good health. He passed away in July 1971.
Mr. K. Sellathurai B.Sc(London) had been on the staff of K.H.C for well over eleven years beginning from January 1961. He came to Kokuvil Hindu from St. Patricks College. Mathematics was his forte. Students loved his method of teaching with lucid explanations in solving difficult problems. Besides teaching maths (both pure and Applied) he was also a

good Physics teacher. His unassuming dememour, sincerity, honesty and the fatherly approach endeared him to his students. Loyalty and gratitude loomed large in his scale of values. He K. Sellathurai made a great impact on students' minds, their character, their values and the way they think and react to situations. "In the complex world of today, characterised as it is by an unprecedented degree of technical sophistication, intensity of specialisation is often a requisite of success in professional life" was his advice to students. He had helped the college produce stalwart men who have excelled in various professions both here and several countries, overseas bringing acclaim and honour to their country and their school. Mr. Sellathurai left K.H.C on transfer to Kopay Christian College in May 1972. Having served for eight years there, he left Kopay Christian College for teaching in Nigeria in March 1980. Completing a further eight year term teaching mathematics and Physics in a School in Nigeria he returned to Sri Lanka in 1998 and is now residing in Colombo helping International College Students with private tution in these subjects.
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SCHOOL ORC
The progressive achievement in the organization of Kokuvil Hindu College during Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami's period - a span of over thirty years - is given below in his own words:-
HSC Class
Arts Science Ar
Boys 17 74 132
Girls 25 18 105
Realising the futility of an exclusively academic education we too have in our own humble way and inspite of many handicaps done our best to provide a comprehensive course of education in which academic achievements, manual skills, heightening of aesthetic sensibilities, personal and social values and equipment for earning and livelihood find a place. Side by side with the strictly academic courses, Kokuvil Hindu College has over the years been providing instruction in commercial subjects like Book-keeping, Elements of Commerce, Type-writing and Short hand. This phase of our curriculum was made possible by the presence in our staff of Mr.A. Kandasamy, well versed in these and kindred courses. Education should bring enlightenment to every women that the role of the mother within the family could be the most rewarding and yet the most demanding job that a woman can undertake. The presence of a large number of girls made it necessary for us to widen our curriculum so as to provide for their special needs. Whatever else they may do, almost all of them some time or other will be home - makers and it is our hope that the quality of these homes will owe something to Kokuvil Hindu College.
118 Kokuvi Hindu College

GANIZATION:
"Our numbers in the year 1963 stood at 1581 with 991 boys and 590 girls. The number of pupils in the various departments are indicated in the table below.
GCE Junior Primary S Science
201 383 184
43 229 170
In addition to the usual academic subjects there is provision here for handicrafts with a well - equipped workshop, domestic science with suitable laboratory facilities, art with an adequate art room, music, sports and games with the necessary equipments. Every one of these departments is under qualified and competent personnel.
To effect co - ordination of work in the various subjects in the parallel divisions at various levels, the assistance of senior teachers with experience had to be sought. Thus we have senior teachers exercising overall responsibilities in most of the subjects taught here. This system has been in vogue here for nearly a decade. At the beginning of each year an evaluation of the quantum of work done in the proceeding year is made and plans for improvement are drawn up by the teachers in charge in consultation with all the subject teachers. In order to maintain the desired standard at various levels these heads of departments supervise the setting of question papers for all examinations of the school. This system has yielded results, thanks to the initiative, interest and tact shown by those

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teachers in charge and the full co - operation extended by others.
In the recent past Board of Discipline consisting of teachers with the necessary experience has been set up with the Vice - Principal Mr. E.Sabalingam as chairman, to deal with problems connected with school discipline. This Board has been functioning for the last two years and has been of immense assistance to the administration in maintaining healthy traditions of order and discipline among the students. A similar Board comprising senior lady teachers look after the girls in this regard. The prefects are elected by the staff and they function under the guidance of these two Boards and under the immediate supervision of the Vice - Principal.
The Primary department is continuing to function as a unit by itself under the supervision of Mr. C. Kanagasabai, in matters that are peculiar to primary education. Admission to the primary department is now restricted to the children of the neighbourhood. Mr. C. Kanagasabai, the oldest in service in the school, was appointed Head Master of the primary department in 1959. The keen interest and the enthusiasm with which he has carried out this responsibility have won for him the full co - operation of his assistants and the confidence of parents. He retired in 1979 and passed away in 1986.
Office
The work in the office has increased considerably and the members of the clerical staff are unable to cope with the increasing volume of work. It has thus become necessary to seek the assistance of certain members of the Tutorial Staff My grateful thanks are due to Mr.S.Maheswara Aiyer for the able assistance that was always forthcoming from him in various matters connected

with office administration and to Mr. C. Nagalingam who has made himself available for a number of years for work in the office in his special spheres.
Library
The school library has been reorganized and placed on a sound footing. The tremendous labour and skill involved in reshaping the library and making its facilities available to larger numbers was undertaken solely by Mr. C. Gunapalasingam to whom the school is deeply indebted for this labour of love. He is still continuing the good work and under his care the library is growing from strength to strength. The school is also fortunate in securing the services of a new librarian who is both young and promising.
Laboratories
I can state with a sense of responsibility that our laboratories are adequately equipped to serve the needs of students through the H.S.C Classes. Senior Science masters have beenplaced in charge of the various laboratories. Mr. N.N. Idaikkadar, Mr.A.L. B. Hensman and Mr. C.Sivasothy are in charge of the Chemistry, Biology and Physics laboratories respectively. Laboratory facilities are afforded to pupils doing Home Science and Geography and the respective laboratories are under the care of Mrs.G. Manivasagan and Mr. C.Gunabalasingam. Their lot is not an enviable one as they are called upon to spend their off hours towards this work besides shouldering the heavy responsibility associated with the safe keeping of costly equipment.
Religious and Cultural Activities
The religious and cultural activities are supervised and directed by a committee of
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teachers functioning in an advisory capacity to the Y.M.H.A. Mr. C. Somaskanthar who has been functioning as the secretary of the advisory committee has rendered yeomen service in this sphere. Gurupoojas of the Saiva Saints, the Maha Shivarathiri, Saraswathy Pooja and Vijayathasamy are observed annually in the customary manner. Other special features are our annual pilgrimage to Thiruketheeswaram and Sangabhisheham at our temple Puthukovil. In addition to the teaching of Hinduism as a subject in all classes, regular prayers are held daily in the morning assemblies. On Fridays the boys assemble in the temple, the girls meet in the College Hall and the children of the primary department in their campus for their prayers. A single assembly of the whole school is not practicable until an assembly hall is provided. Classes are now being conducted by an Othuvar in the singing of devotional songs for all students up to the eighth standard. Special evening classes are held for selected students in the senior school. We have been all along presenting students to the religious knowledge examinations conducted by the Vivekananda Society. At the last examination, 7 passed and 6 won prizes. With pride I wish to mention that R. Ramachandran won a gold medal for Hinduism on the results of the G.C.E Examination. Mr.M.Sinnathamby, the senior president of the Y.M.H.A has been always a source of inspiration to the students in this sphere of activity.
School Societies
Besides the Y.M.H.A which we have referred to earlier there are the Senior Lyceum for the G.C.E students, the H.S.C Union and the Science Association which are functioning under the guidance of Senior Teachers. Meetings of these Societies are held every week and students
12O Kokuvi Hindu College

participate freely in debates and discussions. Occasionally they invite leading personalities to talk to them on their special subjects. The Third Term every year is a season of festivities in the form of Socials and Dinners organized by each group separately. In the year 1962 the Senior Lyceum under the guidance of Mr.A.R. Rajanayagam had a grand social with Mr.A. Walton, Magistrate, Jaffna and Mrs. Walton as their Chief Guests. The H.S.C Union had a Buffet Dinner under the guidance of Mr. C.Gunapalasingam with Mr. M. Karthigesan, Superintendent Engineer, Jaffna and Mrs. Karthigesan as their Chief Guests.
Radio Club
The Radio Club inaugurated ten years ago has now evolved into an institution within the school. Mr.C.Sivasothy, one of the senior science teachers is the personality behind it. The membership is mainly confined to students of the University Entrance class. Classes are held regularly covering the principles of Radio Technology, constructional details of receivers, installation and servicing of radio receivers, and public address systems. Students who have had the good fortune of being disciples of Mr.Sivasothy had no difficulty in entering the Faculty of Engineering. Even those who could not secure admission to the University have found employment in the various technical services. The members of the Club exhibited a model electric railway system, at the Schools Science Exhibition organized by the N.PTA. This major project which took six months to complete drew large crowds at the exhibition providing entertainment to both young and old A special prize was awarded by the organizers and the technical skill and effort involved received high commendation. Mr. Sivasothy enjoys this work and is engaged in it as a labour

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of love. Our grateful thanks are due to him. When illuminations and loudspeakers are at work in school, Mr. Sivasothy will be at the Control room. When asked by a colleague as to why he does not move out he said that if any one is electrocuted he will be held responsible. Hence he was at work all the time.
Scouts
Scouting was introduced into the school twenty years ago in 1943 by Mr. VSivasubramaniam, who is a figure in the Scout World. Under his able guidance the movement grew year by year. We have now over fifty scouts on the roll, of whom ten are first class scouts. Four of our scouts were selected to participate as part of the contingent from Ceylon in the Scout Jamboree held in Bangalore in 1960. The expenses of the travel were met out of their earnings. Subsequently in 1962, our scouts participated in larger numbers in the Golden Jubilee Jamboree held in Colombo, where they were highly commended for the items they contributed. During the recent past, four grand campfires were held and a Tamil play was also staged it attracted large crowds. Since 1960 the scouts of the College have responded in large numbers to the call from the Nallur Temple for welfare work during the annual festivals.
Mr. R. Mahendran, of our staff who is himself an, experienced scouter has assumed duties in 1963 as Scout Master and is proving to be an able lieutenant to Mr. V. Sivasubramaniam, the G.S.M. Our grateful thanks are due to Mr.V.Sivasubramaniam, under
whose care this movement flourished in our school from the year 1943.
Guides
It is now over ten years since Guiding was introduced here on 19th June 1951 to be exact

and the present number of guides in the school stand at 48 of whom 24 are to be placed in the second class shortly. They have been regularly participating in the guide rallies. Mrs. Rasanayagam, an experienced guider is conducting regular classes since the beginning of this year and many of our girls are expected to qualify very soon for the proficiency badges. Miss.N.Nagalingam is now functioning as the Captain of the Company, ably assisted by Mrs.S. Ehambaram and Miss...A.Nagalingam as lieutenants. All three of them have gone through a course of special training conducted by the Divisional Commissioner of Guides. We are hopeful that our guides too will gain recognition under their able leadership.
Teachers' Guild
Our Teachers' Guild claims a high place in my affections. It came into existence about the same time as I joined Kokuvil Hindu in 1940. During its life it has been a wholesome influence in the affairs of the school. While it has a pronounced trade union aspect, its range of interest is not confined to that alone. Although the Principal is debarred by its constitution from holding office there has always been a friendly relationship between the Guild and the administration. Promoting the intellectual and social welfare of its members and fostering the growth of the institution have been all along its primary concern. For a number of years now it has discharged its responsibility of paying teachers' salaries with scrupulous integrity and without giving occasion for any manner of complaint from its members.
It would seem that our Guild provides sound training in trade union work for its members had been hand-picked for positions of leadership in teachers' organization like the
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N. P. TA and the A. C.U.T. The present Vice Principal Mr E.Sabalingam has been President of the NPT.A., President of the Northern Province Science Teachers' Association and one of the Vice President of the A.C.U.T. Mr.A.R. Rajanayagam has also made his mark as a leader in the teachers' world as may be seen from the fact that besides having been the Secretary of the N.PTA Examination Council for a number of years he has also been the President of the N. P.T.A. Mr. C.Gunapalasingam has been the Secretary of the N.PTA Examination Council for the last two years and Mr. C. Balakrishnan is the Assistant Secretary of the N.PTA Examination Council since 1962. Mr.S.Maheswara Aiyer is now functioning as the Secretary of the N. PTA Benevolent Fund. We have no manner of doubt that the experience gained in our Guild and in the various extra mural activities of the school has contributed in some measure to the recognition these gentlemen have won from the teaching profession. While rejoicing over the appreciation they have gained we are sure that our Guild will continue to throw up a sustained stream of leaders for the profession.
College Magazine
We have been bringing out during the last ten years a publication called "KOKUVIL” chronicling our doings and expressing our points of view. Substantial portion of every issue was taken up by students' contribution. Messrs V. Rajas untharam, A. Amirthalingam, S. Velauthapillai, M. Sinnathamby and VRajasekaram have been functioning as senior editors at various stages. But Mr.A.R.Rajanayagam as manager and co-editor has borne the brunt of this irksome responsibility all along and has in no small measure contributed to the enviable position "Kokuvil" has held in its own field.
122 Kokuvi Hindu College

Old Students' Association
Our Alumni Association both in Colombo and Jaffna have been functioning regularly and with enthusiasm. The Jaffna Branch continues to hold Annual Dinners regularly. Past pupils have always rallied to our cause with energy and good will, and I wish to mention with a degree of pride that most of the big projects undertaken by us could not have been accomplished without their generous and loyal support. Nearly every one of them gave a months salary towards the building fund. A long succession of enthusiastic men and Women have built up the organization by their loyal and untiring efforts. Their attachment to their Alma Mater, I am glad to mention, continues unabated. The Colombo and Jaffna branches are making efforts to collect funds to build up the College library. Already they have contributed a tidy sum towards the purchase of additional volumes.
As in the past large number of our Old Students have distinguished themselves in several walks of life and brought honour to their Alma Mater. It is not wise to single out a few for special mention, however I would like to say in general that many of our old students are holding positions of trust and responsibility in the public service throughout the Island. A few have entered the learned professions such as Engineering, Medicine, Law etc. We can count a few among the lecturers of the Ceylon University. We are proud of all of them and hope many more in the years to come will gain greater distinctions and bring joy and honour to their Alma Mater
A few of our outstanding past pupils both men and women have returned to us after winning their laurels and are fully identifying themselves with the life of the school, cheerfully undertaking extra responsibilities. Not the least

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of their service to the school is their fitnctioning as a liaison unit between the College and its alumni. Some of them are specialists in their subjects and all of them feel that they belong to the school. It is our hope that this attitude will persist and that the State too will recognize the need for encouraging such devotion.
Sports
Our sports activities had been going On at a steady pace. In cricket, we should admit that we have not been able to draw level with certain schools with a long tradition in Cricket, Of the 18 matches played during the period under review we were able to win only 9 and score a draw in One. In Soccer, we continued to maintain our high standard. In the Inter - Collegiate competitions we came up to the finals On most Occasions, winning the championship On more than One occasion. In Athletics, as in cricket we still have a long way to go however, we had been participating regularly in Inter - Collegiate Meets. There were occasions in the past when individual athletes from Our School have set up records at Jaffna Schools Meets and obtained places in the Public Schools Meets. The Inter - House Athletic Meets continue to be held regularly every year.
Mr.A. Paraman antham was a major influence in the development of sports and games in the College. During his Stewardship he turned Out a large number of sportsmen and secured for the school high distinctions in Soccer and athletics. Now Mr. C. Balakrihishnan, one of our senior teachers and an allround sportsman, who was associated with the sports activities of the school for the last ten years, has accepted the responsibility of directing the sports activities of the school. He is continuing the good work of his predecessor with competence and enthusiasm. Mr. V. Ganeshalingam a past pupil of the school,

a keen Sportsman and a qualified Physical Training instructor; has joined the staff recently and is functioning as an able lieutenant to Mr. Balakrishnan, Mrs. S. Ehamparam also a qualified PTI. looks after the sports activities of the girls.
Elocution and Singing Contests
We have been participating in elocution contests Organized by the N. P.T.A. every year with some success. I am happy to mention that this year a larger number of boys and girls entered for this contest and most of them obtained places in the Semi - finals and Miss. S. Buvaneswari obtained the first place in the Junior Tamil Elocution contest. An elocution contest in Tamil and English was organized by Mr.A. R. Rajanayagam in the school this year during the first term. This has contributed largely to the success of our pupils at the semifinals. We hope to continue this practice and fare better in the years to come.
Our record in the music competition and in the N. C. O. M. S. Examination has been creditable over a stretch of years. This year at the N.PTA Singing contest Our girls in the Junior and Senior groups were placed second in Group Sing ing and Miss. K. Yasothadevi was placed second among the A. . . . Juniors in individual Mrs S. Packiyarajah singing. A fair number of students have been successful in the different grades in the N.C.O.M.S. Examination. This year a larger number has appeared and we expect most of them to qualify. Mrs.S. Packiyarajah, who besides being a gifted musician herself is also an adept at imparting her skill and
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enthusiasm to her pupils, she has been largely responsible for this happy state of affairs.
Isaiwani Saraswathy Packiarajah had her vocal music arangetam at the tender age of 12 in Singapore. Immediately after World War II, she came over to her native land (Sri Lanka) and began service as a music teacher in Kokuvil Hindu College. She served with distinction, bringing plaudits for the school in the field of music and cultural activities, for over two decades. She did her further studies in music at the prestigious Central College of Carnatic Music in Tamilnadu and had the honour of being the first Sri Lankan graduate of that institution. She left Kokuvil Hindu to serve at the University of Jaffna. She was a regular contributor to the radio and the TV, a talented pannisai musician and bhajan singer. Her impressive style, rhythmic aplomb and innate rapport with the art have earned her an honoured place among the best in the field of carnatic music. She emigrated to the U.K with her family and is now resident there. Over the years she had been responsible for discovering and nurturing the talents of many young students who have subsequently reached great heights in the world of music.
The school organization referred to in the preceding paragraphs had remained undisturbed and carefully preserved by the subsequent - administrations until the devastations caused to the school in 1987 during the IPKF occupation period and later during the mass exodus from Jaffna in October 1995. The “status quo” had gradually been restored after the school resumed its normal work in April 1996 at great cost in materials and equipment.
From April 1960, Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami acted for the Principal for the third time; From
124 Kokuvil Hindu College

September 1940, he had grown with the school. He was modern and forward - looking and was weaned in the ways and traditions of Kokuvil. The College became a State School in December 1960. Like his predecessors in office, he had been equally successful as a fund raiser. He continued the building programme and commenced work on another three storeyed building to serve as the Eastern wing. For thirty long years, he had served the College, as Science Teacher, Vice Principal and Principal and was witness to its rapid growth and fulfillment. He preferred the teaching profession to an engineering career in London and dedicated himself to teaching in our village school. He so loved Kokuvil Hindu that he was not lured by prestigious positions in other institutions.He loved music, as he was from the science discipline. He had an artistic sensibility innate in him; his meticulous mind accentuated the musical experience.
Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami's teaching career was interwoven with the history and destiny of Kokuvil Hindu College. During his thrity-one (31) years stay at Kokuvil, he laboured hard, effectively co-operating with his Principals to build up Kokuvil Hindu. He belonged to a generation of teachers who were dedicated people. They did not dabble with teaching for the mere sake of a salary. He was one, like several others of his stamp, whom we recall with pride and gratitude and by whom we are fortunate to have been taught at Kokuvil - teachers like Nagalingam (V.N. S.N. C.N and A.N) Sinnathamby (M.S., T.S and A.S) Amirthalingam, Sabalingam and a host of others too numerous to mention here. Those were days when children went to school not only to learn from books but educate themselves in proper living and discipline. The teachers instilled these

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traits more by example than by precept. Schools now have failed in their role and allowed a diminution of discipline.
At Principal Kanthaswami’s invitation Mr.J. R. Jayawardena went to Kokuvi Hindu College in March 1970, as the Chief Guest at the Alumni Annual Dinner when Mr. Kanthaswami was its Principal. Special mention should be made of Significant contribution to the
* ဒ္ဓိ College building K. S. Kumara velu iOSale by Secretary' Colombo O.S.A prog メー ν 1964-1970 Mr.S.Kumaravelu. He
used his good offices in 1970 to get the Ministry of Education to extend the crash programme to Jaffna to complete the work on unfinished School buildings. Kokuvil Hindu was among the few Colleges in Jaffna in that programme. Over a lakh of rupees were spent for this work and the Science laboratory was shifted to the new building.
Mr.S. Thiagarajah B.Sc.(Lond) joined the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College in 1962. He came on transfer from Chavakachcheri Hindu College. He was a Grade I special post holder. In the teaching career he was senior enough to qualify for Deputy Principalship. For some unknown reason Mr.Thiagarajah's claims were overlooked and another appointed as Deputy Principal in 1970 in Kokuvil Hindu College. This resulted in bitter feelings amongst some senior teachers over this selection, by the Principal. Mr.Thiagarajah was a very good chemistry teacher in Advanced Level and Ordinary Level classes in Koku vil Hindu College. Few people know that the first private
 

tutory was started in 1947 at Navalar Road near Kai la sapi llai ar Kovi lady Jaffna by Mr. R. Sithamparanathan from Kaithady. He engaged the services of Some very popular teacher friends of his to coach students for the London Matriculation examination of January 1948, The classes were conducted in the nights and attendance was good. There were classes in different subjects. Mr.Thiagarajah was one of the very popular teachers who taught Chemistry in this night School. This writer recalled having followed chemistry classes under Mr.Thiagarajah in this night School. His nephew Mr.Shamuganathan was also in the Same class with me and his excellent coaching helped the two of us to pass the Chemistry paper in January 1948 London Matriculation exam. Mr.Thiagarajah was later made Deputy Principal during Mr. Mahade Vas Principalship. Mr.Thiagarajah left Kokuvil Hindu in 1973 to take up an appointment as Principal of Urumpiray Hindu College. He retired in the late seventies and passed away in 1981 December.
Miss Puvaneswary Nagalingam from Araly joined the staff of K.H.C in 1954. She was a graduate of the Peradeniya University. She taught English, Tamil and Economics. Her Simplicity, charming Smile and friendly attitude towards her Students won their respect and regard. She was more like a mother to them always ready to listen to their problems and advise or comfort them. Having served in the teaching staff for over fifteen years She left Koku vil on transfer to the Tamil Maha Vidyalaya in Nugegoda. While at Kokuvil She was married to Mr. S. Wijeyaratnam who was a Social Service Inspector working in Jaffna. When the husband shifted to Colombo as Supplies Manager in the Insurance Corporation of Sri Lanka the wife had followed him. After
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a few years Mr. Wijeyaratnam left for Nigeria and took to teaching. From Nigeria he went to Male also as a teacher. Mrs Wijeyaratnam retired from service in 1982 and joined the husband when they both migrated to the U.S.A to be with their children.
Miss. Sakuntala Shanmugam of Kokuvil served as a music teacher for two years from 1957 during the period of absence of Mrs. S. Packiarajah on study leave. Sakuntala brought to her duties a deep knowledge of her subject and all a young woman's enthusiasm for imparting it to her young charges. She did good work during this period. She married Mr.S. Jeganathan of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service. After his retirement the two of them had emigrated to Canada in 1995 to be with their Children. Her elder sister Mrs. Jegathambikai Shanmuganathan was also on the staff of K.H.C for a brief period. She taught English and History. She was a painstaking teacher and was much liked by her students. She left on transfer to a school in Kandy to be with her son Rajeswaran who was following an Engineering Course in Peradeniya. He passed out as a Civil Engineer and is now working in U.S.A. Mr. Shanmuganathan predeceased her and Jegathambikai died in 1988 in Colombo.
Mr.M.Kanthaswamijoined the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College in 1950. He taught English and civics to the senior forms. He was a popular teacher admired by the students. He had his secondary education in this school. He pursued his higher education in India and had an M.A.Degree from Madras Christian College. By his genial temperament and plesant ways he commanded the respect of his students and colleagues. He was strict but sympathetic. He
126 Kokuvil Hindu College

knew where to be stern and even to rebuke without rancour. He guided students with knowledge of everything that is best in life. He urged students to seek knowledge; he inculcated discipline in students not by the rod but by his sterling qualities of mind and heart; he had such lovable manners that no student could disobey or say no to him. Students were taken up by his honesty, sincerity and good example. He obtained his Deploma in Education from the Peradeniya University in 1965. He also served as secretary to the Old Students Association in Kokuvil. He resuscitated this body which was dormant for a long period. Under the inspiring leadership of Principal Handy Perinbanayagam he successfully organised the first old students Dinner in 1957 in the Hall of the first storied building at Kokuvil Hindu College with Dr. N.M.Perera as the Chief Guest Mr. Kanthaswami left Kokuvil Hindu in 1972 and continued to pursue higher education till he obtained his doctorate in 1993 from the University of Texas in the U.S.A. His professor had jokingly remarked that Dr. Kanthaswamy was sixty years young. Such was his determination and perseverance to achieve his target.
“Mr. C. Somaskanthar belongs to the family of veterans who toiled in and for this institution (Kokuvil Hindu College). He inspired his students in the subjects he taught and instilled into the students in the upperforms high ideals. By the disciplined life as a true Saivaite he evoked in the students an enthusiasm for and a desire to lead such a life. He has all along been the personality behind all our efforts to build up a religious atmosphere in the school. The void he has left behind cannot be easily filled" wrote Principal C.K. Kanthaswami when Mr.Somaskander retired in the year 1971. Few people know that it was Mr. Somaskandar who

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Wrote the Script for the drama Staged by the
Students for the concert in 194S when Principal Nagaingam brought them and introduced the troupe to the Colombo audience. vir. Sonnaskandar Was Very good in composing devotional hymns as well. I had with me a copy {f his conposition of 5 TD56T (Lips of 30gu
34 lines) written in 1948 in his own handwriting and I had been using it for recitation during the Navarathiri festival period every year Since ther. As the manuscript had got worn Out, I had preserved it, in print, by including it in the ** år 15 TILST SEGA) issued on 9th October 1967 by the Central
Bank of Sri Lanka. The in Disci; CuTi5 Lon Gogo
the Tamil Literary Association of
in its entirety is reproduced at the end of this chapter.
MR. C. Gunapalasingam joined the Staff of Kokuvil Hindu College in 1954. He was a B.A. graduate and had also completed Diploma in education. He i Q ved a fel! O w
teacher in the School and
married her, Mr S.
Nithiyaluxmy, his Wife is the Second daughter of former Principal V. Nagalingan and they reside in Thalaiyaly not far from the School. Mr. Guna pala Singham took an active part in all the activities of the School and was of tremendous assistance to the Principal. He took great interest in organising the College Library which was put into shape and its facilities were made available to a large number of students. When Mr.A.R.Rasanayagam retired in August 1970. A vacancy arose in Deputy Principal-ship and Mr. Gunapalasingam was made a Deputy Principal as from October 1970.
C. Gunapalasingam
 
 

When Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami decided to retire prematurely from Principal ship in December 1970 the department did not prompty nominate a Successor to take over the School. Mr. Sabalingam, the rightful heir, had already left Kokuvil to join Jaffna Central College as Principal. Overlooking the claims of Senior teachers in the school like Mr. S. Thiagarajah. N. Namasivaya Idaikadar. S. Sivagurunathan and others Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami Selected Mr. Gunapalasingham to be the acting Principal and quietly moved out. It is difficult to Surmise the considerations that influenced his decision which led to di Sharmony amongst the teaching Staff. Written representations were made by the aggrieved claimants to the Regional Director of Education and this led to a spate of transfers of the protesting petitioners out of Kokuvil Hindu College to other schools and P. S. Kumaraswamy was made Principal, Meanwhile Mr. Mahadeva had a problem at Mahajana College for non co-operation with the regional education authorities. The Regional Director Mr. Mahathanthila resolved the problem by inter-changing Principal M. Mahadeva to Kokuvi Hindu moving P.S. Cumara Swamy as Principal of Mahajana College, Tellipallai. With the arrival of Mr. Mahadeva to Kokuvi Hindu College Mr. S Thiagarajah was made Deputy Principal in addition to Mr. Gunabalasingham and almost all the teachers who were sent on punishment tranfers out of Kokuvil were gradually brought back to Koku vil Hindu College. Later Mr. Thiagarajah went as Principal of Urumpirai Hindu College whilst Mr. Gunapalasingham went as Principal in 1974 to Velanai Central College, now re-named Sir Waithilingam Duraiswamy College. After a few years at Velanai Mr. Gunapala Singam Went to Vaitheeswara Vidyalam as Principal and retired
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from there. He died on 1st Feb 2005. Mrs Nithiyalaxmi Gunapalasingam also served as a member of the saff of K.H.C for many years. In this whole sad episode at Kokuvil Hindu College Mr.C.Arulampalam played a dominant role presumably inspired by Principal Kanthaswami. When some influential protestants went up with their claims to the Director of Education, the highest authority in Colombo, they were bluntly fobbed off by the Director with the remark "What do you expect us to do when both the Principal and the M.P. of the area do not want you in their school?" The Director had concurred with the action taken by Mr. Mahathanthila, the Jaffna Regional Director at that time and silenced all protests. This was certainly an avoidable exhibition of bad taste.
Kokuvil Hindu had its deficiencies too. The over emphasis on the rounded personality of "making a man" out of young lads on an ethos of conformity and on sports as mandatory for "character building' was something we inherited from the British Public School model. Various Principals and teachers have battled against these skewed values so that a proper balance can be maintained. Elitism in Society can neither be bought or bequeathed; it must be earned through talent and hard work.
As Mr. Kanthaswami entered the last lap of his days at Kokuvil as Principal, the younger and more ambitious teachers began to jockey for the position of successor. There were more than two contenders. For years, each had run his image building side-show within the school. Each was a force to reckon with. Each had his own base support amongst the staff, pupils, parents and the school community. Each had a following of dedicated activists. Each utilized all resources at his command in his bid for the
128 Kokuvil Hindu College

Principal's chair. Each had become acceptable in their own right, and with the drive, the vision and the ambition to be Principal. Both Mr.Perinbanayagam and Mr. Kanthaswami never imposed covert or overt restrictions upon the younger teachers in building up their images. The school had never before witnessed such a spectacle with more than one contender who had the image and support necessary to become Principal. But when eventually the successor was chosen from outside the existence of rival claims within the school was forgotten.
In a teaching career spanning over three decades, Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami epitomized the very best traditions of the education service. He left a legacy of excellence, fairness and decency. Always sartorially elegant and eloquent in expression, while possessed of a near puckish sense of humour, few can lay claim like Mr. Kanthaswami to have been so widely respected and loved while garnering such fierce loyalty from the many colleagues who came to work with him in the course of his long teaching career. He was one of the finest teachers of his time who not only taught his students his speciality but also instilled in them the art of thinking soberly and thereby solving problems, be it in the class-room or outside in the field, office or home in a cool unbiased rational manner--a capability this land needs so badly at the present time. The concluding words in his article in the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association Colombo Branch's Golden Jubilee publication of 4th March 1995 is worth quoting:-
"I wish to remember with gratitude the complimentary dinner organized by the Colombo Old Students' Association early in 1960 to welcome me as Principal and later in July 1971, the grandfunction to accord farewell to me on my retirement. I was so overwhelmed

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with gratitude so much so I got tongue - tied and made a poor performance while replying to the toasts ably proposed by enlightened friends. The speech I should have made that day in Colombo was made by me at the Old Students' Association lunch in U.K in September 1993. To my surprise the past pupils present insisted on my speaking and I had to think on my feet. It just flowed out of my mind and was received well. My experience has been that way in my life. A Brochure containing valedictory tributes from my distinguished elders and my ever loving old students was presented to me on that occasion in order to remind me of my lost association with Kokuvil Hindu during the rest of my life".
When this writer tried to retrieve this speech a senior member of the U.K branch wrote in December 2003 regretting that they had no record of Mr. Kanthaswami's speech at that function and added that “it was an excellent speech wherein he traced the growth of the school and the part he played.' What a pity! Had that speech only been recorded it would have served as good resource material.
ཙཱ་
9.

Kokuvil Hindu College which chalks up 94 years of existence this year (2004) always reminds one of a child who has grown up without ever straying from its mother's side. The Mother is of course the temple, popularly known as Puthukovil in Kokuvil, which has a close influence on the lives of its predominantly Hindu community known for their daunting courage, intrepid bravery and allround versatility. The bond between mother and child is a very close one. They share the same compound and lie encircled by highways which is an outward sign of the inward links which have always made the temple and the College inseparable. The school was hallowed by the magnificient temple which grew with it. With the grace of the temple the school spread all around it. It is Lord Kirupakarar's blessings that have made Kokuvil Hindu what it is.
“மூன்றுபத் தாண்டுக் காலம்
முறைமையி னாசா னாயும் ஆன்றசீ ரதிபர் மூவர்க்
கருந்துணை யாயு மீற்றில் தோன்றணி யதிப ராயும்
தொடர்ந்துதொண் டாற்றி யன்பால் ஈன்றசேய் போல விந்துக்
கல்லூரி இதைவ ளர்த்தாய்’.
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கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரி
இருபது ஆண்டுக் காலமும் ஈ காலமும் இணையற்ற ப
திரு சி கே கந்த
பாராட்டுமுகமாக மேற்படி சங்கக் கொழும்புக்கிளை அன்ன
இயன்மெனழி
வெ தந்தை தயாளன் ற( கந்த சுவாமி கலைப கொக்குவில் இந்து தக்க வதிபனுமே தா
கண்ணியமாய் வித் நண்ணிக் குறைகடி பலமா னவர்க்குப் நலமா வுலகியலு ந6
ஆசிரி
சீர்மையுடைத்தே சீர்மை யுடைத்தே கூர்மதியளித்த கொக்குவில் இந்து ஆன்றமைந் தடங்கிய கேள்வியா சிரியர் நூன்முறை தெரிந்த நோன்மைய துடைத்தே நுண்மா னுழைபுல நுணுகிய கேள்விப் பன்மா ணதிபர் பழகிய பண்பும் மரபுந் தோற்றிய மாண்பினை யுடைத்தே யத்தகு மரபினமைந்தனை பெரும சீகே கேயெனுஞ் செம்மல் சிறக்குதி முப்பதிற் றியாண்டு முழுமண தோடுஞ் செப்பருஞ் சேவை செய்தனை யென்றால் ஆலயந் தொழுதல் சாலவு நன்றென ஒளவை செப்பின ளம்மொழி காத்தனை நின்வழி ஆலய சேவையிலமைந்தனர் மாணவர்
130 Kokuvil Hindu College

ஆசிரியராயும் உதவி அதிபராயும் ற்றில் அதிபராய்ப் பத்தாண்டுக் னிபுரிந்து இளைப்பாறிய
சுவாமி அவர்க7ை)
கல்லூரிப் பழைய மாணவர் ாருக்கு 15-07-1971 இல் வழங்கிய
வனழ்த்திதழ்
ண்பா குமுதல்வன் றாவில்சீர்க் 0ாணி - முந்தைநாள்
குருதிலகன் கோதில்லாத் ான்.
தைபலகற்பிக்கும் விற்பன்னன் ந்து நல்வழியில் - பண்ணிப் பயிற்றினான் பண்பாய்
ன்று.
யப்பா
வெள்ளி வாரம் விளங்கிற்றுப் பஜனை விழாக்கள் கொண் டாடினர் விருப்பு மிகுந்து கல்விச் சாலையின் கண்ணிய முயர்த்திய கருத்தினில் நீங்காக் கார்த்திகேயன் சீர்மையுளத்தன் சீனிவா சகனெனும் இருபே ரதிபருக் குதவியா சிரியனாய் ஏழு யாண்டுகளினிய விஞ்ஞான வாசிரிய னாகி யமர்ந்தனை யந்நாள் விஞ்ஞானகூடம் வேண்டுவ வின்றி நலிந்த காலை நலிவுசிறி தின்றி நுண்மதி கொண்டு நூல்கற் பித்தனை அந்நாட் செய்த வரும்பணி யெம்மால் இந்நாள் மறத்த லியலுவதாமோ ஆசிரிய சுதந்திர மமைந்து நிலைத்திட

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ஆசிரிய கழக மழகுற நிறுவி அதன்முதற் றலைவனு மாகி யமர்ந்தனை உளக்கல்வி தானு முடற்கல்வி யின்றே லமைவு பெறுவதன்றா லதனால் விளையாட் டரங்கு விரவா நாளிலும் ஊக்குவித் தெம்மை உதைபந்தாட்டப் போட்டியில் விட்ட பெருமையு நினதே செகப்பிரிய ரென்ற சிறப்புடை சிவணிய நாகலிங் கப்பெயர் நாட்டிய வதிபர் உவப்பச் சேவையினுதவி யதிபராய்ப் பின்னும் பெரும பேரின்ப நாயகன் என்னும் புகழ்சா லதிபர்க்கு முதவி யதிபரா யமைந்தே யரிய பதின்மூ வாண்டு தொண்டினை யழகுறச் செய்தனை தோன்றாத் துணையாய்த் துTணென நின்றனை உதவி யதிபரா யுட்பணிப் பொறுப்பேற் றிதமுடன் றிறம்பட வியற்றினை பெரும! விளையாட் டரங்கு விலைபெறக் கொள்ள அதிபர் முயல வவர்க்குறு துணையாய்த் துன்னி நின்று துயக்கற வுழைத்தனை அந்நாள் முயற்சியா லமைந்ததே யரங்கும் அரங்கொன் றோதா னருங்கலைக் கூடமு மானது பெரும வதேதானத்தில் இன்ன லிடர்களை யினிமையிற் கடந்தனை கொச்சையாய்க் கிடந்த கொட்டில்களெரிந்தன எரியிற் புடம்போட் டெடுத்த தன்மையால் மூவடுக்கு மாடி முழங்கியங் கெழுந்து தோற்றப் பொலிவொடுந் துலங்குவதின்றும் இன்னவைக் கெல்லா மிருநிதி வேண்டி எண்ணிய களியாட் டெடுத்தும் பெரிதே அதாஅன்று கடல்கடந் தேகிக் கருமமு மாற்றிப் பலர்பலர் பெருமகார் பண்புடனுதவ அதிபரு நீயு மாற்றினிர் யாத்திரை செருப்பது தேயத் தெருத்தெருத் திரிந்தீர் உமையவள் கேள்வ னுTரிடு பிச்சைக் கிமையவர்ச் சேர்ந்த தன்மையே மான விரும்பு மேய விஞ்ஞா னம்மே கணிதத் துறையே கற்ற மாணவர் பலர்பல ருளரே பரவுவர் நின்னை நின்னிடைக் கல்வி கற்றவர் மறப்பரோ

நின்னுடை யன்பு நீதரு கல்வியும் இன்மிகப் பொலிவு மினிய வசனமும் பன்முகப் பார்வையும் பண்பும் பயிலவும் அதிபர் பதவியை யருவருத் தொதுக்கிப் பெரிய தொண்டு புரிந்தாய் பெரும அருவருத் தொதுக்கிய அதிபர் பதவியும் அருவருத்த நின்னை யடைந்தது சரணே புதிதாய் வலிதே புகுந்த பதவியிற் பொறுப்புக ளதிகம் புதியன பலப்பல பத்தாண்டு பாரஞ் சுமந்துநீ யிளைத்தாய் நீயு மிளைத்தனை நின்மன மிளைத்தது சலித்தனை யலுத்தனை சன்மான மெதுவோ பழையன கழிதலும் புதியன புகுதலும் வழுவல கால வகையி னானே என்பதற் கிசைய வின்பொடு நின்னுடன் அமர்ந்தவா சிரிய ரகன்றனர் முறையால் தங்கால வெல்லை தாமகன் றிடுதலும் மங்காப் புகழுடை மற்றையோர் மருவினர் புதியவா சிரியர் புகுந்தனர் முறையால் புதிய முறைகள் புகுந்தன கல்வியில் கல்வி நிலையமுங் கைப்பட்ட தரசிடம் பழைய கொள்கலம் புதுநற வேற்குமோ விழைந்தனை யோய்வு விரும்பினை யமைதி நீவிழைந்ததுவு நீதியதாகும் நின்விழை வின்வணம் வாய்ந்தது மரசே நீயுநின் கரும நியதியி னாற்றினை தன்க டன்னடி யேனையுந் தாக்குத லென்கடன்பணி செய்துகிடப்பதே என்னு முதுமொழிக் கெடுத்துக் காட்டுநீ அன்ன முதுமொழி யகத்திடைக் கொள்ளுதி கைம்மாறு வேண்டாக் கடப்பா டுஞற்றும் மைம்மாரிக் கென்னோ வழங்குது மென்னும் வள்ளுவன் கருத்தை மனத்திடை மதித்தே வாழுக நீயென வழுத்தி யிறையடி நிற்பதை யல்லால் மற்றெது செய்கேம் நினைத்தது முடிக்குங் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரி பல்லாண்டு கவின்று வாழ்க கந்த சுவாமிக் காவலன் வாழ்க மனைவி மக்கள் கற்றமும் வாழ்க சிவனடிக் கன்பு செய்துவாழியவே.
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விரு
கொக்குவில் இந்து வாழ்க மக்களு மனைவி யோடு ம தொக்கமா ணவர்கொழுப் மிக்கபே ருலகு ளோர்கள்
கந்தசா மிப்பே ராசான் களி சந்ததி மிகுத்து வாழ்க சா இந்துவாழ் சடையான் வாழ் புந்திசேர் வினைகனிங்கிட்
15th July 1971
நாமகள் டே
அல்லியங் கமலத்தணங்கே நமோ நம ஆருயிர் நாவிற்றேவி நமோ நம இருள் சேரிருவினை தீர்ப்பாய் நமோ நம: ஈசனைத் தூதாய் ஏவினை! நமோ நம உமையாள் ஒரு விழிமணியே நமோ நம ஊமைக் குரைதரு பாவாய் நமோ நம எழுதிடு தமிழ் மறையீந்தாய் நமோ நம ஏழிசை யின்னமுதானாய் நமோ நம ஐந்திய லைம்பா லழகீ நமோ நம ஒலிதரு குடிலைக் குயிரே நமோ நம ஓங்காரத்துள் ளொளியே நமோ நம ஒளவைக் கருள் புரியரசீ! நமோ நம அஃகாப் பெருநிதியளிப்பாய் நமோ நம கல்விக் கருணைக் கடலே! நமோ நம நுப்போ லயன்மொழி நயந்தாய் நமோ நம சங்கப்புலவர்கள் தலைவி நமோ நம ஞயந்தரு ஞானப் பொருப்பே நமோ நம இடம்படு தமிழகத் திறைவி நமோ நம இணங்கிய சிந்தாமணியே நமோ நம தண்டமிழ்மக்கள் தாயே! நமோ நம நஞ்சமுதாக்கிய நாயகி நமோ நம பத்து மெட்டும் பகர்ந்தாய் நமோ நம மந்திர மறைமொழி மாதே நமோ நம இயலிசை நாடகப் பயனே! நமோ நம அரனிரு செவிகட்கமுதே நமோ நம
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ததம
குழுவியா சிரியர் வாழ்க கிழ்ந்திடும் கிராமம் வாழ்க பிற் றோற்றிய சங்கம் வாழ்க மேன்மையில் வாழ்க வாழ்க
பின் சிறந் தோங்கி வாழ்க ர்பிலான் கழல்கள் வாழ்க ழ்க இயம்பிடுசைவம் வாழ்க புனிதவ மோங்கி வாழ்க.
அ. நாகலிங்கம் 怒 சக ஆசிரியர்.
}
பSாற்றிமாலை
இலவிதழ் வெண்ணகை ஏந்திழை நமோ நம வள்ளுவன் முப்பால் உள்ளாய்! நமோ நம அழகிய மேகலைக் குழகீ நமோ நம இளமையும் முதுமையுமில்லாய் நமோ நம அறமுத னான்கின்றிறவே நமோ நம அனமிடை பிடிநடை யன்னாய் நமோ நம கம்பன் வாயிற் கனியே நமோ நம காலம் மூன்றுங் கடந்தாய் நமோ நம கிஞ்சுக மணிவா யஞ்சுக! நமோ நம கீரன் மெய்மொழிச் சீரே நமோ நம குருபரன் நாவிற் குயிலே! நமோ நம கூடலி லாடிய கொடியே நமோ நம கெழுமிய குண்டல கேசீ நமோ நம கேள்விச் செஞ்செவி வாழ்வே நமோ நம கைதவன் வளர்த்த கரும்பே நமோ நம கொஞ்சுஞ் சுவைமொழி வஞ்சி நமோ நம கோது தவிர்த்தருளாதீ நமோ நம கெளசிக மதுரநன் மொழியாய் நமோ நம சந்தனப் பொதியச் சுந்தரி நமோ நம சாவா மூவா மருந்தே நமோ நம
'சிற்பர ஞான வரம்பே நமோ நம சீதர குமரன் தேவீ நமோ நம சுடுபிணி நீக்கிடு தோகாய் நமோ நம சூளாமணியே சுடரே! நமோ நம செல்வமுங் கல்வியும் சேர்ப்பாய் நமோ நம

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சேரன் செஞ்சிலம் பணிந்தாய்! நமோ நம சைவலக் கூந்தற் சகியே நமோ நம சொல்லும் பொருளுமானாய் நமோ நம சோதியுட் சோதியுட் சோதீ நமோ நம செளந்தர கோமளப் பொலங்குழை நமோ நம ஞமனிடர் தீர்க்குஞ் சிவமே நமோ நம ஞானமும் வீடு மானாய் நமோ நம Dமிறிமிர் கூந்தற் புறவே நமோ நம ஞெகிழ் தருமன் பின் நிறைவே நமோ நம ஞைவினை தீர்த்தருள் செய்வாய்! நமோ நம தந்தையுந் தாயும் பைந்தொடி நமோ நம தானமும் தவமும் தருவாய்! நமோ நம தித்திக்கு முத்தமிழ்ச் செல்வி நமோ நம தீவினை பிணிமிடி தீர்ப்பாய் நமோ நம துரிய மெஞ்ஞானச் சுடரே! நமோ நம தூரமு மணிமையுமானாய் நமோ நம தெய்வப் பழமறை முடிவே நமோ நம தேகம் பரவுந் திருவே நமோ நம தையா வெண்கலை மெய்யாய் நமோ நம தொல்காப்பிய நூற் செல்வி நமோ நம தோலா நாவிற்பாலே நமோ நம தெளவைக் கொவ்வைச் செவ்வாய்! நமோ நம நவைதீ ரொன்பது சுவையே நமோ நம நாட்பிறை நறுநுதல் நங்காய் நமோ நம நித்திய வொண்ணகைக் கொத்தே நமோநம: நீலக் குவளை விழியாய் நமோ நம நுன்மா னுழைபுலக்கண்ணே! நமோநம: நூலணி சேல் விழிமானே! நமோ நம நெஞ்சக மாமலர் வாழ்வே நமோ நம நேயப் பணிமலை யூற்றே! நமோ நம நைவள மணியாழ் நலமே நமோ நம நொந்தன னடியேன் காப்பாய் நமோ நம நோக்க நோக்கப் புதிதாய் நமோ நம பதினெண் பாடையும் பகர்ந்தாய்! நமோ நம பாவலர் நாவிற் பயனே! நமோ நம பிறவாய் இறவாய்! பெரியோய் நமோ நம பீடார் கூடற் பீராட்டீ நமோ நம புத்தக மேந்திய கையாய் நமோ நம பூவினிலுறைதரு பூவாய்! நமோ நம பெறுவதற் கரிய பேறே நமோ நம பேதமை கெடுக்கும் மாதே நமோ நம பைஞ்சுனைப் பங்கயப் பதத்தாய் நமோ நம பொல்லாப் புன்மலம் பொடிப்பாய் நமோ நம

போதானந்தப் பொருளே! நமோ நம பெளவக் குமரிப் பதியாய்! நமோ நம மனமிடி தீர்க்கும் மருந்தே நமோ நம மாமகள் மகிழா மருமகள்! நமோ நம மின்னிடை தேனி நுண்ணிடை! நமோ நம மீனவன் நாவிற் றேனே! நமோ நம முழுமதி யன்ன முகத்தாய் நமோ நம மூவா முருகன் தங்காய் நமோ நம மெய்ப் பொருள் தருமுயிர்வைப்பே நமோ நம மேலைச் சிவநெறி வித்தே நமோ நம மைவிழிக் கருணை மலரே! நமோ நம மொழிதரு பாடற் பரியாய்! நமோ நம மோன மெஞ்ஞான முடிவே நமோ நம மெளவற் பூங்குழல் வாணி நமோ நம யமனையுமோட்டும் மறையாய் நமோ நம யாமள வன்னக் கொடியே நமோ நம யுகந்தொறும் புதுமை யுகந்தாய் நமோ நம யூகமாகிய பாகே! நமோ நம யெளவன நீங்காத் தெளவாய்! நமோ நம வளவன் காவிரி மடந்தாய் நமோ நம வாசகங் கோவை மலர்ந்தாய்! நமோ நம விந்தைச் செம்புல விளைவே நமோ நம வீரப் புதல்வரை யீன்றாய்! நமோ நம வெந்துயர் வினைமிடி சிந்தாய்! நமோ நம வேளைக்கருள் வேய்த் தோளி நமோ நம வையக முற்றுஞ் செய்தாய் நமோ நம வெளவாக் கலைமணி வைப்பே நமோ நம நாமகள்நமோ நம: பூமகள் நமோ நம: பாமகள்நமோ நம: மாமகள்நமோ நம: பாரதிநமோ நம: பகவதி நமோ நம சீரதிகந் தரு செல்வீ! நமோ நம ஆதி நமோ நம: அறிவீநமோ நம வாணி நமோ நம: வரதீ நமோ நம எண்ணே! நமோ நம: எழுத்தே நமோ நம கண்ணே நமோ நம: கருத்தே நமோ நம பொல்லாப் பிழைகள் பொறுப்பாய் நமோ நம பொறுத்துன் பூம்பதந் தருவாய் நமோ நம தந்தென் வெந்துயரறுப்பாய் நமோ நம அறுத் தழியாவின் பருள்வாய் நமோ நம அருள்பெறு மடியரோ டளாவிப் பொருள் சேர்சிவநெறி புணர்ந்திடும் பொருட்டே
C. சோமாஸ்கந்தர் 1948
Kokuvil Hindu College 133

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5 UT6ör UNTU Lć அ. முத்துலிங்
ன்ெ பள்ளிப் பருவத்தில் பல பாடசாலைகளில், பல வகுப்புகளில், பல ஆசிரியர்களிடம் படித்திருக்கிறேன். பல மாணவர்களை பரிச்சயம் செய்து கொண்டு பல வாங்குகளைத் தேய்த்திருக்கிறேன். பலவகைப்பட்ட வண்ண மைகளில் தோய்த்து தோய்த்து தொட்டெழுதும் பேனாவினால் ஊறும் தாள் கொப்பிகளை நிரப்பியிருக்கிறேன். ஊறாமல் தேங்கி நிற்கும் எழுத்துக்களை ஒற்றுத் தாள்களில் ஒற்றி எடுத்திருக்கிறேன். ஆனால் ஒரு கிளாஸை மட்டும் என்னால் மறக்க முடியாது. அதற்கு பல காரணங்கள். சில மகிழ்வானவை; சில துக்கமானவை. அதைப்பற்றித்தான் இப்போது சொல்லப் போகிறேன்.
நாளையிலிருந்து புது வகுப்புக்கு போக வேண்டும் என்று அம்மா சொன்னபோதே எனக்கு வயிற்றில் நடுக்கம் பிடித்தது. புது வகுப்பு என்றால் புது டீச்சர். பக்கத்து வீட்டு ஜெயராசசிங்கம் மேசை பிடிக்க போய்விட்டான். இந்த மேலதிக தகவலையும் அம்மாவே சொன்னார். திங்கள் புது வகுப்பு தொடங்குவதால் ஞாயிறு மாலையே இந்த வேலையை நாங்கள் செய்தாக வேண்டும்.
அந்த ஞாயிறு என்னுடன் சேர்ந்து இன்னும் சில பெடியன்களும் மேசை பிடிக்க வந்திருந்தார்கள். மேசைகள் என்ன மாடுகள் போல ஒடுகின்றனவா? நல்ல மேசையைப் பிடிப்பதுதான் நோக்கம். நான் ஒரு மேசையை தெரிவு செய்தேன். மைப் போத்தல் வைப்பதற்கு விளிம்பிலே வெட்டி வைத்த வட்டமான துவாரம் உடையாமல் இருக்கிறதா என்று சோதித்துப் பார்த்தேன். கடுதாசி மடித்து வைத்து சமன் செய்யும் அவசியம் இல்லாமல் நாலு கால்களும் ஒரே உயரத்தில் இருக்கின்றனவா என்று அளவு பார்த்தேன். கமலா என்றோ புவனேஸ்வரி என்றோ எழுதியிருந்ததை கை தேயும்வரை அழி அழியென்று அழித்துக் கழுவி, முதலாம் வரிசையில் நாலாவது இடத்தில் மேசையை நிறுத்தி, சாட்சி வைத்து உறுதி செய்தேன்.
134 Kokuvil Hindu College

கன் ஆனது
கம் (கனடா)
சுகிர்தம் டீச்சர் தான் எங்கள் வகுப்பு ஆசிரியை. எங்களுக்கு சரித்திர பாடம் எடுத்தவர். எங்கள் வகுப்பு தரையிலிருந்து உயரத்தில் இருந்தது. படிகள் இல்லை. சுகிர்தம் டீச்சர் ஒரு மான் குட்டிபோல துள்ளிக் கொண்டு பாய்ந்து ஏறுவார்; இறங்குவார். அவருக்கு அரைத்தாவணிக்கு தகுதியான முகம். ஆனாலும் பூப்போடாத, கோடு போடாத பிளேன் பருத்தி சேலையை உடுத்தி வருவார். அது அவர் உடம்பைச் சுற்றி இருக்க, ஒவ்வொரு மடிப்பும் அது அதற்கு விதித்த இடத்தில் அசையாமல் பள்ளி விடுமட்டும் காத்திருக்கும். இது எப்படி என்று எங்களுக்கு விநோதமாகப் படும். எங்களில் பலர் அவர் சாரியை உடம்பில் உடுத்திவிட்டு இஸ்திரி பண்ணுகிறார் என்பதை பலமாக நம்பினோம்.
இவர் வகுப்பில் தண்டிப்பதே இல்லை. குளப்படி மிஞ்சினால் அடிமட்டத்தை எடுத்து கூர்ப் பக்கத்தால் சிறு தட்டு தட்டுவார். அப்படி தட்டிவிட்டு அவர் முகத்தில் தோன்றும் வேதனையைப் பார்த்தால் அவர் மனதை இப்படி காயப்படுத்தி விட்டோமே என்ற வருத்தம்தான் எங்களுக்கு ஏற்படும்.
சுப்பிரமணியம் மாஸ்டர்தான் எங்களுக்கு பூமிசாஸ்திரம் எடுத்தவர். எவ்வளவுதான் உண்மையை நீட்டினாலும் இவருடைய உயரம் 5 அடி 3 அங்குலத்தை தாண்டாது. 20 வயதானதும் இவர் உயரமாக வளர்வதை நிறுத்திவிட்டார்; ஆனால் அகலமாக வளர்வதை நிறுத்தவில்லை. வயது கூடக் கூட அகலமும் கூடியது. நான் பள்ளிக் கூடத்தை விடும் வரைக்கும் அவர் வகுப்பு வாசல்களுக்குள்ளால் வரும்படியான சைஸில்தான் இருந்தார்.
முதல் நாள் வகுப்பில் 'பிள்ளைகளே' என்று ஆரம்பித்து பூமிசாஸ்திர பாடத்துக்கு நாங்கள் என்ன என்ன வாங்க வேண்டும் என்று பட்டியல் தந்தார். ஒரு சிறு ராஜகுமாரனாக இருந்தால் ஒழிய அவர் சொன்ன அவ்வளவு சாமான்களையும் வாங்கும் வசதி பெற்றவர் அந்தக் கிராமத்தில் ஒருவர் கூட இல்லை. அவர் சொன்ன

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பொருள்களில் ஒன்று 160 பக்க சிவப்பு மட்டை மொனிட்டர்ஸ் கொப்பி. இதை எப்படியும் வாங்கிவிட வேண்டும் என்று நான் பிடிவாதமாக நின்றேன். என் அண்ணனும், அக்காவும் எதிரிகளாக மாறி அம்மாவின் மனதைக் குழப்பப்பார்த்தார்கள். நான் கெஞ்சிக் கூத்தாடி எப்படியோ கொப்பியை வாங்கிவிட்டேன்.
முதல் நாள் அவர் சொன்ன வசனத்தை கொப்பியின் முதல் பக்கத்தில், முதல் லைனில் எழுதினேன். 'உலகத்திலேயே மிகப் பெரியது சைபீரியா சமவெளிப் பிரதேசம்'. அதற்கு பிறகு அடுத்த வரி நிரப்பப்படவில்லை. அடுத்த பக்கமும் நிரப்பப்படவில்லை; வருடம் முழுக்க அந்தக் கொப்பி அப்படியே புல்பூண்டு ஒன்றும் முளைக்காத சைபீரிய பெருவெளிபோல ஓவென்று போய் கிடந்தது.
எனக்குப் பக்கத்தில் இருந்து சோதனை எழுதினவன் ராஜகோபால். சுகிர்தம் டீச்சர் சரித்திரத்தில் பத்து கேள்விகளில் ஒன்று வலகம்பாகு என்று சொல்லியிருந்ததால் இவன் எல்லாக் கேள்விகளுக்கும் 'வலகம்பாகுவலகம்பாகு என்று ஒரே விடையை எழுதி பத்து மார்க் சம்பாதித்துவிட்டான். இவன் பிற்காலத்தில் படித்து பெரிய டொக்டராக வந்தான். எல்லா வியாதிகளுக்கும் ஒரே இஞ்செக்ஷன் போட்டிருப்பானோ தெரியாது.
ஆனால் அம்பிகைபாகன் இன்னும் நுட்பம் கூடியவன். இனி இல்லையென்ற புத்திசாலி. எந்தக் கட்டுரையையும் நீட்டிவிடுவான். பராக்கிரமபாகு 33 வருடம் ஆட்சிபுரிந்தான் என்று நேராக எழுதமாட்டான். பராக்கிரமபாகு பாண்டியனை தோற்கடித்தான். பத்து வருடங்கள் ஆட்சி செய்தான். பொலநறுவையை ராசதானியாக்கினான். இன்னும் பத்து வருடங்கள் ஆண்டான். புத்தருடைய தந்தத்தை திருப்பிக் கொண்டு வந்தான். மேலும் 13 வருடம் ஆட்சி நடத்தினான். தன் மகன் விஜயபாகுவுக்கு பட்டம் சூட்டினான். இப்படி எழுதுவான். சுகிர்த டீச்சரின் தயாள குணத்தினால் அவனுக்கு எப்படியோ முழு மார்க் கிடைத்துவிடும்.
அப்பொழுது எங்கள் பள்ளிக் கூடத்தில் ஒரு ரூல் இருந்தது. பள்ளிக்கூடம் விட்டதும் ஒவ்வொரு வகுப்பும் அவரவர் வகுப்பில் தேவாரம் பாடிய பிறகே வீட்டுக்கு போக வேண்டும். இது கண்டிப்பான சட்டம்.

இந்த தேவாரம் பாடுவதற்கு எங்கள் வகுப்பில் மூன்று தகுதியானவர்கள் இருந்தோம். சபாரத்தினம், குணவதி, நான். ஞானசம்பந்தர் பாண்டிய நாட்டுக்கு புறப்பட்டபோது எல்லோரும் அவரை எச்சரித்தார்கள். சமண நாடு ஆபத்தானது, போகவேண்டாம் என்றார்கள். சம்பந்தர் எனக்கு என்ன பயம் என்று பாடிய பதிகம்தான் வேயுறு தோளி பங்கன்'. சம்பந்தர் பாடியது சரி. ஆனால் சபாரத்தினம் பாடத்தொடங்கியபோது மொத்த வகுப்புமே பயத்தில் நடுங்கும். அதில் 'அ' வரும் இடத்தில் 'ஆ ஆ ஆ' என்று ஆலாபனை செய்தும், 'எவரும் இடத்தில் ஏ ஏ ஏ’ என்று நீட்டியும் சும்மா கிடந்த பாட்டை பத்து நிமிடத்துக்கு இழுத்துவிடுவான்.
இவன் பிற்காலத்தில் தேவாரம் பாடுவதை நிறுத்திவிட்டு உதை பந்தாட்டத்தில் பிரபல்யம் அடைந்தவன். அவனுடைய லட்சியம் எல்லாம் எவ்வளவு பலம் உண்டோ அவ்வளவையும் பிரயோகித்து பந்தை உயரத்துக்கு அடிப்பது. அது சூரியனிடம் போக வேண்டும்; குறைந்த பட்சம் அதை மறைக்க வேண்டும். பார்வையாளர்கள் எல்லாம் கழுத்தை முறித்து இரண்டு நிமிடம் மேலே பார்க்க வேண்டும். எதிர் சைட்டில் கவிழ்த்து வைத்த ப வடிவத்தில் ஒரு கோல் போஸ்ட் இருப்பதோ, அதற்குள் பந்தை அடித்தால் ஒரு கோல் கிடைக்கும் என்பதோ கோல்களை எண்ணியே வெற்றி நிச்சயிக்கப்படுகிறது என்பதோ அவனுக்கு பொருட்டில்லை. பந்து காலில் பட்டால் அது உயரத்துக்கு எழும்ப வேண்டும் என்பதே முக்கியம்.
குணவதி குணமானவள். திருநீறு பூசி அதற்கு மேல் சந்தனப்பொட்டு வைத்து அதற்கு மேல் ஒரு துளி குங்குமம் வைத்துக்கொண்டு வருவாள், பாவாடை பின்பக்கத்தை இழுத்து குதிக்காலை மறைத்தபடியே இருப்பாள். ஏதோ அதில்தான் உயிர்நிலையம் இருக்கு என்றமாதிரி. லம்போதரா வரைக்கும் சங்கீதம் கற்றிருந்தாள். இவள் தெரிவு செய்யும் பாடல் ஆயகலைகள்' என்று தொடங்கும். சரியான ராகத்தில் சரியான தாளத்தில் பாடுவேன் என்று அடம் பிடிப்பாள். இது பெரிய குற்றம் என்று சொல்லமுடியாது. ஆனால் குற்றம் என்னவென்றால் ஒவ்வொரு வரியையும் இரண்டு தரம் அல்லது மூன்று தரம் பாடுவதுதான். இப்படி அவள் லயித்து பாடி முடிக்கும்போது மற்ற வகுப்பு மாணவர்கள் எல்லாம் வீடுபோய் சேர்ந்துவிடுவார்கள்.
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என்னுடையது 'பாலும் தெளிதேனும் என்று தொடங்கும். எனக்காகவே அவ்வையார் பாடி வைத்ததுபோல நாலே நாலு மணியான வரிகள். கொக்குவில் ஸ்டேசனில் நிற்காமல் போகும் எக்ஸ்பிரஸ் ரயில்வண்டி போல ஸ்பீட் எடுத்து பாடுவேன். முழுப்பாடலையும் பத்து செக்கண்டுகளுக்குள் பாடி முடித்துவிடுவேன். கடைசி அடியில் சங்கத் தமிழ் மூன்றும் என்ற இடம் வரும்போது வகுப்பில் மூன்று பேர்தான் மிச்சம் இருப்போம். நான், குணவதி, சுகிர்தம் டீச்சர்.
இந்தக் காரணத்தினால் வகுப்பில் எனக்கு நல்ல புகழ் இருந்தது. கடைசி மணி அடித்தவுடன் எங்கே குணவதியோ, சபாரத்தினமோ பாடத் தொடங்கி விடுவார்கள் என்று கிளாஸ் அஞ்சும். கடைசி மணி அடிக்க சில நிமிடங்கள் இருக்கும்போதே பெடியன்கள் பின்னுக்கு இருந்து என் உட்காரும் பகுதியில் கிள்ளத் தொடங்குவார்கள். நான் கரும்பலகையை பார்த்தபடி நெளிவேன். மணி அடித்து அந்த ரீங்காரம் அடங்குவதற்கிடையில் என் பாடல் முடிந்துவிடும்.
இன்று வரை பிடிபடாத ஒரு மர்மமாக இருப்பது சுகிர்தம் டீச்சர் என்னை ஒரு பாட்டுக்காரனாக எப்படி தெரிவு செய்தார் என்பது. என்னுடைய குரல்வளம் அந்தக் காலத்து டீ. ஆர். மகாலிங்கத்தின் குரலுக்கு சவாலாக எதிர்காலத்தில் வரும் என்ற நம்பிக்கையில் இருக்கலாம். அல்லது கிரமமாக வகுப்பில் தேவாரம் பாடியதற்காக இருக்கலாம். எவ்வளவு ஸ்பீடில் பாடினாலும் சங்கீதத்தின் ஒரு நுனி அந்தப் பாடலில் தென்பட்டதால் இருக்கலாம்.
அந்த வருடம் கொழும்பு, கண்டி, மாத்தளை என்று பிரதானமான நகரங்களில் எல்லாம் நாடகம் போட வேண்டும் என்று எங்கள் பள்ளிக்கூடம் முடிவெடுத்தது. இதில் வரும் லாபம் கட்டிட நிதிக்கு பயன்படும். இந்த நாடகத்தில் என் அண்ணன்மார் இருவரும் பெண்வேடம் போட்டு பிரமாதமாக நடித்தார்கள். இந்த நடிப்புக்கு என் அக்காவின் அரைத் தாவணியும், அம்மாவின் மூக்குத்தியும் பெரிய அளவில் உதவியது. அதே நாடகத்தில் இடம்பெற்ற பிரதானமான பாடகர்களில் நானும் ஒருவன்.
ஐயா எங்கள் ஒருவருக்கும் தெரியாமல் அப்போது பிரின்ஸிபலாக இருந்த நாகலிங்க மாஸ்டரிடம் போய்
136 Kokuvi Hindu College

என்னுடைய மூன்று தங்கப்பவுணை உங்களிடம் ஒப்படைக்கிறேன்’ என்று சொன்னாராம். இதைப் பின்னால் தெரிந்து கொண்டேன். அந்த மூன்றாவது தங்கப் பவுண் யார் என்பதை நான் இன்றுவரை தெரிந்துகொள்ளவில்லை.
கொழும்புக்கு நாடகக் குழுவோடு போவதென்பது நினைத்துக் கூட பார்க்க முடியாத பெரிய விஷயம். பாலும் தெளிதேனும் பாடிச் சேர்த்துவைத்த என் புகழ் என் வகுப்பர்களிடம் சரிந்து பொறாமையாக உருவெடுத்தது. அதை நான் பொருட்படுத்தவில்லை. ஆனால் நாடகக் குழுவில் போவதற்கு இருந்த ஒரு நிபந்தனை என்னை தடுமாறவைத்தது. கறுப்பு சப்பாத்து அணிய வேண்டும் என்று சொல்லிவிட்டார்கள். என்னிடம் இருந்தது முன்பக்கம் கொஞ்சம் நிமிர்ந்த பிரவுன் சப்பாத்து. புதுச் சப்பாத்து என்றால் பக்கத்து வீட்டை கொள்ளை அடிக்கவேண்டும் என்று அம்மா சொல்லி விட்டார். பிரவுன் சப்பாத்துக்கு கறுப்பு பொலிஷ் பூசி அதை கறுப்பாக்கினேன். லேசை பெருக்கல் குறி போல மாறி மாறி பின்னிக் கட்டினேன். ஒருவரும் கண்டுபிடிக்கவில்லை. இன்று தான் முதல் முதலாக ஒப்புக்கொள்கிறேன்.
கொழும்பிலே நாடகங்கள் எல்லாம் குறைவின்றி அரங்கேறின. ஒவ்வொரு நாடகத்துக்கும் டிக்கட்டுகள் விற்றுத் தீர்த்தன. அதிலே ‘சங்கு கொண்டே வெற்றி ஊதுவோமே என்று உச்சத்தில் எடுத்து பிறகு சடாரென்று கீழே போய் ‘ஆடுவோமே என்று பாடி அசத்திய என் சாதனை பெரும் பங்கு வகித்தது. இந்தக் கொழும்பு பயணத்தில் நாலு மறக்கமுடியாத சம்பவங்கள் நடந்தன. அதிலே ஒன்று இங்கே சொல்ல முடியாதது.
முதல் முதலாக கழிவறையைப் பார்த்தேன். காலைக்கடன் முடித்துவிட்டு மேலே தொங்கும் சங்கிலியை எட்டி இழுத்தால் தண்ணிர் எங்கிருந்தோ குபுகுபுவென்று பெரும் ஓசை எழுப்பி வந்து அடித்துக்கொண்டு போனது. நான் திகைத்துப் போய் வந்த காரியத்தை மறந்து சுவரோடு நின்றேன். வெளியே வந்து ஒருவரிடம் இந்த தண்ணீர் எங்கே போகிறது என்று கேட்டால் இந்து சமுத்திரம்' என்று சொன்னார். எங்களுக்கு பூமிசாஸ்திரம் படிப்பித்த சுப்பிரமணிய மாஸ்டர் இது பற்றி ஒன்றுமே சொல்லித் தரவில்லை.

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அவர் சைபீரியா சமவெளியைப் பற்றியே பேசினார். அதுவும் ஒரு வரி. இந்து சமுத்திரத்தின் இந்தப் பெரிய வேலையை நான் அன்று அறிந்து கொண்டேன். இந்து சமுத்திரத்துடன் எனக்கான உறவு இப்படித்தான் ஆரம்பித்தது.
நாடக ஒத்திகையின் போது சபாபதி மாஸ்டர் என்னைப் போட்டு உருட்டி எடுத்துவிடுவார். இவருக்கும் எனக்கும் ஒரு தொடர்பும் இல்லை. பெரிய கிளாசுக்கு படிப்பித்தவர். இவர் தலையில் ஒரு பகுதி முடி முளைப்பதை நிறுத்திவிட்டது. சைக்கிளைப் பிடித்து பத்தடி தூரம் ஒடிய பிறகு ஏறுவார். சில நேரங்களில் அவர் ஏறமுன்னரே அவர் போக வேண்டிய இடம் வந்துவிடும். என்னை இல்லாமல் செய்வதற்கு தீர்மானித்தவர் போல திருப்பி திருப்பி பாடச் சொல்லுவார். மற்றவர் கண்களுக்கு பிடிபடாத நுணுக்கமான பிழைகள் இவர் கண்களில் படும். சுகிர்தம் டீச்சர் வந்து காப்பாற்றுவார்.அவருடன் பேசும்போது மட்டும் அடிக்கடிசிரிப்பார். சிரிப்பு நின்ற பிறகும் தொண்டைக்குள் இருந்து களுக் களுக் என்று சத்தம் அவருக்கு வரும்.
குதியால் தரையைக் குத்திக்கொண்டு பின் பாகத்தை குலுக்கி, பலவித நெளிவுகளை உடலில் காட்டியபடி, அந்தப் பெண் தோன்றுவாள். கையிலே ஏந்திய மாலை இருக்கும். அப்படியே கொண்டுவந்து என் கழுத்தில் சூட்டுவாள். அவள் பாடிய பாட்டு மகான், காந்தி மகான்’அது நான் தான். ஒத்திகையின் போது சிலையாக நான் நடிக்க வேண்டும். சிலையாவது கொஞ்சம் அசைந்திருக்கும். ஒட்டுக்குள் அடங்கிய ஆமைபோல நான் அசையாமல் இருப்பேன். நாடகம் நடந்த அன்று எப்படியோ ஒரு காந்தி சிலையை கண்டுபிடித்து கொண்டு வந்ததால் நான் தப்பினேன்.
புதிய கட்டிடத்துக்கு போதிய பணம் சம்பாதித்துக்கொண்டு நாங்கள் திரும்பினோம். புழுதித் தரை சீமெந்தாக மாறியது. ஒலைக் கூரை ஒட்டுக்கூரை ஆகியது. பெரியஅட்டைப்பெட்டிகளில் அடைத்து வைத்த விஞ்ஞானக் கருவிகள் எல்லாம் சோதனைக்கூடத்தில்

அடுக்கப்பட்டன. இந்தப் புதிய மஞ்சள் கட்டிடத்தின் ஒரு சுவரிலோ, ஒரு செங்கல்லிலோ, ஒரு தூணிலோ என் பாட்டு சாதனைக்கான அத்தாட்சி இன்றுவரை ஒளிந்திருக்கும்.
நான் கொழும்பிலிருந்து திரும்பி வந்தபோது செலவுக்கு கொண்டுபோன காசில் 25 சதம் மிச்சம் இருந்தது. பதினைந்து சதத்துக்கு ஐயாவுக்கு ஒரு சீப்பு பழுக்க ஆரம்பித்த ஆணை வாழைப்பழம் வாங்கினேன். இது எங்கள் கிராமத்தில் கிடைக்காது. ஐயா விருப்பமாக வைத்து, வைத்து சாப்பிடுவார். அவருக்கு அதைச் சாப்பிட்டு ஜீரணிப்பதில் சங்கடம் இருந்தால் நான் உதவி செய்யலாம்.
மிகவும் யோசித்து, ஆலோசனைகள் கேட்டு, அம்மாவுக்கு பத்து சதத்திற்கு கொழும்பு, வெற்றிலை வாங்கினேன். இந்த வெற்றிலை நாட்டு வெற்றிலையைப் போல கடும் பச்சையில், முரடாக இருக்காது. சுண்ணாம்பு வெள்ளையாக, சத்தமே போடாமல் கிழியும். நரம்பு கூட கிள்ளத் தேவையில்லை. அப்படி மெத்தென்று இருக்கும்.
அந்த வெற்றிலைக் கட்டை அம்மா தண்ணிர் தெளித்து, தெளித்து பாதுகாத்து ஒரு வாரகாலம் சாப்பிட்டு தீர்த்தார். வீட்டுக்கு வருபவர்களிடமும், வராமல் ரோட்டால் போனவர்களிடமும் என்ரை பிள்ளை கொழும்பில் இருந்து கொண்டு வந்தது என்று கைகளால் அளவைக் காட்டியபடி சொன்னார். நாள் போகப் போக இந்த அளவு கூடிக்கொண்டே வந்தது. ஒரு நாள் பருந்து பறப்பதுபோல கைகளை அப்படி விரித்துக் காட்டினார்.
சுற்றுப் பயணம் முடிந்து திரும்பிய ஒரு மாதத்தில் வருடச் சோதனை நடந்தது. அடுத்த வகுப்புக்கு புரமோஷன் கிடைத்தபோது அம்மா இல்லை. இறந்து போனார். விடுமுறை முடிந்து பள்ளிக்கூடம் தொடங்கும் நாள் வந்தது. எங்கள் புது வகுப்புக்கு சுகிர்தம் டீச்சர் இல்லை என்று சொன்னார்கள். ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை பின்னேரம் வழக்கம்போல மேசை பிடிக்க எல்லோரும் போனார்கள். நான் போகவில்லை.
முற்றும்.
Kokuvi Hindu College 137

Page 160
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138 Kokuv
 

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Page 161

·qılioosooongo optoặș-ırı qıfnisooooooņRos@o LLLL LLL SY SL LLLL LLLL LLLL LLLLLLY LLLLLLLLr SLYSYs STT LLLLT LS0KYLLL LLLLYSLLL LLL TLLLLL LL LLLTLTL LLLLL LLLLLLL YYYYYSL LLLL LLL LLLLLL SLLLLLLLLLLSK LLLL LLLL0 LLL SLT SLTTLLLLL L LLLLLLLYLYLS0TL LLL LLLL LLL LtTC LLLLL00YY LLTTTL 00KS0L 0 LLY LL00 LL
Kokuvil Hindu College 139

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ASSISTED SCHOOLSAN (SUPPLEMENTA ACT, No.
Vesting Orc
J/KOKUVILHINDU (
BY virtue of the powers vested in me by section 4 of the A: Act, No. 8 of 1961, I, Badi-ud-din Mahmud, Minister of E. January, 1963, all property specified in the Schedule appende
SCHE 1. The premises in which J/Kokuvil Hindu College, Kokuvil
three portions of lands situated in Kokuvil of Jaffna Town
(a) portions is bounded on the north by lands claimed b lane, west by lands claimed by N. Kandasamy and K premises being demarcated by a fence.
(b) All that portion from and out of the land called an
bounded on the north by land claimed by Mrs. S. Govindar, T.Subramaniam and others. south by land of Kokuvil Post Office, west by lands claimed by S. premises of Kokuvil Post Office.
(c) All that portion from and out of the land called and kr on the north by College lane, east by lane, south by S Road, and containing in extent about fourteen lachar
2. All the buildings and structures in or on the land specified
3. All movable property used for the conduct and maintena Survey Forms and the Inventories and Records maintained
4. All moneys lying to the credit of the said School due to i
grants, fees, donations and endowments held for and on b persons.
BAD-UD-E.
NSAD/1291, Minister ( Ministry of Education, Sir Ernest de Silva Mawatha Colombo 3, December 06, 1962. 12-474/28
vide Vesting Order No.21 17 dated 3rd December 196 Training Colleges (Supplementary Provisions) Act N 11, 1962).
s 藻
14O. Kokuvil Hindu College

DTRAINING COLLEGES RY PROVISIONS) 8 OF 196
er No. 2316
OLLEGE, KOKUVIL
sisted Schools and Training Colleges (Supplemetary.Provisions)
lucation, do hereby declare that, with effect from the 1st day of dhereto, being property liable to vesting, shall vest in the Crown.
DULE , was conducted and maintained on July 21, 1969, viz. all those in the Destrict of Jaffna, Northern Province, and G one of which.
y K.Vaithilingam and Thambu, cast by lane, south by Kulapiddy ... Nadarajah, and containing in extent about twenty lachams, the
d known as Ninathathu Mudithan valavu and which portion is Aiyadurai and by Kulapiddy lane, east by lands claimed by A. claimed by P. Thevarajah and by temple courtyard and premises Sivaguru, Mrs. S. Aiyadurai, Jaffna-Kankesanturai road and by
town as Ninathathu Mudithan valavu, and which portion bounded tation Road (Kokuvil-kalviankadu Road), west by Kankesanturai ns and demarkated by a fence.
in paragraph 1 of this Schedule.
nce of the said school as declared in the National Educational
in and on behalf of the said school.
t by way of grants from the Director of Education and all other ehalf of such school by the proprietor or by any other person or
IN MAHMUD
of Education,
2 by the Minister of Education under the Assisted Schools and p. 8 of 1961. Gazette Extra Ordinary No. 13429 of December

Page 163
FAREWELL TC
Of the eleven principals who have been at the helm of Kokuvil Hindu College, Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami's stewardship was perhaps the most difficult - the period of transition from colonial bondage to political independence and national resurgence. Sadly he is no more; he passed away on 21st April 2004 in Sydney, Australia. His was a life well lived, an intergrity never compromised, a dignity nerver lost, and a mind that was sharp and agile till the moment of his death While paying our tributes to the departed Principal it was also an occasion for re-dedication to his ideals as well as for a resolve to carry forward his vision and mission. Remembered with deep gratitude and love thousands of his past pupils bade farewell with the verse.
முடிவிலாப் போரால் எங்கள்
முந்தையோர் வாழ்ந்த நாடு முடிவினைக் காணா தென்றோ
விண்ணுல கடைந்தாய் ஐயா முடியினிற் கங்கை வைத்த
முக்கண்மா முதல்வன் எந்தை அடியிணை நிழற்கீழ் வைதி
ஆறுதல் அடைக மாதோ
Teachers and students of K.H.C assembled on the 22nd morning at a memorial meeting in the school hall after which the college remained closed as a mark of respect to the former Principal. Later a public meeting was held in his memory on 20th June 2004 at the Panchalingam auditorium when a souvenior “Homage to a Guru' was released in Kokuvil.

) AN EPIC LIFE
The Colombo O.S.A also organised a well - attended prayer meeting on 11th July, 2004 at the Ramanathan Hindu Ladies College hall, at Bambalapitiya, with an hour long Bajan.The President Mr.K. Ketheeswaran delivered the welcome address followed by memorial speeches by Mr. M. V. Theagarajah, Chairman, Browns Group and Handy master's eldest son, Sidtharthan Perinbanayagam from the U.S.A. Mr. Aru Thirumurugan, Vice Principal of Skantha Varothaya College, Chunnakam who travelled to Colombo to
deliver the memorial oration recalled how hard Mr Kanthaswami laboured to build up K.H.C to the prestigious position it occupies today and paid a glowing tribute to his dedication and commitment. He added that Mr. Kanthaswami was lovable, courteous, witty, accomplished and warm hearted. Whatever C.K.K did, he did with a passion. This was his weakness and strength. His likes and dislikes had an emotional tinge. The development of K.H.C was close to his heart. Mr. Aru Thirumurugan concluded his speech with the verse.
வினைப்போக்மே ஒரு தேகம் கண்டாய் வினைதான் முடிந்தால் தினைப்போதளவும்நில்லாத நீக்குநின்நெறியில் நின்றால் சிவன்பாதம் நினைப்போரை மேவுநினையாரை நீக்குநன் நெறியில் நின்றாய் உனைப்போல் ஒருவர் உண்டோ எமக்கு உற்றவாறே
Mrs. Kailanathan (an old student and daughter of Kupilan Sellathurai), Principal of Ramanathan Hindu Ladies College, Bambalapitiya paid her tribute in verse which read:-
Kokuvi Hindu College 14

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அமரர் C.K
நினைத்துப் பார்க்கின்றோம் நெஞ்ச கொக்குவில் இந்து அதிபர் CK
தேன் தமிழ்ச் சொல்லெ LITL658BIT 60). Du T Lur நினைவழியா மாமனிதன் அமரர் கந் இந்துக்கல்லூரியின் அகல் விளக்கு நிமிர்ந்த நடையும் நேரி வெள்ளை வேட்டியில் விண்போன்று விரிந்த அறிவொளிே மண்வாசங் கொண்ட மாமணியே ஐ
எங்கள் கொக்குவில் இ தேசிய ரீதியில் உயர ( புன்னகை பூத்த இன்னருஞ் சொல்
திக்ெ ழ்பரப்பி மிக்குயர் கல்லூரி கெ
அகவைகள் எண்பத்து எட்டையு வையத்துள் வாழ்வாங்கு வாழ்ந்தீன வானுறை தெய்வத்து வரவேண்டும் எமக்கரு வரவேண்டும் எமக்க
Secretary Mr. A. Patkunan propo came to a close with the Sing commemorative souvenior "Hol persons present.
s
142 Kokuvi Hindu College

. கந்தசுவாமி
த் திரையிலே கந்தசுவாமியை -
>டுத்துப் பாடவந்தோமையா டவந்தோம் தசாமி கொக்குவில்
ய பார்வையும் பளிச்சிடுவர்
Lu 6TTÉEb6T
இந்துக் கல்லூரியை வைத்தீ
56)
த் திகழ்ந்திடு மீழத்தில் ாக்குவில் இந்துவே -
ந் தாண்டி
DJuT ள் இடம்பெற்ற அமரரே ள் தரவேண்டும் ஐயா ருள் தரவேண்டும் -
(நினை)
(நினை)
(நினை)
(நினை)
sed the vote of thanks and the meeting ing of Thevaram,. Copries of the mage to a guru' were issued to all
K

Page 165
CUMA
(Iи.
Educatio between inade bet all men a
- imamiña different."
PS. Cumaraswamy iff
Mr. P. S. Cumaraswamy succeeded Mr. Kanthaswami in June 1971 as Principal, Kokuvil Hindu College. In his address at his lst morning assembly he assured the staff and students that he would steadfastly maintain the traditions of Kokuvil Hindu College. Tradition is not merely the ritualistic repetition of what was done in the past for its own sake but for the relevance of its content to the present. Tradition is the distilled wisdom of our forbears, which we are free to build upon, but which we often discard at our peril. He also said that he will endeavour to do his utmost in working for the development of the College. Those were not mere barren words. He plunged into active work enthusiastically almost immediately to try to complete the building work that his predecessor had just then commenced by following it up with the donors and the contractors. Special mention should be made to the substantial contribution in cash by Mrs Sellammah Rajenthiram (Colpetty), T. Neethirajah (Kotahena) and S. Sinnathurai (Thavady) that enabled Mr. Kanthaswami to
 

Chapter - X
RASWAMY DAYS te 1971 - May 1972)
n makes a greater difference man and man than nature has veen man and brute. By nature re alike but by education widely
y
John Adams
launch on the building of the Eastern wing of the Nothern Campus. Materials were contracted for to be supplied then by Tilly Hardware Stores at Panchikawatte. He made direct contact with Mr. Thil lainathan the proprietor in Colombo and ensured al
*綠 uninterrupted supply of Mrs. Sellammah materials for the
Rajenthiram construction work. He made contact with the Colombo Old Students' Association and attempted to get a regular flow of funds from other donors. As President, Exofficio.of the Colombo Branch of the K.H.C. O.S. A Mr. Cumaraswamy presided at the function arranged by the association on 15 July 1971 at Saraswathy Hall, Bambalapitiya to bid farewell to the retiring Principal Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami and his wife. Mr. Cumaraswamy came to Kokuvil from Karainagar Hindu College. Prior to his principalship at Karainagar he was engaged in
Kokuvil Hindu College 143

Page 166
page - 144
S. Sinnathurai
administrative duties
as an education officer but he opted to do teaching. Koku vil he went in
Fr Om
June 1972 as Principal of Mahajana College, Tellipalai. Again he reverted O
administrative duties
as education officer. To be principal of his old School, Jaffna Hindu College so tempted him that he accepted its Principalship in 1975. It is said he grew up in the shadow of the School (Jaffna Hindu College) as his boyhood home was
only a Stone's throw away from the School. He had previously been a teacher at Jaffna Hindu
144 Kokuvil Hindu College
改
 

College for 15 years from 1950 to 1965. He
served in Kokuvi for a brief period of only twelve months. Whilst
at Koku vil Hindu he displayed qualities of l e a d e r S h i p , administrative talents
and Successfully
T. Neethirajah enlisted the cooperation of the staff. Mr. S.Gunabalasingham, who served as his deputy principal, was of tremendous assistance to him in the discharge of his duties. Mr. Cumaraswamy left Kokuvil Hindu College in May 1972 and passed away on 24th April 1988.

Page 167
IMML4HL4ZDAE (June 1972 to
" The object of educa be achieved through 1 is that which does no harmony with all exis
M. Mahadeva
Mr. M.Mahadeva was the next Principal. He was a man of the soil and was the first old student to become Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College. Years ago he started his teaching career in this school. He belonged to the first batch of graduates of the Ceylon University (1945). He served as a teacher in Jaffna Hindu College and Mahajana College for some years and returned to Kokuvil Hindu College as Principal in June 1972. He continued the building work left unfinished by Mr. Kanthaswami. Both Mr.S.Muthukumaraswamy, Secretary of the Parents Teachers Association, and Mr.P.S.S.Ratnasabapathy Secretary of the Colombo Old Students' Association, were of tremendous assistance to him in the collection of funds for the planned building. With a view of collecting funds for the building programme the school got up a concert. The original plan was to hold it in Colombo. Mr. Ganeswaran, Mrs.Ramanathan and Mrs. Thirunavukkarasu came to Colombo and went round selling tickets for the concert amongst past pupils and wellwishers of Kokuvil Hindu College. Because of the racial tension prevailing after 1977
 

VA DAYS December 1980)
tion is the freedom of mind which can only he path of freedom. The highest education give us information but makes Our lives in tence"
Rabindranath Tagore
Parliamentary elections the idea of bringing the children to Colombo for the concert performance was abandoned and this concert was eventually held at the Veerasingham Hall in Jaffna on 16th January 1978. The dance performance by Miss Sathiabhama at the concert won the admiration and praise from the audience. A substantial amount was thus collected for the building fund. Special mention was made by the Principal to Mr.T. Panchadoharamoorthy of the Inland Revenue Department for helping them a great deal in collection of funds for the school. In studies and sports, Mr. Mahadeva maintained the tone of the College. A broad-based School Development Society including well wishers, parents and teachers was formed in 1979 to work for the well being of the College, with the Principal as its President in place of the Parents Teachers Association in accordance to a circular sent by the Ministry of Education.
During his first spell as a teacher at
Kokuvil Hindu College in the 1940s Mr. Mahadeva taught English language and
Kokuvil Hindu College 145

Page 168
history. His explanation of the grammatical rules with special emphasis on subordinate clauses and their functions in the structure of a sentence gave the students a firm foundation for composition writing. His history classes, replete with dates of importance, names of ancient kings, the battles fought and lost, the glory and grandeur of the past, were never dull. He made it a living story, even with references to ancient books, such as Robert Knox's "History of Sri Lanka' written in the early centuries. Mr.Mahadeva belonged to an educated, noble family both on his mother's and father's sides. His maternal grandfather was the famous Sabaratna Mudaliyar of Kokuvil Whilst his paternal grand father was the renowned Tamil literary commentarian Vetpillai of Madduvil, who was the first to write a commentary in Tamil on Abirami Anthathy which remained very popular even in India for its excellence. Two of Mr.Mahadeva's sisters, Mrs. Amirth ambikai Sathasivam and Mrs. Suntherambikai Sivanarayanamoorthy, both University degree holders, also served on the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College-the former for a long spell of over 20 years from 1958 and the latter for a short period from 1947. Mr. Mahadeva retired in December 1979. Mrs.Sathasivam was also a Pandit in Tamil and taught this subject and religion in the senior forms. She was very religious and was engaged in Siva Pooja daily culminating in 'Sivoham Bawana' in her last stages. Mr. Mahadeva died on 26th April 1985 and Mrs A.Sathasivam died on 31st August of the same year.
From the year 1979 the School Development Society had been functioning in Kokuvil Hindu College as in all other schools. Mr.V.S.Sivabalasingham had been its first. Secretary. From 1988 Mr. S.K. Sivanesan succeded him and from the year 1990.
146 Kokuvil Hindu College

Mr.T.Vaithilingam had functioned as secretary of this society. He was succeded by Mr.S.Sri Ganeshan in 1998, He continues as the Secretary even now. Its membership is more broad-based than P.T.A. This will enable a close link-up between the school and its community. The school will have the opportunity to develop a sense of community not only as a community in and of itself but also as an organic element of the village or town, which it serves. This sense of community is indispensable and youth alienation is too often accentuated by the reality that schools do not have the support and security of an extended community. The school should not be seen as an institution having the complexion of a mere adjunct to an unwieldy bureaucracy but as an entity endowed with a distinct identity with its youthful members vigorously contributing to its life and activity.
The constitution of the School Development Society should act as the main medium in materializing the extended role of our schools.
Mrs. Subathradevi Ramanathan Was in the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College during the years from 1973-1985. In a family where education and learning were given pride of place Subathra was born. Her parents ledia life based on the religious tenets of Hinduism. Her brothers and sisters were all professionally qualified. Her father S.Krishnapillai was a devotee of Lord Krishna. He chose the various names of the Lord and his consort for his six children. After her early education in Jaffna she entered the University and passed her B.A degree. She had an all round education and culture of both body and mind throughout her stay in the University. At Kokuvil Hindu she taught Social Studies and Tamil to the senior forms. She was a popular teacher. She upheld her dignity and decorum both within the class-room as well as in extra

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curricular activities. She edited the College magazine during the years 1978-1981. Her qualities of leadership and abilities in organization won for her the gratitude and admiration of her students and teachers. Her husband Mr. P. Ramanathan was a Chief Inspector in the Police service when he died in March 1988. Ramanathan was a student of Royal College Colombo, where he excelled in Rugby, his first love, and in cricket thereafter. Subathra was a dedicated wife and a beloved mother to her four children. She had a striking presence and her endearing ways always commanded respect and love of all who came across her. After leaving Kokuvil Hindu she taught in a Colombo School for a while, living in her house at Colpetty. She emigrated from Sri Lanka and now lives in Melbourne, Australia with one of her children.
Mr. T.Selvarajah was at K.H.C during the period March 1963 to December 1968. He was a 1st class Trained Teacher. His father Mr. Thampoo was a brother of our veteran teacher. Mr. N.Chellappah. Mr. Selvarajah worked as science teacher in the middle school preparing students for J.S.C examination conducted by the Northern Province Teachers' Association and produced excellent results. He had also been the Treasurer of the K.H.C Teacher Guild Mr. T.Selvarajah which handled the payment of staff salaries and allied expenses. Photography was his hobby and he enjoyed photographing all college functions. He regrets having lost his collection of these photographs
 

during the military operations in the North. Though outwardly a strict disciplinarian, his inner self was filled with kindness and generosity. He helped anyone who sought his assistance. He left Kokuvi Hindu in 1968 on transfer to Eravur Maha Vidyalayam, Batticaloa. After retirement he emigrated to the United States of America and is presently living in Jamaica.
We often see the childrens' treadmill of tuition and more tuition, some starting at an early age of eight. Teaching after school hours has become a lucrative occupation. Those teachers who are in a position to advise parents whose children require special help have a conflict of interest. We are unaware of any attempts by Schools to discourage the practise of unnecessary tuition. Perhaps they encourage this in the hope they would get benefit of good results.
Many of our children are geared from an early age towards lucrative careers which require high grades at public examinations, Parents in their enthusiasm arrange private tuition which takes away chunks of children's free time. The result is they miss out on their childhood. It is merely a reflection of the tremendous competition to enter the course and university of one's choice; a very high price is paid for this preference. Children should of course work hard to achieve their goal and full potential. They should be allowed time to develop their own privacy and depth. This would be their shelter from the inevitable storms of life in the years to come; a missed childhood is missed for ever as we never get a second chance.Tuition may be necessary for those children who need that extra help. But to generalise it as a need for all children could have a detrimental effect on their development.
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K.H.C ST
PRIN
1. M.Mahadevan B.A.(Cey),
DEPUTY 2. A.Panchalinga
ASSISTANTS
9.
10. 11. 12. 13.
14. 15. 16.
17. 18. 19. 20. 21.
22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
Mrs.K.Thirunavukkarasu Mrs.R.Sathasivam Mrs.S. Subramaniam Mrs.B. Kanthappillai Mrs.M.Sivagnanam Mrs.I.Sabaratnam Mr.K. Chandramouleesan Mrs.L.Suntharalingam Mrs.N.Gunapalasingam Mrs.G.Panchalingam Mrs.K.Santhiravar Mrs.S.Umamaheswarampillai Mr.K. Perampalam Mrs.S.Ramanathan Mrs.S.Balayogan Mr.S.Selvanayagam Mr.S.Balayogan Mr.V.Aiyathurai Mr.C. Palanithurai Mrs.T.Vivekanandarajah Mrs.S.Nadarajah Mr. K.Vaithianathar Miss.P.Sivakolunthu Mr.M.Kulasegaram Mrs.R.Alagaratnam Mr.C.Arumainayagam Mr.T.Vilvarajah Mr.T. Buvanasunthararajah Mr.T.Balasubramaniam Mr.C.Sivasothy
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AFF - 1976
(CIPAL B.A (Hons) Lond., Dip-in-Ed (Cey)
- PRINCIPAL m B.Sc. (Cey) Dip-in-Ed.
A. (Lond.)
.A. (Hons.) (Lond.)
A. (Lond.)
.A. (Madras)
.A. (Ceylon)
.A. (Madras)
.Sc. (Ceylon)
.A. (Madras)
.A. (Ceylon)
.Sc. (Ceylon)
.A. (Hons.) (Ceylon)
.A. (Ceylon)
Comm. (Farnatak)
.A. (Ceylon)
.Ed. (Ceylon) .Sc. (Ceylon) Dip-in-Ed. (Ceylon) .Sc. (Ceylon) Irst Class English Tr. (Maharagama) trst Class English Tr. (Maharagama) pecial Trained Maths. (Palaly) pecial Trained Maths. (Palaly) pecial Trained Maths. (Palaly) pecial Trained Maths. (Palaly) pecial Trained Commerce (Palaly) pecial Trained Science (Palaly) pecial Trained Science (Palaly) irst Class English Tr. (Maharagama) pecial Trained Science (Palaly) pecial Trained Maths (Palaly) ter. Science (Lond.)

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33. 34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
Mrs.G.Manivasagan Mr.S.Nagarajah Mr.S. Kandiah
Mr.S.Kasinathan
Mr.P Sabaratnam Mr.T.Selvarajah Miss.S.Subramaniam Mrs.I.Shanmugalingam Mr.V.Mylvaganam
Mrs.T.Selvagurunathan Mr.R.Mahendran
Mr. K.Mailvaganam Miss.U.Kandiah Miss.N.Velupillai Mr.M.Sivarajah Mr.S. Amarakone
Mrs.R.Subramaniam
Mr. K.Muraleedaran
Mr.A.Mark Mr.S.Suntharalingam Miss.J. Rajadurai Mr.V.Ganeswaran Mrs.V.Thanabalasingam Mr.K.Raveendran
Mr.S.Annalingam
Miss.N.Rajalingam
Mr.R.Arasaratnam Miss.PNadarajah A.Gopalamoorthy T. Poopalasingam N.Murugupillai
Inter. First
First
First
First
Sang Spec First
Teac
Tami
B.Sc Spec Spec B.Sc
B.Sc
Pand Spec DipInter Dip. B.Sc
B.Sc
(Tem time
Poly (Tem
OTHER

Arts (Lond.), Domestic Science Class Tamil Trained
Class Tamil Trained
Class Tamil Trained
Class Tamil Trained
Class Tamil Trained
eetha Vidwan ial Trained Commerce (Palaly) Class Tamil Teacher's Certificate, Drawing her's Certificate
Trained (Ceylon) (Madras) ial Trained Commerce (Palaly) ial Trained Commerce (Palaly) . (Madras) . (Ceylon) lit & 1st Class Tamil Trained ial Trained English (Palaly) in-Drawing & Painting . Sc. (Lond.) in Bharatha Natyam & Nadduvangam ... (Calcutta) ... (Ceylon) nporary) G.C.E (O/L) Wood & Metal work Part
Tech. course
(Temporary) G.C.E (O/L), -Technic Electrical Installation and Buildings nporary) Home Science
STAFF
6. V.Pararajasingam 7. V.Bavasingam 8. A.Sriskanthavel 9. V.Sinnathamby
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EDUCATION REFO
Competition among students, beginning from junior grades, is so great that every parent tries to give his child a push to be in front of others with the help of private tuition. The quality of teaching in Schools now has deteriorated so much that students, if they are to do well in examinations, need private tuition. Since the future of every child depends on how well he or she performs at examinations, private tuition has become part of the life of a student. Today's youth have very little time for leisure and their whole life is a furious rat race. Private tuition has become a huge industry. It is certainly not a development that can be welcomed. Perhaps a change in the present system of education is necessary to wean away the students from these cram shops.
It is said that the beginning of knowledge is to know that we do not know. Our educational policy has cut us off from the main stream of intellectual progress in the World. It has starved the country of professionals who are skilled and with up-to-date knowledge. Today's students' knowledge is confined to whatever they picked up from their lectures and notes, which is often outdated and very limited. Nor have the students been taught to think. Modern education has the potential for ensuring equality of opportunity in the sphere of upward social mobility. Yet our education system has failed to provide youngsters with a levelled field to compete with each other on an equal footing. Fundamental inequalities
15O Kokuvil Hindu Colleg

Chapter - XI
DRMS AFTER 1971
within the education system has been subverted in significant ways by vested interests so that it has failed to provide equal opportunities to all children in the country. The situation in our Universities is not any better. The decline in standards, morale and academic activities over the years is quite disturbing. Universities remain more closed than open. They are fast becoming empty shells without adequate staff and facilities. There are frequent disruptions and there is a deterioration of academic standards.
In early nineteen forties the need was to formulate a national system of education for a country that emerged out of centuries of colonial rule. After the take - over of assisted Schools by the state in 1961, the emphasis shifted from establishing a national system of education to establishing a unified national system of education. The latter meant a system of education under public control and management. Policy making in education got increasingly enmeshed in the web of political party rivalry, judging by the fate of the White Papers of 1964, 1966 and 1981. The education reforms of 1972 signified a departure in policy making in education. A major overhaul of education was undertaken in great haste. The reforms came in for considerable criticism from parents, teachers and the general public, after implementation commenced. The architects admitted later that "the reforms were too quick’. Because of the logistical problems in the implementation, the

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new government of 1977 abandoned the 1972 reforms and restored the status quo. A generation of students got trapped in these changes.
The SLFP ed United Front Government's twin thrusts of "Standardisation' (media and district wise), discrimination in university admissions and the 1972 Constitution did start Tamil militancy. The feeling of humiliation had crystallized into the call of a proud people for revenge against the Sinhalese and LTTE was the natural organic instrument of that elemental drive. Selection on the basis of merit was abandoned and district quota system was introduced. The scheme came into force in 1972 in the Technical Colleges and in the university in 1973. The outcry emanated from parents in urban areas with relatively abundant science teaching facilities. The new scheme, it was said, provided social justice and equalizing of opportunity when students from rural Schools were shut out from university entry year after year. It was hailed as the most progressive and realistic policy moves in higher education. The terms used in determining university admission had been defined thus:-
1. Standardisation:
The university adopts a universally accepted system of adjusting marks obtained for widely different subjects, to a common uniform scale. If this were not done the student offering maths, for example, would have a far greater advantage over those doing Physics or History or Literature, where easy type answers are required. The student keeps the same order of merit in a particular subject after his marks are standardized. The standardization is done before any consideration is given to the question as to what district the student belongs.

2. Qualified Student :
Every student who either passes four subjects (the pass mark is 40) or passes three subjects and gets more than 25 marks in the fourth subject is qualified to seek admission to the university.
3. District Quota :
Each of the 22 districts is assigned a quota for each of five (or six if dental surgery is counted separately) disciplines - viz., Medicine, Bio-Sciences, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Physical, Arts and Law. The university assigns the quota on the basis of the latest available "mid-year' population statistics for each district. Colombo's population was about one fifth of the national total, so it is entitled to one fifth of the national discipline.
Eg: In 1972 April examination Colombo was entitled to 46 of the 225 vacancies in Medicine but actually got 23 more, Badulla was entitled to eleven places but got only one.
Many backward districts cannot fill their quota with qualified students. The unfilled places are redistributed to those districts with surplus qualified students.
(A greater degree of fairness is claimed to have been introduced through the district quota System).
4. Which District :
If a student spends more than three years in Grade 10, 11 and 12 in a particular district he is counted as belonging to that district, Two years study is enough if parents have been resident for more than three years in the same district.
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Private candidates are counted for the district in which they have had the major part of their school education. Students who come to urban schools with scholarships are counted for their home districts.
Merit is thus equally widely distributed in all geographical areas and in all social classes; what is lacking is equal opportunity. The new scheme ensures regional fair - play and a more stable rural-urban balance and breaks barriers of privilege in the university. Merit, in the very narrow sense, of measurable performance at the A level examinations continue to be the basis of selection, the authors declared.
In 1972, many revolutionary changes took place in the sphere of education. A system of education supposed to be oriented to the needs of the nation was put into effect. The colonial system of education was thought to be outmoded as it did not adequately cater to the needs of an independent country. The new scheme laid stress on the practical and vocational aspects of education; specialization at an early stage had been avoided and a common core of studies had to be followed by all students up to the N.C.G.E (National Certificate of General Education) class. The unhealthy and artificial compartmentalization of students into Science, Arts and Commerce streams had been done away with. A system of education, geared to the culture and economic needs of the people was then thought to be a great achievement. The (G.C.E A/L) General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level) examination had been replaced by (H.N.C.E) Higher National Certificate of Education examination. This was indeed a revolutionary change. Human resources of a country are its best assets. It was thought that the new scheme would enable the country to make the best use
152 Kokuvil Hindu College

of this resource in the interest of the community. In the 1976 NCGE examination at Kokuvil Hindu College 136 students qualified to follow the HNCE science course and 20 to follow the commerce course. Several new pre-vocational subjects such as paper making, metal Work and radio technology were introduced in Kokuvil Hindu College. Surprisingly no student opted to follow either social sciences or humanities or aesthetic studies. Parents prefer their children to follow Science and commerce courses as they provide better chances for employment. Children should have a balanced view of life and its creative aspects. It was thought that this imbalance will correct itself in the years to come.
The new government in 1977 introduced certain changes in the right direction. The N.C.G.E and H.N.C.E were no more, the new order changed yielding place to the old, G.C.E(O/ L) and G.C.E(A/L) examinations were back with us again. The old NCGE and HNCE examinations were not recognized as passport to places in foreign universities and the students were thus at a disadvantage. However the good points of the N.C.G.E and H.N.C.E were retained. The integrated curriculum in social studies and Sciences remain in Vougue since the reforms of 1972. Though pre-vocational subjects were not compulsory, yet every student was required to study one of the technical subjects. Earlier, pre-vocational subjects to be studied were unnecessary, lengthy and cumbersome. Instead of two pre-vocational subjects, the students were now required to offer one. A new syllabus was introduced for the transitional period of two years. As from 1980 the new GCE (O/L) and GCE (AVL) examinations began to be held. Another innovation was the introduction of the GCE (A/L) London examination for Sri Lankan students. Standardization, that agitated the minds of parents

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and students, was eliminated. The year 1979 was declared as the International Year of the child. In eastern society children are always loved and respected. They must be brought up in a healthy and intellectual atmosphere. Stark hunger, poverty and ignorance are rampant in many a household. It is imperative that the standard of living, intellectual and moral qualities of the parents must be raised to benefit their off-spring. A Parents Charter embodying their rights and duties was introduced by the Government. It is the inherent right of the parent or legal guardian to know about the progress of his child at School. A parents' day began to be held in the school to facilitate this. A copy of the charter appears at the end of this chapter.
Over the decades our education system had begun to churn out thousands of children who had turned out to be robots or "intellectual zombies'. Some of them had scored eight 'A's at examinations, but they couldn't think. They couldn't analyse; they couldn't create, they couldn't solve problems. They were only good at listening, cramming the facts, stuffing their tender brains with facts and more facts and finally regurgitating them at examinations. They had no time for play or extra curricular activities. They only had time for tuition classes. Private tutories have grown like mushrooms and students flock in hundreds to patronize them. Competition among students to enter the university is very great. The survival of the fittest is the order of the day. In this rat race for survival many a student is frustrated and becomes a nervous and moral wreck. Private tuition has reached a level of an indispensable pre-requisite for the successful completion of school education for Sri Lankan children. This is due to years of neglect on the part of education policy makers and administrators including schools themselves of

high standards of teaching in schools. Private tuition has not spared even children in primary schools because of competition for the Grade V scholarship Examination. Some coaching of infants for admission to Grade I is becoming evident these days.
A teacher is often referred to as the "Change Agent' and he has to be the most influential factor in deciding the child's future. Teaching was a profession of choice in the bygone days. In the good old days the teachers were reservoirs of knowledge and in many cases wisdom. Good teachers have taught us how to wade through reels of information. how to sift through the unnecessary facts. They taught us how to choose what was best and how to learn them. Topics of conversation, even years after leaving school, revolved around the teachers. They were fondly remembered not only for the good things the students were taught but also for the bad things they were punished for. Decades ago teaching was considered a praise-worthy vocation and teachers were respected and admired for their academic contributions as well as for moulding the character of children under their care. Each technological advance that we have to work with today has only re-designed the role teachers have to play in the learning process. Education has a key role to play in imparting the technical and managerial skills required and the introduction of modern technologies. New attitudes have to be developed in our youth. One of the real problems in education is the educator. He must never be an instrument of politicians. The true teacher is not ambitious and seeks no power in any form. He must make himself free of the control of governments, and indeed from the compulsions of society. For the true teacher, teaching is not a technique; it is his way of life. The teacher's
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task is to help the child to transcend the 'me' and the mine'. Education in Sri Lanka has been Smeared by political opportunism. The legal basis of our present educational system is the Education Ordinance No.31 of 1939. The adhoc changes that have taken place since 1939 have not been codified into a comprehensive all embracing legislative enactment. The National Education Commission Act No.19 of 1991 was designed as an instrument by which stability could be restored to the education system. The National Education Commission that was appointed in July 1991 issued an interim report in May 1992. Its final report is yet being awaited (in 2004) Any reforms to revamp the education system must await its considered findings on the core issues like. (1) Medium of instruction (2) Policy on free education and associated
subsidies and (3) State's role in education
Elitism in education is a part of life, however much we may deplore it. Equality of outcomes is never attainable since people are differently endowed by nature with some being gifted with high intelligence and talent while others are mediocre and still others suffer from physical and mental handicaps. Equality of opportunity should not be confused with equality of outcomes. Equality of opportunities is a desirable social goal. But it requires investment.
A decision was made in 1940 to give up the English medium of education in our schools. The architects blundered when English was totally dropped from school curriculum and higher education, depriving students of acquiring a good knowledge of this international “lingua franca” through a bi-lingual system of education. The medium of education must be chosen intelligently.
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A few decades back we made the decision to learn in the vernacular. The results have been devastating. Our medium of education should be English. We have now had fifty years to learn the folly of an education in the vernacular in our little country. Ethnic division, a narrow outlook and sub-standard graduates are some of the products of this ridiculous experiment. Unfortunately inter-ethnic relations in the post independence (1948) period in Sri Lanka have rapidly deteriorated to the point when genuine reconciliation between the two groups seems almost impossible. It is also very unfortunate that belated efforts by the educational authorities to teach better English in schools and alleviate to some extent the problems we encounter, have come to nought due to lack of qualified English teachers in a scenario of woeful neglect of English for over three decades. English is spoken as a first language by some 375 million people and as a second language by roughly the same number. A quarter of the world's population speaks it with some level of competence. English has long been the language of international trade and business. That trend is only being reinforced by the fact that it dominates some 80% of the internet. At the Frankfurt-based European Central Bank's website the bulk of the site is in English. Draft new constitution for the European Union favoured using English. The English language has emerged as the key language of a globalised world of communication, the dissemination of knowledge and in the Information Technology revolution.
The older media of print, radio, television, audio and video cassettes are now being supplemented in an explosive manner by the newer media including (1) Multi-media computers (2) World-wide-web

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(3) Teleconferencing (4) Digital audio and video (5) Interactive video
The electronic information super-highway is already making inroads into all aspects of life and is providing the mechanism for two way interactive communication between teacher and student. These new media enable students to explore and interact with massive data bases containing knowledge and information of a magnitude that is unthinkable in a face to face class-room. Ability of students to search whole libraries, obtain electronic copies, consult distance experts world-wide etc is radically changing student approach to learning and the teacher approach to teaching. India is reigning high in the Information Technology sector and Bangalore is referred to as the silicon valley of India where most of the IT Companies are located. Two of the key factors for this phenomenal growth are the patriotism of Indian pioneers who invested to build the IT knowledge base. The widespread use of English is another key factor that contributed to this growth. Sri Lanka has to learn much from the Indian experiences. The opportunity for General English Project should be extended to educational zones all over the country. English medium education for as wide a segment as possible is indeed an ambitious ideal.
Sri Lanka was perhaps the first country in Asia to have a Curriculum Development Centre by the mid 1960s, when comprehensive curriculum reform of 1972 came into being. Mr. S.Velauthapillai formerly of the staff of K.H.C and others were conscripted to lead the venture and they accomplished the mission they were charged with all the dedication they could muster. Curriculum development became a high priority national venture. The shock and trauma

of the insurgency in 1971 youth revolt dealt a severe blow to the faith in education as a means to economic development. Then there was the thesies of the mismatch between education and employment of the Sears Report. Neverthless the solution to the problems were sought through education itself thereby reaffirming faith in education but of a different sort, contextually relevant to the world of work. Curriculam Development was not limited to subject experts; economists and national planners led the experts in Curriculam Development and the process utilized by (CDC) Curriculum Development Centre was exemplary. Soon after 1977 CDC had a set-back but it was revived in the 1980s with "In- service Teacher Education.' The American Institute of Lankan Studies took over this venture in 2004. More than a dozen well equipped Colleges of Education owe their origin to World Bank/ TETDP - Teacher Education and Teacher Development project. Another outcome of TETDP was the National Authority on Teacher Education. NATE was set -up in 1997 to give a much needed extra zest and direction to teacher education. Curriculum reform without examination reform would be unproductive and a National Education Testing service (NETS) was set up under the Secondary Education Development Project (SEDP). Sri Lanka Teacher Educators' Service was introduced in 1999 with retrospective effect from 1995 for lecturers serving in the National Colleges of Education.
A scientific education expands the vision of a student and bestows on him the exquisite talent for clear and accurate thinking. The 20th century was called the “Century of Science' Science that was used to save as well as destroy humans. It had been one of the most savage centuries in the history of mankind-more people
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have been displaced, imprisoned, enslaved, tortured and killed than in any other comparable period in recorded history. "Science without conscience spells the ruin of the soul".The early founders of the Scientific revolution like Galileo, Boyle, Descartes, Newton (17th century) were all deeply religious men. They belived in a wise and benign creator. It was the premise behind their investigations into the lawfulness of nature.
At present schools belong to one of the following categories:- I. State-Schools - non-fee levying; maintained staffed and managed totally by Ministry of Education. Kokuvil Hindu College falls in this category. 2. Denominational schools - (which opt to stay out of the state system) levying fees as laid down by managerial organizations. 3. Denominational schools receiving financial assistance from the state for paying teacher's salaries - Early in 1980 Government agreed to help schools which opted to stay out of the state system. 4. Private schools - (fee levying) owned and managed by Registered companies as business undertakings.
Our national school system is dying and is being surreptitiously replaced by English International' and Private schools for the urban elite. A cultural bifurcation, in the near future, is an obvious consequence of this diabolical shift in the structural basis of education. An English speaking elite will emerge that will be Western and Christian in substance, if not in name. An upper class that will treat with scorn the vernacular educated poor that constitute the fringe elements of society despite their numerical preponderance will emerge. This school system is one arm of destructive social engineering.
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The education system in Sri Lanka today (2004) deals with nearly 4.3 million school children, with about 57,000 university students in 13 universities. It has a little over 191,000 teachers located in 9888 schools distributed among eight provinces, 25 districts, 91 educational zones and 365 divisions. It is a sprawling landscape largely managed by Provincial authorities except for some 370 National schools which are managed by the ministry. Without taking steps to improve the quality of teaching and provide the necessary facilities, a few schools have been up-graded as National Schools merely to boost the ego of some politicians.
With the introduction of free education in Sri Lanka the issue here now is not that of tuition fees but other costs which the Kannangara Scholarship scheme and the Mahapola Scholarship Scheme introduced by Lalith Athulathmudali tried to meet on a selective basis. In this country where education is much valued, poor parents often sell or mortgage their little possessions such as land and small paddy fields in order to even purchase uniforms and books for children. The government now issues books and uniform material free of charge and this provides great relief to the poor families. If such free issues are stopped it would be a serious blow to the poorer section of the population. Fee levying in schools puts a premium not on the pupils talents buy on the parents and consolidation of the privileges of the few to the detriment of the many.
Learning and disciplinary training imparted to us by well meaning educationists and religious teachers in the past and present to refine and soften human conduct seem to have had no appreciative effect in most cases.

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Taking revenge for the slightest affliction caused by friend or foe, ignoring all the benefits and benevolence received from them, display sheer ingratitude. Evil spells generated by our own misconceptions and apprehensions would also cast their shadows to drive some of us on wrongful and destructive paths. Formal education or at least the basic literary skills are the elementary values on which modern society has been founded in its evolution from the early
ageS.
The adoption of a Swabhasha education policy after independence did away with the need to learn languages other than one's own. The result was the gradual spread of monolingualism thoughout the country with serious social and political implications as the current ethnic crisis illustrates. Several years back the government took a decision to allow English medium teaching in schools where the school authorities felt that it is feasible to do so. The implicit objective of such a policy decision appears to be to encourage children to study and sit examinations in an international language, so that their learning and employment opportunities in a liberal economic environment may be enhanced. The success of this policy depends on a range of factors such as the nature of the prevailing learning environment, availability of educational resources at school level such as competent teachers, libraries and equipment. Vast majority of students fail to get through O/L English examination which is even no proof of a reasonable working knowledge of English. Most students in the country particularly those living outside Colombo Metropolitan area clearly do not have the competency to engage in their further studies in the English medium. While the lack of competent teachers in most schools to teach English is the main constraint, the absence of libraries, audio visual equipment and opportunities for practical usage of the language

etc is also a major factor. At Kokuvil Hindu College the situation is no different. If the necessary resources are not given the school system cannot adjust to the new challenge of imparting instruction in the English medium in an equitable and just manner.
In the 1950s the terminal examination at secondary level was H.S.C. (Higher Senior School Certificate) G.C.E (Advanced Level) examinations replaced H.S.C in 1964. During the period 1964 - 1968 test in Practicals were held in April in Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology in both Colombo and Peradeniya. Students who obtained minimum stipulated marks were called for practical exams. During the period 1969 - 1977 the G.C.E (A/L) examination was held in the month of April. Deviating from accepted international practice, the Practical examination was abolished in 1970. From 1987, G.C.E (A/L) exam began to be held in August. As from the year 2002 the G.C.E(A/ L) exam is being conducted in April and new classes at G.C.E(A/L) Level were required to commence in all schools in April/May with effect from the year 2000. Aggregate marks or average marks were used (up to 2001) to determine the merit order for ranking students in each stream for university admission. As from 2002, the Z score method scheme' had been used for ranking candidates. This new scheme is claimed to be a widely accepted statistical method for standardizing raw marks. The 'aggregate' has been replaced by "Z Score' as the basis for university admission. Ranking on this basis is claimed to be more fair and highly reliable. All universities have been required to adopt a fixed academic year-to-start in September/October every year and to end in July of the following year. The education reforms also allow option for students to decide on the medium in which they will follow G.C.E(A/L) classes.
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Schools should forget the mania of education for employment and should inclucate human values in education. In 2002 education has become very complex because the world is now so much more complex than the world of Plato or Aristotle. All the old evil in human relations, still prevails in this space-age of ours and the pursuit of sensual satisfaction with no desire for any respect for the norms preached by the traditional moral systems. Moral education is very important. Human values component should be given a place in the school curriculum. Education is something more than learning for a job. It means helping the students' personality to flower. There is one striking feature in our society. It is the total break-down in moral values. No society can survive without some basic morality. Otherwise society will revert to the state of nature, where life is nasty, brutish and short. Traditional religion no longer drives people to be moral. Hindus believe that the law of karma presides over their destinies, ill-gotten money vanishes in misfortune; present comforts acquired through ill - gotten wealth will not last; such wealth goes hand in hand with future calamities far exceeding the measure of such wealth. People reap what they sow; the will of God grinds slowly but surely and grinds exceedingly fine.
Classical literature, their contentand style, and their continuing relevance to contemporary living, their capacity to enrich students' minds with delight and with wisdom to challenge their attitudes and foster recognition that life was not worth living without conscientious reflection, at once imaginative and critical whose result must be a life marked by restraint and self-knowledge is worthy of study. Keenness for western callssics does not imply a disrespect for any of the languages of the country. On the contrary it is the aim of sound callssical education to enable each student to enjoy a mental life that is valuable
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for its own sake, that is, to be a genuine person to realize himselfin his own language. Education, in the ultimate analyses, is a matter of inculcating right values in the future citizens.
Graduate unemployment is a burning problem in Sri Lanka. Graduates who have passed out of over 13 universities and 13 higher Education Institutions claim to be unemployed or underemployed. A survey in 2002 by the Ministry of Teritary Education and Training fixes the figure at 26,000, 70% of which are Arts graduates. Universities may have to re-design these courses when unemployment is most acute among Arts graduates. It covers both internal degree holders and those from the external stream in an age range of 25-35 years. It is ability and special skills and not a mere degree certificate that makes a person 'employable. Any training for them should be targeted towards available employment opportunities; a combination of computer literacy, communication skills in English and Management should form part of the re-training to suit private Sector needs. It is also vital that career guidance should be provided brfore students choose their G.C.E(A/L) Advanced level subjects. Career guidance at university level is not sufficient because the mistake has already occurred. Schools should create this awareness to change the attitudes of the youths
The frustrations of the educated young Tamil at a time when even science graduates cannot find suitable jobs do not require much explication. The fact that these frustrations are universal does not make the Tamil youth's psychological load lighter. He had felt the educational system and system of recruitment to the public sector had been deliberately contrived to reduce his chances, and he had more

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reasons for anger. An anger, that reaches the limits of tolerance makes inflammable material. A movement of militant youth rooted in the soil of Jaffna and nourished by material frustration, a feeling of humiliation and bitterness emerged as a consequence. The emergence, however hesitantor faint, of a militant group in the peninsula in 1972 was a phenomenon of enormous significance. To make a fetish of youth movements in Sri Lanka was a temptation almost irresistible after the 1971 holocaust. In any event Sri Lanka is not only a young nation but a country of young people
In Sri Lanka, aggregate of marks has been used to rank students in each stream (for university admission) until the year 2000; the average has been used to rank the students in 2001. From 2002 and beyond Z score method is used to rank the candidates for University admission (approved by National Education Commission and University Grants Commission). In the Z score technique raw marks in each subject are converted into a standard scale - “Z score', which gives the candidates the position in each subject with respect to the average marks scored by the candidates in that sbject. The average "Z scores' of the three(03) subjects of the candidates is taken as the "final Zscore' which is used to rank the students in each stream, island-wise, district-wise.
Z score method is claimed to be an acceptable method of standardizing marks subject-wise; such schemes are operative for national examinations in many countries. Zscore technique is said to be the best option available, to minimize discrepancies in different subjects, different curricula, variable marking, different Subject combinations as well as different streams.

Admission to each course of study (eg. Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture) is governed by the following quota system, except in the case of Arts where the admission is made on an all-island merit basis.
All island merit basis - 40% District basis - 55% Additional quota for educationally disadvantage districts - 0.5%
In respect of each course of study, the district quota is allocated to the administrative districts on the basis of population of the district concerned to the total population in the country. Similarly the 5% quota for the under privileged districts is also allocated in proportion to the population of each such district. There are 13 districts which have been declared as educationally disadvantaged districts by the University Grants Commission-Amparai, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Hambantota, Jaffna, Killinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Moneragala, Nuwara-Eliya, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa. The University Grants Commission determines the cut off Z scores for each course of study in respect of each district. The above sums up the present (2003) University admission policy, in filling avilable places in each course of study in the University system. The General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level) examination bears a very important role in selecting students to Universities.
Our educational system has proved itself to be a monumental failure in fulfilling what philosophers like Plato and Rousseau have reiterated to be the goals of education-to produce a virtuous citizen. The revered oriental Philosopher Krishnamoorthy also stressed the need for saving the child from the corrupting
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influence of the wider society and entrusted the task to the school. The sordid reality today is the very antithesis of this. Our policy planners in education and curriculum designers too are not free from blame. The recently introduced subject called “life competencies' only makes a feeble attempt to teach children how to be good beings and mostly by means of little skits demonstrating what is good and bad.
In July 1997 the Minister of Education and Higher Education admitted that the education system had been the primary cause for many problems like unemployment and introduced necessary changes without changing the concept of free education. The following reforms would lead to the betterment of students, he added.
(1) Development of Primary Schools to provide a more meaningful system of primary education from year one. Teacher training to be provided for a balanced physical and mental development of the child. This project was to commence in 1999 for year 1 and it will be implemented in the upper grades year by year.
(2.) Activity centres to be developed in schools in the Junior Secondary stage to develop life skills and skills in relation to technology, apart from subject knowledge.
(3.) In the secondary stage, technical studies and skills will be imparted to students in order to turn out a person who is adept at making use of resources, services and handling instruments There will be 7 subjects for G.C.E (O/L) examinationReligion, Mother tongue. Mathematics (Paper I and PaperII) Science (I and II),
16O Kokuvil Hindu College

Social Studies, Aesthetic education, and English. Today more students fail either Maths or Science thereby losing chances of higher education. Students opting for The Advanced level in the Maths stream will have to sit the Maths Paper 11. Students opting for the Science stream in the Advanced level will have to sit the Science II paper. With these changes, the rate of failures in G.C.E(O/L) is bound to decline. Changes were to take effect from 1999 G.C.E (O/L) examination.
A new technical stream was to be introduced to assist children who opt for higher education in technical and industrial training, who opt for self-employment and for those seeking employment in the industrial sector. The minimum requirement for admission to universities is to obtain 140 marks from the three subjects.
Aptitude Test
Students will sit a three (3) hour aptitude test along with G.C.E(A/L) exam. The objective of this test is to measure the potential capacity of a student to benefit from university education. The test will comprise of
(a) General awareness (b) Reasoning ability (c) Problem solving ability (d) Comprehension and communication.
Kokuvil Hindu College is awaiting implementation details to adopt these changes announced by the minister of Education in 1997.
The Ministry of Human Resources Development, Education and Cultural Affairs

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has launched the "Bi-lingual option project to provide an opportunity for the students to study in the English medium from Grade-7 which commenced (in 2003) last year. Owing to this new teaching method introduced by the Education Ministry about 10000 students studying in 375 schools have been enabled to sit for the G C.E(O/L) examination in the year 2007. English medium education is provided in three subjects in these schools. English language is very essential for acquiring global knowledge; proficiency in Swabhasa (Sinhala/Tamil) alone was not sufficient for the purpose. Parents and
s:

teachers have indicated that students' participation and enthusiasm was very high. 150 more schools have decided to adopt-the Bilingual option project. The ministry is training undergraduates for teaching subjects in the English medium. In an effort to taking computers and IT awareness to the villages Computer Learning Centres (CLC) were opened in 475 schools up to February 2004. Where does Kokuvil Hindu College stand in this arrangement by the Education Ministry? The Principal may take this up with his own Regional Education authorities-.
激
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கல்வியமைச்சினால் வெளி
பகுதி1
JL GITF35lb 1.
இனம், சாதி, மொழி, மதம், அரசியற் கொள்கை, சமுக மதிப்பு நிலை, செல்வம் என்ற பேதங்களின்றித் தமது குழந்தைகளின் உடல், உள வளர்ச்சிக்கு உறுதுணையானதொரு கல்வியைப் பெறும் உரிமையும், புத்த சகாப்தம் இரண்டாயிரத்து நானூற்று எண்பத்தேழாம் ஆண்டு, கிறிஸ்துவ சகாப்தம் ஆயிரத்துத் தொளாயிரத்து நாற்பத்து மூன்றாம் ஆண்டும் ஏற்பட்டுத் தடையின்றி நடைபெற்றுவரும் இலவசக் கல்வித் திட்டத்தின் நன்மைகளைப் பெறும் உரிமையும் பெற்றாருக்கு உண்டு.
JLL QITJ5lb 2.
குழந்தைகளின் உள்ளார்ந்த திறமைகளைக் கண்டுணர்ந்து அதன் உளச்சார்பு, கவனம், விருப்பம், அவா என்பனவற்றுக்குத் தக்கபடி அதற்குரிய கல்வி முறையைக் கல்லூரி நிர்ணயித்துத் தீர்மானம் எடுப்பது பற்றித் தமது அபிப்பிராயத்தைத் தெரிவிக்கவும் பெற்றாருக்கு உரிமை உண்டு.
JL 6ITTIJI5b 3.
முன் ஏற்பாட்டுடன் கல்லூரி அதிபரையோ அல்லது ஆசிரியர்களையோ சந்திப்பதற்கும், குழந்தையின் கல்வி,ஒழுக்க, மன, சமுதாய சம்பந்தமான பிரச்சனைகள் பற்றி கலந்துரையாடுவதற்கும் பெற்றாருக்கு உரிமை உண்டு.
JL 6IFIJbib 4.
குழந்தையின் கல்வியில் பெற்றாரின் ஒழுங்குபடுத்தப்பட்ட ஒத்துழைப்பைப் பெற்றுக் கொள்வதற்காக ஏற்படுத்தப்படவேண்டிய பாடசாலை அபிவிருத்திச் சங்கத்தில் இனம், மொழி, மதம், அரசியற்கொள்கை, சமூகமதிப்பு நிலை, செல்வம் என்ற பேதங்களின்றி அங்கத்தவராகவும், உத்தியோகம் ஏற்கவும் பெற்றாருக்கு உரிமை உண்டு.
162 Kokuvi Hindu College

யிடப்பட்ட பெற்றோர் பட்டயம்
JL 6ITTIJbib 5.
பாடசாலையில் நிகழ்கால, எதிர்கால நலனுக்காக ஏற்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ள பிற தாபனங்களின் ஆலோசனைகளோடும் துணையோடும், பாடசாலை அபிவிருத்திச் சங்க நிலையில் கட்டடங்கள், உபகரணங்கள், விளையாட்டிடங்கள் போன்ற வசதிகள் போதுமான அளவு உண்டா என்பது பற்றி உரையாடுவதற்கும் வசதிக்குறைவுகளைச் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட அதிகாரிகளின் கவனத்திற்குக் கொண்டு வரவும், பகுதி II சட்டவாசகம் 15 இலுள்ளபடி அந்தக் குறைவுகளை நிறைவு செய்ய வழிவகைகளை ஆலோசனை செய்யவும், பெற்றோருக்கு உரிமை உண்டு.
JL 6TJbib 6.
ஒவ்வொரு தவணையிலும் வசூலித்த, செலவழித்த , வசதிக்கட்டணம், சேவைக்கட்டணம் ஆகியவற்றின் தொகை, பாடசாலையின் தேவைகளைப் பூர்த்தி செய்வதற்காக, பாடசாலை அபிவிருத்திச் சங்கம் தீர்மானித்துள்ள பிரகாரம் பிள்ளைகளிடமிருந்து வசூலித்த பணத்தொகை முதலியன பற்றி அறிய விரிவான நிதி நிருவாக அறிக்கையைப் பார்வையிடப் பெற்றாருக்கு உரிமை உண்டு.
JL 6ITJ6b 7.
ஒவ்வொரு பெற்றாருக்கும் தத்தம் பிள்ளையினது திறமைத் தரத்தைத் தெரிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டியது அவசியம் என்றபடியால் ஆறு மாதத்திற்கொரு முறையாவது பெற்றாருக்கு தமது பிள்ளையின் கல்வி முன்னேற்ற அறிக்கையைப் பெறும் உரிமையும் உண்டு.
JL 6)TIJ6b 8.
, ஆறுமாதங்களுக்கொருமுறை வைக்கப்படும் பெற்றார் தினத்தன்று பல வகுப்புகளினுடைய பாடக் கொப்பிகள், கட்டுரைகள், வியாசங்கள், பிற அப்பியாசங்கள் மூலமாகப் பிள்ளைகளினுடைய தேர்ச்சிகளை அறிந்து கொள்ளும் உரிமை பெற்றாருக்கு

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உண்டு. ஒவ்வொரு பெற்றாருக்கும் இவற்றைப் பார்வையிடவும், தமது பிள்ளையுட்பட பிள்ளைகளின் வேலையை மதிப்பிடவும், உதவுவதாக இது அமைகின்றது.
J. 6)ITTIJbiii) 9.
பள்ளிக்கூடத்தில் நடக்கும் வைத்திய பரிசோதனையின்போது வெளிப்படையாகவோ அல்லது பரிசோதனையின் போதோ தெரியவந்த உடல், உளக்குறைபாடுகளைப் பெற்றார் உடனடியாக அறிய வேண்டிய உரிமையும் வலது குறைந்த, பின்தங்கிய பிள்ளைகளை அவர்கள் சமுதாயத்தில் பயனுள்ள பிரசையாக இடம் பெறுவதற்குரிய வசதிகளை அளிக்கும் விசேடத் தாபனங்களுக்கு அனுப்பும் உரிமையும் பெற்றாருக்கு உண்டு.
JL 6)TJbib 10.
குழந்தையின் எதிர்காலத்தை உருவாக்கும் வகையில் அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள இலங்கை அரசாங்கத்தின் கல்விக் கொள்கையைத் தெளிவாக அறிந்து கொண்டு கல்வித் திட்டமிடலில் பங்குபற்றவும் ஒத்துழைக்கவும், இன்றியமையாத சீர்திருத்தங்கள், புதுமைகள், அபிவிருத்தி என்பனவற்றுக்கு ஏற்ற ஆலோசனைகளை வழங்கவும், பெற்றாருக்கு உரிமை உண்டு.
பகுதி II (வருங்காலப் பிரசைகளாகிய பாடசாலைக் குழந்தைகளை வளர்ப்பதில் பெற்றார் அவதானிக்க வேண்டிய கடமைகள் உண்டு. கற்கும் கல்வி அர்த்தமுள்ளதாகவும் நிதானமுடையதாகவும் பூரணம் வாய்ந்ததாகவும் அமைந்து குழந்தையின் பூரண ஆளுமை வளர்ச்சிக்கு உறுதுணையாக விளங்க பின்வருவன அவசியம்)
JL 6ITTSF6ib 11.
குழந்தையின் கல்வி பற்றிய கல்வித் தத்துவம், கல்விக் கோட்பாடு ஆகியனவற்றைத் தெளிவாக அறிந்து கொள்வது சகல பெற்றாருடைய கடமையும் பொறுப்புமாகும். வெளியீட்டுச் சாதனங்களாகிய வானொலி, செய்தித்தாள், பத்திரிகைகள் என்பனவற்றில் வரும் அறிக்கைகள், வெளியீடுகள், கடிதங்கள் முதலியவை மூலமும், அவை மூலம் பெற்ற அறிவை

விருத்தி செய்து கொள்வதற்குப் பெற்றார்கள், அதிபர்கள், ஆசிரியர்களுடன் அடிக்கடி கலந்துரையாடலை மேற்கொள்ளுவதன் மூலமும், இதைப் பெறலாம்.
JILI 6 TJ5 12.
குழந்தையின் அறிவு ஒழுக்க வளர்ச்சிக்கு இட்டுச் செல்வதாக கல்வி அமைவதற்குப் பெற்றார், ஆசிரியர் இருவர்தம் தாக்கமுமே அடிப்படையாகவும் முக்கியமானதாகவும் அமைகின்றது என்பதை உளத்திற் கொண்டு பரஸ்பர மரியாதையுடனும் நம்பிக்கையுடனும் ஆசிரியர்களுடன் ஒத்துழைக்க வேண்டியது ஒவ்வொரு பெற்றாருடைய கடமையாகும்.
JILI 6 TJ6lb 13.
குழந்தையின் பாடக் கொப்பிகள், பிற அப்பியாசங்கள் ஆகியவற்றைப் பார்வையிடுவதன் மூலம் குழந்தையின் கல்விப் பெறுபேறுகள், வளர்ச்சி, மனப்போக்கு, திறன்களின் வளர்ச்சி என்பனபற்றித் தொடர்ந்து அறிந்து கொள்ளுதல் ஒவ்வொரு பெற்றாரின் கடமையாகும். பெற்றார், கல்லூரி அதிபரின் அனுமதியுடன் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட பாட ஆசிரியருடன் கலந்து பேசுதல் அவசியம் என்பதையும் மனத்திற் கொள்ளல் வேண்டும்.
JÜL 6II35Íb 14.
குழந்தையின் எதிர்காலத்தை உருவாக்கும் தாபனமாகப் பாடசாலையைக் கருதுதல் பெற்றார் தம் கடமையாகும். எனவே, பாடசாலை அபிவிருத்திச் சங்கத்தில் அங்கத்துவம் வகித்து அதன் கருமங்களில் ஈடுபடுதலும் அவர்தம் கடமையாகின்றது.
JL 6ITIJ6b 15.
பாடசாலையின் தேவையை நிறைவு செய்தல் மூலம் அதன் கல்விக் கருமங்களைத் திட்டவட்டமாக்கலும் UTL-8FT6060 வாழ்வை அர்த்தமுள்ளதாக ஆக்கலும், பெற்றார் கடமையாகும். இது அவரவர் வசதிக்கேற்றவாறு பொருள் கொடுப்பதுடன் மட்டும் அமையாது; பெற்றார் தமது உழைப்பு, ஒத்துழைப்பு என்பவற்றை அளிப்பதன் மூலம் குழந்தையின் எதிர்கால நல்வாழ்வைப் பலப்படுத்த முடியும்.
Kokuvil Hindu College 163

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JL 6ITIJjblb 16.
ஒவ்வொரு பெற்றாரும் தத்தம் குழந்தைகளைப் பள்ளிக்கு ஒழுங்காக அனுப்புவதில் மிகவும் கவனம் எடுக்க வேண்டும். பள்ளியிலிருந்து அனுப்பப்படும் குறிப்புகளை உடனடியாகக் கவனிக்க வேண்டும். எப்பொழுதும் பாடசாலையிலிருந்து வரும் அழைப்புகளோ செய்திகளோ குழந்தையின் நலன் பற்றியதாகவே இருக்குமென்பதைக் கருத்திலிருத்த வேண்டும்.
FIL GDITTJ6b 17.
குழந்தையின் கல்வி வாழ்வில் ஏற்படும் தேவைகளைப் (வேண்டிய புத்தகங்கள், தளபாடங்கள், உடை, வைத்திய நிவாரணம் முதலியன) பூர்த்தி செய்தல் பெற்றாரின் கடமையாகும். முக்கியமாகக் குழந்தையில் காணப்படும் குறைகள், வைத்திய பரிசோதனைக்குப் பின் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்ட குறைகள் சம்பந்தமான வற்றிற்கு உடனடியாக நிவாரணம் தேடுவது குழந்தையின் கல்வி வளர்ச்சிக்கு மட்டுமன்றி குழந்தையின் வாழ்க்கைக்கே ஒரு நன்மை பயக்கும் செயலாக அமையும்.
JL 6ITTIJI5b 18.
தமது குழந்தை படிக்கும் பள்ளிக்கூடத்தில் நடக்கும் சமய வைபவங்கள், கல்விச் சுற்றுலாக்கள், கண்காட்சிகள், விளையாட்டுப் போட்டிகள், கைப்பணிகள், தொழில், இலக்கியம், நாடகம் முதலிய நிகழ்ச்சிக்குத் தத்தம் ஆற்றலும் அநுபவமும் பயன்படும்படி செய்தல் ஒவ்வொரு பெற்றார் தம் கடமையுமாகும். இவைபொருட்டு பெற்றார் தமது ஓய்வு நேரத்தைத்
164 Kokuvil Hindu College

தியாகம் செய்யவேண்டி வரலாம். இருப்பினும் பள்ளிக்கூடத்திற்காகச் செய்யும் அத்தகைய தியாகத்தின் பயனில் தமது குழந்தைக்கும் பங்குண்டு என்பது மனதுக்கு ஒரு நிறைவை அளிக்கின்றது.
FIL GDITTIJbib 19.
பள்ளிக்கூடத்தின் வளமாகிய விளையாட்டு மைதானம், பாடசாலைப் பூங்கா கட்டடங்கள், உபகரணங்கள் முதலியவை எதிர்காலச் சந்ததியினரின் தேசிய சொத்தின் ஒரு பகுதியாகும். எனவே, அவற்றைப் பேணிப் பாதுகாப்பதற்கான திட்டங்களைப் பள்ளிக்கூட அதிபரோடு சேர்ந்து உருவாக்குவது ஒவ்வொரு பெற்றார் தம் கடமையாகும்.
JL 6)ITJbib 20.
மேற்கூறியவற்றைச் சாதிப்பதற்கு பின்வருவனவற்றை உணர்ந்து கொள்வது பெற்றார் கடமையாகும். குழந்தைக்குத் தாயும் தந்தையுமே மிக முக்கியமானவர்களாக விளங்குகின்றார்கள். எந்தவிதக் கல்விக்கும் மேலாக அவர்தம் உதாரணமே அவரது ஒழுக்கம் உருப்பெறுவதற்கும் காரணமாகின்றது. இவற்றை உணர்ந்து தம்முடனேயே பெரும் பகுதி நேரத்தைச் செலவழிக்கும் குழந்தையை நல்ல வழியில் ஆற்றுப்படுத்தி சுதந்திர சமத்துவ சமுதாயத்தின் நன்மைகளை அநுபவித்தலாகிய அதனது பிறப்புரிமையைப் பெறுவதற்கு வழி செய்வது முக்கிய 5L60)LDLLIT(5th.
Extract from
1979 November College Magazine
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EXTRA CURRICU
College Magazine
A magazine for a school is a “Sine qua non” because it reflects the activities of the school year by year. It is really a mirror which reflects the activities of the school. The very first issue of the college magazine by Kokuvil Hindu College was aptly titled "Koku vil Mirror”. It is a forum for young writers to test their skills in the art of writing. Finally it is a permanent record of the growth of the school and its community and will help the future historians to trace the history of the institution.
"Kokuvil Mirror' was the first ever school magazine by Kokuvil Hindu. It was published in English (by the English school which had English as the medium of instruction then) in 1941 when Mr.M.Karthegesu was Principal. Debonairandbespectacled MrNGaneshalingam, with his accented English, was the editor of that magazine. He was a member of the teaching staff and taught English and General Science in the lower forms. He left for an Administrative job in the new paper factory in 1945 and did not return for teaching thereafter. Years later, his wife Mrs.Ganeshalingam also served in this school as a teacher for many years beginning in the Nineteen Sixtees (1960s). Mr.Namasivaya Idaikadar took some boys and girls on a tour in a private bus to Peradeniya. Mrs.Ganeshalingam chaperoned the girls. When

Chapter - XII
ILARACTIVITIES
the party decided to go over the suspension bridge in the Botanical gardens, Mr. Idaikadar suggested that Mrs.Ganeshalingam to stay behind without joining the group in going over the bridge, because of her health. Promptly, she retorted with the remark that "if I can allow the girls to go alone, I need not have chaperoned them from Kokuvil". Such was her watchful eye over the girls in her charge. Another incident recalled by another of her colleagues was typical of the lady. She was in charge of a class of weak students-F division. A School circular was taken round by the office peon. When the circular was taken to her class, she carefully read it and kept quiet. When the students in the class asked her for the contents she said "that it was about annual prize giving and nobody will be eligible from this class. Unluckily for you all, no prize was being awarded for gossiping - if that be so, you will definitely win '. That was her assessment of one of her classes. A special issue of the College Magazine was published in 1946 to commemorate the championship trophy won in football by K.H.C that year There were no issues of "Kokuvil mirror” after 1946 as
there had been frequent changes of Principals at K.H.C.
The third issue of the college magazine was published in April 1948; it was called "Kokuvil Hindu College Magazine" and did
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not continue the name "Kokuvil Mirror'. It was marked Volume -1 as it was the first post-war edition.
Mr.V.Nagalingam was now the Principal and in 1947 Kokuvil Hindu College had 27 teachers on its staff, 6 of whom were lady teachers. Mrs.P. Bhargaviammah and Mr.Parthasarathy were from South India and all the others were Sri Lankans. Mr.K.Pathmanathan, a member of the staff and a son of former Principal M.Karthegesu, edited the 1948 issue of the magazine. The students' Section amongst others carried articles from two H.S.C class students S.Sivanayagam on "My first day in the English School” and S. Ratnapragasam on "Ceylon's First Parliamentary Elections". The magazine also included an elegy in Tamil verse on the demise of Mahatma Gandhi by Mr.S.Velauthapillai, one of the teachers at that time(see page 30) Principal Nagalingam died suddenly after a heart attack and Mr. S. Handy Perinbanayagam filled the void after a few months.
Linga Lights' Carnival was held in the newly acquired School play-ground. during the week between March 24th and April 2nd in 1950. It was one of the best school carnivals and it was held under the auspices of the Old Students' Association at the “Nagalingamgrounds'- so named to commemorate Principal V. Nagalingam's memory. All Ceylon Industrial Rally, Agriculture, Arts and Crafts and Science exhibitions were also a part of the carnival Mr. C. Arulampalam and Proctor K.V.Navaratnam from Neeraviady, a great social worker, were of immense help to the carnival office in its work. Mr.A.Nagalingam was in charge of the carnival office and was in
166 Kokuvi Hindu College

charge of the gate collections and other income. Mr. Navaratnam, in later years, served as magistrate in the courts of Mannar, Kayts and Jaffna. "Justice delayed was Justice denied' was his maxim and he created a record of having cleared a back-log of over 1800 pending cases in 20 months of his assumption of duties as the Magistrate of Jaffna. Such was his commitment and dedication to any work he undertook. A colourful Souvenir and guide of the Linga Lights carnival was issued on the opening day. It carried messages from A. Francis Molamure, then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. H.W. Howes, Director of Education and P.G Hudson, Government Agent, Northern Province.
“கொக்குவில்’ சஞ்சிகை வெளியீடு
1952 இல் கல்லூரிச் சஞ்சிகையொன்று வெளியிடுவதற்கும் அதற்குக் “கொக்குவில்” என்று பெயரிடுவதற்கும் ஆசிரியர் கூட்டத்தில் முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டது. அதன் தமிழ்ப்பகுதிக்கு நானும் (செ.வேலாயுதபிள்ளிை ஆங்கிலப் பகுதிக்கு நண்பர் வி.இராசசுந்தரமும் பதிப் பாசிரியர்களாக நியமிக்கப்பட்டோம். நான் “குயில்” என்னும் தலைப்பில் ஒரு கவிதை ஆக்கி அச்சஞ்சிகையில் வெளியிட்டிருந்தேன். சஞ்சிகை வெளிவந்து சிறிது காலங் கழிந்த பின், ஒருநாள், ஓய்வுபெற்ற பிரதிக் கல்விப் பணிப்பாளரும், இலங்கைப் பல்கலைக்கழகத்துக் கல்வித்துறைச் சிரேஷ்ட விரிவுரையாளருமான திரு.க.ச.அருள்நந்தியவர்கள் கொழும்பிலிருந்து எனக்கு ஒரு பாராட்டுக் கடிதம் எழுதி, அதனைக் கல்லூரி அதிபரின் முகவரிக்கு அனுப்பினார். அதிபர் கடிதத்தைப் படித்து ஆனந்தங்கொண்டிருக்க வேண்டும். உடனே என்னை அழைத்து, மலர்ந்த முகத்துடன் அப்பாராட்டுக் கடிதத்தை என்னிடம் கொடுத்துத் தாமும் என்னைப் பாராட்டினார். திருஅருள்நந்தியின் கடிதத்திலிருந்து ஒரு பகுதியை இங்கே தருகிறேன்.

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செந் தமிழ்ப் புலவ, அணி மையில் வெளிவந்த “கொக்குவில்” என்னும் வெளியீட்டில் குயிலை விளித்துத் தாங்கள் கூவிய இன் கவிகளைக் கண்டு களிப்புற்றேன். தங்களின் இன் கவிகளைப் போல இனிமையினால் என் உள்ளத்தைக் கவர்ந்த இக்காலக் கவிகள் மிகச்சிலவே. உவாட்ச் வோர்த் (Wordswroth) பாரதி இருவரையும் எனக்கவை நினைவூட்டினவாயினும் தனிச் சிறப்புடையன வென்பதென் கருத்து. பன்முறை படித்துச் சுவைத்தேன். பலருக்குப் படித்துக் காட்டினேன். தாங்களும் தங்கள் தமிழ்ப் புலமையும் அதனால் தமிழகமும் சிறந்தோங்குக.
இங்ங்ணம் தமிழன்பன் க.ச.அருள்நந்தி எதிர்பாராது கிடைத்த இந்தப் பாராட்டுக் கடிதத்தைப் பார்த்ததும் எனக்கு உச்சி குளிர்ந்தது. அக்கடிதத்தை இன்னும் பேணி வைத்திருக்கிறேன்.
(This is an extract from Mr. S. Velauthapillai's (Canada) reminiscences of his teaching in K.H.C in the 1950s.)
The Colombo Branch of the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association presented Mr.S. Handy Perinbanayagam an Album ofValedictory Tributes on 28th May 1960. Copies printed in brochure form were distributed at the farewell function held at Sri Kotha, then located in Colpetty. Having read Sivanayagam's prefatory in it Mr. K.Nesiah, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of Ceylon deeply appreciated Sivanayagam's writing skills in English and promptly sent a well-worded congratulatory letter to Mr. Sivanayagam. The above two incidents bear adequate testimony to the high standards achieved both by teacher and student in Kokuvil Hindu College during that period.
In his column "The Principal thinks aloud' in the Souvenir and Guide of the Linga Lights

carnival Handy Perinbanayagam wrote in 1950 as follows:-
"When I left Jaffna College in August 1944, I had no intention of returning to teaching. The decision was meant to be irrevocable. Everything had been done to make my departure from the teaching profession final. But here I am again in the thick of it all once again, as though driven by some inescapable destiny and shouldering a responsibility much heavier than I was accustomed to. To be the head of a free school today (1950) is by no means an enviable task, particularly when the school has little private resources to fall back upon.
Kokuvil Hindu College is in its vigorous youth growing from strength to strength day by day. Accommodation, equipment, library and laboratory facilities never seem to catch up with the need of the hour. The demand for the type of education that the schools are able to provide is steadily increasing and the heads of schools are powerless to stem the tide of this demand. Our students are well over a thousand in spite of our closing ears to the importunity of many who sought admission. These children need rooms, desks, and benches, books, apparatus, playing fields, in all of which our present resources are shamefully inadequate. Those who wish well by the children of this land can do something to change conditions here". Kokuvil Hindu College published the magazine "Kokuvil'somewhat regularly beginning from the year 1950 but not annually.
Subsequent issues of "Kokuvil' and their editors are listed below:
Kokuvil Hindu College 167

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Table - I
E.
Year Month English 1950 March A.R.Rasanaya 1952 C.V.Rajasunth
1956 December A. Amirthaling: 1957 December A. Amirthaling:
1959 August A.R. Rasanay
1961 January Souvenir coni building by T. Jafna.
1961 January V.Rajasekaran
Students section of the magazine carried articles in English and Tamil. It included House Reports, College activities, Scout Troupe and Old Students' news. No magazines were issued for a period of seven years after 1963. The next issue of Kokuvil was published in April 1971. Its editors were M. Kanthaswamy, V. Rajasekaram and R. Mahendran. Mr. C.Gunabalasingham was the business manager. Mrs.S. Supiramaniam was indicated as the only Silver Jubilarian in it. Mr.N.Namasivaya Idaikadar had also been a Jubilarian teacher having taught for 25 years at Kokuvil Hindu College that year (1971). Reference to him and his service record in Kokuvil Hindu College had regrettably been omitted in the 1971 issue. This was an exhibition of bad taste. Departing from tradition, the magazine was issued in Tamil for the first time with a section in English giving pride of place to the Tamil language.
Mr.Perinbanayagam retired in March 1960. Principal Thinks aloud' was a regular column in the school magazine during S.H.P's time. State take-over of school was in December
168 Kokuvi Hindu College

ditors
Tamil
gam S.Velauthapillai Ca S.Velauthapillai ΙΥ1 M.Sinnathamby
M. Sinnathamby agam M. Sinnathamby
memorating opening of new 3 storied Muthusamipillai Crown Advocate
M. Sinnathamby
1960. There was another interruption in publishing the magazine and the next issue was published in August 1976, after a lapse of four years. Mr.M.Mahadeva was Principal and Mr.A. Panchalingam was Deputy Principal. Messers C. Palanithurai, R. Mahendran and Mrs. Supiramaniam were the editors for this issue. Inthe 1976 Augustissue Mr.C.Palanithurai had carried just one verse from the "Omai Anthathy' (Q60)LD 9bg5 Tg5) authored by the learned scholar Silambunathapillai son of Sinnathamby from Kokuvil. The complete work of one hundred mellifluous verses, interse Tamil by that renowned bachelor poet, comprehensively contain the praises of Lord Ganesha. The entire 100 verses had since been traced and published in June 1990 in Part I of Puthukkovil Pirapantha Thiraddu (Liglds(85 rust) îJUbg5ġ5gy' (6) . This valuable contribution by the renowned poet from Kokuvil, popular for his diction in Tamil, had thus been preserved for posterity. Sabaratna Mudaliyar is said to have achieved eminence having learnt Tamil and Saiva Siddantha from this celebrity who had been the Mudaliyar's Guru. A tacit declaration was made by the editors in 1976 that the magazine

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will be annual in the future and the school had kept to its assurance till 1979, and released magazines annually. Later issues of the College Magazines and their editors are listed below:-
The practice of issuing magazines which were consistently sporadic appears to have been abandoned after the year 1981 in Kokuvil Hindu College, probably due to the situation prevailing at that time in Jaffna.
Principal Mahadeva wrotein March 1977 issue thus:- "Delving into the past. I came across
Table - II
Edit
Year Month En;
1971 April M. Kandaswamy 1976 August Mrs.Suppiramaniam 1977 March M. Sivarasa
(dedicated as a momei Senior Vice President (
1978 April Mrs. S. Ramanatha (in commemoration of P Perinbanayagam)
1979 November Mrs. S. Ramanathal
1981 November Mrs. S. Ramanathal
Prize Functions
A School prize giving is an occasion, like no other, in the schools busy calendar, for celebration, recall and renewal.It brings together the principal stake holders of the scholastic enterprise - Principal, Parents, Students, past Pupils and well - wishers. Prize giving tradition was followed in Kokuvil up to 1953
After a long interruption of over ten years, Prize Functions began to be held at

"Kokuvil Mirror', College magazine published by the students in the early nineteen forties. I discovered there the ardent desire of the old students of that period to excel in the noble art of expressing their ideas in black and white. Practice makes one perfect. We are giving our young generation of students the chance to think coherently and lucidly. This will stand them in good stead when they enter into the wider field of life later. The magazine will also be of great help to our distinguished old students who can follow the growth of their "Alma Mater” in different activities'. It is hoped that the college would take steps to continue this noble tradition.
glish Tamil
C.Gunabalasingham C. Palanithurai
S. Thurairasa
to to Mr. M. A. Nadarajah of KHCOSA Colombo)
Mrs. Kanthapillai rincipal S. Handy
Mrs. Supiramaniam
K. Shanmuganathan
Kokuvil Hindu College beginning from the year 1963. The progress made by the school during the seven years (when the College magazine was not published) had however been recorded by the Principal in his Prize-Day Reports for the years 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1967. Major events and achievements of the College, new appointments, retirements, transfers and promotions of members of the staff have all been chronicled in these reports. I could not have access to them as these are not available even in the college library.
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Those who do not win prizes also deserve to be congratulated because they also competed, and unwittingly perhaps, pushed the winners to extra heights to win their prizes. Prizes are benchmarks that are set for the entire group to aim at. They are a celebration of the achievements of not only individuals but also the entire school in which the college takes collective pride. The following guide lines for all students are relevant:-
"Respecting his teacher's wishes, Observing unfailing punctuality, Imbued with loyalty and devotion, The student learns his letters diligently”
Year Name
1963 Sir Kanthiah Vaithianath
1964 Mr. De Krester
1965 Professor R.S.Thanabalas
1966 Mr. S.H.Perinbanayagar
1967 Hon’ble Justice V.Siva S
1969 Dr.TKumaraswamy
1970 SenatorT.Neethirajah
1976 Mr. S.Thurairajah and M
1978 Dr.N.Yoganathan and M
(M.O.H. Badulla) 1979 Mr.T.Manikavasagaran (Director of Education, No 1980 Mr.M.Sivasithamparan
1981 Prof. S.Maheswaran an
(University of Jaffna)
17O Kokuvi Hindu College

Again after a lapse of another ten years Prize Day Reports have been issued by the College for the years 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1992. After another interruption of a few years Prize Day Reports were issued in the years 1997, 1998, 2000,2001 and 2002, 2003 and 2004 by the Principal. The prizes were awarded out of funds specially collected for the purpose from teachers, past pupils and from endowments. In the year 1997/ 1998 the English Union of Kokuvil Hindu College published “The Breeze' an English magazine. Whilst the Science association published "FIUg” and the Commerce Division issued "660os355 Jil it 'It is hoped that this tradition will continue in the years to follow. The chief Guests at the various prize functions are listed below:-
an and Lady Vaithianathan
Sundarams and Mrs. Pamathy Thanabalasundarams
Supramaniam and Mrs.Sivasupramaniam
rs.S.Thurairajah
Irs.S.Yoganathan
d Mrs.Gnanambikai Manikavasagar
)rthern Region)
n (Ex.M.P for Nallur) dDr. (Mrs.) R.Maheswaran

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1982
1984
1985
1986
1988
1990
1992
1997
1998
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
O.S.A. Dinners
High Court Judge Mr.K Mr. K.Sivananthamanc
(Attorney at law) Mr. C.K.Kanthaswami
(Retired Principal of Kok Mr.Saba Jeyarajah and
(Lecturer, Jaffna Univers Mr.V.Sabanayagaman
(Director of Education, Ja
Mr.K.Subramaniamanc
(Engineer) (Retired Depu Mr.R.Suntharalingama
(Director of Education, Ja Dr. Saba Jayarajah and
(Senior Lecturer, Dept.of Mr.T.Vaithilingam and N
(Additional Government, Mr. A.Panchalingam an (Principal Emeritus Kol High Court Judge Mr.Va Mr. K.Ketheeswaran an
(President of Kokuvil Hir Mr. & Mrs S. Kirupanai (Director Seagull Propety Mr& Mrs. K.Vigneswa
(Zonal Director of Educat
The dinner tradition at Kokuvil Hind Perinbanayagam The first dinner in school was Kokuvil when M.Kanthaswamy was its Secr Guests at the dinners in years marked against

Palakidnar and Mrs.Lakshmidevi Palakidnar Mrs.Jegatheeswary Sivanantham
and Mrs.Mahadevi Kanthaswami
vil Hindu College)
Mrs.P.Jeyarajah
ty, Thirunelvely) |Mrs.Pushpawathy Sabanayagam ffna) |Mrs.Suhirthaluxmy Subramaniam y Principal - Kokuvil Hindu College) hdMrs. Thevarany Suntharalingam ffna)
Mrs. Bhanumathy Jeyarajah Education, University of Jaffna) Mrs.Jegatheswary Vaithilingam Agent, Jaffna) d Mrs.Parameswary Panchalingam kuvil Hindu College)
ratharajah d Mrs. Vijayaluxmi Ketheeswaran du College Old Students' Association, Colombo) than
Developers (Pvt) Ltd. Colombo
al
on Jaffna)
1 College was started in 1957 by Mr.S.Handy organised by the Old Students' Association at tary. The following went to Kokuvil as Chief heir names.
Kokuvil Hindu College 171

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1957
1958
1960
1961
1962
1963
S. Sivanayagam Proposes the toast 1964
1965
1967
1968
1970
Decembe
Decembe
January
January
June
July
June
Decembe
February
July
March
15“ ammu al Din inner 1957 December inn Kokuvil
Dr. N. M. Perera arries
172 Kokuvil Hindu College
 
 

r Dr.N.M.Perera
r Mr. Wilmot A. Perera
Sir Clude Corea
Mr. C.Loganathan
Prof.A.W.Mailvaganam
His Excellency Mr.James George
(High Commissioner for Canada in Ceylon)
Dr.K. Kandiah (Atomic Physicist at Harwell)
r C.Ranganathan Esqr.Q.C
S. Nadesan Esqr. Q.C.
Dr. G.P.Malalasekara
Hon. J. R. Jayawardena
(Picture at page 139)
Colombo OSAbids fareavell
Mr. Handy Perinbanayagain 1960
3.

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SCOUTS A
The scout movement was first introduced in Ceylon in 1912 at a School in a Christian church in Matale. The Scout movement is the greatest youth movement of the world and it is deeply rooted in 157 countries including Sri Lanka and counts over 17 lakhs of Scouts world-wide.
FORMATION OF WOLF CUBS PACK
“We were indeed glad when Principal M. Karthegesu told us in 1941 that a Wolf Cubs Pack was to be formed in our College by Mr S.Nagalingam" and Miss.G. Ponnudurai 6). We gave in Our names. Under the guidance of our old wolves, five Sixers were chosen. Lots were drawn to see Which Sixer was to choose his members first. We were happy when Our Sixers were formed. We enjoyed our four meetings, though two of them were disturbed by rain. In these meetings we learnt Something of the fun of Cubbing. The Salute, the "Grand Howl' and the games were interesting. We look forward to
the "Grand Howl' at every meeting.
- by the leading club
(Extract from Page 6 of the December 1941 issue of the "Kokuvi Mirror' - the magazine of Kokuvil Hindu College).
refers to Mr.S.Nagalingam teacher who died in refers to Miss, Gayathri Ponnudurai, pctite and years. She has Since obtained her Ph.D at th Waithilingam Duraiswamy,

Chapter - XIII
WID GUIDES
Scouting
At Kokuvil Hindu College Scout Corps was started in 1943 by the zeal of Mr.V.Sivasubramaniam from Kalladdy Vannarponnai. "Though a Wolf Cubs Pack was in existence, in Koku vil Hindu College, from 1941, it was only in 1943 that the first Scout Troop was formed. On 7th July 1943, it was
Sabramania inaugurated with due General Scout Master ce remony (! Í Chi
auspicious hour. Thus was born Scouting at Kokuvil Hindu, like any other infant it had its own maladies. But by God's grace it has survived them all and it is now a healthy man" wrote, Mr. Sivasubramaniam in June 1966. The flash back page of the souvenir published on the Field Day of 15-06-1966 by Scouts and Guides of Kokuvil Hindu College Support this claim. He was one of the teachers on the staff and was the Scout Master. The aim of this movement is to train boys to be useful to others. Lord Baden Powell was the founder of Scouting founded on 22nd February 1857. Scouting is an attractive means towards developing character and good citizenship among children.
in a motor accident at Point Pedro in 1943,
energetic, who was at Kokuvil Hindu College for just two short e California University. Mr. Ponnudurai was a brother of Sir
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Article III (1) of the Constitution of Boy Scouts World Conference and of the Boy Scout World Brueau states:-
"The aim of the Boy Scout Movement is to develop good citizenship among boys by forming their character, training them into habits of observation, obedience and self reliance, inculcating loyalty and thoughtfulness for others, teaching them services useful to the public and handiwork useful to themselves, promoting their physical, mental and spiritual development."
An objective so universal, an ideal Solofty, a goal so eternal and a purpose so sublime can never become out of date or obsolete. Development activities form an integral part of Scouting incorporating the principle of service. One cannot think of any movement so pregnant with benefits to our rising generation and to our country as the Scout Corps Movement which the world owes to General Baden Powell. It is being carried out properly all over the world on the lines of the founder. It is not an excuse for Swaggering as a soldier.
A scout not only learns obedience and discipline, but is clean in thought, word and deed, is a friend and helper to all of every race, religion or caste and indeed to all living things. A scout trains himself, disciplines his mind and body, strengthens his character, learns many handy pursuits in order that he may be a more useful member of the human race. One cannot be really useful unless one is selfcontrolled and observant. Every weak, ignorant, helpless, idle member of the human race is just like so much dead weight which the rest of humanity has to pull along the way of evolution. The true scout determines not to be a weight and a burden to humanity but on
174 Kokuvi Hindu College

the contrary trains himself deliberately to be a "puller", a helper of others. All religions teach that man ought to help his fellow creatures. Scouting is one of the best ways of learning how actually to carry out that teaching.
In 1965 Kokuvil Hindu College scout troop concentrated on winning the much coveted All Island Flag. Eighteen (18) scouts successfully completed the qualifying tests for the award of Bushmans. Thongs and promotion to the rank of Queens' Scouts. The District Commissioner recommended their names to the Chief Commissioner. Scout strength was over sixty in number, six were in the first class and ten in the second class. The new entrants to scouting were introduced to the rigours and joys of the movement during their camp-outs which were held (1965) at Keerimalai and Kilinochchi. They contributed an item to the Grand CampFire held at Vaideshwara Vidyalayam and were commended by the organizers and the audience.
Mr.R.Mahendran took charge of the movement from veteran V.Sivasubramaniam under whose care the movement flourished in the school during the period 1943 to 1965. Mr. Sivasubramaniam became a non-playing captain and had received the rare award of Long Service decoration in recognition of his long and dedicated service to the movement. He retired from teaching in 1968 and passed away in August 1971.
Some details in ranking and other terms in Scouting in the early years are given below:-
Wolf Cubs - under 12 years (1)Tender foot (2) 2nd Class
(3) 1st Class

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Green Court - before 18 years Presidents Award. (only those with Presidents Award would qualify for foreign participation) Bronze Star, Silver Star, Gold Star Woods Badge - Scout master
Cadets Camping (1) Camporie
(2)National Jamborie
Designations and their abreviations used for ranki
Non-Commissioned officers (N.C.O)
Regimental Sergent Major - R.S.M Regimental Quarter Master-R.Q.M Company Sergent Major - C.S.M Company Quarter Master-C.Q.M
Scouts and Guides of Kokuvil Hindu College held their first Field Day on Wednesday 15th June 1966 at the college quadrangle with Mr. K. Somasundaram (Honorary Chief Commissioner and Vice President of the Ceylon Boy Scouts Association) as their Chief Guest. 21 Scouts were raised to the grade of Queen's scouts in 1965 and they qualified for the much coveted All Island Queen's Scout Flag. The brotherhood of man is the fundamental objective of the founders of world religions and the scout and guide movement is making a good contribution to this grand objective. It is helping in the forward march of the human race.

(3) National Gamborie (with foreign participation) Camp fire is held on the final day. (3rd day of camborie)
Flags used (1) Scout Flag (2) College Flag (3) National Flag
ng in scouting are as follows:-
Commissioned officers
2/Lt - Second Lieutenant Lt - Lieutenant Capt - Captain Maj - Major Lt.Col - Lieutenant Colonel Col - Colonel Brig - Brigadier Maj.Gen - Major General LtGen - Lieutenant General Gen - General
In 1961, Kokuvil Hindu College representatives formed part of the Ceylon contingent to the All India Scouts and Guides Jamborie. In 1965 they were awarded the all Island Community Service Project Shield. This was the first time a school in the Northern Province had the distinction of winning this trophy. Scouting plays an essential part in giving youth a complete education. When Kokuvil Hindu College faced emergencies like fire, accident etc. the Scout Troop and its leaders did their part with competence and enthusiasm. Self confidence, perseverance, integrity, loyalty, courage, and capacity to face and overcome all trials and
Kokuvil Hindu College 175

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difficulties that beset them are some of the characteristics that are instilled into every scout and guide. Scouting ingrains in one's personality the ideal of a healthy mind and a healthy body. The Scouts and Guides did yeoman service during the period the college held its Carnival in 1950. True to the scout motto "Be Prepared', a true scout is ever prepared and willing to face everything in life. The performance in the Yogasana item by the Kokuvil Hindu College Scout troop at the finals of the Scoutorama held in the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the scout movements in Colombo won the admiration and praise of many persons present on that occasion.
Girl Guides
The (World) Girl Guides Movement was organized only eleven years after the World Boy Scouts Movement was set in motion. This piece of history repeated itself at Kokuvil Hindu College too where the girlguides company came into being exactly eleven years after the boy scout troop was formed. As requested by our Captain, the then District Commissioner, Miss.M.Y.Muthiah and the Secretary Mrs.R.Rajanayagam came to Kokuvil Hindu College for the inauguration. The company was started on the 19th of June 1952 and Girl Guides were enrolled on 28th of July 1952 by the Commissioner. It was registered and came to be known as the 33rd Company in the Jaffna District. In 1941 the College was mainly a boy's school. There were only a few girl students and a fewer lady teachers. Moreover the social contextin which the College functioned failed to provide the necessary stimulus for starting "guiding' in the College. It is not surprising therefore that "guiding' arrived somewhat late at Kokuvil Hindu College. The 33rd company performed with pride at Jaffna College on the occasion of the Visit of Lady Baden Powell to
176 Kokuvil Hindu College

Jaffna. In its early days Miss. Gnanapackiam Gnanasundaram (Mrs. Balasubramaniam) was the guider while Miss. M.Tampoe was the lieutenant for two years. During the next seven years Miss. Nageswary Vijayaratnam (Mrs.Thurairajasingham) was the guider and Mrs.S.Ehamparam, the lieutenant. The company had a rapid growth in numbers vitality and usefulness - with a strength of 55 (20 of them in 2nd Class) Badge work was also commenced and 15 Guides qualified for the Cook's Badge and 8 for the Entertainer's Badge.
The 33rd Jaffna Girl Guide company reached the Copper Jubilee Stage (13 years old) in 1965 and made steady progress by working for badges and organizing hikes and camps. The Golden Jubilee year of the girl guide movement in Ceylon fell in 1967 and this was celebrated in Kokuvil Hindu College. Loyalty and service to others, besides training in character are some of its aims which will brighten up ones lives.
Scout stamps had been issued in honour of this great confraternity by many countries including Sri Lanka. Scout stamps have gained much popularity not only among collectors in general but also among all Scouts and girlguides throughout the World. A special badge is given to those of the movement for systematically collecting stamps. To Millions of people, the name of Lord Baden has become an inspiration as the movement he founded has contributed in no small measure to uplift the lot of the young people everywhere. This great man was born on February 22nd 1857. By the year 1941 when he passed away many countries including Sri Lanka had the scout movement well established. The world Scout Bureau has its head quarters in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1962 Sri Lanka's first scout stamp of 35 cents was issued to

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commemorate the 50th anniversary of the scout
mOVennent.
Radical reforms were introduced to Scouting and their details are included in the “History of Scouting” report from the President Scout, Sri Lanka, S.L.S.M. (N.A.Pirapaharan) given below:-
The History of Scouting
The birth of an idea
When Baden-Powell returned to England after defending the town of Mafeking for seven months from the besieging Boer troops, he discovered that many boys and young were avidly reading his book "Aids to Scouting”. Baden-Powell met with various influential people in youth movements across the country, and was persuaded to write a version of "Aids to Scouting” aimed at teenage boys, "Scouting for Boys' was published in 1908. It was initially printed in six fortnightly parts, and sold very quickly.
Baden-Powell had originally intended the scheme outlined in "Scouting for Boys" to Supplement the programmes of youth organizations that were in existence at the time, like the Boys Brigade and the Boy's Clubs. But boys not in other youth movements bought the book, and set themselves up a Patrols of Scouts, and quickly found themselves leaders to train them. It was soon realized that some form of organisation was required to support these Scouts.
The start of a movement
At the out-set the one thing Scouting could not be called was an "Organisation", as it was
* Courtsey:- U.K. K.O.S.A. Souvenir - 2002

far from organized. Baden-Powell was still an active soldier, organizing the territorials in Northumberland, which kept him far from the hub of Scouting in London. The initial rush for membership was handled by Messers C.Arthur Pearson & Co, the publisher of "Scouting for boys' and many of the subsequent Scouting publications and the newly published Scout magazine. It was soon seen that some break from the publisher would have to be achieved to get the Movement the status it deserved. The Movement slowly evolved, being very democratic at the grass-roots level, with the Scout Leaders having a fairly free reign with what they did, as long as it was within the "ideals” of Scouting. The next year the Scout Association opened its first offices in Victoria Road, finally breaking the strong bonds it had with Pearsons. In 1910 Baden-Powell retired from the Army to devote his time, effort and money into Scouting. This year also saw the first census, of Scouts in U.K. which indicated over a hundred thousand scouts in the U.K. So, in less than three years, Scouting had a firm footing.
sexpanding horizons
As early as 1908 Scouting was starting in many of the British outposts of the Empire and it was already crossing the channel into Europe. After a trip to South America Scouting started in Chile. The big step across the Atlantic, and into the United States came more by chance. In 1909, an American businessman, William Boyce, was lost in the fog of London, when a small boy approached him, and offered to take him to his hotel. Once there, the boy refused any offer of money for the service, saying that it was his "good turn” as a Boy Scout. Joyce was intrigued by this and tracked down Baden-Powell before he left London to discover more of this.
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When he got back to the U.S.A. he went about setting up the Boy Scouts of America. By 1918, its numbers had risen to 300,000 and had reached the million mark before the end of the twenties.
Baden-Powell spent much of the rest of his life on World-tours, initially organizing Scouting throughout the world, and later attending the World Jamborees, which have become an integral part of international Scouting. The first of these was in 1920 in London, at Olympia, it was more an exhibition of Scouting, held inside. The second Jamboree, four years later, in Copenhagen, set the model for the modern Jamboree, a major international camp for Scouts from all over the World.
Scouting now has twenty-five million members world-wide and is still growing.
Me tool
Originally Baden-Powell had envisaged Scouting as a movement for boys between the ages of 11 and 18. As early as 1909 Scoutmasters were facing the problem of younger brothers wanting to join in the fun. Some just turned a blind eye to the age of some of the boys. Others formed Patrols and Troops of "Junior of Cadet Scouts". The problem wasn't just confined to younger brothers, but also to sisters as well. In 1909 at the Crystal Palace Rally, Baden-Powell came across a Patrol, who claimed to be "Girl Scouts'.
Initially Baden-Powell was all in favour of allowing girls to become Scouts, but had to change his mind due to the pressures of Edwardian society. It was not considered right that young ladies should be out-and-about, camping, hiking, etc. He addressed this problem by setting up the sister movement the "Girl
178 Kokuvil Hindu College

Guides" in 1910, with the help of his sister, Agnes, and then with the help of his wife, Olave.
The demise of the Boy Scouts. Wolf Cubs and Rover Scouts
In 1964, the Boy Scout Association commissioned a working party to look into how Scouting in the United Kingdom should progress. The General Report of 1966 made radical reforms to the Boy Scout Association which were carried out in 1967.
Firstly the Association's name changed, dropping the Boy to become the Scout Association. The Cubsection dropped the Wolf to become Cub Scouts; the Scout section also dropped the Boy, and the upper age limit was altered to 16; Senior Scouts and Rover Scouts were disbanded, to be replaced by "Venture Scouts' for the 16 to 20 year olds and the "Baden-Powell Guild' was set up for those members who wanted to participate in Scouting over the age of 20, but did not want to necessarily commit themselves to a leadership role. Secondly the Scout and Scouter Uniforms were changed, out went the "lemon squeezer' hats and the shorts, and in came green berets, mushroom trousers, and green shirts for Scouts, and fawn shirts for the Venture Scouts and Leaders.
Finally the training schemes changed, gone were the first and second Stars, in came the Arrows; out went first class and second class, in came the Scout Standard, Advanced Scout Standard and Chief Scout Award; the Queen Scout Award was retained, but no longer was it a Scout section badge, but belonged in the Venture Unit, and no longer was it a case of earning proficiency badges, but included long term service, commitment, and a 50+ mile expedition over four days.

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The changes to the training scheme brought about modernization of the movement, taking into account the greater variety of activities available to the youth of the sixties in comparison to the youth of the first half of the century, to the change in life style and to the change in Schooling, many of the traditional Scouting tests were being brought into main stream education, and so more different challenges were required.
Changing with the times
After very little change in the years leading up to the General report, Scouting has changed in leaps and bounds over the last thirty years. In the Cub section the Bronze, Silver and Gold arrows lasted just eleven years before a new developed arrow scheme was introduced, which allowed Cubs virtually complete freedom to choose which twelve activities they took part in for each of the three arrows. This was again superseded in 1990 by a new award scheme consisting of the Cub Scout Award, Adventure Award and Adventure Crest Award, still allowing the Cubs to choose the activities they wish to take partin, but in a much more structured way.
In the early 1980's Scout Groups were allowed to take in boys in the 6-8 age range to "Beavers' although at this point the Beavers were not part of the Scout Association, only their Leaders were allowed in. This changed on April 1st, 1986 when all Beavers became "Beaver Scouts' overnight. Initially the section had just one badge to earn after the Beaver had been enrolled, but in 1995 a new programme introduced two new badges, imaginatively known as the First Beaver Scout Badge and the Second Beaver Scout Badge, allowing with the Beaver Scout Challenge Badge for the older Beavers.

The Venture section has, on the whole, not changed much since its inception, a few minor changes to names and requirements for the badges name change but that is all, other than the controversial decision in 1976, when young ladies were allowed to join Venture Units. The first time that girls had been allowed into the youth of the Movement since Baden-Powell started up the Guide Movement in 1910.
The Baden-Powell Guild has all but vanished, being replaced by the "Scout Fellowship", a branch of IFSG, the "International Fellowship of Scouts and Guides".
Two controversial changes were also made. The first in the late 80's saw the Uniform review, which saw the sad death knells for the Cub cap and Scout beret, which although they have been gone for over five years still seem to crop up as symbols for the movement. It also gave Packs and Troops the option to decide on a "uniform nether garment". The second (very controversial) saw Groups given the option of whether to allow girls in Scouting in all sections.
The only proviso was that if you allowed girls into a Group that was it, there was no turning back, and they had to have the option of staying in Scouting. So, ifa Cub Pack went mixed, the Troop and the Unit it fed into had to be mixed, but not necessarily the Beaver Colony that fed it. At the moment approximately 5-19% of Groups in the Country are mixed.
'What the future holds
Who knows, the movement is still expanding and moulding itself to the changes in the world. Over the last few years with the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe and
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Asia, the numbers in the movement have expanded in leaps and bounds.
The World Organisation of Scout Movements has 150 member organizations. Scouting is now in all but five countries in the world; China, Cuba, Myanmar (formerly Burma), North Korea and Turkmenistan do not have any Scout movements.
180 Kokuvi Hindu College

All in all it is believed that the total membership over the last ninety years of Scouting (and Guiding) is somewhere in the region of halfa-billion, and that its effects have touched many
OTC.
Source: Scout Base UK 1997-1998. - Scouting History.
SN.4.1°irapaharan President Scout, Sri Lanka. SIL,SM.

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Scout movement - Summar
Old Order
1st Change in Name Boy Scout Association Wolf Cubs
Boy Scouts
Senior Scouts
were disbanded Rover Scouts
Baden-Powell Guild - VanishedFor those over 20 years
2"Change in Scout and Scouter uniforms 1. Lemon Squeezer
2. Hats
3. Shorts
4. Leaders
3' Change in Training Schemes First star ՕՈՇ Second star g
First Class } gone Second Class The Queen scouts Award
A scout section badge
Case of earning proficiency badgevite
Cub Section Bronze arrows
Silver arrows -Lasted just 11 years Gold arrows
i.Sc( 2. Cl 3. Sc
4. Ve frC
5. Re
6. Le
Scou 1. G1
3. G1 4. Fa
Beavers From 1980 (Boys in the 6-8 age range) Bea
Only leaders were part of the Scout Association.
Firs Sec(
Bea Cub Sco Pacl TrO

y of Changes 1967- 1995
New Changes after 1967
out Association
b Scouts up to 16 years
OutS up to 16 years
inture Scouts for 16–20 years old
m 1976 Young Ladies were allowed to join venture
units
placed by Scout Followship For those over 20 years.
ranch of the International Fellowship of Scouts and Guides - IFSG aders.
iter Uniform
"een berets
ushroom Trousers
reen Shirts for scouts
Lwn shirts for (a). Venture Scouts
(b). Leaders
TOWS
out Standard dvanced scout standard hief Scout Award. he Queen Scout Award (retained)
enture Unit
bng term service
bmmitment )+mille expedition for 4 days.
in 1990
ub Scout Award Adventure Award dventure crest Award (after 1995)
ver Scouts
tBeaver Scout Badge pnd Beaver Scout Badge
ver Scout Challenge Badge (for old Beavers)
сар
ut breat Symbols of Movements
CS
OpS } a "uniform nether garment'
Kokuvil. Hindu College 18

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சாரணர் இயக்கத்தைத்
கில்வெல் ே
"தோன்றிற் புகழொடு தோன்றுக
அஃதிலார் தோன்றலிற் தோன்றாமை நன்று” என்று வள்ளுவர் கூறியதுபோன்று புகழோடு தோன்றியவர்களில் அதுவும் இறந்தும் புகழுடம்போடு வாழ்பவர்களின் வரிசையில் கில்வெல் பேடன் பவலும் ஒருவர். துள்ளித்திரியும் சின்னஞ்சிறுவயதில் இயற்கையை ரசித்து அதனை அண்டிய பகுதிகளில் பொழுது போக்கினான் ஒருவன்.இளைஞனானதும் இராணுவத்தில் இணையும் வாய்ப்பு அவனுக்கு கிடைத்தது. வெட்டவெளிவாசத்துக்கு பெருவாய்ப்பாக அமைந்தது அவனுக்கு இது. அவனுடைய சிந்தனையில் ஒரு சிறு அரும்பு முளைத்தது. “இதே அனுபவத்தை நம் தாய்நாட்டு இளைஞர்கள் ஏன் அனுபவிக்கக் கூடாது” என அவன் சிந்தித்தான். அதன் விளைவாக முகிழ்த்தது தான் ‘சாரணர் இயக்கம்’ இதன் காரணமாக அவன் உலகசாரண இயக்கத்தின் தாபகராகி பிரபுவுமானான்.
இளைஞர் சாரணியம்' என்னும் நூல் ஒன்றை
அவர் எழுதியுள்ளார்.
ஒவ்வொரு சாரணனும், சாரணர் விதிகளுக்கு பணிந்து நடப்பதாக தனது கெளரவத்தின் மீது சத்தியப்பிரமாணம் செய்து கொள்கிறான். சாரணன் நம்பத்தகுந்தவன். சாரணன் பற்றுறுதியுடையவன். நேசமும் மரியாதையும் உடையவன்.
மற்றெல்லா சாரணனுக்கும் சகோதரன். தைரியமுள்ளவன். பிராணிகளின் தோழன், ஒத்துழைப்பவன், மனமகிழ்ச்சியுடையவன்.
சிக்கனமானவன் சாரணன் மனம், வாக்கு, காயங்களில்
182 Kokuvil Hindu College
 
 
 

தாபித்து சிறப்புப் பெற்ற
U Loist U66o
சுத்தமானவன். இவையே சாரணியத்தின் 10
விதிகளுமாகும். இவற்றுள் இறுதிவிதி மிக உன்னதமான விதியாகும்.
சாரண சின்னமானது, சாரணன் அவனது கடமையைச் செய்யவும் ஏனையோருக்கு உதவிபுரியவும் வழிகாட்டுகிறது. இச்சின்னத்திலுள்ள மூன்று முனைகளும் சாரண பிரதிக்ஞையின் மூன்று முக்கிய அம்சங்களையும் ஞாபகமூட்டுகிறது.
இங்கிலாந்து நாட்டின் லண்டன் மாநகரில் 1857 ஆம் ஆண்டு பெப்ரவரி மாதம் 22ம் திகதி சேர் றொபர்ட் ஸ்ரீபன்சன் பேடன் பவல் பிறந்தார். மூன்று வயதில் தந்தையை இழந்தாலும், கல்விச் செல்வத்தை அவர் பெறாது விடவில்லை. தாயினதும் சகோதரர்களினதும் அரவணைப்பால் கல்வியில் உயர்ந்தார். 19 வயதில் பட்டம் பெற்று இராணுவத்தில் இணைந்து உபதளபதியாகி கிரிமியன் யுத்தத்தில் வெற்றி ஈட்டிக் கொடுத்தார். இதனால் தளபதி, மேஜர் ஜெனரல் பதவிகள் அவரை நாடிச் சென்றன. இக்காலம் அவரின் பொற்காலமாகும். இந்தியா, ஆபிரிக்கா நாடுகளில் பெற்ற அனுபவங்களின் வாயிலாக மனிதாபிமானத்தை நேசித்தார். அதன் பயனாகவே 1907 இல் 20 சாரணர்களுடன் தனது நாட்டிலுள்ள பிரவுண்ஸ் தீவில் முதல் பாசறையை நடத்தினார். 1908 இல் இளைஞர் சாரணியம் என்னும் நூலை வெளியிட்டதுடன் 1920 இல் லண்டனில் உலக சாரணர்களை ஒன்று கூட்டி ஆகஸ்ட் 6ம் திகதி உலகத்தின் பிரதம சாரணர் ஆனார். 5ம் ஜோர்ஜ் மன்னனால் பிரபுபட்டம் சூட்டியும் கெளரவிக்கப்பட்டார்.
சாரணத்தினூடாக மனிதாபிமானத்தைக் கட்டியெழுப்ப உலக இளைஞர்களை ஒன்று திரட்டும் பாரிய பணியில் ஈடுபட்ட அவர் தனது இல்லற வாழ்வு பற்றி சிந்திக்கவே இல்லை. இறுதியில் தனது 55 ஆவது

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வயதில் தன்னிலும் 30 வயது குறைந்த ஒலிவ் என்ற பெண்ணை காதல் திருமணம் செய்து கொண்டார். பெப்ரவரி மாதம் 22ஆம் திகதி பிறந்தது இவர்கள் இருவருக்குமிடையே உள்ள ஒற்றுமையாகும். வாழ்வில் இணைந்து கொண்ட அம்மையார் சாரணிய இயக்கத்திலும் இணைந்து பெண்கள் சாரணிய இயக்கத்தின் உலகத் தலைவியாக உயர்ந்தார். 1921 இலும் 1941 இலும் எமது நாட்டுக்கான
잊l
8
s
蜀
امی
Qur Troop Leader,
wi THE ALL - ISLAND QUE
al
THE AL - ISLAND COMMNITY
 

இத்தம்பதியினரின் விஜயம் அமைந்தது. தனது 80 ஆவது வயதில் காதல் மனைவியுடன் ஆபிரிக்கா பயணமான பவல் பிரபு 1941 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஜனவரி 8 ஆம் திகதி இறந்தார். ஆல்போல் தழைத்து அறுகுபோல் வேரூன்றிய சாரணிய இயக்கம் இன்று 157 க்கு மேற்பட்ட நாடுகளில் 17 கோடிக்கும் மேலான சாரணர்களை தன்னகத்தே கொண்டுள்ளது.
2
Mas... B. Sribalan
h
EN'S SCOUTS FLAG
l SERVICE PROJECT SHIELD.
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KOKUVIL HIN OLD STUDENT
In Colombo
(Diamond Jubilee - 2004)
The birth of the Colombo Branch of the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association was a direct result of the appeal of the Alma Mater for help when she was in distress. The school was a prey to a fire and on a SOS from Principal Seenivasagam, the old students assembled on 29th February 1944 in Colombo, formed themselves into a branch association and commenced activities. The first year (1944) was one of persistent activity. The old students and well-wishers responded with willing donations to the appeal for funds for the renovation of the college buildings. The second year was marked by collection of funds for the college equipment and building extensions. The benefit show held in 1945 May at Elphinstone Theatre in Colombo brought in an appreciable amount for the school.
In 1945, one of our old students Mr.S.Senathirajah inaugurated a paper factory in Jaffna. It was the first attempt to produce paper as a cottage industry. The factory was located in a large house atPoonariMarathady, Vannarponnai along the Jaffna-KKSRoad. Expertise and knowhow obtained from India and his own training in this field helped him to launch on this ambitious project. Some members of the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College abandoned teaching (Mr.A.Amirthalingam, Mr.N.Ganeshalingam and Mr.TSinnathamby) for administrative appoint
184 Kokuvil Hindu College

Chapter - XIV
DU COLLEGE S’ ASSOCIATIONS
ments in the new factory. Mr.D.S.Senanayake, then Chairman of the Board of Ministers of the State Council came down to Jaffna to open the factory. The school declared a holiday to commemorate the event. Equipped with a political knowledge derived not from books but from the hard world of experience, combined with an integrity and honesty of purpose not doubted by his bitterest enemies, Senanayake in 1947 was able to weld together a conglomeration of warring parties into the United National Party and thus lay the foundations of a stable democratic government. He gave us political liberty, a democratic tradition, economic equality and intellectual and religious freedom.
The Old Students' Association in Colombo was very vibrant and active in the fifties in working for the welfare of the College in Kokuvil. As if in recognition of this, the Board of Management of Jaffna Hindu College and affiliated Colleges agreed to the Association's request and accommodated the Association's nominee to fill a vacancy in the Managing Board that arose in 1949. Mr.C.Arulampalam was accordingly nominated by us and he served as Kokuvil's representative in that board from that time. Mr.C.Arulampalam rendered valuable service to Kokuvil Hindu College both in this capacity and as Chairman of the Kokuvil Village

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Committee and later as M.P. for the Nallur electorate. Providing electricity supply to Kokuvil and other adjoining areas was a noted contribution by Mr. Arulampalam; he migrated to U.S.A and passed away there in the year 1997.
The various activities of the Colombo Association as recorded in their Golden Jubilee Souvenir of March 1995 is given below:-
The Branch of the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association, Colombo was inaugurated in December 1944 by the late Mr.S.Seenivasagam who was Principal, with the help of some enthusiatic old students in Colombo, Messers M.A. Nadarajah and S.Sangarasivam. It is on record that Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami, who was the Vice Principal at that time did also attend the inaugural meeting. Mr.A. Sinnathamby, our Senior most Vice President, recorded therein his memories of having studied at the feet of the Founder of the School Mr. E. Chelliah, confirms his presence at the 1944 inaugural meeting in Wellawatte. The parent body in Kokuvil comes down from a much earlier period. When Kokuvil bade fare well to Mr. M. Karthigesu, the Principal in 1943, of all the functions at the school, the one organized by the Old Students' Association at Kokuvil was the most colourful one. The school quadrangle was beautifully decorated for this.
Mr. S. Seenivasagam who succeeded Mr. Karthigesu as Principal at Kokuvil Hindu College was a man of depth, transparently sincere with utterly independent views in addition to being simple in his ways, warm hearted and generous. He came from a different career, journalism. He realized the

pressing needs of a growing school, he had ambitious plans for the development of the school which had acquired collegiate status only in 1941. But before his dreams could take shape he fell ill and was transferred to a sister institution. Over the years, most of his plans have seen the light of day as a result of the devoted labours of his successors.
Mr.T.Sabaratnam of the Government Audit Office was the Association's first Secretary. He was succeeded in 1947 by Mr. S. K. Murugaiah who breathed little life into the Association. He launched a membership drive and enrolled quite a number of old students in Colombo and other places in Southern parts of Sri Lanka. Members from distant places like Kandy, Puttalam and Negombo attended the annual meetings. He opened a Membership Register and maintained records systematically. He revised the Associations Constitution and this was adopted at the Annual General Meeting of the Association held on 27th June 1948. He promoted love and fraternity amongst the old students of Kokuvil. The monthly Committee meetings were held at the residences of one or the other of the eight Vice Presidents who took offence if any member failed to attend the meeting held at their houses. The Annual General Meetings were often held at the Saiva Mangayar Kalakam Hall at Wel llaw atte or at the Saraswathy Hall, Bambalapitiya. The annual get-togethers were usually followed by tea at an evening social or a lunch or dinner:
The Association which diligently kept track of all the activities of the school, was always alert to see, confront and give solutions to any crisis faced by the School. It also played
Kokuvil Hindu College 185

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a significant role in raising funds for the College in 1945 when two school concerts were staged in Colombo. Again in 1947 it collected funds from the members and helped the Principal Mr.V.Nagalingam with part of the funds required for the acquistion of the land at Kokuvil for the College play-ground. Mr.A. Sinnathamby, refers to the “Jumping of Sides' by the College first from the North (of Puthukovil) to the South in the nineteen twenties and later in the late forties, from the South to the North. As at now the temple is majestically flanked on both sides by the College. The following lines in Tamil by Mr.A.Nagalingam seek His Lord's blessings
1. “கலைக் கூட மிருபாலுங் கதிர்பரப்பிக் கவின் சிறந்து நிலைக்கொண்டு நீடியிட நிகழ்த்து கிருபாகரனே.”
2. பள்ளியிரு பாலுமாய்ப் பாரித்து நிலை கொள்ள
அள்ளியருண் மழைபொழியு மழககிரு பாகரனே.
3. அருங்கலைகள் பலபயிற்று மருங்கூட மிருபாலா
நெருங்கிநிலை கொள்ளவருள் நீடுகிருபாகரனே.
Until 1949 Kokuvil Hindu College had only a rectangular piece of land at the South of Puthukovil bounded on all four sides by public lanes and roads. The South-Eastern portion of even this land belonged not to the school but to the heirs of the Founder Mr.Chelliah. Few people know that one of the early achievements of Mr.Nagalingam was to persuade the owners Mr.Wijeyaratnam family to donate in 1946 their portion of the land to the College. In arranging this, Mr. V.Nagalingam used the good offices and influence of the late Mr.S.Sivanesan, one of our members to whom the Association owes a deep debt of gratitude.
Principal Mr.V. Nagalingam set the tone for expansion of the College by purchasing in
186 Kokuvi Hindu College

1947 a large extent of land for the College palyground. His term at Kokuvil was short. Principal Mr.S. Handy Perinbanayagam, energized by the 1954 fire in the cadjan roofed class-rooms, activated both the past pupils and well-wishers of the College to raise funds and built in concrete the first ever three storeyed building facing the playground at Kokuvil. The Principals who followed viz; Mr. C.K.Kanthaswami (December 1960 - June 1971), the late Mr.P.S. Cumaraswamy (June 1971-May 1972), Mr.M.Mahadeva (June 1972January 1980) and Mr. A.Panchalingam (January 1980 - March 1991) did continue the building construction work as well. Work on the other two wings of the rectangular block of buildings was completed during their period and these buildings (North of Puthukovil) now stand as a monument for their labours. Obtaining the land at Kulappidy to the school was the other far thinking step taken by Principal Handy in his time. This low-lying land was owned by Mr. Ponnuthurai Paththar who had promised to give Rs. 5000/- to the Building Fund and this land was not used by the owner. Mr.Perinbanayagam offered to waive the payment of Rs.5000/- and suggested that he transfers the land to the school, because of its proximity. The owner accepted the suggestion and donated to the school this land. The Dutch Canal that ran through the centre of this land cutting it into two small plots have since been diverted westward allowing the benefit of a rectangular block of land at Kulapiddy for the school now. Mr.M.Sandrasekaram, Irrigation Engineer, one of our old boys helped the school in this. Our thanks are due to him.
When in 1949, Mr.S.H.Perinbanayagam assumed Principalship, the Association invited him to Colombo and honoured him with a lunch at which over a hundred old students

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participated. Mr. K.Kanagaratnam, M.P. for Vaddukoddai at that time was among those guests present. Following a request from the Principal at this function the Association collected funds in 1949 and helped him to equip the College Library with a large stock of books selected from the list furnished to the Principal by the Jaffna College Librarian.
An Old Students Day in Colombo is best described by Sivanayagam thus:-
"In a man's life there are two things he must find it difficult to resist - a pretty face and an invitation to lunch. But while it is always possible for a seasoned Casanova to fathom a pretty face, not even a confirmed Epicurean can know what is in store when it comes to the Annual Lunch of Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students in Colombo. Imagine the scene on the 26th May 1949, at the old Kathiresan Temple at Bambalapitiya. The business meeting is over in the morning. There is lull. Groups of four and five and more are dotted all over the building and outside, some holding forth volubly, others reminiscing of those old happy far off days at Kokuvil, yet others musing, and nearly everybody trying desperately to remember the other fellow's nickname while at school. Lunch is announced. I go and park myself before a plantain leaf in an unobtrusive corner near the wall with a show of modesty, but actually with the intention of getting better privacy to concentrate on the plantain leaf. Everybody is making rough jokes about his neighbour's appetite, thus concealing his own. Some sort of nice thick liquid is served in glasses and we are all attentive. After an agonizing suspence one bright individual makes the discovery that it

is soup - rich tomato soup and we all do justice to our respective glasses. Some of course, carry the noble principle of "Fiat Justitia a little too far by odering a second and a third glass. Rice is then served. It looks a de luxe production in Technicolor under the expert direction of our out-going Secretary Kandiah. First it is yellow rice, then it is white rice and then it is pink, sweetened to taste. Then follows payasam in a gloro ius combination of all colours followed by "vadai' and what not. One enthusiastic alumunus upsets his glass af ‘payasam ”. A thoroughly un fortunate situation that, but he tires to cash in on his discomfiture and turn it to better purpose by odering two extra glasses but is served only one. And then farewell to a wonderful lunch and a happy get-together. There is one fact to be mentioned however. There is nothing in the world that can give one a good Gargantuan appetite as an easy conscience and what do you think gives one the conscience? The fact that one has paid Old Students’ Union subscription of Rs.2/= per annum promptly and regularly of course.”
The school organised a Carnival in 1950 and the Association threw itself heart and soul into it and helped the school in various ways - the generator for electricity for the Carnival was sent from Colombo. Blocks for photographs carried in the Carnival souvenir were made in Colombo by Plates Ltd. The Association played its partin collecting funds for the College Building Project launched in 1957 by the Kokuvil Hindu College Well Wishers' Association in Kokuvil. Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam wrote in his "The Story of the Storeys' (published in Kokuvil on January 27,1 1961) on the occasion of the opening of the New Three Storeyed Building.
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"Past pupils rallied to the call with energy and goodwill. Nearly everyone of them gave a month's salary. Our Colombo Old Students' Association - particularly Messers S. Ratnapragasam and N. Sivasubramaniam then Secretary and Treasurer respectively, ably supported by Vice - Presidents Messers M.A. Nadarajah and S. Sangarasivam and former Secretary A. Kandiah lboured loyally and valiantly."
The Parent Teacher's Association Building Fund of Kokuvil Hindu College was declared by Notice dated 30th March 1971 as an “Approved Charity' by the Minister of Finance under section l 6A of the Inland Revenue Act. of 1963 as amended by Act. No.6 of 1969. Donations to the Building fund qualified for exemption from Income Tax (Ceylon Government Gazette No. 14953 of April 8, 1971). A copy of this Notification appears at the end of this section.
Secretary Sivanatham's report in 1961 read as follows:
In the nineteen sixties there were two noteworthy events very close to us - the first was the unpleasant but necessary task of recording the end of the "Handy Perinbanayagam decade" at Kokuvil and the second was the pleasant and equally necessary duty of recording the ushering in of the "Kanthaswami era". In both these the Colombo Branch of the Old Students Association performed its duty not only with alacrity but aplomb.
On Saturday May 28th 1960, an unprecedented family gathering of alumni and friends jostled in a ribbon and balloon festooned hall at "Sri Kotha', Kollupitiya to
188 Kokuvil Hindu College

say a "tearful farewell" to the retiring Principal Mr.S. Handy Perinbanayagam. One of our Vice Presidents Mr.T. Neethirajah garlanded Mr. Perinbanayagam on his arrival and led him to the platform. Secretary Mr. N. Sivasub ramaniam presented Mr. Perinbanayagam with a specially mounted album cantaining valedictory tributes from a cross section of friends, admirers and past pupils representing people from all walks of public life, including the former Governor General of India Sri Rajagopalachchari and former Governor General of Ceylon, Sir Oliver Goonetillake. The garland of tributes edited by Messers S. Sivanayagam and S. Ratnapragasam was printed in brochure form and copies were distributed to all present. Conceived in haste and begotten in a frency of enthusiasm, the brochure won the heart of all discriminating friends in the alumni as well as outside. The editors were grateful to K. Pathamanathan formerly on the staff of Koku vil Hindu College for his guidance.
The leading columinist "Alice' of the Times of Ceylon devoting five paragraphs to write under the headline "Handy Master Retires" said (June 11, 1960) his old pupils in Colombo have published a brochure which presents a portrait of a rare spirit. The contributions to it are an index to the character of the man. ("Alice" was the pseudonym of the then Editor, Mr. Tori De Souza). At the function itself Messers V. Sivasubramaniam, Acting District Judge Colombo, and S.A. Wijetillake. Principal of Ananda College, Sir Kanthaiah Vaithianathan, and C. K. Kanthaswami the present Principal spoke. The Guest of Honour replied.

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A vote of thanks by Mr.S.Sivanayagam and the singing of the College song brought the function to a close. The day following the function the members of the Committee of Management were hosts to Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam and Mr.Suppaiah, a Vice - President (who was honoured with a J.P ship) at an informal dinner at the Savoy Hotel, Wellawatte.
Later in the year on Saturday, December 10, 1960 we had the Annual General Meeting of the Association at the Saiva Mangayar Kalagam Hall, at which new office bearers were elected. In the night, the old students welcomed Oil አጌ6 Vለy Principal, Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami at a complimentary dinner held at the Central Y.M.C.A Colombo Fort. A Senior Vice - President Mr.A. Nadarajah presided at the dinner, and proposed the toast to Mr. Kanthaswami. Messers P. Navaratnam, M. Subramanian (An old boy) S. Handy Perinbanayagam and S. Ratnasabapathy supported the toast, Mr. Kanthaswami replied. Covers were laid for 108. It is our earnest hope that the association would continue to have close links with the College as it had in the past. The welfare of the School would be a trust which MV 62 will always share. Mr.S.K. Murugaiah took charge of the dinner arrangements and ensured that good tasty food was served.
On December 1st 1960, Kokuvil Hindu College became a Director - Managed Institution. The College was vested in Government with effect from 1st January 1963. With the state take over of the school, Kokuvil Hindu College Well Wishers' Association ceased to function as it could not fit into the new dispensation. Under the new educational setup, the P.T. A had an

important role to play in the development of the school. It maintained liaison between the school and the Government. Building constructions, the relationship of the school to the community and other allied matters came under its purview. A.P.T. A was inaugurated in Kokuvil in November 1961, with the Principal as its exofficio President and Mr.C.Palanithurai as its Secretary and a committee of 14 members. It entered into the life of the College with a sense of responsibility and concern for the well being of the College.
Our Secretary S.Ratnasabapathy's report of April 1971 for the period 1963 to 1970 read as follows:-
"On Saturday 17th October 1964 the Association organised a Complementary Dinner to felicitate Mr.T.Neethiraja, one of our Vice-Presidents who was honoured with a J.P ship at the Gymnasium Hall of the Central Y.M.C.A Fort, Colombo. Mr.S.M.Arumugan, then Deputy Director of Irrigation WCTS the Chairman Mr. S. Ambalavanar, Principal, Colombo Hindu College, Mr.A. Sambanthan (Advocate) and Mrs. Nesamalar Velauthapillai were the other speakers. The 17th Annual General Meeting of the Association was held on May 29, 1965 at the Saraswathy Hall, Lorenz Road, Bambalapitiya. Our President exofficio Mr. C.K. Kanthaswami, Principal of the College presided. The meeting was followed by a social at which Hon.Senator M. Thiruchelvam Q.C., Minister of Local Government was the Chief Guest. The Secretary Mr.S.S.Ratnasabapathy proposed the Vote of Thanks.
The Association also honoured Mr. T.Neethirajah on his being selected a
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Senator; at a Complementary Dinner on 29th November 1967 at the Hotel Tabrobane, Colombo Fort. Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami was the Chairman. Hon. Dr. W. Dahanayake proposed the toast to the college and the Association. Mr. Handy Perinbanayag am and Mr.S.Sivanayagam supported the toast. Hon. Mr.A. Ratnayake, President of the Senate, Hon. Mr. V.A. Sugathathasa, Minister of Nationalised Services and Sports, Hon. Mr. M. H. Mohamed, the Minister of Labour and Housing were the other distinguished guests present. Covers were laid for over 250. We decided to mark the event in such a grand manner as that was the first time an old student of the school entered a House of Parliament.
On 15th July 1971 the Association honoured Mr. & Mrs. C. K. Kanthaswami at a Farewell Lunch at the Saraswathy Hall, Bambalapitiya. The Chairman was Mr. P.S. Cumaraswamy, the new Principal. The other speakers at the function included Dr. R. S. Th an a b a l as u in dram, Mr. E. Sabalingam, Mrs. Rupa wathy Thillainathan and Mr.T Sri Ramanathan. Messers A.Nagalingam and A.Amirthalingam both teachers at the College at Kokuvil, also travelled to Colombo and attended this fuction. The Secretary Mr.S.Ratnasabapathy, who proposed the Vote of Thanks also presented Mr. Kanthaswami with an Album of Tributes. This Valedictory Tribute was also edited by Messers S. Sivanayagam and Mr.S. Ratnapragasam. It was printed in brochure form and copies were distributed to all present. "Mr. Kanthaswami in his reply thanked the association and paid a tribute to the Board of Management of Jaffna Hindu College and affiliated Schools which he
190 Kokuvi Hindu College

described as “one of the most progressive among School Managements.'
For quite sometime Kokuvi Hindu College was an “Assisted School'. In 1960 it became a state School; It is one of the 10,580 Schools in Sri Lanka. This changed the attitude of both the school community, Old Students' Association and the teachers. Two to three decades ago the teachers were dedicated in shaping good citizens. They did not consider themselves as just another set of Government Servants. Private tutories thrived in competition to produce good results. Students opted for the tutory in preference to the school. When the emphasis shifted to the Parent-Teacher Associations, the Alumni Associations lay low. Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students Association (Colombo Branch) was no exception. For well over a decade we had been dormant. In the riots of 1983 we lost all our valuable records. Members were displaced and we got disorganised. Late in the nineteen eighties Mr. Amirthalingam, an old teacher felt that the Colombo Branch had drifted into the doldrums and appealed to the old students to revive and resuscitate it into activity for the benefit of the “Alma Mater'. Later Principal Panchalingam also made attempts to revive it,
but times were not that propitious.
Finally in response to an advertisment in the Veerakesari of 4th June 1994 some old students of Kokuvi Hindu College met at the Tamil Sangam Hall at 5.00 p.m. on Sunday the 5th and revived and reactivated the Colombo Branch by electing a set of office bearers for the year June 1994/95. We record here our gratitude to Principal R.Mahendran and S.Rajeswaran, President of the Jaffna O.S.A. who were jointly responsible for reviving the Colombo O.S.A. It was they who

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identified the key officials and persuaded them to take this responsibility in the interests of their old school. We amended the constitution to provide for a President; membership fee was also revised as Rs.50/= per year and Rs. 500/ =for life. Mr.K. Ketheeswaran was elected President with Mr.A.Patkunam as Secretary and Mr.S.Rajendran as Treasurer. Seven Vice Presidents and eleven committee members were also elected at this meetig. In the present context, whilst Alumini Associations of our College are springing up in the U.K, Canada, Australia, Norway and Germany and taking into account the fact that the road from Colombo to Jaffna has become unfortunately long, the Colombo Branch has to function like those in overseas countries. Our decision to deviate from tradition and elect our President was therefore made, as that would be in the best interests of the institution. The new office bearers acted quickly, launched a membership drive and celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the Association in a fitting manner. As part of the celebrations quite a number of old students of Kokuvil Hindu College met at a Dinner at Hotel Renuka, Colpetty on 10th December 1994 and took a nostalgic journey down memory lane. From humble beginnings, Kokuvil Hindu College has become one of the leading Colleges in Jaffna largely because of the selfless service rendered by a dedicated band of Principals and teachers.
The Golden Jubilee of the Colombo Association was celebrated in a fitting manner. A dinner was held at the Crystal Ball Room of Hotel Taj Samudra, Colombo Fort on 4th March 1995 with Prof. Wiswa Warnapala then Deputy Minister of Higher Education as the Chief Guest. Over 150 past pupils and well-wishers including famous South Indian Artistes Banupriya, Sri Vidiya and Kavignanar Vairamuthu graced the

function. A clourful Souvenir to commemorate the Golden Jubilee was released at the dinner. On the following day, 5th March 1995, the major fund raising event-the musical fiesta “Ramya Ganankal' was staged at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium with his worship K.Ganeshalingam, Mayor of Colombo as the Chief Guest. The South - Indian film artistes accompanied by local artistes performed at this fiesta which was attended by over 5000 music fans. Utilizing the proceeds a Trust Fund in the name of the Association was set up on 29th May 1997 with a fixed deposit of Rupees One Million at the Hatton National Bank (Emirates Branch) Colombo. (Deed No72 attested by attorney-atlaw and notary Mr.B.S.P.Dharmawansa). A Board of Trustees manages the affairs of the Trust. The association records its grateful thanks for all the legal advice and notarial services provided to us free of charge by Sivanantham Associates and Mr. K.Sivanantham Attorney at law in particular.The interest received from this deposit had also been supplemented by remittances from sister Associations in the U.K. and Canada. Utilizing these funds the College was supplied with valuable equipment like computers, sports goods and books for the College library. Two plots of land one (7 larchems in extent and the other of 2 larchems) were purchased by the Trust and donated to the College the former in April 1998 and the matter in August 2001. The second pruchase of 2 larchems was exclusively financed by the U.K. Association whilst the purchase made in 1998 was financed jointly by the Colombo and Canada branches of the Association.
Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami, one time President ex-officio of the Assoiciation wrote from Australia to the writer in May 1995 that the Golden Jubilee souvenir was an excellent
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production and that the article indicating the “story' of the Colombo Old Students' Association had highlighted all the great events quite accurately, and added "Please continue the good work, you are the only link between the old and the new '.
The six-a-side Cricket Team captained by S.Kirubananthan became champions with the old Johnians of Colombo in the inaugural tournament organised by the Northern Sports Club, among Jaffna schools in Colombo held at Colts Cricket Club grounds on 2nd April 1995. The cricket team was later entertained at a dinner hosted by the Treasurer S.Rajendran. Cash awards were also presented by the President to the Captain and two other players for their excellent performance. The President also donated to the College library English and Tamil books to the value of Rs.35,000/= in two installments one in the year 1995 and the other in 1996. An electricity generator costing Rs.44,000/= was also purchased by the Association and sent to the school in September 1995. A sum of Rs. 11,000/= was contributed by the executive committee members of the Association to the College Prize Function in 1995. One of our members Mr.S.Thayalan donated a computer costing Rs.100,000/= to the school in 1995.
Mrs. Soruby Ramakrishnan one of Kokuvil Hindu College past pupils and her husband Mr.V.Ramakrishnan, now resident in U.K. gifted to the college in 1999 their house and land six lachchems,in extent adjoining the college. The Association records its grateful thanks to the two of them for this gift and also express its gratitude to Soruby's parents Mr & Mrs.P..Thevarajah, in London, who played a big partin arranging this gift through the Colombo Old Students' Association Trust for the benefit of their own old school.
192 Kokuvil Hindu College

義
Mrs Soruby Ramakrishnan
The donation of six Computers to the association by the Rotary Club of Jaffna was the result of untiring efforts of Rotarian P.P.K. Kethees waran, Governor’s Group Representative 2000-2001 and Rotarian Panchalingam. With another computer donated by Mrs. Selvanayagi Mahalingam " The Rajaparameswary Technology Centre' has been set up in the house and property purchased for Rs. 1,300,000/- by Mr. M. Subramaniam and donated to the College in the year 2003.
V. Ranakrishnan
Later another 3 larchems of land with a house was also purchased and annexed to the College play-ground. The second purchase was jointly financed by the Old Students' Assoications in U.K, Canada and Colombo and by Kokuvil Hindu College past pupils residing in other cities worldwide.
The new three storied building 120 feet long that has been constructed along the Kokuvil Railway Station road, costing over thirteen (13) million rupees, gives a face lift to the southern campus of Kokuvil Hindu College. It blends well with the existing buildings and harmonizes with the environment and
M. Subramaniam

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contours of the site. Decorations, mouldings and reliefbas figures add life and beauty to an otherwise barren concrete structure. Tiled floors with fans, lights, and other fittings add colour to the building. When Mr & Mrs. Subramanium on a visit to Australia in 2003 mentioned this gift of theirs to Mr. C. K. Kanthaswamy he was Overwhelmed with joy and added jokingly how hard Principal Handy Perinbanayagam and he laboured to raise the funds from past pupils, parents and other well - wishers, needed to construct the first storyed building at Kokuvil in the nineteen fifties. The total cost of that building did not exceed Rs.6 lakhs at that time. The contribution of this magnitude (Rs. 13Million) by one family in Kokuvil sets an excellent record in the history of this College. The Association records its gratefulness and thanks to Mr. Manickam Subramaniam family from Kokuvil West for this most expensive solo gift to the College.
Mr. M.V. Theagarajah is one of the distinguished old students of Kokuvil Hindu College. He started his working life in the Public Sector and later moved
over to the Private Sector having enhanced his qual ific at i on S academically. He recalls with gratitude the training he received in 1958 under Mr. Gould, a Harward
MBA who was on an Mr. M. V. Theagarajah assignment with the Sri Lanka Irrigation Department under the U.S. aid programme and who later became Project Manager, Atlas Missile Project USA.
Mr. Theagarajah proceeded to U.K in September 1959 after passing the Intermediate
 

ICMA examination and completed the final part in May 1960 in the UK. It was an achievement in completing the ICMA exam in one year. In the U.K. he attended the Summer School two weeks residential course conducted at the Cambridge University Lady Catherine College. He also completed training in Associated Electrical Industries, the Electrical giant of Great Britain then. This company was headed by Sir Geoffrey Leighton who had been Commander in Chief for the Far East stationed in Sri Lanka in 1945. He was knighted and became Lord Chandos. Declining the offer of the post of Cost Accountant at the Ghana Government, Mr. Theagarajah returned to Ceylon, conscious of his obligations to his family at home, and joined Browns Group of Companies as a Senior Executive in 1962 While in the U.K he had also worked in London General Motor Cab Company and later as a trainee for CTB at the London Transport. Dedication and commitment to his work was Mr. Theagarajah’s credo. He proved himself and with rapid promotions in his mercantile career he has risen today (2005) to the position of Chairman of Browns Group of 20 companies. It was Col. Sabanayagam who introduced Mr. Theagarajah to late Mr.E.J. Cooray former Chairman whose expectations had not been belied by Mr. Theagarajah. He was President of the Association of Cost Accountants Sri Lanka Branch in 1984 and was also President of the Sri Lanka Division Institute of Management of UK in 2002. He was President of Rotary Club Colombo West in 1979 and was an inaugural member of the Toastmasters Club of Colombo.
He is a devout Hindu who is deeply religious and who firmly believes that Providential grace was largely responsible for his achievements. His reminiscences of his early
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school days spent at Kokuvil Hindu College are given below in his own words.
"It is with nostalgia I record echoes of my memory of the happy days I spent in Kokuvil Hindu College. I joined this College in the early nineteen forties and I steadily progressed in my studies at college until I completed my Senior School Certificate examination in 1948. At that time the school had two sessions. One in the morning and the other in the afternoon. School started at 8.30 am and between 12.30 and 1.30p.m. there was an interval for lunch, the afternoon session was over at 4.30p.m. In the year 1 was admitted to school I lost my mother. I had two sisters younger than me and my father. We had nobody to look after us at home, therefore my father had to marry a second time to keep the home fires burning. To us the loss was an irreparable one and with her went all the comfort and luxurious living.
All students attended school then without any footware and I recall that at noon time on the heated tarred road we had to run almost half a kilometer to our houses to have a quick lunch and return to school to be on time. During that period there was strict discipline enforced in school by the then Headmaster Mr. Karthikes u and punctuality was stressed on all teachers as well as the students. Those students coming late, dispite repeated warnings, would be caned at the entrance. Nobody was allowed to be seen loitering outside the school premises or buying and eating anything sold outside the school by vendors. There was a Malayalee Nayar who was running the canteen where you could purchase tea or a mid-day meal, which you had to order in advance. We drank
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the water from the well by using the well sweep since motor pumps and pipe water was unheard of then. The whole area of the school premises was a beautiful garden with buildings scattered. The garden was full of lovely flower plants., Banana plants and Vegetable plants. Gardening was a part of the curriculum at school; so we had to take part in one student going on the well Sweep whilst another student drew the large and heavy bucket of water from the well to irrigate the place. Some water was stored in vessels for drinking. We were also engaged in manuring, and tilling, the garden etc. Some of our classmates had to rise very early in the morning to water their plots of chillies,
onions and tobacco plants before getting ready to go to school. Sorting out vegetable refuse for compost was central to Our gardening activities. We learnt to rake out glittering but worthless garbage and save potentially fertile material. We had no imported synthetic fertilizers. There was total commitment to gardening and cultivation. In the morning, before class started we had a physical exercise session usually a drill. If any one of the students required assistance in any subjects, teachers volunteered to help free of any payment. In my case I would recall with gratitude Messrs. M. Sinnathamby,
K. Pathmanaban, E. Sabalingam and C. K. Kanthasami who coached me in the subjects after school hours and on weekends.
I owe a special word of appreciation to all of them for the help rendered so willingly and without any monetary consideration. My grateful thanks are due in particular to Mr. E. Sabalingam. The curriculum for Senior School Certificate class in K.H. C did not include Advanced Mathemetics as a subject.
Observing my keenness on this subject Mr.

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Sabalingam suggested that I offer Advanced Mathematics as a subject for the S.S.C exam and I did sit for this subject in that exam with intense coaching by him privately. I used to go walking from Kokuvil to his house situated opposite the Hindu Ladies College Jaffna every Saturday, Sunday and on holidays to enable him to teach me this subject. Meanwhile, he was selected for Teacher training at the Maharagama Training College in that year and he went to reside at Maharagama. However, he continued to coach me by post from the Training College to enable me to do well in this paper in the exam held in December.
During the August holidays, when he came home to Jaffna I was asked to go to his house every day when he gave me intensive coaching for two weeks and covered the syllabus. Further more, from Maharagama he used to set questions papers and send them to me by book post, which I answered and mailed to him for correction and return. The great benefit of having done Advanced Mathematics under Mr. Sabalingam was fully realized by me later when I did the Draftsmanship course in which I excelled. Subsequently, when I chose Accountancy as my profession the knowledge of this subject proved extremely useful. When I look back at the great sacrifice of time and effort Mr. Sabalingam spared to ensure that I pass this subject in my S.S.C examination, I feel guilty that I have not repaid this debt to him in an adequate measure. When I passed the Senior School Certificate with colours the teachers at Kokuvil knowing my family circumstances, offered to coach me to do the University entrance examination in one year instead of the usual two years. Having decided on this

they called me and even offered to help with extra classes provided I agreed to do the University course without abandoning studies and applying for employment. I gave them that promise but unfortunately within two months time I had to go back on this promise because of difficult circumstances at home and decide to seek employment. I remember speaking to Mr. C. K. Kanthasami at his residence and discussing this new turn of events. His response still rings in my ears "I also had responsibilities but when I went to do the University course I found that all those disappeared" He persuaded me to continue my studies but my conscience decided otherwise and I began applying for jobs, following up newspaper advertisements. Ceylon Technical College advertised for a one year full time course in Draftsmanship with a scholarship for good performance. I left school in 1949 to join the Technical College. I applied and with the scholarship awarded I completed that course. Later I had a short Stint at the National Housing Dept in accounts work under the leading Civil Servant V. L. Wirasinghe and also as an Inspector in the Valuation Dept after which I left Government Service and launched on a career in the mercantile sector. The two guidelines that helped me in life are:-
1. "Circumstances are not under our control
But it is our duty to struggle hard with the hope of
SCCCSS But sure in our attempts we are sure to succeed'
– Swami Sivananda
2. "I believe God is managing my affairs
And he does not need any advise from me With God in charge I believe that everything Will work out for the best in the end.'
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S.Handy Perinbanayagam-Birth Centenary fell on 28th March 1999. Our Associations in London and Colombo and Canada marked the event in a fitting manner. The London function was held in Acton Town Hall, High Street, Acton, London W3, United Kingdom. The Colombo function was held at the Ramakrishna Mission Hall, Wellawatte with Mr.M.V.Thiagarajah, Deputy Chairman, Browns Group of Companies in the Chair. Prof. Seelan Kathirgamar, Prof.S. Sandrasegaram and Dr.A.T. Ariyaratne made memorial orations. A hundred oil lamps were lit by a group of ten children studiously arranged by Mr.S.Thavarajah M.P. A dance recital by the students of Natiya Kala Manthir choreographed by Kalasoori Vasugi Jegatheeswaran followed. A commemorative Souvenir, titled "S.Handy Perinbanayagam- A Sheaf of Tributes” containing different impressions of his life and times, was printed and copies issued free at the function. Mr. Sidhartan Perinbanayagam from New York wrote in May 1999 his appreciation stating that "it was indeed a gratifying feeling to see so many people from several walks of life remembering my father so kindly. It is these written testimonials and witnesses to his life and its significance that were valuable. They evaluated his contributions in the proper light and made a permanent record. One could see from the documents published in 1960, 1977, 1980 and 1999 that these are invaluable documents. I cannot but marvel at the editors capacity to elicit tributes even from my father's political adversaries. My Brother and sisters remain greatly indebted to all who have made this function possible, I do know of the love and loyalty that Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami bore my father: they made a strong team, a team work that extended outside the College into our home. Never, I think, was a Principal blessed
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with a more capable, loyal and indeed affectionate associate". Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association is happy to place these sentiments in record.
Mrs.Suhirthaluxmy Supiramaniam, Deputy Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College who retired in Sepetember 1983 and had been living in Canada visited Sri Lanka in September 2001. The association used this opportunity to honour her and her husband at a felicitation dinner held on 5th September 2001 at Hotel Holiday Inn, Colombo. As a token of appreciation of her 41 years of teaching service at Kokuvil Hindu College the Association presented her with a Gold Medal and a certificate of appreciation. The buffet dinner was well attended. The Colombo function was 18 years late; though belated our farewell was genuine. Her ties with Kokuvil Hindu College was 56 years long; a record few can excel; 15 years as a student, 38 years as a teacher and 3 years as Deputy Principal. Commencing from 1927, she had her entire schooling (as Miss.Chelliah) at Kokuvil Hindu College. Mr.Chelliah hailed from the renowned Saravanamuthu family of Kokuvil who published a series of books in Arithmetic for the use of students of that period. That was a time when English education was at a premium. There was stiff competition when she was selected for teaching appointment in January 1942. The Board of Management of Jaffna Hindu College and affiliated schools, recognizing the astute judgement and wisdom of Karthigesu, the Principal, approved his recommendation without yeilding to pressures. She was an excellent teacher. She identified with the life of the school, cheerfully undertaking extra responsibilities. She was good in music and so was her brother

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C.Balasingham who often sang Thevarampiously at the School morning assembly. Her contribution to the success of the school concert in 1945 was no little. At school sessions she had a 'Watchful eye' for excellant behaviour and conduct of young girls in a co-educational institution. She was the first woman Deputy Principal (1980-1983) at Kokuvil Hindu College and was admired for her tact and administrative efficiency. With the exception of the founder of the school Chelliah, she had been under the benign influence of all
1. To equip the computer room five com financed
2. To equip the Audio visual room (a) Telev (b) Vide
(c) Radio
3. For use in the pavilion of the (a) Amp College Play-ground and for the (b) Micr use in the Assembly Hall (inclu (c) Box :
4. For the use of the College Band (a) Trum (b) Melo
(c) Symb
5. For the use of the College (a) Prefe
(b) Class
 

K.H.C. Principals up to Panchalingam's time. Even after retirement she remains committed to work for the progress of Kokuvil Hindu College from distant Canada. The association is proud that she is indeed an outstanding past pupil.
Responding to a request by the Principal for meeting urgent needs of the College the following items were supplied to the school by the Colombo Old Students' Association in the year 2002.
plete computer units (two of these computers were
by the U.K. branch)
ision - 20' Sony O Cassette Recorder o Cassette Recorder
ifier Set - 100 watts
ophones-05 Nos. ding the Assembly Mic & F & M Mic) speakers 02 Nos.
pet - 02 Nos. dica - 20 Nos. ool - 02 Nos.
ct Badges – 50 Nos.
Monitor badges - 100 Nos.
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Purchase of all these items cost the association Rs.422,000/-.
In July 2002 Mr.A.Panchalingam, former Principal and Past President of the Old Students' Association in Kokuvil launched on a fund raising trip to U.K., Canada and Norway. The Association seized the opportunity of his short stay in Colombo on the eve of his trip and arranged a felicitation dinner in his honour at the Crystal Ball Room of Hotel Taj Samudra on 30th June 2002. A commemorative souvenir titled “A.Panchalingam, Principal 1980 - 1991. A Garland of Tributes' was published by the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association (Colombo Branch). This was presented to Mr.Panchalingam in an album form by the President, at the function that preceded the dinner. As a token of appreciation of his dedicated service to the College over the years (from 1941) as a student, teacher, Deputy Principal and Principal, a gold medal and a certificate of appreciation was also presented to him on that day. It was a very grand and well attended function symbolic of the love, reverance and respect his past pupils and colleagues had for him. Their impressions of Panchalingam, the man and his achievements, were recorded in the pages of the booklet issued to all members present at the dinner. Gratitude is a noble quality possessed by individuals and institutions. It is a quality that is often relegated to the backgraound of one's actions, it being a remembrance of things past. Mercifully our ASsociation retains the good virtues of gratitude and had consistently maintained a tradition of giving honour to a succession of Principals of Kokuvil Hindu College. Our members remain rejoiced that Mr. Panchalingam had resolved to continue to work for the progress of Kokuvil Hindu College. Mr. R. Mahendran who succeeded Mr. Panchalingam as Principal,
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Kokuvil Hindu College, was also present at the dinner and so was the present Principal Mr.P. Kamalanathan. Both of them, besides the President addressed the gathering. The presence of three of Kokuvil's Principals at the Same function rendered a charm to this important get-together of Kokuvils Alumni. Our registered membership in Colombo stands at 125only. It is hoped more past pupils will join us in the future.
The story of our Association will not be complete without reference to its founder members who always had the interest of Kokuvil Hindu College at heart. Most of them are not with us now. We are obliged to remember them.
Mr. A rumu ga das Nadarajah had been the Senior Vice President from the inception of the association until his demise in 9th August 1974. It was i is child-hood years that he spent at the Kokuvil School sea from 1911 to 97 under Alliged Mr.E.Cheliah, the founder of Nadarajah the school which was then a feeder school to Jaffna Hindu College. He used to recall the test conducted by Mr.Timorthy Nevins Selvadurai (Jaffna Hindu College) at Kokuvil to select students for the 1st form class in Jaffna Hindu College. Mr.Nevins Selvadurai had a B.A (Hons) degree from the Madras Presidency College. It was during his period Jaffna Hindu College made definite progress. Except for a brief period spent in Kokuvil after retirement Mr.Nadarajah spentall his adult years, OWe fifty of them, in Wellawatte. But distance was no barrier; his heart was always in Kokuvil, with its people and their school. While actively associating himself with the Colombo Old

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Students' Association he assisted every succeeding Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College. With his quiet dignity, his amiable manners and his generosity he inspired se Veral young Kokuvilites in Colombo into selfless and dedicated Service to Kokuvil Hindu College. His home at 48, Rajasinghe Road, Wellawatte was virtually the Association's headquarters and the fountain source of old student activity. After his demise his son Mr. Gurudas donated a silver Sheilal' in his father's memory to be given as prize at the Annual Sports Meet of the school.
Appakuddy Kanthaiya was one of the pioneers in organizing the Old Students Association in Colombo.
As an all-time
member of the
committee Of management of the as Sociation he Sponsored benefit Shows and A. kandin spearheaded the Campaign S for
collection of funds for the college building fund. He played a leading part in organizing functions in Colombo for honouring old students who achieved high positions in life, and to all retiring principals of the College. He was secretary of the Association in the years 1947/1948 and 1963/ 1964. He actively participated in all social activities and was always there at the Thondar Sabai in Maradana during the Kataragama Temple annual festival days to attend to the needs of the pilgrims while crossing Colombo. He was one of the executives in Samuel & Sons Ltd for a long period after a brief shy as a Guard in the Ceylon Government Railway. He died in Colombo in 1982 and his wife and children had emigrated to England and are living there.
 

P.S.Seevaratnam Ratnasabapathy was another of the pioneers who strived to keep the Old Students' Association active and vibrant. He was Secretary of the Association for two spells, once in June to October 1949 and later in the period June 1970 to May 1974. Realizing that the sে Association was somewhat P.S.S. inactive from the year 1964 Ratnasabapathy he volunteered and took up the Secretary-ship in 1970 and gave the association a renewed life. He launched a membership drive (membership fee was Rs.2/ = per annum) collected a Substantial amount of money and redeemed the association's debt to Mr.S.K. Murugaiah, that remained outstanding for a number of years. Mr. Ratnasabapathy was a man of strong principles. He was a dynamic personality always bent on doing service to his School and the community. It was he who lured Ratnapragasam into the Association's work when the young man was just a novice in 1949, fresh from school. Ever since Mr. Ratnapragasam had justified his choice by being Wedded to work for the school's progress until this day (2004). Mr. Ratnasabapathy's devotion to his "Alma Mater was remarkable. As an office-bearer in the Old Students Association he worked hard to help the College in all its activities. His devotion to duty, his scrupulous integrity and his unswerving loyalty among other qualities won for him the high esteem and confidence of his superiors, colleagues and subordinates alike. He was unostentatious in his ways and had sterling qualities. He took delight in serving others. Except for one year (1943) when he was at Jaffna Hindu College, he shared the rest of his
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Schooling between two schools-the Kokuvil Ramakrishna Mission School and Kokuvil Hindu College. He had an abiding love for both institutions. He began his public service career in 1944 and rose to the position of Superintendent of Audit in July 1970. In 1977 he and his wife graced the annual Inter House Athletic Competition at Kokuvil Hindu College as the Chief Guests. His death on 29th September 1978 was a great loss to the institutions he served so faithfully and so well.
S.Sangarasivam was one of the founder members of the Colombo Association. In the 1940s he was the livewire of both the Associations in Colombo and Kokuvil. Though he was working in Colombo he was more ofen at Kokuvil as his family was living there. This enabled him to be active in the two Associations and maintain a good rapport between the school and its past pupils. The Shakespearean thought that "Evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones', does not cover the Old Students of Kokuvil Hindu College. They never fail to appreciate and take cognizance of the services rendered by anyone to the Alma Mater and to the old Students in their collective and individual capacities. Kokuvil Hindu, in the 1940s, was experiencing the birth pangs of flowering into a full-fledged collegiate institution when Mr.V.Nagalingam assumed the Principalship. He sought the assistance of the Colombo Old Students' Association for collection of funds. It was here the vital role of Mr.Sangarasivam commenced. He collected a tidy sum of money on a musical performance and gave it to the
S.Sangarasivam
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College. When Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam planned on a carnival in 1950 to collect funds Mr.Sangarasivam was again there to render yeoman Service as a joint Secretary of the organization, to make it a success it was. He encouraged the young members to Work with enthusiasm and participated in all the functions arranged in Colombo. Mr.Sangarasivam, with the assistance of his lawyer friend Mr. G. A. Thevathurai (Attorney General's Department) did the spadework in drafting the extant constitution for the Colombo Old Students' Association. After his retirement he took up residence in Kokuvil and was a Source of help and guidance in all activities in the school. He was indeed a great son of Kokuvil. After his demise, his family emigrated to Canada and all his children are living there with their families.
S.K.Murugaiah was elected in 1947 as secretary of the Colombo Old Students' Association. He was the second holder of this office, the first was T. Sabaratnam. Mr. Murugaiah breathed little life in the Association. He launched a membership drive and enrolled quite a number of Old Students in Colombo and other places in South Sri L a n k a . Mr.S.Ratnasabapathy proudly claimed that in December 1944 he
∞: *** -- ~:ඤතං travelled down to S.K. Murugaiah Colombo from Kandy to attend the Old Students meeting. Later he accepted work as secretary in 1949 largely due to Mr.Murugaiahs persuasion. Mr.Murugaiah had a knack of choosing the right person. He opened a membership register-alphabetically indexed-and maintained records systematically.

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These records changed hands with every election of a new secretary but they were all lost in the riots of 1983. He revised the Association's constitution and this was adopted at the Annual General Meeting held in Colombo on 27th June 1948. He was an indefatigable worker who promoted love and fraternity amongst the old students of Kokuvil. He diligently kept track of all activities of the school and helped it out of any crisis faced by the school; in this he enjoyed willing support from the Colombo committee. He was the driving force behind most of the activities of the Colombo Old Students' Association. In Jaffna he took the Principal around Kokuvil, Kondavil and other neighbouring villages and collected big endowments to enable the school to provide scholarships to needy children proceeding for university studies. He was also an active member of both the P.T.A and the School Development Society in Kokuvil. He died in 1984.
Appapillai Navaratnam was another very active member in the Colombo Old Students' Association and was one of the leading Kokuvilites. Born on 18th Sepetmber 1924 he had his early schooling at the then Kokuvil Hindu English School and moved to Jaffna Hindu College from where he passed his London Matriculation examination. He then came over to Colombo and was successful in his B.A(Hons.) London Examination from Pembroke Academy. Simultaneously he also passed the L.L.B Examination, but he chose Banking as his profession in preference to being a practicing lawyer. Early in 1950 he joined the Bank of Ceylon as a staff officer and spon rose to the position of Branch Manager. His record of service in the bank was brilliant and impressive as his academic record. As manager he was in charge of Trincomalea. Wellawatte,

Panadura, Galle and Jaffna branches of Bank of Ceylon during seperiod from 1957 to 1971. The Bank appointed his as Regional Manager of the Northern Region in 1972, in which capacity he served till 1976 when he was assigned as Chief manager of the London Branch. He was elevated to the position of Assistant General Manager in 1977. He retired as a Deputy General Manager of Bank of Ceylon in 1981. Without opting for reclusive retirement he joined the National Savings Bank in 1981 and worked as its General Manager till January 1984. Because of his wide knowledge of all aspects of Commercial Banking he was engaged as a consultant at the Bank of Oman for an year. From 1985 he also served as UNDP Housing Finance Expert and was stationed at Dhaka till 1987. Despite having held all these impressive and exacting positions, he was a very self-effacing, simple and religious minded person. He was also modest, unassuming and completely devoid of any intellectual pretensions. His dedication, loyalty and total commitment for the job earned him respect and praise. He was very helpful in the fund raising campaign in the fifties by the Old Students' Association, and willingly allowed the use of his car to do the rounds in door to door collections then. He was honoured by school as Chief Guestin one of its dinners in the School. He passed away on 2nd October 2001.
Besides the above six gentlemen who were actually the "king-pins' of the Colombo Old Students' Association there were numerous others who had been of tremendous assistance and encouragement to the Association. Mentioning names is invidious; but the above men had set a tradition in working steadfastly for the welfare of the College which has to be recorded as it is worthy of emulation.
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S. Arulpragasam was another of our distinguished old students. He joined the Clerical Service and served in Kandy Kachcheri for a long time. He rose to class I in the service when he was transferred to the Colombo Port Commission. In his student days he devoted some time to the study of astrology and became an expert in it. He was introduced to astrology by the famous Panchakshara Kurukkal of Kokuvil. V. Gnanasundaram(d56f) was another of the Kurukkal's students who became a leading astrologer in Kokuvil. Besides being a dedicated Public Servant, Mr. Arulpragasam devoted his leisure hours to the practice of astrology. Gradually he rose to eminence in this field. People in Sri Lanka believe in predictions of astrologers and planetrary position experts in relation to their times and dates of birth. In the Port Commission he was promoted as an Assistant Director and was sent to serve in Galle. Mr. Arulpragasam was an expert in Palmistry as well. I vividly remember an incident in my own forecast by him. Both of us were travelling in the same compartment in the train from Kandy to Colombo in March 1949. While in the moving train he read my palm casually and predicted that I will not continue in the General Clerical Service. I could not accept this prediction then as I did not have much faith in palmisty or astrology. Besides I had turned down selections for appointments in Railways, Surveyors and Postmasters services that year and had consiously chosen the career in the General Clerical Service. He did not react to my dismissal of his prediction and we parted company. I realized that years later in 1954 his prediction came true. The Central Bank established in August 1950, invited applications for permanant jobs there to which I responded and I was appointed to the Central Bank service in June 1954 - a service that did not exist in 1949 at the
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time of his prediction. This incident convinced me of Mr. Arulprgasam's talent in palmistry. He retired from the Public service in 1982 and devoted his full time for consultations in astrology from his house at Nugegoda. To some of his consultants he even recommended certain poojas in temples and rituals in mitigation of the impact and many of his clients saved themselves from calamities by faithfully abiding by his advice. Later, he became very popular in Colombo as a renowned astrologer whose services were eagerly sought after by many VIPS like Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ministers and other important personages. He was so much in demand that people had to wait for weeks to secure appointment dates for a consultation with him.
He belonged to a noble Hindu family from Kokuvil-the Kathirithambys who were one of the early trustees of Puthukkovil. Mr.S. Gnanasekaram the famous amateur dancer was his eldest brother. Mr. Arulpragasam was deeply religious and was an ardent devotee of Lord Murugan at Puthukkovil. It was at his suggestion that the Temple Paripalana Sabai got up in 1983 a Tamil translation of the "Sanskrit Sloka' Subramaniyar Sahastra namam” He emigrated with his family to Australia in 1990 and established his popularity in astrology there as well. He often subscribed valuable articles to the Tamil newsheet '9 guh' in Australia. He maintained contact with the writer and contributed his share in developing the temple at Kokuvil. His devotion to this temple was such that just before a fortnight of his demise in October 1999 he senta remittance to the temple. Balasubramaniam was another elder brother of his; who was an ardent - devotee of the Gnana Vairavar Temple at Thailayali Kokuvil. The renowned Tamil scholar Silampunathapillai had composed devotional

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hymns on the dities Lord Vinayagar and Lord Gnana Vairavar presiding at this temple. The three brothers, Gnanasekeram, Balasubramaniyamand Arulpragasam were all past pupils of K.H.C and we are proud of their achievements. Their father Sinnathurai's (fondly called M.S. Thurai) compilation of usiT60fc5 5.50p60.055). G' Was a prescribed textbook in Hindu Schools all over the island in the first half of the 20th century
Kalabooshanam K. Kathirgamathamby J.P. (all Island) was one of the distinguished old Students Of Koku vil Hindu College. The Kalabooshanam award was made to him in May 2000 in recognition of the eminance attained by him as Designer Stage Sets, Costumes * Props etc. “Kaa Kalabooshanam Stage' was the name of K. Kathirgamathamby his organization. He is the only student from Kokuvil Hindu who boldly Ventured in the field of art, made it the profession of his life and emerged successfully into eminence. In June 1947 he matriculated from Kokuvil Hindu College and moved to Colombo and attended Lawrie Muthukrishna's Polytechnic at Wellawatte to prepare for his Intermediate examination. Interrupting his studies he joined the Postal Department in 1950 after working in the Bank of Ceylon for a short period. When knowledge of Sinhala was made compulsary he retired in 1963 under the language option granted to public Servants. Meanwhile he joined the school of Fine Arts, when David Paynter was its Principal, and followed the three year evening course. Artist Kandiah guided him in line drawing, painting etc. P.M. Vedanayagam, Director of Kala Bawana
 

Films advertised for “a man with histrionic talent' as he was toying with the idea of producing a Tamil Film. K.Thamby responded to this advertisment and was selected to assist the producer A.M.Joseph. The film "Hamlet in Tamil Styled 'J, L60)LDLS siT 6T6i. 60) su' was produced at Ceylon Studios Kirula Road, Narahenpita with J.A. Vincent as Art Dierctor and A.T. Arasu as the Chief cameraman. At the re-recording Stage Vethanayagam the Director passed away and completion and screening of the film fell on the rest of the team. The film attracted a large audience and was a great Success. With that encouragement and enthusiasm the same team produced two other films “நிர்மலா” and “குத்துவிளக்கு’. Kathirgamathamby as Production Manager played an important role in all these productions. Being a man with communist leanings, he joined the Red Cross Society, headed by Mrs. Punitham Thiruchel vam, as a Junior Counsellor. In that capacity, he was assigned for duty (day and night) in the Refugees camp set up at Royal College, Colombo following the race-riots of 1958. He was also one amongst the staff of the Red Cross Society assigned for duty at Horagolla when the assassinated Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranayake was laid to restin 1959; it was a memorable experience for him.
Abandoning work at the Red Cross Society, he opted to be a Free Lance Stage Designer and made good progress in the solo effort. At this stage luck followed him and he was co-opted in the production of the play "Room to Let' directed by Zuhair Hameed and staged at the Y.M.B.A Hall in Borella. Kathirgamathamby was at his best in this production; it was chiefly his role in this production that introduced him to the Drama Circle. His
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popularity in this field spread far and wide and his services were often sought after for stage decoration in Colombo and out-stations. "Stage Entertainers” operating from 27/3, Sagara Road was one of his concerns. "Trend Arts' was set up after July 1983 and operated from the same address with Kathirgamathamby as the proprietor. Kokuvil Hindu College is indeed proud that it produced such a talanted artist. He died on 9th February 2004.
Another of our past pupils of International fame is Mr.S.Sivanayagam. He was a working journalistin Colombo for 30 years. He later became an advocate of the Tamil cause through his writings. His brilliant writing skills were admired by many. Born under British colonial rule in Jaffna in 1930, he has had a chequered writing career spanning nearly half-a-century. He has been on the editorial staff of two Colombo newspapers, the Ceylon Daily News (19531955) and dhe Ceylon Daily Mirror (1961-1969). He had worked as English language copy writer at J.Walter Thompson Advertising Agency, and was Editor (Publications) at the Ceylon Tourist Board. Mr. Sivanayagam was the foundereditor of the Jaffna-based "Saturday Review', which was banned by the Sri Lankan Government on July 1st 1983; fleeing to India as a refugee he soon headed the Madras branch of the Tamil Information Centre, London. While in India, he edited the fortninghtly Tamil Nation launched by his friends of Tamil Forum Ltd in London. Previously he had written for the Tamil Times, London and later for the Tamil Voice
S.Sivanayagam.
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International, London under the pen name "Kurushetran'. Saturday Review had been important in drawing attention to the abuse of Tamils during the years of unrestricted power the Jayawardene Government initially employed. S. Sivanayagam suffered torture and detention both in Sri Lanka and later in India. Incarcerated in India for one yearjail term under the National Security Act, and further detained under police guard at the Madras hospital for six months for no other reason than the fact that his views were found unpalatable to the establishment he left the country (India) under duress in January 1993. "Sivanayagam seemed a humane man in the days of the Saturday Review, and doubtless he is one still, but his experiences have scarred him to an extent that his language in his writings indicates a brutality. Having criticized earlier Tamil leaders as 'compromisers, Neelan Thiruchelvam he described as a 'Collaborators. The concept of revenge is not something one can critisise on absolute principles, if one has not suffered in the same way as the Sivanayagams of this world. The act of revenge should be condemned not only on moral grounds but because otherwise the cycle will only get worse leading to total destruction'. Having spent the next one and a half years in Singapore, Hong Kong and several African countries, he sought political asylum in France in June 1994. While in Paris, he edited the newly launched monthly journal, Hot Spring, which later shifted base to London. While shuttling between Paris and London, he continues to write under his name. A collection of his writings entitled "The Pen and The Gun" was published in England in 2001 by the Tamil Information Centre. He also worked on a book titled "Sri Lanka-Witness to History - a

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Journalist's memoirs. 1930 -2004'. 'The second book was released at a function in Tooting, U.K. on 12th February 2005.
But for two years 1950 and 1951 spent at Jaffna College, Vadukkoddai in the H.S.C class at the instance of Mr.S. Handy Perinbanayagam, Sivanayagam had his entire schooling at Kokuvil Hindu College. Regarding his student days at Kokuvil he wrote:-
There was one occasion I can remember when my idea of giving personal touch did not however end in much of a success. I was then in my senior form at Kokuvil Hindu. Mathematics was to me, as it is now, what a matador's red flag is to a bull. And homework in any subject was not my cup of tea either. So that after two consecutive lapses with my homework, I made a brave effort, worked off the few Algebra sums set for us and took the exercise book to class, with the sort of a feeling a Jaffna father would get after being blessed with girl triplets, glad that one has accomplished something big, but nevertheless a "sinking' feeling-get what I mean? I could not forgive myself in a way. So I wrote on top in bold block letters with suitable embellishments "HOME TASK” with a deliberate emphasis on the word "Task". Needless to say my idea was to give an exclusive personal touch to the broad conception of home work. My mathematics
* Mr. Nerville Jayaweera, a former senior civil servant in Sri
a few days ago, at a very largely attended meeting at which I w journalist, Mr. S. Sivanayagam one time editor of the Saturday Mr. Sivanayagam himself refer to Vernon Abeygekara as a fa endeared himself to the political leaders and to the people of Jay just prior to Vernon, during a time when administering Jaffn vouch that was no mean achievement. Mr. Nadesan Sathiyend informed and experienced journalist who maintained the hi researched and contain indisputable truths in a historical backg Sri Lanka and India Sivanayagam in his reply compared authc to be carefully nursed from conception to child birth.

teacher had a sharp eye, and a sharper mind. He looked at me sadly, with a sort of 'good man fallen among robbers' expression. As a matter of fact he often used to look at me that way. "Here" he said, stretching his Parker 51, "Strike off that word "task". Now by nature I have always been an obliging type. So I struck the word 'task" off write there work, he said. I did him that favour too. I cannot expect my teacher to remember such a trivial incident now, but it was I admit, quite a blow to my age, at that time." But I did realize in my later days in school that regular homework is an essential element of learning and contribute to the development of solid study habits
Mr. M. Sinnathamby who taught me Tamil in later years was a different kind of personality. Full of vim and vigour, walking with a rhythmic spring in his gait, his thyroid "hump" at the nape of his neck bobbing up and down as he walked, just above the neck line of his national, he was a likeable "terror" in the classroom and outside. He always remained "M.S" to the students out of his earshot (we did not think it disrespectable to refer to him by his initials). He wore a thick gold ring in the third finger of his right hand, and while he taught I always made it a point to watch his right hand knuckles more than his face because one was not sure when they would come down heavily on one's head with a hard knock. There were times when I
Lanka wrote in February 2005 from Kent England, "It was only as present, convened in London to pay tribute to a great Tamil Review and the paper "Hot Springs" that I was pleased to hear ir minded and imprtial administratior as G.A. Jaffna. Vernon fna district as a whole and having served as G.A. Jaffna myself, a would have taken the ingenunity of any administrator, I can ra speaking at the function declared that Sivanayagam is a well ghest integrity of the profession. Since his writings are well round his views were found unpalatable to the establishments in rship of a book to the agonies in the delivery of a baby that has
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managed to duck in time, before the knock reached my cranium, but the alternative was worse when he grabbed the ear instead with a three finger twist. The heavy ring made matters worse. But well earned knocks and twists they turned to be, when I found myself in the Government Senior School Certificate examination of December, 1947 bagging a Distinction in Classical Tamil. They had another paper called Modern Tamil considered less difficult. Well M.S. is no more with us - the living. It is of course foolish to live in the past, but it is certainly good therapy to re-live the past occasionally".
When construction of the first threestoreyed building was completed and the building declared open in January, 1961. Sivanayagam WTOte:–
"There is nothing in this world so good as fulfillment. But fulfillment itself is not a static conception. It is as prismatic as the thousand faces of man and as elusive. Many a mediocrity throws himself into pedestrian pursuits with increasing labour, and gropes his hands towards, what he believes, is fulfillment. Mahatma Gandhi sought fulfillment in truth, and Saint Thyagarajah believed in the attainment of moksha through music. We all seek fulfilment in our own ways, and so does an institution after a time. Born inanimate, with brick and mortar, and then some day, somebody, breathes a little life into it. It takes on shape, it sends out roots, it begins to move and then it becomes a living body. Only then, the struggle for fulfillment starts, we at Kokuvil Hindu College are now witnessing that phase. But why do I say that? In my opinion, the most noble means of fulfillment, was that of the celebrated bird in Arabian fable the phoenix. According to
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legend, the Phoenix burned itself every five hundred years. Koku vil Hindu College burned itself every five years and like the Phoenix, emerged from its own ashes, rejuvenated. And now today, we have put ourselves beyond fire and ashes. And so the struggle for fulfillment starts. It is perhaps this consciousness of the Phone ix-like attribute of Kokuvil Hindu that made our erst while Principal, Mr. S. Handy Perinbanayagam Once give expression to what remains as the most eloquent comment on those recurrent fires. He is stated to have surveyed the ashes of a five years ago, in non committal fashion, picked up a still burning cinder and lighted his cigar with it. That symbolized the beginning of the birth pangs of another rejuvenation of our "Alma Mater". She has never looked back from then on", Kokuvil Hindu is indeed proud of Sivanayagam and his achievements.
Prof M. Sundaralingam was one of the most distinguished old students of Kokuvil Hindu College. He was professor. Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and became the Director of
Biological Í11 a C1'O-- molecular Structure Centre at the Ohio State University, Colombus, Ohio. He perfomed intensive research in the field of Xray crystallography. He used his vast knowledge to determine the molecular structure of biological molecules such as necleic acids and their constituents. He was a world renowned leader in this field. He had his early education in Taiping. Malaya. On arrival in Sri Lanka in 1947 he
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continued his studies at KHC where he was one of the favourite students of Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami. He entered the University of Ceylon Colombo from K.H.C and obtained his degree in 1956. At the age of 26, he ventured to America in 1958 by steamship to further his education. In three years he obtained a PhD in Chemistry with crystallography at the University of Pittsburgh. Professor Sundaralingam held academic positions at Several prestigious institutions:- University of Washington. Seattle, Harward University, Case western Reserve University, University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Oxford university. Among his honours were a John Simon Guggenheirim Foundation fellowship 1975-76 and University of Pittsburgh Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award, 1986, He was among the top 300 of the 1000 most cited Scientists for work published from 1965-1978. He was given the position of Ohio Regent's Eminent Scholar in 1990. He officially retired in December 2002. He had contributed nearly 300 papers in prestigious scientific Journals. Dr. Sundaralingam had true greatness. He had helped by sponsoring many of his relations and friends to go over to America. He loved his family. While holidaying in Sri Lanka at the Nilaveli Beach Hotel in Trincomalee his wife Indra and he were swept to death on the morning of December 26,2004 when the Tsunami * waves hit the eastern coastline of Sri lanka. Indra Sundaralingam an alumini of the Madras University was married to the Professor in September 1966. They are surived by three Children Sharmini, Rohan and Mohan. His demise under tragic circumstances is a great
'The worst ever national Tragedy struck Sri Lanka at 9. tidal wave flattened a coast line Dr. Sundaralingam and his w Trincomalee, when a giant wall of water caused by the mos Savage Tsunami set off by an earthquake in an area of o waves 30 ft high raced across the Indian Ocean and crashe fishing boats and cars. The huge waves pitched boats into ti buses and trains. In Sri Lanka, entire fishing villages, built fr a million people homeless as they fled before the advanci

loss to the family, our school and the country. The children are comforted by the thought that their parents perished together in their homeland.
"Every blade in the field, every leaf in the forest lays down its life in its season, as beautifully as it was taken up'
Justice Krishnapillai Palakidnar was another distinguished old boy of K.H.C he was appointed to the high post of President of the court of appeal in 1991 and he retired in the early nineties. He was a true gentleman practicing his Hindu religion to the very letter while attending to his duties as husband and father with devotion. Carrying himself always with an air of quiet dignity he won respect everywhere without commanding it, never letting the fact that he had attained the pinnacle of his legal career get in the way of dispensing goodwill and compassion wherever and whenever necessary. A man of sober habits and quiet intellectuality, Justice Palakidnar will ever be remembered for the fine qualities as a human being that he possessed and which he passed on to all who came in contact with him.
Justice Krishnapillai Palakidnar
Palakidnar was inspired by the very high Standards set by Mr. C.Ranganathan
10am on Sunday 26th December 2004. Tsunami - the great fe (on holiday) were swept to their death in Nilavely Beach, t powerful sea - bed earth quake devastated the region. The
400km west of North Sumatra at 6.55am local time with i into the coasts of Sri Lanka carrying away houses, hotels, les, washed away villages and resorts and carried off lorries om wood andpalm fonds were erased from the map leaving g waves.
Kokuvil Hindu College 207

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P.C.Palakidnar practiced at the Bar for about 10 years and thereafter joined the Judicial Service as a magistrate. He served as magistrate and District Judge in different parts of the island for several years before he was appointed as a Judge of the High Court in the Eastern Province as well as in the Western Province. With his wide experience at the Bar and as a Trial Court Judge he proved to be an excellent Appellate Court Judge and so it was when he was appointed a
漆
Appproved Charity Notification.
Extract from the "Cey. No. 14,953 o L. D.-B. 7/63
The Imland Revenu Notice unde
By virtue of the powers vested in me by sec as amended by Act, No. 6 of 1969. I Nanaya
do by this notice, declare each institutions charity for the purposes of that section.
Colomb, 30th March, 1971
SCH
1. The Dr. George H. Wickramanayake, Scho 2. The Kokuvil Hindu College Parent- Tea
4-447
2O8 Kokuvil Hindu Colle

Judge of the Court of Appeal in 1987 and President of the Court in 1991. He was endowed in full measure with the essential attributes of a Judge, namely, impartiality, integrity, and a strong sense of fairness and Justice. He maintained the rich traditions of the Bench he was heir to. He died on 2nd June 2001. Mrs.Luxmidevi Palakidnar is a renowned carnatic musician and has held many solo music recitals to the appreciation of large audiences in Colombo.
on Government Gazette' f April 8, 1971)
le Act, No. 4 of 1963 r Section 16A
tion 16A of the Inland Revenue Act No. 4 of 1963,
kkara Pathirage Martin Perera, Minister of Finance, pecified in the Schedule hereto to be an approved
N. M. Perera
Minister of Finance.
EDULE
arship Fund. hers Association Building fund.

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096 I - HORIVW LNGIWGIOVNVW HO GIALLIW WOO (HONVH8 OAWOTOO) V‘S’O‘O‘’’H’XI
 

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Kokuvi Hindu College2O9

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suɔquuəW əəŋsuuuuoƆ əAsąnɔəxo(ųɔue Ig.oquuoIoD)Ꮩ*S
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Page 233
goozoooz suɔu oặeưew go ɔɔŋsuuuuoo (ųɔueig oquoIoO) v S’O5thosi
 

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Kokuvil Hindu College 211

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COLOMBO O.S.A BHD'S FAREWELL TO
VICE PRINCIPAL ON
Seated L to R: Mrs Rajendran, Mrs Bhuvane Vice - Principal), Mrs Kathirgamathamby, Mrs. Sanjeevaraj Standing : S. Rajendran, K. Raveendran, S. S. SaravanabavWan, V. Bhuvanesan.
Participants at th
212 Kokuvil Hindu College
 
 

MRSS. SUPIRAMANIAM FORMER SEPTEMBER 5, 2001
san, Mrs Raveendran, Mrs Supramaniam (former Mrs.N. Ratnapragasam., Mrs. Saravanabawan,
Ratnapragasam K. Ketheeswaran, S. Patkunan,
e farewell Dinner

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In The UK
Our Branch Association in the UK was founded in the year 1992 consequent to the enthusiasm and dedication of a group of old students, teachers and well-wishers resident in the UK. The seed for the conception of a Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association in the UK was sown on 15th September 1991, following a friendly cricket match against Jaffna College past pupils in the U.K. Since then a lot of work was done by the founder members which resulted in the inauguration of the alumni association of Kokuvil Hindu College under the title “Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association (UK)' on 19th April 1992. The association received messages of rejoicing and congratulations from past pupils in Kokuvil, Colombo and Australia as well as from Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami, our emeritus Principal. The first chair person of the association was Mr.T.Buvansundararajah at the first annual lunch held in 1993. He was assisted by Mr. N. Ranjitkumar. Messers N.P. Thevarajah and S. Kumaravelu helped us to locate past pupils, living distributed all over England and enroll them as members. Since then, it has grown from strength to strength, increasing its membership, organising get-together functions and raising funds to help our Alma Mater and our students in Sri Lanka.
The first get-together function, we organised on a grand scale was the Annual Lunch in April 1993. It was well-attended and the Chief Guest for the occasion was Dr. Raja Chandran, one of our distinguished old students in the UK. The next memorable occasion was our Annual Lunch in 1994 where we had our former Principal Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami, as our Guest of honour. He delivered a very eloquent

speech referring to his experiences at Kokuvil. He was given a standing ovation.
Every year in April, we have developed a tradition of holding a variety entertainment. The event helps us to identify artistic talent, gives recognition and encouragement, provides opportunity for our members to enjoy themselves and above all helps us to raise funds for the school.
We also have a Sports Day in July. It is a colourful occasion attended by a large crowd. Our old students their children and participants from other sister associations get-together in a friendly atmosphere and enjoy themselves.
We celebrated the birth centenary of Mr.S.HandyPerinbanayagam, one of our revered Principals, on 29th March 1999. We brought out a special souvenir. His portrait was unveiled by Sangeetha Vidwan Mrs. S. Packiarajah. This celebration was a mammoth event and was supported by three generations of Kokuvilites. Dr. R. Thayabaran was the chief guest with Mr. S. Sivanayagam and Dr. R. Raja Chandran as the key-note and guest speakers respectively. Handy Mater's daughter Gnani and her family were present at the celebrations. Congratulatory messages were received from Handy's other children - Sidhartan (U.S.A) and Selvi, Poompavai and Sarawanapavan (Sri Lanka). Handy's grand-son Muhunthan delivered a splendid speech expressing the grateful thanks of the family to the organizers and to all those present at the function. Liberal contributions were made to the Handy Memorial Fund set up in Jaffna. The 10th anniversary of our association in U.K. was celebrated on 6th April 2002 in a
Kokuvi Hindu College 23

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grand manner with a variety entertainment. Mr. A. Panchalingamformer Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College accepted our invitation, and travelled over to the U.K. to grace the occasion of our Sports Day in July 2002. He spent a few days in the U.K. As requested by him, we arranged for him to meet small groups of old students in a number of places and he helped us identify the problems the school faced and suggested that we direct our assistance to solve them.
In 1994, we set up a Scholarship Fund with the Hatton National Bank, Colombo. Twelve students selected by the Principal from the Advanced Level classes receive awards from this fund. In the same year we extended financial assistance towards developing the play-ground. We have also raised funds to help purchase a piece of land, adjoining the play-ground. Thanks to the visit of Mr. A. Panchalingam we have been able to collect a sum of sixteen thousand Sterling Pounds E 16,000/= towards the Panchalingam Auditorium fund. The auditorium was so named on a Suggestion made by those of us living in the U.K. During Mr. Panchalingam's stay here, we also got handsome contributions from our members towards alleviating problems faced by the school and the students; funds were made available to provide English teachers, coaches to help in sports, Scouting etc in the college. The Association has also provided computers to the school. A veteran old student in our midst here, Mr. P. Thevarajah, and his
24 Kokuvil. Hindu College

8
family have made a generous donation to the school-they have donated their house and property. The Association thanks them wholeheartedly.
Over the past ten years under the able leadership of messers T.Buvanasurendrarajah, K. Kanthapillai, S. Kanagasundaram and Dr. PArumugarasa the association met most of the needs of the College. The success of our sports events annually was largely due to the untiring efforts of Messers N. A. Prabaharan, S. Sri-Ranjan, P. Ananthasivadas, R.Guganeswaran, N. Nanthagopan and K. Kugathasan.
As an organisation we have honoured our elders, teachers and friends from overseas whenever we had an opportunity. In the summer of 1992 we had Mr. C.K.Kanthaswami and Mrs. Suppiramaniam. We had the pleasure of entertaining Mr. C.K. Kanthaswami for the 2" time in 1994 and later in the same year Mr. V. Ganeshalingam from Australia and V. Aiyadurai from Canada. In 1998 we had Mr. S. Nagalingam from Canada and in 1999 we had Dr. Muttaiya Sundaralingam from U. S. A. He is an eminent scholar and is a world renowned Professor in Chemistry and Bio Chemistry at the Ohio University in the U. S.A and as a past pupil of Kokuvil Hindu College has brought great credit to the College. His simplicity and devoted attachment to Kokuvil Hindu College was very much in display at this lovely get-together.
S. Sri Ranjan Secretary

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Kokuvil Hindu College 215

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In Canada
The Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association-Canada was inaugurated on April 23, 1994. Earlier, the old students had the idea of forming an Old Students' Association here and were making preparations for it when they heard that Mrs. Supramanium was migrating to Canada. Mrs. Supramanium is a senior old student who has a long and very close association with Kokuvil Hindu College as a student from 1927, as a teacher, for more than 41 years and as Deputy Principal. Hence their idea became a reality. There was another very senior old student who had identified himself with the school in various spheres and he is Mr. S. Nagalingam. He also migrated to Canada just six months before the inauguration of the Old Students Association. We are proud to say that it was he who drafted the constitution and designed the logo for the association.We are proud of him.
Many old students were present at the inaugural meeting. Mrs. Supramaniam was elected interim President. At the election of office bearers Mrs. S. Supramaniam was elected president unanimously. Mr. R. Arasaratnam, an eminent old student and a long time resident of Canada became the VicePresident. The other office bearers were:-
Mr. V. Rajakulendran - Secretary Mr. Raja Mahendran - Asst. Secretary Mr. Y. Thavalingam - Treasurer
Mr. N. Mahendran
Committee Members
Mrs.T. Eliathamby Mrs. J. Pararajasingam - Mrs. N. Thurairajasingam Mrs. J. Theivendran - Mrs. Nagula Rajah ADO
Asst. Treasurer
216 Kokruvil Hindu College

Mr. S. Ketheeswaran Mr. M. Vijeyakumar Mr. M. Umaharan Mr.S.Nagalingam Mr. V. Kandiah
Auditor
A draft of the Constitution was presented at the meeting for discussion and it was adopted. In accordance with the Constitution, the Old Students' Association holds the General Meetings annually and elects new office bearers for the ensuing year.
One of the main objectives of the Association is to work for the educational, cultural, Social, religious and economic development at Kokuvil Hindu College and of our community in Canada. Since the inception of the Old Students' Association we have been working towards this goal and have been widening our activities every year. We enroll new members and they work energetically to maintain the standard and dignity of the Association. Their co-operation and participation are volunatary in all the activities.
The first activity of significance was the "Picnic 1994. Past pupils and their children enjoyed the day and they looked forward eagerly for the next year's Picnic. The beginning was humble but later we expanded the activities for a full day programme, hoisting the flags of Old Students' Association and that of Canada. The singing of the College Song and the Canadian National Anthem follows. We invite Chief Guests for the day. Adhering to the tradition set-up at Kokuvil Hindu College the Chief Guests are always our former teachers, senior old students and those eminent in the field of education,

Page 239
business etc. Young and old enjoy the full day programme as sports items are provided for all age groups. They return home with pleasant memories hoping to join us next year. It is always like spending a day at Kokuvil Hindu College.
Teaching Tamil and Hinduism to the young generation in Canada is our next objective. This is done through contests in Tamil speech and essay and Pan Isai. The first such contest was held in 1995. Students were divided into age groups and contests were held for boys and girls separately. They participated with great enthusiasm and the number of winners increased that year. This is an incentive to the children. The oficiating judges are from those who have no connection with Kokuvil Hindu College. Every year we increased the items with Tamil reading, Tamil Dictation and Tamil Hand Writing. It is really pleasing and satisfactory to see the performance reaching high standards year by year. The judges speak highly of the standard achieved by the students both in their mother tongue and the religion of their parents.
The Old Students' Association has been helping the school in many ways. It has, both independently and in collaboration with the Old Students' Association in other foreign countries, helped financially to purchase lands to expand the playground. Many of the people of Kokuvil were displaced and were badly affected due to the damage caused to life and property by the Indian Peace Keeping Force during their occupation of Jaffna in 1987. On behalf of the Kokuvil Central Community Centre, N. Balakumar, S. Umashankar and Jegan Mohan appealed to the Kokuvil youths living in Canada and collected funds to help these people. Out of the funds so collected for this purpose, there remained a sum of CS 4.240.00 which was to be sent as the 2nd istallment for the

relief work in Kokuvil. However as much time had elapsed and as the money was lying idle in Canada, on the suggestion of M. Jeganmohan and with the consent of the donors, Mrs. S. Ketheeswaran handed over the sum of CS 4,240.00 to our Association to be sent to the College. We rounded off the amount and sent CS 5,000.00 to the College stipulating that it should be kept in fixed deposit account in a Bank and the interest should be used for sports activities only.
The Scholarship Scheme was begun in 1997 by the Old Students' Association and it helps 20 needy children in the Advanced Level Classes. The scholars are selected by the Principal. An engineering student appealed to us through the Principal and some of our old students offered to help her through her engineering course in Peradeniya. Mr.K.Sivasubramaniam, Mr. K.T.M.Vijayakumar, Mr. N. Balakumar and Mrs. Y. Thamotharan are the benefactors.
The Old Students' Association raised funds to help the refugees in the North and East of Sri Lanka. CAN S 7121 was handed over to the T.R.O in 1996. In 2000, a further sum of CAN $2600 was given to the T.R.O.
We take part in cultural activities too. In 1996 the World Tamil Movement held a parade depicting the various cultures. Our parade depicted "The village life of the Tamil'.
The Tamil Schools Sports AssociationT.S.S.A, formerly J.S.S. A-holds annual competitions in which many schools participate. Our old students do take partin Cricket, Soccer, Volleyball, Netball and in the March past. Our flag flies high on such occasions. Our teams win trophies. Our teams compete with other club teamS toO.
'Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation
Kokuvil Hindu College 27

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The year's activities conclude with the cultural show which was began as “MAKUDAM 2000” and this tradition continues annually to this day. Our late Principal Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam's birth centenary fell on March 29th, 1999 and the year commencing from this date was proclaimed Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam Centenary Year. Our Old Students' Association dedicated the first Makudam cultural show to Principal Handy's memory. Many talented old students and their children presented items such as dramas, classical dances and vocal music. We encourage as many of our talented children as possible to participate. Prominent old students in Canada and the U.S.A have been invited as Chief Guests. Their presence adds lustre to the function. We are very grateful to them for their contributions and the honour they give to their Alma Mater.
Our past K.H.C teachers living in Canada are as active as the past pupils. They are invited for all our functions and they were honored at the first Makudam 2000. We also invite the judges who officiated at the competitions as a gesture of gratitude for their services. We make it a point to express our condolences at the demise of our past teachers or students by attending the funeral or sending messages of sympathy. The most poignant of the losses was that of our Goalie Subramaniam who died under tragic circumstances in 2002 along with his wife. He was a very active member of the Old Students' Association and served on the committee for many years. His is an irreparable loss to the Association. The Association flag flew half mast at his funeral house.
Recently we sent a consignment of books to our school which gift was greatly appreciated by the Principal. We raise funds for the Old Students' Association by the sale of tickets at the Makudam Show, as charges for the picnic and as
218 Kokruvil Hindu College

fees for participating in the contests. Many old students also donate funds to the College Building Fund. The film show has helped to raise money as well as enroll new members. We must make a special mention of Mr. & Mrs Ramakrishnan for the donation of their house and property to the school and thank them profusely for their largesse. Mrs Soruby Ramakrishnan is a past pupil of Kokuvil Hindu College and her parents are active members of the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association London (U.K). We entertained Mr. and Mrs Ramakrishnan with a Tea Party when they came to Canada. Our past Principals and teachers came to Canada from Sri Lanka, U.K., and Australia and we honored them all with receptions.
The photo album maintained by Mr. Raja Pararajasingam is a pictorial record of all our activities from 1994; he is our photographer.
The Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association Canada is working to achieve its objectives with the whole-hearted co-operation of all the members. Co-operation is the key to success. All the branches of the Old Students Association in diffierent countries do work towards a common goal-the fame and name of Kokuvil Hindu College.
The Association is grateful to all its members for their willing co-operation in achieving our aims and objectives and in promoting the welfare of our Alma Mater. The Message written for our publication "Makudam 2004 by Mr. C.K. Kanthaswami in March this year, a short while before his passing away in April (reproduced here) reveals his interest in the affairs of K.H.C till his dying day.
May Kokuvil Hindu College prosper
Mrs. Supramaniam, Vice-President, Canada, February, 2004.

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Message From Mr
I am greatly delighted to Send my greeting S and a message of good wishes to the Special edition of Makudam being released to mark the 10th anni Versary of the Canadian branch of
Kokuvil Hindu OSA.
The title Makudam C.K. Kanthaswami that originates from the School Song brings back to me many happy memories of my time at Kokuvi Hindu.
On reading through certain articles in Makudam I am deeply touched by the devotion of the alumni to Kokuvi Hindu, their Alma Mater. I wish to congratulate the Successive office bearers during the last ten years for their highly commendable and impressive record of Work. May this State of affairs continue forever bringing greater glory to the Alma Mater.
It is befitting the Special Occasion to have Dr. and Mrs. Kumarasamy as Chief Guests. Dr. Kumarasamy had a brilliant career both at School and university. He later had the unique distinction of acquiring top postgraduate qualifications in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology in the U.K. In the United States he excelled in his chosen field of ObstetricS and Gynecology Serving many highly rated institutions. His success is not merely due
 

. C. K. Kanthaswami
to his inherent Superior intelligence. He has a cheerful disposition and a keen sense of humour, Surpassed only by his commendable humility. Mrs. Kumarasamy, is the daughter of another eminent product of Koku vil, the late Mr. Rajendram, founder of Maharajah Organization, the prestigious business institution well known all over the world. Their presence at the 10th anniversary celebrations will add academic brilliance and glamour to the Occasion.
The Canadian branch of the OSA was brought into being in 1994 due to the untiring efforts of Mrs. Suhirthaluxmy Subramaniam, a team of dynamic old Students and ex-members of the tutorial Staff. Mrs.Subramaniam had been a dear colleague of mine with a record of Service exceeding forty years when she retired as Deputy Principal. She has transferred all her energies and good will into building up the OSA and through it continues to work for the Welfare of Kokuvil Hindu, contributing to building projects, bursaries and Scholarships. A few years ago she played a Vital role in thwarting an attempt to downgrade the institution by joining forces with leaders of the School community in Jaffna and Colombo thus restoring the School to its well-earned status quo. I wish to record my appreciation of Mrs. Subramaniam's admirable work for the OSA and Kokuvil Hindu.
The year 2004 is significant for Kokuvil Hindu in another respect. I received the news which no doubt will have reached old students the world over of another significant development. Mr.Manickam Subramaniam, a son
Kokuvi Hindu College 219

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of the soil hailing from a well known family in Kokuvil, a rising star in the commercial horizon in Colombo, and dear to me as an old student, is putting up a three storeyed building for the school on the southern boundary along Station Road, entirely at his own expense. I understand the building is fast reaching completion to be opened soon. I join the school community in thanking Mr. Manickam Subramaniam for this wonderful gesture. The school of course is making vast strides under the able stewardship of the present Principal. I take this opportunity to congratulate him and offer my blessings and good wishes for all his future endeavours.
Despite poor health I am motivated to send this message on hearing about the
22O Kouvi Hindu Colleg

enthusiasm of my old students and erstwhile colleagues presently living in Canada to celebrate the occasion in grand style and about my friend Dr. and Mrs.Kumarasamy attending as Chief Guests. Living in distant Australia I am unable to be with you but my emotional presence on the day is assured. I wish the occasion every
SUCCESS.
May God Bless Kokuvil Hindu, the community, and all the old students, colleagues and my dear friends in Canada.
C. K. Kanthaswami Sydney Emeritus Principal Australia

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Principal P. Kamalanathan inaugurates |
 

unction by lighting traditional Oil lamp.
Kokuvil Hindu College 221

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In Kokuvil
The earliest occasion when past pupils of Kokuvil Hindu English School got together was when they raised funds in 1933 to help Head Master Karthigesu in building the Science block with two model class-rooms roofed with Calicut tiles. A portion of this building has now (2004) been demolished to give way to the new building in the Southern Campus erected in memory of our veteran teacher T. Sinnathamby by his children. A few years later they organised a splendid farewell function to the retiring Principal Karthegesu in 1943, after the School assumed Collegiate status. Public servants of Kokuvil and neighbouring villages who served in Colombo and other outstations enjoyed then, a week or more at a stretch of public holidays once in April for Easter and again in December for Christmas. During these periods they all made the regular trek to Jaffna to be in their homes with their families. This was an annual feature in the early years (pre 1956 period) and interested past pupils of the School, whilst holidaying in Jaffna, often busied themselves in planning for the development of their 'Alma Mater. Prominent among them
indicated below
Year Secretary
1956 Mr. M. Kanthaswamy
Miss Maheswari Appapillai
1959 Mr. T. Mahadeva
Miss. Ginanambikai Mailwaganam
1963 Mr. A. Panchalingam
Miss Gnanaranjitham Gnanasundara
1971 Mr. S. Punnialingam
Mrs K. Thirunavukkarasu 1976 Mrs Kamala Shanmugampillai

were Messers S. Sangarasivam and S.K. Murugiah who were the live-wires in the Old Students' Association in Kokuvil then. As the work places of these two gentlemen were in Colombo where they spent most of their time, they concentrated chiefly on the activities in Colombo where Principal Seenivasagam inaugurated a branch of the Old Students Association in 1944 December. The parent body in Kokuvil was not however formally organised until Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam became Principal of K.H.C. In 1954, Principal Handy arranged for a constitution in English to be drawn up, got it printed, re-activated the Old Students Association in Kokuvil and thus involved the past-pupils living in Kokuvil and neighbouring villages also in his fund raising campaign for building up Kokuvil Hindu College. The parent body then started to function actively on a regular basis. Fund Collection progress was often reviewed at their meetings with the participation of the newly set up K.H.C. Well-Wishers' Association. The following persons held office as Hony (Joint) Secretaries and Presidents during the years
President
Mrs. Handy Perimpanayagam (Principal)
Mrs. Handy Perinpanayagam (Principal)
Mr C.K. Kanthaswami (Principal)
Mr C.K. Kanthaswami (Principal) Mr. A. Amirthalingam
Kokuvi Hindu College 223

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1978 Mr. S. Thedchanamoorthy
1979 Mr. S. Nagalingam
1981 {m; S. Sivayoganathan
Mrs. S. Ramanathan
1993 Mr.P Chandranathan 1994 Mr. A. Sathiamoorthy 1995 Mr. S. Srinivasan 1996 Mr.S. Anatharasa 2000 Mr. R. Selvanathan
2004 Mr. R. Selvanathan
Mr. R.Nadarajah
The printed annual report of the Parent body was adopted at its meeting held on 12th February 1995. A branch of the Association in the Jaffna University was also set up on 11th September 1994. Two quarterly bulletins were issued for the periods January - March 1995 and April - August 1995 with the blessings of the Principal and teachers. They carried news of the school and its past pupils. The following remarks from A. Amirthalingam appears in its second issue.
“ஒரு தலைமுறையில் இருந்து
மறு தலைமுறைக்குக் கல்லூரியைப்
படம்பிடித்துக் காட்ட மறைந்து
கிடக்கும் கல்லூரித் தகவல்களைத்
தேடித் தொகுப்பினுடே வரலாற்றை
வரைவது எமது முதற்கடமை”
But the Association did nothing on this important call until February 1997 when a subcommitte was set up for writing the History of the College. Mrs. Nithiyaluxmi Gunabalasingham, the Secretary of the sub committee regrets that no progress could be made by her in the absence of any response from past pupils and teachers to her request by circular. Even those persons interested in the welfare of the school did not volunteer with any
224 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg

Mr. A. Amirthalingam Mr. E. Sabalingam Mr. C. K. Kanthaswami
Mr. S.R. Rajadurai Mr. S. Rajeswaran Mr. K.Thevarajah Mr. A.Panchalingam Mr. R.Nadarajah
resource material to help her and the project therefore remained abandoned.
In the mass exodus from Jaffna in October 1995, K.H.C. faced another crisis. The college lost almost everything material-wise. Subtle moves were afoot to rob its identity and make it a tutelage of Jaffna Hindu College. In February 1996, past pupils assembled at Chavakacheri, from which location the school was functioning temporarily without a permanent - Principal and elected Mr. A. Panchalingam as President of the Kokuvil O.S.A. and he was charged with the responsibility of saving the school out of the crisis. Backed by the associations in Canada, U.K and Colombo he made three - pronged representations to the authorities and succeeded in securing the appointment of Mr. P. Kamalanathan as Principal on 25th September 1996. The Association assisted the new Principal in various ways and helped him to gradually bring normalcy in the work of the School.
World Teachers Day was celebrated on 6th October 2000 and this has since become an annual feature in the school. Teachers who completed 25 years of service at K.H.C. were duly honoured by the Association, following the tradition set by Principal Perinbanayagam. The major event during this period was the building up of a net - ball court wholly financed by our President R. Nadarajah in the land donated by

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past pupil Soruby Ramakrishnan and her husband in the year 1999.
A sub-committee consisting of K. Devarajah, S. Selvarajah and M. Velauthapillai handled the Handy Perinbanayagam Centenary Celebrations on 29th March 1999 at Kokuvil. A Junior Children's Library was set up to commemorate Handy's Birth Centenary. It was only recently we learnt from his children that Mr. Perinbanayagam had indicated a wish to them that nothing should be named after him. The association has maintained the tradition of suitably entertaining the past pupils who visit the School from overseas countries. Providing pipe line for the Supply of drinking Water on tap to the School children and providing computers both costing Rs.8 lakhs were noted contributions by our past pupils resident in Norway and Switzerland. A photocopy machine was donated by the past pupils in Germany whilst those old students in Switzerland helped with funds to purchase a plot of land on the east of the college grounds. These contributions to the College materialized largely due to Mr. Panchalingam's relentless efforts. The O.S.A. in U.K sponsored a visit to that country and helped Mr. Panchalingam to collect a sum of Rs. 1,825,000/= to complete work on
A.K.H.C.O.S.A Trust fund has been set up in Oct
following persons. Officials of the Kokuvil OSA
1. Mr & Mrs. Subramaniam Memorial Prize
donated by their son Manivannan
2. Mrs Amirthambikai Sathasivam Memorial Pri
donated by her daughter Mrs. Mathini

the college auditorium which was declared open on 10th February 2004 by one time President of the OSA in the U.K. Dr.P.Arumugarasa. Mr. Panchalingam's visit to Norway was sponsored by the past pupils living in that country where he inaugurated a branch Association with Mr. K. Thevarajah as President. Volume I of the Quarterly Bulletin issued by us in September 2002 carried news of the overseas collection tour launched by Mr. Panchalingam for the development of the college. The Panchalingam auditorium (so named as proposed by U.K. OSA) cost a total sum of Rs. 2,281,8 16/=.
The children of our former teacher Mr. T. Sinnathamby, Mr Balakumar and Mrs. Revathy Kamalasingham have also financed the cost of over Rs. 25 lakhs for another new building in the Southern campus and we wish to record our grateful thanks to them as well. Construction work was completed and the building was handed over to the Principal after a soft opening on 3rd June2005 by Mrs Kamalanayagi Somasekaram (another daughter of Mr Sinnathamby) and Mr. Somasekaram.
S. Balakumar in Revathy
Kamalasingham
ober 2002 in Kokuvill with contribution from the manage this trust.
Rs. 61 1430
Rs... 289,860
Kokuvil Hindu College 225

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3. Canada K.H.C. Old Students Association
Memorial Prize
4. Mrs Pasupathy Krishnapillai Memorial Prize
donated by her daughter Subathira Ramanatl
5. Suppiah Memorial Prize
donated by his son S. Sinnathamby
6. Devasagayam Memorial Prize
University Admission - Best Performance in f
7. S. Kirupakaran Memorial Prize for Games
8. S. Kirupakaran Memorial Prize for the most c
in the year
9. Sabalingam Memorial Prize for games donat
Dr. Jothilingam
The money is held in fixed Deposits with com utilized for the awards to students as specifie
Valuable Books costing Rs. 225,000/- have equip the college library. The Old. Students. provided funds to provide books to the Colleg
R. Sevanadhan 28th October 2004.
Secretary. Kokuvil OSA 6
s
In other Countries V Our branch associations in Australia,Germony an they will grow in strength and members soon ar follow. -
226 Kokuvi Hindu Colleg

Rs... 959,910
al Rs... 100,000
Rs... 100,000
our diciplines Rs... 100,000
Rs... 200,000
utstanding Student
Rs. 100,000
ed by his son
Rs. 100,000
Rs. 2,561200
mercial banks and the interest earnings thereofare d by the Donors.
been donated by Mrs. Tharmalingam to further
Associations in Colombo and Canada have also ge Library
k
d Norway are yet in their infancy. It is hoped that ld be of fruitful service to K.H.C in the years to

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228 Kokuvil Hindu College
 

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Kokuvil Hindu College 229

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Kokuvil Hindu College 231

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PANCHALING (January 1980
“A nations Sch Whose special its spiritual Stre historic continu achievements, t,
A. PANCHALINGAM
Sri Lanka’s socio-economic and educational landscape had changed dramatically. We were no longer living in the 1940s or 1970s. We had entirely new challenges to face. Our education policies had to take note of the changes that had taken place around us, and were still taking place at a phenomenal pace. We had two options, either to be left behind clinging on to our old fixations, or move ahead with the changing times. It is the latter option that most countries had chosen. We had to do likewise.
There were breath-taking changes on the international front too, with plenty of lessons for us to learn. The social welfare state was in retreat in the Western democracies, while communism had suffered a partial, if not total, collapse in countries hitherto wedded to it. In Sri Lanka three issues stood out as critical and controversial. These were (1) The medium of instruction (2) Our policy on free education and associated
subsides and
*o STP - an action oriented Strategy towards a National
232 Kokuvi Hindu College
 

Chapter — XV
2AM PERIOD - March 1991)
ools are an Organ of its life function is to consolidate ngth, to maintain its ity, to secure its past O guarantee its future"
- Percy Nunn
(3) The state's role in education.
With the adoption of open economic policies in 1977 and the recognition of the private sector as the lead Sector, the employment generation potential of the public sector had diminished drastically. Proficiency in English for people entering the job market had become more pronounced. A decision had to be made whether to continue teaching in the mother tongue from primary school up to university level or make suitable changes in keeping with the needs of the time.
While we tenaciously held on to the state monopoly on education, a parallel system of private schools (called International Schools) had sprung up to meet the burgeoning demand. The need for diversity of provision, which the state System was failing to cope with, was becoming clear. On the three core issues, mentioned above, the STP *o document states:-
"The state will play the major role in providing resources for general education. General education up to the first degree level will be provided free. Education will be
Education Policy.

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compulsory to all children upto the age of 14 years, and will be made accessible to all with a freedom of choice of medium of instruction between the two national languages, Sinhala and Tamil."
Any changes that seemed controversial was best left untouched; re-introducing English medium education was left untouched, in this document like certain other crucial policy initiatives.
"Mr.A. Panchalingam holds the unique record of having been in very close association with Kokuvil Hindu College for more than five decades, first as a student, then as a member of the staff, later as Deputy Principal and eventually as Principal of the College. As a student, he was rated high in the estimation of his teachers and was regarded as one of the best products, full of potential for a very bright future. But fortunately for Kokuvil Hindu College, he was satisfied with obtaining just a science degree from the University of Ceylon, offering Chemistry and Mathematics as his subjects. Soon after that, he was selected to serve as a Science teacher at the College. He, of course, did not take long to gain recognition as an excellent teacher of Chemistry for Advanced Level students. In that respect, he had few equals anywhere else, and as such his students did not have to look for help in Chemistry elsewhere. His greatness lay not only in the fact that he was a teacher par excellence, he was also understanding, compassionate, gentle and accessible. The Department of Education became aware of his special abilities and rewarded him with a special post.

After a long and meritorious service as a teacher he was elevated to the post of Deputy Principal. He held this post with distinction for nearly a decade. As Deputy Principal, he had to bear the brunt of the school administration. Both in the class-room and while he was performing his administrative duties, his approach was firm but-gentle. He eschewed the iron hand yet maintained discipline. He devoted all his energies in the cause of the school which he resolutely and successfully built up with competence and consummate skill. The work on the Northern wing of the three storeyed building complex was completed in his time and further extensions were also successfully undertaken and completed. He deserves to be congratulated for the active role he played while assisting Mr. M. Mahadeva who was Principal during those years.
He became Principal of the College in 1980 and he continued to raise the academic achievements of the pupils producing noteworthy results in public examinations. Prize functions, Advanced Level Students Union Dinners and Inter-House Sports Meets were a regular feature. He was in a position to invite as Chief Guests from among his old students who loved and continued to admire their old teacher. Kokuvil Hindu had produced her own Principal, who will always be remembered with fond affection and eternal gratitude. He became the cynosure of all eyes including those of the Department of Education resulting in his transfer to Jaffna Hindu College as Principal in March 1991. Kokuvil had lost a dedicated and distinguished Principal. What was the loss of Kokuvil Hindu College turned out to be a great gain to Jaffna Hindu College. When decked with Plumage, the bird grows strong and takes
Kokuvi Hindu College 233

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wing. The mother sees it part with a pang but withal with pride."
These are the very words of tribute from Pricipal C.K.Kanthaswami in April 1994 to Mr. Panchalingam who, in his estimation, is a great son of Kokuviland Kokuvil Hindu College.
Mr.A. Panchalingam guided the destinies of Kokuvil Hindu College for over a decade but his close association with the College for an unbroken sixty years conferred on it an identity very much in line with his own personality, values and convictions so much so that at the end of his stewardship it was exceedingly difficult to distinguish the personality from the institution. He resolutely guided the development of Kokuvil Hindu College on a planned path enabling it to blossom as one of the premier institutions in the Peninsula. His sterling qualities accounted for his unique achievements. With his magnanimous attributes, devoid of all that was small and unworthy, he could rise above triviality and rancour and handle people and situations retaining poise and balance in the most trying circumstances. He is an embodiment of the rare qualities of leadership including loyalty to one's colleagues, fidelity to one's word, consistency of purpose, humanity and compassion. His public life centered on this school and it is here that the fruits of his labours can be seen nurtured and protected by worthy successors.
Good teaching, good classroom organization and rising standards need good management. A school is only as good as its Principal and a classroom is only as good as its teacher. It is the teacher who should be central to the classroom. The word educate derives from the latin 'educatre - to lead. A good teacher in the words of the great educationist Louse Cocalae should be able to perform multiple roles
234 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg

as Manager, Teacher, Facilitator, Observer, Diagnoser, Organiser, Presentator, Communicator, Motivator, Counsellor, and Evaluator. It is no exaggeration that Mr. Panchalingam had almost all these traits and this helped him to become a very successful Principal.
Mr. Panchalingam is also understanding compassionate, gentle and accessible. He was a skilful organizer and was above all a perfect gentleman. He has the distinction of having served Kokuvil Hindu College as its chief for the longest period of over eleven years (January 1980 to March 1991). He did not spare any pains in working for the upliftment of the school both academically and in the field of sports. The clamour for admissons into Kokuvil Hindu College is itself evidence of the highesteem in which the school is held by both pupils and parents alike. His administrative efficiency earned the admiration of his colleagues. Kokuvil Hindu College was and is a co-educational institution. In the late seventies, there were subtle moves to make it an exclusive boy's school moving the girl students to the Ramakrishna Mission School located a kilometer away. It was largely due to Mr.Panchalingam's efforts that this move was effectively stymied. On him fell the task of guiding the destinies of the College at a crucial period of its history when the Indian Peace Keeping Force camped in the College for well over fifty eight days (from November 18, 1987 to January 4, 1988). The College also served as the "Refugees Camp” in October- November 1987 where over 7500 persons displaced from their homes, sought shelter. The College grounds was a mass-grave for the thirty of the refugees who died in the camp being shelled by the IPKF. Mr. Panchalingam served the College with distinction, undaunted determination, unimpeachable integrity, unflagging firmness and total dedication and helped in salvaging the school out of the mire into which it

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had fallen. The damage to the school buildings, furniture and equipment during this crisis exceeded well over fifteen lakhs of rupees. Expeditious restoration of normalcy for the school to function in 1988 was no easy task. It is to Mr. Panchalingam's lasting credit that school started functioning without any long interruption.
Mrs.S. Suppiramaniam, who was the Deputy Principal from January 1980, ably assisted the Principal until she retired from service. Her devotion to the school is such that she used her holiday is Australia, in retirement, to collect over a lakh of rupees for the school building fund. She also prepared the ground-work for the birth of an OSA in Sydney under Mr.V.Ganeshalingam. She moved to Canada later and helped inaugurate the OSA in Toronto in 1994. Mr.N.Ranjit Kumar laboured to inaugurate the OSA in UK in April 1992. Conscious of the limitations, in war-torn Sri Lanka, in working for the progress of Kokuvil Hindu College, the concern of the Associations that have sprung up overseas to help the College tide over its difficulties should be greatly appreciated.
The war in Sri Lanka had been killing and wounding thousands of people; this itself is a woeful tragedy. It had been killing and destroying the very fabric of our Society and the lasting effects of the war would leave us a totally impoverished people, morally, socially irrespective of our ethnicity, caste or creed. The intolerably sad events of our country are fast becoming almost more than we can bear. In this darkest hour, we, however, do not fail to discern the glimmer of God's light, that can never be extinguished however dark man may make his sin to be. We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. In God's sure forgiveness, Sri Lanka will find its new life and new beginning.

In the present set up, Principalship of a big school can be a long drawn out challenge, draining out every ounce of one's energy in trival departmental query and explanation. Fortunately for the children, good teaching is possible inspite of departmental instructions. To the clumsy minded, stickler and the red tape worm, a Principal's job is a messy business. But to a sensible administrator like Mr.Panchalingam, it means only a few hours at his desk and the rest of the time is his for his own planning and initiative.
Mr.Panchalingam had the teacher's gift of keeping his pupils always interested. His lessons were never dull. He was fresh in his approach, clear about his teaching point, and he was in full control of his class. Among the skills indispensable to success as a teacher is facility in establishing rapport with the children. The same holds good for a Principal, vis a vis the staff. Mr. Panchalingam had this in abundance. Besides he had the ungrudging support of his assistants and an unfailing fund of goodwill from the parents and the public behind the school. A team of over sixty men and women were inspired to forget their preoccupations and they were willing to share an extra load. That is a rare tribute to Mr.Panchalingam's leadership and a measure of cordial relations that prevailed between him and his staff.
The keynote of Mr. Panchalingam's : character and career was practicality. "In choosing what to begin on, not the desirable but the possible,” was his motto during his stewardship at Kokuvil Hindu. What he thought as possible, many would have regarded as visionary. He had a "can do' attitude and was not comfortable with people who were negative and came out with excuses. During his term as Principal, Kokuvil Hindu College, his wise
Kokuvi Hindu College 235

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direction, his tactful handling of staff, his skillful administration and above all his keen insight into human nature have secured for Kokuvil Hindu College a pre-eminent place among the best of schools in Sri Lanka. He was no theorist, but a practical minded realist gifted with common sense. These qualities have in a large measure contributed to his success in Steping up standards and achievements at Kokuvil Hindu College.
Earlier a galaxy of great teachers were associated with a particular period of a School and often covering more than one generation of pupils. Beginning in the 1960s, teachers became a faceless itinerant mass whose association with the school was only transitory. The school was regarded by the bureaucracy as a physical facility to be supplied with men and material and NOT as a delicately balanced educational "eco system' dependent on symbiotic human relationships. Principal Panchalingam was different; he was made of stern stuff and would not easily yeild to unreasonable pressure however highly placed it may be. His administrative talent lay in the courage of his convictions and to act according to his conscience, regardless of the
consequences.
Mr.Panchalingam's self-confidance, courage and forthrightness was well in display again in 1987 when he had to meet the Commander of the Indian army in the camp, assert his authority as Principal Kokuvil Hindu College and demand that immediate arrangements be made by the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) to repair urgently, as a matter of priority, the damage caused by them to the school buildings and enable him to start the school sessions without any long interruption. During those turbulent times he
236 Kouvil Hindu Colleg

was a rock and an anchor in the tempests and trials in the life of the school. He was cool in times of strife and remained courageous to the very end. Well-being of the students was his prime concern. "Success often comes to those who dare and it seldom goes to the timid”. He did dare and succeed! Moreover it had been his burden to steer the school through a very turbulent period of confrontation between the Sri Lankan army and the militants which had a terrible impact on the school. Kokuvil Hindu College has been brought to its present stage by the continued and dedicated efforts of many amongst whom Mr. Panchalingam ranks the greatest for he was ever the Dynamo that supplied the required energy until today2004, twelve years after his laying down the mantle of office as Principal. Writing from Hartlepool, U.K., in June 1991 Orator C.Subramaniam conveyed his greetings and best wishes to Mr. Panchalingam, the new Principal of Jaffna Hindu College, but he did not fail to add the following:-
"At the same time I cannot help feeling sad that Kokuvil Hindu lost a good Principal and despair for her future. When I met Mr. C. K. Kanthaswamian year ago I told him that Kokuvil is the only well administered school in the North under an able Principal. In fact I mentioned it at the reception which my past pupils here (U.K) gave me and at which C. K. Kanthaswami was present and expressed the wish if only Jaffna had a few more principals like Mr.A. Panchalingam. I am sure you will, even from the present position, have a guiding hand in the affairs of Kokuvil".
Mr.Panchalingam has not belied his expectations and is living up to it. All history is not found in official publications or learned volumes; many interesting sidelights and

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unusual facts are often turned up by writers and scholars with a deep abiding personal love and interest in their school.
There are lessons we can learn from our times-relevant and vital to all those concerned with education in this country and in War-torn Jaffna in particular. The days when Jaffna enjoyed pre-eminence in education have come to an end. Here what is meant is not just University entrance results but a values based education in its truest sense-sending out from our schools young men and women with a command of both Tamil and English languages, and who have the courage to stand-up for social and economic justice and democratic and human rights.
Principals and teachers of schools in Jaffna have lived through this terrible war at tremendous personal cost and sacrifice. The older generation feel there is a challenge to be faced-to restore the high educational standards that prevailed in Jaffna in the mid-decades of the last century-an all round education that is free from the shackles of the tutory system. The school is primarily a community of students, teachers, parents and the community served by the school. Political culture being what it is in this country we can except little from the state. Private schools and their managements are no better. And the so called international schools have turned their back on the national languages and cultures and are likely to produce a generation of youngsters that will only widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots in this country. In the old days in our schools, while the salaries were paid by the state, Principals, teachers, alumni and the community in partnership equipped the schools and persisted in retaining high standards. We have to go back to the traditions established in that era and restore the ethos of our schools.

Educational qualifications and/or training alone do not make a good teacher. One's intelligence, dedication and experience goes a long way. In these respects Panchalingam had few peers. He belongs to that vintage of dedicated teachers for whom teaching was a vocation and he loved to impart his knowledge to the many students he taught. His lessons were such fun, spiced with humour and anecdotes. Students developed a warm personal rapport which withstood the test of time for many in Sri Lanka and others scattered worldwide. Mr.Panchalingam's service period in Kokuvil Hindu was interrupted in 1971 by a short spell of five months (December 70 to April 71) at Omanthai Maha Vidyalaya where he was sent immediately after his completing the Diploma in Education in 1970 from Peradeniya. It was through Mr.C.Arulamapalam's (M.P) intervention that Mr.Panchalingam was sent back to Kokuvil. We record here with gratitude the valuable services rendered to Kokuvil Hindu College by Mr.C.Arulampalam both in his capacity as the then Political Authority and as Chairman of Kokuvil Village Committee right from the "Linga Lights' carnival days in 1950. Principal C.K.Kanthaswami's dedication to Kokuvil Hindu College was such that the best interests of this College was the most overriding consideration in all his decisions. Among the manythings that C.K. Kanthaswami had done at Kokuvil, the best was his choice of Mr. Panchalingmas Deputy which paved the way for easy rise to Principalship. Mr. Panchalingam has lived up to Mr. Kanthaswami's expectations and had proved his excellence bothin tact and administrative ability. Kokuvil Hindu's progress is Mr. Panchalingam's concern and he silently works for it with loving care even today.
As Deputy Principal he did his work gallantly and was a pillar of strength to
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Mr. Mahadeva who was Principal from June 1972 to December 1979. His was the invisible hand behind all activities in that period. Mr. Panchalingam's success was due to his preference to lead by persuasion than by command. He instilled into his students the need for discipline, good manners, punctuality and team work. His policy was that the essence of teaching lay not only in the imparting of knowledge but also in the interaction and Spontaneous exchange of ideas that goes between teacher and pupil. With Mr.Mahadeva's retirement, Mr. Panchalingam was appointed Principal of K.H.C as from January 1980. As Principal he performed his work with unobtrusive dignity and with admirable competence and thoroughness. The school is second to none in academic excellence as well as achievements in sports and games. He was a loving disciplinarian and was the epitome of humility. His greatest gift was the largeness of his heart. Most importantly he taught his students to play hard but play fair and to accept victory with magnanimity and defeat without rancour. He conducted affairs quietly and purposefully without any fanfare. His selflessness, generosity, kindness and dedication to his profession and his fellow human beings would place him among the finest and noblest of men. The best teachers are those dedicated to inculcating in students habits of critical thinking, giving them a sense of the cannons of rational discourse and providing them with an insight in the scope and limits of knowledge. Mr.Panchalingam was one such most effective teacher. His humility it was that brought into sharp focus his perceptive mind. He was aware of the structural limitations within which he had to work and admirably had that rare strength to operate at the very edge of those boundaries, ever striving to push them outwards. Not even through his impish sense
1238 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg

of humour would he impart anything that might cause hurt. As Sri Lanka passed through the darkness of the nineteen eighties and nineties, as violence swept the island, destroying dissent and creativity he worked with tenacity undaunted by the challenges and made Kokuvil Hindu an institution that had made the "Grade' for all to see and envy. The school had seen progressive drift on the ascending order during the twelve years he was in the cockpit.
The events of Balck July 1983 were an unprecedented and catastrophic historical event which has transformed the entire destiny of this country. The scale of violence, the loss of life and property and the psychological harm it has done is incalculable. The Jaffna library was burnt and destroyed on the night of May 31st 1981. It was an educational monument not only in Jaffna but in the entire world containing among its 95,000 volumes numerous irreplaceable cultural manuscripts. The burning of the library was a wanton criminal act. Black July 1983 was the culmination of the thinking and feeling and routines and mindsets that were developed since we gained independence; the Citizenship Act of 1948 took away the citizenship rights of an entire community of Tamils, the denial of the language rights of the Tamils in 1958 and the discrimination in employment and opportunity in education that followed.
The July 1983 pogrom had antecedents going back to 1977. The great divide in Sinhalese -Tamil ethnic relations took shape not in 1983 but in August 1977. The anti Tamil pogrom of 1977 was the first salvo which reached its mad genocidal extreme in 1983. Those events were utterly inhuman, soul searing, mind shattering and socially traumatic. They took the shape and content of a primitively barbarous onslaught on Tamils in Sinhalese areas of our country. The Race riots of 25 July 1983 set up a permanent

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Sinhalese Tamil ethnic divide. It was a mad genocidal height of state terrorism inaugurated with an anti-Tamil pogrom shortly after 1977 government came to power in Sri Lanka. It was independent Srilanka's darkest hour.
A computer Society was inaugurated at Kokuvil Hindu College on 3rd June 1985 at the initiative of Mr. Panchalingam. Dr.Ganeshalingam, Mr. S. Kanaganathan and Mr.M.Kulasegaram worked with enthusiasm and were actively involved in developing a computer laboratory in the school. Since a continuous supply of electricity from the general grid was not available, the society had to cease its activity in the year 1992. As from 1998 a computer room with air conditioned facility has been setup in the college. The Past Pupils Associations in the U.K, Canada and Colombo had ensured that the computer laboratory is well equipped with five complete units with accessories and an audio visual room with Television, Radio and Video cassette recorders. Computers are neither sophisticated type-writers nor advanced calculators but just tools which would make people's lives easier and better.
Mr.Panchalingam was sent in 1985 on a government scholarship to the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) in new Delhi, India which awarded to him the International Diploma in Educational Planning and Administration (IDEPA). From February 1989 the College now has complete units of two Bands (with trumpet, melodica, symbol, clarinet etc) one for boys and another for girls separately. Students have beem trained to play the Western Music Band which lends colour to important functions in the school.
Besides Mrs. Supiramaniam, Messers S.Ganeswaran and T. Perampalam were the other two Deputy Principals in Kokuvil Hindu

College during Panchalingam's Principalship. When these three Deputy Principals retired their places were filled by Messers A.Navaratnam and R.Mahendran. Specified functions were delegated to them and with the active cooperation of the teaching staff the college made steady progress in both studies and sports. Student numbers increased to 1897 in the year 1989 with 344 students in G.C.E.(A/L) classes. In an all island survey of the number of passes in the G.C.E (A/L) examin all schools, Kokuvil Hindu College obtained the 5th place in their ranking; Kokuvil Hindu was the only school in the North that achieved this rating. The practice of selecting students on the result of an admission test to Grade 6 commenced in the year 1978. Parents often preferred admission to National Schools for their children. Only when that fails, they seek places in schools like Kokuvil Hindu College. With the approval of the Northern Regional Director (R.Suntharalingam) Mr.Panchalingam introduced his pet-scheme of holding the K.H.C admission test on the same day, National Schools conducted their admission tests. This was designed to avoid the need for Kokuvil Hindu College to admit the rejects of National Schools. This arrangement helped the admission problem at Jaffna Hindu Ladies College as well. The scheme was operational only for one year as Mr. M.M. Man Soor who succeeded Mr.Suntharalingam was not appreciative of the new arrangement. Mr. Panchalingam also took steps to increase the endowments, that awarded scholarships to deserving students, to such an extent that by the year 1989 almost every student securing admission to the University would qualify for award for scholarship from Kokuvil Hindu College. Another important feature in Mr.Panchalingam's administration was that he pooled all the very good students in one class (G.C.E-A/L) gave them special training by holding additional classes and periodic examinations and helped them to improve their
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performance at terminal examination. The College produced very good results in public examinations as a consequence. The School office work also received his personal attention. Building maintenance work was given prioriy in the college budget. Personal records of the teaching staff and other files were methodically maintained. In this Messers S.Nagalingam and A. Arasaratnam were of tremendous assistance to the Principal.
Mr.S.Nagalingam of the clerical service spent a majorportion of his Working life in the Police Department in Colombo. He worked with Mr. V. Ram an a than , Accountant from Kokuvil S.Nagalingam who often commended ColombOO.S.A. Mr.Nagalingam for his Secretary methodical and systematic 1978-79 ways in his work. In 1947 he was boarded in a house at Skinners Road South and I was staying on holiday close to him with Mr. P. Thevarajah at Dematagoda Road Maradana. I recall with gratitude the numerous occasions he took me all over Colombo city sightSeeing when I was new to the capital. He quickly rose up in his career and was promoted to class I Special grade when he retired in January 1982. He lived in retirement in his house at College lane Kokuviland was also the schools neighbour. Therefore he spent his leisure hours at Kokuvil Hindu College and voluntered to assist in the college office work. Mr. Panchalingam made good use of this offer. Mr. Nagalingam's loyalty to his old school was enviable and he was of tremendous assistance to Principal Panchalingam in managing the college office. I was closely associated with Mr. Nagalingam in his work at the Colombo OSA as its secretary and later in the Kokuvil Ther Thiruppani Sabai at Puthukovil.
24O Kobuvil Hindu Colleg
 

Mr. Nagalingam emigrated to Canada in 1991 and continues to be an active member of the K.H.C.O.S.A there admirably assisting Mrs. Suppiramaniam who had been President of Canadian branch for a number of years. He is one of her Senior-most past pupils who never fails to indentify himself with all activities in and for the School.
Mrs.Sathiavally Nadarajah joined the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College in 1963. She came from Kanagaratnam Maha Vidyalayam. Prior to this she had also served in Ramanathan Ladies College and Ramanathan Teachers' Training College where she lectured for a few years. She completed the special mathematics course at the Palaly Training College. She served her longest teaching period at Kokuvil Hindu College. As an inspiring teacher of Mathematics in the upper forms she won the esteem and affection of her pupils. She belonged to the 'Old School of teachers who believed that teaching was a noble vocation based on commitment and that it should not be exploited for pure financial gain. Her silent work, her selfeffacing modesty, her Serence out look and her intense love for her culture and religion have indelibly, endeared her to all who knew her. She retired in 1983 and passed away on 1st May 1999.
Building construction work on the three storied Eastern Wing at the Northern campus was completed and the new building was declared open on 12th October 1973 by Messers Premadasa Udagama and T.Manickavasagar of the Education Department. Work on the southern wing two storied building was also completed after a few years and it was declared open on 7th May 1980 by Mr.M.Sivasithamparam M.P. for Nallur. Messers C. Arulampalam and

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M.Sivasithamparam provided the necessary funds from their De-centralized budgets whilst Mrs.S.Rajendram (Maharajah Organization, Colombo) and Messers T.Neethirajah and S.Sinnathurai helped with substantial donations to the PTA Building Fund of Kokuvil Hindu
Foundation Laying ceremony for the two storied bu commemorate completion of seventy five (75) ye
 
 

College which was declared as an “Approved Charity’ by the Minister of Finance under Section 16(A) of the Inland Revenue Act of 1963 as amended by Act No. 6 of 1969. Notice dated 30th March 1971 published in Government Gazette No. 14953 of April 8, 1971.
ilding at the Eastern wing of the Southern campus to ars of service by Kokuvil Hindu College in 1985.
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Kokuvil Hindu College completed 75 years in 1985. To commemorate the event foundation was laid for another storied building by Mr.S.Kumaravelu, who with loving care used his good offices in the Education Department where he worked at that time to help in various ways to build up his old school. In 1989 Kokuvil Hindu College was declared a cluster school. This classification has since been abandoned and now (2004) Kokuvil Hindu College is one of the 583 - “IAB' schools. In the "IC' category comes another 1827 schools.
It was at the suggestion of Mr.Panchalingam that the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association Trust was established in Colombo in 1997 with a million rupees placed in Fixed Deposit at the Hatton National Bank (Emirates Branch) Colombo-01. A Board of Trustees with the key officials of the Colombo Branch of the Old Students' Association manages the affairs of the Trust. This legal entity was set up to own new fixed assets of Kokuvil Hindu College - a vested school. Another Trust account has also been opened in Jaffna by the Old Students' Association in Kokuvil in the year 2002. It is managed by the Jaffna old students' Association. Mr. Panchalingam had the foresight to see the school outgrowing the site at Kokuvil and was the motivating force in all the recent land acquisitions in Kokuvil by the two Trusts for the expansion of the school premises. The Ground Plan of the lay out of both the Southern and Northern campuses showing the entire land area now covered by the School is given in Chart 'B'. at the end of this chapter.
Mr.Panchalingam was transferred in April 1991 as Principal of Jaffna Hindu College, perhaps the most respected and prestigious post in the peninsula. His transfer was a bitter blow to us at Kokuvil. Mr.R.Mahendran filled the void. To leave Kokuvil Hindu College after an
242 Kokuvil Hindu Coleg

enormously successful period where he was loved and respected then at the twilight of his career must have been an extremely difficult decision for him.When he was asked why he opted to leave Kokuvil his reply was:-
“கொக்குவில் இந்துக்கல்லூரியை விட்டுச் செல்ல எனக்கு மனம் ஒருப்படவில்லை. அதேவேளையில் யாழ். இந்துவின் அழைப்பை நிராகரிப்பதும் இலகுவானதாக இருக்கவில்லை. முடிவெடுக்கமுடியாமல் நான் சங்கடப்பட்டேன். பல்வேறு விசயங்களைப் பற்றியும் சிந்தித்தேன். இறுதியில் கொக்குவில் இந்துவின் வளர்ச்சிக்கு என்தோளோடு தோள்நின்று பாடுபட்ட ஆசிரிய நண்பர்களுக்கு என் நன்றிக்கடனைச் செலுத்தக்கூடிய நல்ல ஒரு சந்தர்ப்பத்தை நான் நழுவவிடக்கூடாது என்ற முடிவில் யாழ். இந்துக் கல்லூரிக்குச் செல்லத் தீர்மானித்தேன். இதனால் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியின் உள்ளக நிர்வாகத்தில் என் நண்பர்கள் பலருக்குப் பதவியுயர்வு கிடைப்பது சாத்தியமாயிற்று.” என்று பதிலளித்தார். எத்தனை பேரால் இப்படிச் சிந்தித்துச் செயலாற்றமுடியும்?
In Kokuvil Hindu College, a succession of Principals and staffhave been exemplary models. Service without thought for reward was their credo. Mr.Panchalingam was one with that venerated tribe of dedicated and Godfearing men who considered the call to serve his school as a vocation and he did so with zeal and selfless devotion receiving little or no pecuniary gain. He met every situation in the complex life of a large school from the spiritual angle, finding an answer from within that would help dispel any possible discord and enrich and enhance unity and harmony in Kokuvil Hindu College. In that way he displayed the innate loftiness and spiritual refinement of his nature and was an inspiring example of exquisite and noble living. We the past pupils recall with pride and admiration that Kokuvil Hindu is fortunate in having his continued services and wish him and his family along healthy and prosperous life. May Kokuvil Hindu College grow from strength to strength and keep the flag flying.

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COLOMBO O.S.A BIDS FAR PRINCIPAL. A. PANCHALIN
Seated (LF): A. Patkunam, P. Kamalana K. Ketheeswaran, R. Mahendran, , S. Ra
SOCATION NCH
Hony Treasurer S. Rajendran p Mr. A. Panc
 
 

EWELL TO FORMER GAM 30TH JUNE 2004
than (Principal), A. Panchalingam, tnapragasam and S. Rajendran.
resents Album of Tributes tO halingam
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OUR SCH(
As a result of the initiative taken by Mrs. Bhargaviammah, the lady teacher, every class in Kokuvil Hindu College, in the early days, had a library - a cupboard full of English books, mostly A/L Bright Story Readers, abridged versions of some of the classics of English Literature. The books consisted of different grades, and each class-room stocked only the series appropriate to the class. Mr.S.Sivanayagam, one of our distinguished old boys and a journalist of international fame with great writing skills, in his reminiscences of his days at Kokuvil Hindu paid a glowing tribute to his old English teachers in these words. "May I say without any hesitation, that looking back in time, the seeds of my future career as an English writer-journalist were planted by the lady teacher, Mrs. P.B. Bhargaviammah at that very point in my boyhood life. She was my class teacher in Forms I and II. It was she who first encouraged me to read outside the text books that I became an avid reader. She had a recurring problem with my speed in reading. By the end of Term II, I would have finished reading all the books in the class cupboard which meant she had to borrow for me books from the higher class cupboard. By the time I moved on to Form II, I had already completed reading not only books in the Form I cupboard but those in Form II one as well, borrowed for me by the lady teacher. The pleasant duty of looking after my reading later in school fell on Mr. K. Pathmanabhan, who was to become
246 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg

Chapter - XVI
OOL LIBRARY
Principal of Colombo Hindu College, Ratmalana later on. He used to summon me, write down names of books on a slip of paper and tell me, "Sivanayagam, go to Gnanambikai teacher (she was the Librarian
then) get these books from her, read them and return them in three days' time. I recall with pride now that when I was in the, S.S.C. class, I had read E. M. Foster's A passage to India' - a book which was a prescribed text for students doing English at the University of Peradeniya under Professor E. F.C. Ludowyk later. Who would believe that a village school like Kokuvil Hindu College could have afforded a student the chance to read such a well known classic known now to all the literary circles in Britain? Who could believe that a village school did have teachers who were abreast of literary trends in the English speaking world?”
To the library books in the various classes, were added some more books publications and magazines and a central library was created in 1940 under the supervision of Mr.S.C. Thillainathan. New books were added during the period Mr.S.Seenivasagam was Principal. There was no office peon or librarian in the school then. Mr. Seenivasagam often spent the week-ends in school in arranging books in shelves and setting up the library. He obtained the assistance of students living in the vicinity of the school in this work. The writer was one of those helpers; he recalls how the Lady

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Teacher lent her own book "Glimpses of World History - Letters from father to daughter - by Jawaharlal Nehru' to him to read and return when he was in the Senior form at Kokuvil. This was symbolic of the encouragement she gave her students to learn English. Mr.V.Nagalingam, an avid reader himself, did not fail to take further steps to adequately equip the library with more good books - they were all in English since that was a time of education in the English medium. Again in 1949, with the funds provided by the Colombo Old Students' Association, Principal Handy Perimbanayagam got down a list of books from the Jaffna College Library and equipped the Library at Kokuvil with a large stock of valuable books and this raised the standard of the library to a very high level.
Books play an active role in the development of humanity. The knowledge gained through books is the basis for education and critical thinking, though other sophisticated media have evolved now for gaining knowledge and communicating effectively for human development. Reading habits should be developed as reading is the basis for education and for gaining knowledge. Principal Mahadeva wrote in his Notes in 1977 "that a well-equipped library is a great asset to the College and in this respect we have built our library over the years to such a position that it now occupies a prominent place among the libraries of educational institutions of similar standing."
A library should be a centre of learning and research. It needs to be the hub of a school and central to the teaching and learning perocesses. A librarian should not confine himself to that of a glorified custodian of books; he should work with dedication to make the library a centre of learning and scholarship, one must

getembedded in the intellectual life of the school. With the rapid developments in Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the unprecedented expansion of human knowledge providing successful library and information is a serious challenge. The traditional role of libraries have changed and today libraries do not have the monopoly on information. With the invention of the inter-net and other ICT facilities any person is able to retrieve information without undue problems. Internet searching, Ciber cafe, internet surfing facilities have widened the scope of access to knowledge internationally. When one knows to use a personal computer he had the opportunity to surf internet and obtain the information he needs.
For most people at village level, their education stops the moment they leave school, probably after G.C.E.(O/L) or even earlier. There is no habit of continuing the education, perhaps because they see less reason for doing so or even if they want, there are no facilities. This should be changed. No matter how hard we try to introduce Sinhala and Tamil to Internet, there is no argument that English is the de-facto language of the business and ICT. Without increasing the English literary levels at every level of society creating an e-Sri Lanka will only be a dream.
Mr.S.Navaratnam from Kondavil was the first official librarian, who was not a teacher in the school.He worked for a few years and left on 31st August 1959. At the time he left Kokuvil Hindu College the library had a stock of well over a thousand books. He was succeeded by Mr.S.C.Thillainathan a retired teacher and the library had then nearly two thousandbooks-both in English and Tamil. After the state take-over of the school Mr.Thillainathan could not continue because of departmental restrictions and he left in 1962. Mr. Arasaratnam came in to succeed
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Mr.Thillainathan.Now(2004)Mr.T.Thanabalasingham and Miss.R.Sangarapillaiare working as librarians in a library of about 7500 books. The library is housed in the 2nd floor of the Eastern Wing of the northern campus. It is well ventilated, well equipped and provides facilities for more than fifty students to use it at one and the same time. Mr.Gunapalasingham, when he was Deputy Principal at Kokuvil Hindu College, took a personal interest in developing the library and it had maintained good standards ever since. Daily newspapers, in both English and Tamil, and monthly magazines have also been provided for the use of students. The library is kept open even during the school holidays. Books are predominantly in English; more recent editions remain to be added.
In a very large measure, a university education is built on books. An undergraduate does not “study” History or Physics or Medicine; he “reads' that subject. This tradition derives from the time when a student "read with' a tutor instead of listening to lectures by a Professor, but it is still descriptive of the main part of the process of learning. Lectures are ancillary to reading; practical work demonstrates what is to be found in the books. Education which lies outside the chosen "subjects' is dominated by books. A graduate is not educated unless he has covered a wide range of reading in many fields of knowledge and experience not tested by examination. If a book, a woman or a gem passes from your hands to anothers, then they are gone and gone for ever.'
A universy teacher requires a "working library' of many volumes apart from his personal collection of general literature. A graduate without a small private library is not adequately equipped; at the end of his academic career he will realize that he knows very little compared
248 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg

with what is in his books. It is neither desirable nor possible for a school library to provide all the books required for a student's reading. A student must have the books at hand whenever he may need them. In a libary a student should be allowed "open access' that is he may go behind the counters and select for himself or even stay there and “browse'. Browsing in a well-stocked library is a liberal education in itself and there is a deal of satisfaction in discovering sources of information for oneself. A catalogue ("subject catalogue' or "Dictionary catalogue') is insufficient to find exactly what a student wants. Libraries generally have a reference section and a lending section. Students may normally borrow from the lending section. The usual period for which a book is lent is two weeks, but it may be recalled at any time. The library may be used for what may be called "secondary reading'- the addition of material to what has already been covered in a standard textbook. If a book is kept beyond the due date a fine is levied on each volume for each day that it is overdue. Happily this practice is not in vogue in Kokuvil Hindu College. If a student loses or multilates a book he may be charged double its cost price or even more, for many books are now out of print and cannot be replaced. The multilation of books, including marking in ink or pencil is regarded as a very serious offence because it destroys much of the value of the book for all subsequent readers. Unless the student points out a multilation when the book is issued to him, it will be presumed to have been a clean copy and the student will be held responsible for any marks or other multilation. The school should develop a healthy opinion in respect of the treatment of books. An educated person has a reverence for learning and handles books accordingly. Damage or multilation, whether intentionally or carelessly, is a most serious anti-social act because it deprives other students of the means for education.

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Silence should be observed strictly in the library; in Kokuvil Hindu College the accomodation for reading is quite adequate. Students should move in and out of the library with as little noise as possible; it is an anti-social act to disturb another student in any way. The nucleus of the library is, as mentioned earlier, the collection of books in various class cupboards. From small beginnings it has grown to 7500 volumes. In the calamity the school faced in 1987-IPKF occupation dayswell over a thousandbooks were either damaged or lost. Over 75% of students have registered themselves for borrowing books from the lending section. According to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Education and Cultural Affairs there are 9876 school libraries in Sri Lanka in year 2004.
With the permission of the Principal, the writer went to the College library one day in June 2003 and tried to have access to any resource material that would be of help to him in his “task' of Writing this story. But, to his great disappointment, absolutely no historical records of the school were avilable there; even the college magazines and prize-day reports printed and published by the school were not readily avilable. The school has of course outlived many fires and other adversities but the tragedy is that nothing of any historical value has been salvaged from those calamities and protected for posterity. Even at this late stage, the school must attempt to set up a "Heritage museum', which may hold artifacts of antiquity, valuable to the history of this prestigious school. The Principal or the President of the Jaffna Old Students' Association may make an appeal to all old students of different vintages to come forward and be generous enough to donate items like books, souvenirs, flags, badges, photographs etc that would be valuable artifacts to keep intact the heritage of a great School. The response may perhaps be

rewarding. Mr.A.Amirthalingam, as President of the Jaffna Old Students' Association recorded in 10th March 1982 a valuable thought in these words:-
“எமது பழைய மாணாக்கர்களின் சிறப்பு வாய்ந்த பெருமக்களின் பட்டியலொன்று கல்லூரியிலிருப்பது பழைய மாணாக்கர்களுக்கும் தற்போதைய மாணாக்கர்களுக்கும் சாசனமாக golden ' It is a pity that, to date, nobody has thought of giving life to this idea, It would be useful to compile a Directory of Old Students very early and incorporate a small photograph with a short CV of about 100 words of each old student. A small contribution for each entry may be charged; that may be another way of collecting funds for the school. Information about the Principals and Teachers who moulded the students may also be included in the Directory. Prehaps it could be compiled and released to mark the centenary year of Kokuvil Hindu College - 2010, which is fast approaching.
The fine gentlemen and role models who taught us at K.H.C had each in his own way impressed on us that the friends, whose company we keep and the books we read, will largely influence the type of person we shall become. They urged us to read biographies of great men and women reminding us of the poet's words: "The lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime.” We learned at school "Reading maketh a full man, and writing an exact man" by Francis Bacon, the father of English Essay. It is reading for both knowledge and pleasure that helps students to build up their personalities. Education today, instead of pointing towards higher levels, suffers from a debilitating malady due to lack of adequate reading both at school and outside as well. Reading promoted as an enjoyable activity make students improve their literary skills which they can carry through
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into their adult life. A growing tendency that can be seen currently among our student population is their lackadaisical attitude to reading. Literature has been traditionally used as the major strategy to stimulate interest in reading among students in the form of stories that sustain their attention. Stories have the ability to excite children's interest in reading and give them the message that learning to read is enjoyable, purposeful and meaningful. Their lackadaisical attitude to reading reflects badly on students even in the culmination of their higher studies whereby they become academically or professionally qualified. This is a devastating influence on knowing the marvels of science and technology, which have now become part and parcel of our day to day life. Reading within the scope of the field of one's profession alone is not sufficient unless one has extended it to the areas of general knowledge. It is here the importance of teaching literature comes in as the most vital role in education. But our educational experts, in their wisdom, have struck it off the school curriculum.
The book is the most technologically efficient machine that man has ever invented. It is a powerful friend offering knowledge and fun. Laws die, books never. Books are powerful and they rule the world, men of power have no time to read, yet the men who do not read are unfit for power. Books expand your horizons of knowledge, and stimulate thinking and provide entertainment. A collection of books is the true university; Book-shops are the one university everyone can enter. Most authors are unapproachable. Either they are dead or live in another country or far too busy. So reading their books is the option available.To read good books is like holding a conversation with the most eminent minds of past centuries and moreovera studied conversation in which these authors reveal to us only the best of their thoughts. Books
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provoke further thought. Except a living man there is nothing more wonderful than a book which conveys to us a message from human souls we never saw, and yet these arouse us, terrify us, teach us, comfort us and open their hearts to us as brothers. No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure Solasting. Reading adds meaning to life. Books are where things are explained to you, life is where things aren't. If we can read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of life as we wish. Book lovers never go to bed alone. Reading and marriage don't go well together. Husbands should be particularly careful with Agatha Christie who has given more pleasure in bed than any other woman Kokuvil Hindu must instill the reading habit to all its students and encourage them to make maximum use of the facilities provided in the library.
Internet is a method of universal communication. At persent the internet appears to be the only method of disseminating the knowledge required for the new century, equally to the poor and the rich, the town folk and village children. Technology has overcome culture. Our native languages are becoming as useful in real life to us as our religions, but they are of little technical use. Educating our students in new methods of acquiring knowledge is more critical today than their native languages were fifty years ago. Unfortuanately, we now lack teachers, sufficiently literate themselves in English and computers. The need is so urgent to provide all our schools with computers to disseminate this new teaching from central sites by the best of teachers. Unlike television or radio, computers are interactive. A teacher out there or a forward student can without hesitation respond on the computer and talk back in questions or corrections. The present generation of students at Kokuvil Hindu are fortunate in having a well

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equipped computer laboratory; students should make maximum use of this facility.
School libraries are classified as follows: Class A- library with all facilities -one for each
district Class B-built anew or rehabilitated Class C - library books only to be supplied by
Education Ministry
Books can be obtained free from 1. National Library Service 2. British Council 3. Asia Foundation 4. Ministry for Hindu Cultural Affairs 5. High Commissions of foreign countries on requests by Principal of schools to equip their libraries. It is surprising that K.H.C had not received any supplies from these SOCCS.
Training in Librarianship
The British Council and the Asia Foundation conducted short courses in Library and Information Science for library personnel, so far untaught and untrained in the intricacies of running a good library and organising materials for maximum easy retrieval. Library Staff needs education and training.
Sri Lanka Library Association (SLLA) - has a teaching and training institution. An integrated library software package called
"In the highest civilisation He who has once known its resource against calamity”
હુ

"PURNA is in use in Sri Lanka and Male. It contains Distance Education Programme in Library and Information Science with notes and assignments. SLAA had its inception in the 1950s but was officially recognised in 1974. Sri Lanka Library Act No.20 of 1974 was revised in 2004. The gap between technology rich countries and the third world in information and information sharing is wide. In attempting to bridge this yawning chasm computerisation was introduced to develop information storage, transfer and library co-operation. UNESCO helps through the issue, free of cost, its software packages to libraries.
A recent survey conducted on the reading habits of the population in Sri Lanka has revealed that Sri Lankans are poor readers. The adverse consequences of removing literature and other related aesthetic subjects from the school syllabus several decades ago were clearly visible in todays society. The majority need soapy and crude books and magazines instead of those having literary value.
Supplementary reading among children is fast disappearing as Television and exambased education has taken its place. Most of the time of children is spent in going to school, tuition classes and watching Television with no time allocated for reading. This is a vacuum in their lives; it has to be remedied by proper literary appreciation.
the book is still the highest delight.
satisfactions is provided with a
擎
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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THE BOARD
Kokuvil Hindu English school was a boarding School. The Boarding House was set up in the year 1928 and was situated at Northeastern corner of School premises adjacent to the well. Mr.M. Karthigesu, the Head Master of the English school, lived in the school then and went home to Puloly only during the weekends. A Malayalee Nayar was the cook and he provided the meals mainly lunch to the teachers who opted to have Nayar's vegetarian meals as their lunch. Savithiri, the daughter of the Head Master, lived with the father and studied up to her 7th standard class when she left to join the Vembadi School. Tharmakulasingham recalled how the two of them, Savithiri and he, competed for the first rank in class tests. A few years later one of Mr. Karthigesu's nephews P. Bhuvanendram was admitted as a student in the English School and he was the first resident boarder. Quite a number of students who came from distant places chose to have their lunch at the Boarding House. R. Nadarajah and A. Sundaralingam from Kaithady, PShanmuganathan, a nephew of Mr. Sabalingam, from Urumpirai, K. Yogarajah, a nephew of Mr. Amirthalingam, also from Urumpirai, P. Thurairajah from Inuvil were some of the students who, being day-scholars patronized the lunch regularly at the Boarding House. The meals were of quite a high standard they said, and were of the view that high standard was maintained because a number of teachers too had their lunch there. A.Nagalingam was in charge of managing the Boarding House and any one teacher/student needing meals or only lunch
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Chapter - XVII
DING HOUSE
had only to register with him early in the morning and all dues settled by end of the month. This arrangement was of tremendous assistance to all those students and teachers who attended school from long distances.
When Mr. P. Navaratnam from Puloly came to teach at Kokuvil Hindu in 1945 he was the next teacher who opted to stay in the school. Mr. S.Kathiresan from Chulipuram joined the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College in 1946 and he too lived in the Boarding House and went home only during weekends. He took some students one weekend to Thiruvadi Nilai, a popular tourist spot, where people could bathe in the sea (somewhat akin to the healing springs of Keerimalai of hoary tradition). The story goes that Sri Rama first landed at this spot when he came to Sri Lanka to take Sita back. Mr. Kathiresan hailed from an orthodox family in Chulipuram; he lived close to Thiruvadi Nilai, he gave us a ride in their own buggy cart from his home to this bathing spot. Students were entertained with lunch and it was indeed a memorable day. Mr. Kannuthurai was largely responsible for organizing this trip. Mr. S. Veeragathipillai, another teacher from Point Pedro and a good dramatist, a member of W.M. Cumaraswamy Dance group of Jaffna fame, also stayed in the Boarding House in 1947. He befriended R. Sothinathan, a student, became a friend of that family and lived with them in Kokuvil for a long time. There were no proper hostel rooms for these boarders. They had to arrange long desks in class-rooms to serve as

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beds and managed to sleep on them in the nights. Some used mats and opted to sleep on the cemented floor. Mr.K.Pathmanathan was the other teacher who stayed in the Boarding House. In the nights, he helped some students living in the vicinity in their studies, without charging any fees. K. Palakidnar, V. Rajasegaram and S.Ratnapragasam were amongst his students in the night classes. As indicated earlier Mr. Karthegesu, (Pathmanaban's father) lived in the Boarding house about whom Sivanayagam wrote in these words. "Mr. Karthigesu was fair of complexion, with a shining head with some grey hairs on either side, always with a folded blue bordered shawl worn on the side. One distinct recollection I have of him was that he taught me how to prepare a good fresh orange drink. It all happened when I walked slowly into the "Boarding" one day (a modest thatch roofed but cool place where another teacher Mr. S.C. Thillainathan used to sit quietly and use his inhaler for his Asthma) when the Boarding cook brought a large glass of fresh orange juice for Mr. Karthigesu. It looked an orange juice alright, but there was no sign of the juicy segments of the fruit it self. The man had done a good job of crushing the entire fruit for the purpose. That was no good for Mr. Karthigesu. He called the cook back, and called me also for good measure and said that a good orange drink must have half the juicy segments uncrushed on top. Alas, those were the good old days when a Headmaster could afford a daily glass of fresh orange in the morning. Which Principal can afford it today?"
Mr.V.Kanapathipillai from Karaveddy, the Head Master of the Tamil School also lived in the Boarding House. Two of his elder sons Thanikasalam and Poologasingham who were admitted as students in the English School also lived with their father in the Boarding house

initially. Years later Mr.Kanapathipillai lived with his family in a house at Kokuvil and educated his other two sons Navaratnasingham and Wignarajah at Kokuvil Hindu College. Mr.S.Parthasarathy from Madras, who joined the staff of Kokuvil Hindu College in 1947, also lived in the Boarding House; Reverend Dharmaratne Thero, introduced to Kokuvil by Board member R.R.Nalliah, was another occupant of the Boarding House in the years 1947 and 1948 and the Thero was put in the charge of Teacher M.Sinnathamby to help him acquire proficiency in Tamil Language. Almost every class room in the English School was lit in the nights with lamps and they were a hive of activity serving as the hostel room for teachers. That was a period when Kokuvil had no electricity, yet there was life in the school even in the nights: the school then was confined to the portion south of Puthukovil only; the expansion of the school to the north of the temple is a much later development. The teachers, who lived in the school, joined the students in games after school hours specially volleyball and Padder Tennis, the latter was introduced by Mr.PNavaratnam to Kokuvil. Parthasarathy was another good player of this sport. Mr. C.K.Kanthaswami's drives in this game remain etched in the memory of many a student.
Mr.Suntharalingam was the first Art Master in Kokuvil Hindu College. He hailed from Thenmaradchy but lived in the Boarding House. He was the one-eyed genius of art who introduced an awareness of aestheticis into the school. He taught his students to appreciate the endless, graceful facts of the beauty of nature. Students spent many a memorable evening hour in his interesting company. He spent his leisure hours in painting nature's sceneries; most of his beautiful paintings were seen hung in the walls of the staff room during his time. There were paintings on canvass as well; it is tragic
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that they have all been lost since. He was a verstile and talented artist who drew much of his insight and inspiration from the beauty and serenity of nature and the simple and ordinary life of the rural folk. He told us that "from his childhood his passion was to depict what he saw and perceived in the moods and lives of people, into works of art, to be unraveled and understood by the beholder. " Individuality in his style has been one of his strong attributes. His ranges of painting vary from religion to metaphysical and personal. The artist places a central theme on his canvass and weaves other experiences around it. This was a technique particular to the artist himself. He was very much the outcome of his rural cultural heritage. He was at Kokuvil Hindu College for a very short period. Mr.Sunderalingam left Kokuvil late in 1949. Mr.T. Kidnapillai, of Kokuvil, a brother-in-law of C.Arulampalam succeeded Sundaralingam as Art Master. Painting was not his forte but Kidnar, as he was fondly called was an excellent art master introducing the students on the basics of art and precision drawing. He was a strong-willed man and held fast to his own ideas of men and
atterS.
Given below is a student hosteller's memories of life in the Boarding House:-
"In their wisdom my parents decided to send me to the hostel, at great cost to themselves. It was to give me a stable life and teach me the social skills and discipline. I achieved their goals only to lose them in the rough and tumble of life later. I was lucky to belong to a generation inspired contemporaneously by great teachers and Principals. They gave us lofty ideas, great inspiration, self-respect, firm discipline and anchorage. It was a sublime experience. The first day at the Boarding was full of tears specially when wishing the parents good-bye. Nothing could have prepared me adequately for this trauma. The loneliness
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and bewilderment was overpowering at times. All my possessions were crammed into a large metal trunk and the clothes had my name tag. Needless to say there was no television, no computers, and no mobile phones. We hostellers made our own entertainment and amused ourselves. Despite the hustle and bustle of life and the regimentation we had time to put our arms round our pals and share in their joys and sorrows. We shared our secrets and exchanged stories about our parents, brothers and sisters. There was a certain closeness which was rarely seen in friendships later on in life. We talked about our dreams and aspirations for the future and assumed we will always befriends. Unlike at present the students had no voice at all. Parents took decisions for us at home and the teachers did so at school. '
With increased patronage of the Boarding House tea and short eats during the tea intervals were made avilable to all students at nominal prices. During that period, the school (Kokuvil Hindu College) had two sessions. The morning session started at 9.00 am and ended at 12.30 pm. with an interval of 10 minutes at 10.30 am; the afternoon session started at 1.20 pm and closed at 3.20 pm. With the lapse of time, a canteen was set up with Mr.Sathasivam as its manager. The canteen arrangements too did not last very long, as the canteen manager was also required to be the watcher of the school. Since the manager had to wait in school in weekends and term holidays when school was not in session, managing the canteen was found unprofitable and Sathasivam left. He was succeeded by Kathirithamby from Karaveddy who was slightly lame in his legs but he cooked meals for some teachers and also served as the watcher of the school where he lived even during holidays. By the year 1950 even he left and the Boarding House had to give way to new class-rooms to relieve the pressure on accommodating students.

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GAMES AND
There are two periods in a man's life when extra care is needed for the maintenance of health. The first is the period of adolescence, normally from 11-15 years of age. The second is the period of the late teens and the early twenties. Both periods should be the concern of the schools and higher educational institutions. In this latter period, the growth of the body is ceasing and physical prowess should be at a maximum. It provides the last chance to develop the muscular, circulatory and respiratory systems to such a degree that they may be adequate for all the stresses and strains of adult life. Neglect of physical health at this period means a poor posture, weak and flabby muscles, an inefficient heart and blood circulation, and restricted respiration. People who are physically fit live longer, have a greater resistence to disease, have a greater chance to recover from illness and recover more quickly and can work harder, longer and better than people who are not physically fit. All this explains whya school must lay great stress on the physical fitness of its students. The primary responsibility rests on parents.
Schools should provide not only adequate facilities for physical exercise but also adequate instruction on the care of the body. It is much easier to retain physical fitness than it is to regain it once it has been lost. In the second place, physical fitness depends uponadequate physical

Chapter - XVIII
ATHLETICS
exercise. This is Nature's way of building strong muscles, a sound heart and a good respiration. Nature intends the physical development to reach its maximum in the early twenties. Unfortunately this is just the age at which when many Sri Lankan students stop taking exercise. Study, general reading and other sedantary occupations take up much of their time. They fail to realize that games and otherforms of physical exercise become even more important than they were when they were young. Indeed foolish parents often discourage games because they take up time which ought to be devoted to study. There is no compatibility between being "good at games" and being "good at academic work'. On the contrary the one quality reinforces the other. Regular work combined with regular exercise produces better results than excessive work. In fact regularity is the essential ingredient. There should be regular hours of work, regular hours of play, regular hours of sleep, regular hours for meals and regular bowel movements. The hours of play should be allocated to the cool of the morning or the cool of the evening.
Every student should be given some physical training so as to give him some control over his body. Partly this will take the form of gymnastics and partly of games. A school which has not a gymnasium and playing fields large enough to give every fit student a game at least once a week is inadequately equipped. Every student should be initiated into the principles of
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leadership or self-discipline. Partly this will arise through prefectorial or monitorial system, but team games, Scouting and cadet-training will also help.
Athletics is asport which is comparatively less intricate or a technically less complicated andone could be proficientin with a degree of inherent potential and application. It is a sport that requires immense effort, rigorous and relentless training and above all self sacrifice, as for its appeal, no other sport attracts such public attention, depending in the nature of the meet and the level of competition. Training and competitions alone are the twinfold requests that help man or woman to be reckoned with in Athletics.
We in Asia look upon the Asian Games as the pinnacle of athletic achievement while other nations that show international class in atheletics cast their eyes on the Olympics and world Championships which doubtless establish the ultimate in athletic supremacy. The dream of the Asian athletic is to win a Gold in the Asian Games where more than 40 nations meet and compete. The first Asian Games was held in New Delhi in 1951 (March 8-11) when only 10 nations competed.
That games help to produce good health, and prosperity is a view that was held universally in the long vanished past. Foot-ball was a ball-game that was played exactly for this reason. So was volley-ball, net-ball and hockey. All these ball games were first played by Red-Indians. Their contribution to civilize the West was as great as the Muslim contribution to revive Europe intellectually. Until Colombus visited America, Europe did not know what a team-ball game was.
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What Europe really picked up from the style of play of native Americans was team-play. The two sides or teams represented an eternal truththe contrasting experiences in our daily life need to come together to make the game of life more interesting.
Basketball is now the craze. One is expected to kick the ball jumping and dropping it into an iron ring. Even board-games like Chess and Drafts and Snakes and Ladders had a metaphysical content. The pawns in these games symbolised our individual lives. Their movement across the board represented our attempt to cross to the other shore of the sea of samsara.
At Kokuvil Hindu College, in its early days, students had no opportunity to participate in any major games as such. One period was however allocated (for all classes) for Drill and this was held at Puthukovil outer court-yard. Shanmugarajah has recorded elsewhere that in 1936 no major games were played but students often indulged in minor games like "chasing and running" and "Kenthy addy” at Kokuvil. Principal Karthigesu's favourite exhortation was "Sit erect, sit up properly'. Believing as he did, in “a sound mind in a sound body” (mens Sana in corpore Sano) Mr.Karthigesu led the students a-jogging round and round the school buildings, for the new born college (1941) had no playground of its own for such an exercise. To meet this need, the school obtained on lease later a plot of land in Kaladdy (site of the present Kokuvil Technical College) belonging to the Board of Directors of Jaffna Hindu College. It was rocky shrub land with many tall palmyrah palms. The students and staff laboured hard to clear this land, felling the trees and leveling the ground, and converted it into a suitable play ground for foot-ball. This was located at a

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distance of one kilometer from the School and students had to trek this distance daily to take part in games and athletic practices in the evenings.
Volley Ball was however played in a court adjoining the Jaffna-K.K.S Road in the school premises at the spot, now occupied by the Primary School. The Tamil School ywas conducted then in the Hall, with partitioned classes, at the western wing of the college quadrangle adjoining the Principal's office. The volleyball had then to be driven over the net, within the opposite court, with each smash and kept in the air without letting it fall to the ground. Teachers and students engaged themselves in this sportin the evenings after school hours. This writer vividly remembers the championship game played in this court in 1945 between Sabapathy and Chelliah houses when the score was 14-14 and the ball was kept in the air for an unusually longtime. Mr. Arulpragasam from the net position jumped up, successfully slipped the ball into the opposite court and made Sabapathy house the winner, displaying the importance of every position in the 9 member team. That day's game was indeed a memorable one. Inter-collegiate volleyball games were also played and the writer was a member of the 1947 College team in a match between Kokuvil Hindu and Urumpirai Hindu Colleges. Kokuvil was the winner. In the character certificate issued to the writer Principal Nagalingam had confirmed that "he was an
* Volley Ball is a game that started in America. Its ori physical Training officer in the Y.M.C.A at Koliyork city framed by him began to be followed all over world as fro the Olympics in 1964. Volley ball was selected as the natio of volleyball is that of striking the ball with hands to make and old, men and women can participate in volleyball unl players for pleasure and exercise. Volleyball calls for ph abilities such as concentration, anticipation and judgeme and ample scope for physical and mental exercise. Compa shorter period of time.

important member of the College volley ball team'. There were no games in this court when the school closed for the term holidays.
But there was a 2nd volley ball court at the road end of Puthukovil northern outer courtyard. This was predominantly used by the youths of the area and people of the village were entertained with games played in this open court daily every evening. Mr.K.Tharmalingam (Volkart Bros) a leading volleyball player in Sri Lanka's national team then encouraged the youths of Kokuvil to play this game by regularly providing free the Ball and the Net which were safely kept in Mr.Somasegaram's (Arumai) custody. Mr.Ramakrishna Nayar (brother of Mrs.P.B.Bhargaviammah) and C.Palanithurai were two excellent players in this court.
Flying kites was another game in which, even senior people engaged in Puthukovilady in that period. On one occasion, Mr.Sathasivam (father of Srinivasan DRO) sent up one evening from the temple court-yard a big kite about 12 feet long with a contrapted musical band (656tory (L 6TG (upgé, GasTl) and kept it in the air-space the whole night (having tied the connecting rope to a tree) providing light music for the whole village till morning the next day. Those were days when radios and other entertaining media were a novelty and the main source of entertainment was nathaswaram music at various temple festivals in and around the village.
gin has been traced to William Morgan, who served as in 1895. It was introduced to Ceylon in 1916. The rules m 1917. Volley Ball was included as one of the games in nal game of the country Sri Lanka in 1990. Characteristics it rise preventing it from falling to the ground. The young ike in most other games and it can be played even by two lysical abilities such as balance and agility and mental nt on the part of participants. Therefore it provides free red to cricket vollyball gives much physical exercise in a
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For youths living around Kokuvil Hindu every day was kite day-either at the temple court-yard or at the large open space at Thlaiyaly. We made kites, we flew them. We lost them in the trees and in telephone wires. We were sorry but we never cried or even sighed. The next moment we would be fiddling about with bamboo, strings and tissue paper, diligently constructing another dream. A kite is an adventure waiting to take off. Kite-flying is a child's desire to escape to a different world. They are the stuff dreams are made of. They teach us that our physical and social limitations are never too strong to keep us tied to the ground. And, like all dreams, all things in fact, they obey sooner or later, the enduring truths of impermanence. They fall, much like how people and even gaints do. Kites perish, but kite-making and kite-flying lives on. All it requires is a child's innocence, determination and creativity. Giants fall. Kites fly.
Recently the sky over Mount Lavinia beach was covered with unusual flying objects. They were no alien space-ships but kites flown at the Innovation International Kite Festival 2003 held with two participants each from India and Nepal. The Indian participants (Deepak and Hemant Kapadia) had taken part in many international kite flying competitions and were finalists at the kite flying World Cup 1996 in Dieppe, France. Kite flying is only a hobby people indulge in; Kite fighting is unique to Asian countries. The Western world is beginning to show an interest in it. With the forming of the "Manjiha Club International" kite fighting is gradually picking up in the west. The traditional kite is made from paper and bamboo. The materials used for all kites. Indian or Sri Lankan, are the same. The ancient kite flying culture of Sri Lanka has not been lost.
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Providing the play-ground in 1941 for Kokuvil Hindu College though at a distance from the school, facilitated the holding of inter-house athletic competitions and regular foot-ball practices after School hours for the students. Mr.Paramanatham was appointed the sports coach while Mr.E.Sabalingam, the sports master encouraged the students to take part in soccer and athletics. The sports captain was Mr.S.Nagalingam and the first inter-house sports meet at Kokuvil Hindu College was held in this play-ground on 4th July 1941. In this competition Mr.Nagalingam was declared the Senior Champion whilst V. Navaratnam and S. Somasegaram were the intermediate and Junior Champions respectively. Chelliah house carried the trophy as the house champion that year. Inter-collegiate foot-ball competition was also held in the year 1941 between Kokuvil Hindu and Karainagar Hindu Colleges. The match was played at the Jaffna Hindu College play-ground at Vannarponnai and Kokuvil Hindu won by three goals to one (3-1). N.Shanmugaratnam was the goal keeper then; R.Rajalingam and K.Chandrapalan played as full-backs with Mr.S.Nagalingam as the Captain. Kokuvil Hindu College entered a 1st XI soccer teams for the J.S.S.A (Jaffna Schools Sports Association) tournament in 1946. The Kokuvil Hindu College 1st XI soccer team came up to the semi-finals and played against Jaffna Hindu College. Mr.T.Rajaratnam joined the 2nd XI soccer team in 1944 when Kokuvil Hindu College had two soccer teams. In 1948 Mr.T.Rajaratnam captained the 1st XI soccer team that met Urumpirai Hindu College at the finals.The twins Murugiah and Cumaraswamy of Kondavil defended very well and Mr.Murugiah shot the winning goal at closing time. Mr.N.Subramaniam who was keeping goal for the 2nd XI team was selected to keep goal for the 1st XI team at this match. V. Shanmuga rajah, M. Rat na singham,

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K.Tharmalingam, V. Thevarajah, M. Navatnam, C.Kannuthurai K. Selliah and S. Sinnathamby were some of the other soccer players in the Kokuvil team during the period 1944-1948.
The British service units stationed in the then Ceylon, were the pioneers who promoted competitive foot-ball in this country. The British administrative service and the British planting community took this sport to the southern, central and up country regions of the island with Zest and fervour. Echelon service barracks grounds (later known as Echelon Square) was the popular foot-ball field in Colombo in the game's formative years. It caught up in the northern and other provinces in later years. Foot ball as a sport is fascinating, projecting an extraordinary measure of skills, artistry and appeal without the aid or use of an implement. It is immensely appealing to every layer of Society, more so to the under-priviliged. The game once dubbed "the Beautiful Game” has not changed that much. What makes a good game is still good players and the definition of a good player is pretty much the same today, as it was in the good old days. South American Brazil's Pele was soceer's most revered player. He scored over 1000 goals to establish himself as the best player, the world has ever seen. Foot-ball was the best sport already then and people identified with Pele who started very young and played in the World Cup at age of 17.
North Sri Lanka had a flourish of football activity amongst the local populace. School leavers and young government officers grouped together to form foot-ball clubs. The Jaffna Football Association was formed on 8th November 1939 with Mr.W.G.Spencer, then District Judge as chairman. The historic meeting took place at the Y.M.C.A (Young Men’s Christian
*25 Roaman Abramovich, the Russian Oligarch, owns Chelsea Football Clubs, *26 Jaffna Schools Sports Association.

Association) with Mr.B.E.Rajanayagam as the elected secretary. The game football in the northern Peninsula is as old as football in Sri Lanka and it always remained active and vibrant until the outbreak of ethnic violence in 1983.
Mr. A.Paramanatham was a major influence in the development of sports and games in Kokuvil Hindu College. He turned out a large number of sportsmen and secured for the shool high distinctions in soccer and athletics. In 1943 the 2nd XI soccer team came up to the group finals and lost in the finals to a solitary goal in the last minute. In 1944 too, the 2nd XI soccer team played very well and created a good impression in the soccer fans of Jaffna. The match was a draw and Kokuvil Hindu College team was declared bracketed champions. At the intercollegiate soccer competition in 1945 Kokuvil Hindu College 2nd XI soccer team came up to the group finals. They were declared bracketed champions without being allowed to play in the finals due to the Tournament Committee's decision (equal points). 1946 was a land mark year in Kokuvil Hindu College's football history. Both the First XI and the second XI soccer teams were declared champions in the J.S.S.A.* tournament. That apart, Mr.C.Kannuthurai and Mr.V.Shanmugarasa of the Kokuvil Hindu team were chosen to play in the all Jaffna School's Soccer First XI team. A special issue of the college magazine was published to commemorate the championship trophy won in football. In the JSSA tournament in 1947 the first XI soccer team became champions for the second time. The 2nd XI soccer team was also in full form in that season, it played well in all the matches, but bad luck denied them the championship that year. It was in 1947 that colours were awarded to the players, for the first time in Kokuvil's history. All
with an estimated fortune of 7.5 billion pounds.
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members of the 1st XI soccer team won their colours. T.Rajaratnam and R.Duraisingham won their colours in athletics and V. Shanmugarasa and C.Kannuthurai won their colours in volley ball in which Kokuvil Hindu College was declared champion in 1944.
Soccer was our forte. The School won its first inter-School championship in 1946 and thereafter in the years 1948, 1952, 1957, 1968, 1970 and 1975 Messers V. Puwanesan (Our Assistant Treasurer)and S. Bawananthan were prominent players of the 1968 and 1970 football teams. Mr. Bawananthan captained in 1970. The School was holding a unique position in the Soccer world . It was during these years V. Ganeshalingam as a school boy was selected to represent all - Jaffna football team.
Kokuvil Hindu College participated in the Inter Collegiate Athletic Meet commencing from the year 1944 when Mr.K.Kanagasingham (from Thavady) obtained the first place in the mile race. In the 1946 JSSA athletic competition Mr.T. Rajaratnam came First in the one mile race and he was also placed second in the Half-Mile Race.For the second time, Mr.Rajaratnam won the one mile race and also came first in the Half mile race with record time and won the Parson's Challenge Cup, for the best performance in the year 1947. Principal Nagalingam made reference to this splendid achievement by one of the College's sportsmen in the morning College assembly and publicly congratulated both Mr. Rajaratnam and his sports coach Mr.Paramanantham. The credit goes to the commitment and dedication of the athletes and their sports coach.
Some of our female students too had performed exceptionally well at the District level.
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S. Saraswathy, K. Thanaletchumy, S. Rabindra, S. Rama and few others did well in their respective track events.Mr. Paramanantham, the Sports Master, was an embodiment of calmness, a man of experience, a walking psychologist and a person of worldly knowledge. He was not just a Sports Master but also an advisor and guide. He gave the correct advice at crisis times. Kokuvil Hindu College was indeed very fortunate in having had his dedicated services with commitment.
In 1950 the Mr. R. Duraisingam, S. Letchumanan, P.Rajaratnam and S. Velthasan created history by winning 1st places in various track events both at the J.S.S.A. and All-Ceylon Public Schools Athletic Meets. Kokuvil Hindu participated in all the major events in subsequent years as well.
"1957 was a significant year in foot ball for Kokuvil Hindu College. In the soccer championship organized by the Jaffna Schools Sports Association. Kokuvil Hindu College had a triumphal progress. We emerged as champions of Group A having convincingly defeated all our adversaries. Our next encounter was with Parameshwara College, Champions of Group C against whom too we triumphed. The final match was against Jaffna Hindu, Champions of Group B. The match was almost over. It was a matter of seconds or at the worst minutes. A section of the mammoth crowd of spectators rushed in and sabotaged the game. For some time before the match, rumours were afloat that a determined effort would be made to wreck the game and rob us of the deserved fruits of our effort. But the security measures taken to prevent such premeditated sabotage were, according to all reports, utterly inadequate.

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Who the offenders were and what intentions lay behind this ungallant act, the public of Jaffna knows. At the time this outrageous exhibition of hooliganism occurred Kokuvil Hindu was leading 4-3. In the words of the Head of a sister institution "Kokuvil Hindu are champions in the eyes of God and man. But......... Perhaps this is an apt summary of the position. Further comment is superfluous'. These are the very words of S. Handy Perinpanayagam in his column "The Principal thinks aloud' regarding the undeclared championship in that year.
Mr.S.Sothirajah became the Senior Champion in the JSSA athletic meet in the year 1959. He was also selected to representall Jaffna School Boys Cricket Team. In the same year Miss.M.Jeyakumari won the challenge cup for the best performance at the Jaffna Girls School Sports Association in the athletics meet by creating a new record in 1959 in "Throwing the Discuss'-Intermediate section.
Beginning from the year 1961 Mr.C.Balakrishnan an all-round sportsman accepted the responsibility of directing the sports activities of the school. Mr.V.Ganeshalingam and Mrs.S.Ehamparam, two qualified physical Training Instructors, assisted Mr.Balakrishnan. They worked with competence and enthusiasm and had maintained the standards and the tradition set by their predecessors in the field of sports and games in Kokuvil Hindu College. Mr. R. Mahendran took over from Mr. Balakrishnan and ensured that the sports activities were continued at a steady pace in the school. Mr Mahendran was assosted by Mr. Satchithan anthan who was largely responsible for the success of the college football team. Mr. Suntherasivam and Mr. V. C.

Ramanathan were the two people who introduced cricket to K.H.C. in 1951. They had enthusiastically made all the preliminary arrangements in buying the equipment, preparing the pitch etc. Mr. Suntherasivam had to leave on transfer to Skandavarodaya College. Mr. C. Balakrishnan took over in 1952 and trained the students in this game. He was succeeded by Mr.R.Mahendran, who was later succeeded by Mr. V. Ganeshalingam and Mr. T. Vilvarasa. All of them were initially Sports Masters in their time. In cricket the school had not been able to draw level with certain schools with a long tradition in cricket. In 1967 however the school improved its performance in cricket and obtained first place in the competitions in Jaffna. Cricket is the most acceptable legacy of the British rulers, highly popular among all especially at school level. Good performance in Cricket became one of the criteria to obtain good jobs in the public services or in the mercantile sector.
In team sports, captains of cricket teams are more powerful than captains of any other sport. Captains in Soccer have no say in team Selections. Captains in basket-ball are just figure heads and it is the case with most other team sports. But it is in complete contrast in cricket. Cricket captains pick the playing eleven, they have the ultimate say in deciding the batting order and they decide whom to ball. Also they get paid more compared to the rest of the teammates. ICC's new code of conduct have increased the responsibilities of captains. It is a Job which has so much glamour.
Cricket in those days were played by gentlemen. Umpire's word was law. The team members congratulated the opponent's achievements in the field. They walked away when they felt it was out though the umpires did
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not see. The spectator's dissent and applause was confined to areas beyond the boundary. No streakers, foul language or efforts to intimidate the batsman at the crease. When they lost, though crest fallen and frustrated, clapped the opponents back to the pavilion. Those injured in the heat of the battle were comforted by the captain of the opposite side. This gentlemanly behaviour on the pitch merely reflected the peaceful and chivalrous times. In the 21st century these seem rather tame as the cricketers have given up being gentlemen for the high stakes they play for. At school, cricket is not only a game buta way of life! Kokuvil Hindu must instill these traits to its students and break this trend.
Mr.E.Sabalingam was the first Prefect of Games in Kokuvil Hindu College, The other teachers who functioned in this capacity in the later years is given below:-
Mr. A Paramanantham Mr. C. Balakrishnan Mr. V. Ganeshalingam Mr. R. Mahendran Mr. T. Vilvarajah Mr. T. Buvanasundarajah
Special mention should be made to the fact that Mr. V. Bavasingh from K.H.C was selected represent the all Ceylon Cricket Team in 1970. He was previleged to be the opening bowler that year. He was a great Cricket fan who spent most of his time in the play ground helping the Students in Cricket in later years.
Cricket History."
Cricket is today one of the world's major sports. London became the centre of cricket towards the end of the 18th century. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was cricket headquarters
2. Courtsey - Rex Clementine
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in England. This was formed in 1787 by members of White Conduit Club. From then on, the MCC became the offical ruler of the game, being responsible for its administration and laws. Dorset Square is situated in Marylebone. From Dorset square MCC moved to the present site of Lord's in St. Johns Wood in 1814. Since then Lords has been the headquarters of cricket. Overseas cricket commenced in 1859 when a team of English cricketers left for Canada. A British colony was established at Botany Bay in Australia in 1788 and cricket was their sport. The first game was played in Sydney in 1830 with the first club formed in Hobart, Tasmania in 1832. The Melbourne Cricket Club was formed (with identical initials) as the MCC in 1844. It became the hub of cricket administration in Australia. Earl of Shefield donated 150 guineas to promote cricket among the states in Australia and it christened the start of the Sheffield shield tourney. By 1947, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia competed for this shield.
Cricket in South Africa was introduced by the British army which occupied the Cape at the end of the 18th centurry and Cape Colony became the first centre of cricket. Natal, Orange Free State, and Transvaal followed suit. The first England team went to South Africa in 1888 and won the test. Sir Donald Curie presented the Curie Cup for competition among the leading provinces in South Africa. Cricket in the Caribbean Islands of the West Indies got off to a slow start, manily due to sea travel being involved. Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica and British Guiana (now Guyana) happened to be the starting points in the early 18th century. It was in 1894 that an English team visited the Caribbean but the first official MCC tour was in 1911. Organising competitions between the islands was a difficult task mainly due to air travel but it was

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only in 1955 - 1956 that the Shell Shield competition began. Several top nations, which were keen on playing international cricket decided to be members of the World's Cricket Controlling Body and after England, Australia, South Africa and West Indies were already in , they decided to join the fray. They were New Zealand, India and Pakistan then, and in very recent years it were Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Cricket in New Zealand only got under way in the second half of the 19th century. The first provincial match was played in North Island in March 1960 when Auckland played against Wellington. Four years later the inaugural first class competition was played for the Plunket shield which was presented by the Governor General Lord Plunket in 1906 and the first match for the trophy was in 1907. India came late on the scene and it was the British army that took cricket there, prior to the start of the 19th Century. The first England Team under G.T.V Vernon came to India in 1889. But the first MCC team to play tests in India was skipped by that ever popular D.R. Jardene in 1933 - 1934. The Ranji Trophy is offered for the internal first class competition.
Pakistan was earlier a part of India but the separation of the two nations was in 1947 and it was five years later in 1952 that the two countries met in their inaugural Test. However by 1957 India enjoyed the honour of beating both England and Australia in Test. Cricket had been played in countries where British influence had existed. The return of England second touring team from Australia in 1864 happened to be one of the most important years in English Cricket. Over-arm bowling was then legalized at last and Surrey emerged inaugural county champions. Mr. W.G.Grace was cricket to the whole of England. People traveled miles to see him in action. What Grace was to cricket was like

Lester Piggot to horse racing and George Best to soccer. From 1868. Australia and England have been battling in Tests for the Ashes series. Except for occassional amendements, Cricket laws were not fully revised till 1947. In 1909 the Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) was set up with England, Australia and South Africa the original members. The test series between England and Australia in 1932-1933 was called the “body line series' which involved England's fastbowler Harold Larwood and following it the meeting of the two nations came to a halt. Larwood was the fastest bowler in Cricket and is still to be equaled in speed inspite of today's pace bowlers having the services of the “speedometer in cricket' to measure their Speeds.
Unlike yesteryear when batsmen had no protection other than the bat, pair of gloves, bat guard and pads, today's batsmen are protected in every way with helmet and visor, batpads, gloves, bOX guard, armguards and also internal padding on their chest, hips and thighs., Incidentally todays batsmen could easily take a battering or pounding from any fast bowler as they look like "Knights in Armour". The test matches played before the 2nd World War and which returned in 1946 after the War, saw great players represent their countries with pride, efficiency and elegance. They were cricketing legends.
Cricket is acclaimed the world over as the "Gentleman's Game" and obviously fans and followers of the sport cannot be anything else but sportsmen too. Cricket stands prominent in our land for its qualities as a means of entertainment, of character-building and even a way of life. Cricket is a game which has become synonimous with sportsmanship and secures for both the player and the fan a code of good conduct for his recreation and for life itself.
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Cricket fans in Sri Lanka congratulated Mutaiah Muralitharan for his achievement of taking 500 wickets on 16th March 2004 in his home ground in Kandy, in a match against Australia the world champions. This is an achievement of a truly great bowler. Only two other bowlers Sharne Warne and Courtney Walsh, have reached this milestone in the history of the game. This is indeed a remarkable achievement by a Sri Lankan.
Wisden Cricketers Almanack - otherwise known as the "Bible of Cricket"- It has been around since 1864 and with 141 issues later is still going strong.
Over the years Kokuvi Hindu had improved its performance in cricket and had produced good players in this sport. It is on record that Colombo Old Students' Association became Joint-Champions with Old Johnions of Colombo in the inaugural Six-A-Side cricket. Tourney organized and conducted by "Northern Sports Club' among Jaffna schools in Cololmbo, held at the Colts Cricket Club grounds on 2" April 1995. Our Captain of the team S. Kriubananthan was adjudged as the "Man of the Series'. Fourteen old boys teams from eight leading schools in the North participated in this cricket tournament. All six members of this team were past pupils who have left school in recent years. N. Rajendran was awarded colours in soccer in the year 1979. Five members of the soccer team A. Prabakaran, N. Nandakumar, K.Sathieskumar, N. Vijayakumar and T.Sivaneswaran won soccer colours in the year 1984. Facilities have also been provided in the school for girls to participate in Net Ball and Basket Ball. Three teams below ages 13, 15 and 17 took part in Zonal, district and provincial competitions and they have performed well. An up-to-date Basket Ball court had been set up in
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the year 2000 and gifted to the school by Mr. R. Nadarajah, President. Old Students, Association Kokuvil. The land in which the court stands was a donation by a past pupil Mrs. Soruby Ramakrishnan.
Tennis
In the late nineteen forties (1940s) Padder Tennis was also introduced to Kokuvil Hindu College. The volleyball court, whenever it was free, was virtually improvised by enthusiastic students to play this game. The two teachers who guided the students in this game were P. Navaratnam (later Asst. Commissioner of Labour) and Mr. C.K.Kanthaswami. To Mr. Kanthaswami, who was a renowned Tennis Player, this game was child's play. His drives were not that easy to respond. It was a thrilling experience to witness this game being played by Navaratnam and Kanthaswami from opposite sides. When the emphasis was on volley ball, Padder Tennis in Kokuvil Hindu College was short-lived due to lack of suitable grounds. Another game, Tenniquoit had a short life span at Kokuvil. The game was first introduced by Suppiah Balasingham, an ex-army officer from Kokuvil.
Chess
The popular in-door game chess was introduced in Kokuvil Hindu College far back in 1948. How it happened is recorded by Sivanayagam thus:-
"One day I took my Chess board and Chessmen to school. My father had taught me this game and I was fascinated by it. VicePrincipal C. K. Kanthaswami must have closely observed us (the pioneer students when Kokuvil began University Entrance Classes) playing chess in a corner of the old Cheliah Hall during our free hours. (we had a lot of

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free hours then) and he did a very sensible thing. He gave us a mild admonishment for playing chess during school hours particularly without permission, but said the school will set apart some hours after school for those interested in chess. I was to initiate the others into the game. There was such a good response that within a few months the school organized a chess tournament and offered a prize of Rs. 25/= for the winner. Happily I won the prize too".
Indulging in a game of chess helps one to improve the memory level and congnitive level. It also helps decision making and to develop the intelligent - quotient and it enables one to obtain knowledge by one's own effort.
It is said that sports build character; perhaps it was true in the good old days of the ancient Greek Olympics, where a winner received only a branch of wild olive. Today it is different. Now it is not only the winners, even
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participants count their rewards. Perhaps it is another motivation to produce excellence in performance. If there is little effort, insufficient preparedness and half-hearted commitment, performance will not come up well. In today's world, sports is a big business, and do businesses, whether big or small, have morals or scruples. If sports is big business, players are only the complementary cogs, in those huge wheels of business. Sportsmen should have the courage to admit failure in good faith whenever their performances have not been up to expectations. When new talent is found, the sports authorities should train them and make them Sri Lankan Sportsmen/women who will display individuality the culture of the nation and good breeding. Our Sportsmen/women should give their best to what they do, behave with honour, and show courage, discipline, dignity and self respect whatever the result of an event may be. Spectator comment that participants were "decent men and women' would itself be a compliment.
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INTERNATION
Education of all children in any country is the responsibilitiy of the state. In Sri Lanka, we have (a) the state-run schools (b) Private NonFee levying schools (c) Private Fee levying schools and (d) International Schools. The latter three categories of schools are sought after by many parents as those schools maintain a high standard of education. The Ministry of education considered the International Schools to be outside their jurisdiction. These schools were registered under the companies Act No. 17 of 1982. The state monopoly in education has been dented slightly by the setting up of International Schools. The earliest International Schools established in Sri Lanka were the “Hill School” in Nuwara Eliya and the "Navy School” in Colombo. The former was started for education of children of British planters whilst the latter was established to educate the children of personnel who were based in Colombo with the British Navy. The Navy School was situated in Colombo Fort in a spot now occupied by Inter Continental Hotel and part of the Central Bank building. After independence in 1948 and gradual replacement of the British planter with Sri Lankan palnters and the British Navy pulling out of Sri Lanka the numbers in both these schools fell drastically. In late 1950s the Overseas Children School was started which gradually replaced these two schools which eventually folded up. It catered to the expatriates in Sri Lanka - mainly children of the Diplomatic Corps., the Foreign Missions and Bussiness Firms with expatriates on their staff. They bought "seats' at the school, so that
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Chapter - XIX
WAL SCHOOLS
when one family leaves the country, the children of the family that is replacing the one leaving could gain entrance to the school. By legislation the school was meant for expatriate children only. In the 1980s it started admitting local children whose parents could afford the fees.
The Colombo International School was opened in 1982 with the approval of the Foreign Investment Advisory Committee. Originally it was meant to cater to the children of expatriates working in various projects in the Free Trade Zone. After a few years local children were also admitted. It was taken over by the government and placed first under Ministry of Local Government and Housing as a government owned business undertaking (GOBU) and later under the Ministry of Planning and Plan Implementation. Then the 51% shares of the school held by the government was sold to a private entrepreneur along with his German collaborations. A section of the school broke away and formed the British School in Sri Lanka in collaboration with another local entrepreneur. A short while later there was another split which resulted in the formation of the Moir International School. Whycherly International School opened in 1986. Alethea International School, Stafford International School, Leighton Park International School, Asian International, Ilmar, Belvoir, Kandy International School and others followed.
The demand for English medium education was so great that entreprenurs soon realized the

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potential of a rapidly increasing market for English medium education, which the state was not in a position to provide. International Schools sprung up in rapid succession not only in Colombo but in other cities as well. Today the total of such schools is over 120. The tremendous demand for English medium education, even for a substandard one, arose as more and more parents realized that an Englisheducation opened up a much wider spectrum of tertiary education for their children. Reading material was freely available in English. The Sinhala/Tamil media could not compete with the flow of knowledge in English in every field of activity.
With the introduction of Internet to Sri Lanka vast areas of information became avilable at the press of a button but in English. Computer literacy was a must for the children and 90% computer data was avilable in English. All the Web Sites, that students need to access, are in English. When it came to competition for jobs in the well known private sector firms, the candidates fluent in English were always at an advantage.
To overcome the wide disparity in the standard of education in the many International Schools opened indiscriminately, an Association of Heads of International Schools was formed and membership has been restricted to those that meet certain criteria, chief of which are good classrooms, Science laboratories, computer labs, libraries, audio visual rooms and a qualified fulltime academic staff. The state should recognize these Schools as providing an important service to education in our country. State should ensure that the standards of education in these schools
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are maintained and not allowed to be diluted or lowered but rather see that steps are taken to improve the standards of education in all schools. In the context of the variable mess in Education the state should not misinterpret the proliferation of companies and other entities as clouding and dismembering the free education policy.
Ministry of Education has been empowered to untilize the national standards to supervise and monitor the many types of International Schools in the country. The criterion was formulated by quality assurance unit of the Education ministry and it has been used to monitor National Schools. The increasing number of International Schools is a testament to the deterioration of the State School system.
Unfortunately because of the war situation in the North East a similar development to provide English medium education by entrepreneurs, even at a price, did not arise in that part of our country and youngsters there remain the losers. Activity for the common man there in the last two decades has been nothing beyond eking out a living, buying the minimum and retiring home long before dark. The 20 year long ding-dong battle between the security forces and the militants has made him fitful, fatalistic and fearful. He stares vacantly at what was once his happy peninsula Today he is simply tiredtired of guns, tired of rhetorics and tired of saviours. He sees no end to his ordeals. He has little faith on the promises offered to change his future. The mundane things of life like food and fuel concerns him more than high-flaunting economic package, or gigantic employment schemes, if he could simply be left alone.
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SCHOOL
Inspectors of Schools visited schools and conducted surprise inspections and this was almost an annual feature in the early days at Koku vil Hindu College. An event of significance in the primary school was the great inspection day when students turned up in school, dressed in their best, to be tested by the inspectors. It was chiefly designed perhaps to ascertain whether proper education (as per syllabus) was imparted to the students by the teachers who were expected to maintain records of attendance and correct students' work-books "One day in 1937 Mr. S. U.Somasegaram (later Assistant Director of Education, Northern Region) came to Kokuvil Hindu College and tested the students in Tamil when he was Inspector of Schools. The following year (1938) Mr.S. Thiagarajah came to inspect his old school, where he had been Headmaster, prior to his promotion as an Inspector of Schools. He was soft-spoken and he got children in one class to act a scene from the Tamil Text book. One student took the teacher's chair and a 'Court Scene' was promptly enacted by the children.” The mock trial of a court - room scenario so impressed. the inspector that he congratulated the performance of the little children. When he left he passed some encouraging remarks to the class-teacher wrote Mr.S.R.Kumaresan, who studied in Kokuvil Hindu English School in the years 1937-1940.
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Chapter — XX
INSPECTIONS
At these inspections, students were often tested in hand-writing, spelling, reading, dictation etc. Students used "Royal Crown' copy books series printed in Great Britain by Thomas Nelson (Printers) Ltd London and Edinburgh. Contents of that series of copy-books were:-
Initiatory - short letters and words Long letters and short words Text - capitals - words and sentences Half Text - words and sentences Intermediate - words and sentences Text - Half text and figures Small-Hand-full ruling Small-Hand- double ruling . Small - Hand-single ruling 10. Text, Half Text, Intermediate and small 11. Small - Hand-blank no ruling 12. Commercial Forms and correspondence.
“G” nibbed pen and ink had to be used for these exercises.This was before the days of fountain pens (now ball-point pens) and ink used to be stored in ink-wells fitted to holes in student's desks; so the whole proceeding was a very messy one. English education was meant then to prepare personnel for colonial government's clerical and civil services to maintain their administrative machinery.
'Health weak was also observed in schools in the early days. Mr.E.M.Thillaiampalam and Dr.V.Nadaraja, M.O.H. Jaffna addressed the children on Health Education. Children were asked to come on empty stomach to be 'wormed

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with some vile-tasting medicine. Some children were inoculated whilst some others were given injections by uniformed nurses. Dental care was also made avilable and some children got their dental cavities filled up. For extractions, if any, children were directed to report to the clinic on a specified date.
In 1947 an inspectress of School, Miss. Chelliah (later Mrs. RatnamaNavaratnam) came to Kokuvil Hindu College. She concentrated in inspecting the work of the school office and visited some classes. She was an M.A. in English and had in later years translated into English the entire book Natchintanai (5 háfg560) GOT) by Maha Siva Yogaswami and named it “The Treasury of Luminous Love' It was a challenging experience, she says, as a translation from Tamil into English is "a new creation inspired by a special cannon of aesthetic art, able to stand by itself alone, and well balanced in all its parts." She had kept in mind the seekerreader, who is keen to get at the sense and sensibility of the original, and so a not too literal rendering had been adopted as being more stimulating.
In religion schools then used "Saiva Bodham' series written by the great Saiva Siddhanta scholar Sivapathasundaram. In Arithmetic the Saravanamuthu mental arithmetic series of books were used in the lower classes whilst the Higher forms used "Edward's Tamil Arithmetic.' It is matter of pride that these authors hailed from Kokuvil and were kinsmen of Mrs. Supiramaniam formerly Deputy Principal at Kokuvil Hindu College.
Mr. S. Velauthapillai's experience in inspections at Kokuvil Hindu College in the year 1952 is given in his own words below:-

"One morning, a team of school inspectors headed by the Director of Education Jaffna came to our College for a surprise inspection. The Director, after conferring with the principal, sent out his men to the different classes to carry out their job. I was in a class teaching Tamil language, when one of the inspectors came to my class. He asked for my name, my educational qualifications and my years of teaching experience. Then, he collected some exercise books from the students at random and checked them to find out whether regular written exercises were given, and marked promptly. Finally, he put a few questions to the students and got satisfactory answers. He appeared satisfied and proceeded to another class. ”
"An inspectress, noted for her haughtiness, had gone to my friend's class where he was teaching Biological science. The inspectress asked the students a question and proceeded to give the class what she thought was the correct answer for her question. My friend who was watching the drama found that the inspectress had blundered in her answer. So he intervened and told his students not to accept answer by the inspectress, in her presence, and gave the correct answer. The crest fallen Inspectress left his class. The Principal was also briefed of the incident."
"In the afternoon, that day, the Principal summoned a staff meeting for a conference with the Director and his team. At the meeting chaired by the Principal, the Inspectors spoke one after another, pinpointing the faults and shortcomings they have noticed, not a word of praise came from
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their mouth either for the teachers or for the students. Again, when the Director summed up, it was a litany of criticisms. Finally, the Chairman (S. H. Perinbanayagam) rose to reply. His short speech was a classic example of good humoured satire. He started as if he was thanking the inspectors and the Director for the good job they had done for the day. Then he proceeded to give the inspectors a pep-talk, reminding them that they should not forget the fact that they themselves started their career as school teachers, and that their aim should not be to find fault with the teachers but to advise and guide them in their job. The knock-out-punch came finally when, he quoted a line from Bernard Shaw and developed it to the climax. The chairman concluded "In this context, I want to quote a line from G.B. Shaw's, "Man and Superman” and add a few lines to it:-
27O Kokuvi Hindu College

“He who can, does, he who cannot teaches. He who cannot teach, inspects, and he who cannot inspect, directs'. We the teachers were all elated that our Principal had defended us. The Director and his team of Inspectors left crest-fallen, but wiser for having encountered a Guru more than their match.'
Inspections in the subsequent years at Kokuvi Hindu had been a mere routine, evoking no thrill in either the teachers or the students. A portion of the school premises at Kulapiddy remains abandoned and unused for years since 1956. No inspection had thrown this up so far. Apparently the Inspectors are unaware that this land is also part of the school property in terms of their own department's vesting order
繆

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MAHİENİDİR
(April 1991
"For when th To write again He marks not But how you
R. Mahendran
With Mr. Panchalingam's transfer to Jaffna Hindu College in April 1991, Mr. Rajathungam Mahendran who had been the Deputy Principal became Principal. He had his early education at Jaffna Hindu College and moved to Jaffna College in 1957 from where he gained admission to the University. He was a scoutin his student days and was a leading football player. Having obtained a B.A. degree from Peradeniya he started his teaching career at Kokuvil Hindu College. At the University, he also found his love and partner, Mr. Mahendran was on the staff of Omanthai Maha Vidyalayam in 1972 and later in 1980 at Mankulam Maha Vidyalayam. At Kokuvil Hindu Mr. Mahendran had served in various capacities for well over thirty years. He also held the twin position of sports-master and scout-master. He taught History, Economics and Tamil. He had a genuine pride and love for Tamil and Hindu culture. What his students will remember are not the high positions he held nor the prestige and influence they brought to him but the warmth of his personality. He instilled into his students the need for continuing education. He exhorted his students with these words:-
 

Chapter - XXI
AN YEARS January 1996)
e One Great Scorer comes
тst yоиr пате
that you won or lost played the game"
- Poet Grantland Rice
"We must recognize that in a highly complex society such as ours that education is not something that you finish and put aside. You study well, get your degree and that is the end of it. That is only a milestone on a tortuous path. You will have to update your knowledge constantly, otherwise in the highly professional and technical world your knowledge will become obsolete and anachronistic. In the complex world of today, characterized as it is by an unprecedented degree of technical sophistication, intensity of specialization is often a requisite for success even in professional life'.
Loyalty and gratitude, held in somewhat low esteem today, loomed large in his scale of values. He abided by the maxim "magnanimity is often the greatest wisdom even when dealing with those acting unfairly towards you". In day to day life one respects certain beings in a special way for being co-ordinators, initiators and leaders in a society, like the Queen bee in a community of bees, performing different complex tasks to the best of their ability, latent talent and genius. Mr. Mahendran is a great social worker.
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The College continued to shine in studies and sports. Mr. A. Paramanantham was a major influence in the development of sports and games in Kokuvil Hindu College until November 1961. During his stewardship, he turned out a large number of sportsmen and secured for the school high distinctions in soccer and athletics. His place was taken by Mr. C.Balakrishnan, Mr.R.Mahendran, Mr. V. Ganeshalingam and Mr. T. Vilvarasa in later years. Mrs. S. Ehamparam looked after the sports activities of the girls. Mr. E. Sabalingam was the Prefect of Games in his time at Kokuvil. All these persons made a significant contribution for the development of sports at Kokuvil. In the bad old days, discipline was enforced with the cane and the saying "Spare the rod and spoil the child" was considered and infallible maxim. Today a teacher who dares exercise corporal punishment could well be facing a charge of violation of human rights brought by parents. This is peculiar not only to our country but is a global trend.
Mr. Mahendran laid emphasis on cocurricular activities of students. He spent his after school hours mostly in the playing fields. Along with Mr. V. Ganeshalingam he was always seen in the college grounds busy coaching the Soccer teams, supervising coaching in cricket or playing volleyball with students. As prefect of games Mr. Mahendran produced very formidable soccer teams which fared excellently in competitions against other school teams in Jaffna. In the tournaments organised by the JSSA, Kokuvil Hindu College was declared champions on many occasions. Soccer was not his only forte; he trained athletes to win trophies; he was an outstanding scout himself and was in charge of the college Scout troop. Because of his intensive training given by him Kokuvil Hindu produced many
272 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg

President's Scouts who held him in highesteem. During his period K.H.C produced the largest number of President's Scouts in a particular year and this feat was acclaimed by all scout fans. "Thinking Day 'and'Jambories were regular annual features for our scouts in his time.
Mr. Mahendran is a versatile person. He staged many dramas and plays in the college hall; he being a dramatist himself participated in some of these dramas. He trained students in the art of delivering speeches and presented them for oratorical contests. His attachment to games, sports and other extra curricular activities did not impede his teaching the subjects assigned to him. He was a dedicated and competent teacher; he was loyal to the college and to his superiors and never belied their trust. He loved his students and at the same time wanted them to be disciplined, well behaved and loyal. His outstanding qualities made him a well sought after figure in public societies. He was secretary of the JSSA and served as the District Commissioner of scouts and visited foreign countries.
The private tuition craze beginning from a toddler is the bane of students' lives. It is the done thing- where ignorant and ambitious parents are keener than their children to drag their 3,4,5 year olds, half asleep to tution classes. Children cannot enjoy even the joys of childhood nowadays. The school curriculam is so extensive that there is hardly any opportunity for inculcating values and norms which could provide for a reasonably better moral life, while in school and hopefully after. It is perhaps not too late to start in earnest even now in a world gone wild, to put some sense for a cleaner moral school life. However everything should begin in the home. I do sometimes think back on my

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student days and on the better world we grew up in, where love was tempered with discipline without fear or favour and the occasional cane or slap was administered when necessary and very definitely had its beneficial results. "The love of knowledge in the young is almost a warrant against the infirm excitement of passion and vices'
Mr.Mahendran actively worked on filling the low-lying land belonging to the school at Kulapiddy at great cost. Displaced refugees from other parts of the peninsula are now occupying this part of the school land. The College has yet to take steps to restore this land for use of the school. With this job half-done, he was transferred in January 1996 as Principal of Jaffna Hindu College provisionally until the Ministry of Education advertised and selected a suitable Principal to the National School (Jaffna Hindu College). Kokuvil had no replacement, Mr. T. Ganeshapillai, one of the Deputy Principals, covered up the work. Mr. Ganeshapillai functioned as "Performing Principal at Kokuvil Hindu College during the period 24 January 1996 to 24th September 1996.
With the mass exodus of people from Jaffna in October 1995 Kokuvil Hindu suffered heavy losses material wise. Principals, teachers, students and parents all moved out of Jaffna and sought temporary shelter in Thenmaradchy, Vadamaradchi and the Wanni areas. People were scattered all oyer the peninsula for nearly four full months and no school in Jaffna functioned during this period. Kokuvil Hindu was no exception. On the 1st of February 1996 however
T Ganeshapilai
 

on directions from the Education Department all displaced teachers from Jaffna marked their attendance at Chavakachcheri Ladies College on a regular daily basis to qualify for their salaries. Arrangements were made for students of Kokuvil Hindu College to assemble at Chavakachcheri.Hindu College and classes for Grade 11 and Advanced Level (Grade 12) were commenced in temporarily eracted cadjan sheds as from 1st March 1996 at Chavakachcheri Beginning from 11th of March 1996 students of four schools-Kokuvil Hindu College, Jaffna Hindu College, Kokuvil Namagal Vidyasalai and Nayanmarkadu Maheswary Vidyalayam-were clustered and this combined school functioned until 18th April 1996 at Chavakachcheri with Mr. R.Mahendran in charge as administrative head of the clustered arrangements. As from April 1996, the displaced people started returning to their homes in Jaffna and other districts. The temporarily clustered school arrangement was then abandoned on 19th April 1996. Advance of Sri Lankan Security Forces styled “Revi Rasa II' began again on the 19th and Kokuvil Hindu College could not resume functioning in its own premises as a consequence. The acting Principal Mr. T. Ganeshapillai who came to Kokuvil entered the College on 3 of May 1996 and recorded the losses noticed by him in a register. As from 6th of May 1996 Kokuvil Hindu College resumed functioning at Kokuvil with Mr. T. Ganeshapillai as the acting Head. He continued for over 8 months in that capacity. Just before "Riviresa I" operation, Kokuvil Hindu College had three Deputy Principals viz. TDevarajah, M.Kulasekaramand T. Ganeshapilai. In the exodus Mr. Kulasekaram went into the Vanni area whilst Ganeshapillai and Thevarajah remained displaced at Chavakachcheri. Mr. Ganeshapillai was appointed"Performing Principal" with effect from 24th January 1996 and served in such
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capacity until the appointment of Mr. P. Kamalanathan on 24 September 1996 as the permanent Principal Mr. Thevarajah was aggrieved that his seniority and dedicated work in the school did not receive due recognition. Mr. Ganeshapillairetired in December 1996, and died on 20 February 2004.
In the good Old days to become a Principal of a college there were specific guidelines, criteria such as a degree, merit, past - performance, exceptional human qualities teaching experience etc to be met. People who held these positions in this noble profession Were men of exemplary character. You have got to come up the ranks the hard way and prove your worth. The level of intergrity, honesty, fair play and devotion to duty is now becoming a thing of the past.
The Colombo OSA was somewhat - dormant after the Riots of 1983 for over ten years. Both Mr. Amirthalingam as President OSA Jaffna, and Mr. Panchaligam as Principal tried to re-activate the Colombo Branch in the interimperiod but times were not that propitious. It was largely due to Mr. Mahendran's efforts during his period as Principal, the Colombo Branch of the O.S.A was resusitated. Mr. Rajaswaran, the Kokuvil O.S.A President, travelled to Colombo, canvassed a few of his old student friends and organised a meeting in June 1994 with an open invitation made in the newspapers to all past pupils and teachers of K.H.C. The response was a good attendance for this meeting at which Mr.K.Ketheeswaran was unanimously elected as President with A.Patkunam as the Secretary and S. Rajendran as Treasurer, seven Vice Presidents and a committee of eleven members. These three principal office holders continue in office in the
274 Kouvil Hindu Coleg

Colombo O.S.A until now, (2004) having been duly re-elected in subesquent meetings of the general membership.
Mr. Mahendran often told his students "Above all, make the best of your school days for these will never return and they are among the most previleged days and years of your life when so much care and attention is lavished on you and nothing is asked in return, except that you improve yourself, increase your stock of knowledge and equip yourself for the challenges of life that lie ahead.”
A substaintial part of a child's upbringing come essentially from his home life. Importance of religion in a home, should be stressed, where the young are sheltered, where economic needs are met and where is stablised and controlled the satisfaction of sex instinct. For such grooming, parent education was a primary need. Religious bodies and schools should play a major role in this.
The challenges are ever more serious when we look at society today and see the evils out there. Crime is rampant. Terrorism is an international phenomenon. Indicipline rages in the community, in schools and in government. The integrity of the Administration of Justice system is under serious challenge. Corruption is at unmanageable levels. Children are abused. The value system is fast eroding. Youth are restless and are alienating themselves from tradition and culture, ethical and moral values. Technology is advancing with an intensity that has transformed our lives in many ways. A new culture challenging conventional assumptions and ethical issues is developing. The situation is serious and needs a strategy of meaningful response that inspire change to ensure that ethical and moral values are not disregarded and that

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the concept of family continues to have some meaning, that we value the need for discipline and that we do not become submerged in a world driven only by technology.
Children should not be driven to achieve academic excellence alone. They should be given the space and the encouragement to develop good human qualities. In a school environment such qualities can be acquired through involvement-in extra curricular activitics that continue healthy interraction with others. Many valuable lessons can be learnt through such involvements that cannot be learnt in a calssroom and which will help the child to lead a better life. Academic achievements sans all those valuable qualities that make a truly valuable human person, cannot make a wholesome human being that is needed to make

ours a better world. It is hoped that the learning at Kokuvil Hindu College will inspire the students to be honourable and respectful in providing that leadership. Kokuvilites like to think that ours is the best school of all. No magic or claims by loyal past pupils can make it so. Our college can earn that glory upon being judged on the totality of education and the quality of the human being it produces
The soil of Jaffna has been the home of a great civilization, where people of rich cultural heritage, respected for their high intellect and acumen lived in peace and harmony. It is our collective duty to rise from the ashes of destruction and to rebuild something better and grander than what has been destroyed for the benefit of future generations.
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கல்வி மாதரசை வி
276 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg
எக்கலையும் செழித்துவளர்
எழிலாரும் கொக்குவி மிக்குவளர்ந் தோங்கிடுதல்
விழைவதனால் கல்லு தக்கபெருஞ் சிந்தனையும் த தாளாண்மை யும்தரித் முக்கணனின் அருள்பழுத்த முகிழ்த்தஉயர் வேட்ை தொக்கநிதி வழங்கியதா ரா தூமனமெய் மொழிக
கல்லூரி தன துயர்வே குறிக் கருதித்தன் நலன்கரு எல்லிரவு சேவைபுரி பூரீநி வ இறைபணியாக் கலை சொல்மலிஆங் கிலமேதை ச தூயஹண்டிப் பேரின் மல்குகந்த சாமி மகா தேவா வயங்குபஞ்ச லிங்கெ தொல்புகழார் மகேந்திரனெ துலங்குநவ அதிபர்க
அகந்தனிலே உணர்ச்சிய6ை அருந்தமிழை உளங்ெ சுகமீந்தும் உலகியலி னறிவு துலக்குவிஞ்ஞா னங் செகமருவு வரலாறு புவிவிஞ் தேசமெலா மிலகிடும வகைமலியும் அறிவியல்கள்
வாழ்வித்த தெய்வங்க
சைவநெறி வழுவாத சான்ே தளிர்த்துவளர்ந் தில செய்தொழிலே தெய்வமெனு சீர்திகழா சிரியர் பண எய்தவரும் நிதிகளுள் கண்
யினைப் போற்றி மா6 கொய்தறியாமையகற்றக் குச் கொக்குவிலூர் இந்து மன்னு புகழ் ஆலயத்தில் வா
மாதரசை நா6

பணங்கி வாழ்வாம்
ஈழ நாட்டின்
வில் நற் பதியில் கல்வி வேண்டு மென்ற
ாரி தாபித் தற்குத்
ளர்வு றாத
ந்த நெஞ்சங் கொண்ட சால்பி னோர்க்கும் கையினைச் செயற்படுத்தத் ண்மை யோர்க்கும் ளினால் துதி செய் வோமே 1
கோளாகக்
தாக் கார்த்திகேசு
ாசன்
பணிசெய் நாக லிங்கம்
ாந்தி தாசன்
ப நாயகன் சீர்
கீர்த்தி
மழிற் குமார சாமி ன் றுரைக்கும் மேன்மை ளைத் துதிப்போம் நெஞ்சில் 2
U யருவி பாய்ச்சும் கொள்ள ஊட்டி யின்பச்
யாவும்
கணிதம் சமயங் கீதம்
நஞானம்
ாங் கிலமென் றின்ன
ஈந்தும் எம்மை
கள் தமைத்து திப்போம் 3
றார் நெஞ்சில்
கு மருங் கலைப்பொற் கோயில்
ம் உணர்வு பூத்த
ரியால் உயர்ந்த கோயில்
மணிபோற்கல்வி
ணவர்கள் வணங்கும் கோயில்
கன் சீர்மேவும்
துக்கல்லூரியான
ழும்கல்வி
irதோறும் வணங்கி வாழ்வாம். 4.
(பிள்ளைக்கவி - வ.சிவராஜசிங்கம்)
1994 Colombo O.S.A. Souvenior

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KAMALANAT (from Septem,
"Life is like a g design the cards cannot control th whether they be game well or plc
P analan han
With the transfer of Mr.R.Mahendran to Jaffna Hindu College, Kokuvil Hindu was left in charge of a performing Principal from 24" January 1996. Without a permanent Principal, Kokuvil Hindu College had a host of problems particularly after the losses suffered by the College in the 1995 October mass exodus of people from Jaffna. When the school resumed functioning at Kokuvil from 6th of May 1996 it was left to Mr.Ganeshapillai to organize the restoration and put things in shape. It was a difficult task indeed and in this Mr. R.Balasubramaniam, a senior teacher of Kokuvil Hindu College had been of tremendous assistance to the acting Principal. As the absence of a permanent Principal at a critical period was detrimental to the school this became the concern of the past pupils of Kokuvil Hindu College. During the calamitous period the school lost its identity and became a tutelage of Jaffna Hindu College.The Old Students' Associations of Kokuvil Hindu College in Canada, U.K., Colombo and Kokuvil made representations to the authorities and saw to it that the School functioned as a separate entity. The
 

Chapter - XXII
HAN PERIOD ber 1996....)
ame of bridge, We did not invent or We did not frame the rules and we e dealing. The cards, are dealt to us good or bad. But we can play the y it badly.”
- Dr. S. Radakrishnan
representations. resulted in getting Mr. P.Kamalanathan appointed as Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College as from 25 September 1996. It was Mr. Panchalingam who canvassed privately Mr.Kamalanathan, who was Principal at Union College, Tellipalai to come to Kokuvil. He obtained a letter of consent from Mr. Kamalanathan, Submitted it to the department, and arranged this transfer. Mr. Kamalanathan was the third old student of K.H.C to become its Principal, the other two being Mr. A. Panchalingam and Mr. M.Mahadeva. Mr. Kamalanathan started his Working life after leaving school in the public service. He later opted for teaching and successfully completed his teacher training in commerce subjects at the Palaly Training College. He did his B.Com. degree as an externalstudentin the Peradeniya University and also succeded in obtaining Diploma in Education. From the Teachers' service he moved to the Principal Service on the results of a competitive examination and soon rose to Grade I of the Sri Lanka Principals' Service (SLPS) which in the year 2005 carries a total of 2485 Principals spread all over the
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Island.There was at that time only 50% attendance in the school. In that set-up, the head of a growing school had a daunting task in restoring the pre-October 1995 ‘status quo”. The student numbers picked up to 1265 in year 1998, 1435 in year 2000 and 1480 in the year 2002 and 1740 in year 2004. The school now has 74 teachers, 4 of whom are volunteer teachers and 3 of them are part-time teachers. In the year 2000, 36 students. gained admission to the university from Kokuvil Hindu College. In 1994 - 69 students, in 1995 - 73 students 1998 - 11 students in 2000 - 36 students and in 2001- 33 students. In the year 2004,-27 twenty seven students were admitted to universities from K.H.C. A number of clubs, namely the Tamil Union, the English Union, the Science Association, the Commerce Union, the Agriculture Club, St.John Ambulance Brigade, and the Scouts Troupe are functioning successfully now in the College. Two separate Band Music Troupes are also operating for male and female students and they have been extremely successful in 1998 when the male band team won the competition organized by the Jaffna Education Circle. Sports activities are also progressing well in all fields including Athletics, Soccer, Cricket, Volley-ball and indoor games. Prize Functions have been held annually commencing from the year 1997 and students awarded prizes; some collect memorial prizes as well. Changes in the teaching staff are frequent occurrences. The number of teachers have increased to 74 in year 2004 with a student population of 1740. Mr. Kamalanathan ran a tight ship and steered the school through difficult storms into calmer waters.
When Mr. Kamalanathan took charge, the college had Mr. K. Devarajah and Mr. M.Kulsegaram as Vice Principals. When Mr. Devarajah retired, Mr.K.Jeganathan was
278 Kokuvil Hindu College

made Vice Principal in 1998 and when Mr. Kulasegaram retired Mr. R.Balasubramaniam filled the void as Vice Principal. When Mr. Jegananthan left on transfer to Colombo Mrs. S. Kunaratnam was made Vice Principal and Mr. R.Balasubramaniam's vacancy as Vice Principal was filled by Mr. S.V.Mahendran. But for a short spell of three Vice Principals the College always had two Vice Principals with each supervising staff and work in the two Southern and Northern campuses.
The following endowements in the College are administered by the Principal and the Scholarship Board. The money is held in Fixed Deposits in Commercial Banks and awards are made annually from the interest earned.
1. Rajachanthiran Scholarship Rs.25,000/=
Award of a gold sovereign to the student winning the first place in a speech competition in Tamil conducted by the school. Prizes are also given to the 2nd and 3rd Places.
2. Mrs.G.Perumalpillai Scholarship Rs.50,000/=
Award to be given to the best student in mathematics as determined by the Principal
3. An award for one needy student selected by the Principal under each of the three Scholarships listed below (i) Manickam Packiam Scholarship Rs.25,000/= (ii) Kanapathipillai Scholarship Rs.25,000/- (iii) Satkunam Scholarship Rs...10000=
4. K.Sivanantham Scholarship Rs. 10,000/= Money remitted from Colombo annually to the school. Awards to be given to the first two places in oratory contests conducted by the college

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Discipline is one of the difficult problems in schools. The general trend of indiscipline among students is world-wide. The generation gap is always there. Sense of values have changed. We wistfully look back on our student days when discipline and morality went together in all departments of life. Schools alone cannot maintain orderliness among the student population, if the parents and the school community do not cooperate. Schools do have a great role in instilling into the students a sense of responsibility The quality of teaching given in schools should ensure that ability is equally spread. The bigger schools, like Kokuvil Hindu College undoubtedly give their pupils an advantage, not only because they have better teachers and teaching equipment but also because they spend more money on libraries, games, societies and extra-curricular activities generally. Another important factor in student development is home education.
Parents' Role
General education plays a very great part in academic success. The best students are almost invariably those who have had a broad education at home and at school. Parents think that education is a matter not for them but for professional teachers. The parents neglect to fulfill their duties to their children. The student who has a good home education has an advantage which he never loses. Education at home like education at school is an expensive process. Parents should maintain their children in health and also provide a suitable environment. Education is not merely a process of learning to read and write but also a process of learning to use the hands and eyes. Parents should also teach their children social habits-not only personal habits of cleanliness but also the elementary

courtesies. Children must be allowed to play by themselves. The constant presence of an adult is a restraint upon the development of their personalities.
Education transforms individuals and societies. Parents who can afford to invest considerable sums in their children's schooling recognize this. Lack of education perpetuates poverty, and poverty provides fertile ground for instability, desease and economic destitution. A female left uneducated is more vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse. Denying education for anyone is about refusing a fundamental right and perpetuating exclusion with the result that development is stunted, A child out of school is a child excluded. We must do all what we can to ensure that even the most marginalised and the poorest of our children are given a fair chance. We should give support to local schools, and make sure teachers know they are valued.
The children must be taught to be independent, self-sufficient and self-disciplined. Parents should accept personal responsibility for the intellectual development of the child. Every child should be taught the rudiments of music, either by listening or by playing. When the child can read there must be books available. Most school libraries are quite inadequate and there are a few public libraries. Education is to be obtained not merely in the home but also outside. The study of plants, trees, birds, butterflies, animals etc., is a part of education. Training in observation is needed to develop child's aptitudes. Children educate each other. Students learn more from each other than from their teachers The carefully segregated child loses great opportunities for education. The more important parent in the early stages is
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the mother. A community which fails to educate their women are under a grave disability. Educating children, capable of handling the challenges of a generation ahead, equipped with desirable attitudes and skills for the peaceful development of a global community sans racial, religious and colour prejudices should be the prime objective of the college in the next decade. The-school (Kokuvil Hindu College) operates from two campuses; the northern campus catering to children of classes in Grades 9 to 13 whilst the southern campus houses children of classes in Grades 6 to 1 1 (mostly girls). Children are encouraged to live and abide by the motto of the college at all times. A very meaningful physical education programme complements the curricular programme.
Schools rightly saw parents as partners. Parents should play their part in overcoming the lack of discipline in classrooms. Teachers should promote parental responsibility - particularly where behaviour and truancy are involved. Parents could do much to help schools by re-inforcing their disciplinary codes. When We were young, if a pupil was in trouble with his/her teacher, they were in trouble with their parents too. It is not always the case today, but it should be,
Deteriorating pupil behaviour is a growing challenge. Today's education is limited to the content of the syllabuses but not to the education that leads to moulding of charactor or personality of a student. From the kindergarten children should be taught basic human values and to respect them. This is not happening today even in the so called "Leading Schools'
A substantial part of a child's up-bringing comes essentially from his home life. Religion
28O Kokuvi indu Cole

is important in a home where the young are sheltered, where economic needs are met, where obedience and discipline are meted out-and where stabilized and controlled the satisfaction of the sex instinct. For such grooming parent education is a primary need; Religious bodies and Schools should play a major role in this.
Teachers' role
The teaching profession which is close to the lives of most youngsters in the country had steadily degenerated over the years. Teachers are no longer held in highesteem today as they are widely substituted by private tuition masters. Many teachers themselves engage in private tuition, at times at the expense of their normal teaching duties. In the process teachers, in general, have lost moral authority over pupils. For most children, teachers have nothing but instrumental value, that is to help them pass examinations. Many of those who took to teaching here have also been largely responsible for the malaise. Many have taken to teaching merely as a source of income and have continued to treat it as such.
Modern English through its innovations became the language of scholarship replacing Latin. The overwhelming, richness of its Vocabulary provides its users the liberty to coin their own words. Skilled writers make their words come alive with an unprecedented style of writing. English still remains the connecting web of scholars and students. The value of instruction in a child's mother tongue cannot be belittled. When the mind is fresh in the formative years, kids sponge up everything from the adult world. We should give access to a child the study of the English language when he / she finds it comfortable. There should be a standardized curriculum to blanket all schoolgoing kids to study

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English in the same level. Written and spoken English should be taught by qualified teachers at the primary level, giving the child a strong base to build on. Popularised by Radio, and Television, English has become the voice of trade, technology and finance. Accents seems irrelevant if you have mastery over a grammatically correct language. One of the primary duties of a parent and teacher is to instill in the child a love for reading. Books in most schools and libraries remain safely locked up in big and old dusty shelves, inaccessible to students. English should be reinforced on a wider level because English is the first truly global language. To compete in this global village Schools should give greater attention to the study of English. Kokuvil Hindu College should take the lead in providing this learning to empower its students to be the partakers of an evolving process of globalization.
There is a dearth of English teachers now when they are badly needed. Some 40 years of mother tongue experiment having gone badly Wrong, now we have few teachers who can competently teach English or in English. The University Grants Commission and the Standing committee on teaching English are Working on plans to solve this problem. The Standing committee's venture in setting up a new Postgraduate Institute of English will be a reality Soon. Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) will ensure making English Language available to all.
Sri Lankan government took a decision several years back to allow English medium teaching in schools where the School authorities feel it is feasible to do so. The implicit objective was to encourage children to study and sit examinations in an international language, so that their learning and employment opportunities in a

liberal economic environment may be enhanced. While the lack of competent teachers, in most schools, to teach English is no doubt the main constraint, the absence of libraries, audio visual equipment and opportunities for practical use of the language is also a major factor. Without the necessary resource it is equally difficult for the school to adjust to the new challenge of imparting instruction in the English medium. Kokuvil Hindu should attempt to overcome these difficulties and help its students to acquire adequate proficiency in English.
In the distant past, teachers were a committed and dedicated lot. They never resorted to tuition for pecuniary gains. If at all the syllabus could not be covered within the school sessions. children were got down during Saturdays Sundays and school holidays and taught in the school premises itself without charging a fee. The teachers earned the respect and veneration of one and all. Today the public is distressingly aware of the legendary lethargy of the teaching tribe. Very many of them are tuition barons whose cult is the worship of currency notes and they indulge in giving tuition brazenly and openly without the slightest shame or fear. The ubiquitous private, tuitories are only notorious money spinners. If proper coaching is done in Schools there is no necessity for tuition.
The government should take steps to improve the quality of basic education by modernizing Secondary Schools, matching vocational training and labour market demands, instill the ideals of ethnic harmony and democratic pluralism among the younger generation and promote increase of knowledge of health and nutrition among the poor. It is hoped that someone somewhere will recognize that the education sector is not something that can be
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played around with indefinitely. We have to realise that unless our education keeps up with other countries in the region, we will slide down even more quickly than we have done in the first fifty years of independence.
School Drop-Outs
Sri Lanka has not been able to rectify the serious structural problems of our education system, in order to address the issue of school droop-outs, or failures who constitute the vast majority of youths. Education system is totally devoid of like skill development. Unemployability is attributed to lack of knowledge of English and computer literacy. Vast majority of youths drop-out from the school system. Some enrol for vocational courses. Majority end up in the informal sector that offers no prospect for regular income or social protection. All efforts are directed to address the problems of about 20% of youths who stay within the education system.
In providing basic education the reality of addressing the basic needs of both rich and poor, urban and rural, handicapped and normal, girls and boys, have to be looked at as a primary obligation. While we have enshrined in our
282 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg

constitution the right of citizens to free and compulsory education and while compulsory Education Act of 1998 ensures that compulsory education becomes a reality for all, yet we are still far away from achieving our goal. Well over 60,000 children are not enrolled in school in the conflict ridden North - East of Sri Lanka.
As she turns ninety four (94) this year (2004) Kokuvil Hindu College is not only proud of her achievements but also grateful to all those who made the achievements possible. Starting with just ten (10) children and two (2) teachers in 1910 the College today has a total pupil enrolment of over 1740 and well qualified academic staff of sixty seven (67) together with a further seven (7) Part - time personnel engaged in fine tuning of the skills of these children. The children are encouraged to live the college motto 'ssipGg|Tegg, at all times. The great days of Kokuvil Hindu College are not of the past. The great days of K.H.C are yet to come, and sure as the day follows the darkness of the night there will come to Kokuvil men of great stature and nobility of spirit with dedicated service and will raise Kokuvil Hindu to heights that it has not known before.
擊

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Kokuvil Hindu College
Mr. P. Kamalanathan Mr. S. Sivakumaran Mr. A. Thurairajah Mr. A. Thanabalasingam Mrs.P. Maheswaran Mr. V. Sivagurunathan K. Mohanathas Mr. K. Velautham Mrs. S. V. Mahendram
. Mr. M. Velauthapillai
Mrs. N. Shanmugalingam Mrs. R. Chandranathan Miss. P.Kanthasamy Mrs. D. Perinparajah Mrs. P.Kanagasabai Mrs. S. Thiruchelvam Mrs. K. Sundaresan Mrs.K. Thavarajah Mrs. G. Rajendrakumar Mr.K. Kanageswaran
21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30, 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38.
. Mr. M. Ra 40.
Mrs.K. Va Mr. S. Sar; Mr.V. Ur Mrs.P. Ma Mr.S.K. Th Mr. R. Jeg Mrs. S. Sh Mr.S. R. Th Mrs. T. Si Mr. S. Ilan Mrs. P.Th Mr. Y. Jeg Mrs. S. Jo Mr. N. Ka Miss T. A. Mr. A. Ar Mr. S. Sug Mrs. R. Na
Mr. K. Th
 

Staff - December- 2004
aithiyakumar avanapavananthan uthiireswaran hadevan Levarajah gatheeswaran anmugarajah hayananthan vakumarasarma
ngo amotharakumar gaanantham hnson nthavanachelvan runthathy lantharajah gendran
agarajah mkumar iruchelvam
41. 42. 43.
45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53.
55.
... Mrs. I. Thevakrishna 57. 58. 59. 60. 61.
Miss. N. Kala Mrs. S. Srikanthan
Mrs. C. Kalaichelvan
Mrs. E. Valanteena Mr. S. Umasuthan Mr. S. Kubendran
Miss M. Mathivathani
Miss R. Niraimathy Mrs. B. Mohanaraj Mr. T.Jeyakumar Mr. V. Sankarraj Mr. S. Parameswaran Mr. M. Karunanithy Mr. M. Sukumar Mr. N. Vijayasundaram
Mrs. V. Jeyaraj Mr. J. Kuamarathevan Mrs. GShanmugananthan Mrs. S. Jeyalingam Miss. S, Suvarnalatha
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284 Kokuvi Hindu College
 

irls Band 2004.
's Band 2004

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KOKUVL INDU
Mrs. R. Chahathevan (Principal)
The Primary School began functioning as a separate entity in the same premises under a separate Principal Mrs.Nagalingam as from 19th January 1976. In fact the primary school reverted to its old position with an enhanced identity. It was Head Master V.Kanapathipillai who opted in 1950 to merge the Tamil School with the English school and Kokuvil Hindu College had classes from Grade 1 to Grade 12 for (25) twenty five years. After the separation the primary school has classes from Grade 1 to Grade 7. Six lady teachers initially assisted Principal Mrs.Nagalingam in running the school. As the student numbers increased, each class had to have two divisions. A storeyed building built with funds raised from the public solved the accommodation problem. Mr.V. Kulaveerasingham became Principal in 1978. He was succeeded by Mr.A.Guruswamy in 1979. The deputy Principal Mr.M.Kanapathipillai was made Principal in 1984. With increased student attendance the Grade 1 class alone had to have three divisions. Mr.T.Alagaratnam from Kokuvil west became Principal in 1985. The attendance progressively increased and the school had a total
 

Chapter - XXIII
PRIMARY SCHOOL
of fifteen (15) classes in 1989. The Puthukovil Paripalana Sabai helped to ease the accommodation problem by giving on loan in 1987 a portion of the temple land and buildings for the use of the school. The building was returned to the temple authorities only in May 2003. The School has still to release the land ( near the temple well) to the Paripalana Sabai. The success of many children in the Grade V scholarship examination reflected the good work done by the teaching staff. In the year 1997 four students performed exceptionally well and two of them were awarded prizes by her Excellency the President of Sri Lanka. In the year 2000 one of our students secured a ranking within the first ten students on an all-island basis. A two storeyed building with an up to date office was built in 1998 with assistance from the Asian DevelopmentBank. The school is lucky in having a very vibrant Old Students' Association. They have purchased six lachchems of land in close proximity to the school and donated it to the school. The Ministry of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction had also released a sum of Rs 14 lakhs to develop the school. Construction work is now in progress. Lack of funds to complete work on the building delayed the construction work. Mr. Manickam Subramanium has voluntered and helped us very generoulsy to complete the project and the primary school is deeply indebted to him and his family for this timely help. Mr.S.Ganeswaran became Principal in 2001 and he maintained the tone of the School. With his transfer out of Kokuvil on 1st March 2003 Mrs.Selvaranee Chahathevan is now the Principal of the Primary school. She is a past
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1.
2
3
4
5.
6
7
8
9
10.
11.
12.
13.
Kokuvil Hindu Staff Dec.
Mrs. S. Sahadevan Principal Mrs. S. Baladayananthan Miss. T. Malathi
Mrs. S. Kulasingham Mrs. J. Varatharasa
Mrs. T. Sivarasa
Mrs.U. Thiruchabesan
Mrs. U. Paranantham
Miss. K. Olivalarmathi
Miss. K. Sasikala Mrs. Y.Vigneswaramoorthy Mrs. S. Thurairatnam
Mrs. K. Thanabalasingham
Staff - Prim
vil Hindu College
 

Primary School ember 2004
14.
15.
Mr. K. Kulasingham
Mrs. J. Sivakumar
16. Mrs. Y. Sellathurai
17. Mrs. T. Kuganesan
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
Mrs.E. Sivaparanjothi Mr.V. Sivabalan
Mrs. R. Yogaratnam Mrs. G. Navaratnarasa
Mrs. U. Kanagarasa Mrs. S. Naguleswararasa Miss. M. Kamaleswary Mrs. A. Mohaneswaran
Mr. N. Sivasithamparam
ary School

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pupil of Kokuvil Hindu College and had formely been its English teacher. The school now has a fully equipped western Band donated by the Minister of Hindu Cult/ural Affairs. The College song had been composed by Mr.Shanmuga Kumaresan. The school now has twenty eight (28) teachers; as many as forty five (45) of its teachers have left the school either on transfer or on retirement during the last twenty five (25) years.*2
Finding a school for the child, who is to be introduced into elementary education, is a binding duty of the parents of all social levels and in particular, democratic Societies guarantee every citizen the right to education. Accordingly their effort persists until they have found a school. Yet it may not be to their satisfaction. Those disappointed parents, undaunted, anxiously look forward to the next opportunity for admitting the child. The resultis, the children are laden with private tuition to compete for the scholarship examination of Grade V. This is where the rat race originates in our society.
Education and attending school are the birthrights of children in any civilized society. Compulsory schooling in Sri Lanka begins at the age of five years plus, and continue until the completion of the age of fourteen years. During compulsory School going age every child has to attend school yet, legislation being not stringent one hundred percent attendance (100%) of children has not been achieved. Large numbers of children of compulsory schooling age remain unable to attend school. With the implementation of two miles residence radius rule, school management authorities should provide school places for children seeking admission. Both at the centre and in the provinces there should be regular school expansion programmes at the level of elementary education. All violations of the rules, including the two mile radius rule, can be attributed to non-availability of school places
§28. courtsey Mrs S. Chahathevan

in sufficient numbers. The parental preference for some particular schools should also receive consideration of the authorities. Education imparted in the primary schools should enable children to participate profitably in the secondary level that comes thereafter.
Pre-School Education
Formal schooling starts at the age of five years plus when the child is physically developed to attend school. The age group of 2 years to five years is considered to be pre-school age. Lack of educational facilities for this age group is a void in the school system in Sri Lanka Whilst primary and the secondary school levels have been given due consideration the pre-school stage remains neglected. Pre-school level is equally important for normal development since the formative years in the child's life is from birth to about 6 years of age during which the foundation for physical, mental, emotional and social development is permanently laid. There is a need to provide a suitable educational environment for the infant child that no home could adequately substitute. Fifty years ago the Kannangara committee recognized the importance of pre-school education and a nursery foundation but none of the governments since took the initiative to develop the pre-school stage in the school system. When the pre-school child remains disregarded by the state, private individuals and agencies have entered the field to reap financial benefits any investment on pre-schools could bring. Majority of such schools are not up to acceptable standards with crowded class rooms inadequate furniture and equipment, sanitary facilities and absence of play-rooms. Montessori schools are mushrooming all over the country which are seldom managed according to Montessori theory and method. Preschool teacher training is also important. Only preschool classes in the school system could provide educational opportunities to pre-school children more widely.
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BOARD OF JAFFNAHILINDU COLL COLL
The society which established the Hindu High School (at Vannarponnai) which later developed and expanded into Jaffna Hindu College was incorporated in 1902 under the name of the Board of Directors of Jaffna Hindu College. Mr.T.Chellapapillai, formerly Chief Justice of Travancore, was its first President with Mr.V. Casippillai, Crown Proctor as manager. Mr.A.Sabapathy (in whose name a house has been set up at Kokuvil Hindu) then editor of the Hindu Organ served as Honorary Secretary and Mr.S.T.M. Pasupathy Chettiyar was the Treasurer. The society included other members. Those were difficult days when these great nation-builders laid the foundation for a truly nationalistic education of Hindu children in Hindu schools-a noble task undertaken at the inspiration of that great savant, Sri la Sri Arumuga Navalar. As desired by him. The Jaffna Saiva Paripalana Sabai was started in 1888, eight (8) years after Navalar's demise. One of the Sabai's great works was the restoration of the ancient temple at Thiruketheeswaram, celebrated by the psalms of Saiva Saints centuries ago. This temple had been in ruins and buried under the ground. Mr.S.T.M. Pasupathy Chettiyar, who was also the Treasurer of the Saiva Paripalana Sabai,'
*'In the 19th Century Sri La Sri Arumuga Navalar poir Manthota, an ancient Sea port and trade centre, and exho Twynam the Government agent, Jaffna, sold by public auc that's bid and the land where ancient temple stood was b was realised when the reants of the old shrine and a H ceremony was performed on 28-06-1903. Saiva Saints. Thirug of the 8th century have sung the praise of Thiruketheeswar
288 Kokuvi Hindu College

Chapter — XXIV
DIRECTORS EGE AND AFPFLLATED
EGES
bought the piece of land and had caused excavations to be made. The old buildings and the well were traced in the year 1894. The temple had been restored in its old site. In the year 1903, a small temple was constructed and regular poojas begun. The Nagarathar Chetty community had been managing the Temple from its inception. The Thiruketheeswaram Temple Restoration Society was formed in Colombo in October 1948. Sir Kanthiah Vaithianathan C. C. S. Kt C.B.E assumed charge of Thiruketheeswaram as President of the Thiruketheeswaran Temple Restoration Society on 30 August 1952 upon the resignation of the founder President S.Shivapathasundaram. Sir Kanthiah devoted his entire time in the development and restoration of Thiruketheeswaram. He lived at Thiruketheeswaram in a make - shift hut called 'kudil. The temple at Mathodam was renovated and Kumbabishikams were conducted in the years 1952, 1960 October and in July 1976. Daily Poojas at this temple were interrupted for many years during the ethnic conflict- (security forces occupied this area). After a long interval regular Poojas have begun at this temple early this year (2004). The Sabai also continued the great educational work upholding the traditions and tenets of Saivaism. It overcame many impediments and
hted out existence of a "bee-hive" meaning holy shrine in rted the Saivates to search and find it. In 1893 Sir William tion 40 acres in this area. The Saivaites were successfull in bought for Rs.3100/= on 13-12-1893. The dream of Navalar indu idols were discoverd on 3-06-1894 and conseration nanasampanthar of the 7th century A.D. and Sundaramoorthy am in their hymns as evidence of the antiquity of the Shrine

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provided Hindus with schools of their own and prevented a drift from their traditional moorings. Sir Waithilingam Duraiswami had been President of the Board of Jaffna Hindu College and affililated Schools for a number of years.
Mr. C. Coomaraswamy C.B.E. retired C.C.S was the President of the Board of Management of Jaffna Hindu College and affiliated Colleges in the year 1956. Other Hindu Schools set up at Kokuvil (1910), Va d d u k k o ddai , Kara in a gar, Chavakachcheri (1904) and Urumpirai had also T. Muthusamipillai been brought under the management of the Board as and when these schools were established. This led to a minor change in the name as "The Board of Directors of Jaffna Hindu College and affiliated Colleges and Schools'. Mr.T.Muthusamipillai had been a member of the Board from 1942 to 1951. Later he was Hony. Secretary cum Manager's correspondent. From the year 1954 he served as General Manager, Jaffna Hindu College and affiliated Colleges and schools right up to 1961, when the state took over all the schools managed by this Board. The Hindu Ladies College, Jaffna was the last school that came under the Management of the Board. "The structure of the Jaffna Hindu College Main Hall bears silent testimony to engineering skill and knowledge of architecture which Mr.S.T.M. Pasupathy Chettiar was in nature endowed with" wrote Mr.T.Muthusamipillai. There were many indignities to which Hindu
 

boys were subjected to in Mission schools including the wiping off of Holy Ashes from their foreheads, compulsory attendance at Sunday meetings and Bible classes, distorted descriptions and open vilification of the character of Hindu deities etc.
Evangelistic enterprise of the early 19th century was in "its confident assumption of moral superiority, its intolerance and its bigotry” - the belief of the supremacy of Christianity and the Western civilization and intolerant rejection of other religions as "heathen", "infidel” or idolatory. Conversions had the power of the church and the state working in tandem then. Christianity under colonial rule till the 20th century viewed nonChristians as "heathens.”
The establishment of Jaffna Hindu College and other Hindu schools thwarted the proselitising activities of the foreigners. The school in the neighbourhood, Kilner College, had to be closed down by the Mission Authorities. In the earlier period Navalar had also preferred to locate his Saiva Prakasa Vidyasalai in the more densely hub of Vannarponnai (adjoining the Jaffna, K.K.S. Road) the citadel of Hindus of Ceylon. Mr.Muthusamipillai maintained the noble ideals and traditions of the band of patriots before him, who following the precepts and example of Sri La Sri Arumuga Navalar founded and established the Jaffna Saiva Paripalana Sabai, Jaffna Hindu College and the Hindu Organ. The Saiva Paripalana Sabai which started and managed the affairs of the Hindu College for a long time was not a body corporate with a legal status; its properties were vested in the names of the trustees informally nominated by the Sabai. The enactment of the Jaffna Hindu College Ordinance (Chap 215 of Legislative enactments of Ceylon) placed the affairs of the College on firm footing.
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On the need to sustain a living religious tradition, that great philosopher Dr.S.Radhakrishnan wrote:-
"It is essential to every religion that its heritage should be treated as sacred. A society, which puts a halo of sanctity round its tradition gains an inestimable advantage of power and permanence. Men in the rough and tumble of life with their problems and perplexities, sins and sorrows have no patience for balanced arguments or sustained meditation but they want some formulae or rule of life which they can accept as valid. Through it they are inducted into a new way of life. A living tradition influences our inner faculties, humanizes our nature, and lifts us to a higher level. By means of it every generation is moulded in a particular cast which gives individuality and interest to every cultural type.”
The traditional eminence of Hindu culture has always been reflected in the resplendent growth of the spititual centres and educational institutions in India and Sri Lanka. This cultural advancement would not have been possible in the Jaffna peninsula without the broad-visioned and spiritually enlightened stalwart of social workers of the second half of the 19th century. The Board of Management realized, well ahead of the State, that unless a comprehensive and adequate system of scholarships is implemented the full benefit of the best form of secondary education will not accrue to the deserving students. The mere exemption from tuition fees is far from sufficient. Many more amenities were required to obtain modern standards of education. These can only be within the reach of the poor student by a system of generous scholarships given to enable every brilliant student to reach
290 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg

the top of the educational ladder if he so desired it.
Long before 1945 when government introduced "Free education' the Board had been providing free English education for poor, needy children in its schools provided they were recommended as promising in their studies by the Head of the school and when such application for exemption from tuition fees is supported by a member of the Board. In order to ease the financial burden of the parents of families with many children, the eldest child in a family qualified for exemption from paying school fees for his English education. Quite a number of children benefited under these schemes and grew up to higher positions in the service to Government and mercantile sectors. They joined the elite and became useful citizens of the country. Among other members of the Board, in their time were Messers S. Sabaratna Muda liyar, V.K. Gunasuntheram, R.R.Nalliah and C.Arulampalam. On recommendations from these people needy children were granted exemption from paying school fees. But for Mr. Gnanasuntheram's timely help in obtaining for him exemption from school fees, the writer might have been denied English education and for this merciful act of Mr. Gnanasuntheram the writer remains ever grateful.
Recalling my own education, however good it was in its time, I doubt that it would be adequate for the technology of the 21st century. Internet is now a method of universal communication. At present internet appears to be the only method of disseminating the knowledge required for the 21st century, equally to the poor and to the rich, the town folk and village children. I was glad of an English education not merely because it gave me a command of English language but it

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enabled me to acquire perspectives which are denied to the modern student. True, many of them have access to smart hardware like television and computers; but it was not the same as acquiring knowledge from dedicated "Gurus' who had committed their lives, for no reward, to try to create us in their decent English images. The teachers introduced me to serious reading at a very young age. The library immersed us in the romantic realms of Sir Walter Scot and R.L.Stevenson. We had few other distractions then and lived in a world where we knew not race, caste or creed with any degree of consciousness.
Kokuvil Hindu College maintained cordial relations with the Board of Management and they were appreciative of the rapid strides made by the school under Mr.Karthegesu. The Board helped the school during his period by providing the land at Kaladdy on lease to be used as the children's play-ground. Until then, Puthukovil Temple courtyard was the school "lung' without which children may have stopped breathing. It was there that we had our morning drill, and there we had to walk across for our open air prayers and it was there in the evenings we played foot ball. The land, which was a palmyrah grove, was converted into the play-ground in 1941 solved an urgent need of the school. The distance of about a mile in the location of the play-ground was however a handicap, which the students overcame with enthusiasm. The school's performance in Athletics and Sports did justice to the Board's offer. In 1947, Mr.T. Rajaratnam won the Parsons Challenge Cup in competitions held by the Jaffna Schools Sports Association. He also established the record in the time taken in the half-mile race run in 1948. Mr.R.Duraisingham was placed second in the half-mile race in the C.P.S.S.A. meet in 1948.

Mr.A.Lakshmanan won the Parsons Challenge Cup and was also placed second in the half-mile race in the C.P.S.S.A. meet in 1949. These achievements were possible because of the training and guidance of the "Sports coach' Mr.A.Paramanantham who worked without any remuneration in the early days.
Kokuvil Hindu English School began as a feeder school to Jaffna Hindu College, when denominational schools had almost entirely shouldered the burden of secondary education in the Jaffna Peninsula. Mr. A. Sinnathamby, a
Students' Association wrote in 1995, - "I vividly remember Mr. Nevins Selladurai, Principal of Jaffna Hindu College at the time coming over to our school at Kokuvil, conducting a test for us and selecting students for the first form class in Jaffna Hindu College. Mr. Nevins Selladurai was an educationist of repute and was held in high esteem by all teachers and pupils.” That was in the 1920s. During that period it was difficult to obtain the services of a lady teacher locally for Kokuvil Hindu English School. For one thing, lady teachers were then rare; another was that very few Hindu girls pursued their studies with a professional bias. It is now conventional wisdom that investing in girls education yields very high return. It was not so then. So the school had no alternative but to employ a lady from India. Mr.Venkataraman, the then Principal of Jaffna Hindu College was deputed by the Board of Management to interview applicants in India and choose a lady teacher to suit the requirements of the school at Kokuvil. Mrs.P.PBhargaviammah, a graduate in her early twenties was selected for the post by Mr.Venkataraman. She came to Jaffna on the 20th May 1929 and assumed duties at Kokuvil. She had grown with the
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school and identified herselfin all the activities
of the school. She had been a wholesome and elevating influence in the life of the school till She retired in December 1957 and left for Travancore in Tamil Nadu, South India.
To develop the school at Kokuvil the Management sent the Head of the Primary School of Jaffna Hindu College Mr.Chelliah in 1910 to take charge of Kokuvil Hindu English School. Later in 1926 they sent Mr.S.Thiagarajah to succeed Mr.Chelliah. Mr.V. Nagalingam was another teacher who was sent by the Management to Kokuvil. Recognising the good work done by Mr. C.K. Kanthaswami the Management offered the post of Principal twice to him first when he acted in that capacity when Mr.Senivasagam left on transfer and on a second occasion when the Principalship fell vacant on the untimely death of Mr.V.Nagalingam in 1948. In the year 1949 when the Colombo Branch of the Kokuvil Hindu College Old Students' Association proposed to the Management that a nominee of theirs be accommodated in the Board, they readily agreed realizing the valuable and enthusiastic contribution made by this association in working for the progress of the College. Mr. C. Arulampalam was nominated by the association and he became a member of the Board of Management. Mr. Arulampalam rendered valuable service to Kokuvil Hindu College both as a member of the Board and later as a Member of Parliament. The acquisition of the 45 lachchams of land in the vicinity of the school in 1947 by Principal V.Nagalingam was made possible by the Board by granting the princely sum of Rs. 25,000/- then as a loan to the school. The collections made by the Principal with the help of the Old Students' Association, especially the Colombo Branch, formed the nucleus of the funds for this acquisition. The cherished ideal of a play-ground in the immediate
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vicinity of the College became an accomplished fact by the efforts of Mr.V.Nagalingam within the very short term, he served in the College. The play-ground have rightly been named "Nagalingam grounds” and the wonderful "Carnival' organized in the school in 1950 was named "Linga Lights'. Giving due recognition to protests by the school community in 1948 they dropped their plan to appoint Mr.Srinivasan and prevailed on Mr.V.Nagalingam to take charge of Kokuvil Hindu. Among the many things the Board of Management did for the growth of Kokuvil Hindu College, the best was their choice of Mr. S. Handy Perinbanayagam as Nagalingam's successor. It is to Mr.Perinbanayagam's credit that he redeemed the debt to the Board of Management incurred by his predecessor as a first priority.
Hinduism asserts that all religions lead to the same goal, and that we can no more define God than define the indefinable. The Hindu has seen the manifold functions of God and has formulated a Trinity of creation, preservation and of destruction - Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. Brahma, the creator has fallen from grace, and nobody worships him. Vishnu, the preserver, has few temples in Sri Lanka and even Saivites worship in these temples. But the majority of temples in this country are dedicated to Shiva, the destroyer. But it is as Supreme Deity, and not as destroyer that the devotees of Shiva do him honour. To his devotees he deigns to become a slave, and his eternal rhythmic dance as Nadarajah supplies the energy needed for the universe to be in being. His consort, Umadevi or Parvathi is his Sakthi or Power constituting the Devine Dynamic. Of the four sons of Shiva and Parvathi, the eldest, Ganesh (elephant-headed) is the benevolent dispenser of favours and prayers are offered to him, when a child begins letters, and when man and wife plight troth to

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each other. The second, Skanda or Subramaniya, is the most popular of all deities, and his praises have been sung in verses of surpassing beauty.
Worship of Subramaniya is co-eval with Tamil civilization. The term Murugan is derived from Muruhu (gp(55) meaning youth, beauty and fragrance. His mount (6) ITBGOTh) is the Peacockthe most beautiful of all birds. He was born of the Thejas of Lord Siva. His flag carries the emblem of the cock - the harbinger of dawn, thus signifying youthfulness. Subramaniya is always depicted either as a child or a youth-even in his pose of renunciation as Palaniyandi. Thus all symbolism centres on beauty and youthfulness. Subramaniya finds a place in Somaskantha moortham. It consists of Shiva, Uma and Subramaniya who is worshipped as the Gnanasakthi. Skandapurana refers to Lord Shiva as Stating "ஆதலில் நமது சக்தி ஆறுமுகன்’. Arumuhan is therefore our Sakthi. The same verse goes on to state 'ust 606) Lith 9600TifficigiTsir பின்னும் போதமும் அழிவில் வீடும் போற்றினார்க் கருள் 6) Isogonair". He knows everything and he can confer on his devotees a knowledge and bliss eternal. He is said to have explained the significance of Om (b) to Lord Shiva. He is therefore called Sivaguru or Gurunatha - the Supreme teacher. The puranic stories serve to underscon the essential fact that he is Gnanasakthi or the embodiment of knowledge. There are three distinguishable aspects in the function of our mind, known as intellection or cognition (knowing) cognation (willing) and affection (feeling). Valliammah is described as Ichasakthi (gésirség) representing the feeling or affection aspect of the function of the mind. Theivanai Amman known as Kiriyasakthi (éfurt ság) represents the willing or conation aspect of the mind. Willing is a necessary prelude to conscious action and it can only lead to action. The Javelin (G6) iso) in the hands of Subramaniya is his

Gnanasakthi (65 IT GOTT Fởf) representing the cognition or intellection aspect of the mind. All evil is destroyed the moment one gets true Gnana or enlightenment. Lord Subramaniya is the Supreme Consciousness that controls the three functions of the mind. We worship Subramaniya with his consorts Valliammah and Theivannai as a more detailed version of the concept of Gnanasakthi, as the embodiment of all knowledge. His Gnanasakthi, the Javelin (G6) isio) occupies the sanctum in temples like Nallur Kandasamy Temple. This symbolic significance of our worship should be made known to our children in Hindu Schools was the prime aim of the Board of Management.
The location of Kokuvil Hindu College is another note-worthy aspect. Kokuvil has in her lap- a place of learning and a place of Worship intertwined like Shiva and Shakthi while preserving their separate identities-stretching in one rectangular piece from Railway Station Road, Kokuvil to Kulapiddy lane and even beyond. The Siamese twins of worship and learning. Through all rituals and forms the pious Hindu does not forget the absurdity of trying to gratify the spirit by means of perishable offerings. Hence he prays to the deity -
"O Lord, in my worship, I have attributed forms to Thee, who art formless. O Thou teacher of the world, by my hymns I have, as it were, contradicted Thy indescribable nature. By going on pilgrimage I have, as it were denied thy Omnipresence. O Lord of the universe, pray, forgive me these three transgressions'.
The SCC CSS of Mr. S.H. Perinbanayagam's collection tours in Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia for the Kokuvil Hindu College Building Fund did not deter the Board of
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Management from assisting the school financially. They were appreciative of Principal's efforts to re-build the classrooms that were destroyed by the 1954 fire in the school. The Secretary of the Kokuvil Hindu College Well-Wishers' Association, that was responsible for the collection, disbursement and accounting of the funds and which operated its own Bank account, had recorded a receipt of Rs.25,000/- from the
Board of Directors. The association wrote to the Board expressing their grateful thanks for its contribution to the Kokuvil Hindu College Building Fund.
The secretary of the Board of Management joined the parents, past-pupils and students felicitating eight teachers who had completed 25 years of teaching service in 1957 at Kokuvil Hindu College in May of that year. Mr.T.Muthusamipillaias General Manager of the Board was rightly given the honour of declaring open the first three storied building at the college in January 1961 when Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami was its Principal. Isn't it a marvel that Kokuvil Hindu College had made such a phenomenal progress especially in the second half of the last century, when another Hindu School Parameswara College, situated almost a kilometer away, had to virtually close down and give way to the Jaffna Campus (as it was then)
垩
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of the University of Sri Lanka? Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami who had a very healthy and cordial association with the Board of Directors of Jaffna Hindu College and affiliated Colleges for a very long period of over 50 years, wrote in 1995 that “ it was one of the most progressive of school managements'. It is the opinion of not only Mr.Kanthaswami but of many others who had associated themselves with this Board at some time or other. Kokuvil Hindu College is now a state School. But the many and varied contributions made by the Board of Management of Jaffna Hindu College and affiliated Colleges in the pre school take over period for the growth of this College should, doubtless find a place in the history of Kokuvil Hindu College. Most histories of schools are largely descriptive focusing on principals and old boys and old girls who have distinguished themselves in later lives. All the good things are said about the school's and past pupils' reminisce fondly and nostalgically of the good old days when ignorance was bliss and it was folly to be wise. The pre occupations of successive governing boards and of the chief protagonists of the schools early years are often left out. Kokuvil shall not leave room for that charge; instead here we record our gratitude and greateful thanks to the Board of Directors that managed Kokuvil Hindu College until it was taken over by the State.
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THE COLL
fig II The school crest in the very early years when it was known as Kokuvil Hindu English School was Quid as shown in figure 1. The Tamil letter 'h' was very conspicuous in the crest at that time. The significance of this sacred symbol has been in 1937 indicated in page 8 of Chapter II. The egg shaped circle at the centre was initially depicted with a picture of Saraswathy, the Goddess of Learning.It is from her that we have to draw inspiration in our educational career. Through Her grace alone we shall be able to understand things properly and to learn the arts and sciences in the proper spirit and grow into useful citizens. Later, when the school assumed collegiate status in 1941 the words "English School' appearing in the crest was replaced by the word "College' and the wooden sculptored image of Lord Natarajah took the place of the picture of Saraswathy as shown in figure 2. The wooden sculptored piece of Lord Natarajah was a labour of love by an Indian sculptor who constructed the chariot for Manchavanapathy Murugan Temple at Kokuvil in the late 1930s.
The ancient rishis discovered the laws of sound alliance between nature and man. Because nature is an objectification of Aum (gh) the Primal sound or vibratory word, man can obtain control of all natural manifestations through the
 

Chapter — XXV
EGE CREST
use of certain manthras or chants. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the eternal Trinity, were the first musicians. Shiva in his aspect of Nadarajah, the Cosmic Dancer, is represented in the scriptures as having worked out the in 1940 infinite modes of rhythm in the process of universal creation, preservation, destruction while Brahma and Vishnu accentuated the time beat - Brahma the cymbals(5IT6th) and Vishnu sounding the mridanga (6055ii.15th) or holy Drum. Saraswathy, goddess of wisdom, is symbolised as performing on the Veena (6560600T) mother of all stringed instruments, Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, is shown in Hindu art with a flute; on it he plays the enrapturing song that recalls to their true home, the human souls wandering in Maya delusion.
In the early 1950s, the College crest took an entirely new form as shown in figure 3 with a conch (sankhu), a discuss (charka) and a lotus (padma) with a lamp (6556,36T55) in the centre in a circle. Messers C.K. Kanthaswami and E. Sabalingam were largely responsible for introducing this modification.
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fig 4 Vishnu is the eternal Infinite Reality. The four hands of Vishnu represent the four constituents of the subtle body viz; the mind, (manas) the intellect (buddhi), the ego (ahankar) and the с о n d i t i o n e d in 1960 consciousness(chitta). In his four hands Vishnu holds a conch shell (Frig) a bladed discuss (fö55Jin) a mace (55th) and a lotus flower (gTLD60)). Three of these four symbols have been incorporated in the crest in figure 3. The lotus indicates the final goal of human evolution. Vishnu invites mankind to reach this goal of Perfection which is the pure Self within. The Lord blows his conch (Frig) calling mankind to live the higher and nobler values of life so that they may turn their attention away from their pre-occupations with the material world and realize the self within. This callis whisperings Of the inner conscience which advises man to give up his sensuous appetites and extrovert living and seek the Eternal Reality. But man does not hear this sacred voice within. He continues with his passionate living until at last he gets knocked down by disappointment and dissatisfaction with life as such. This "Knocking down' is also done by the kindly hand of the Lord using his mace (gada). Ifman, despite the growing Sense of restlessness and agitations in his bosom, still persists in his sensual indulgence and does not turn towards the spiritual path Lord uses his annihilating power of the bladed discuss (F55syth). The discuss is meant to destroy man's
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present equipment so that he may start afresh with better equipment and in a more appropriate and conducive environment for seeking the Truth.
On the other hand a seeker who listens to the call from within and follows the spiritual path leading to the Truth, does not experience the knocks of the mace ordestruction until he reaches the Sacred Abode of Truth and becomes one with Vishnu. It redounds to the credit of the designers that these very significant Hindu symbols have been incorporated into the College Crest in the 1950s. The blazers issued by the College during this period to Champion sportsman and other team game players carried this same crest with the words Kokuvil Hindu College outside the crest along the border as shown in figure 5.
fig 6
In the early 1960s a minor change had been thoughtfully introduced to align the old with the new. The sacred symbol "Run' had been delicately inserted into the crest replacing the original circular line but retaining the lamp in the centre of the crest as shown in figure 4. The Nadarajah picture that appeared in the centre of the Crest in figure 2 had, been dropped in the new design. Late in the nineteen sixties the College motto'ssipG.5ITg5' had also been included in the crest at the bottom outside the border as shown in figure 6 without any other changes. The Tamil letter happearing below the lamp in the crest in fig 6 is not clearly visible giving one the impression that it had, bean dropped. It must be made conspicuous to complete the sacred word 'h' in the crest. The six figures of the College crests shown in this chapterindicate the variations the crest has gone through.

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The above narration indicating the different changes in the College crest over the years show how the present design of the crest has finally evolved. If my memory regarding the original lettering of the motto is not wrong, the word "5 ipitri Go, Tegg' may be more appropriate (6f(p)+gió-g(g())) than'ssipogiTuggs' and that was how the College motto had appeared in the early days of the school (1937)in the Circular border around the Saraswathy picture.
The motto "dipogsfluge' inscribed on the College crest symbolizes a sacred rule of conduct to be borne in mind by everyone going through the portals of Kokuvil Hindu College. The student is expected to leave school, equipped with the light of wisdom which will neverlet you go astray. The student's heart is the lamp. All the knowledge and skills you are given is the fuel, the energy, the oil in the lamp. The lamp has to be kindled with the light of wisdom.
The College Flag
The choice of the colours for the College flag was discussed by Mr.C.K.Kanthaswami in the London Matriculation class in the year 1940. Many suggestions were made by the students to the teacher. After due consideration of all the suggestions Mr. Kanthaswami recommended the proposal made by Mr. K.Tarmalingam to select Red and White as the colours for the College flag to the teachers, who, after a full discussion in the staff room, unanimously decided on Red and White. The College colours took this form ever since. In the early days the college flag did not carry the College crest. Today the College crest had rightly been incorporated at the centre of the rectangular flag. as shown in page. The flag song was composed at my request on 26.11.1995 by Mr.S.Velauthapillai, one-time member of the staff. It explains the significance of the College crest on the red and white flag of the College.

The College Bell In the Tamil School, a small brass bell, similar to the one used in Hindu temple poojas was used in the early days. Its ringing tone denoted opening and closure of the school and changes in periods according to the school time table. This adorned the Head Master's table.
In the English School (K.H.E.S) a round metal plate and an iron rod (similar to (Es LD556,oth used in Hindu Temples) served as the school bell. This, along with a Big Ben Clock, was in the custody of a student (Mr. K.V. Rasiah) who collected them every morning from the Head Master's office and retained them with him in his class. He rang this bell to indicate school opening and closing times and at intervals of 40 minutes for each period, 10 minutes for tea interval and one hour 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm for lunch hour break.
The present bell, cast in a foundry was installed in the school in 1948, during Principal Nagalingam's period Bells are made in a foundry using methods that have not changed much for thousands of years. Foundries were once kept busy making cannons and large weapons as well as bells. Jaffna had a few foundries and some persons were specialists incasting bells locally. The one at Kokuvil Hindu College was locally cast.
How Bells are Cast "The bell founder first makes a clay, sand and mud model of the bell called "core'. He then makes an exact copy of the bell called a dummy. He models this in clay and wood pressing it tightly over the core. When dry a third outer layer, called a 'cope' is packed over the dummy.
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The three layers are than seperated. The dummy is thrown away as only the inner core and outer cope are needed. The gap left between them forms the mould for the bellTo make a metal bell, copper and tin are mixed together inspecial proportions, and heated to avery high temperature until red hot and turned liquid or molten. The molten metal is poured through funnels into the mould between the 'core' and the 'cope'. When the metal is cooled, the cope is chipped off, the bell lifted from the core then cleaned and polished. Much of the skill in bell making is in the final shaping and tuning. When the bell is beaten by a clapper, the striker note must ring out pure and clear.
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冷
*
The bell is tuned in a lathe. As it spins around, a machine gently files away fine layers of the metal from the inside, until the tunerhears that the bell produces pure notes.”
After the installation of the foundry bell in the school Thambinathan the lab boy was given the responsibility of ringing the English School bell at appropriate times, relieving Mr. Rasiah, who continued to be the student in control of the 'school book depot under Mr. A.Nagalingam's charge in handling the days cash collections. These may today sound as unnecessary details; the onerous nature of these duties in a school cannot be despised.

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கொக்குவில் இந் நான் கற்பித்த காலநிை செ.வேலாயுத
(முன்னை நாள்
தோற்றுவாய்
நான் முதன்முதலாகத் தொழில் செய்த களம் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரி. அங்கேயே நான் ஆசிரியத் தொழில் புரியப் பழகினேன். நான் அங்கே ஆசிரியனாகப் பணியாற்றிய காலம் ஏறத்தாழ ஆறு ஆண்டுகளேயாயினும், அக் குறுகிய காலத்தில் நான் பெற்ற அநுபவங்களோ பல. என் வாழ்க்கையிற் செல்வாக்குச் செலுத்திய தலைசிறந்த அதிபர்கள் இருவரை அங்கே சந்தித்துப் பழகும் பேறு பெற்றேன்; நல்லாசிரியர்களையும் சந்தித்து நன்மை பெற்றேன்; அன்றியும் , நன் மாணாக்கர் பலரையும் உருவாக்க உதவினேன் . கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியில் நான் பெற்ற அநுபவங்கள் சில இன்னாதவை; பல இனியவை. ஆண்டுகள் பல கழிந்த பின்னும் அவற்றை நினைவுகூருவதில் ஒரு தனி இன்பம் எய்துகிறேன்.
1947 ஆம் ஆண்டு முற்பகுதியிலே, இலங்கைப் பல்கலைக் கழகத்தில் இறுதிப் பரீட்சை எழுதிவிட்டுப் பெறுபேறு கிடைக்கும் வரை வீட்டிலே இருந்தேன். அக்காலத்தில், நான் கல்வி கற்ற யாழ்ப்பாணம் இந்துக்கல்லூரியிற் படிப்பிக்க வருமாறு ஒரு வேண்டுகோள் வந்தது. பல்கலைக் கழகத்தில் என் பெருமதிப்புக்குரிய விபுலாநந்த அடிகள் விரும்பியவாறு எம். 6J. வகுப்பிற் சேர்ந்து படிக்க எண்ணியிருந்தேனாதலால், அந்த வேண்டுகோளைப் பணிவன்புடன் மறுத்துவிட்டேன். பின்னர் அவ்வாண்டு யூலை மாதத்தில் விபுலாநந்த அடிகள் திடீரென நோயுற்றுப் பூதவுடலை நீத்துவிட்டார் என்ற செய்தியறிந்து, கையறவெய்திக் கண்ணிர் வடித்து , மீண்டும் பல்கலைக் கழகம் போகும் எண்ணத்தைக் கைவிட்டு வாளாவிருந்தேன். அவ்வாறிருக்கையில் , ஒரு நாள் என் முன்னை நாள் ஆசிரியரும் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரி அதிபருமான திரு. வி. நாகலிங்கம்
உதவியது 1992 ஆம் ஆண்

துக் கல்லூரியில் னவுகள் (1947 -1953)
F6i6oo6Tr B.A. (Hons) பிரதான கல்வி அதிகாரி)
அவர்கள் தற்செயலாக என்னைச் சந்தித்தார். “நீ சும்மா இருந்தால், கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியில்
வந்து படிப்பிக்கலாமே” என்று அன்புடன் கேட்டார்.
மாதத் தொடக்கத்திலிருந்து வருகிறேன் ,” என்று மகிழ்ச்சியுடன் நான் விடையளித்தேன்.
அதிபர் நாகலிங்கம் அவர்கள் எங்கள் வீட்டுக்கு அயலிலே வசித்தவர். யாழ்ப்பாணம் இந்துக் கல்லூரியில் மேல்வகுப்புகளிலே எங்களுக்கு ஆங்கிலங் கற்பித்தவர்;ஷேக்ஸ்பியர் (Shakes Peare) நாடகங்கள் கற்பிப்பதிற் சிறந்து விளங்கியமையால் அவரை எல்லோரும் ஷேக்ஸ்பியர் நாகலிங்கம்' என்றே குறிப்பிடுவது வழக்கம். மற்றிக்குலேஷன் பரீட்சையிற் சித்தி யெய்தியதும் வேலை தேடி எழுதுவினைஞர் சேவையிற் சேர்ந்துவிட வேண்டாம் என்றும், தொடர்ந்தும் உயர்கல்வியைக் கற்கவேண்டும் என்றும் அவர் வகுப்பிலே அடிக்கடி என்னை ஊக்கிவந்தவர். என் தந்தையாரைக் கண்ட போதெல்லாம், என்னைப் பற்றிப் புகழ்ந்து பேசி, என்னை உயர்கல்வி கற்க விடுமாறு தந்தையாரையும் தூண்டிவந்தவர். அவர் என்மீது காட்டிய அன்பினாலும் நான் அவரை என் அபிமானத் தந்தையாகவே மதித்துவந்தேன். ஆதலால், அவர் என்னைக் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரிக்கு வருமாறு கேட்டதும், மகிழ்ச்சியோடு உடன்பட்டேன்.
நான் கொக்குவில் இந்துக்கல்லூரியிற் படிப்பிக்கப் போகிறேன் என்று கேள்விப்பட்ட என் சிறிய தந்தையார், “அங்கே வளர்ந்த பெண் பிள்ளைகள் படிக்கிறார்கள்; நீயோ இளைஞன்; கவனமாக இருக்க வேண்டும் “ என்று எனக்கு ஒர் எச்சரிக்கை தந்தார். அவர் நல்லெண்ணத்தோடே அவ்வாறு செய்தார் என்பது எனக்குத் தெரியும். ஆனால், நான் இளம் பிராயந் தொட்டே மாணாக்கர் ஒழுக்கத்தில் உறுதியான
டு மார்கழி மாதம் எழுதியது
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கருத்துக் கொண்டிருந்தேன். அக்காலத்தில் எனக்குத் தமிழ் இலக்கணம், இலக்கியம் கற்பித்த நல்லாசிரியர் ஒருவர் பிரமசரிய ஒழுக்கம் பற்றியும் போதித்திருந்தார். பிற்காலத்தில் நான் அறநூல்களைக் கற்ற போது, “ஒழுக்கம் உயிரினும் ஒம்பப்படும் “ என்ற வள்ளுவர் வாக்கு என் உள்ளத்தில் உறுதியாய்ப் பதிந்து விட்டது. ஆகவே, நான் ஆசிரியனாகப் போவதற்குமுன் ஒர் உறுதி பூண்டேன்.
“6Ti சந்தர்ப்பத்திலேனும் எனது ஒழுக்கத்துக்கும், மாணாக்கரது ஒழுக்கத்துக்கும், கல்லூரியினது நற் பெயருக்கும் எவ்வகையிலேனும் இழுக்கு நேராது காத்துக் கொள்வேன்,” என்ற உறுதியோடு 1947 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஓகஸ்ட் மாதத் தொடக்கத்திற் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரிக்குச் சென்றேன்.
அதிபர் திரு வி. நாகலிங்கம் அவர்கள் என்னை மலர்ந்த முகத்தோடு வரவேற்று, உப அதிபர் திரு சி.கே. கந்தசுவாமிக்கும் வேறு சிலருக்கும் அறிமுகம் செய்து வைத்தார். அக்காலத்தில் ஆரம்ப பாடசாலை (தமிழ்ப் பாடசாலை) வேறாகவும் கல்லூரி (ஆங்கிலப் பாடசாலை) வேறாகவும் ஒரு வளவிலே இயங்கின (பிற்காலத்தில் இரண்டும் ஒன்றாக இணைக்கப்பட்டன.) எனக்குக் கீழ் 6ug5ůL|56rflsü (Forms I&II) L46ísluóluu6)Juh (ŠLD6ů 6)(öûLyö56f6ü (Forms III.S.S.C.H.S.C.)ğı fiğ, 9üğgLnun (சைவம்) ஆகிய பாடங்களும் தரப்பட்டது; அடுத்த ஆண்டிற் சங்கதம் (Sanskrit) ஒரு பாடமாகக் கல்லூரிப் பாடவிதானத்திற் சேர்க்கப்பட்டது. அதனைக் கற்பிக்கும் பொறுப்பு எனக்கு விடப்பட்டது.
ஆரம்பகால அனுபவங்கள்
எனக்குக் கற்பித்த நல்லாசிரியர் போல நானும் மாணாக்கர்களின் மதிப்பையும் அன்பையும் பெறவேண்டும் என்றே விரும்பினேன். பாடங்கள் ஏலவே ஆயத்தஞ் செய்து மாணாக்கர் மனங்கொள்ளக் கற்பித்தால், நான் எதிர்பார்த்த விளைவைப் பெறலாம் என்று எண்ணினேன். ஆனால், நான் இளைஞன் என்பதனாலோ, புதியவன் என்பதனாலோ மாணாக்கர் சிலர் வகுப்புக்குப் பின் வரிசையில் இருந்து இடையிடையே குறும்புகளும் செய்தனர். அவர்களை
3OO Kokuvil Hindu Colleg

நான் சாதுரியமாகக் கையாண்டு, பாடத்தை நடத்தி வந்தேன். அக்காலத்திலே நிகழ்ந்த இரண்டு சம்பவங்கள் என் உள்ளத்திற் பெருந்தாக்கத்தை உண்டாக்கின:
ஒருநாள் ஏழாம் வகுப்பு (form II) ஒன்றுக்குப் பாடம் நடத்தச் சென்றேன். முன்வரிசையில் ஒரு பெண்பிள்ளை அழுதுகொண்டிருந்தாள். அழுகைக்கான காரணம் என்னவென விசாரித்தேன் “நான் கிறிஸ்தவப் பெண் என்பதால் இங்குள்ள மற்றப் பெண்கள் என்னை ‘வேதக்காரி' என்றும் கறிக்காரி' என்றும் பழித்துப் பேசுகிறார்கள்; நான் மீன்விற்கும் சாதியாள் இல்லை,” என்று விம்மி விம்மிச் சொன்னாள். மற்றப் பிள்ளைகள் செய்தது கொடுமை என்று எனக்குப் பட்டது. “வகுப்பிலுள்ள ஒரு பிள்ளை கிறிஸ்தவ சமயத்தினாள் என்பதற்காக மற்றச் சைவ பிள்ளைகள் அவளை ஒதுக்கி வைப்பதும் பழிப்பதும் பாவம். அந்தப் பிள்ளையின் பெற்றோர் இது சைவப் பாடசாலையென்று அறிந்திருந்தும் தங்கள் பிள்ளையை இங்கே படிக்க வைத்திருக்கின்றனர். கிறிஸ்தவ சமயம் என்பதனால் அதனை நீங்கள் இழித்துப் பேசலாகாது. கிறிஸ்தவவேதம் ‘உன்னைப் போலவே உன் gusot 606OTub (35655 (36) IsaoTGh” (Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself) 6Tsirl Guit Sésé Ogi. அதுபோல நீங்களும் உங்கள் அயலாரை நேசிக்க வேண்டும்.” என்று அந்தப் பிள்ளைகளுக்கு அறங் கூறிவிட்டு, எனது பாடத்தை நடத்திச் சென்றேன். ஒரு வாரத்துக்குப் பின், ஒருநாள் நான் உப அதிபர் திரு.சி. கே. கந்தசுவாமியுடன் தனியாக உரையாடிக் கொண்டிருந்தேன் அப்போது அவர், “என்ன, நீங்கள் வகுப்பிலே கிறிஸ்தவ பிரசாரம் செய்கிறீர்களாம்; பெற்றோர் சிலர் என்னிடம் முறையிட்டனர்; அவர்கள் அதற்கு என்ன விளக்கங் கூறுகிறார்கள், தெரியுமா? வகுப்பிலுள்ள ஒரு கிறிஸ்தவப் பெண் மீது நீங்கள் கண் வைத்திருக்கிறீர்களாம்; அதனாலே நீங்கள் கிறிஸ்தவப் பிரசாரம் செய்கிறீர்களாம்”, என்று எனக்குச் சொன்னார்.
இந்தக் குற்றச்சாட்டு அம்புபோல என் உள்ளத்திலே தைத்தது. நான் வகுப்பிலே நடந்ததை உள்ளபடியே உப அதிபருக்கு எடுத்து விளக்கினேன். “இக் கல்லூரியில் நான் எந்தப் பெண்மீதும்

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கண்வைத்ததுமில்லை; வைக்கப் போவதுமில்லை", என்று நான் அவருக்குக் கூறிவிட்டுச் சென்றேன். உபஅதிபர் என் விளக்கத்தை ஏற்றுக் கொண்டிருத்தல் வேண்டும். அவர் அந்தப் பேச்சைப் பின் ஒருநாளும் எடுக்கவில்லை. ஆனால், எனது மனவேதனை எளிதில் ஆறவில்லை. நான் யாழ்ப்பாணம் இந்துக் கல்லூரியிற் கற்ற காலத்தில், எங்களுக்கு ஆங்கிலங் கற்பித்த ஆசிரியர் திரு. வி. நாகலிங்கம் அவர்கள் ஆங்கில மொழியிலே திறமை பெறுவதற்கு விவிலிய நூலை (Holy Bible) வாசிக்க வேண்டும் என்று அடிக்கடி கூறிவந்தார். அவரே அழகான விவிலிய வாசகங்களையும் பேச்சில் இடையிடையே புகுத்திப் பேசுவதுண்டு. ஆதலால், அந்த நாளிலே நான் விவிலிய நூலை விலைக்கு வாங்கிப்படித்து வரலானேன். சைவப் பாடசாலையில் நான் விவிலிய வாசகத்தை மேற்கோள் காட்டியது தவறாக எனக்குப் படவில்லை. உரைக்கத் தகாதவர்களுக்கு அற முரைத்தது தான் என் 56 g). Neither Castye Your Pearls before swine" என்ற விவிலிய வாசகமே எனக்கு ஆறுதலளித்தது.
மற்றொரு நாள் பிற்பகல் நேரம் சி. பா.த ப. (S.S.C) வகுப்பொன்றிலே தமிழ் இலக்கிய பாடம் நடத்திக் கொண்டிருந்தேன். வழக்கம்போல வகுப்புக்கு முன்னே நின்று பாடநூலை வாசித்து விளக்கிவந்தேன். வகுப்பிற் பின் வரிசையில் இருந்த மாணாக்கன் ஒருவன் வாயில் எதனையோ சப்பிச் சக்கையைக் கையில் எடுத்துத் தனக்கு முன்னேயிருந்த பெண்பிள்ளையொருத்தியின் தலையிலே போட்டுவிட்டான். பிள்ளை துள்ளியெழுந்து முறையிட்டாள். அந்தத் துட்டன் செய்ததை நான் கண்ணாற் கண்டேன். அவன் கல்லூரி உதைபந்தாட்டக் குழுவில் விளையாடுபவன். அவனுடைய தமையனார் அயலிலேயுள்ள ஒரு பாடசாலையின் அதிபர். அந்தப் பெண்ணோ அழகி; அரசாங்க உயர் அதிகாரி யொருவரின் மகள். அவன் செய்தது துச்சாதனன், துரியோதனன் அவையிலே பாஞ்சாலியை மானபங்கம் செய்ததுபோல என் மனத்திற்பட்டது. அந்தக் கண நேரத்தில் முன்னொருபோதும் வராத கோபம் பொங்கி வந்தது. கையில் இருந்த புத்தகத்தை மேசைமேல் வைத்துவிட்டு, அவன் இருந்த இடத்துக்கு விரைந்தேன். எனது கோபக்குறியைக் கண்ட மாணாக்கன், ஆசனத்தினின்றும் எழுந்து வெளியே ஒடினான்.

அவனைத் துரத்திக் கொண்டு ஓடிப்போய், அவன் முதுகிலே என்கையால் ஓங்கி அறைந்தேன். அவன் தெருவுக்கு ஓடினான். “இனிமேல் நீ என் வகுப்பிலே தலைகாட்டக் கூடாது” என்று வன்மையாக அவனை எச்சரித்துவிட்டு, வகுப்புக்கு வந்து கதிரையில் அமர்ந்தேன்.
பாடத்தைத் தொடர்ந்து நடத்த முடியவில்லை. 'அவன் பாடத்திற் கவனம் செலுத்தவில்லை; வகுப்பு மாணாக்கியை மதிக்கவில்லை; ஆசிரியர் என்ற முறையில் என்னையும் மதிக்கவில்லை ; நாளை அந்தப் பெண்ணின் தகப்பனார் வந்து அதிபரிடம் எவ்வாறு முறையிடுவாரோ? என்ற எண்ணங்கள் என்மனத்தில் ஒடிக்கொண்டிருந்தன. எது வரினும் வருக; நாளை பார்ப்போம் என்ற துணிவுடன் பாடசாலை முடிந்தவுடன் வீட்டுக்குச் சென்றேன்.
சிறிது நேரத்தில் அந்த மாணாக்கன் என் வீட்டுக்குவந்தான். என்னைக் கண்டதும் அவன், 'ஐயா, என்னை மன்னித்து விடுங்கள்; இனிமேல் நான் குறும்பு ஒன்றுஞ் செய்யமாட்டேன்; அதிபர் அறிந்தால் என்னைக் கல்லூரியிலிருந்து நீக்கிவிடுவார்; அண்ணர் அறிந்தால் என்னைக் கொன்றுவிடுவார்,' என்று கண்ணீர் வடித்து நின்றான். அந்தக் கண்ணிர் அவன் திருந்தி விட்டான் என்பதைக் காட்டிற்று, “சரி, போய் நல்லபிள்ளையாய் நட வகுப்பிலே கவனமாகப் படி,” என்று அவனை அனுப்பிவிட்டேன். என் மனமும் அமைதியடைந்தது. அடுத்த நாள் கல்லூரியில் அதிபரோ, உப அதிபரோ, வேறு யாருமே என்னிடம் ஒன்றும் கேட்கவில்லை. அந்த வகுப்பு மாணாக்கர் தவிர, வேறு யாரும் அந்தச் சம்பவத்தை அறிந்ததாகத் தோன்றவில்லை. வகுப்பிலே குறும்பு செய்த மாணாக்கன் மிக அடக்கமாக இருந்தான். சம்பவத்தைப் பெரிதுபடுத்தாமல் மறந்துவிட்ட அந்தப் பெண் பிள்ளையின் பெருந்தன்மையை மனத்தாற் பாராட்டினேன்.
இந்த நிகழ்ச்சியின் பின்னர் எனக்குத் தன்னம்பிக்கை தழைத்தது. நாளடைவிலே மாணாக்கர்களும் என்மீது மதிப்பு வைத்து நடந்தனர். நான் வகுப்பறைக்கு வெளியிலும் கல்லூரி நடவடிக்கைகளில் ஏனைய ஆசிரியர்களுடன் சேர்ந்து
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ஆர்வத்துடன் ஒத்துழைத்தேன். கல்லூரியின் ஆசிரியர் களுடைய நலனை முன்னேற்றும் நோக்கத்தோடு gafflui (50g Louh (Teacher's guild) gaito ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்டது. அதற்கு நான் செயலாளராகத் தெரிவு செய்யப்பட்டேன். திரு. நமசிவாய இடைக்காடர் பொருளாளராகத் தெரிவு செய்யப்பட்டார். நாங்கள் இருவரும் கூட்டாகப் பல காரியங்களைச் செய்தோம். அதிபரும் சிரேட்ட ஆசிரியர் பலரும் எங்களுக்குப் பல வழியாலும் ஒத்துழைப்பு நல்கினர்.
ஒரு சத்தியாக்கிரகம்
அதிபர் திரு. வி நாகலிங்கம் அவர்கள் சிறந்த காந்தி பத்தர். யாழ் இந்துக் கல்லூரியில் எங்களுக்கு மேல் வகுப்பில் ஆங்கிலங் கற்பித்த காலத்தில், வகுப்பு நேரத்தில் ஐந்து நிமிடமாவது காந்தியடிகளைப் பற்றிப் பேசாமல் விடமாட்டார். 1948 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஜனவரி மாதம் 30 ஆம் தேதி காந்தியடிகள் சுட்டுக் கொல்லப்பட்டார் என்ற சோகச் செய்தி யாழ்ப்பாணத்திலும் காட்டுத்தீபோலப் பரவிற்று. அந்தச் செய்தி கேட்டு அதிர்ச்சியடையாதவர்களும் கண்ணிர் வடிக்காத வர்களும் இல்லையென்றே சொல்லலாம். பின்னர், அடிகளின் அஸ்தியில் ஒரு பகுதி யாழ்ப்பாணத்துக்குக் கொண்டு வரப்பட்டுக் கீரிமலையில் கரைப்பதற்கு ஒழுங்கு செய்யப்பட்டது. அஸ்தி கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரி வழியாகக் கீரிமலைக்குக் கொண்டு செல்லப்படவிருந்தது. அதற்குக் கல்லூரி ஆசிரியர்களும் மாணாக்கர்களும் அஞ்சலிசெய்யும் பொருட்டு அதனைக் கல்லூரியிற் சிறிது நேரம் வைப்பதற்கு, அதற்குப் பொறுப்பான அதிகாரிகளிடம் அதிபர் ஏலவே அனுமதி பெற்றிருந்தார். குறித்த நாளன்று ஆசிரியர்களாகிய நாங்கள் வெள்ளை உடையணிந்து கல்லூரிக்குச் சென்றோம். அஸ்தி ஊர்வலம் காங்கேயன் துறை வீதிவழியாகக் கொக்குவிலை அண்மியதும் நாங்களும் மேல்வகுப்பு மாணாக்கர்களும் வீதியிலே காத்து நின்றோம். என்னே ஏமாற்றம் பொறுப்பதிகாரிகள் எதோ நொண்டிக் காரணம் ஒன்று சொல்லி, அஸ்தியைக் கல்லூரிக்குள்ளே கொண்டுவர மறுத்தார்கள். முன்னர் உடன்பட்ட அதிகாரிகள் பின்னே மறுத்தது எங்கள் கல்லூரி அதிபரையும் கல்லூரியையும் அவமதித்ததாக எங்களுக்குப்பட்டது. சிரேட்ட ஆசிரியர் ஒருவர் “நாங்கள் எல்லோரும் வீதியிலே படுத்துச் சத்தியாக்கிரகம் செய்வோம்” என்று சொல்லி வீதியிலே
302. Kokuvil Hindu Colleg

படுத்தார். அவரைத் தொடர்ந்து மற்றைய ஆசிரியர்களும் மாணாக்கர்ாளும் வீதியிலே படுத்தனர். பொறுப்பதிகாரிகள் வேறு வழியின்றி, காந்தி அஸ்தியைக் கல்லூரிக்குட் கொண்டுவர உடன்பட்டனர். காந்தியடிகள் தமது வாழ்க்கையிலே செய்து காட்டிய சத்தியாக்கிரகமே, அப்பெருமானது அஸ்திக்கு நாங்கள் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியில் அஞ்சலி செய்ய எமக்கும் உதவியது
பாடசாலை தீக்கிரையானது
ஆண்டு தோறும் மாணாக்கர் தொகை பெருகிவந்தது, ஆசிரியர் எண்ணிக்கையும் அதிகரித்தது. பிரதான கட்டிடத்தில் இடம்போதாமையால், கோயிலுக்கு அப்பாலுள்ள கல்லூரிக் காணியில் விளையாட்டு மைதானத்துக்கு இப்பால், கிடுகினால் வேயப்பட்ட பாடசாலைக் கட்டிடம் ஒன்று அமைக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது. அதிலே பல வகுப்பறைகள் இடம் பெற்றிருந்தன.
ஒருநாள் யாரோ, எக்காரணத்தாலோ, இரவிலே அப்பாடசாலையின் கூரைக்குத் தீவைத்துவிட்டார். (எனக்கு இன்று வரை எவர் தீ வைத்தார், ஏன் வைத்தார், என்ற வினாக்களுக்கு விடை தெரியாது) அடுத்த நாட் காலை நான் வழக்கம் போலக் கல்லூரிக்குச் சென்றேன். அங்கே முதனாள் இரவில் நடந்த நாச வேலை பற்றி அறிந்தேன். எரிந்த பாடசாலையைப் பார்க்கப் போனேன். ஆசிரியர்களும் மாணாக்கர்களும் திகைத்து நின்றனர். அதிபர் உள்ளிட்டுப் பலருடைய கண்கள் கலங்கிக் காணப்பட்டன. தீக்கிரையான பாடசாலையையும் திகைத்து நின்ற அதிபர், மாணாக்கர் ஆகியோரையும் கண்டபோது என் வயிறு எரிந்தது; கண்கள் கலங்கின, அந்த நேரத்தில் அதிபரைச் சூழ்ந்து நின்ற சிரேட்ட ஆசிரியர்கள் - உப அதிபர் திரு . சி. கே. கந்தசுவாமி, திரு. ஏ. அமிர்தலிங்கம், திரு. ஏ. நாகலிங்கம், திரு . இ. சபாலிங்கம், முதலியவர்கள் - ஒரு பிரதிக்கினை செய்தனர்: “இதையிட்டு நாம் மனந்தளர மாட்டோம் : கூடிய விரைவிலேயே பாடசாலையை மீண்டும் கட்டி வகுப்புகளை நடத்துவோம். உறுதியான கற்கட்டிடம் ஊரிலே பணஞ்சேர்த்து நாளடைவிலே எழுப்புவோம்.” இந்தப் பிரதிக்கினை எல்லாருடைய உள்ளத்திலும் உறுதியையும் ஊட்டியது.

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பின்னாளிற் கல்லூரிக் கட்டட நிதிக்காகப் பணஞ் சேர்க்கும் படலம் ஆரம்பித்தது. மூத்த ஆசிரியர் சிலர் இதன் பொருட்டு வல்வெட்டித் துறைக்குப் போக முடிவு செய்தனர். அந்தக் குழுவிலே அதிபர் கேட்டுக் கொண்டபடி நானும் சேர்ந்து கொண்டேன். வல்வெட்டித் துறை எனக்கு முன்னே பழக்கமில்லாத இடம். அங்கே ஏறத்தாழ ஒரு வாரம் வரை தங்கி, வீடு வீடாகச் சென்று பணஞ் சேர்த்த நினைவு இன்னும் பசுமையாக இருக்கின்றது. மற்றைய ஆசிரியர்களும் கூட்டங் கூட்டமாக வெவ்வேறு இடங்களுக்குச் சென்று பணந்திரட்டினர். அதிபரும் உப அதிபரும் உள்ளுரிலே வீடு வீடாகப் பணஞ் சேர்த்தனர். ஒரு நாள்அதிபர் கல்லூரியிலே என்னைக் கண்டதும் சிரித்த முகத்தோடு என்னிடம் வந்து, வேலாயுதபிள்ளை, உன் பெயரைச் சொல்லியும் நாங்கள் ஒரு இடத்தில் கணிசமான தொகை சேர்த்துள்ளோம்.” என்று சொல்லிக் குழந்தைபோலச் சிரித்தார். நான் மணமாகாத இளைஞனாயிருந்தமையால், அதிபர் கருதியது என்னவென்று எனக்கு விளங்கிவிட்டது; நானும் சிரித்தேன். அன்று அதிபர் குழந்தை போலச் சிரித்த காட்சி- அவருடைய அன்பொழுகும் திருமுகம் - இன்றும் என் நினைவில் அப்படியே தோன்றுகின்றது!
கல்லூரி கண்ணிர் வடித்தது
கால சக்கரம் சுழன்றது. 1948 பிற்பகுதியில் நான் ஒருநாள் அதிபரைச் சந்தித்தபோது அவர் சற்றே இளைத்தவராய்க் காணப்பட்டார். அதற்குப் பின் நான் கேள்விப்பட்டது அதிபர் திரு. வி. நாகலிங்கம் திடீரெனக் காலமாகிவிட்டார் என்னும் அவலச் செய்தியே. நான் அதிர்ச்சியடைந்தேன். மற்றைய ஆசிரியர்களும் அதிர்ச்சியடைந்தனர். ஆசிரியர்களும் மாணாக்கர்களும் அழுதனர். கல்லூரியிற் கவலையிருள் கவிந்தது.
நான் என் அன்புத் தந்தையாரை இழந்ததுபோலவே இரங்கி அழுதேன். கல்லூரி மாணாக்கனாயிருந்த காலத்தில் அவர் கேட்டுக் கொண்டபடி, அவருடைய இல்லத்துக்குச் சென்று அவருடைய பிள்ளைகளுக்குப் பாடஞ் சொல்லிக் கொடுத்தேன். அந்த நாட்களில் திரு. வி. நாகலிங்கம் அவர்களின் அன்பு மனைவியார் என்னோடு பல சந்தர்ப்பங்களிற் பேசியுள்ளார். அந்த அம்மையார் என்னோடு பேசிய போதெல்லாம் தம் கணவரின்

பெருமைகளையே எடுத்துச் சொல்லிப்பெருமைப்பட்டார். அதிபரும் தம் மனைவியாரை அன்பாகவும் மதிப்பாகவும் நடத்தியதையும் நான் கண்டிருக்கிறேன். இப்போது அந்த அம்மையாரை எந்தக் கண்கொண்டு பார்ப்பது? என்று நான் எண்ணியெண்ணிக் கண்ணீர் வடித்தேன் எப்படியோ அதிபருடைய மரணச் சடங்கிற் கலந்து கொண்ட பின் வழக்கம் போலக் கல்லூரியில் என் கடமையை மேற் கொண்டேன். அந்த நாட்களில், முன்பு அதிபர் எங்களுக்குக் கற்பித்த காலத்தில் எடுத்துச் Glamorgot "In the midst of life we are in death' என்னும் கிறிஸ்தவ பிரார்த்தனை நூல் (The Book of Common Prayer) வாசகம் என் சிந்தனையில் நிறைந்து நின்றது.
உப அதிபர் ஒருநாள் என்னிடம் வந்து அதிபருடைய அந்தியேட்டியிற் படிப்பதற்கு ஒரு கல்வெட்டுப் பாடல் பாடித்தருமாறு கேட்டார். தமிழ்ப் பண்டிதரும்பட்டதாரியுமான சிரேஷ்ட ஆசிரியர் திரு.எம். சின்னத்தம்பியிடம் கேட்கவில்லையா, என்று நான் கேட்டேன். அவரும் ஒருபாடல் தருவார் என்றும், நான் மரபுமுறையான கல்வெட்டுப் பாடல் பாடவேண்டும் என்றும் உப அதிபர் என்னைத் திரும்பவும் வேண்டினார். என் அன்புக்கும் பெருமதிப்புக்கும் உரிய அதிபருக்குக் கல்வெட்டுப் பாடுவது என நற்பேறு என்று எண்ணி உடன்பட்டேன் அதற்கு முன் யாருக்கும் கல்வெட்டுப் பாடிய அனுபவம் இல்லை. அச்சிட்ட இரண்டொரு கல்வெட்டுப் பாடல்களைப் பார்த்திருந்தேன். புறநானூற்றில், அதியமான் இறந்த போது அவனாற் புரக்கப்பட்ட ஒளவையார் நெஞ்சுருகிப் பாடிய கையறுநிலைப் பாடல் நினைவிலிருந்தது. அதனை அடியொற்றி எனது மனநிலையை வெளிப்படுத்து முகமாக ஒரு இரங்கற்பாவும், மனைவி புலம்பல், ஆசிரியர் புலம்பல், மாணவர்புலம்பல் என்ற வகையிற் சில பாடல்களும் இறுதியில் தேற்றமும் பாடி உப அதிபரிடம் கொடுத்தேன். பின்னர் நூல் வடிவில் வந்த போது, திரு. எம். சின்னத்தம்பி ஆசிரியர் பாடியது கல்வெட்டுப் பாடல் மரபில் அமையாமல் தனி இரங்கற்பாவாக இருக்கக் கண்டேன்.
திரு. எஸ். ஹன்டிபேரின்பநாயகம் அதிபரானார்
அதிபர் திரு. வி. நாகலிங்கம் மறைந்து சிறிது
காலத்துக்குப் பின், புதிய அதிபராகத் திரு. ஹன்டி
பேரின்பநாயகம் பதவியேற்பார் என்ற செய்தி
Kokuvil Hindu College 3O3

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எங்களுக்குக் கிடைத்தது. அவர் யாழ்ப்பாணக் கல்லூரியிற் கல்லிகற்று அங்கேயே ஆசிரியராகவும் கடமையாற்றியவர் என்றும், 66 சட்டத்தரணியாய்ச் சில ஆண்டுகள் தொழில் புரிந்தவர் என்றும், முன்னாளில், இளைஞர் இயக்கத்திற் சேர்ந்து காந்தியடிகளை யாழ்ப்பாணத்துக்கு அழைத்துக் கதர்ப் பிரசாரம் செய்வித்தவர் என்றும் நண்பர்கள் மூலம் அறிந்தேன். அவர் கிறிஸ்தவ சமயத்தவரோ, சைவசமயத்தவரோ என்ற ஐயம் எனக்குத் தோன்றியது. பின்னாளில் அவரோடு நெருங்கிப் பழகியபோது, அவர் இளமையிற் கிறிஸ்தவராயிருந்தாலும் பின்னர், தமது மூதாதையரின் சமயமாகிய சைவத்தில் நம்பிக்கை கொண்டு அப்பக்கமாகச் சார்ந்தவர் என்பதை அறிந்தேன்.
அவர் 1949 மார்ச் மாதம் பதவியேற்று முதன்முதற் கல்லூரிக்கு வந்த போது உப அதிபரும் சிரேஷ்ட ஆசிரியர்களும் அவரைப் புதுக்கோயிலுக்கு அழைத்துச் சென்று வழிபாடு செய்தனர். கோயில் வாசலில், அதிபர் பூசகர் கொடுத்த திருநீறு சந்தனங்களை நெற்றியில் அணிந்து கொண்டு நின்ற காட்சி இப்போதும் நினைவிலிருக்கிறது. கோயில் வழிபாடு முடிந்துவந்தபின் அதிபர் எல்லா ஆசிரியர்களையுங் கூட்டித் தம்மையும் தமது கல்விக் கொள்கையையும் அறிமுகஞ் செய்து வைத்தார். தாம் யாழ்ப்பாணக் கல்லூரியிற் கடைப்பிடிக்கப்பட்டு வரும் தாராளக் கொள்கையில் (Liberalism) ஊறியவர் என்றும், அக்கொள்கையையே கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியிற் கடைப்பிடிப்பார் என்றும் மாணாக்கருக்கு உடற்றண்டனை (Corporal punishment) 6 gig,656) gLD5(5 நம்பிக்கை இல்லை என்றும், மாணாக்கரோடு ஆசிரியர் நல்ல தொடர்பாடல் (Communication) முறையை ஏற்படுத்திக் கொள்வது விரும்பத்தக்கது என்றும், தமது கடமையை இனிது நிறைவேற்றுவதற்கு ஆசிரியர்கள் எல்லாரும் ஒத்துழைப்பு நல்க வேண்டும் என்றும் சொன்னார்.
ஒருநாள் நான் மேல்வகுப்பு ஒன்றில் தமிழ்ப்பாடம் நடத்திக்கொண்டிருந்தேன். அதிபர் பேரின்பநாயகம் அந்தப் பக்கமாக வந்தார். எனக்குச் சைகை காட்டி விட்டு, வகுப்பிலே பின் ஆசனமொன்றிற் போய்அமர்ந்தார். நான் வழக்கம் போலப் பாடத்தை
3O4. Kokruvil Hindu College

மாணாக்கர் உளங்கொள்ளுமாறு படிப்பித்தேன். அதற்குப் பின்னரும் அதிபர் இருமுறை என் வகுப்புக்கு வந்து அவதானித்தார். புதிய அதிபர் ஆசிரியர்களை மதிப்பீடு செய்யும் முறை அதுவென்று எண்ணி இருந்துவிட்டேன்.
புதிய அதிபர் பொறுப்பேற்று ஒரு மாதம் கழிந்திருக்கலாம். ஒருநாள் அவர் ஆசிரியர் கூட்டம் ஒன்றைக் கூட்டினார். கூட்ட நிகழ்ச்சிக் குறிப்புகளைப் பதிவு செய்வதற்கு என்னைச் செயலாளராக நியமித்தார். அந்தக் கூட்டத்திலே ஆங்கிலம், விஞ்ஞானம், கணிதம், தமிழ் போன்ற பிரதான பாடங்களுக்குத் துறைத் தலைவர் ஒருவரை நியமிக்கப் போவதாகக் கூறி, மற்றப் பாடங்களுக்குத் தகுதிவாய்ந்த சிரேஷ்ட ஆசிரியர் ஒருவரை நியமித்து விட்டுத் தமிழுக்கு என்னை நியமித்தார். என்னிலும் பார்க்க அனுபவமும் தகைமையும் கூடிய சிரேஷ்ட ஆசிரியர் இருக்க அதிபர் என்னைத் தமிழ்த் துறைத் தலைவராக நியமித்தது எனக்கு வியப்பாயிருந்தது. ஆயினும், புதிய அதிபர் என்னிடம் மதிப்பு வைத்துள்ளார் என்று எண்ணி ஊக்கமுங் கொண்டேன். ஆறாம் வகுப்பு முதல் மேல்வகுப்பு வரை அவ்வப் பாடங்களுக்கு உரிய பாடத்திட்டங்களைச் சீராக்கி ஒருமுகப்படுத்திச் செப்பஞ்செய்வதும், தவணைப் பரீட்சைக் காலங்களில் வினாத்தாள்களைக் காலம் பெறவே உரிய ஆசிரியர்களைக் கொண்டு தயாரிப்பித்து, வேண்டிய அளவு படிகளெடுத்து அலுவலகத்தில் ஆயத்தமாக வைத்தலும், பாடநூல்கள், உசாத்துணை நூல்கள் போன்றவற்றை வேண்டியபோது விதந்துரைத்தலும் போன்ற சில கடமைகள் துறைத் தலைவர்களுக்குப் பொறுப்பிக்கப்பட்டன.
என்னைப் பொறுத்த வரையில், பல்வேறு வகுப்புகளில் தமிழ் கற்பித்த ஆசிரியர்களிடமிருந்து அவ்வவ் வகுப்புகளுக்கான பாடத்திட்டத்தைப் பெற்று, அதிபர் கேட்டுக் கொண்டவாறு அவற்றை ஒருமுகப்படுத்திச் சீராக்கிச் செப்பமாக எழுதி அலுவலகத்திற் சேர்த்தேன். ஆசிரியர்களுக்கும் உரிய பாடத்திட்டப்படிகளைக் கையளித்தேன். அதிபர் விரும்பியபடியே தவணைப் பரீட்சைகளும் உரிய காலங்களில், நேர அட்டவணைக்குத் தகத், தட்டுத்தடையின்றி நடைபெறுவதற்கு எனது பங்கைச்

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செவ்வனம் நிறைவேற்றினேன். மற்றத் துறைத் தலைவர்களும் தத்தம் பொறுப்புகளைக் கடமையுணர்ச்சியுடன் நிறைவேற்றி வந்தனர். ஆசிரியர் அனைவரும் அதிபருடன் அன்பாக ஒத்துழைத்தனர்.
களியாட்டு விழா
வளர்ந்து வருங் கல்லூரியின் தேவைகளுக்காக, முன்னைய அதிபர் திரு. வி. நாகலிங்கம் புதுக்கோயிலுக்கு அப்பாலுள்ள (இப்பொழுது புதுக் கட்டிடங்களும் விளையாட்டு மைதானமும் அமைந்துள்ள) காணியைக் கொள்வனவு செய்திருந்தார். அதன் பொருட்டு இந்துக் கல்லூரிச் சபையிடமிருந்து ஒரு பகுதி பணத்தைக் கடனாகப் பெற்றிருந்தார். திரு ஹன்டி பேரின்பநாயகம் அதிபரானபின், அந்தக் கடனைத் தீர்ப்பதற்காகக் கல்லூரி வளவிலே களியாட்டு விழாவொன்று நடத்துவதென ஆசிரியர் கூட்டத்தில் ஒருமணமாக முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டது. திரு. வி. நாகலிங்கம் அவர்களின் நினைவுக்காக அதற்கு லிங்கலயிற்ஸ் 56fluJITG) 65 pr’ (Linga Lights Carnival) 6TGOT) Guuit சூட்டுவது என்றும் முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டது. அதிபர் ஹன்டி பேரின்பநாயகம் தமக்குத் தமிழகத்து அரசியற் தலைவர் பூரீ சக்கரவர்த்தி ராஜகோபலாசிரியரது நட்பு உண்டென்றும், தமது செல்வாக்கைப் பயன்படுத்தித் தமிழகத்திலிருந்து எமது களியாட்டு விழாவிற் கலந்து சிறப்பிப்பதற்குக் கலைஞர்களை வரவழைக்கும் எண்ணம் தமக்கு உண்டென்றும் தெரிவித்தார்.
1950 ஆம் ஆண்டில், ஒளிமயமான லிங்க லயிற்ஸ் களியாட்டுவிழா கல்லூரிவளவிலே மிகச் சிறப்பாக நடைபெற்றது. அப்போது வெளியிடப்பட்ட களியாட்டு விழாச் சிறப்பு மலரில் கல்லூரி வாழ்த்தாக * நான் பாடிய பாடல் ஒன்றும் இடம்பெற்றது. அதிபர் கேட்டுக் கொண்டதற்கு இணங்கியே, களியாட்டு விழாச் சிறப்பு மலருக்காக இந்துக் கல்லூரி வாழ்த்தை நான் இயற்றிக் கொடுத்தேன். (கல்லூரி வணக்கப் பாடல் 1948 இல் ஆசிரியர் ஏ. நாகலிங்கம் அவர்களாற் பாடப்பட்டது; அது வேறு) களியாட்டு விழாவிற் கலந்து சிறப்பித்தற்காகத் தமிழகத்தினின்றும் வெவ்வேறு நாள்களில் வருகைதந்த கலைஞர்களுக்கும் அதிபர் என்னைக் கொண்டே வாழ்த்துப் பாடலை ஆக்கிவித்தார். என் பாடல்களைக் கல்லூரியில் இசை
* 1st verse in Tamil in pagex

ஆசிரியையாயிருந்த திருமதி சரஸ்வதி பாக்கியராசாவே தமது இனிய குரலினால் இசைகூட்டிப் பாடிக் கலைஞர்களுக்கு வழங்கினார். இங்கே சுவையான ஒரு சிறு நிகழ்ச்சி என் நினைவுக்கு வருகிறது. ஒரு நாட்காலை அதிபர் என்னை அழைத்து, “நாளை இரவு செல்வி சூரிய குமாரி களியாட்டு விழாவிற் கலந்து இசைவிருந்து அளிப்பார்; அவருக்கு வாழ்த்துப் பாடல் பாடவேண்டும்,” என்று பணித்தார். நான் வீட்டுக்குச் சென்று பாடலை இயற்றிக் கொண்டு, அதிபரிடம் மீளப் போய் அதைக் கொடுத்தேன். எனது பாடலில் பாடிய பாடலைப் படித்துவருகையில் வாய்க்குள்ளே மெல்லச்சிரித்தார். என்னைப் பார்த்து, நீர் சூரிய குமாரியை நேரிற் கண்டிருக்கிறீரா?” என்று கேட்டார். நான், “இல்லை” என்றேன். “சூரியகுமாரியை நேரிற் பார்க்காமலே இவ்வளவு அழகாக பாடியிருக்கிறீர்; ஆளை நேரிற் பார்த்தால் எப்படி பாடுவீரோ” என்று அதிபர் சிரித்துக் கொண்டே என்னைப் பாராட்டினார். பின்னர் அங்கே வந்த திருமதி சரஸ்வதி பாக்கியராசாவும் நான் இயற்றும் பாடல்கள் இசை கூட்டிப் பாடுவதற்கு மிகவும் வாய்ப்பானவை என்று என்னைப் பாராட்டினார்.
களியாட்டு விழாவிற் சிறப்பு நிகழ்ச்சிகள் தரவந்த தமிழகக் கலைஞர்களுள் நகைச்சுவை மன்னர் N.S.கிருஷ்ணன் மதுரம் தம்பதியரும், செல்வி சூரியகுமாரியுமே இப்போது நினைவுக்கு வருகின்றனர். கல்கி ஆசிரியர் ரா.கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தியும் கலைக்களஞ்சியப் பதிப்பாசிரியர் பெ. தூரனும் களியாட்டு விழா முடிந்த பின்னர் எங்கள் கல்லூரிக்கு வருகை தந்தனர்.கல்லூரி ஆசிரியர்களுக்கு அவர்களை அறிமுகஞ் செய்யும் வகையில் கல்லூரி முன்ற்லில் ஆசிரியர்கள் அனைவரும் கூடியிருந்து, சிற்றுண்டி வழங்கி உபசரித்த வைபவமும் நினைவில் இருக்கின்றது. அவ் வைபவத்தில் கல்கி ஆசிரியருக்குப் படித்து வழங்கிய வரவேற்புப் பாடலை திரு. எம் சின்னத்தம்பி இயற்றிக் கொடுத்தார். தூரனுக்குரிய வரவேற்புப் பாடலை நான் இயற்றிக் கொடுத்தேன். வழக்கம் போலத் திருமதி சரஸ்வதி பாக்கியராசாவே இரண்டு பாடல்களையும் பாடிக் கையளித்தார்.
அந்த வைபவத்தில் நிகழ்ந்த ஒருசிறிய உரையாடலை இங்கே குறிப்பிடுவது பொருத்தமென
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எண்ணுகின்றேன். அது கல்லூரி ஆசிரியர் ஒருவருக்கும் கல்கி ஆசிரியருக்குமிடையில் நிகழ்ந்தது.
கல்லூரி ஆசிரியர்: நீங்கள் 'கல்கி என்று புனைபெயர் வைத்ததற்குக் காரணம் என்ன?
கல்கி ஆசிரியர்: நான் கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி; விஷ்ணுமூர்த்தியின் ஒன்பதாம் அவதாரத்தின் பெயர்; அவரது பத்தாம் அவதாரம் 'கல்கி" என்று புராணங்கள் கூறுகின்றன. அந்தக் கல்கிக்கும் என் புனை பெயருக்கும் சம்பந்தம் ஒன்றும் இல்லை. இப்போது என் புனைபெயருக்குரிய காரணத்தைச் சொல்கிறேன்: என் ஆசிரியரது பெயர் கல்யாண சுந்தர முதலியார் (திரு. வி. க.) ஆசிரியரது பெயரின் முதல் இரண்டு எழுத்துக்களையும் என் பெயரின் முதல் எழுத்தையும் சேர்த்தே 'கல்கி' என்று புனைபெயரை ஆக்கினேன். எனது சஞ்சிகைக்கும் அந்தப் பெயரையே வைத்தேன். இப்போது என்னை எல்லாரும் - உங்கள் அதிபருங் கூட, கல்கி என்றே அழைக்கின்றனர்.
கல்கியின் சொற்பொழிவை யாழ்ப்பாணப் பொதுமக்களும் கேட்டுச் சுவைப்பதற்காக யாழ்ப்பாண நகரமண்டபத்தில் அவர் பேசுவதற்கு ஒழுங்கு செய்யப்பட்டது. மண்டபம் நிறைய பொதுமக்கள் திரண்டிருந்தனர். கல்கி தமக்கே உரிய பாணியில், நகைச்சுவை ததும்ப, இனிய சொற்பொழிவாற்றி எல்லாரையும் மகிழ்வித்தார்.
ஏறத்தாழ அதே காலப்பகுதியில், தமிழகக் கவிஞர் நாமக்கல் இராமலிங்கம் பிள்ளையும் வருகைதந்து, யாழ்ப்பாண நகர மண்டபத்திலே சொற்பொழிவாற்றியதும், “கத்தி யின்றி ரத்த மின்றி யுத்த மொன்று வருகுது.” என்ற தமது பாட்டைப் பாடிக்காட்டியதும் எனக்கு நினைவுக்கு வருகின்றன.
அதிபர் ஹன்டியின் சாதுரியப் பேச்சு
அதிபர் ஹன்டி சந்தர்ப்பத்துக்கேற்றவாறு சாதுரியமாகவும் ஆங்கிலத்திலே சரளமாகப் பேசவல்லவர். ஆசிரியர் கூட்டங்களிலும் தனிப்பட்ட முறையில் என்னோடு உரையாடுகையிலும் அவர் வாயிலிருந்து வெளிவந்த சில சாதுரிய மொழிகளை இங்கே சந்தர்ப்பத்தோடு தருகின்றேன்.
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ஒருநாள் ஆசிரியர் கூட்டத்தில், முந்திய கூட்ட நிகழ்ச்சிக் குறிப்புகளை நான் ( செயலாளர் என்ற முறையில்) வாசித்தேன். அந்தக் குறிப்புகளில் “1f the chairman deems that a motion is ultra vires/he may veto it." என்பது போன்ற ஒரு வாக்கியம் வந்தது. கூட்டத்தில் சமுகமாயிருந்த இளம் ஆசிரியை ஒருவர், அந்த வாக்கியத்தைக் குறிப்பிட்டு, அதிலே he என்று ஆண்பாலில் எழுதியது தவறு என்றும், அது he or she என்று திருத்தப்படல் வேண்டும் என்றும் கூறினார். அவர் இதைக் கூறினதும், அதிபர் அந்த ஆசிரியை 656fgg, "In legal parlance he embraces she' என்றார். கூட்டத்தில் இருந்த எல்லாரும் சிரித்தனர்.
ஒரு முறை நானும் நண்பர்கள் சிலரும் எங்கள் எதிர்காலப் 6)6O)6OT அறியும் பொருட்டு இந்தியாவிலிருந்த புகழ்பெற்ற சோதிடர் ஒருவருக்கு எங்கள் பிறப்பு விவரங்களுடன் பணமும் அஞ்சல் மூலம் அனுப்பினோம். இந்தச் செய்தி எவ்வாறோ அதிபருக்கு எட்டிவிட்டது. நான் ஆசிரியர் அறையிலே தனியே இருந்த வேளை அங்கு வந்த அதிபர் புன்முறுவலுடன் என்னிடம் இவ்வாறு சொன்னார். “Velauthapillai, in trying to find out my fortune I lost a fortune' Sait, தாம் காண்டம் வாசிக்கும் சோதிடர் ஒருவரிடம் தமது எதிர்காலப் பலனை வாசிப்பித்த போது, அதிலே “இந்தச் சாதகர் கல்வி மந்திரியாவார்’ என்று கூறப்பட்டதாகவும், அந்தச் சோதிடக் கூற்றை நம்பித் தாம் பாராளுமன்றத் தேர்தலில் ஒருமுறைக்கு இருமுறை போட்டியிட்டுக் கட்டுப்பணத்தையும் இழந்ததாகவும் நகைச் சுவை தோன்ற எனக்கு விளக்கமளித்தார்.
ஒருநாள், பாடசாலைப் பரிசோதகர் பலர் பணிப்பாளர் ஒருவரது தலைமையிற் கூட்டமாகக் கல்லூரிக்கு வந்தனர். வந்தவர்கள் அதிபரின் அனுமதியோடு வகுப்பு வகுப்பாகச் சென்று சோதனை நடத்தினர். எனது வகுப்புக்கு வந்த பரிசோதகர் என் பெயர், கல்வித் தகைமை, கற்பித்த காலம் போன்ற விபரங்களை என்னிடங் கேட்டார்; வகுப்புப் பதிவேடு அற்றை வரை முற்றாகப் பதியப்பட்டுள்ளதா என்று பார்வையிட்டார்; மாணாக்கரின் அப்பியாசப் புத்தகங்கள் ஒழுங்காக ஆசிரியரால் திருத்தப்பட்டுள்ளனவா என்றும் பார்வையிட்டார். இறுதியில் மாணாக்கரிடம் சில

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வினாக்களைக் கேட்டார்; அவர்கள் திருத்தமாக விடையளித்தனர். பரிசோதகர் மனநிறைவோடு மற்றொரு வகுப்புக்குப் போனார்.
என் நண்பர் திரு. ஹென்ஸ்மன், தமது வகுப்புக்கு வந்த பரிசோதகர் தம்மிடம் வகையாக மாட்டிக் கொண்டு மானமிழந்து போன செய்தியை எனக்குச் சொன்னார். பரிசோதகர் உயிரியற் பாடத்தில் மாணாக்கர் ஒருவரிடம் கேட்ட வினாவுக்கு, அந்த மாணாக்கர் சொன்னவிடை பிழையெனக் கூறித் தாம் (பரிசோதகர்) திருத்தமான விடையைச் சொன்னார் என்றும், பரிசோதகர் சொன்ன 'திருத்தமான விடை பிழையென்றும், அவர் சொன்னதை நம்பவேண்டாம் என்றும் தாம் (ஆசிரியர்) தமது வகுப்பு மாணாக்கர்களுக்குச் சொல்லி, பரிசோதகர் கேட்ட வினாவுக்குரிய விடையையும் சொன்னார் என்றும் விபரங்களை நண்பர் திரு ஹென்ஸ்மன் எனக்குச் சொல்லி நகையாடினார். (இந்தச் செய்தி அதிபருக்கும் தெரிந்திருக்க வேண்டும் என்று நம்புகின்றேன்.)
அன்று பிற்பகல், அதிபரின் தலைமையில் ஆசிரியர்கள் கூடியிருக்க, பணிப்பாளரும் பரிசோதகர்களும் அக்கூட்டத்திலே நடுவில் இருந்து குறிப்புரைகள் கூறத் தொடங்கினர். அவர்கள் பொதுவாகக் குறைகளையே எடுத்துக் கூறினர்; நிறைகள் பற்றி ஒன்றுமே சொல்லவில்லை. இறுதியிற் பணிப்பாளரும் அந்தப் பாணியிலே தமது தொகுப்புரையைக் கூறி அமர்ந்தார். இவ்வளவும் பொறுமையுடன் கேட்டுக் கொண்டிருந்த அதிபர் ஹன்டி, வந்தவர்களுக்கு நன்றி கூறுவது போலத் தமது உரையைத் தொடங்கினார்; பரிசோதகர்கள் ஆசிரியர்களிற் குற்றங்காணும் நோக்கத்தோடு தமது கடமையைச் செய்ய முற்படுவது தவறென்றும், ஆசிரியர்களை நண்பர்களாக மதித்து, அவர்களுக்கு வழிகாட்டி, பாடசாலைக் கல்வித் தரத்தை உயர்த்துவதையே குறிக்கோளாகக் கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்றும், பரிசோதகர்களும் முன்னர் ஆசிரியர்களாய் இருந்ததை மறுந்துவிடலாகாது என்றும் அவ்ர்களுக்கு அறிவுறுத்தி, இறுதியில், பேர்ணாட் ஷோவின் (Bernard Shaw) SITL5Guom Girpilsi) (Man and Superman) 65th "He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches' 6T6ürgh

வாக்கியத்தை எடுத்துக் கூறி, அதே பாணியில் பின்வருமாறு தொடர்ந்து கூறி அமர்ந்தார்.
He who cannot teach, inspects. He who cannot inspect, directs
பரிசோதகர்களும் பணிப்பாளரும் வாயடங்கிச் சென்றனர்; ஆசிரியர்களாகிய நாங்கள் எங்கள் மானத்தைக் காத்த அதிபரை மனமார வாழ்த்தினோம்.
நான் ஆசிரியத் தொழிலை விட்டு அரசாங்க சேவையிற் சேர்ந்தேன்.
நான் ஆசிரியத் தொழிலில் ஐந்து ஆண்டுகளுக்கு மேல் இருந்து விட்டேன். எனக்குப் பின் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியில் ஆசிரியராய்ச் சேர்ந்த இளம் பட்டதாரிகள் பலர், ஆசிரியத் தொழிலில் உயர்ச்சிக்கு வாய்ப்பு மிகக் குறைவென்பதனாலும், ஊதியம் போதாதென்பதனாலும், இரண்டொரு ஆண்டுகளில் ஆசிரியத் தொழிலை விட்டு, அரசாங்கத் துறையிலும் பிற துறைகளிலும் சேர்ந்தனர். அரசாங்கத் துறையிற் சேரும் ஆசை எனக்கும் உண்டாயிற்று. “ஊழிற் பெருவலி யாவுள மற்றொன்று, சூழினுந் தான் முந்துறும்” என்னும் வள்ளுவர் கூற்று என்னளவில் உண்மையாயிற்று. சூழ்நிலைகள் என்னைத் தூண்டின. கொழும்பில் அரச கரும மொழித் திணைக் களத்தில் வெற்றிடமாயிருந்த ஒரு பதவிக்கு விண்ணப்பம் அனுப்ப விரும்பி, அதிபரோடு கலந்தாலோசித்தேன். நான் கல்லூரியினின்றும் விலகுவதை அவர் விரும்பாவிட்டாலும், எனது எதிர்கால முன்னேற்றத்துக்கு முட்டுக்கட்டையாய் இருப்பதையும் அவர் விரும்பவில்லை. பெருந்தன்மையோடு உடன்பட்டது மன்றி, எனக்கு அருமையான நற்சான்றிதழ் ஒன்றையும் தந்துவினார். விண்ணப்பம் செய்து நேர்முகப் பரீட்சைக்குப் போய் மீண்டேன். அந்தப் பதவி கிடைத்தது. 1953 ஆம் ஆண்டு செப்டெம்பர் மாதம் முதல் வேலை ஏற்கும்படி கடிதமும் வந்தது. ஆகவே, 1953 ஒகத்து மாதத்தில் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியை விட்டுக் கொழும்புக்குப் புறப்பட்டேன்.
என்மீது அன்பும் மதிப்பும் வைத்திருந்த மாணவர்களையும், அளவளாவிப் பழகிய ஆசிரிய
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நண்பர் க  ைள யும் , அருங் குணங்க ளா லும் அறிவாற்றலாலும் என்னைக் கவர்ந்த அதிபரையும் பிரிந்து செல்வது பெருந் துன்பமாயினும், வாழ்க்கை புகை வண்டிப் பயணம் போன்றதெனத் தெளிந்து, மனத்தைத் தேற்றிக் கொண்டு, புதுத்தொழில் புரியப் புறப்பட்டுப் போனேன்.
என் மதிப்புக்குரிய ஆசிரியர் ஒருவர்
கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியில் நான் கற்பித்த குறுகிய காலப் பகுதியில் நல்லாசிரியர் பலரைக் கண்டேன். அவர்களுள் ஒருவர் சிறப்பாகக் குறிப்பிடத்தக்கவர். திரு. ஏ. நாகலிங்கம் அவர்களே அந்த ஆசிரியர். நான் கல்லூரியிற் சேர்ந்த முதற் சில நாள்களில், திரு. ஏ. நாகலிங்கம் அவர்கள் மேல் வகுப்புகளிற் கணிதம், சமயம், தமிழ் ஆகிய பாடங்களைக் கற்பித்ததையும், மாணவர்களும் அடக்க ஒடுக்கமாக இருந்து கற்றதையும் அவதானித்தேன். அக்காலத்தில் ஒருநாள் அதிபர் . வி. நாகலிங்கம் அவர்கள் என்னுடன் உரையாடுகையில் இந்த ஆசிரியரை விதந்து பாராட்டினார். பின்னாளில் அதிபரின் பாராட்டுக்கு அவர் முற்றுத் தகுதியானவர் என்பதை உணர்ந்து கொண்டேன். அவர் கடமையே கண்ணாக வாழ்ந்தவர். ஆழ்ந்த கடவுள் பத்தியால் தூயவராய், எந்நாளும் மலர்ந்த முகத்தோடு தோற்ற மளித்தவர். அவர் 1961 ஆம் ஆண்டில் ஆசிரியப் பதவியிலிருந்து ஒய்வு பெற்றபின் இறை பத்தியிலே காலங்கழித்தார். அக்காலத்திற் புதுக்கோயில் மூர்த்திகண் மீதும் அராலி உதரான் பதிச் சிந்தாமணி விநாயகர் மீதும் பல பத்திப் பாடல்கள் பாடி, அவற்றை எனக்கு அனுப்பி, என்னோடு தொடர்பு கொண்டிருந்தார். அவருடைய பத்திப் பாடல்களைப் படித்து அவர் சிறந்த அநுபூதிமான் என்று உணர்ந்து கொண்டேன். நான் கனடாவுக்கு வந்தபின், 1989 இல் அவர் சிவபதம் அடைந்தார் என்ற செய்தியை அறிந்தேன்.
பகுதி 2 பிற்பட்ட நிகழ்ச்சிகள் நான் கண்டதும் கேட்டதும்
நான் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியை விட்டுக் கொழும்பு சென்றபின் அக்கல்லூரியின் தொடர்பை விடவில்லை. அதிபர் ஹன்டி பேரின்பநாயகம் இறுதிக் காலம் வரையும் என்னோடு தொடர்பு கொண்டிருந்தார்.
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அரசகரும மொழி அலுவலகத்தில் அவர் உசாவுறுப்பினராய் இருந்தமையால் இடைக்கிடை கொழும்புக்கு வரவேண்டிய தேவையிருந்தது. அவ்வாறு வருவதற்கு முன் எனக்கு கடிதம் எழுதித் தாம் கொழும்பிலே தங்கும் முகவரியையும் தம்மை நான் சந்திக்கக்கூடிய நேரத்தையும் குறிப்பிடுவது அவரது வழக்கம். நானும் தவறாமல் அவரைச் சந்தித்து உரையாடி வந்தேன்.
மறுபுறம், கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரிப் பழைய மாணவர் சங்கக் கொழும்புக் கிளை உறுப்பினர்கள், சங்கக் கூட்டங்களுக்கு என்னையும் தவறாமல் அழைத்துவந்தனர், அவர்களோடு உரையாடிக் கல்லூரியின் வளர்ச்சி பற்றிய செய்திகளை அறிந்தேன். முன்னாள் அதிபர் வி.நாகலிங்கமவர்கள் வாங்கிய காணியில், அடுத்து வந்த அதிபர் ஹன்டி பேரின்பநாயகம் மூன்றடுக்கு மாடிக் கட்டிடம் கட்டி முடித்த செய்தியும்; இலங்கைப் பிரதமர் சேர் ஜோன் கொத்தலாவலை 1954 இல் வடபகுதிக்குச் சென்றிருந்தபோது, அதிபர் ஹன்டி பிரதமரைக் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரிக்கு அழைத்து, அவர்வாயிலிருந்து ‘சிங்களத்துக்கும் தமிழுக்கும் சம அந்தஸ்து வழங்கப்படும் என்ற உறுதியுரையைப் பெற்ற செய்தியும்; அத்தொடர்பிலே கல்லூரியின் கிடுகுக் கூரைக் கட்டிடங்கள் எரிக்கப்பட்ட செய்தியும், 1957 இல் வழக்கமான நிலை வரும் வரையிற் கல்லூரி நடவடிக்கைகளை ஒழுங்காக நடத்துவதற்காக ஆசிரியர்களும் மாணவர்களும் அரும்பாடுபட்ட செய்தியும் எல்லாம் கொழும்பிலிருந்த நான் அவ்வப்போது அறிந்தேன்.
திரு. ஹன்டி பேரின்பநாயகத்துக்குப் பிரியாவிடை
திரு. ஹன்டி பேரின்பநாயகம் 1960 மார்ச்சு 28இல் அதிபர் பதவியிலிருந்து ஒய்வு பெற்றார். கொ. இ. கல்லூரி பழைய மாணவர் சங்கக் கொழும்புக் கிளை உறுப்பினர் 1960மே 28 ஆம் தேதி, கொழும்பு 3 கொள்ளுப்பிட்டியில் இருந்த “Sri KOtha” மண்டபத்தில், ஒய்வு பெற்ற அதிபருக்கு மிகவும் சிறப்பான தொரு பிரியாவிடைக் கொண்டாட்டத்தை ஒழுங்கு செய்தனர். அப்போது பழைய மாணவர் சங்கம் ஒய்வுபெற்ற அதிபருக்கு அழகிய பிரிவுபசாரப் பாராட்டு

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LDeui (Valedictory Tribute) gaiT60p3, 605usif55g. அந்த மலருக்காகப் பழைய மாணவர்களின் சிறப்பாக, திரு.செ. இரத்தினபிரகாசம், திரு. செ. நடராசா ஆகியோரின் வேண்டுகோளுக்கு இணங்கி, அதிபர் ஹன்டியின் அரும் பெருந் தொண்டுகளையும், ஆணித்தரமான பண்புகளையும், கல்லூரிக்கு மூன்றுமாடிக் கட்டிடம் அமைத்துக் கொடுப்பதற்காக அவர் மேற்கொண்ட முயற்சிகளையும் பாராட்டி ஒரு வாழ்த்துப்பா ஆக்கிக் கொடுத்தேன். மேலும் அந்த மலரிலே இராஜாஜி, திரு. S.J.V செல்வநாயகம், திரு.சி. ஜெ. எலியேஸர், ஜனாப் ஏ. எம். ஏ . அஸிஸ், திரு. வில்மட் ஏ. பெரேரா போன்ற பெரியோர்கள் அளித்த பாராட்டுரைகளும் இடம் பெற்றிருந்தன.
திரு.ஹன்டி பேரின்பநாயகமவர்கள் 1977 திசெம்பர் 11 ஆம் தேதி மறைந்தார் என்னுஞ் செய்தி எனக்குப் பின்னரே தெரிய வந்தது. 1977 செப்டெம்பர் மாதத்தில் நான் என் தலையில் அபாயகரமான அறுவைச் சிகிச்சை செய்த காரணத்தால் வைத்திய சாலையிலும் வீட்டிலும் பெரும்பாலும் அடைபட்டிருந்தேன். அக்காலப் பகுதியிலே அவர் மறைந்தமையால், எனக்குச் செய்தி உடனே எட்டவில்லை. பின்னர், மறைந்த அதிபருக்கு நினைவு மலர் ஒன்று வெளியிடுவதற்காகத் திரு. செ. இரத்தினப் பிரகாசம் என்னிடம் வந்து, செய்தியைச் சொல்லி, இரங்கற் பாவொன்றும் பாடித்தருமாறு கேட்டார். போதிய உடனலம் இல்லாதிருந்தும் சில செய்யுள்கள் பாடிக் கொடுத்தேன்.
திரு. சி. கே. கந்தசுவாமிக்குப் பிரியாவிடை
திரு. ஹன்டி பேரின்பநாயகத்துக்குப் பின், 1960 டிசெம்பர் 10இல் அதிபர் பதவியேற்ற திரு. சி. கே. கந்தசுவாமி முன்னைய அதிபர்களின் வழியிலே கல்லூரியை முன்னேற்றிச் சென்றார். அவர் பதவியேற்றபின், கொ. இ.க.பழைய மாணவர் சங்கக் கொழும்புக் கிளை, அவருக்குக் கொழும்பு மத்திய கிறிஸ்தவ இளைஞர் சங்க மண்டபத்தில் பாராட்டு விருந்தளித்துச் சிறப்புச் செய்தது. அந்த விருந்து வைபவத்தில் என் மனைவி திருமதி நேசமலர் வேலாயுதபிள்ளை திரு.சி.கே. கந்தசுவாமியைப் பாராட்டிப் பேசினார். பின்பு, 1971 யூன் மாதம் அதிபர் பதவியிலிருந்து திரு.சி.கே. கே அவர்கள் ஓய்வு

பெற்றதும், பழைய மாணவர் சங்கக் கொழும்புக் கிளை, அவருக்கு அவ்வாண்டு யூலாய் 15 ஆம் தேதி, கொழும்பில் பிரியாவிடை விருந்து வழங்கிப் பிரிவுபசாரப் பாராட்டு மலர் ஒன்றையும் கையளித்தது. அந்த மலருக்கும் திரு செ. இரத்தினப் பிரகாசத்தின் வேண்டுகோளின்படி வாழ்த்துப் பாடல் பாடிக் கொடுத்தேன்.
திரு. சி.கே. கந்தசுவாமியவர்கள் அதிபர் பதவியிலிருந்து ஒய்வு பெற்றபின் 1971 யூன் மாதம் முதல் 1972 மே மாதம் வரையான ஓராண்டுக் காலத்துக்குத் திரு. பி. எஸ். மாரசுவாமியவர்கள் அதிபராய்க் கடமையாற்றினார்.
திரு. மா.மகாதேவா அவர்களின் பதவிக்காலம்
திரு.மா. மகாதேவா 1972யூன் மாதம் முதல் 1980 ஜனவரி மாதம் வரையும் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியின் அதிபராய்ப் பணியாற்றினார். இவர் கொக்குவிலைப் பிறப்பிடமாகக் கொண்டவர்; கொக்குவில் சபாரத்தின முதலியாரின் பேரனும் வே. மாணிக்கவாசகரின் மகனுமாவார். இவர் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரிக்கு அதிபராய் வருவதற்குமுன் மகாஜனக் கல்லூரியில் இருபது ஆண்டுக்காலம் ஆசிரியராயிருந்து பிரதி அதிபர் பதவிக்கு உயர்ச்சி பெற்றவர். கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியில் திரு. சி.கே. கந்தசுவாமியவர்கள் தொடங்கிய கட்டிடத் திட்டத்தைத் தொடர்ந்து முன்னேற்றி வந்தார். நான் இலங்கைப் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் கற்ற காலத்தில், திரு மகாதேவா இலங்கைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம் முதன்முதலாக நடத்திய பட்டப்பரீட்சையில் (1945) தேறி யாழ்ப்பாணம் இந்துக் கல்லூரியில் ஆசிரியராகச் சேர்ந்தவர். அக்காலம் முதல் நான் அவரோடு சில ஆண்டுகள் பழகியிருக்கிறேன்.
திரு.ஏ. பஞ்சலிங்கம் அவர்களின் பதவிக்காலம்
திரு. ஏ. பஞ்சலிங்கம் அவர்கள் 1980 ஜனவரி தொடக்கம் 1992 மார்ச்சு மாதம் வரையும் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியின் அதிபராய்ப் பணியாற்றினார். இவரும் கொக்குவிலைப் பிறப்பிடமாகக் கொண்டவர் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியின் பழைய மாணவர். இவருடைய பதவிக் காலத்தில், இலங்கையின்
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வடபகுதியில் நிகழ்ந்த இராணுவ நடவடிக்கைகள் காரணமாகக் கல்லூரியில் ஏழாயிரத்துக்கு மேற்பட்ட பொதுமக்கள் அகதிகளாக வந்து தங்கினர். இராணுவத் தாக்குதலாற் பலர் இறந்தனர். கல்லூரியில் தளவாடத்தின் ஒரு பகுதியும் அழிக்கப்பட்டது. கல்லூரியின் இரண்டு கட்டிடங்கள் கூரைகள் உடைந்து சிதறின. மூன்று நிலைமாடிக் கட்டிடத்தின் அறையொன்று முற்றாகச் சேதமாகியது. விஞ்ஞான ஆய்வுகூடங்கள் உபகரணங்கள் யாவும்
31O Kokuvi Hindu College

சேதமாக்கப்பட்டன. 15 இலட்சம் ரூபா பெறுமதியான நட்டம் கல்லூரிக்கு ஏற்பட்டதாக மதிப்பிடப்பட்டது. இத்தகைய நெருக்கடியான சூழ்நிலையிலும் அதிபர் பஞ்சலிங்கம் கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரியின் சிறந்த பாரம்பரியத்தைப் பாதுகாத்துவந்து, 1992 மார்ச்சு மாதம் புதிய அதிபர் திரு. ஆர். மகேந்திரனிடம் அப்பொறுப்பைக் கையளித்து யாழ்ப்பாணம் இந்துக் கல்லூரியின் அதிபர் பதவியை ஏற்றுக் கொண்டார் என்று அறிந்தேன்.
வளர்க கொக்குவில் இந்துக் கல்லூரி
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EPLLC
"The moving Finger writes,
Nor will all thy piety, nor will Nor all thy tears, wash out a
Like most institutions that originate small and subsequently grow in stature, this school too has since its inception in 1910 developed to be a leading college now in the Jaffna peninsula. This attempt at re-tracing it's story seeks to portray some of the highlights of the history of this school from the dim past to the present day. This school had its beginning as a feeder school to Jaffna Hindu College when it was called Kokuvil Hindu English School. It expanded rapidly from being a junior secondary school in 1926 to collegiate status in 1941.
Our histories and memories have forged a consciousness with the wholesomeness of our single identity. What is special about Kokuvil Hindu College? It is its identity, its character. Every School has a character, imprinted upon it indelibly by those whose lives have been inextricably intertwined with that institution. The character, the ideals, the life of leading Principals like M. Karthigesu, S. Seenivasagam, V. Nagalingam, S.Handy Perinbanaygam, C.K.Kanthaswami and A.Pancahlingam are inseparable from the identity of Kokuvil Hindu College. When looking at the history of the

Chapter — XXVI
DGUE
and having writ moves on , lure it back to cancel half a line word of it.”
Omar Khayyam
magnificent string of Principals it goes on record, as of today, that Mr.A.Panchalingam had the longest stay as Principal, a period of nearly twelve years while Mr.P. Cumaraswamy records the shortest having been the principal for only an year. There are also other persons intimately associated with this college and who have imparted attributes of their personality and the force of their character to mould this institution in the way it is functioning today. All history is not found in official publications or learned books. Many interesting side lights and unusual facts are often turned up by writers and scholars with a deep abiding personal love and interest in their school.
Scores of teachers and principals, untiring in their efforts, have sustained this institution. In turn, it has nurtured and made men of many of its students, inspired allegience of goodwill and confidence between students and teachers. A century looks upon Kokuvil Hindu College in a couple of years in 2010. Its future will, of course, be a matter of government policy on education. And while it is at this juncture of having reached a milestone of history it is perhaps time to pause
*'Conceived as Devine Writ
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and reflect with appreciation upon the quiet and enduring services of this centenarian school.
History or Histories are inevitably constructs of historians in keeping with their own culture and perspectives. Truth and objectivity are relative concepts. It is difficult to write as a detached on-looker when being so much a part of it. So it is coloured by my vision and how I saw it a long time ago. It is a story of progress and regress, of hubris and humility. When one looks on the life and times of the many players who took part in this drama, one sees the awesome force of destiny that fashioned and moulded this institution. The swift passage of time never fails to amaze us. Without a knowledge of the past, there is no way to the future. In the absence of a sound grasp of this knowledge, one runs the risk of being seduced by arbitary and romantic renderings of history. It is never safe to make a sweeping statement in matters of history. The oral tradition is certainly irreconcilable with the categorical and unconditional assertions of scholars and historians. They are their academic intergrity with statements that cannot be substantiated with irrefutable proof and evidence. Oral history is becoming an increasingly important method of recording events of our time. The technique is simple. Encouraged by an interviewer, someone who has something to say, but might never write it down, talks of his or her experiences. The whole is recorded and later, resources permitting, transcribed for the benefit of the readers.
A historian without the gift of the cultivated imagination becomes a slave to his sources, a mere denizen of the archives. Imagination is indeed the essence of his craft. He uses his literary skills to give flesh and blood to historical figures, to give full play to their passions, their fears, their ambitions, their successes and their
312 Kokuvi Hindu College

failures. This is a time when the historical dicipline and profession are in a state of acute crisis in this country.
“வரலாறு எழுதுவது கஷ்டமான விடயமாகும். எனினும் பல அணுகுமுறைகளில் பலரால் வரலாறு எழுதப்படுகின்றன. அனைத்துத் துறைகளிலும் வியாபித்துள்ள துறை வரலாற்றுத் துறையாகும். வரலாறானது, வரலாறு, எழுதியல் என இரு வகைப்படும். ஒரு ஸ்தாபனத்தின், ஒரு சமூகத்தின், ஒரு இனத்தின், ஒரு நாட்டின் நிகழ்வுகளை கால வரன் முறையில் எடுத்துக் கூறுவது வரலாறு.”
The above definition of history (in Tamil) indicates the complexity of the taskin this attempt to trace the history of this school, more so when the school had passed through many a fire in sections of the school and devastations culminating in the upheavals in 1987 during the IPKF operations and the mass exodus from Jaffna in October 1995. Though we like to relegate the unpleasant to the dust-bin of history, history cannot be erased. It surfaces when people try to white-wash the past. Getting one's history wrong is very often cause for conflict.
The Old Students' Association in Kokuvil mooted the idea and appointed in February 1997 a sub committee with Mrs. Nithiyaluxmi Gunapalasingham as secretary to write the history of the Kokuvil Hindu College.She promptly circularized past-pupils, past teachers and others involved in the school seeking their assistance to proceed with the assigned task. She was distressed that there was absolutely no response to her call and the project remained abandoned.
When I was in Jaffna in the year 2002, after a long lapse of over twelve years, former Principal A.Panchalingammentioned the problem to me and suggested that Iconsider helping them in this matter. It was indeed a tall order. I was

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hesitant. My friend Mr. S. Nagalingam from Canada encouraged me to write. A wee anecdotal digression may be pardoned hopefully.
I have been one of the most consistently perceptive observer of the Kokuvil scene. My association with this school started from the year 1934 when I joined the infant class of the Tamil School then. Having passed the third standard in the Tamil school I joined the English School (K.H.E.S). I passed S.S.C (December 1947)and London matriculation examinations from the English school and I left Kokuvil Hindu College in May 1948 for employment. I have been living in Colombo from the year 1949 when I was elected as Secretary of the Colombo Branch of the Old Students' Association. I have been active in the association from that year until now. Unforunately all valuable records of the association collected by me over the years were lost in the 1958 riots when my house in Dehiwela was damaged and all belongings looted. Mr. Handy Perinbanayagam's wrist watch sent to me in Colombo for repairs, could not be returned to him as it was also part of the loot.
Again in May 1983 valuable documents preserved in my house in Kanthermadam were burnt when the security forces set it on fire following a shooting incident in the adjoining school which was a polling booth in District Council elections in Jaffna. The car in the garage of the house was also burnt. That was not all. In July of the same year (1983) my house in Wellawatte was badly damaged by the rioters and all belongings, including an entire wardrobe of clothes, were looted. My wife, son and Isaved our lives by moving to a refugee camp at Saraswathy Hall, Bambalpitiya that sheltered us for ten days from 24 July. Trouble seldom comes single! The house in which I grew up as a boy along Jaffna/ Kankesanthurai road in

Kokuvil received a direct hit from bomb dropped from the air during the "war for peace' by the security forces in 1993 and the roof caved in. One of the inmates a teacher Miss. Kandiah lost one of her hands which had to be amputated to save her life. The owner of the adjoining house, Mahadeva died on the spot. It was Providence that saved me from all these thrilling episodes. In every one of these incidents I lost many valuable personal records. Had the lost records been avilable to me, this story of my 'Alma Mater' could have been much more complete. I have recorded another contretempts’ in the dedication page 313
Collecting authentic materials from the oral traditions and other historical evidence was a Herculean task. To overcome this handicap I went in June 2003 to the Kokuvil Hindu College library which itself was seriously affected with loss of valuable books and records during the 1987 IPKF occupation period. But the library had since been built up again with books neatly re-arranged in a spacious room. No material of any assistance for this assignment was avilable there either. I was not deterred by these setbacks. I thought of doing my best in these circumstances. As one who has been closely identified with this school for well over fifty years and as one who has consistently observed its rapid progress, I began compiling this story in latter part of June 2003 as an offering to the sprit of Kokuvil Hindu College and, as an acknowledgement of my debt, indeed the debt that all of us, alumni, owe to the College, that nourished usin ourformative years. Educational reform details contained in this book were based on newspaper reports that appeared from time to time. Miss. Suganthy Sivanatham at Uduvil was assigned the task of typing the manuscripts by Mr.Panchalingam who has
Kokuvi Hindu College 33

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himself gone through the entire text and helped with corrections in facts wherever necessary. In Colombo, Mrs Sri Brintha Sabaratnam of Unie Arts cheerfully laboured to put this book into shape. I am indebted to these three people for their co-operation, without which a clossal enterprise of this nature could not have been made possible. I have also to thank Mr. Panchalingam, Mr. Ketheeswaran and Mr. Rajendran for the keen interest they had taken in this publication. I would finally thank Mr. Sinnatamby for the forward to this book.
I am not a historian I must therefore state very emphatically that I do not offer this compilation as historical data; the title to the book has been chosen as the 'Story of K.H.C. as I see it. A task that should have been carried out as a co-operative effort has been carried out as a solo attempt. Sources of material for the period after 1990 were very scarce; the paucity of material was crippling; Besides the book has been written from Colombo without access to any records in the school office and the discerning reader may forgive any shortcomings and ommisions in the text.
擎
314 Kokuvil Hindu College

History has two functions; that of rescuing virtuous actions from oblivion and that of inducing dread in the minds of those who may be considered infamous in the opinion of posterity for their depraved expressions and basic actions. Forgiveness is a great quality encouraged by all religions but forgetting the past is not to be condoned. This has been written using avilable archival material and the personal knowledge of events and anecdotes of a bygone era Still vividly etched in our memories. Reminiscences of three distinguised past pupils and a former teacher have also been included.
The book bears my name because I accept personal responsibility for the contents, but much of it has been based on the Writings of many persons who have been closely associated with the School and its staff at some time or other Kokuvil Hindu College faces many problems in its struggle to find a place in this modern age. Those insights from the past may illuminate some of the paths which lie ahead as Kokuvil Hindu rebuilds.
1 15/4, W.A.DE Silva Mawatha, Colombo 6. S. Ratnapragasam. 30, January 2004
擊

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N. Senthil (Custo
This book is dedicated to the memory of r from drowning in March 1950 in the sea c in hip-deep water in the shore trying to b, Lavinia had run dry. Suddenly I was dra was struggling in deep water for my life. Swimming. I was drowning. As I was Kulasingham, who was also bathing in th sea. He called Mr.Nagaratnam Senthilv after a swim and sent him to help me. My Senthil rushed in swimming and rescued r my existence in life and blood today to "contretempts". His timely help was gr. then and it remains etched in my mind eve love and that merciful act. N. Senthilvelraja lingers with me.
坠
 

velrajah 2пs)
my friend and co-boarder, who saved me opposite the Mount-Lavinia Hotel. I was athe, as the well in our house in Mountwn into deep water by a current. And I I did not know then, nor do I know now, about to sink for the 2nd time.Cousin e sea with me, saw me struggling in the elrajah, who was resting in the beach, body was sinking for the 3rd time when ne, when I had lost all hope of life. I owe Senthilvelrajah who saved me from this atefully acknowledged by me in person r since. I shall never forget his kindness, h died on 4th April 1976. But his memory
擎
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Appendix - I
World
The 2nd World War (1939- 1945) was a convulsion that brought in its train a major catastrophe for the civilization of man. The citadel of fascism and nazi-brutality had been stormed and wiped out. The welcome feeling of joy and relief, the exultation that inevitably follows such a conflagaration had died down by the year 1948. After the horrors of world war II, full of hope for a better future for mankind 51 nations met at San
Francisco and on 24th October 1945 established the United Nations Charter to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. World could
not establish a viable League of Nations after World War I.
The idea of the COMPUTER first occurred to a British inventor named Charles Babbage way back in 1833. It was known as an 'Analytical Engine' - the machine that could be programmed to carry different calculating operations like a computer can. The first "electronic computer was built in 1943 during World War II, but it was disclosed only in 1945 after the War has ended. "The colossus' was a wartime decoder. It was developed for the sole purpose of cracking enemy code messages. It was a gigantic invention both in size and importance.
The computer is the most astonishingly powerful tool that man has ever created. The computer is unique in a number of ways; the most important one is the range of activities to which it can be applied. Computers are almost certain to influence education deeply. Mathematical and logical skills will be revolutionized by it in much
316 Kokuvi Hindu Colleg

War II
the same way the printing press led to general literacy.
The united Nation is, in many ways, a child of the United States. Franklin Roosevelt was the driving force behind the Untiled Nations and Harry Truman turned it into reality at the San Francisco conference in April 1945. Any imperfection should be corrected early because a strong United Nations is of vital importance to humanity. Ordinary people throughout the world should feel that the United Nations does something for them- helping to protect them against conflict (both civil and international) but also against poverty, hunger, diseace and erosion of their natural environment.
In wartime the skies were constantly being ripped through by Allied planes.- "spitfire', "a Hurricane', an American B2 bomber-flying through Colombo. Deepanama is a place only half a mile away from Colombo, the big city. During World War II Japanese squdrons screamed like Vultures over Colombo on an Easter Sunday morning, a Phantom fighter of the British Royal Air Force was shot down into a paddy field and the excited villagers rescued the pilot and took him to safety in a hackery. Where the plane crash-landed there formed a large crater which filled with water and the villagers wouldn't dare go near that because they believed some explosives were embedded there. This was filled up a few years back to form the approach road to Sri Jayawardenapura hospital, which was a gift from the Japanese government in the 1980s. At Trincomalee is the legacy of

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the vast and fascinating shore facilities and fortifications that had served the British East India Fleet during World War II after the fall of Singapore.
Ceylon was very much involved as a subject nation in World War II. A wartime emergency aviation service, linking perth (Australia) with Ceylon, using Catalina flying boats was commenced June 1943. This airline service was non stop from the Swan river in Perth to Koggala lake in Southern Ceylon. From where connecting services were provided to England by Imperial Airways (renamed B.O.A.C. after nationalisation). The main cargo was fuel flown on a regular basis with very urgent mail and three passengers. The operation ended just before the War did on 18th July 1945.
In July 1944 the victorious allied nations led by the United States and Great Britain met in Bretton Woods, new Hamshire to discuss postwarfinancial and reconstruction issues after the massive physical destruction the war caused in Europe, Asia and Africa. They foresaw the need to guide the war-torn economics and established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and founded the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IBRD (World Bank). The World Bank grew into the World's leading development engine. Today World Bank has 176 member countries- Sri Lanka is one of its members.
Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, a gruff sailor-Commander in Chief had been sent by the U.K to take charge of the country's defences after the fall of Singapore to the Japanese. He appointed Sir Oliver Goonatilake as Civil Defence Commissioner after the Japanese bombing of Colombo in 1942-43. Sir Oliver was Auditor General at the time of his

appointment as Civil Defence Commissioner. He managed to keep the nation afloat through efficient co-ordination and initiative blessed with adequate powers. He ensured an equitable destribution of food and fuel all over the island during the difficult days of World War II, With Sir Geoffrey's approval, he took measures in creating fire - gaps to prevent spread of fires consequent on possible bombings of the city of Colombo and for which buildings had to be brought down especially in Pettah and Maradana. Payment of compensation, the erection of ARP shelters in Colombo (Air Raid Precautions) and the supply of A.R.Pequipment all of which involved very heavy expenditure, when audit querried unauthorised expenditure; he refused to answer them. When he was summonned before the Public Accounts Committee, he presented himself and answered the committee querries - "when the country was on fire, you expect me to be thinking of the possible audit querries on the expenditure I was incurring", the committee did not pursue the matter any further. It was said that Sir Geoffrey Layton was highly amused and congratulated Sir Oliver
War hero, Retired air commodore Leonard
Birchall, a decorated 2 World War Canadian pilot dubbed "the saviour of Ceylon" by Sir Winston Churchill, died of lung cancer at 89 on 24 September 2004. He will always be a hero to the people of Sri Lanka. His legendary heroism was first documented in April 1942, when the then leader of the Royal Canadian Air force 413 Squadron was piloting a twin engine catalina, a flying boat used for patrolling the coastlines of Ceylon. This Aircraft was shot down by the Japanese but not before the eight member crew successfully alerted the allied forces about an impending attack on Ceylon now called Sri Lanka. The Japanese fleet was steaming towards Ceylon
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for a surprise attack on the British fleet. The advance warning gave the British in Ceylon time to prepare. As a result the losses were limited and the Japanese were stopped in their tracks. Churchill called it “the most dangerous moment' of the 2nd world war.
U.S. Pilot, Brigadier General Charles Sweeny, piloted the B 29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan at the end of World War II. Sweeny was 25 when he piloted the plane that dropped the plutonium-239 bomb that flattened Nagasaki on August 9th 1945. Japan surrendered the next day. Three days earlier he flew a photographic and observer B 29 alongside the Enola bay which made the world's first atomic attack on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Well over 275,000 people died in both attacks; over 130,000 have succumbed to illness ultimately caused by their exposure to radiation. Sweeny was an outspoken defender of the atomic attacks saying they were justified because the attacks were necessary to end the War. He was 84 when he died on July 15, 2004 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Cessation of hostilities in World Wart I came to an end at 11.00 am on l November 1918. This was commemorated annually as Armistice Day, 1945 saw the end of hostilities after World War II. Those killed in action were also remembered at the same time as on Armistice Day. Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) too sent its people to World War II and count many as its war dead. The Americans unleashed Atomic bombs on civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki with severe health consequences persisting to date. Never before in the arena of human conflict
*"Article 1: of the San Francisco peace treaty states that
place on 28th November1952, when the pact we of the end of World war II
318 Kokuvil Hindu College

have so many suffered and destroyed because of vanity and self-centeredness of so few political leaders-no different to the conflict situation in Sri Lanka during the last 20 years. Armistice Day was later transferred to the Sunday closest to 11 November called Remembrance Sunday and the observance of 2 minutes silence continued at 11.00 a.m. Bells at religious places of worship and in schools toll, ship horns in harbours resound, and artillery guns in garrison towns boom sharp at 11.00am to call a grateful public to silence without movement and to remember war heros who sacrificed their life and limb for the nation. The 60'anniversary of the decisive allied offensive against the Germans in World War II which led to the liberation of Paris was commemorated in France on 5th June 2004.
In Sri Lanka, state Radio and Television brought Sri Lankans to silence and stillness and the Police brought all traffic to a halt for 2 minutes at 11.00am. This practice ceased when internal civil war broke out in SriLanka. We bought poppies each year and continue to do so for the benefit of foreign soldiers. The colonial rulers had a poppy day to remember the fallen heroes of war. On Poppy day November 11th each year a ceremony is held at the war memorial in Colombo. Unlike prior to 1980 Poppy week is today a reflection of the deep divisions and complicity of Sri Lanka's national crisis. In the 1930s, the fire brands of the left treated this as a means of colonising the minds of the natives who gained nothing from the Imperialist war (1 World War). The left launched a counteroffensive in the "Suriyamal' campaign that gained immense popularity. "Suriyamal' became a symbol of defiance against British imperialism.
a technical end to warfare between Japan and the allies took it into effect. 2004 August 15 marked the 59th anniversarrv

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However with the end of the World war Suriayamal was slowly forgotten and Poppy week gradually regained its former status.
Great expectations accompanied the process of decolonization after the 2nd world war. It was believed that the end of imperialism would unleash the forces of production and lead to a new eara of prosperity. It is sad that after half a century or more, poverty continues to be the malaise of Sri Lanka. The 2nd half of the 20th century remained a post colonial era with many of the institutions and attitudes inherited from the colonial past. Ethnic conflict has marred the once peaceful state of Sri Lanka. The country is still in search of a, “modus vivendi”, which would enable the Sinhalese majority to live in peace and tranquility with the Tamil minority in the Jaffna peninsula in the North.
In 1938 Leoneard Woolf, in a memorandum on the reform of the Ceylon constitution to the British Labour Party wrote:-
"Provision should be made for the protection of minorities. This applies in particular to the Tamils who oppose revision of the constitution and the grant of further measures of self government on the ground that the Sinhalese have used and will use their majority against the interests of the Tamils. Consideration should also be given to the possibility of ensurning a large measure of devolution or even introducing a federal system on the Swiss Model. The Swiss federal canton system has proved extra ordinarily successful under circumstances very similar to Ceylon i e, the Co-existence in a Single democratic state of communities of very different size, sharply distinguished from Ole another by race, language and religion. The democratice canton and federal system in Switzerland has safeguarded the legitimate

interest of the minorities.” Sixty six years have since lapsed and this remains a burning national issue up to the present day.
Since the second World War days every resident, including the estate population, had been issued with a ration book or a ration card which entitled them to get the rice ration either from a Co- operative store or an anthorised private dealer, at a subsidised price. Removal of the subsidy by the government was a sensitive political issue. There were many who did not really need or deserve the subsidised rice. The rich could afford to buy their rice at the open market price. Farmers who had ample rice of their own never relied on rationed rice; yet all these people were drawing the rationed rice at the subsidised price. Patriots were required to surrender their ration books to the government to reduce the subsidy bill. Goverment agents, Deputy Food Commissioners, Assistant Food Controllers and Divisional Revenue officers in the various districts issued crrtificates to those surrendering the rice ration books for their generosity.
Sir Oliver Gooatilake was Governor General of Ceylon during the racial riots in 1958/ 59. Actually it was Sir Oliver who gave orders to stem the rot particulary in the North Central Province when Prime Mininster S.W. R.D Bandaranayake was of two minds in facing the crisis on deciding on the life and death of the mobs that ran amok in the provinces. Sir Oliver was of great assistance to D.S. Senanayake at the Independence Reforms negotiations in 194647 with the U. K. government. Sir Oliver also served as our High Commissioner in London and was one time Minister of Finance. His admirable services in these capacities to our country should not be forgotten. A grateful public has honoured
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him by erecting statue near his home in Castle Street Colombo.
In post World war II Sri Lanka, there was great respect for humans as men and women with wisdom glistening with human virtues which were nearly devine. People came from all ethnic groups of the time, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, Malay, Borah and Sinhala, also among them were Hindus, Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Buddists and followers of the Islamic faith. History indicates how the major community in the island ie the Sinhala Buddhists who constitute nearly 70% of the island's population have very peacefully assimilated a great deal of Hindu religion and culture into their own.
After Japan's defeat in World War II, the decade before, Japan got international exposure at the Bandung conference in 1955. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi tendered a Public apology to Japanese aggresion during
32O Kokuvi Hindu CollegeH

World War II. Japan has now risen from the ashes of war to become an economic power house. A modern Peace Stupa was built by the Japanese Government in Bihar State in India after the end of the 2nd World War.
During World War II Trincomalee protected the British Seventh fleet. It prooved invaluable after the British lost the Singapore naval base to the Japanese in 1942. When oil replaced coal as fuel, Trincomalee began to be a major base for storing oil, During Word War II the British built 101 gaint oil tanks there, each tank beeing able to hold 15000 tons of oil. The defence agreement, the British entered into with Ceylon in 1947 provided for the use of Trincomalee and the airbase at Katunayake. The Defence agreement was an essential prerequisite to Independance. Within 10 years the British had to leave Tricomalee and Katunayake when the government of S.W.R.D. Bandaranayake asked them to quipt.

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Appendix - II
Education in Sri Lanka – In
1816
1819
1823
1824
1826
1832.
1833
1835
The first batch of missionaries arri established their first “Common
The second group of missionaries (Winslow, Spaulding, Woodyard, a total of 633 boys and 10 girls at
Batticotta Seminary was establi; and Professor of Christianity, M isolated from the life of the Cor great influence in the social, educat created clear, flexible Tamil) and Translations.
Established 90 Primary schools Schools. Uduvil Girls School wa
The Church missionary Society way to Paradise (pö56) a Ta in this press by Rev. Joseph Knig
Colebroke commission (i)
(ii)
denominational Education
secular
Compulsory public education. Education to be secular, compuls Elementary education in the nati
English was imposed as the off after enforcing it for over 100 ye use the English language.
The British established Royal Col to be servants of the, crown. It System in England

nportant years and Events
vein Ceylon. (Warren, Richards, Poor and Meigs)
free Schools' in villages of Jaffna
arrive in Ceylon. and Scudder) tended 15 schools run by the mission.
shed with Rev. Daniel Poor as the first Principal athematics and Science. The Seminary was not mmunity; the graduates of the Seminary exerted ional and religious life of the people; the Seminarists
Tamil prose by recourse to original works (in
in Jaffna; By 1836 the number increased to 154 S started as a Boarding school for girls.
in Jaffna set up a Printing Press in Nallur. "The mil book was the first work to be printed in Jaffna ht
institutionalized the principle of Christian governnance in Education ground work laid for evolving political and legal systems in Ceylon.
ory and at public expense. onal languages (Swabhasa) in the state sector.
icial Language in Ceylon by the British. Even :ars only 6% of the population was competent to
lege, Colombo especially for grooming local boys was modelled on the traditions of Public School
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1836
1837
1840
1841
1855
1857
1865
1869
1870
322 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg
American Ceylon mission Press \
The Governor was directed by the attention to the “moral and religio important subject of his administrati of Policy on the question of conver the monopoly of the Protestant Chi the sake of Christian evangelism. Missionary Bodies. The governme
The Buddhists and Hindus who fo Buddhists, Hindus and Catholics
The Central School Commission (no representation for Buddhists, State has to bear the sole responsi
Indirect control of denominationa over education was in the hands c
Batticotta Seminary was closed d
Universities established in Bomb,
Richard Morgan Commission
Comprised of all Christians and o No representation for Buddhists, Consulted 43 - persons and one S Introduced a new pattern of conti
vested overall responsibility for Instruction. Assisted school syste. schools by GovernmentAssisted Schools System. Denominational school system.
Ceylon Medical College.
The Colombo Medical School w of ‘Parangi” or “Jawas” that rava medical School be established in c the disease. The Colombo Medic was raised to the status of Colle First Civil Service Examination

was established at Manipay.
Colonial office in 1837 that he should direct his us education of the people of Ceylon as the most on and that it should be treated as a definite statement sion. "Education of the nation's children was made istian Missions. Education was thus prostituted for Educational work was done mainly by Protestant nt aided the missionary bodies with grants.
rmed the majority of the inhabitants were left out. were thus debarred from the learned professions.
Hindus and Muslims) bility for all matters pertaining to Education.
I shools through payment of grants; actual power of missionaries and private bodies.
OW.
ay, Calcutta and Madras.
ne Roman Catholic Missionary Hindus and Muslims. inhala; but not a single Tamil rol of education.
education in a Public Officer-Director of Public m introduced. The grants in aid paid to Missionary
as an indirect outcome of a devastating epidemic aged the Vanni in 1860. It was suggested that a order to train doctors who would help in controlling al School was opened in 1870 and ten years later ge and renamed Ceylon Medical College. to which Ceylonese were eligible to apply.

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1872
1874
1878
1880
1884
1886
1888
1890
1893
1895
1901
1902
1905
1906 1907
1910
1914
1914-1918
Arumuga Navalar sets up Hindu Jaffna College at Vadducoddai est Principal.
First Examination held for Gener
Panadura Vadaya - the famously
Buddhism.
Newspapers published in Sri Lar
A movement for “University of C Ceylon University Association w,
November 1st-The Buddhist Eng Steale Olcot, an American, at N need to establish institutions tha opportunities in English to those an English School and enter the m rulers. He formed the Theosophica schools like Mahinda College in ( Dharmarajah College in Kandy a
Saiva Paripalana Sabai Founded a
Saiva Paripalana Sabai took ov Nagalingam. This later became J
Ceylon Technical College Marad.
Buddhist English Academy re-n
Census Report said that there w
Decentralization of the provision Board of Directors, Jaffna Hin
Ceylon Medical Register-publish in terms of Ordinance No.3 of 19
Education Ordinance - compulsor 12 applicable to Urban and Rural
Kokuvil Hindu English School
Registration under Grant in Aid
World War II

chool in Vannarponnai. ablished with Rev. Eurotas P. Hastings as the first
l Clerical Service.
(nown theological debate on Christianity and
ka.
'eylon' was started as formed.
glish Academy was established by Colonel Henry o.61 Maliban Street - Pettah. He recognised the t could impart knowledge and provide learning who were otherwise notable to gain admission to ain stream of employment under Colonial British l Society and helped in promoting Buddhist native 3alle, Ananda and Nalanda Colleges in Colombo, nd schools in other parts of the island.
and established.
ær the Hindu High School set up by Advocate affna Hindu College.
ana was established
amed “Ananda College”
is a low level of education in Ceylon
of Education to Local Bodies lu College and affiliated Schools incorporated
led annually in Government Gazette. O5.
y education for children between the ages 5 and Schools.
established.
Scheme
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1919
1920
1920
1921
1923
1924
324 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg
Governor Manning's Policy state "Compulsory system of educatio
Education Ordinance of 1920 Three types of Schools - (i) English school. managed by ( (ii) Bi-lingual School - 4 years o (iii) Vernacular School — rudimen Literacy in the mother tongu
introduced necessary pursuits of
Education made more meaningful goals. Teachers paid by state. Pensions, study leave with full professional improvements
Ceylon University College estab students to sit for external degre prepared the draft University Or The three professional College (1 the Technical College were estab establishment of the University C The four Colleges produced an present all these colleges are mi Law, and Engineering for profes. being merely extensions of the ( faculties of commerce and B polytechnical Colleges of yester
Hindu Board of Education, Jaffr work of 180 Tamil Schools, 7 E craft centres with the State take
Ordinances No.24 and 25 of l' vested in the Ceylon Medical Co of the medical profession.
The selection of students to the C examination open to all students Manning Reforms instroduced co

ment in must be a state system'
Govt. or denominational bodies felementary education and the three R's tary education
A. محے
System of coinage
everyday life {
Weights and measures
in the context of individual needs and development
pay, scholarships and Awards for academic and
lished - affiliated to the University of London for te. Mr. Robert Marrs was its First Principal who dinance. ) the Medical College (2) the Law College and (3) lished in Colombo in the 19th Century before the ollege. elite class who could serve the British best. At ngled in the universities as faculties of medicine, sionals and faculties of arts and Science, the latter College) University College. In addition there are usiness management mere extensions of the year. -
la, was founded. It graciously handed over a netglish Schools, 15 weaving shools and 16 handiover of schools in 1960.
24 - the control of the medical profession was Incil composed of elected and nominated members
eylon Medical College was done by a competitive in the island. ommunal representation in the Legsilative Council

Page 347
1926
1927
1928
930
1931
1932
1934
1938
A controversy arose over the loca This delayed the establishment of
November 21st - the then Buddhi Vajira Road and named Visaka V
After 100 years of agitation, ad unrestricted by literacy, property o
Great Depression all over the w
Universal Adult Franchise in Ce pace of democratization; equaliza 4119 Schools (1498 - Govt. Schoc Under Donoughmore Constitutic Executive Committee of Educ Saiva Paripalana Sabai - incorpor (Founded and established in 1888
First State Council- No prov representative government.
Education for Development The Handessa Scheme for rural e Socially relevant themes geard to S theory and practice. Integrated development of the 4
The theory learnt in the class roo situations pertaining to Health. Agri arts and crafts.
Mahatma Gandhi’s Warda schem
For girls - Child welfare
Care of the House - cr
Music and
N.PTA - Nothern Province Te enlightened step of demanding fr Vernacular.
Question of site for New Univer Peradeniya

tion of the New University
the New University
St Girls School was moved from Turret Road to idyalaya - Principal Mrs. C.L. Motwani.
ult population in Britain secured right to vote rincome qualification.
forld.
ylon became a potent weapon to accelerate the tion of educational opportunity. ls and 262 l Denominational Schools) n, Education became the responsibility of the ation.
ated under ordinance No 17 of 1931
)
ision for Communal representation; Limited
'ducation - Integrate learning experience around olutions of rural problems. Co-ordination between
H's - Health, Hand, Head, Heart
m should be applied to practical neighbourhood
culture, learning, home-building, cottage industries,
C
: sick
aft
drama
2achers' Association formed. It had taken the
ee and compulsory education to be taught in the
sity was finally settled and the site selected was
Kokuvil Hindu College 325

Page 348
1939 - Education Ordinance of 1939
Establishment of Divisional Ré examination, on the basis of regi Sinhalese Low - Country (Marit Sinhalese Up - Country (Kandy Tamil Speakers (Tamil and Mus!
1939-1945 — WOrld War II
1940 - Special Commission on Educati Sir Ivor Jennings appointed Prin
940 - The State Council had an exten
1942 - University of Ceylon established (a)The Ceylon Medical College (b)The University College (192 University Ordinance No.20 of Sir Ivor Jennings - 1st Vice-Cha!
University of Ceylon took 30 ye first broached as far back as 19 chosen and only in 1942 that 1 drawn. The delay was firstly du the site.
1943 - Special Committee Report of 19 Basic Policy-Free Educational for all children in Sri Lanka.
Swabhasa language (Sinhala an
schools
1945 - Free education introduced fro
1947 - Soulbury Constitution came into
Cabinet government on Westm Education became the responsib Educational opportunities broug urban and rural
Community interest in the welf Total Participation of the popula Free tution expected to elimina
326 Kokuvi Hindu College

avenue officers (D.R.O) selected by competitive onal origin and language.
ime)
an) to serve only in those areas.
lim)
cipal of University College
ded term of 10 years due to World war II
by amalgamating
(1870) and
1)
1942 ncellor of University of Ceylon
ars to materialize. The question of University was 12 but it was not actually till 1939 that a site was the preliminary lay -out and the sketch plan was e to the World War I and later to a controversy over
943 accepted by Government nd providing equality of opportunity for Schooling
di Tamil) was made the medium of instruction in all
m kindergarten to University.
o forçe
inister model
bility of the cabinet of ministers ght to the door-step of the student population both
are of the school tion of school-going age in the educational process te 'drop-out rate

Page 349
1948 (February 4th)-
1950 (August 28")-
1953 -
1960
Stately school buildings alone sha Those who impart knowledge, sk factors
lack of security of service Absence of a proper system of Educational Services Committe Appointments Transfers Promotions Disciplinary problems of teach
Directive Principles in Section 27 "The complete eradication of illite universal and equal access to educ
Political Independence to Ceyl educational reform in Ceylon (adc
Central Bank of Ceylon establis the task of organizing a nationalba duty of so regulating the Supply, ava
Swabhasa medium of education language, should be retained as th
State decided to take over Assisted education Term “Unified' meant:- The State takeover of schools, v carried out under the provisions oft provisions) Act No. 5 of 1960 and ( go private.
Section 6(a)- prohibited levying Cadeting was Sup Special posts wer Teachers appointe to pension- this w Pupils of other fai from Director of Educa

Il not be the measure of progress in Education ills, and attitudes should be free from inhibiting
promotion
of the Public Service Commission deals with
εIS
(ii) of the constitution racy and the assurance of all persons the right to ation at all levels.
on; white paper - Government proposals for pting British Practice)
hed- conceived as an Apex Bank entrusted with inking and financial system and charged, with the ilability, cost and international exchange of money.
was jettisoned; English, being an international e Second language
Schools to establish a Unified national system of A system under Public Control and Management. which came into effect in December 1960 was he Assisted Schools and Training Colleges (Special lisabilities imposed on schools that had decided to
fees from parents
pressed
abolished 'd after December 1960 were denied right as restored later ths could not be admitted without permission til Onl.
Kokuvil Hindu College 327

Page 350
1961
1964
1965
1966
1970
1971
1972
1975
1977
1978
1979
1980
328 Kokuvil Hindu Colleg
The Assisted Schools and Traini of 1961 All Grade III Schools. (pri state without compensation (by far Hindu College was one)
Schools of grade I and Grade II ( given the option to become privat any right to levy fees. (Thus bol
Government's White Paper - de
New White paper presented
Proposal shelved (enmeshed in pi
Medium wiseStandardisation W (a totally unethical scheme)
Whole saga of University admiss with ethnic regional consideratio
Revised Scheme of Standardizati raw marks obtained by students w quotas were introduced. Violent insurrection of youths
Educational Reforms. This becam
Pieter Keneman Committe on Ur
Media-wise standardisation was
University Act No. 16 of 1978
University Grants Commissi At present (2004) the commissio universities, determination of pol and councils and interviewing an post of Vice - Chancellor of a un
Private Schools were given stal
U.N.P under J.R. Jeyarwardena Selection for university accordin

g Colleges (Supplementary Provisions) Act No. 8 mary and Junior Secondary) were taken over by the the great majority of denominational schools- Kokuvil
which had senior secondary classes as well) were e, but without any state aid, and worse still without h sources of support to the school was cut off)
feated in parliament
litical rivalry)
as first introduced by the United Front Government
ion in the last 34 years has been a pre - occupation ns rather than the national need.
O vere media- wise standardized; a scheme of district
2 a hotpolitical issue in 1977 Parliamentary elections
liversity Admission Policy.
abolished by U.N.P. Government.
on established n is effective to the extent of allocation of funds to icy decisions, giving directives to university senate i submitting of three names to the President for the iversity.
e aid in the form of salaries of teachers by the
g to Regional preference.

Page 351
1981
1984
1989
1991
White paper - Provides forperiodi This went up in flames metaphoric
Dr. Stanley Kalpage Committ underprevillaged areas from 13 to (a) ideal conditions norm (b) stude
The youth commission appoint policy in education. In response Commission (NEC) in 1989 and t policies. Srilanka has three instit - the other two being the National Task force for education. This sh of education
National Education Commission A in July 1991 as an instrument to re Merit quota was increased to Prof.K.M.De Silva.

c conventions at district and national level ally and literally
ee reduced number of EUPA Educationally 5 using ent population norm.
2d in 1989 stressed the need to have a national the government appointed a National Education his was a landmark in the evolution of education utions now to form a national policy on education Institue of Education and the Special Presidentical ould help achieve a consensus on the core issues
ct No.19 of 1991 March 5th Commission appointed estore stability to the system.
40% for 1989 A Level batch; Committee.
Kokuvil Hindu College 329

Page 352
Appendix - III
Schemes for University
1. Ad hoc arrangements made to incre
Quota system details for Merit and
1960 - 3 universities
1961 - in Peradeniya were admitted "n 2nd Science faculty in Peradeni
1963 – 2nd Arts faculty in Colombo sta
1965/1966 more than 100% increase in the
Lectures in grand stand of Race
1974 District quota system introduce marks vehemently opposed by
merit system
1976 - Combined system of merit -
and district quota 50% of which was allocatec underprivileged
1977
Standardization procedure aba basis of raw marks
1978
Standardized marks replaced by Universities Act No. 16 of 197 "Grants Commission' establish Merit quota
District quota Under privileged District quota With Mullaithivu
With Puttalam
33O Kokuvil Hindu College--

Admission in Sri Lanka
ase in-take into universities districts.
on residential external students'
уа.
rted
number eligible for Arts faculty. : course building.
d. Population ratio and ranking of Standardised groups who were "privileged' under the all island
70% 30% to 10 districts designated as educationally
hdoned by U.N.P government; admissions on the
y raw marks 11 eleven - EU districts 8 university of Moratuwa established / University ed
30%
55%
15%
12 EU districts
13 EU districts

Page 353
1985/1986
1990/1991
1996
1997
1998
2000
2002
District quota increased to
underprivileged district quota
(reduced)
Merit cuota
No. of EU districts also reduce(
Merit quota increased to
District quota reduced to
Underprivileged district quota (districts increased to 12)
No significant change since then - take
(curtailment of in-take into Art courses and Management was
the long march towards (NEP) ended, unproductively; The con politics was laid to rest.
Education Reforms Declared as the Year of Educati Parliamentary Consultative Con
"Beauty, it is said, is in the eye So it is with Education Refor
Teachers Guide issued by the N
Government decided to intro implementation G.C.E (A/L) cla by 2003
Government later retracted and n in A/L Science classes on a volu No policy statementon re-intro(
12universities (excluding the O
క్లి

65%
5 %
30%
to AWA 5
60% 35% 5%
. The eligible candidates are farinexcess of the in
sfaculty. Increase of in-take into Science based job oriented; this was a wise move)
National Education Policy that began in 1991 Icept of education, policy that transcended party
OO nmittee for Education
of the beholder”
S
lational Institute of Education
duce English as a Medium of Instruction / SSes-first, it was to coverall classes from Grade 1
nade the exercise apilot project to be implemented untary basis. luction of English as a medium of instruction
pen University)
擊
Kokuvi Hindu College 331

Page 354
Appendix - IV
June 1870
1887
1890
1942
1905
1908
1915
1924
332 Koluvil lindu Coleg
Medical Education in S
Colombo Medical Council dec Governor Sir Henry Robinson. It came under the purview of equivalent to the present Dire Diploma of Licentiate of Medic
LMS became registerable with examination. This recognition co MBBS (Ceylon) was the succe affiliated to the University of C
School raised to Ceylon Medica
The Medical College Council b efficiency for all registerable Practitioners. The University of Ceylon starte
Medical Registration Ordinan empowered Ceylon Medical Col LMS (Ceylon) holders to pract
Medical Registration (Amendr provision to practice medicine a with the approval of the PCMC
Dentist Registration Ordinance
Act No. 16 provides for exam qulified overseas. Provision of Medical educatio

ri Lanka -Major events
lared open by (the first Medical Academy)
the Principal Civil Medical Officer (PCMO) ctor General Health Services. It conducted the ine and Surgery (LMS)
the Medical Council of Britain without further Dntinued until 1970 'ssor to LMS after Ceylon Medical College was eylon in 1942.
il College.
ecame a separate body. It awarded certificates of categories including AMP. Assistant Medical
d degree courses for Medical and Dental Students.
ce incorporated the Council of the CMC. This lege council to register certain categories including ice Medicine and Surgery in Ceylon.
ment) Ordinance No.36 of 1908 made legislative nd surgery to Appothecaries and Estate Dispensers ) in Government sector.
; registration-a legal requirement even for
ophthalmic auxiliaries. Dieticians Occupational therapists
nation to evaluate medical and dental graduates
as well as registration of medical practioners and

Page 355
dentists was vested with the C
The Medical Council Ordinanc constitute a separate council to runner of the current Ordinance
Only courses of study in the six Peradeniya, Ruhuna, Jaffna Kela by the Ceylon medical coucila
Detail of registrations under various catergo
19106 15829
1028
726 1877 2708 5272 19540 267 1248 57
611
Registered as medical pra Registered as medical pr their internship since 195 Registered as medical recommended by DHS Registered as medical pr Registered as dentists Registered as RMP - Re Registered as pharmacis Registered as female nu Registered as male nurst Registered as midwives. Registered as Para Medi Professional supplement

Ceylon Medical Council.
ce No. 24 of 1924 made legislative provision to govern the medical profession. This was the fore
and the Medical Council.
medical faculties of the Universities of Colombo, uniya and Sri Jayawardanapura have been approved t present (2004)
ories from 1925 upto July 2003
actitioners full registration practitioners actitioners; provision for registration to do 2
practitioners temporary registration to practice
actitioners non citizen temporary registration
gistered Medical Practitioners. tS
(SS
eS
- since 1920
cal Assistants
arygroup
LSSSLSSLSS TLLrLCSCLCLLLLLLLLS - - Kokuvil Hindu College 333

Page 356


Page 357


Page 358
: % . % . .% % .
*翻
5.00 pm
5. l5 pm
5.30 pm
5.40 pm
5.45 pm
5.55 pm
6.00 pm
6. 10 pm
6.20 pm
6.30 pm
6.45 pm
6.50 pm
7.05 pm
7. l5 pm
7.30 pm
7.40 pm
7.50 pm
8.00 pm
8.30 pm
8.35 pm
8.45 pm
PROGE
Arrival of Guests / Invitee
Arrival of the Guest of Honol Principal Mr. P. Kamalanath
Arrival of the Chief Guest Past Principal Mr. A. Pancha
Lighting of the Traditional C
College Song
Welcome Dance
Welcome Speech by KHCOS Mr. K. Ketheeswaran
Special address by Guest of Principal Mr. P. Kamalanath
Address by Chief Guest Past Principal Mr. A. Panchi
Address by Mr. M.V. Theaga Chairman Brown Group of Con
Dance
Introduction of Mr. K.S. Siva by President K. Ketheeswarar
Introduction of the book (Hi)Story of KHC from 1910t Mr. K.S. Sivakumaran
Release of first copy of the b
Dance
Honouring of our Past Princip valuable services rendered ovi
Acceptance speech by Past Principal Mr. R. Maher
Dance
Honouring of Three of our As their Achievements / Contribu
Dance
Vote of Thanks by our Secret Mr. A. Patkunan
Dinner
窗醫習醫薔醫習醫薔醫薔醫薔醫習醫警腎鬥

醬盤醫認_醫認器醬鬣恩醫認 RAÄMME
S
| r
2.
lingam
Dil Lamp
A Col. Branch President
Honour
2.
alingam
rajah npanies on behalf of the KHC Past Pupils.
kumaran
to 2004 by
ook.
al Mr. R. Mahendran for his er 33 years to our Alma Mater.
dran
sociation Vice Presidents for tions to our Alma Mater KHC.
tary
羅醫習醫醫醫醫醫薔醫習醫習醫薔腳醫醫r器醫智醫
(్యg
爵
器

Page 359
(COLOMBC
};
Kokutoil 7titdu fellege Old Students' closeleia
the dedicated erei dered unitli iu K. 250,60 (for pell oper 33 years, iuiliullu al iu as its Driueipas (dag 1991 te January 1996). laster audoeed lasteraad produeed tulere, Seouts iw llue eollege. c ts Distriet (ommunisie Auer, sport city sociation he brought credit to K.7t. the 3uillauguage he tuoleed le elildrea under his guidautee. 70 i etianumailaueant to his laut totul.
(feaelipating in 1994 the K.7t.0, 0.5, d. 60 (1943 - 1993) in its long history was a motu motivated u4 te) render altruistie service te) eur c Kluille pese le llu positio a el clast Diree having had a brief spell as forineipal of faffn, Jn grateful ueknowledgement of his serviees pleased to prejet hiu upill a jold ledad I Saturday, ()(onemler 12, 2005 attle Sarutout
November 12, 2005 . ." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A. Patkuaa
Secretary
 
 
 
 

s' ASSO →ৰ
C/ 7, ) BRANCH) 'O
颜 ތަޙާ
log &oloade Brand feeded its appreciation të it by dr. Rajathtutgain silahendran ulto sereed teacher, later as stepidly friaeipal and finally clt X, 76.6, le held the tupin positions ofôports us sportsmen and a large number of 1Dresidents' of Seeds and as Secretary of the faffna Schools 2. RUitst his oratorieas aud journalistie skills in a drama and plaga staged in the eollege hal d, language, the espillege autid the ebaausuunily uvas
loald Brauel that was dormat for a decade ad eemadrilution hy s Drinusipal filiuluentdraua uolue tlua later" for its depelopment, doping out of for of dueation when he retired in lay 1999
20indu (ollege, his old elupol.
te Kokuil 2(indu 6ollege eur citysoeiation is 'd the Diamond (Jubilee (telebratiotu leld ofa hy 70all, Lorenz (Qnaul, Baumbalapitiya.

Page 360
(COLOMBC
感
*G
&
Kokupil 7title follege ()ld students' clso (ongráthnulations foi ilir. All. (). Theraugarajah owwe (léireán, Bretons (rerup of 6empatawie, finite of t lefinély intelned in áll aspeed ef hé tipork itt (hoeirman in 1979. We did met inherif is; he earne épreuninnitumiiraat in his amerik brought maneh jembards, e di a hádanéed and pragnátie pieť in compleje disetts si Wtdepereal. Zei a fol“ odel for leader in the p it. Theagarajah is a felt fledged Kokupitile and fo K.7ť,62, 7ťe left sehôel in 1949 (piening a jeho started his working life in the fallie Seelerated ene qualifiéations aécédentiealg in London as foyt être le.7teagarajah foied in 1962 Breton and 60. reeognition of his interitoriet serpiese for aan tembrok has appoinfed him as (hairman, the kop mosf posi YL LCLEL EL L ELLLL SLLLLLLLL LLLL SLSLLLLLLLL tttLLLLL of hostitute of lanagement (l. K. (Sri Canka (1) SLCCLCCLL LLLCLLLL CLL LCLLLL LLL LLtCCCCLCL tilsé), ke ubåt the First (hairautat of the 18(97 hilant o da a teker of appretation offile, Theagarajah'ı kiun at etter classociation's Diamoned Chribilee frameti 7ťal, Corette (Road, Bauhalapillya,
November 12, 2005 """ er A. Patkuhan
Secretary
 
 
 
 

|DU CO SASSOఎ* BRANCH)O1
澎 多
CLLLS LLtttLL S S STLLL S LLLLLLGLLS S LLLLt of per the presidents on his appointment as the oldest dioersified business groups in éolombo, 3rdraj (jroup, he day initially nade “Deputy t it by himself, soyalty, integrity, dedication and LCCC LLLLLS LLLLCLtL LtLLLLLLL LCLLLL LLLL LCCLtLL ir piloeled foreign repretine boller неfемiон. pe aire preted that ke has brought eredit and hemotar larship in the then 6eylon jedonial &ollege, te pedeperto the ripaleoeetorhapng elaneed hi dhartagernent « leebunałaniad, keluraning to 6etylowa Cld, a company (pith a history opera een fary. 7n en period of 43 years, the Board of flanagement tion in the emperty. , (harter fleraber of Joast hlastery (latih, “[Oresideaal lipision), past president of Justitute of (latered er of histitute of (harterede leeoammutants of (engleau, faetaturer' c fleeiativa, elievemerels, oftects soleiation is pleased to honour pont hedd en flue (lito pentber 12, 2005 al Sara Juballuy
ల్లల్లారెఒల4 درستحcحہمہرطeحک
K. Kethleeswaran President
S. Rajendran Treåstrer

Page 361
(COLOMBO
২ংগ্ৰন্থ Koktori 70idu (ollege Oldtudentu ciloeliati benefaelor dr, startiekan Subramanian at its entenary Building emprising of 17 elus room. (Sarasually that stand tall it the Southern fan oper 12, 14 stillion and donated to the eollege in launiekauna and Oarekiauna from Kokuunil 70’est, for the development of our 'cillinna flater' ulte pupils.
భG
hlr. ll. Subramauiam is a jatelee y sus huiuiuersuna pillage and dehoolin Koktail, Silentadu is he proud of it. 70e feel it a ble suing situee lue forgive trully Jeru to be hi mission in life. ( propided in this model building uill elut his in gift for their education.
cili a token of our appreciation of the donation to attard this eertifieute to hit and entertain an 7tutedion held on Saturday (topember, 12, Պարիսlapiiնյս,
November 12, 2005
 
 
 

BRANCH)."'O S.
%
多
it folombo Brauleh is pleased to felleitate our (Diamond Jubilee Gelehrationu, 7he majestie , un cuenbly 70allula shrine for (jodaleu upu of K.70.6, wau built by him af a é04t ef stopenber 2004 in tentory of his late 10arents This douation is a peru valuable entributiou 'n lae and his uilife remain diitinuilled paut
an in fooloniho toith leping alueluneut tohi ning he just does not flauf his tealth; neither eam use it to imprope other liopew, "Gjioe and ieuterafinum of edildren unha mise the familities 'une and remaiu grateful to hin for this great
of this maquitude, our thiaeiation is pleased di luo autour his saumuilly af our Diautottd (Jubilee 2005 al Barauupalluy 70fall, Lorenz (12load,
24 笠
K. Kethleeswaran President
S. Rajendran Treasurer
NeEN
A)

Page 362
Kéktéit tüdt ellege Old Studéját, eti teelatitis flitik të the athët e thë book filët “2tij.Start of LLLLLL LL LLL LLLLt LLtLLL 0LtLLL LLLLLLLLS SLLLLLLL on the part of the editipiler útdaullet Mr, ð, Ralue Y LLLLL YLLLLL S LLLLL LL LLLLLttLLLLLLL LL SCLLLLLLL fakai trị étaitpil (Hulturite thñ feek, {{#{itiuñủag th{ aut elegátat publieatica aiad pératilaitting the préée ed pleased te sefielfate and heter leine at the heeft t $eresteely all, teen lead, Betanhalapitiya and fir. 19. Kauniałatatalhaar a fhineipeaf partie repeletitiety,
7hi, back în 26 elapter ii a tutique blend of LLLLLLLCLLL LL LLLLL LLLL tt LLLLLLttLLLLLLLLS STCC EELtLLLLLLS luntai who hape eterielled the cheat and of adiatin Serwiese te the beheel, 7} are glad that he tituderteek | preduction whieh every past pupil willeherish te
Mitur. 8. sahaaapeagasana' ea reeg in the ééatarał Ba the better, works hard and ulties feedgilities ared his eeeiligade, putatiefilioitaj ia atteration te details, he fi 7te triest that he witt, as in the past fifty five year.
LLLLLL LL LLLCLLL LL LLL LLtttLlLlLlLLL LLLLL LGLLLLLLL LLLE
November 12, 2005 "" 载 A. Patkunar ZZلكS
Secretary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

feiteithe Bravel is pleased to retird its grateful K.7.6ff910-2004“ released beure feieiation t. Jlti, hélök is the butebitte (if á genuine attettpl pragauante préseiété écont prehensive story of eur in the year 2010, keéenginisting the treuble he ha i typed seripf, geling through the preef, te preseul e / tly safle in asid ef K. 76,62, the elly specialiesin i'r tautuelle héliud er í daturday, slovenber 12, 2005 at ttttttLLL LLLLLS SLS CCCLLLLLCCS TtLEL ELLLLL paled a 64 i juel and (juest of Cenoty
historieal arrativt of the lektet and tready in at intelutade périental per speedivé effDivineipal of ifrative and japportive luff u ha hape qipen long fluis fleraaette ás task and had qiven ta aaa e areelletet peke , (1)eliaubtles, it seves a leag selt need in the
kúla á skining example of a ittan the begin at waed, ett ef skeep amerit andeeperientée. Legat te ever betrayed a friend of a printeiple, , ééafieuwe te preefde te hij quidactee and support ! Kokupił Chada 6 lege i partieulay.
K. Kethleeswarah President
S. Rajendran Treåstrer

Page 363
K.H.C.O.S.A. CO DIAMONDJUBILEE CELEBRA
Mr.K.S. Sivakumaran, Journal Mr.A. Panchalingam who was Mr. K. KetheeSWaran, Preside Mr. P. Kamalanathan Principal Mr. R. Mahendran former Prin award of a Gold Medal and a C
Lighting of the Traditional O Treasurer, K.H.C. O.S
 
 

LOMBO BRANCH TIONS - NOVEMBER 12th, 2005
ist WhO intrOduCed the BOOk the Chief Guest nt K.H.C.O.S.A Colombo Branch
who was the Guest of Honour. cipal who was honoured with the Dertificate of appreciation.
Lamp by Mr. S. Rajendran, S.A. Colombo Branch

Page 364
K.H.C.O.S.A. COl DAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRA
Chief Guest Mr. A. Pa first copy to Mr. P. Mayurapathi Sri Pathirakali
Principal Mr. P. Kamalanathar Professor See
 
 

LOMBO BRANCH
IONS - NOVEMBER 12th, 2005
nchalingam presents the
Vallipuram Trustee, | Amman Temple, Wellawatte. \,
presents a Copy of the book to an Kathirgamar.

Page 365
K.H.C.O.S.A. CC DAMOND JUBLEE CELEBRA
A Section Oft
Members and Gues
 
 

LOMBO BRANCH TIONS - NOVEMBER 12th, 2005
ne Participants
's present at the function.

Page 366
K.H. C.O.S.A. COL DAMOND JUBLEE CELEBRA
President K. KetheesWaran h( who reviewed the Book - (Hi)Story ( at the Diamond Jul
Chief Guest Mr. A. Panchair
 
 

LOMBO BRANCH TIONS - NOVEMBER 12TH, 2005
onours Mr. K. S. Sivakumaran of Kokuvil Hindu College 1910-2004 bliee Celebrations.
gam glances through the Book.

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K.H.C.O.S.A. COL DAMOND JUBLEE CELEBRA
President K. KetheesWaran honours For
award of a Gold Medal and
Mrs. Vijayaluxmy Ketheeswaran on beha Mrs. Lalitha Mahendran wife of For
 
 

OMBO BRANCH IONS - NOVEMBER 12th, 2005
t سمه "
mer Principal Mr. R. Mahendran with the a Certificate of appreciation.
lf of the Colombo Association honours "mer Principal Mr. R. Mahendran

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K.H.C.O.S.A. COL DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRA
Mr. Manickam Subramaniam, Our benefa of appreciation by the Secretary of the K.H.C
Vice President Mr. K. Sivananthar Chairman, Browns Group of Companies, C
 
 

OMBO BRANCH IONS - NOVEMBER 12th, 2005
ctor is being honoured with a Certificate .O.S.A Colombo Branch, Mr. A. Patkunan.
honours Mr.M. V. Theagarajah, olombo, with a Certificate of appreciation.

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K.H. C.O.S.A. COL( DAMOND JUBLEE CELEBRATI
Mr. S. Ratnapragasam the compiler and is being honoured with the award of a G( by Mr.S.Sinnathamby on behalf of
Mrs. NagulesWary Ratnapragasam, W Mrs. ROhini PuVanesan On beh
 
 
 
 

)MBO BRANCH ONS - NOVEMBER 12TH, 2005
author of the Diamond Jubilee SOUVenir old Medal and Certificate of appreciation the K.H.C.O.S.A Colombo Branch.
ife of the author is being honoured by alf of the Colombo ASSOciation.

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K.H.C.O.S.A. CO. DAMOND JUBLEE CELEBRA
 

LOMBO BRANCH TIONS - NOVEMBER 12th, 2005
t the Dinner that followed the function.

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Kokuvil Hindu College Old Stude Diamond Jubilee 2004 by Mr. K.S. Siv, Published in Midweek Review of "
It's undeniable that Yaalpaanam is a citadel Outstanding intellectuals in this Country. Apart from thi the Centres of education in the north and to a lesser ( even to this day call for attention, judging by there examinations.
Among such educational institutions is the K The Diamond Jubilee of the Old Students' Associat celebrated last week. It is praiseworthy to record its ac present generations of Sri Lankan citizens were aw: schools in the country had made in producing greatm Hindu College had a remarkable history between 19 almost comprehensive history of its role as an educ The Old Students' Association (Colombo Brar 2005 at Saraswathy Hall in Bambalapitiya with the la Historical Importance in English.
There were afew materials in Thamil as wel Panchalingam, who was the Chief Guest, & R. Mahen the Guest of Honour, M. V. Theagarajah, Chairman B the benefactor of the College and S. Ratnapragasam Yours truly reviewed this publication amidst Priced at Rs. 1000 per copy, it is available from th Association of KHC, Mr. K. Ketheeswaran J.P., at 36: book of 334 pages is a collector's item. The compile
S. Ratnapragasam was a very senior official continues to serve society in various capacities. Plea Ratnapragasam in perspective. There are 26 chapt descriptions of the volume that sum up the contents KHC.
One is from the foreword written by Mr. S. Sinn says: "The history of Kokuvil Hindu College is a fasc many vicissitudes of fortune that had been the fate of the occupation of Jaffna (Yaapaanam) by the army, th and the mass exodus of the people from Jaffna in Oc difficulties faced by a rural, penurious school."
Talking of the editor's task, Mr. S. Sinnatham himself merely to the bare history of KHC, but had c relating to varied subjects ranging from the educatio is bound to be very interesting, not only to those ci quotations is from the President's Message, Mr. K. citizen Kanapathipillai Appakutty. The latter foresaw the School in his residence. Mr. E. Chelliah, an educa Mr. N. Chellapah, the son in law of Mr. K. Appakutty, from Mr. K. Ketheeswaran's estimation of Mr. S. R Volume.
"This book is a unique blend of historical nar development in the field of education in Sri Lanka. T contents have been restricted to essentials, record history of the school. It includes personal perspec school, and of administrative and supportive staff excerpts reduce my task of mentioning what and what me in reading this volume was the 'personal perspe gone by. In this regard the Wealth of knowledge invari of notice and understanding by any reader in Englis the Editor's selection of apt quotations from manyth way of educating the people and relates them to r statements by Goethe, Park Benjamin, Bertrand Rus Rabindranath Tagore, Percy Nun, Ralph Waldo Emers at the beginning of some of the chapters.

nts' ASSOciation Colombo Branch akumaran in his Column "AS I like it"
The lsland" of November 16, 2005
of learning and education that had produced some pse in Colombo, MahanuWara, Galle and Kurunegala, xtent in the east among the Thamil-speaking areas sults of students scoring very high marks in public
okuvi Hindu College in the Yaapaanam peninsula. ion Colombo Branch, of Kokuvil Hindu College was hievements in a single volume that our future and even are of the contributions that the Secondary and High en and women and primarily heads of schools. Kokuvil 10 and 2004. And the present volume under review is ational institution in the country.
ch) celebrated the event last Saturday, November 12, unching of the Diamond Jubilee Volume of Articles of
1. At this function former Principals of the College A. dran, the present Principal P. Kamalanathan, who was rown Group of Companies, Manickam Subramaniam, , the compiler and author of the book were honoured. a large crowd of people associated with the school. he President of the Colombo Branch Old Students' 5/1, R. A. de Mel Mawatha, Colombo 03. This B5 size r and editor of this volume,
with the Central Bank of Ceylon. He is now retired but se read the back cover of the book which places Mr. S. ers in this volume with appendixes. Let me quote two of this neatly documented facts and events relating to
athamby, B.Sc. (Ceylon), Attorney at Law. This what he inating story. No other institution had undergone that KHC. The baptisms of fire, theravages due to the war, he curfew imposed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force :tober 1995, created problems in addition to the usual
by explains thus: "Ratnapragasam has not confined ulled a great deal of information from various sources inal system of Sri Lankato cricket, so that the volume onnected with KHC, but to others as well"The other (etheeswaran incidentally is the grandson of a senior v the need for Hindu education in Kokuvi and started ational theorist was the head of the school assisted by one of the founders of the school. Here is an excerpt atnapragasam's painstaking effort in compiling this
ration of the school with a commentary on the trend of he narrative is not a cold formal academic essay. The ing what is important and relevant for a review of the tives of Principals, of alumni who have enriched the who have given long service to the school." These are the Contents of this book. However what fascinated ctives' of some of the northern intellectuals of anage ous disciplines that the compiler possesses are worthy h in our country. In the first instance wish to mention inkers and philosophers of the world. This in itself is a elevancy of the subject. For instance very profound seli, Swami Vivekananda, Jean Monnet, John Adams, son, Grantland Rice and S. Radhakrishnan are included

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Among the illustrious products and makers reverberates my memory of them. Of the three, had writing. I refer to the late Mr. S. Handy Perinbanayag. 1960. The immediate image that comes to mind of th Socialist. shall come back to his services a little later story writer in Thamil, Mr. A. Muttulingam. I would like VIII for a concisely written account of the late Mr. S. educationist but also a dynamic person with politic, developments during the past half a century is vividly - faceted personality. A quarter century before he already left an indelible mark on Jaffna society as reformer and energetic path - finder brimming with it The personal perspectives of editor S. Ratna is worth reading because such personalities, though great strength and abilities that had made the people towards education. My reference to only S. Handy Pé was only because their individual contributions are m and other colourful personalities. Let us see what thi journalists in English in this country, S. Sivanayagam. H on Mr. S. Sivanayagam in Chapter XIV: "He was a became an advocate of the Thamil cause through hi many"
S. Sivanayagam worked for the Ceylon Daily - 1969). When he was working for the then Daily Mirror edited by him. It was called "Forum" and was also a and other issues were debated. remember joining somewhere in Kotahena. And I saw Mr. S. Sivanayag balance of humour and seriousness of thought wh Wellawatte when I was living with my parents on the si his greatness. It was only later when we met at the pa met 'Siva' since met him last in Chennai.
Let us see what further information that the e English language copy writer at J. Walter Thompson the Ceylon Tourist Board. Mr. S. Sivanayagam was Review, which was banned by the Sri Lankan Govern Between pages 204 and 206, the contribution S. Sivanayagam is the author of two latest books - "T to History - a Journalist's Memoirs, 1930-2004" (200 might benefit from the latter book. I haven't had a reading about the adventurous career of a major an The third personmentioned was the creativ writer is described on pages 111 and 112. A. Muttuling him over the telephone when was living in Cincinna finest short story writers in Thamil. He is internationa author of Prize winning collections of short stories wh On pages 134 to 137, a short story by him in other materials in Thamil included are: The College Song by the Girl Students, A Dedication in Verse i. scholar, S. Velauthapillai, Verses on C.K. Kanthaswam and C. Somaskandar, a verse on Kokuvil Hindu Colleg by S. Velauthapillaion remembering his experiences This volume has many other features: World Events (1816-1991), Schemes for University Admis Sri Lanka - Major Events.
These are all valuable listings that education glance. The Editor has justifiably devoted 10 pages to Principal of KHC between 1980 and 1991, crucial peninsula. The volume edited by S. Ratnapragasa Customs Department who saved the author's life in 1 while swimming.
The volume is well printed by Unie Arts (Pv College Old Students' Association (Colombo Bra publication of (Hi)Story of Kokuvil Hindu College. CC

of the Kokuvil Hindu College, at least three names not met one. The other two are well known masters in am who was the Principal of the College from 1949 to elate Mr. S. Handy Perinbanayagam is that he was a The other two are Mr. S. Sivanayagam and the short to invite the readers of this volume to chapters VI and Handy Perinbanayagam, who was not only a great al and social consciousness. The country's political written by the editor. As the editor says, "he was a multi became Principal of Kokuvil Hindu College, he had a dynamic youth leader, a liberal thinker, a social jealism in the cause of freedom."
}ragasam on almost all the personalities he describes not widely known outside the peninsula were men of of Yaapaanam respected for their brilliant contribution rinbanayagam, S. Sivanayagam and A. Muttulingam ore familiar to me than the other respected Principals 2 editor has got to say about one of the finest Lankan ere are excerpts from S. Ratnapragasam's perspective working journalist in Colombo for 30 years. He later s writings. His brilliant writing skills were admired by
\ews (1953-1955) and the Ceylon Daily Mirror (1961 in the 1960s, a very popular feature was compiled and contributor to this lively page where social, personal a merrymaking party organized by the 'Forumites' Jam dancing with bubbling enthusiasm. He had a fine ich admired in him. He used to Five in 40th Lane in ame road; but at that time didn't know who he was nor rty that came to know him at close quarters. I had not
ditor has on Mr. S. Sivanayagam. "He had worked as Advertising agency, and was Editor (Publications) at the founder-editor of the Jaffna-based "Saturday ment on July, 1983." s of Mr. S. Sivanayagam are described in this Volume. he pen and the Gun (2001)" and "Sri Lanka - Witness 5). Suggest that students of Journalism in this country 2Opy of this book as yet, but I would like to profit by i senior Journalist in the country. e writer A. Muttulingam. His importance as a creative am now lives in Canada. I had occasions to speak with ti, USA for a short time. A. Muttulingam is one of the tly recognized although he writes in Thamil. He is an ich transcend boundaries.
Thami is included in the volume under review. The Song, The Old Students' Association Song, College n honour of S. Handy Perimbanayagam by the late , who was the Principal of the College by A. Nagalingam je by V. Sivarajasingham and a neatly written narration
with KHC as a teacher. War II, Education in Sri Lanka - important Years and sion in Sri Lanka (1960-2002), Medical education in
st in particular would standtogather information ata the contribution of Mr. A. Panchalingam who was the )eriods in the lives of the Thamilians in the northern m is dedicated to the late N. Senthiivelrajah of the 950 when he was about to be drowned in Mt.Lavinia
t) Ltd. in Colombo and published by Kokuvil Hindu Ich). Let mecongratulate all those involved in the ntact : kSSivan 19G Sltnet. Ik/2587617

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S. Ratnapragasamborn on 30 June 1929 had his primary and secondary education at Kokuvil Hindu College from where he matriculated in January 1948. He was appointed to the Public Service in January 1949 and Was Seconded for Service in the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (established on 28 August 1950) as from 1st September 1950. Securing permanent appointment in the Central Bank as from June 1954 he continued to serve in its Exchange Control Department as a Staff Assistant till May 1967. On promotion to the Staff Officer's grade in June 1967 he served as an Assistant Internal Auditor till October 1970. In April 1978, he participated in a two weeks residential Training Course at Hyderabad Staff Training College of the State Bank of India and had a brief "on the -job training" in their Central offices in Bombay and New Delhi. Later he worked in the Banking Department as an ACCoutant till September 1979 when he was promoted as Deputy Chief Accountant of the Central Bank. In November 1979, he followed a Training Course (2 Weeks) at the SEACEN (South East Asian Central Banks), Research and Training Centre in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia and also studied in Singapore the operations of the Central Provident Fund managed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He was appointed a Head of Department by the Monetary Board in April 1986 and was Director of the Management Audit Department till he retired on 30 June 1989. He continued to work in the Central Bank on contract as Project Officer in the NonBank Financial Institutions Department until July 1994 when his active Service in the Bank Ceased.
- Mr. Ratnapragasam has been living in Colombo from the year 1949 and had been Secretary of the KHC Old Student's Association during the period 1949 to 1959. He continued to serve in the management committee and from June 1994 he has been the senior most Vice-President of the Association. In his boyhood days, he lived with his parents, in the immediate vicinity of the college and had been a silent observer of the early happenings in the School in the neighbourhood. The great loyalty and affection he shows to his "Alma Mater" which he regards with near sacrosanct admiration is a trait sadly lacking in many students of the present day. Along with Mr. S. Sivanayagam, he jointly edited the following publications issued by the Colombo Old Students Association of K.H.C to honour its former Principals
May 1960 - A. Valedictory Tribute to S. Handy
Perinbanayagam
July 1971 - A. Valedictory Tribute to C.K. Kanthaswami.
January 1978 - Homage to a Guru - S. Handy
Perinbanayagam
May 1994 - Colombo OSA Golden Jubilee SOuVenir
March 1999 - A Sheaf of Tributes to S. Handy
Perinbanayagam Birth Centenary Souvenir
June 2002 - A Garland of Tributes to A. Panchalingam
The author is also an ardent devotee of the temple Puthukovil (Kokuvil Kirupakara Sivasubramaniya Swamy Kovil) that is encircled by the College and he is responsible for the publications, by its Paripalana Sabai, Containing religious articles and melodius hymns in praise of the deities presiding at this temple.
He now leads a retired life and actively involves himself in the activities of the Association and the progress of his family Temple Puthukkovil at Kokuvil.
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