{"id":51908,"date":"2020-10-28T14:39:54","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T14:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=51908"},"modified":"2020-10-28T16:04:30","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T16:04:30","slug":"life-at-st-johns-college-jaffna-in-the-1930-1940s-by-victor-benjamin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/life-at-st-johns-college-jaffna-in-the-1930-1940s-by-victor-benjamin\/","title":{"rendered":"Life at St.John&#8217;s College, Jaffna, in the 1930 &#8211; 1940s \u2013 by Victor Benjamin."},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><b>Life at St.John&#8217;s College, Jaffna, in the 1930 &#8211; 1940s\u00a0<\/b><b>\u2013\u00a0by\u00a0Victor Benjamin.<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\"><b><u>A recall by a Surgeon in the Health Department of Ceylon\/Sri Lanka, now in Australia.<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51909 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/the-Faculty-of-Medicine.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"385\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #800000;\">Source:<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 20px;\" href=\"https:\/\/1960medicalbatchcolombo.blogspot.com\/2012\/10\/life-at-stjohns-college-jaffna-in-1930.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Medical batch colombo<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"gmail_quote\">\n<div class=\"gmail_quote\">\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">In January 1937, I entered St. John&#8217;s College, Jaffna, as a Fourth Standard <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">student, after studying at Chundikuli Girls&#8217; College. Miss. M. E. Van Den <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Driesen was my first class teacher. She was called Lorna, a shortened <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">version of her name Eleanor. She was beautiful, intelligent, and very kind. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">She is the only person who taught me at St. John&#8217;s, who is still alive. She <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">leads a very active life in Australia at present.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">I found the new environment at St. John&#8217;s very exciting and different. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Ceylon was then a Crown Colony in the British Empire. St. John&#8217;s was run by <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the Church Missionary Society (or C.M.S) from Britain. Chundikuli Girls&#8217;<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">College, the school at Kopay, and a small school in Nallur also belonged to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/c.ms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">C.MS<\/a>\u00a0&lt;<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/c.ms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">http:\/\/c.ms\/<\/a>&gt;. These were smaller schools, created long after St. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">John &#8216;s had been recognized as a success. We were being educated to be the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">discipline men of the future, on whom the country would depend. The status<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in life which each of us would attain in later years was not important.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Whether in a humble, or in an exalted position, our conduct had to be <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">exemplary and honourable, at all times, so that others would identify us as <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">&#8220;Old Johnians&#8221; wherever we went. We were to be sportsmen, to whom winning or <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">losing did not matter, as long as we &#8220;played the game&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Reverend Henry Peto, M.A. was our Principal. He was proud of us, and we were <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">inspired by him. He had been Principal at .St John&#8217;s from 1920, until his <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">tragic death by drowning in 1940, while sea bathing at Thondaimanaru, in the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">company of two other teachers residing in Chundikuli. Henry Peto was a very <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">learned, energetic, benign looking, thin handsome man of average height, and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">who was a very strict disciplinarian. He had a small dark brown coloured <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Austin Seven car, a model that was referred to as the &#8220;Baby Austin &#8220;. We<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">referred to it as the &#8220;match box car&#8221;. He was the Chaplain to St. John&#8217;s, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and to Chundikuli Girls&#8217; College, when there was no other ordained clergyman <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">on the college staff to take this responsibility for the spiritual care of<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the staff and the students. Sunday Church services in English were conducted <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">by the Principal, and the Chaplain (if one was available). There was a Holy <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Communion service, early in the mornings, and an evening service (or<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Evensong). Prefects and monitors felt very important, when their turn came <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">to read a lesson, and collect the offering at the Evensong. After the Sunday <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">evening service, it was customary for the boarders at both schools to walk <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in an orderly fashion, in different processions separated by a safe <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">distance, to the beach beside the Jaffna lagoon. The distance separating the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">procession of the girls, and that of the boys who followed, had an <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">unexplained tendency to diminish. This trip to the beach was quite popular <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">with many day scholars too, who would attend the evening service regularly, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in order to join in the march to the beach. Opportunities to communicate <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">with the girls by verbal, non-verbal, and body languages were great. It was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">considered vulgar to go to the beach with the other students, unless one had <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">attended the church service preceding the excursion. Hence, many Hindu boys <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">eagerly came to church on Sunday evenings, and thereafter to the beach.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mrs. Peto took upon herself to teach English singing to the students at St. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">John&#8217;s. These singing classes were held, during school hours, at the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Principal&#8217;s bungalow. She would play the piano, and would lead in the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">singing. These classes were part of the education at St. John&#8217;s. Thus, the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">boys at St. John&#8217;s became good in many old and popular English Ballads. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Miss. Athisayam Sathianathan, who also was a good pianist and could sing <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">well, would assist Mrs. Peto. Miss. Sathianathan changed the life of another <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">teacher Mr. D. C. Arulanantham, who had returned in 1938, after <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">post-graduate studies in Britain, by getting married to him. They left St. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">John&#8217;s a few years later, when D. C. Arulanantham took up a senior staff job <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in the Education Department in Colombo. When World War Two began in Europe <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in 1939, Mrs. Peto was in England, where their children lived.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Rev. Peto enjoyed a regular swim in the sea off the North coast of the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Jaffna Peninsula. He. was an expert swimmer, and went further into the sea <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">than the others who accompanied him. On the fatal day when he got drowned, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">he had got into difficulty by going too far into the sea. His body was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">interred in St. John&#8217;s Church Cemetery. His death was the saddest event that <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">I remember. A few years later, Rev. Peto &#8216;s son, Captain Morton Peto came to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">St. John &#8216;s soon after the World War ended He was in his army uniform, and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">was introduced to the students at a special college assembly, after which <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">there was a brief service at the grave side, when. wreaths were placed by <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Captain Peto and our Principal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">The C.M.S. was unable to send another Missionary from Britain, to succeed <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Peto as Principal of St. John&#8217;s, because of the war. Their inability to send <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">an Englishman from Britain resulted in the very best choice being made in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the appointment of the next Principal. Our Vice-Principal, Rev. J. T. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Arulanantham became the new Principal of St. John&#8217;s College. He proved an <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">extremely successful Principal. During his tenure as Principal, a number of <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">far reaching changes took place in the country in general, and specifically <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in the field of education and in matters concerning schools, particularly <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">after I left the college. Changes and challenges that occurred after I left <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">St. John&#8217; s, fall outside the scope of this article.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">During my time at St. John&#8217;s, Rev. Arulanantham continued to teach <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Scripture, even after becoming the Principal. He introduced ethics as an <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">alternate subject to cater for Non-Christian boys who did not wish to learn<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Scripture as a subject. He made good use of the school assembly in the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">mornings, to be an occasion to communicate his thoughts to the entire school <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">population. These included his reflections on moral, historical,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">contemporary, local, and other issues, presented in a brief and very casual <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">talk, which did not have any of the features of a sermon, or class-room <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">teaching. A lot of preparation would have gone into making his message brief<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and understandable to all the students, from the juniors to the seniors. He <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">never monopolized the assembly time, and allowed other teachers, and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">occasional guests, the opportunity to talk to the students.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">He had the capacity to rebuke students in the most inoffensive way, and with <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">a kind smile. He was capable of being stern, when the occasion merited it. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">He was a deeply God-fearing man. He was always conscious of the demands of <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the leadership role and responsibility, placed on him, when with unexpected <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">suddenness, he had to abruptly take over the Principalship of the College, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in succession to Rev. Peto, who had been Principal for twenty years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Soon after Japan&#8217;s entry into war, and the capture of almost every country <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">that Japan invaded, a severe shortage of food occurred in Ceylon. Therefore, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">every bit of available ground in the college, as well as Jaffna homes, had<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">to be used to cultivate food crops, yams (such as manioc), and vegetables, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in addition to providing Air Raid Shelters in the form of trenches. Students <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">helped in the food production drive. The war ended in 1945, but the problems <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">did not cease immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Free Education was introduced in 1945. Until then, students had to pay <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">school fees. If there were two brothers from the same family, the younger <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">brother paid only half the fee. If there were three brothers from the same<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">family, the youngest studied free. Two or three brothers from the same <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">family studying at the same time at school were not uncommon. But for four, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">or more brothers to be in school together was exceptional. I distinctly<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">remember four brothers studying at the same time. It was from the Arnold <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">family. They were Marcus, Anton, Stanley and Earnest. Anton and Stanley were <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">my classmates. I believe that the Lewis family also had at least four, (and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">possibly five) brothers studying at the same time at St. John&#8217;s, during my <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">student days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">A new cinema theatre got built very close to the college and the church, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">almost diagonally, across the road, and opposite the church cemetery. All <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">opposition from the college, the church, and the Chundikuli community had<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">been ignored. Music and drama from this new cinema theatre could be heard <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">over the loud speakers outside the cinema theatre, from even beyond the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Principal&#8217;s residence and every boarding house in the college. A tea <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">boutique opened up for business, beside this cinema theatre. Undesirable <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">persons would loiter on the road, in front of these unwelcome intrusions <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">into the Chundikulj environment. The College responded by shifting its main <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">gate from Columbuthurai Road, to the road between the Old Park and the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">College playgrounds. In the space of a few years, that offending cinema <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">theatre became a financial disaster, and was put for sale. There were no <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">buyers. This happened sometime after I had left St. John&#8217;s. Eventually, St. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">John&#8217;s College purchased it, raising a loan to pay for this unwanted new <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">acquisition. It was the price to pay for being able to preserve the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">neighbourhood for expansion of the educational activities of the college, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and meet the bigger challenges that followed in subsequent years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Teachers during my time at school were unique. Until Japan entered the war,<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and imported cloth became scarce, all the male teachers who chose the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">western attire wore lounge suits made of imported cotton drill, hats (which <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">often looked like white helmets, with a strap going under the chin), socks <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and polished lacing shoes. The lounge suites comprised of long trousers and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">a matching traditional western coat, a shirt and tie. Those who opted to be<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in National Attire were in immaculate white verti and long sleeved <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">collarless banian, complete with a white shawl. and less cumbersome <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">footwear. Mr. K. Nesiah, Mr. K. (&#8220;Kadavul&#8221;) Subramaniam, Mr. M. S. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Thambithurai Mr. A. W. Rajasekaram and his brother Mr. A.Rajendram were <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">consistent in always being in the National Dress. Mr. Nesiah went further in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">using &#8216;KHADAR&#8221; or cloth made on a handloom, as a &#8220;cottage industry&#8221; for his <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">national dress. It was less dressy, but more durable. (Khadar was an <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">inspiration from the Great Mahatma Gandhi of India, and its usage was to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">show to the rest of the world that he was an ardent follower of Gandhian<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">principles and teachings).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. Nesiah had a M. A degree, and was a great intellect. He left St. John&#8217;s <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in 1945, to join the staff of St. Thomas&#8217; College, Mt. Lavinia. From there, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">he joined the University of Ceylon when a Department of Education was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">inaugurated at the University. He served for many years as Head of the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Department, in the University. &#8220;Kadavul&#8221; Subramaniam was the only Hindu <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">among the teachers at St. John&#8217;s, during my time as a student. He was a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Tamil Scholar, and was always smiling and pleasant. I have never seen him <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">getting angry, and rebuking any student. He commanded the respect of all <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">students, with his personality, simplicity, and subtle sense of humour.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">The teachers at St. John&#8217;s, during my time as a student , comprised of a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">harmonious multicultural group from several different ethnic origins. Apart <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">from the Tamils, we had a Dutch Burgher in Miss. M. E. Van Den Driesen.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Portuguese Burghers were represented in Mr.C.C. Jell, Mr. S. L. Jansen, and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. A. G. Charles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">We had MaIayalees from Kerala with three different persons having the same <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">surname; they were P. I. Matthai, P. T. Matthai and T.M.Matthai. There were <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">referred to by their initials. Later arrivals from Kerala were Mr.K.K. John <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and Miss. Abraham.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Another Indian was Mr. Bhlasingh, an academic who came from Madras. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Englishmen on the staff were Rev. Peto, (until his death), and followed <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">later on by Mr. P. C. Gaussen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">The Sinhalese teacher was Mr. C. H. Gunawardene.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">This produced a &#8220;cultural and ethnic diversity&#8221; among the teachers at St. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">John&#8217;s. During that era, this was not, considered unique. It was part of <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">normal life in Ceylon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. C. C. Jell took it in good humour, when students chanted &#8220;C. C. Jell, Go <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">to Hell&#8221; His sudden death in 1937 or 1938 made us very sad. We had been <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">trying to dispatch him to &#8220;hell&#8221;, when he was alive and well. We were sure <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">that there was a better place prepared for him in HEAVEN, and that he never <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">went to hell. Mr. A. G. Charles was the greatest storyteller we knew. He <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">enjoyed boasting about himself, his accomplishments, achievements, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">adventures, exploits, and his versatility. His stories were very original, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and were invented by him. It was easy to divert his attention from the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">formal teaching, by tempting him with a question for which the answer was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">irrelevant. He would immediately invent an interesting new story, with <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">fascinating imaginary details and gestures that were spontaneous and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">appropriate. It was superb education to be taught by Mr. Charles. It was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">great fun to imitate Mr. Charles&#8217; story telling, and every class had a clown <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">who could mimic Mr. Charles. His punishment for any student who got caught <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">imitating him, or showing gestures of disbelief, or playful mockery, during <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">his story telling diversions, were two or three hard strokes with a thin <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">length of tamarind stick, which he always carried with him. Students would <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">invent all sorts of amusing tales (not founded on facts, and which were not <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">very complimentary), about Mr. Charles. Based on these tales, he earned a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">unique nickname in Tamil, alleging mischievously that he considered as a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">delicacy in food, an item, which no one else ever ate. He was loved and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">feared at the same time. It was dangerous to incur his wrath. It was easy to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">please him, by being part of a very appreciative audience listening to his <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">creative story telling. One of Mr. Charles&#8217; sons, and one of Mr. Jansen&#8217;s <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">sons were my classmates.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Those of Portuguese descent in Jaffna used to converse with each other, both <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">within their homes, as well as outside, iii their own Portuguese language. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">They were very industrious.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Digressing, during that era, there was a group of Protuguese Burgher men who <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">formed an impressive musical band in Jaffna town. They had several different <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">types of brass instruments like the trumpet, and bugle, and they had drums <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">of various sizes, ~trapped in front of them. They all wore white suits and a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">peak-cap, and looked like admirals in their uniforms. They proudly marched <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in front of funeral processions, playing appropriately solemn funeral music <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and suitable hymns (such as &#8220;Nearer my God, to thee&#8221; of &#8220;Rock of ages, cleft <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">for me&#8217;). It was customary that apart from their fee, a generous amount of <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">arrack was also given to them. After the funeral was over, and they returned <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">from the graveyard to their homes, the band would change their musical <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">rhythm to livelier tunes, (such as &#8220;He&#8217;s a jolly good fellow &#8220;, and even <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Baila Hits of that era).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">It is a pity that the Burgher community has disappeared completely from <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Jaffna. Those of Dutch origin moved towards Colombo, after Ceylon got <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">independence in 1948, and then emigrated mainly to Australia after English<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">ceased to be the Official Language in 1956. The Portuguese Burghers slowly <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">integrated with the natives of Ceylon, by marrying the locals, and got <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">assimilated as Tamils, in Tamil areas, and lost their separate identity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. P. C. Gaussen was a handsome, tall, refined, bachelor, who went about on <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">a scooter. I think that he was the first person to introduce a motor scooter <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">to Jaffna. He had been a teacher in Espahan in Persia (or Iran), prior to<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">coming to St. John&#8217;s as Vice-Principal, sometime after Rev. Arulanantham <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">became the principal. Gaussen taught me physics. Gaussen had an Oxford M. A<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">degree, and his main academic interest was in Architecture. The Science <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Laboratory Building at St. John&#8217;s was designed by Gaussen, as the architect. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Its original roof was beautiful and elegant, but had been more suitable for <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the British climate. Many years later, the roof had to be redesigned and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">altered to suit local Jaffna conditions. It was paradoxical in that while he <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">was a very friendly and polite man, he chose to be a bit aloof and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">cultivated very little friendships with anyone in Jaffna. He was an idealist <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and a perfectionist, who took his teaching seriously and was a good teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">I am not sure as to what happened to him in 1945, because Physics, the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">subject he taught me; was taken over, initially by Mr. Peter Somasunderam, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and later by Miss. Abraham, who came from India. Gaussen probably went away <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">on Home Leave.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. C. H. Gunawardene was specially recruited to teach Sinhala at St. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">John&#8217;s. Apart from the small Sinhala School in Hospital Road, Jaffna, St. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">John&#8217;s was the only school in th\u00eb whole of the Northern Province to have a<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Sinhala teacher. He was a very young teacher with an extremely bright future <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">before him. I am sure that his early years at St. John&#8217;s would have helped <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">him in later years. He would have gone as an unofficial ambassador from<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Jaffna to the Sinhala dominated parts of Ceylon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">All three teachers with the name Mathai taught me. They were better known by <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">their initials. T. M. Matthai was also the &#8220;Scout Master&#8221;. His son Babu had <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">his early education at St. John&#8217;s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. Balasingh arrived from Madras in 1942 or 1943 , and was the first <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Zoology teacher at St. John&#8217;s. He had a First Class Honours B. Sc. Degree <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">from Madras, and had done Botany as a subsidiary subject. He would have been <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">around the age of 22, and was fresh with new ideas on how teaching of these <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">two subjects should be done. The new Science Laboratory Block had been <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">dedicated and opened around the time. The task of setting up the Biology <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">section of the Science Laboratory was assigned to him. Prior to arrival of <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Balasingh, Zoology was taught for the Johnians at Chundikuli Girls&#8217; College, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">by their Principal, Dr (Miss) E. M Thilliampalam. This had been an<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">unsatisfactory arrangement, particularly where Zoology practicals were <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">concerned, and clearly even Miss. Thilliampalam wished St. John &#8216;s to find <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">its own full time Zoology teacher. Mr. E. M Ponnudurai who had been the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Botany teacher all these years felt happy to have Balasingh share the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">responsibility of teaching Botany also. Balasingh organized the Biology <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">laboratory with Ponnudurai giving him all the support and help. They jointly<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">inaugurated the Natural Science Association for the senior Biology Students, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and I was fortunate in being a founder member of that Association. Weekly <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">meetings were held, soon after school hours. As an incentive for the<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">students to stay behind, after school, some food in the form of patties, or <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">vaddai and plantains with a cup of tea was provided from the tuck soap<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">before the commencement of the meetings. This was paid for from the annual<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">subscription of One Rupee (Rs. 1.00) paid by the members. Office bearers of <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">this association were a President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer (all of whom <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">were students), with teachers Ponnudurai and Balsingh being Patrons. The <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">cost of the food was subsidized by the College. No one really knew whether <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">it was considered part of formal teaching of Biology, or if it was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">extracurricular activity. Students were encouraged to read papers, arrange <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">demonstrations (or &#8220;practicals&#8221;), and even debate on controversial subjects <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">such as whether life started on Land, or in the sea, whether plants or <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">animals were more important, etc. Help in preparation in presenting a paper,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">a demonstration, or a debate, was freely available from Balasingh. who was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">more approachable than Ponnudurai. Early in 1945, Balasingh took up the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">position of Assistant Lecturer ship at the University he graduated from, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">having sponsored Mr. K. K. John to succeed him at St. John&#8217;s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. E. M. Ponnudurai was an excellent teacher in Botany. He was a very <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">strict disciplinarian, and was generally feared by the students, because he <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">had powerful unofficial authority outside the classrooms, and even outside<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the college compound. He was seen everywhere, walking around even after <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">school hours, as he lived with his family inside the school campus. He knew <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">every student in the school by name. He would keenly note how games were <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">being played, and mistakes any player made. He even seemed to know the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">parents of most of the schoolboys. His punishment of students never exceeded <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">a verbal lashing, but the recipients of a scolding from Ponnudurai knew that <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">they were guilty of some misdemeanor or misbehaviour that had come to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Ponnudurai&#8217;s notice. The College was everything that Mr. Ponnudurai toiled <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">for, and he was fond of proclaiming this fact. Nothing else mattered to him.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Botany was Ponnudurai&#8217;s scientific interest. When I was the only candidate <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in the whole of Ceylon to be awarded a Distinction in Botany, at the Higher <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">School Certificate examination held in December 1945, Mr. Ponnudurai felt <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the proudest man on earth. He justifiably assumed it as proof that he was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">undisputedly the best Botany Teacher in the whole of Ceylon. In later years, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">he would embarrass me by consulting me on serious medical matters, even when <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">I was only a third year medical student.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. J. R. Thambyaiah taught me Chemistry in the higher forms. He too felt <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">equally proud of himself, as the best Chemistry Teacher, when I obtained <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Distinctions in Chemistry too, at the same H.S.C Examination. But he had to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">share that honour with the Chemistry Teacher at Jaffna Central College, for <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Kathiravel Reviraj of Central, and I happened to be the only two students in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the whole of Ceylon to be awarded Distinctions in Chemistry that year. It <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">was a very sad moment for me, about 25 years later. when I was suddenly <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">summoned to see him at his home. He had severe chest pain of very brief <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">duration. He died while describing his chest pain to me. 1 was the very last<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">person he spoke to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. S. Sivapragasam was a very amiable and lovable science teacher who <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">introduced Chemistry as a subject to students beginning to learn Science. He <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">taught the subject from the Chemistry laboratory (in the old block, and<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">before the new Science Laboratory had been built). He had the ability to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">have the whole class involved in spontaneous and simultaneous bursts of <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">laughter,. even when teaching a dry and uninteresting subject like <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Chemistry. His jokes were always new, and were strictly and appropriately <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">applicable to some situation or event that had taken place only moments <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">earlier. He was always very calm and serene. Any students or class that <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">tried any practical joke on Mr. Sivapragasam would instantly be made to look <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">fools by his instant response. Sivapragasam was a common name, and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">therefore, he had to be identified by an appropriate nickname. His two sons. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">D.R. Sivapragasam and P. T Sivapragasam studied at St. John&#8217;s during my <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">tune. They were little senior to me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">MR. J. T. Solomons was the &#8220;ARTS MASTER&#8217; who taught drawing, sketching, and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">painting with water colours. He was a very simple and pleasant man. He knew <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">that no student of his would ever equal his skills, even in later life, as <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">an artist. He was a contented man, having an &#8220;Arts Class Room&#8221; which he did <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">not have to share with any other teacher. He knew that during the days when <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Ceylon was part of the British Empire, teaching of &#8220;ARTS&#8221; was held in very <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">low priority by the British rulers. Artistic skills never helped anyone to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">secure any form of employment, and was a neglected subject. The class <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">timetables allowed students to choose between LATIN and ART, as their <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">preferred subject. The British Educational Policy for the Colonies in their <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Empire placed some importance in learning a second language, and learning <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the dead language. Latin was considered more important than learning the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">native languages, Tamil or Sinhala. In this context, I chose to be an Art <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Student than study Latin. I found that both the teacher of Latin. and the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">subject, to be equally boring. .W. J. Solomons, son of Art Master Solomons. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">was a few years senior to me at college. He had the same satisfied attitude <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">to life, as his father. He worked in the Forest Department after leaving <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">school.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. L. W. D. Nalliah succeeded Mr. Solomons as the &#8220;Art Master&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. D. H. Chinniah was a longstanding teacher in the lower forms. He was a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">thin, dark. bachelor, who had the unique ability to suppress a smile, even <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">when inwardly, he was smiling or laughing with others, over some funny or <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">laugh provoking incident. He always wore white suite and white hat, and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">would pedal to school on his rusty old bicycle. He taught with a seriously <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">monotonous loud voice. and there was no room for any fun, pranks, or jokes <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">during his classes. He would bring a thin stick with him, the presence of <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">which served as a deterrent to any student tempted to some minor mischief, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">such as throwing paper rolled into a ball at him, when his face was turned <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">away from the students. If provoked by some fun at his expense, the next <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">student who failed to give a correct answer to some question from him, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">earned a few strokes with the stick that Chinniah carried<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Chinniah was a common name in Jaffna. and there were several students with <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the name Chinniah, (which sometimes got spelled Sinniah). Students solved <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the problem by giving Mr. Chinniah, an appropriate nickname, by which he was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">always referred to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. K. C. Thurairatnam was the only teacher who rode to College on a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">majestic motorbike. He was an excellent English teacher, and a handsome and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">keen sportsman, and he played better soccer than the students did. He got<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">married, while working as a teacher at St. John&#8217;s. He advanced his career a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">few years later, by joining the staff of Jaffna College.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. V. C. Canagaratnam was a teacher whom no one forgot. He taught with <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">great enthusiasm and with a loud voice. He looked equally smart, whether in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">National dress or in a Western Lounge Suit. During my time at St. John&#8217;s, a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">cane about a meter in length. was kept in the college office, and was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">available to any teacher who required it. Mr. Canagaratnam would send for <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the cane with greater regularity than any other teacher. When teachers used <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the cane, they had to make written entries on the &#8220;cane register&#8221; which <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">always had to be taken with the cane. The names of students who received <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">strokes with the cane, and other details including the offences that merited <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the caning had to be entered by the teacher. Canagaratnam was fair in that <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">every student had an equal chance to be at the receiving end of the cane.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">And every student got that chance. Strangely, the students did not take <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">offence at his resourcefulness in using the cane as an aid in education. He <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">was forgiven. and referred to. most affectionately. by the nickname <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">&#8216;crake-en &#8220;, (the first part of the nickname &#8220;crake&#8221; being understood in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">English and the &#8220;en&#8221; which followed being borrowed from Tamil). Canagaratnam <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">liked the nickname by which he was known, and felt obliged to act that part. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">He carried no grudges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. Param Selvarajah was both cricket coach, and a commissioned officer in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the Ceylon Cadet Battalion. St. John&#8217;s had cadet platoons, both for senior <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">cadets and for junior cadets. Later on he joined the regular army, and rose <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">to the rank of a major.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. E. C. A. Navaratnarajah was another keen teacher of English. and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">produced several English Plays. These were so successful. and some of these <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">were staged in Kandy too. During the period January to June 1946, 1 remained <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">school, even though I had no class to attend as a student. It was just after <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">my H.S.C and University Entrance Examinations held in December 1945. I was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Senior Prefect at that time, and had a single room in the college boarding <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">house. I would be asked to act for any teacher who was absent. During this <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">period, Mr. Navaratnarajah trained students for one of the best plays that <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">St. John&#8217;s produced. I attended the training of students, very regularly, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">after school hours, not having anything else to do. I did not know that Mr.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Navaratnarajah greatly appreciated my presence as an uninvited observer.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Very soon, I knew the parts of every actor, including what they had to say, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">by memory. When Mr. Navaratnarajah knew this, he would ask me to deputise <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">for any actor who was absent, or who turned up late. He also invited me to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">sit near the stage and prompt what had to be said, when an actor got stuck, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">forgetting his part. I soon became a voluntary &#8220;sub-assistant&#8221; to Mr.<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Navaratnarajah. He rewarded me in the most unexpected way, by including me <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in his group, when the play was staged in Kandy. It was my first visit to<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the hill capital.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. P. E.Rajendra, an excellent athlete, had been the Assistant Athletic <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Coach at St. Patrick&#8217;s College for several years, during which years, St. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Patrick&#8217;s remained the unbeatable Athletic Champions. After some dispute at<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">St. Patrick&#8217;s, he joined the staff at St. John&#8217;s, vowing to train a team <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">from St. John&#8217;s that would defeat St. Patrick&#8217;s. He worked very hard towards <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">this goal, and transformed ordinary students who were idle in the evenings, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">into top grade athletes. Within two or three years, he achieved his aim.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">when St. John&#8217;s became the Athletic Champions. It was a moment of great <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">triumph for everyone at St. John&#8217;s. Soon afterwards, he entered the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">University. of Ceylon as an undergraduate, and a few years later became the<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Director of Physical Education at the University.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">The Science Laboratory had two full time attendants, Vellaichamy and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Chinniah. They were in charge of the entire science laboratory building with <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">all the equipment and material contained. They set the stage for all<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">practical classes, so that teachers and students could commence the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">demonstrations and experiments without wasting a single minute. Vellaichamy <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">was a tough looking sturdy man with a majestic moustache. He looked upon the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">science block as his territory. He was a terror inside the Science <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Laboratory building, but became a very mild and amiable man outside. Like <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">most of the teachers. he had a distinct identity for himself, within the<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">school. Outside attending regular science classes, no student would dare to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">enter the science block, without obtaining Vellaichamy&#8217;s permission first.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Sportsmen among the students. In an article such as this, it is impossible <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">to name all the students who were great sportsmen, in cricket, soccer, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">athletics and volleyball. However, it will be incomplete, if I do not<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">mention a few of the outstanding sportsmen. Two Van Den Driesen brothers, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Tom and Billy were great cricketers and soccer players.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Without, any risk of being disputed or contradicted, I remember R. R. Scott <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">as the greatest student sportsman in the whole of Jaffna, during my time at <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">St. John&#8217;s. He had style in the way he played. He was a shy and silent man, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">who was conscious that he was admired universally for his sportsmanship. His <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">brother E. T. Scott, too was an excellent cricketer, athlete and a soccer <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">player. Freddy Ratnesar played excellent cricket and tennis, and was the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">chess champion, year after year. The boys who walked from Ariyalai to school <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">were always very fit, and would excel in all sports. But their priorities <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">were different, in that they gave greater . importance to studies than<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">games. Walking to school and then. back home, gave them enough exercise to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">keep fit. They competed in sports without much training, and yet played a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">winning game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Tharmalingarn, a classmate of mine was an outstanding example of this <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">phenomenon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Albert Rasiah, (another classmate of mine) who travelled daily from Usan, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mirusuvil, was one of the finest pole-vaulters, in addition to excellence in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">several other athletic events. R. S. Peter, (also a classmate of&#8217; mine), R.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">R (Reggie) Jeyarajah and Lionel Thambyrajah were excellent all-round <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">sportsmen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Unexpected influx of students from Colombo, due to the war. Japan brought <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the war to the east, and bombed Colombo and Trincomalee. on O5 April, 1942, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and once again a few weeks later. To add to the minor (or trivial<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">dislocation), several school buildings in Colombo were taken over by the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">British Military as barracks for their troops. School education in Colombo <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">was severely disrupted. This resulted in a sudden exodus of school children<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">from Colombo to the provinces. St. J\u00f4hn&#8217;s responded by generously opening <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">its doors to vast numbers of displaced students, from different Colombo <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">schools, despite having very meagre facilities to accommodate all of them.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">These students had lived and been educated in environments, where the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">values, traditions, codes of conduct, and behaviour patterns were far <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">removed from what prevailed in Jaffna. The students who. came from Colombo<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">had a false belief that they were from a superior tribe than the native <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">students and teachers in Jaffna. These refugees from Colombo always wore <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">leather shoes. and could never walk barefooted. By contrast, in those days.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">all the students in Jaffna. both girls and boys, attended school without any <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">footwear. They got into shoes. which were often ill fitting, only on special <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">occasions like the Prize giving, or when they started to wear long trousers.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Generally; the students who came from Colonbo were more interested in being <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">idolised adored, and admired by the girls, at Chundikuli. They took games <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">seriously, but forgot the reality that they came to Jaffna to continue their <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">studies. However by the time these students completed their schooling, they <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">changed and accepted in later years that all their successes in life was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">entirely due to the education they were privileged to receive at St. John<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">&#8216;s. They became proud to have transformed into Johnians.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">A few great sportsmen came into St. John&#8217;s, with this group of displaced <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">students. These included the brothers J. M. Rajaratnam and J. I. (&#8220;Jimmy&#8221;) <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Rajaratnam (both of whom eventually settled down in Jaffna). three <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Kanagasabay brothers, and a very stylish high-scoring batsman Kanaganayagam.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">all of whom enhanced the strength of our various sports teams. These were <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">many other younger sporting stars in this group.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">It is ridiculous to compare the way Colombo became. a deserted city, in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">1942, after two brief air raids, and the great courage, determination, and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">resilience with which the present residents of Jaffna and other parts of the<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Northern Peninsula have been getting on with their life, with the the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">ongoing war, over the last 14 years. Aircraft dropping loads of lethal bombs <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">have failed to intimidate the Jaffna man.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">St .John&#8217;s College continues to provide education, and celebrate the 175th <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">anniversary now, in 1998. The Principals and teachers who have been faithful <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">to their calling, and have served with great dedication anti leadership. in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">these unthinkably difficult years, since the civil war started, and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">escalated, will be remembered for posterity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Composition of Students. During my time at St. John&#8217;s, we had a cultural and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Ethnic diversity among the student population. a feature made impossible now <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">by the actions of politicians and governments that came into power. after <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">CeyIon won independence from British Colonial Rule in 1946. Apart from the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Tamils from different parts of Jaffna. we had Sinhala students from <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Medawachiyaa to Colombo and Kandy. Many students came from the up-country <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">tea plantation regions, and some from the Eastern Province. We had a few <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Muslim students also. When a Sinhalese student came from Colornbo or Kandy. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">it usually meant that student had offended his school authorities in his <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">hometown and had to leave his school. St. John&#8217;s offered such students &#8220;a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">second chance to continue studies&#8221;. Such students always proved a success in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">later life, and valued their association with St. John&#8217;s. Such opportunities <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">were available during my student days. because the medium of education was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">English, throughout the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">During my latter years at College, girls wishing to study science subjects <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">in the lower and upper sixth forms, preparing for the University Entrance <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Examination were also admitted to St. John&#8217;s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">When it was envisaged that invasion of Ceylon by the Japanese was imminent, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">a big military enlistment drive was started in Ceylon. Among the large <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">number of citizens who responded to the call to join the army were<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">schoolboys, including many from St. John&#8217;s. Even a few from my own class, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and who had reached the age of 18. suddenly left school and joined the army. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">When they were on leave, during or after training, many would proudly return <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">to Jaffna in smart military uniforms. Unfortunately, as this resulted in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">their dropping out of the educational stream, and being rendered unfit to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">re-enter the discipline of formal studies, joining the army ruined the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">future careers of many intelligent and promising contemporaries of mine at <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">school.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Refugees who arrived in boats, escaping front countries that Japan <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">conquered. Malaya and Singapore forming the F.M.S. or Federated Malay <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">States,, fell to the Japs. soon after Japan entered the war. The British <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">made a hasty evacuation of the white population there. Many Ceylonese in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">these countries were able to escape in small-overcrowded boats. with minimum <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">stocks of food and water, not knowing what their destination would be. A<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">couple of boats reached the shores of Ceylon with the cargo of persons, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">(mainly women and children), with terrified memories. A few of them entered <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">St. John&#8217;s. Two of them, Percy Handy and Paul Thambar, became my classmates. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Two of Percy Handy&#8217;s sisters also joined St. John&#8217;s. Ranee Handy (as <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">teacher), and Ranji Handy (as a student, a year or two later).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Silent Students Achievers. Most students at the college were silent <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">achievers, who went through student life without being in the limelight or <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">drawing attention on themselves. Such schoolboys, who successfully <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">accomplished more in later life than those who were stars and celebrities as <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">students, were in the majority during my student days. I will name a few who <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">were my classmates, and contemporaries who were such silent achievers.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Dharmarajah (my classmate) became the General Manager of a leading bank. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">J.H. Ariyaratnam, K. Gangadheran, Pulandran Nagamuthu, K. Kunaratnam and B. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">R. R. Sinniah, (all my classmates) were excellent in their studies, and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">commanded a lot of respect in positions of great responsibility, though out. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">their entire working life. The Ambalavanar brothers got enticed into Jaffna <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">College, halfway during their student life, but I do remember their days at <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">St. John&#8217;s with pride. The elder brother, D. R. Ambalavanar (my classmate)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">became a clergyman, and is a leading Tamil Scholar, and a Theologian. His <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">younger brother D. J. Ambalavanar (who was only nine days younger than me) <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">also joined the clergy, and in 1971 was consecrated as Bishop in the Jaffna <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Diocese of the Church of South India.. B. A. Mills (another classmate of <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">mine) became a leading Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. M. C. Hunt (who was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">very quiet at school) became a leading Paediatrician. J G.Asirwatham. whom I <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">remember as another quiet pupil at school, ended as a high Court Judge of <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">distinction. Sam Alfred (who was a boarder at St. John&#8217;s for a few years), <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">also became a clergyman, and dedicated his life to service of others. He is <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">well known for his untiring work in Jaffna and the Batticaloa districts. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Even people who are much older than him respectfully call him &#8220;Sam Annan&#8221;,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">C. Amirtharajah and A. J. Jeevaratnam are two more quiet students of my <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">days, who rose to positions of responsibility. Alfred Durayappah (who during <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">student life, preferred to remain in the background) became a lawyer, and a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">well-known and controversial politician on the local and the national scene. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">He was the first politician to be assassinated in Jaffna.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">V.Sivapragasam (my classmate) played only. volleyball, and excelled in <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">studies, and was content to become an Excise Inspector; K. Rajasunderam (a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">classmate of mine) had only one ambition as a student. He realised this<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">ambition by joining the Police Department, as a Sub-Inspector. He ended as a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Superintendent of Police. Similarly, RR. Scott, K. Thirunavukarasu, and D. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">J. Nathaniel, whose names had been mentioned earlier, also ended as <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Superintendents of Police.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Sathasivam, (another clever classmate of mine,), and E. T. Samuel (who was a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">little senior) were proud to become Post-Masters. Paul Lewis, and P. T. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Sivapragasam, (who was a Senior Prefect during my time), are outstanding <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">examples of&#8217; quiet students, who entered the mercantile sector, and reached <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the very top in Colombo.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Enlargement of the College playground.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">When I joined St. John&#8217;s, the playground was too small for games like <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">cricket, football or athletics. A need to enlarge it to its present size was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">recognized. The new science laboratory had not been built then. Land was<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">chosen for the Science Laboratory building. There was an old building <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">dividing the present playground into two unequal halves. The brave decision <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">to demolish that existing building served two purposes. It enabled the<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">playground to be enlarged to its present size, It also resulted in the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">beauty of the Science Block that was built a few years latter to be seen <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">from the Old Park Road.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">&#8220;Office Kanapathipillai&#8221;.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Mr. Kanapathipillai was a very humble gentleman of sound character, short <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">stature, and charming personality, who chose to dress a bit differently from <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">others. He wore a white verti. a white shirt, and a very light brown<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">coloured traditional western type &#8216;coat. He worked in the college office, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and was always smiling and polite. I do not know what his official <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">designation was, but on reflection, he seemed to do the work of peon, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">cleaner, clerk, bookkeeper, and office assistant, all rolled into one. He <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">had access to all files and documents in the office. Generations of students <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">will remember him. Without him, work in the college office would come to a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">standstill.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">A notable incident of student mischief.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Innocent fun and mischief is part of student life, and my days at St. John&#8217;s <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">were no exception. One incident merits inclusion in this article. Boarders <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">at St. John&#8217;s were accommodated in three different Hostels. The one close to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the Principal&#8217;s bungalow housed the junior students. That behind the kitchen <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">and the science block had the intermediate students. The boarding house <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">separated only by a cadjan fence from the Old Park Road was for the seniors. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">The seniors were involved in the incident. Bathing facilities for them were <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">provided in a semi-sheltered area, on the college side of the fence along <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">the road. There was a very large cemented tub, which was filled with water <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">pumped from a well. Several buckets were provided for use. Some seniors had <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">no hesitation in sending buckets of water, over the fence, on senior girls <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">from Chundikuli, going home after games at their school. This was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">appreciated by the girls, as evidence that they attracted the attention that <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">they wanted. One evening, the girls happened to be accompanied by a very <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">strict senior teacher from the girls&#8217; college. She probably had come, having <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">received complaints from some spoilsport. This teacher too got a good <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">drenching with water, that evening. She lodged an angry complaint to the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Principal of St. John&#8217;s, who promised that he would see that such incidents <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">never happened again. During the investigations that followed, no student<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">seemed to have any knowledge of this incident. Every student became a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">suspect. Rev. Arulanantham solved the situation by immediately transferring. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">all the senior boarders to the hostel close to his resident, and the juniors <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">were sent to the hostel beside Old Park Road. Everybody knew who was <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">suspected as the ringleader in this episode. It was his strategy that <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">suppressed all evidence implicating any student. A couple of students who<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">were Monitors or Prefects and happened to be senior boarders ceased to be <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Monitors or Prefects, for lack of knowledge of who the culprits were. The <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">ringleader became a leading lawyer in Jaffna, in later life. During student <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">life, being sacked from Prefectship, after this incident, was a greater <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">honour than being a college Prefect.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Responsive --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5123580823957590\" data-ad-slot=\"7875984934\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Life at St.John&#8217;s College, Jaffna, in the 1930 &#8211; 1940s\u00a0\u2013\u00a0by\u00a0Victor Benjamin. A recall by a Surgeon in the Health Department of Ceylon\/Sri Lanka, now in Australia. Source:Medical batch colombo In January 1937, I entered St. John&#8217;s College, Jaffna, as a Fourth Standard student, after studying at Chundikuli Girls&#8217; College. Miss. M. E. Van Den Driesen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":51909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[30347],"class_list":{"0":"post-51908","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-d-r-ambalavanar","9":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.7.1 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Life at St.John&#039;s College, Jaffna, in the 1930 - 1940s \u2013 by Victor Benjamin.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In January 1937, I entered St. John&#039;s College, Jaffna, as a Fourth Standard student, after studying at Chundikuli Girls&#039; College.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Life at St.John&#039;s College, Jaffna, in the 1930 - 1940s \u2013 by Victor Benjamin.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In January 1937, I entered St. John&#039;s College, Jaffna, as a Fourth Standard student, after studying at Chundikuli Girls&#039; College.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/life-at-st-johns-college-jaffna-in-the-1930-1940s-by-victor-benjamin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"eLanka\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-28T14:39:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-10-28T16:04:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/the-Faculty-of-Medicine.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"385\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"37 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/life-at-st-johns-college-jaffna-in-the-1930-1940s-by-victor-benjamin\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/life-at-st-johns-college-jaffna-in-the-1930-1940s-by-victor-benjamin\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\"},\"headline\":\"Life at St.John&#8217;s College, Jaffna, in the 1930 &#8211; 1940s \u2013 by Victor Benjamin.\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-28T14:39:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-28T16:04:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/life-at-st-johns-college-jaffna-in-the-1930-1940s-by-victor-benjamin\/\"},\"wordCount\":7524,\"commentCount\":107,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/life-at-st-johns-college-jaffna-in-the-1930-1940s-by-victor-benjamin\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/the-Faculty-of-Medicine.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"D. 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