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Ananda College’s 134th Anniversary: Memories of Ananda College from 1914-1926

01 Nov 2021

By C.E.P. Kumarasinghe Some of the outstanding colleges in Sri Lanka today have each had a long line of principals. The tendency has been to associate the name of the principal who has made the most significant contribution towards giving it a distinctive character, with that of the institution. Thus, the name of the principal got inseparably linked with that of the college. For example, we speak of Hartley of Royal, Stone of S. Thomas', Highfield of Wesley, Fraser of Trinity, Darrell of Richmond, Woodward of Mahinda, and so forth. Likewise, we speak of Patrick de Silva Kularatne of Ananda. Further, their memories are perpetuated by buildings being constructed and named after them. Kularatne assumed duties as principal in January 1918, coming fresh from the University of London where his career had been as brilliant as at Richmond in his final schooling years. He had obtained a first class at the B.A. and the BSc, and a second at the LL.B. He had also qualified as a Barrister-at-Law. Of course, he could have chosen a more resourceful calling than that of a principal, had he only wended that way. True to the spirit of service to his fellow beings, he responded nobly to the call of his mother Lanka. Not in his wildest dreams at the time of his university studies could he have ever suspected what actually did come about at the close of his career over there. Qualified as he was as a lawyer and possessed of a brilliant mathematical brain and fluency of speech, he had all the chances of becoming a famous member of the forensic forum. So his personal loss of a brilliant career at the Bar with his high academic qualifications became Ananda’s fortunate lot in having secured a principal not merely to guide her destinies and raise her to a lofty height of fame, but also to consolidate Buddhist education as never to be impaired or imperilled. On assuming duties, Kularatne had instinctively realised the glaring priorities in the school that called for his immediate attention. He had also unerringly anticipated a steady influx into the school with visible improvements. Accordingly, he showed no hesitation in launching a building scheme, even though he knew he had to surmount distressing odds. Unfortunately, it was still war time. The country’s trade and commerce had deteriorated, the economy had sunk low, and the land had become unsettled. By no means deterred, he struggled on with an indomitable spirit. Some affluent Buddhists however, realising his desperate determination and high-mindedness of purpose, came to his assistance to see that his progressive scheme got under way and forged ahead slowly but steadily. The first building constructed under his guidance was a block of classrooms running alongside the roadway leading to the college. The last spacious room with a seperate entrance was set apart as the teachers’ room, the staff having been strengthened by then by a fair number of additions. Then he set about the task of building a hostel, as the college boarders were being housed in a rented building called “Kitiyakara” in Jail Road. Considering the exigencies of the time, a building project of that nature stood as a tremendous task necessitating heavy expenditure. Nevertheless, he started a countrywide collection campaign. A few teachers were assigned to the task. I remember going out into the remote interiors with three of my colleagues to meet old boys and well-known Buddhist families. It was a perilous tour, for we got marooned somewhere in the waters of that great deluge of that year. Concurrently, with his all-out drive for raising funds proceeded his well-conceived scheme for a rapid development of the school in the intellectual sphere. Along with his offer of free scholarships to bright students chosen on the results of a competitive exam, he manoeuvred to ferret out some excellent academic talent in the teaching sphere. Thus, he managed to have on his staff a galaxy of distinguished teachers of the day, each one of them a conspicuous figure in his line. It was a staff the likes of which no other school had the privilege of priding itself on, and one that the college itself might not have had since. That memorable staff included, besides some already on it; C. Suntharalingam (Mathematics), G.P. Malalasekera (Languages), T.B. Jayah (Western Classics), William Perera (English), Walter Samarasekera (Western Classics), G. Weeramantry (Maths), Rao (Science), Roland de Zoysa (Science), J.N. Jinendradasa (Science), C.E. Strange (Mathematics), S. De S. Jayaratne (Classics), G.G. Ponnambalam, G.M. de Silva, and L.H. Mettananda. Within a year or two, the well-conceived plans paid rich dividends. At the Cambridge Locals the college scored honours, successes, and distinctions and perhaps threw into the shade many an outstanding school of the day in the way of examination performances. E.A. Wijesuriya, M.L. Salgado, M.F. de S. Jayaratne, M.W.F. Abeykoon, and J.G. Fernando were among those who shone in the exams, the first-named coming in first place in the island. This flow of successes continued thereafter, enhancing the fame of the school till Ananda stood shoulder to shoulder with the other great educational institutions of the time. After giving Ananda a prominent position among the leading schools in the island within an unanticipatedly short spell of a few years, Kularatne happened to reveal an inkling of his broad vision. In due course, the unexpected had happened. Parents from all over the country were clamouring and scrambling to get their children admitted into the school that had shown such a meteoric rise. The principal was at his wit’s end for a sensible solution. He hit upon the idea of opening up a sister institution and successfully pleaded with the government for land. The land thus obtained was a sizeable block of veritable jungle land, perhaps what was left of some buildable trust in the Campbell Place region. This happened to be an ideal site for a school at the time. Accordingly, the land was cleared up and two rows of cadjan-made classrooms were put up to accommodate about three to four hundred children, most of whom had been released from the college. Kularatne put an experienced and trained teacher in charge of this little school. He was W.E. Fernando, a remarkably energetic and excellent teacher who eventually retired as the Headmaster of the present Nalanda Vidyalaya, Colombo. Meanwhile, Kularatne enlisted a band of supporters and well-wishers, with whose aid he raised enough funds to construct a nice imposing two-storied structure – the nucleus of Nalanda’s building complex. The school population of these cadjan makeshifts were subsequently transferred to the new building to make up the lower grades. Kularatne released from the main school a tolerable number of bright students to make up the middle and upper grades. A fully fledged collegiate institution sprang up under the name of Nalanda Vidyalaya, so christened after one of the famous Buddhist universities of ancient India. In order to make this new school a real sister institution, he released six hand-picked teachers from the main staff. They were Cyril E. Strange, S.A. Wijayatilake, J.N. Jinendradasa, V.I. Perera, D.C. Lawris, and my humble self. G.P. Malalasekera was appointed principal. In a couple of years this younger sister institution excelled the elder in academic success. Not merely did Nalanda outclass the elder sister institution, but she eclipsed many famous and well-established institutions in this respect. My recollection is that Nalanda scored the best results in the Cambridge Senior and Junior exams in a number of consecutive years. None in creation could have rejoiced more at this phenomenal performance than the courageous and inspired founder. His enthusiasm and concern were not confined to Ananda and Nalanda. They went far beyond. Under his insightful vision, he directed endeavours towards the furtherance and consolidation of Buddhist education in particular. This fact was borne out by his opening up schools for boys and girls in different parts of the country, such as Dharmapala Vidyalaya in Pannipitiya, Sri Sumangala in Panadura, and Ananda in Gampaha. His original Ananda Balika Vidyalaya of Temple Road was later transferred to Maligakanda, and Sri Sumangala Girls’ School came later. After accomplishing the arduous task of raising two Buddhist institutions to towering heights of name and fame and of establishing a network of feeder schools, he directed his attention to the rehabilitation of restoration of certain institutions that were far below the accepted standards. On one occasion, he became the principal of Dharmaraja College, and on another the principal of Sri Sumangala College. Finally, he occupied the position of General Manager of Buddhist schools, which enabled him to watch the progress of Buddhist education in the island. Patrick de Silva Kularatne was the name he adopted after he completed his academic career. To his contemporary school population he was the lovable and affable S.K.P. de Silva, a name which adorns the exam results boards of distinguished old boys of his old school, Richmond College, Galle. He was admitted, I believe, into the Cambridge Junior form after his early education in a high school at Ambalangoda, where he had revealed his brilliant talent. At the Cambridge Junior exam in 1907 and 1908 he had obtained first class honours and in 1909 in the Cambridge Senior exam he scored the same results. In 1910 he obtained a first division in the London matriculation exam. So that he may obtain a high standard in western classics, he was sent to Wesley College where from the Principal Mr. Highfield, he acquired the necessary quantum of classical knowledge. It was no wonder that he carried off the university scholarship that year. I knew Kularatne as S.K.P. de Silva in my schooling years at Richmond, where in his later years he was a college prefect. He used to be surrounded by his schoolmates with requests for solutions for mathematical problems and the translation of Latin and Greek passages. He maintained the honour of his school as the home of mathematics, for it is in this sphere that he had shown his extraordinary talents both at college and in the university. From the very outset of his assuming duties as principal in January 1918 till he retired from active service, Kularatne had made it clear to the Buddhist community in particular, that his life’s aim and desire was not merely the cause and progress of Buddhist education, but also the improvement of Buddhism as well. Very few know that it was he who started classes for the Buddhist clergy to learn English. These classes were held in a vacant building in Paranawadiya Road in the mornings and were conducted by teachers from the regular staff. These classes came to be continued later at the Vidyodaya Pirivena. Some of the members of the Buddhist clergy who received this help later on published books in English on Pali and Buddhism. Kularatne was an individual of no small intellectual stature. He was, indeed, a virtual human dynamo. Thus, he was cut out for the formidable task his destiny had set for him. His appearance at what may be regarded as a crucial point in the course of Buddhist education was hailed as a harbinger of a glorious era, which it proved to be. It seemed as though a gracious and kindly divine power had directed him into the sphere of Buddhist education. Had it not been for his presence at the time in this environment, what might have been its fate? The aftermath of which none could even guess today, for the exigencies of the war-torn years looked so grave and dire that the concerned Buddhist public were at their wit’s end looking high and low for the indisputable claimant to occupy the throne of Ananda. The meteoric rise of the Mariakade school and the brilliance of exam results of several consecutive years had proved to be an opening to the heads of long-established collegiate institutions that had already reached heights of fame and tradition. The performances seemed miraculous as the change had come about within an incredibly short spell of time. Finally, his selfless service to the national cause in general, and for Buddhist education in particular, apart from being immeasurable and epoch-making, will remain evergreen in the grateful hearts of generations after generations to come. This article was written by C.E.P. Kumarasinghe for the centenary of Ananda College in 1986. It was submitted by his son, Meghavarna Kumarasinghe, himself a Senior Old Anandian, who was closely associated with the school for over 50 years as a student, a Committee Member of the Old Boys’ Association, and Joint Secretary of the Senior Old Anandians group. It has been edited for length and clarity.


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