Female iconic century of excellence
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A few weeks ago, I had the honour and privilege of being invited to be the keynote speaker at the Centenary Banquet of Visakha Vidyalaya, one of Sri Lanka’s undisputed leaders in education for girls and currently celebrating its 100th year as an institution for education par excellence. As an alumni entirely educated at this Government school, it was a matter of personal pride – in addition to the general feeling of gratitude and celebration of an institution dedicated to furthering female education – that engulfed me, as I was invited to partake in such a special event in the calendar of centenary celebrations.
I was so moved and touched by the journey this – my – school had been on, as we witnessed just a snapshot of her achievements and honours received over the course of 100 years. At that moment I felt it was imperative that I share a little bit of the story behind the birth of the school and about the dedication and strength of one incredible woman that led to the creation of something so extraordinary, which stands and continues to flourish 100 years on, long after the founding lady herself departed this existence.
In summary, Visakha Vidyalaya – or Buddhist Ladies College as it was called when it began in 1917 – was the fruition of the vision of Mrs. Jeremias Dias. Feeling a need to fill a void and provide an institution for the education of Buddhist girls at a time when female education was largely limited to Missionary schools, she invested much of her substantial fortune towards building a dream of educating girls and began a journey, which one hundred years later, stands as a true testament to the power of one big idea and a lot of devotion and hard work. For me, perhaps one of the most extraordinary aspects of the school, is in fact the woman behind it all, Ms. Celestina Rodrigo, better known as Mrs. Jeremias Dias.
Being widowed at the age of 44 and being the sole heir to a sizeable fortune, she could have enjoyed the benefits of a large inheritance and lived her life accordingly. However, she chose otherwise, and despite having been primarily a wife and mother for most of her life, she decided to chart a new course, not only for herself, but also unknowingly for thousands of women to come. She decided to take on the challenge of running her husband’s business empire – and all of this in the year 1902. So successful were her endeavours historians claim she was one of the most successful businesswomen of the 20th Century. The legacy she leaves behind however, was not in the form of business acumen or prowess in the trade of accumulating wealth, but rather for her vision to start a school for girls and to further their education, at a time when it was nary a point of importance for many. She decided to start one in the capital city of Colombo, rather than in her hometown of Panadura and to do so with a hostel for girls from other parts of the country, in order to ensure that it was open and accessible for girls from all parts of the island to attend the school, should they so wish to. The results of her generous and philanthropic nature and incredible vision, are apparent in the accolades and victories, the multiple successes and varied and capable female population that have been proud products of her outstanding vision and her desire to champion young girls towards fostering dreams – and building a mind – of their own.
It is curious what drives us to do the things that we do. In the case of Mrs. Dias, it is apparent that the tragedy of losing her son to Tuberculosis, drove her to start Visakha Vidyalaya in his memory. Instead of starting a boys’ school, which may seem an obvious choice as a tribute to a lost son, she instead founded a girls’ school. By choosing to explore her yet undiscovered talents as a businesswoman, she expanded not only her wealth but also her vision and her need to better the lives and opportunities of others. The choices that we make, define the people that we become. The manner in which we choose to exercise those goals and dreams, lays a foundation to build an even greater future for our fellow men and women. What choices then can we make to better the future of our fellow women? Do we actively partake in creating these pathways or do we merely hope that they will happen automatically…as a natural course of action. Do we, as women, do enough for each other? And if we are not doing enough for each other, then surely the most important question to answer is, why we should…?
There has been much talk and much debate about the absolute strength created in any organisation of women helping other women and the quick decline and fall of those where women do little or nothing to help their own kind. The degree and manner of help differs from place to place, however, there seems to be an overwhelming consensus that we women do not do enough for each other.
Indra Nooyi, the CEO of Pepsi Co, and one of the super women executives at the very top of the business industry, whilst noting that all her mentors had been male claimed that “I don’t believe women help women enough in the work place…what’s wrong with us women? We ought to be helping each other out…the sisterhood has to become way stronger than it is today”.
Why….? Because women are the best people to understand and appreciate the challenges that other women face in their daily lives of attempting to be at least five different people all rolled into one and fulfil the expectations and demands of the numerous aspects of their lives. If nothing else, the fight that a woman faces in reaching her goals can only truly ever be fully understood by another woman who has been in a similar position, albeit in a different field. If we are brave enough and strong enough to understand that and we women actively do something to further that end of supporting and empowering other women, then everybody wins. Particularly the women.
This is why it is even more important, that we sometimes just take a moment to celebrate and remember extraordinary women such as Mrs. Jeremias Dias who most certainly fought the good fight to pave the way for brighter, stronger and more empowered women, one hundred years ago. Long before many even realised the necessity for it and by doing so paved the path for one hundred years of excellence through one of the most extraordinary gifts anyone could bestow upon a nation, that of educating women.
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