| Nostalgic
memories of a 'girl' in an exclusive boys’ school in Colombo
When Ananda sheltered boys and girls
By Vineetha Kamala Edirisinghe Wijayawardena
I was eleven years when I was promoted to standard seven in the
village school. My elder brother was already studying at Ananda
College, Colombo at that time. The Buddhist Theosophical Society
(BTS) managed this premier Buddhist boys' school. Ananda was a fee-levying
school at that time. When there were three or more children of the
same family, the youngest could attend school free of charge. So
when I entered Ananda with my younger brother, he did not have to
pay school fees.
From
village to Ananda
Although my brother and I were in Standard Five and Seven
respectively in the village school, in 1941 we both ended up in
Standard Three at Ananda, as the medium of instruction at Ananda
was English. We both had little knowledge of English at the time.
It did not bother us at all as there were boys of different ages
and sizes in all the classes of the school. As far as I can recollect
several daughters of the Vittachchi family were there at Ananda
during this period. I remember Nancy and Susima very well.
Both
malli and I had to face an entrance examination conducted by the
teachers in charge of different subjects. A few questions were asked
and we had to answer verbally. However, Mrs. Thomas, teacher-in
charge of Sinhala examined me in front of a class of about thirty-five
boys. I remember very clearly the ordeal I had to go through. She
asked me to take the piece of chalk and write two Sinhala words
on the blackboard. The words so ingrained in my mind, were 'Mangalaya'
and 'Anusmaranaya'. The faint smile on Mrs. Thomas' face indicated
that I had passed the Sinhala test.
Spiritual
guidance
The primary section of Ananda was conducted in the Dutugamunu
hall. I remember it as a long building with a wide corridor that
housed about six classrooms. The roof was of '’Sinhala' tiles.
Next to it was the Headmaster's office and the stairs next to it
led the way to the shrine room. There was a very pretty Buddha statue
placed on the centre of a table. After offering flowers to Lord
Buddha, all students had the opportunity of listening to a Buddhist
story (Bana Katha) narrated by Rev. Thabbowe Sasanawansa Thero.
Typical
school day
The school started at 7.45 in the morning and closed at
12.45 in the afternoon. Saturday was a working day and the schools
functioned accordingly.
In
the morning, before the school started, the bell was rung. This
prompted the class teachers to assemble the classes in front of
the respective classrooms before the students started moving to
the 'Kularatne hall', where the morning assembly was usually held.
Once all the students were assembled, we observed the five Buddhist
precepts. Before we left for our respective classes, the Principal,
Mr. K.D. de Lanerolle never failed to deliver a short speech on
an educational topic.
During
the early forties there were two gates to enter the college. One
was from the Paranawadiya road and the other was from the main Borella/Maradana
road. The tramcars commuting between Borella and Colombo Fort made
a big din during the school sessions.
Unforgettable
first guru
My first class teacher at Ananda Mrs. L. Mulgirigama who
was kind - hearted and made me feel comfortable among the boys.
This Guru-Gola connection between Mrs. Mulgirigama and me continued
until her demise some years back. There were only two girls among
the thirty-five students of my class. They were Chandra Sendanayake
and myself. When I first came into the class, the monitor was T.
Kanagasabei.
He had planned to enter a school in India and the class teacher's
choice for the vacant monitorship was none other than me.
Gal
siyambala and veralu
Interval time was busy and noisy. The watti ammas near
the two gates had good business during this time selling gal siyambala,
veralu, amba, amberalla and of course achcharu. In 1941, the well-known
Colombo bakers, Perera and Sons helped the school by providing an
efficient service, with their food items being sold to the Ananda
Primary children at a concessionary rate.
Chums
at school
It is not at all easy to remember clearly the names of
my classmates after a long lapse of about sixty-three years. Among
those I can still remember is Vinayakantha Wickremaarachchi who
was connected to the famous Gampaha Veda Paramparawa. I remember
Nalina Keerthi Randeni who was a son of a school principal from
Hunumulla.
Later
he was associated with some hospital or such institution. When my
husband died, I remember the condolences he sent. K.D. Siriwardena
was another I remember. I have a vague recollection of him being
associated with a newspaper in later years. Ariyapala Jayawardena,
Gunasena, Jayapala Perera, Weeraman, Wijeyasundera were my small
friends.
Flower
girl
Each class had a time set aside to visit the Budu Madura
or shrine room each week. Our class had the first period of each
Monday for this purpose. Our boarding house had a garden full of
flowers. So every Monday morning it was I who carried a basket of
temple flowers for the shrine room. For some reason my elder brother
who was in a higher class resented this. He used to shout at me
for carrying flowers to school and sometimes walked ahead of me
so that I would not be identified as his sister. The student who
carried the malwattiya had to go into the headmaster's room and
the office so that he and Mr. Peiris, the clerk, could touch the
wattiya and say a small prayer.
So
every Monday morning Mr. Lanerolle with great piety would touch
the malwattiya and say something complimentary at which I used to
beam.
Trips
and music
Ananda College published a quarterly magazine entitled
Sinhala Daruwa.One page of the magazine was titled Eppudy Shuhgam
which was specially meant for the benefit of the large number of
Tamil students in the school. During long school holidays we did
not have educational trips to distant places. Once, several primary
school classes were taken on an excursion to Victoria Uyana by foot.
In 1941, a Hollywood film called 'The Thief of Baghdad' was screened
at the Regal theatre and we were taken by tramcar via Pettah to
watch the special show for students. Mrs. Van Cuylenburgh, a Burgher
lady, was our music teacher who wore very high-heels. The children
found it difficult to concentrate on the singing, as they were more
interested to see how she did the balancing act on those stilt-like
high heels!
Double
promotion
One day, Mr. P. de S. Kularatna, Ananda Principal came
to our class with Mr. Lanerolle, our Headmaster. I was asked to
read a passage from 'New Everyday Classics'. Mr. Kularatne was very
happy and told the class teacher to consider a 'double promotion'
for me at the end of the year. Those were Mr. Kularatne's last days
at Ananda. As the country got engulfed in the news of the impending
Second World War, there was no one to think about my double promotion
at the end of that year.
Weary
war days
By 1942 we did not have a school to go to. I think Ananda
was taken over for war related work. The school announced that the
BTS had made arrangements to shift parts of the school to outstation
locations as the threat of Colombo being bombed was rumoured. One
part of the school was to be taken to Elpitiya, the second to Chilaw
and the other to Pannipitiya to be run as a part of Dharmapala Vidyalaya.
The parents had the choice of sending their children to any location
depending on their convenience.
These
were difficult days with a shortage of food in the cities and families
leaving for the provinces. Then the unthinkable happened and the
Japanese bombed Colombo.
People
by the hundreds rushed to the villages taking with them whatever
they could grab. The food shortage became worse and people were
compelled to eat things like bajiri, kollu and maize. These were
distributed on the 'coupon' system and transport of rice was prohibited.
My parents being landed proprietors had no problems and I remember
them helping those who arrived from Colombo, with food. Towards
the end of 1942 both my brothers and I entered the Ananda section
of Dharmapala Vidyalaya. By this time a fire at Mackwoods adjoining
Ananda had destroyed our birth certificates and the school record
sheets.
Since
the new school was closer to our home, our parents decided to let
us continue at Pannipitiya.
Prizes
of excellence
The primary school prize winners of 1941 were sad because
there was no prize giving ceremony the following year due to the
ongoing war. I knew I had won several prizes at Ananda in 1941.However
by 1943 Ananda College had prepared a list of 1941 prize winners.
I had won three prizes, for general proficiency, Buddhism and Sinhala
which I received at the ceremony at the Colombo Town Hall.
Mr.
R.S. Jayawickrema stood on one side of the stage and called the
names of the prize winners. I was so happy and proud to receive
three prizes, one after the other amidst loud applause. I remember
seeing my father beaming and looking around as if to tell others
that was his daughter. My days at Ananda were very happy ones. I
never felt like an intruder or outsider in an exclusive boys' school.
Like
mother like sons
On December 16, 1954, I got married and among the former
Ananda teachers who attended my wedding was my first teacher at
Ananda, Mrs. Mulgirigama. I still remember her with deep gratitude
and respect. Sometime later when my husband was taken ill and was
warded at the Durdans Hospital at Kollupitiya, Mrs. Mulgirigama
was also there, receiving treatment. Those were her last days.
My
fond memories of Ananda will never fade and it was a dream come
true for me when my two sons entered this great Buddhist school
for their education. |
