75th Independence
When Colombo’s schools went up-country
View(s):By Goolbai Gunasekara
My mother, Deshabandu Clara Motwani, the Principal of Visakha at the time was American, and was on furlough (along with me) in the USA when War was declared.
As soon as she returned to Ceylon however (I am using the name for Sri Lanka at that time), Principals of Colombo schools were getting very jittery with rumours flying around of possible Japanese attacks. Evacuation of schools was decided upon although it seems laughable that children would have been safer up in the hills if the Japanese had actually attacked!
Principals began scouting around for suitable buildings up-country. Mother used her friendship with well-known businessman and proprietor, Edwin Jayakkody, to rent his beautiful Bandarawela residence for the Visakha evacuees. Temporary classrooms were built on a hill nearby and although I was too young to remember details, I DO remember that there was a spirit of adventure in the air.
Ladies’, Bishop’s and many other schools evacuated likewise but to the delight of the Visakhians, (no doubt), Royal College was the only other school in Bandarawela. It was situated at ‘Glendale’ and knowing the educational zeal of both Principals, there followed many shared literary and cultural activities between their pupils.
Many excellent teachers went up with the girls. Mrs. Pulimood (well-known author of a Botany text) – the subsequent Visakha Principal, was one of them. Mrs. Chandra Godakumura, highly qualified wife of the Archaeological Commissioner, was another. I forget the others but I do know that the girls of Visakha had a most enjoyable time under exceptionally highly qualified teachers.
In her desire to make the evacuation pleasant for homesick children, Mother introduced activities unheard of in Colombo. There were paper chases which had both students and teachers roaming round the Bandarawela hills; there were long walks which had the Visakhians almost running behind my Mother’s long strides (information - courtesy of Manel Ratnatunga); there were visits to the local cinema once or twice a month depending upon what film was playing. Even in those war years Britain sent movies regularly to her colonies and famous actors like Greer Garson, Jeanette Macdonald, Ronald Colman, Ginger Rogers et al were being watched by Ceylonese almost at the same time they were being viewed in England.
Sometimes the school ayahs were taken along too and Visakha occupied half the cinema hall. Many of those totally innocuous movies quite scandalized the ayahs who had never seen a kiss either on or off the screen. There was a better cinema hall in Diyatalawa and occasionally the girls were allowed to go. Believe it or not, Visakhians and teachers WALKED everywhere. There was no school bus, as there was no extra petrol. It was wartime after all.
One story warrants telling. One evening the Senior Visakhians, along with two teachers, had just seen a movie in Diyatalawa. It was unusually long and when they came out, it was already dusk. A group of British soldiers nearby overheard the dithering Visakhians’ nervous conversation so their Major walked over and offered to send two of his men to escort them back. They accepted gladly and the two young soldiers remarked the Visakhians were the first Ceylonese who had talked to them.
Hearing of her Visakhians hiking up the hill, with two British soldiers in tow, nearly gave my mother a heart attack. She recovered in time to send the Army Commander a nice note thanking him for his Major’s assistance, but it was a long time before she allowed the Visakhians a Diyatalawa trip again.
Once a week the school boarders were taken into the town to shop for personal needs like soap, toothpaste, magazines etc. Chocolates were a popular item but Nestles and Cadburys were no longer available. Instead there was terrible substitute known as ‘Barbers”, which was eaten anyway. Millers was the only big shop in Bandarawela at the time. Opposite Millers was the Bandarawela Hotel where the girls had their haircuts. All these were happy outings.
During the War the British were commandeering unoccupied upcountry residencies to house their officers. Mrs. C.V. Dias, another friend of Mother’s, owned a beautiful house near Visakha and rather than allow an army take over she offered it to Mother. Just below us lived Sammy and Esther Dias Bandaranaike. Their three daughters, Gwen (later Principal of Bishop’s) Sonia and Yasmine (the famous writer Yasmine Gooneratne) were at Visakha during the war years and I recall playing Monopoly with them seated on a huge antique bed.
Also there was Mrs. Neil Hewavitarne who owned a home in Bandarawela. Her eldest (another prize winning author, Manel Ratnatunga ) and her four sisters took part in most of the boarders activities as did other Visakhian day scholars. Ishwari Corea of Public Library fame was another well known pupil at the time.
I have heard many stories of Visakha’s doings during the War. One day one or two bombs fell on Colombo and absolutely no work was done while desperate Visakhians tried to phone parents for assurance of safety. It seems impossible to imagine that it took over three hours to get one trunk call to Colombo in the 1940’s.
I was soon packed off as a boarder myself to a Bandarawela school run by Mr. and Mrs. Bevan. Suriya Wickremesinghe, Rohan de Saram, Anne Wilson and I were the only
Sri Lankans in this ‘Froebel School’ – an educational experiment which comprised 70 children - mostly foreigners. I enjoyed it as it was a ‘learning through play’ sort of system.
Before the War ended my father took us all back to India. Mother left Visakha and I saw in the end of the War while a student at the Ooty Convent in India. Ceylon’s evacuation of schools was over.
(The writer is a well known
educationist and author, and Founder Principal of the Asian International School)