Kottayam:

The 200th anniversary celebrations of CMS College begin on March 17 as new-found records prove that the oldest existing college in India was started in 1815, two years earlier than previously thought.

The early years of the college came to light after a study of documents in the Bangalore United Theological College Museum and the Missionary Register in the CMS College library as well as the Church Missionary Proceedings.

Dr Babu Cherian, the head of the college’s Malayalam department, stumbled on the piece of history during the research for his book, ‘Towards Modernity: The Story of the First College of India’. The college management has approved the change in the birth date.

The bicentennial celebration is also aimed at modernising all the departments of the college and raising the quality of education, principal Dr Roy Sam Daniel said.

The college, then called The College, Cotym, was started by Colonel John Munro, a British statesman who was a political resident and later Diwan of the princely state of Travancore. He started the college on 16 acres at Chungam near Kottayam.

The recently discovered records show that construction of the building was started as early as 1813 and classes were started with 25 students in 1815. Colonel Munro received the support of Rani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, the Regent of Travancore.

Munro entrusted the management of the college to Pulikkottil Ittoop Ramban (Joseph Mar Divannasios) of the Malankara Church.

Munro wrote to the Church Mission Society (CMS) headquarters in Britain in 1813 asking for two missionaries to teach in the new college, the records collected by Dr Cherian shows. The letter was received in Britain after six months.

Thomas Norton, a missionary from Britain, came to Kottayam in May 1816 to take charge of the college. He stayed in Alappuzha, then a bigger and busier town than Kottayam.

Munro’s insistence on a resident head for the college led to the arrival of the legendary Benjamin Bailey in 1817, which was traditionally known as the founding year of CMS College. CMS College calendar recorded 1815 as the year the college was started.

The college’s phenomenal growth started with Bailey, who laid the foundation for English education in Kerala.

The original building where classes were started in March 1815 was later turned into a seminary when the college was shifted to its present location on a hillock in 1837.

source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> News> Kerala / by Manorama Correspondent / Saturday – March 07th, 2015

Many village artisans sought education and transformed themselves into government employees

Chittatinkara, a village on the banks of Killi River, was once the abode of ancient craft guilds closely associated with the construction of many famed buildings in Thiruvananthapuram. These guilds boast several talented ivory artisans and skilled artistes, who once shone brightly in the artistic realm of the capital city. A mapping of the history of these guilds reveal that the craftsmen, during the late 19th century, gradually shifted from their position as ‘village artisans’ to the role of ‘government employees’, mostly employed at the Survey Department, Public Works Department and the School of Arts.

“The transition from village artisans to government employees was not easy, for education played a key role in the process,” says 98-year-old Vasudevan Achari, a member of the Chittatinkara guild. “Then, there were few members from our guild who had the privilege of getting formal schooling, and in most cases the patriarchs were not willing to ‘spoil’ their children with Western education,” Achari adds. Vasudevan was amongst the fortunate few, for he successfully completed his schooling from the government English medium school at Killipalam. “My uncle used to call me ‘Sayippu’, for I was the first from my clan to learn the language of the British.” After completing his schooling in 1941, Vasudevan Achari and his relative Ramayyan Achari enrolled for the Certificate Course at the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, established in 1939. “In those days the college was housed in the former office and bungalow of the chief engineer (the present PMG Office). T.H. Mathewman, a Britisher, was the Principal,” Achari recounts.

Vasudevan still recalls his first meeting with Mathewman. “I got a letter from the College, asking me to appear before the Principal.” As soon as Vasudevan entered the room, Mathewman offered him a cigar. “I was stunned for a moment, and did not know what to do. Finally I gathered courage and told him: ‘Sir, I am a non-smoker, so is my father’. I saw a smile on Mathewman’s face. Next, he asked me whether I would be able to complete the course. I answered that I would complete the course successfully. The next question was whether I was married. I told him that I was a bachelor. That was my interview!”remembers Achari. Soon, Vasudevan got a memo, asking him to join the college. Mathewman, a soft-spoken man, was popular with the students. He visited the classrooms every day and when informed of the students’ progress, every time he would smile and say “Very Good.” Soon the students gave Mathewman the nickname ‘Very Good Sir’. J.C. Alexander, Chellayya, and D.L. Deshpandae who taught machine drawing were the other teachers.

“After the course, we were sent to the PWD for a one-year apprenticeship and in 1942 I was employed under the War Technical Trainee Scheme,” recalls Achari. Later, Achari worked at the ITI and retired in 1972 as group instructor. “Looking back, I consider myself lucky, for though I turned my back on the profession of my forefathers, Western education did aid me in leading a better life,” says Vasudevan Achari.

(This write-up is based on an interview with P. Vasudevan Achari).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Sharat Sunder Rajeev / January 30th, 2015