by Dr. VICTOR A. BENJAMIN, FRCS, Former Consultant Surgeon, Department of Health, Ceylon/Sri Lanka.
...Silent Students Achievers. Most students at the college were silent
achievers, who went through student life without being in the limelight or
drawing attention on themselves. Such schoolboys, who successfully
accomplished more in later life than those who were stars and celebrities as
students, were in the majority during my student days. I will name a few who
were my classmates, and contemporaries who were such silent achievers.
Dharmarajah (my classmate) became the General Manager of a leading bank.
J.H. Ariyaratnam, K. Gangadheran, Pulandran Nagamuthu, K. Kunaratnam and B.
R. R. Sinniah, (all my classmates) were excellent in their studies, and
commanded a lot of respect in positions of great responsibility, though out.
their entire working life. The Ambalavanar brothers got enticed into Jaffna
College, halfway during their student life, but I do remember their days at
St. John's with pride. The elder brother, D. R. Ambalavanar (my classmate)
became a clergyman, and is a leading Tamil Scholar, and a Theologian. His
younger brother D. J. Ambalavanar (who was only nine days younger than me)
also joined the clergy, and in 1971 was consecrated as Bishop in the Jaffna
Diocese of the Church of South India.. B. A. Mills (another classmate of
mine) became a leading Obstetrician and Gynaecologist. M. C. Hunt (who was
very quiet at school) became a leading Paediatrician. J G.Asirwatham. whom I
remember as another quiet pupil at school, ended as a high Court Judge of
distinction. Sam Alfred (who was a boarder at St. John's for a few years),
also became a clergyman, and dedicated his life to service of others. He is
well known for his untiring work in Jaffna and the Batticaloa districts.
Even people who are much older than him respectfully call him "Sam Annan",
C. Amirtharajah and A. J. Jeevaratnam are two more quiet students of my
days, who rose to positions of responsibility. Alfred Durayappah (who during
student life, preferred to remain in the background) became a lawyer, and a
well-known and controversial politician on the local and the national scene.
He was the first politician to be assassinated in Jaffna.
V.Sivapragasam (my classmate) played only. volleyball, and excelled in
studies, and was content to become an Excise Inspector; K. Rajasunderam (a
classmate of mine) had only one ambition as a student. He realised this
ambition by joining the Police Department, as a Sub-Inspector. He ended as a
Superintendent of Police. Similarly, RR. Scott, K. Thirunavukarasu, and D.
J. Nathaniel, whose names had been mentioned earlier, also ended as
Superintendents of Police.
Sathasivam, (another clever classmate of mine,), and E. T. Samuel (who was a
little senior) were proud to become Post-Masters. Paul Lewis, and P. T.
Sivapragasam, (who was a Senior Prefect during my time), are outstanding
examples of' quiet students, who entered the mercantile sector, and reached
the very top in Colombo.
Enlargement of the College playground.
When I joined St. John's, the playground was too small for games like
cricket, football or athletics. A need to enlarge it to its present size was
recognized. The new science laboratory had not been built then. Land was
chosen for the Science Laboratory building. There was an old building
dividing the present playground into two unequal halves. The brave decision
to demolish that existing building served two purposes. It enabled the
playground to be enlarged to its present size, It also resulted in the
beauty of the Science Block that was built a few years latter to be seen
from the Old Park Road.
"Office Kanapathipillai".
Mr. Kanapathipillai was a very humble gentleman of sound character, short
stature, and charming personality, who chose to dress a bit differently from
others. He wore a white verti. a white shirt, and a very light brown
coloured traditional western type 'coat. He worked in the college office,
and was always smiling and polite. I do not know what his official
designation was, but on reflection, he seemed to do the work of peon,
cleaner, clerk, bookkeeper, and office assistant, all rolled into one. He
had access to all files and documents in the office. Generations of students
will remember him. Without him, work in the college office would come to a
standstill.
A notable incident of student mischief.
Innocent fun and mischief is part of student life, and my days at St. John's
were no exception. One incident merits inclusion in this article. Boarders
at St. John's were accommodated in three different Hostels. The one close to
the Principal's bungalow housed the junior students. That behind the kitchen
and the science block had the intermediate students. The boarding house
separated only by a cadjan fence from the Old Park Road was for the seniors.
The seniors were involved in the incident. Bathing facilities for them were
provided in a semi-sheltered area, on the college side of the fence along
the road. There was a very large cemented tub, which was filled with water
pumped from a well. Several buckets were provided for use. Some seniors had
no hesitation in sending buckets of water, over the fence, on senior girls
from Chundikuli, going home after games at their school. This was
appreciated by the girls, as evidence that they attracted the attention that
they wanted. One evening, the girls happened to be accompanied by a very
strict senior teacher from the girls' college. She probably had come, having
received complaints from some spoilsport. This teacher too got a good
drenching with water, that evening. She lodged an angry complaint to the
Principal of St. John's, who promised that he would see that such incidents
never happened again. During the investigations that followed, no student
seemed to have any knowledge of this incident. Every student became a
suspect. Rev. Arulanantham solved the situation by immediately transferring.
all the senior boarders to the hostel close to his resident, and the juniors
were sent to the hostel beside Old Park Road. Everybody knew who was
suspected as the ringleader in this episode. It was his strategy that
suppressed all evidence implicating any student. A couple of students who
were Monitors or Prefects and happened to be senior boarders ceased to be
Monitors or Prefects, for lack of knowledge of who the culprits were. The
ringleader became a leading lawyer in Jaffna, in later life. During student
life, being sacked from Prefectship, after this incident, was a greater
honour than being a college Prefect. (End)
