In the 170-year-old Government Arts College, a girl student was admitted for the first time in the year 1931-1932 as a measure of experiment in co-education. It proved to be a success!
E. H. Elliot, the Englishman, who was the principal of ‘Coimbatore College’, (Government Arts College) soon after the end of the 19th century, used to take English composition for learners in the ‘fourth form’. He was partly deaf and ‘whenever he could not hear well, he would apply his palm behind the ear and make a phone out of the ear’. One day, when he gave a piece of work in English composition, learners were busy doing it, except for a boy, who was rather outlining the funny figure of the principal in his drawing notebook.
The student, when he grew into a youth, won the gold medal in the Empire Exhibition at the Delhi Coronation Durbar of 1912 when King George V and Queen Mary were crowned Emperor and Empress of India. Besides, the artist later became a noted freedom fighter, eminent writer, and powerful Tamil poet.
He was none other than ‘Namakkkal Kavignar’ alias Namakkal. V. Ramalingam Pillai, known for his popular poem Kaththiyindri Raththamindri Yudhdham Ondru Varukuthu (Here comes the war without sword and bloodshed) on Gandhiji’s nonviolent movement against the British government.
And browsing through the centenary souvenir (1953) of the Government Arts College, you can read the excellent English feature by V. Ramalingam Pillai on the title ‘My Alma Mater (1898 - 1907)’
Interestingly, just a year after he penned this memoir for the souvenir, came the blockbuster Malaikallan. Tamil film buffs know well that the story of the 1954 M.G.R starrer was by Namakkal Kavingnar. V. Ramalingam Pillai. But they may not know that he was an alumnus of Government Arts College, Coimbatore.
V. Ramalingam, son of a chief Station House officer of the Coimbatore Town Police Station, studied here between the years 1898 and 1907.
Ramalingam writes about his teachers at the Coimbatore College thus
“I have had the good fortunes of knowing some of the stalwarts among educationists such as Mr. Flanagan, Mr. E. H. Elliot, Mr. C.N. Krishnasami Iyer, Mr, T.S. Venkataramana Iyer (scientist), Vaithialingam Pillai, a wrangler in Mathematics, and Mr. Subbarayar, also a famous Mathematician. I must also mention Mr. Sabapathi Pillai, Mr. Venkataramana Iyer, the senior and junior Tamil pundits of the college, who had much to do in encouraging my poetic talents in those days”
It is surprising when Ramalingam describes the location of his alma mater.
“In those days, the Coimbatore College was housed in the old building next to the P.W.D offices, which is now the Government Training School for males. That college had a feeder school called Branch School just behind the present Training School for Women at the farther end of Raja Street”.
The centenary souvenir contains a detailed history of the Government Arts College written by K.P.G Menon. M.A. (Oxon), Bar-at-law, the principal of the institution in 1953. Besides, the book contains the memoirs of the college alumni and scholars including C.M. Ramachandran Chettiar, the first historian of Coimbatore, C. K. Subramania Mudaliar, a lawyer and noted Tamil scholar, G.R.Damodaran, a well-known educationist and then principal of P.S.G. College of Technology and many others.
The centenary souvenir is also a treasure trove of photos of the Government Arts College in 1953 and before.
History of the Government Arts College, Coimbatore – an outline
The history of Government Arts College, Coimbatore, can be traced in the Manual of Coimbatore district, published in the year 1898. Surprisingly, the institution was not a college when it was founded in the 19th century, but an independent vernacular school run by the leading citizens residing in the then Coimbatore. When the London Mission Society established schools in Coimbatore in about 1831, the institution that we call today ‘Government Arts College’ had been in existence as an independent vernacular school. However, discounting the early years as embryonic, 1852 is reckoned as the year of its birth, when the then-District Collector of Coimbatore, Mr. E.B Thomas founded this institution as an Anglo Vernacular School.
Originally named ‘Thomas Anglo-Vernacular School’ after its founder, the institution subsequently changed its name to ‘The Coimbatore Anglo-Vernacular School’ and grew steadily under the management of a Committee of European and local gentlemen. Between the years 1861 and 1867, the institution functioned as a middle school, whose Headmaster was T.G Davis. Then, in 1867 – 1868, it grew into a high school, which witnessed Mr.C.C Flanaggan as the Principal. In the following year, the first university classes were started just fifteen years after the founding of the University of Madras. So ‘The Coimbatore College’ passed a pair of students in the F.A Examinations held in the month of December 1870.
For 67 years from its inception, the institution, which was under the management of the Committee, faced a crisis at the dawn of the 20th century. By then, the town had grown in considerable size, and in the absence of adequate sanitation and health services the bubonic plague broke out in 1903 to become a dreaded curse for over a decade. The population which was caught in the nightmare of the deadly disease, scattered away dwindling the strength of the college and the monetary aid from the state and the public. E.H Elliot, who was the principal of the college during those anxious years, wrote in the log book that the institution owed a debt to the extent of Rs 1500 to Mr. Robert Stanes, the British businessman and philanthropist. Elliot recorded in the log book thus in 1905:
“The College is in debt to Mr..Stanes to the extent of over Rs.1500/ Prospects are gloomy”
The Madras Government sanctioned a teaching grant of Rs.780/ for the year 1909. But the principal Elliot cried in despair:
“How this paltry grant has been calculated and how the Director of Public Instruction can expect us to manage on it, I do not know. It means the College must be closed.”
But the college was not closed.
The management found great relief and joy when the Madras Government, at long last, responded to its appeal on 1.06. 1919 and took over control of the college.
In 1931, the accommodation was felt inadequate on the college premises, which is now the Government College of Education for Women. In the same year, ‘The Government Arts College’ was shifted to the present campus which was vacant then after the abolition of the short-lived Government Medical School. In the year 1931-1932, for the first time, a girl student was admitted as a measure of experiment in co-education, which proved to be a success!
(Inputs from ‘History of the College’ in the Centenary Souvenir of Government Arts College, written by K.P.G Menon, M.A (Oxon), Bar-at-law – Principal of Government Arts College (16.12.1953)
The student, when he grew into a youth, won the gold medal in the Empire Exhibition at the Delhi Coronation Durbar of 1912 when King George V and Queen Mary were crowned Emperor and Empress of India. Besides, the artist later became a noted freedom fighter, eminent writer, and powerful Tamil poet.
He was none other than ‘Namakkkal Kavignar’ alias Namakkal. V. Ramalingam Pillai, known for his popular poem Kaththiyindri Raththamindri Yudhdham Ondru Varukuthu (Here comes the war without sword and bloodshed) on Gandhiji’s nonviolent movement against the British government.
And browsing through the centenary souvenir (1953) of the Government Arts College, you can read the excellent English feature by V. Ramalingam Pillai on the title ‘My Alma Mater (1898 - 1907)’
Interestingly, just a year after he penned this memoir for the souvenir, came the blockbuster Malaikallan. Tamil film buffs know well that the story of the 1954 M.G.R starrer was by Namakkal Kavingnar. V. Ramalingam Pillai. But they may not know that he was an alumnus of Government Arts College, Coimbatore.
V. Ramalingam, son of a chief Station House officer of the Coimbatore Town Police Station, studied here between the years 1898 and 1907.
Ramalingam writes about his teachers at the Coimbatore College thus
“I have had the good fortunes of knowing some of the stalwarts among educationists such as Mr. Flanagan, Mr. E. H. Elliot, Mr. C.N. Krishnasami Iyer, Mr, T.S. Venkataramana Iyer (scientist), Vaithialingam Pillai, a wrangler in Mathematics, and Mr. Subbarayar, also a famous Mathematician. I must also mention Mr. Sabapathi Pillai, Mr. Venkataramana Iyer, the senior and junior Tamil pundits of the college, who had much to do in encouraging my poetic talents in those days”
It is surprising when Ramalingam describes the location of his alma mater.
“In those days, the Coimbatore College was housed in the old building next to the P.W.D offices, which is now the Government Training School for males. That college had a feeder school called Branch School just behind the present Training School for Women at the farther end of Raja Street”.
The centenary souvenir contains a detailed history of the Government Arts College written by K.P.G Menon. M.A. (Oxon), Bar-at-law, the principal of the institution in 1953. Besides, the book contains the memoirs of the college alumni and scholars including C.M. Ramachandran Chettiar, the first historian of Coimbatore, C. K. Subramania Mudaliar, a lawyer and noted Tamil scholar, G.R.Damodaran, a well-known educationist and then principal of P.S.G. College of Technology and many others.
The centenary souvenir is also a treasure trove of photos of the Government Arts College in 1953 and before.
History of the Government Arts College, Coimbatore – an outline
The history of Government Arts College, Coimbatore, can be traced in the Manual of Coimbatore district, published in the year 1898. Surprisingly, the institution was not a college when it was founded in the 19th century, but an independent vernacular school run by the leading citizens residing in the then Coimbatore. When the London Mission Society established schools in Coimbatore in about 1831, the institution that we call today ‘Government Arts College’ had been in existence as an independent vernacular school. However, discounting the early years as embryonic, 1852 is reckoned as the year of its birth, when the then-District Collector of Coimbatore, Mr. E.B Thomas founded this institution as an Anglo Vernacular School.
Originally named ‘Thomas Anglo-Vernacular School’ after its founder, the institution subsequently changed its name to ‘The Coimbatore Anglo-Vernacular School’ and grew steadily under the management of a Committee of European and local gentlemen. Between the years 1861 and 1867, the institution functioned as a middle school, whose Headmaster was T.G Davis. Then, in 1867 – 1868, it grew into a high school, which witnessed Mr.C.C Flanaggan as the Principal. In the following year, the first university classes were started just fifteen years after the founding of the University of Madras. So ‘The Coimbatore College’ passed a pair of students in the F.A Examinations held in the month of December 1870.
For 67 years from its inception, the institution, which was under the management of the Committee, faced a crisis at the dawn of the 20th century. By then, the town had grown in considerable size, and in the absence of adequate sanitation and health services the bubonic plague broke out in 1903 to become a dreaded curse for over a decade. The population which was caught in the nightmare of the deadly disease, scattered away dwindling the strength of the college and the monetary aid from the state and the public. E.H Elliot, who was the principal of the college during those anxious years, wrote in the log book that the institution owed a debt to the extent of Rs 1500 to Mr. Robert Stanes, the British businessman and philanthropist. Elliot recorded in the log book thus in 1905:
“The College is in debt to Mr..Stanes to the extent of over Rs.1500/ Prospects are gloomy”
The Madras Government sanctioned a teaching grant of Rs.780/ for the year 1909. But the principal Elliot cried in despair:
“How this paltry grant has been calculated and how the Director of Public Instruction can expect us to manage on it, I do not know. It means the College must be closed.”
But the college was not closed.
The management found great relief and joy when the Madras Government, at long last, responded to its appeal on 1.06. 1919 and took over control of the college.
In 1931, the accommodation was felt inadequate on the college premises, which is now the Government College of Education for Women. In the same year, ‘The Government Arts College’ was shifted to the present campus which was vacant then after the abolition of the short-lived Government Medical School. In the year 1931-1932, for the first time, a girl student was admitted as a measure of experiment in co-education, which proved to be a success!
(Inputs from ‘History of the College’ in the Centenary Souvenir of Government Arts College, written by K.P.G Menon, M.A (Oxon), Bar-at-law – Principal of Government Arts College (16.12.1953)