The long walk to school
The real ordeal came when I had to enter a new school after finishing primary education. The first choice was Hikkaduwa Central College which my sister attended. Though I got through the Admission Test I could not enter college as we failed to submit the birth certificate in time. Getting a birth certificate was a hassle for any villager who did not have anyone known at the kachcheri or who had no means to oil the palms of relevant officials. Thus, we were late by one day when we received the birth certificate. The Principal of Hikkaduwa Central College was Mr. D A Devendra, a stern disciplinarian who would not listen to our pleas as we have failed to submit all documentation in time. However, he promised to admit me to the next grade at the beginning of the next academic year, a promise he kept. That's how I studied for one year at Siddhartha College, Balapitiya.
Refusing to admit a child who was late by less than 24 hours to provide necessary documentation was not a legal or a departmental regulation. It was a condition imposed by the Principal. By his refusal he showed how unconcerned he was to the plight of the poor. This incident was so engraved in my memory that whenever I held some position of authority I always interpreted and followed regulations in a humane manner. Laws and regulations have no respect for people but administrators should always be humane. It is the same indifference to the plight of the poor that delayed the beginning of University Entrance or Higher School Certificate classes at Hikkaduwa Central till he was transferred to another school.
Though I spent only one year at Siddhartha College, it was a turning point in my student career. Then Grade VI was split into two – Lower and Upper. This was on account of the change in the medium of instruction. From Lower Six studies were in English. Now I cannot recollect how I managed to learn English considering the fact that it was a completely strange tongue. I only recollect that the College had an excellent library and there was a library period and a silent reading period in the school timetable. There were also an excellent series of readers called AL Bright Story Readers which were graded according to the knowledge and grade of the students. I still remember how I learnt by heart an entire story- Peaguses, the Flying Horse and recited it in class without a single word missing. I had literally interpreted the teacher's request the day before to read the story and come prepared to tell it in class the next day. Having not enough knowledge to tell the story in my own words the only way out was to commit it to memory word by word. However, my recital astonished the entire class and the teacher. My inability was wonderfully camouflaged and I became a wiz-kid of some sort overnight.
However, the solid foundation in English Language I received at Siddhartha College was useful in my further studies at Hikkaduwa Central. In the Upper VI class I was able to score an average of over 92 marks at the Promotion Test, beating all others in the same Grade. The Principal Mr. Devendra literally lifted me up to the stage and presented me as an exemplary student before the whole school at the year-end Assembly.
Mr. Devendra was an excellent teacher and disciplinarian from whom we learned much. He was a man of principles who always kept his word. An interesting incident that had a deep imprint in my mind was a visit by the then Director General of Education H W Howes, the last Briton to hold that position. Having arrived at the school gate he sent word through a student to the Principal that he had arrived. True to his colonial mentality he expected the principal to walk to the gate and greet him. It happened during the school interval when the principal was at his residential quarters having tea. He sent back a message asking the Director General to wait in his office till he comes. This angered the arrogant colonial administrator who left for Colombo without visiting the college. Strangely enough this colonial arrogance still lingers among some of our administrators decades after independence. It is said that Howes later apologized to the Principal, very unlike the Brown Sahibs in the public service who succeeded the colonial administrators in independent Sri Lanka.
For example, I still remember an encounter I had with an Assistant Director of Education when I went to meet him over the delay in the pension of my sister who was a sick at that time. She was an Education Service Officer who at the time of retirement was a Principal in a leading School in Colombo. The Secretary was at his table reading a newspaper with his hands stretched and both legs with shoes on the top of his table so that his face was hidden. I knocked on the door to attract his attention and ask his permission to enter the room. He got annoyed and yelled at me asking why I tapped and whether I do not know manners. Honestly, I still do not know whether it is bad to knock or tap the door before entering. He promised to look into the matter. The first instalment of the pension was received (as promised!) several after her death.
Mr. Devendra, the Principal of Hikkaduwa Central College was a brilliant Mathematician who had won the Mathematics Tripos at Cambridge. It was a privilege to learn mathematics from him though he was considered a terror by students. He knew the complete name of each student in college and the students believed he could even see those behind or what is happening behind his back. Thanks to him there were no latecomers among students and the College always excelled in studies. No student or teacher would dare to earn his wrath. Though the education establishment was not politicized in those old days he understood the dangers inherent if politicians were allowed to meddle in school affairs. He made it a principle not to invite politicians for school functions. Very often a distinguished old student was invited as Chief Guest at School Prize Givings.
Hikkaduwa Central had a fine library. It was there I read most of the classical English and Russian literature. By the time we reached Grade 10 we had read works of Dickens, Shakespeare, Stevenson, Jules Verne, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Cervantes, Mark Twain, Chekov, Maupasant, Dumas and many more renowned authors.
Hikkaduwa Central was on double session those days due to lack of space to accommodate all students in one session. That meant the morning session had to begin early. It started at 6.45 a,m. (I wonder why schools with limited resources cannot resort to this practice even now instead of shutting the door to many students who seek admission to such schools. May be , it is not so popular with politicians?) There was no transport available for me so early. I had to walk four miles to reach the railway station at Kahawa to catch the 6.10 railcar to reach Hikkaduwa in time. Very often I had to trek back home another four miles after school when it was difficult to find five cents to pay the bus fare. There were also days on which I had to go back to school in the evenings for cadeting practices and on such days I usually walked 16 miles a day.
Walking four or eight miles a day for five days a week throughout the school calendar year was not so easy. Often you have to brave either rain or hot sun. At the beginning my mother used to accompany me till break of day light. Or else some other elder, a friendly neighbour would accompany me. However, I soon dispensed with the chaperons as I got used to the terrain and the darkness.
Walking on a lonely road in pitch darkness at 5 a. m. had its own hazards for a 12 year old boy. I used to cary a huluatta(a sheaf of dried coconut leaves ignited to form a torch of light) or an ignited kolopuwa (the dried casing of the coconut flower) since it was dark. Very often its light went off before dawn and you had to walk under the stars. Once the huluattablew off a few minutes after I started on my journey. I had not even reached the macadamized road. In the gravel road walking in the dark it was not possible to see what was on the ground. I accidentally stepped on to what I thought was a log. Instantly I received a huge slap on my thighs as if a demon had attacked for I did not sense the presence of any human. Only when I heard a simultaneous sound of a creature running off did I realize that I had stepped on to a monitor crossing the road and it had splashed its tail in a conditional reflex action. Fortunately for me it was the flat side of the tail that hit me. Had it been the sharp edge I would have been in severe trouble.
Later a bus started plying along the road sufficiently early for me to catch the 6.10 rail car. However, finding five cents for the journey was difficult. There were occasions I used the bus when I had managed to get the bus fare as a loan from a friendly neighbour. It was nevertheless not easy to find a neighbour sufficiently 'rich' who could provide the loan or very often a 'grant' of such magnitude. So I continued the walk with a sigh when the bus drove by me. This walk, I believe helped to sustain my physical fitness even long after I reached adulthood.
Despite the long walk, despite inclement weather, despite a proper meal I never missed school. From my young days I knew the only salvation for our family was through education. More than anyone else my mother knew it. She was prepared to make any sacrifice for it. It was the same with my sister. Though a brilliant student herself, a fifth standard scholar who got through university entrance quite easily she decided not to enter the University as there was no one to spend on my education. She found a teaching job in a private school in Galle for a paltry wage in order to spend on my education. I had by that time got through the Senior School Certificate Examination. However, she got permission from the University authorities to defer her admission and both of us entered the University together. By doing say we had created history in the village. Myself and my sister were the first to enter the University from that poor village which even then lacked a secondary school.
The teachers at school (Hikkaduwa Central) were strict disciplinarians who tolerated no nonsense. They not only taught their subjects well but also inculcated good morals among the students. Being men of exemplary character they by example inspired the students to be upright and independent. Fortunately, the political virus had not infected the education system then.
Hikkaduwa Central then had a reputation for academic excellence. In fact, it was one of the leading schools in the Southern province. Though it lacked most facilities that were found today even in remote areas the teachers with their dedication achieved best results at public examinations. English was the medium of instruction then and it is almost a miracle how the students achieved excellence in English in approximately a year or two when they were taught up to the 5thstandard in the vernacular. K. Dahanayake, the brother of popular politician and later Prime Minister W Dahanayake was one of the brilliant teachers who taught English.
Among other teachers were Mr. K H Wilmot O de Silva, who later became Principal Devananda Maha Vidyalaya, Ambalangoda, Mr. M P Fernando, who succeeded Mr. Devendra as Principal for a short period, Mr. Jayanetti , Mr. A J Gunawadena and Ms. Rodrigo.
They were humane teachers who had no craving for money. They held voluntary after-school classes to prepare students for public examinations. For example, Mr, Wilmot de Silva held free after school Mathematics classes for three months to prepare students for the Senior School Certificate Examination. This practice was adopted by me too when I was teaching Mathematics to students at Deniyaya Central College in the early 1960 s'.
I still remember with gratitude how I was admitted to the school hostel for three months prior to the SSC Examination at no cost to me. Principal M P Fernando and the hostel wardens saw my plight and helped me to have a hassle - free environment before the Examination. Later I learnt that the teachers had paid for my board and lodging.
Only thing I could do was to reward them with good results. I was one of the few who got a First Division Pass at the Examination.
It is the upbringing at school that helped me face life's challenges successfully more than academic success. As far as character building is concerned there was hardly any contribution from the seats of higher learning.