Ananda College:

Education Colossus turns 125

Pramod de SILVA

Ananda College, Colombo celebrates a very significant milestone today. The premier Buddhist educational institution for boys originally known as the English Buddhist School, turns 125, having opened its doors to just 37 students on November 1, 1886 at 61, Maliban Street, Pettah. C. W. Leadbeater was the first principal. It was named Ananda College in 1895, after Arahat Ananda Thera, the Buddha's most devoted disciple. Today, it has nearly 7,000 students in all grades and over 250 teachers.

The founder of Ananda College Col. Henry Steele Olcott, Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera and others in the Buddhist Theosophical Society wanted to start a school for Buddhist students who would otherwise have to go to a missionary school in order to get an English education. As the school's mission statement makes it clear, the teachers at Ananda "lead the sons of Ananda through a path of moral and intellectual discovery, instilling Buddhist values and patriotic senses while fulfilling National Educational Goals". However, in the true spirit of Buddhist and Sri Lankan traditions,

Ananda was home to staff and students from all ethnicities and religions. Among the other aims that Ananda's founders had in mind were to: promote higher education to produce more and more professionals, scientists, scholars, members for the medical and engineering professions and generations of learned men for State administration; promote education based on the philosophy of the Buddha for gainful worldly existence; produce a generation of Anandians with the ability to look at the future retrospectively; equip the students with the knowledge of their rights and responsibilities, social norms, legal and moral obligations that are fundamental to the development of a modern and model society; develop an Anandian identity by equipping the students with the skill and knowledge necessary to achieve local and international recognition.

If one looks back at the glorious history of Ananda College, it becomes apparent that Anandians have abundantly fulfilled these obligations. The students of Ananda have climbed to the highest positions in their respective fields and remain Anandians at heart throughout their lives, wherever in the world they may be.

Buddhist education

That is the rich legacy of Ananda, which epitomizes Buddhist education in the nation. On this day when Ananda celebrates its 125th anniversary, all Anandians will also remember with gratitude Anandians who made the Supreme Sacrifice in the defence of the nation. A memorial in the school compound tells their story and keeps their memories alive. No Anandian can ever forget these heroic sons of Ananda whose patriotism and bravery knew no bounds. ?

I have read a nice story related to the entry of Anandians to the Security Forces. Many decades earlier, the Forces' intake was mostly from the elite private schools in Colombo. When Ananda won the Governor's Cup, Principal L.H. Mettananda was overjoyed and met Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake. Mettananda is said to have asked the Premier - "will the doors of the Forces be open to Anandians now?". The Prime Minister had assured that he would take the top four Governor's Cup performers from Ananda to the Forces. The rest, as they say, is history.

Patriotism and bravery come naturally to Anandians. The morning assembly session lays the groundwork for a feeling of patriotism that lasts through the day and beyond, with the strains of 'Dina Dina Kithugosa Bovi' and 'Anande Api Anandai' wafting through the morning air, along with the National Anthem. Even the House names impart a sense of pride, evoking ancient Buddhist kings such as Gemunu, Vijaya, Asoka and Parakrama. Classes also get turns for the 'Mal Poojawa' (paying homage to the Buddha) at the College Shrine, which is always an inspiring experience in a school whose motto is Appamado Amathapadan, a stanza from the Dhammapada. The Shrine is the most important and spiritually significant edifice in the college compound and perhaps the best known one to the outside world. Ask anyone even with no connection to Ananda and the image he or she would conjure would invariably include the hallowed shrine, part of which can be seen from the road.

Discipline and obedience

Discipline and obedience are other virtues that students gain during their time at Ananda. From the orderly fashion the students line up for the morning assembly in their spotless white uniforms and the mal poojawa to their excellent conduct in the classrooms, discipline is ingrained in the students of Ananda. Some of Ananda's best principals and teachers were not only top educationists, but also strict disciplinarians. Anandians have a deep respect for their teachers, even after they leave school. This was evident when a group of old boys recently escorted around 100 serving and retired teachers of Ananda on an all-expenses paid pilgrimage to Anuradhapura and other places of interest. It was indeed a historic occasion.

Those associated with Ananda as founders, principals, teachers and students have enriched the society - and the history of this country. Most of them are internationally known as well. Such a list of eminent personalities from all ethnicities and religious persuasions reads like a who's who of the country's history before and after independence, including Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitriya Mahanayake Thera, Ven. Heenatiyana Dhammaloka Thera, Ven. Paravahera Vajiragnana Thera, Tibetan monk poet S. Mahinda, Dr. Ven. Kotagama Wachissara Thera, Ven. Ambanwelle Pannasekera Thera, Walisinghe Harischandra, A.E. Buultjens, Fritz Kunz, Sir D.B. Jayatilaka, T.B. Jayah, P De S Kularatne, G.P. Malalasekara, L.H.Meththananda, G.W.Rajapakse, S. A. Wijetileke, Lt. Col. E. A. Perusinghe, Dr. N.M. Perera, Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, P.B.G. Kalugalle, Ambassador W.S. Karunaratne, Prof Stanley Wijesundera, Prof. Kumarasada Rajasuriya, I.M.R.A. Iriyagolla, Thomas Amarasuriya, Dr. S.A. Wickramasinghe, Stanley Thilakaratne, D.B. Welagedara, Regi Siriwardena, Philip Gunawardena, Sam Wijesinha, D.J. Wimalasurendra, Tarzie Vittachchi, Dr. Ananda Tissa de Alwis, B.D. Rampala, Dr. D.B. Nihalsinghe, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, G.P.A. de Silva, Prof. Neil Fonseka and Ambassador Gunasena de Soyza. These are, of course, a just a few names among thousands. Moreover, Ananda's fame has spread far and wide just decades after its inception, with personalities such as Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi visiting the school.

Academic excellence

Asia's first Nobel laureate Tagore visited Ananda on November 10, 1922, as chief guest at the annual prize giving. "I acknowledge that the life of Ananda is its humility and unassuming nature," he told the students, a sentiment which holds true to this day. Gandhi toured the school premises in 1927 and addressed the Principal, teachers and students and exhorted them to aim for academic excellence.

But academic excellence is not the Anandians' only forte. Emphasis was always placed on the importance of sports and other extra-curricular activities that aid mental and physical development. Anandians have excelled in a variety of sports, but cricket easily takes the crown. The crowning moment for cricket at Ananda came with old Anandian Arjuna Ranatunga captaining the Sri Lanka cricket team to victory at the Wills World Cup in 1996. So far, Ananda has produced more than 20 cricketers who have donned the Sri Lanka cap. The annual 'big match' versus Nalanda College (since 1924) is eagerly looked forward to by all Anandians, past and present.

Cadetting, though not exactly a sport, was another forte of Ananda. It has won the coveted Herman Loos Cup awarded to the best all round cadet platoon many times. To cite an example from recent times, Ananda won this prestigious cup in 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2002.

Anandians can also become a member of one of the many special interest clubs or groups including the Buddhist Society. One can choose from astronomy, radio, media, aviation, film, history, literature, archeology, drama, music, general knowledge, mathematics etc.

These help the students to gain extra knowledge in a field of their choice and may even give them an edge in a later career. For example, many students who took an active part in the radio/media clubs have entered that field here and abroad.

Anandians have a deep and abiding love for their alma mater no matter where they are in the world. In addition to the main Old Boys Association (OBA) which has rendered a yeoman service to the college over nearly a century, there are sub-groups (such as the 75-80 Group, Centenary Group) and branches islandwide and worldwide. In fact, leading old boys of Ananda living in the US played a key role in unveiling a statue of Col. Henry Steele Olcott in New Jersey recently.

Today, all Anandians will again remember him with unreserved gratitude, for he was responsible for a revolution in Buddhist education in the country. As Ananda looks forward to the next 125 years as the country's leading educational institution, it will be even more important to be guided by the vision and mission of its illustrious founding fathers.