Al-Haj Dr T B Jayah and national unity

Memorial Oration delivered by S H M Jameel, on January 1st at Ghafoor Hall, Zahira College, Colombo. The lecture was organized by Conference of Sri Lankan Malays

I am extremely privileged to deliver this Oration on the 122nd birth anniversary of Alhaj Dr T B Jayah on the invitation of the Conference of Sri Lankan Malays, whose President Alhaj T K Azoor has devoted much of his energy and time in fostering the concept of Bersatu (unity) Keikhalasan (sincerity) and Pengorbanan (sacrifice) and also in perpetuating the memory of that great National hero late Dr T B Jayah.

Alhaj Dr T B Jayah

Dr Jayah devoted his entire life for his community and the nation in the struggle for obtaining Independence to Ceylon, to forge national unity and communal harmony among all citizens, to develop the educational standard of the whole country by whole heartedly supporting the policy-making and implementation of the Reforms enunciated by the Board of Education of the State Council under the leadership of the Father of Free Education, Dr C W W Kannangara, and particularly to improve the overall standard of the Muslim community by providing political leadership, educational direction and the path for social regeneration.

Very early in life he had remarked that one should be “prepared to scorn delights and live laborious days not for the sake of filthy lucre, not even for mere vanity of name and fame, but for greater ideals of service.” This, he fulfilled positively and in full measure, was evident in an expression of gratitude by Dr A M A Azeez, whom Jayah had personally chosen to succeed him as Principal of Zahira College, Colombo to continue his services or 27 years in taking Zahira to the zenith as the ‘radiating centre of Islamic thought and activity.’

In a speech delivered in 1914 at the Ceylon Muslim Association on the topic of ‘Education and National Progress’, seven years before he became the Principal of Zahira, Jayah said that “it was only by the revivifying influence of English education that the Muslim community would be brought to a position of intellectual elevation, social efficiency and political power .... To achieve this end, who is to be the Sir Seyed Ahamed Khan of Ceylon? Who among our leaders will follow in the wake of that renowned Indian leader? He need not necessarily be a child of Western culture, for Sir. Seyed Ahamed was not. But he must certainly be fearless in his actions, disinterested in his motive, inspired by a mighty purpose and ready to dare and even die in the cause he espouses. If such a one there be, he will doubtless go down to posterity as the saviour of the Muslims of Ceylon.”

This question was answered after 36 years in 1950 by A M A Azeez in the following words: “Jayah posed this question in 1914 and today in 1950 we say without any hesitation and with one accord that T B Jayah is that Sir Seyed Ahamed Khan and that leader and that Saviour of the Muslims.”

Tuan Brahanudeen Jayah, the great educationist, community and national leader, statesman, patron, president and chairman of 55 organizations was born on January 1, 1890 at Galagedara, where his father Cassim Jayah was employed in the Police Department.

Owing to the transfer of Cassim Jayah, the family shifted residence to Kurunegala, where the young Brahanudeen started his Quranic Education under the tutelage of Noordeen Alim and Omarlebbe and the secular schooling at the Anglo-Vernacular School.

Once again on the transfer of the father, the family moved to Colombo and Brahanudeen was enrolled at the St Paul's College, Modera in Grade 1 at the age of 10. It would be curious today to see a boy of ten years in Grade 1, but was common occurrence in that era. The young student was found to be so brilliant that he was awarded a treble promotion from Grade 1 to Grade 4 and once again a double promotion to Grade 6 in the following year. In 1904, he obtained a scholarship to S Thomas’ College, situated then at Modera.

Having passed the Matriculation and Inter Arts Examinations, he obtained a teaching job at Dharmaraja College, Kandy in January 1910, then shifted to Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa in May 1910 and thereafter to Ananda College, Colombo in 1917, where he remained till he assumed duties as Principal of Zahira College, Colombo on September 1, 1921.

Though he embarked on a teaching career at an early age due to the financial constraints he encountered in proceeding with higher education, yet while being a teacher, he continued his academic pursuit and became a graduate. He subsequently enrolled himself at the Law College with the intention of becoming a lawyer; but his conviction that he could serve the community in a better way by continuing as an educator persuaded him to remain in the teaching profession.

In a lecture delivered to the Ceylon Muslim Association in February 1919, he posed the question “What have we done? The other communities have produced eminent men in different walks of life. They have produced eminent lawyers and doctors, eminent councillors, men of eminence in other ways. What have the Muslims? Have we any eminent men in the service of the government or in learned professions? Have we even a few schools and colleges of our own? Have we sent largely our children even to non-Muslim schools? The answer is an emphatic ‘NO’ ... My humble suggestions to the Mohammedan leaders is that, if they cannot start both college and elementary schools for the Mohammedans, let them at least give us one Mohamedan College, because that Mohamedan College might form a centre which might send out a noble band of heroes who might form a centre which might send out a noble band of heroes who might rejuvenate the nation. The supreme need of the hour is education, not merely elementary education, not mere half-hearted education, but an education that will turn out heroes and heroines, leaders and reformers, thinkers and philosophers, an education that will make us a progressive, enlightened and powerful minority.” These are prophetic words indeed.

Zahira blossoms

In his 27 years of stewardship at Zahira until August 22, 1948, he successfully produced the leaders and reformers, thinkers and philosophers, and Legislators and national figures, who brought forth an enlightened Muslim community, which in course in time was able to contribute to the political, social, economic and cultural development at the national level.

Zahira evolved as a symbol of unity and social integration. Perhaps his early experience at Dharmaraja, Prince of Wales and Ananda gave him a broader outlook in his vision. In fact, three of his students at Ananda, who in later life emerged as pioneer Leftist leaders, namely Dr N M Perera, Philip Gunewardena and Robert Gunewardena always referred to Jayah with utmost respect as their mentor and guide during their student days.

In the same manner, Zahira had teachers, students and employees from all the communities. His Vice-Principals were George Weeramantry, who came from Ananda and Wijeratne; when he opened the Commerce Stream, the person he chose to head the Section was J A Charles; some of the prominent teachers were Rauff Pasha from India, Moulavi Haniff Nadvi, Pandit Nallathamby who translated the Ceylon National Anthem into Tamil, Navaliyoor S Nadarajan, a famous poet, N P Pillai, Ms Pillai, Ms E Dissanayake and a host of others.

The tradition of this cosmopolitanism continued and during the Principalship of Azeez, almost half of the more than 100 students who entered the University – indeed 100 was a very large number at that time – were non Muslims. We still find even today the strong foundations laid by Jayah for communal amity persisting at Zahira.

Development projects

This enormous achievement took quarter of a century of labour and dedication by a man of utter sincerity, whose heart and mouth spoke the same language and with the unstinted support of the Maradana Mosque Committee, who were the managers of the college and an array of well-wishers. The situation at Zahira at the beginning of his Principalship was described by him in the following words: “The outlook was dismal – six teachers, 59 boys, hardly any furniture worth the name, with a building just enough for a primary school, used at night by loafers and other undesirables, with unattractive surroundings and about 20 or 30 yards from the buildings, thickets and shrubs regarded by the public as the rendezvous of the denizens of the underworld, relieved only by the majesty of the Maradana mosque”.

Undaunted, he accepted the challenge and undertook many development projects. Classes were started upto matriculation, number of teachers increased from six to 30, sports and athletics expanded, Literary associations formed which started the publication of the magazine ‘The Crescent’, opened a Hostel, Dental Clinic, Free Night School and a Canteen that provided a wholesome rice and curry lunch for ten cents. The Night School was perhaps the first of its kind in Ceylon.

He started the ‘College Extension Fund’ through which a large number of classrooms, science laboratory, and the main building of this Ghaffoor Hall where we are assembled today were constructed, the main benefactors being the Maradana Mosque Committee, N D H Abdul Ghaffoor and Puthen Bootil Umbichy.

The indicator of the vast strides of development was the increase in the number of students from 59 in 1921 to 450 in 1922, to 645 in 1925, which within a few years exceeded 1000.

Every important dignitary visiting Ceylon was invited to address the students, teachers, parents and public at Zahira College. Sarojini Naidu, Moulana Saukat Ali, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahathma Ghandi and Rajaji-all the top-level leaders of the Indian Freedom Movement made it an integral item in the programme to visit this citadel of education. The speech made by Jayah on the occasion of the visit of Mahatma Ghandhi on the efforts of Gandhi on Hindu-Muslim Unity in India was one of the finest speeches that demonstrated the attitude of Jayah on communal harmony, national unity and integration.

To be continued

S H M Jameel is a distinguished old boy of Zahira, Former Secretary to Ministry of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs, an author of 45 books and presently President of Dr A M A Azeez Foundation