Mrs. Susan George Pulimood
Principal, Visakha Vidyalaya 1945-67
MRS. SUSAN GEORGE PULIMOOD
Excerpt from an article published in the Daily News July 23, 2003
The golden years of Visakha
by Pearl Abeywickrama
A little school perched atop the highest hill in
Bandarawela, surrounded by green clad patinas, winding roads and breathtaking
views of the "Sleeping Giant" from under the "Friendly Trees".
Mist-clad hills in a salubrious climate, sunlight streaming through tall cypress
trees - this was where I first met my Principal when she took over the
administration of the Bandarawela branch of Visakha from Mrs. Clara Motwani in
1944 and Mr. N. E. Weerasooria, Q.C. assumed duties as Manager. During the war
years (World War II) the school in Colombo was evacuated and branch schools were
opened in Bandarawela and Ganemulla.
I remember vividly the train rides down to Colombo for the prize-giving which we
enjoyed immensely as we had a couple of carriages all to ourselves.
Mrs. Pulimood together with the Principals of the branch schools of Royal
(Glendale) and St. Thomas at Bandarawela used to agree that the Bandarawela
branches of all three schools did better than the parent schools in Colombo at
that time - possibly due to the cooler, healthy unrestricted environment where
work and play was enjoyed in a seemingly extended a vacation!
After peace was declared (in 1945) and the school buildings were released in
Colombo most of us went down to Colombo to prepare for the S.S.C. Examination.
Mrs. Motwani had resigned in 1945 and Mrs. Susan George Pulimood was appointed
Principal. I became a hosteller, a new experience for me which I enjoyed
thoroughly.
Mrs. L. Perera was the Matron, a dear old lady. Although we may have worried the
wits out of her at times. I remember her remarking that we were the best
hostellers she ever had.
Early in 1946 science was introduced for the first time into the curriculum.
This was a unique event foretelling the destiny of Visakha which was to led the
country in science education for girls.
The first Visakha Jayanti was celebrated in 1947. The school was 30 years old
and in the same year was placed in grade I. A Science Association was formed.
All extra-curricular activities including Elocution, Swimming, Keep fit,
Oriental and Western Music, Guiding, Tennis and other sports were revived.
1948 was a memorable year. Ranjani Jayasuriya became the Juvenile Tennis
Champion of the island winning both singles and doubles championships. We were
so thrilled! Clodagh de Silva had the privilege of being the first candidate in
Science presented by Visakha for the University Entrance Examination and came
out in flying colours by winning the Scholarship at the First Examination in
Science at the University.
Ranjani de Silva entered the university with a Scholarship in Oriental Studies
and distinguished herself by passing out with a first class in Sanskrit. Visakha
entered the first post war 'Do you know' contest conducted by Radio Ceylon for
the coveted Walter Shakespeare Challenge Cup and became runners-up.
Mrs. Clara Motwani, our former principal was the first to congratulate the team
on this achievement. In later years the school won the Challenge Cup many a
time. Doreen Gunawardena became the first Visakhian to enter the university to
study medicine.
The principal in her report said, "With the introduction of science into our
curriculum we have opened a new avenue for the girls of Visakha - a Scientific
Education expand the vision of a girl and bestows on her the exquisite talent
for clear and accurate thinking". The golden years had begun and Visakha went
from strength to strength excelling in all aspects of education, academic,
social and extra curricular, progressing rapidly to be in the forefront of
schools in the island.
Visakha secured top honours at the first ever Western Province Girls Inter
School Sports Meet organised in 1955 winning both the Junior and Senior
Challenge Shields and the Best All Round Challenge Shield.
Throughout the years the school continued to be first among girls schools in the
University Entrance Examination.
Great opportunities were extended to the girls of Visakha to develop their
talents for the appreciation of literature, music, painting and the performing
arts and many have gained national and international recognition. Sujatha
Jayawardena exponent of Bharatha Natya, Preethi de
Silva, Professor of Music at Scripps College, California, Sumitra Peiris our
film maker, many others too numerous to name.
Progressive Visakha has produced renowned doctors, lawyers, engineers,
accountants, architects, archaeologists, geologists, economists, educationists,
statisticians, administrators, university lecturers and professors and more
recently specialist in electronic engineering and computer science.
Visakhians are among the first ever women officer cadets to join the Sri Lanka
Air Force. And last but not least Visakhians were ideal daughters and exemplary
wives.
Under Mrs. Pulimood's tutelage Visakha has produced "women of distinction and of
the highest moral fibre, with pride in the country's great heritage and a
consciousness of her future needs". "A man may build a ship," says our Principal
"but a woman builds up a Captain in whose hands the ship is but a slave." A new
Administrative Block, several science laboratories and the Gitanjali Memorial
Library were built during these golden years.
I have nostalgic memories of a wonderful excursion to Gal Oya with Mrs. Pulimood,
a few months before we said good bye to our Alma Mater.
For the first time in our school life we refuse to attend classes till
permission was granted! Miss Chandra de Soysa, our Geography teacher took great
pains to get the necessary permission from the Prime Minister himself and we
were the first school to be allowed to visit the damsite at Inginiyagala.
Mrs. Pulimood set before us the ideals of Eastern Womanhood inspiring us with
her personal example.
Here was a noble Indian lady, Principal par excellence, who gave of her best to
the education of girls in a little island which she made her home for 23 years,
building up the school she loved with such dedication and endeavour and in her
words "preparing girls for life, for responsible citizenship and for selfless
service". In this context Justice E. H. T. Gunasekera once remarked that Visakha
combined the best of East and West.
An ever grateful VVOGA organises a Memorial Oration delivered by a distinguished
old Visakhian annually on her birthday today (23). This year the Oration will be
delivered by Dr. Asoka Bandarage.
An article published in the Sunday Observer, 21st July, 2002
Susan George Pulimood : Visakha's most revered Principal
Excerpt from an article published in the Sunday Observer, 22rd July, 2001
Mrs. Susan George Pulimood remembered
by Prof Manthri Ramasamy, Institute of Fundamental Studies
Excerpt from an article published in the Island, 23rd July, 2000
Mrs. Susan George Pulimood
by Indira Malwatte
Mrs. Susan George Pulimood more affectionately known as "Puli" by all Visakhians strode like a colossus at Visakha Vidyalaya and across the educational world of Sri Lanka. "A Text-book of Botany" which she co-authored with her sister was the Bible for all O/L and A/L students who offered Botany as a subject in the English medium throughout the length and breadth of Sri Lanka.
This remarkable personality joined Visakha Vidyalaya as a teacher in January 1941. Prior to this she taught for a short spell at Moratu Vidyalaya. Visakha's gain was tremendous and her 22 years as Principal were the "Golden Years" of the school. When she took over the reins Visakha was not a prestigious school but with the charisma and dynamic personality she made it "the" leading girls school of the country, with every parent vying to put their girls into it.
When she took over as Principal in 1945 she realized that Visakhians lacked self-confidence and panache which were so necessary in the modern world. By the time she left in 1967 Visakhians were the foremost in all spheres of activity.
Realizing the importance of science in the future world she assessed that the laboratory Vishaka Vidyalaya had at the time was very inadequate and ill-equipped, so together with the Manager: Mr. N. E. Weerasooria, who was himself a man of vision she developed the laboratories and the science section.
To overcome the paucity of women science teachers she got down qualified science teachers from India and also employed Sri Lankan men with science degrees. She was the target of criticism but undaunted and unafraid she continued with her benevolent task.
Meanwhile she did not neglect the arts stream nor the home science stream and by 1951 she together with Mr. Weerasooriya recruited a band of highly dedicated young graduates from the University of Ceylon for all streams and with them commenced "the golden years".
Visakha topped the schools in science and arts at the University Entrance Exams and the clamour to get into Visakha was tremendous. Mrs. Pulimood was not only interested in academic education but she wanted her girls to shine in the field of sports too and with her active encouragement they shone in the field of athletics too.
In spite of the onus of work she made time to teach her favourite subjects botany, mathematics and English literature and infused so much life into the subjects that the girls were entranced. She did not neglect the cultural activities of the students and it was with her active encouragement and participation that the Visakha Geetha Natakaya which was a resounding success was produced. She used to personally come round to the dressing rooms and if girls were not actively helping, in her humorous manner she used to say "waste of space" and get them involved in the performance.
Mrs. Pulimood was a person who was conscious of the environment and it was she who landscaped the garden around the school. Early morning she was seen going round the garden examining plants with the eye of a botanist supervising the cultivation of various plants. She was very particular that a special area be allocated to the planting of weeds and other small plants, the area she termed her "botany special".
Religion and its practice took pride of place with her. Although Mrs. Pulimood was a Syrian Christian, she saw to it that religious activities took place zealously at Visakha. Clad in white on Poya and Pirith nights she was among the students to see that the girls observed the customs and traditions to the letter.
Whenever there were general knowledge quiz contests, speech and oratorical contests, Mrs. Pulimood herself trained the students generally after school. How much she was interested in her students was shown by the fact that before the prize giving ceremony, she herself selected the books for the prize winners from an array of books displayed by leading booksellers. She used to do this selection late into the night.
It was Mrs. Pulimood who started the building programme for the school. To obtain funds she organized the "Swarna Jayanthi" carnivals which were held on a lavish scale as her dream and ambition was to build a hall for Visakha. In 1983 after retirement she came to see her dream fulfilled - the opening of the Jeremias Dias Hall.
Mrs. Pulimood left Sri Lanka in 1967 but visited her school thrice after that. Her heart was in Visakha. She passed away on the 12th of April 1989 in Madras but her benign spirit wafts around the school she loved so well.
The Susan George Pulimood oration is held annually to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mrs. Pulimood. This years memorial oration on "Cinema & Culture" will be delivered by Sumithra Peiris, one of Visakha's most distinguished daughters. From an early age Peiris had a pioneering spirit which made her join her brother, the late Mr. Gamini Gunawardena, on a yacht in the South of France. From then on it has been a spectacular rise to fame.
After her studies at the London School of Film Technique she joined Lester James Peiris as an Assistant Director in the production of the epic "Sandesaya" and from there on there has been no turning back. She not only helped Lester James Peiris but soon became his help-mate.
Her international and national reputation as a film director has been tremendous, winning awards at the highest level in all spheres. It is with pride that we state that she was Sri Lanka's Ambassador for France and Spain from 1995-1999 and also the Ambassodor and permanent delegate to UNESCO during this period.
Excerpt from an article published in the Island, 18th July, 1999
Mrs. Pulimood and her successors made Visakha what it is
by Sumana Saparamadu
Dr. Malini Dias, Director Epigraphy and Numismatics, Department of Archaeology, will deliver the Susan George Memorial oration at the Jeramias Dias Hall, on July 23, the birth anniversary of Mrs. Pulimood, Principal of Visakha Vidyalaya from January 1946 to July 1967.
Mrs. Pulimood's connection with Visakha goes back to 1941 when she joined the staff and taught Botany and Maths to the matriculation form. She and her sister Ms. Joshua were the co-authors of "A Text-book of Botany", the standard text used in school until the complete switch over to the mother tongue.
Mrs. Susan Pulimood's 22 years as Principal saw great changes in the school. The Grade II school she took over in 1946 was raised to Grade I a year and a half later and given Super Grade status in 1957. The introduction of science into the curriculum was the first impetus to Visakha's journey forward and ultimately to the top.
As Visakha's pass-list at public examinations increased, so did the numbers seeking admission, and in the fifties the school expanded to the right into the land bought from the Kathiresan Kovil and to the left to the "Keuneman Bungalow," after the passing away of Justice A. E. Keuneman (father of Pieter Keuneman).
The staging of the Visakha Geetha Natya to mark the school's 40th anniversary was a landmark of the Pulimood era. Composed by Sri Chandraratna Manawasinghe and set to music by Samaradiwakara, the most outstanding musician of the day, it tells the story of Visakha Devi after whom the school is named. No other school can boast of her own play as Visakha Vidyalaya can.
The vesting of the school in the State in 1960 was a parting of the ways for the Principal and the Manager who had worked very cordially and with clear vision to make Visakha Vidyalaya the leading girls' school in the island. Paying a tribute to the retiring Principal, the former Manager N. E. Weerasooria wrote in 1967, "In the golden era parents stood in queues to admit their children to Visakaha." They still do for Mrs. Pulimood's successors have maintained the standards set by her and taken the school to greater heights. Visakha was one of the first 18 schools to be given "National School" status about 10 years ago.
As in the past 8 years, this year's oration is also by a past pupil of Visakha. Mrs. Dias is the first woman to be appointed Director Epigraphy and is Editor of Epigraphia Zeylonica which was once edited by Dr. Senarat Paranavitarna. A Fellow of the Council of Archaeology she has participated in archaeological conferences in Sri Lanka and abroad and chaired some of the sessions.
In Sri Lanka women have not taken up epigraphy. Had Malini Dias not chosen Sanskrit, a new subject on the advice of Mrs. Pulimood as one of the subjects for her University Entrance, and read Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhala at the University, with special permission from the Dean as students were not allowed to read only languages for the degree, Mrs. Dias may not have been selected for the post of epigraphist which was advertised soon after she graduated.
_______________________________________________________________
