Quis ut Deus

Ifind it very difficult to completely detach myself from Batticaloa, although I have lived away from her for the last 25 years. The word nostalgia pops out when I think about it. I looked up the New York Times Dictionary for the meaning of the word. It defined Nostalgia as “A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past. The condition of being homesick; homesickness.”

A glimpse into the history of St. Michaels College always inspires me. I am more convinced, when I delve into, that the story of St. Michael’s College is intertwined with the modern history of Batticaloa. This is true when I look back at the events unfolded in founding and building the College.

Joseph Abraham was the Head Teacher of St. Michaels School. In the 1st Annual of St, Michaels College writes in his Article titled “From the Old to the New College” quoting a part of the Prospectus as follows: “The aim of this institution is to provide locally and at moderate cost –for the boys of this secluded and somewhat destitute part of the island- a complete and up-to-date course of Education, which-whilst furnishing them with the required amount of knowledge-will , perhaps with even greater care, build up their character and impart to them those religion and moral habits as well as those gentlemanly manners which are the safe guarantee of happiness and success in life.”

I believe that St. Michaels College continues to fulfill this objective. We the Michaelites are the lucky and blessed ones to have passed through the College.

We had the rare opportunity to have guided by the Jesuit Priests. We saw and experienced the tireless efforts, hard work and unselfish dedication and sacrifice that these human beings from distant countries made to uplift us and helped Batticaloa to be put on the map of education and sports. It produced exemplary students like Swami Vipulananda, Mr. Nalliah and Mr. Kanapathipillai who carried the torch further and gave the people of Batticaloa seats of education in the caliber of Shivananda, Government College, Vantharumoolai Central and other schools. Swami Vipulanda when he was S. Mylvaganam and the Head Teacher of the Infant Department at St. Michaels College wrote “So the work of shaping and directing the lives of the future citizens of Batticaloa is carried on by those who take their guidance from the words of Froebel “Let us live for our children”.

The European Missions introduced education in Batticaloa. The Wesleyan Mission lit the torch in Batticaloa to rid the darkness of ignorance. Rev. William Ault established a school in 1814, which later became the Methodist Central College. The school is old as the Kandyan Convention. The Wesleyan Mission was undoubtedly the harbinger in the education in Batticaloa.

The year 1870 brought in a significant change to Batticaloa. It was the big bang which was the metamorphosis of all the things to come in Batticaloa. Batticaloa was made the capital of Eastern Province. The Government Agent for Eastern Province moved in.

Bishop of Jaffna Mgr. Christopher Bonjean must have recognized the need for education for its faithful in this new capital of the Eastern Province. He directed Rev. Fr. Francis Xavier Phillip to come to Batticaloa and establish a Boys English School. So, In 1873 St. Michaels English School was founded in the St. Mary’s Church compound. Fr. Francis Xavier, in 1874, reported to Bishop Bonjean “I am glad to be able to say that my two schools are doing well. I have 57 pupils in the English School with three teachers and 127 students in the Tamil School.” This was the humble beginning of this great Colossus and the pride of Batticaloa.

It was the vision of Bishop Mgr. Charles Lavigne S.J. and French Jesuits who decided in 1898 that “Batticaloa shall have a boy’s college second to none.” S. O. Canagaratnam in the “Monograph of the Batticaloa District of the Eastern Province, Ceylon published in 1921 writes as follows:

“Special mention must be made of the Roman Catholic College, St. Michaels. The buildings are the first in Batticaloa and the College must rank high amongst schools in Ceylon. It is a fine monument to the devotion and zeal of the Roman Catholic Mission. In spite of the war, which has very seriously crippled the resources of the fathers, electric light has been installed this year in the building.”

Rev. Fr. Lange who wrote the history of Jesuits in the Eastern Province and which is published by Rev. Fr. Guy Rajendram S.J., titled as “The Palm Fringe Coast” describes in detail the trials and tribulations the Jesuits has to go through to sustain the school. The valiant efforts by the Jesuits to run St. Michaels College, St. Josephs college, Trincomalee and St. Aloysious College in Galle were unsuccessful because of the financial woes and in 1970 they offered the Colleges to the Government.

Rev. Fr. B.H. Miller S. J., who is a living legend, wrote in the St. Michaels College Centenary Souvenir under the title “St. Michael’s College Private years” as follows:

“Now St. Michaels moves into its second century. It has a character all its own. That need not fade or change because of a change of management. The same people who saw St. Michaels into assisted years, from those into private years, have now seen St. Michaels into its government years. Those parents, those old boys, those members of the staff, the public of Batticaloa, they can watch to maintain the grand old traditions of St. Michaels and see to their improvement for the students of today and future…..”

Long live Batticaloa! , Long live St. Michaels College! Long live the St. Michaels Alumni Association North America.

Mylvaganam Inparajah