Down Memory Lane - My Coimbatore
I began my education in a Municipal Elementary School with Tamil medium. It was one of the few schools available in those days for middle class. The School was having spacious Class rooms and a big play ground, that can be compared to facilities available in modern day Colleges. Even though there were a few other Elementary and Middle Schools,to my knowledge there were only five High Schools in Coimbatore in my days. St.Michaels High School, Union High School, City Municipal High School all for boys and Government Girls School attached to Training School, Presentation Convent for girls. Apart from them there was Stanes European High School, and St. Frances Convent for Girls which were teaching in English Medium. Sarvajana High School at Peelamedu run by PSG charities was the only Hindu institution.They were also running the only Technical School imparting technical education courses.Later on Sir Arthur Hope Politechnic was established by the industrialist G.D.Naidu.
Now let me tell about the Colleges in Coimbatore during my younger days. Government Arts College was the only College in Coimbatore teaching Arts Courses in intermediate and upto Degree level. But Coimbatore had the privilege of having two specialised institutions one was Coimbatore Agricultural College, a residential institution established in 1908 for Agricultural courses and research, by the Government of Madras and the other was Madras Forest College, established in 1912., one among the two Forest Colleges in India run by the British Central Government in those days, the other one known as Imperial Forest Research Institure was at Dehradun (UP).
Coimbatore Agricultural College was built in a sprawling area of 300 acres east of the Town on the Indo Saracenic style of Achitecture which was popularly used by the British during the period from late eighteenth century to early ninteenth century for the institutions built by them. When I was young I used to cycle the 3 Kms distance from my house often to meet some of my school mates who were residing in the quarters there.In those days, the campus and the play grounds were maintained very well.There was a Museum in the College exhibiting rare things connected with Agriculture and of general interest, which I used to visit when ever I had been to the College. There were good Play grounds for Games like Hockey, Football and Cricket for the children of the residents. That is where I played my first game of Cricket with my team, and understood how poor my team was in that game! We used to attend the the that College auctions regularly to purchase used Cricket and Hockey balls that were sold at eight to ten for a rupee. Interestingly the Teams were always named after the Captains like "Chakru" Team or "Padhu" Team. Entire Campus used to be very peaceful and silent always.
Madras Forest College established in 1912 was built in an area of 195 acres in north of the town bordering R.S.Puram, in the similar style of Indo-saracenic architecture. This college was different, this was smaller than the Agricultural College. Both the Colleges had nice Clock Towers in the frontage towering over the porticos. On silent nights the sweet sound of the hourly gongs were heard from my house. But the campus and hostel of Forest College were out of bounds for visitors. But there was a museum "Gas Forest Museum" which had housed rare forest products and mounted taxidermy wild animals. This institution was closed during the second World War (1940-45) to house the British Evacuees, about which I shall tell later .
The Students of these two institutions used to wear Green and Blue Blazers respectively with their college coat of arms stitched on their pockets.
Another research institution was Sugar-cane Breeding Station, only of its kind in Asia run by the Central Government.
posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 8:44 PM
I began my education in a Municipal Elementary School with Tamil medium. It was one of the few schools available in those days for middle class. The School was having spacious Class rooms and a big play ground, that can be compared to facilities available in modern day Colleges. Even though there were a few other Elementary and Middle Schools,to my knowledge there were only five High Schools in Coimbatore in my days. St.Michaels High School, Union High School, City Municipal High School all for boys and Government Girls School attached to Training School, Presentation Convent for girls. Apart from them there was Stanes European High School, and St. Frances Convent for Girls which were teaching in English Medium. Sarvajana High School at Peelamedu run by PSG charities was the only Hindu institution.They were also running the only Technical School imparting technical education courses.Later on Sir Arthur Hope Politechnic was established by the industrialist G.D.Naidu.
Now let me tell about the Colleges in Coimbatore during my younger days. Government Arts College was the only College in Coimbatore teaching Arts Courses in intermediate and upto Degree level. But Coimbatore had the privilege of having two specialised institutions one was Coimbatore Agricultural College, a residential institution established in 1908 for Agricultural courses and research, by the Government of Madras and the other was Madras Forest College, established in 1912., one among the two Forest Colleges in India run by the British Central Government in those days, the other one known as Imperial Forest Research Institure was at Dehradun (UP).
Coimbatore Agricultural College was built in a sprawling area of 300 acres east of the Town on the Indo Saracenic style of Achitecture which was popularly used by the British during the period from late eighteenth century to early ninteenth century for the institutions built by them. When I was young I used to cycle the 3 Kms distance from my house often to meet some of my school mates who were residing in the quarters there.In those days, the campus and the play grounds were maintained very well.There was a Museum in the College exhibiting rare things connected with Agriculture and of general interest, which I used to visit when ever I had been to the College. There were good Play grounds for Games like Hockey, Football and Cricket for the children of the residents. That is where I played my first game of Cricket with my team, and understood how poor my team was in that game! We used to attend the the that College auctions regularly to purchase used Cricket and Hockey balls that were sold at eight to ten for a rupee. Interestingly the Teams were always named after the Captains like "Chakru" Team or "Padhu" Team. Entire Campus used to be very peaceful and silent always.
Madras Forest College established in 1912 was built in an area of 195 acres in north of the town bordering R.S.Puram, in the similar style of Indo-saracenic architecture. This college was different, this was smaller than the Agricultural College. Both the Colleges had nice Clock Towers in the frontage towering over the porticos. On silent nights the sweet sound of the hourly gongs were heard from my house. But the campus and hostel of Forest College were out of bounds for visitors. But there was a museum "Gas Forest Museum" which had housed rare forest products and mounted taxidermy wild animals. This institution was closed during the second World War (1940-45) to house the British Evacuees, about which I shall tell later .
The Students of these two institutions used to wear Green and Blue Blazers respectively with their college coat of arms stitched on their pockets.
Another research institution was Sugar-cane Breeding Station, only of its kind in Asia run by the Central Government.
posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 8:44 PM
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