Page 26 - Memoirs of Sarasworthy Somasundaram

Amma’s Triumph

My being invited to become principal of Uduvil Girls’ College was not my triumph. It
was Amma’s Triumph. Amma’s father had died when she was a very young girl. Her father
had been a convert from a very strict orthodox Hindu family. (The only convert if I
remember a right) The missionaries took the family under their wing. My grandmother was
given the job of a “Bible woman” (a sort of lay evangelist). She visited other homes and
distributed evangelistic pamphlets etc. The other two elder children were admitted to
Jaffna College and Uduvil respectively. Our missionaries coming from a Quaker/puritan
orientated background didn’t encourage free bursaries. A student enjoying financial aid
always had certain special duties assigned to her.

Amma was put to selling books and stationary after school hours. I guessed this was
when she lived with me at the mission house, she’d often stand in front of the cupboards
there and say its’ here. I had the ex-books, plus and level. Probably there were other duties
too.

My Mother was intelligent and hard working. She did well at Uduvil and graduated
from the Teachers training school run by the school and ended up as a qualified teacher at
Uduvil. A story probably true. I’ve heard it said: There was an age bar to sit the Teacher
Training final exam, which I understand was a sort of All Island exam conducted by the
education department. Amma was under-aged by a few months, but she sat the exam with
the connivance of the supervisor and the missionary principal Susan. Amma passed the
exam.

Eventually she left to get married. My father was on the staff of Jaffna College.
(Another story- I understand my father would attend his English classes to improve her
English)

But my parents were keen their daughter should be educated at Uduvil and so some
years later moved to Uduvil, Aiyah travelled to his place of work. Her love and loyalty to her
school remained untarnished.

Is it wrong to claim her daughter returning to Uduvil years later was her Triumph?
That she spent her last years in the Mission house and enjoyed the smiles and love of the
staff and matrons. (Especially Nallamah Acca, her old student) and the children. Her final
reward or destiny?

The Bishops letter inviting me to Uduvil came to me when I was back in Bangkok
winding up affairs. Amma was the first person I wrote to about the invitation. But I
்
understand she’d gone around Uduvil asking Saraswathy உடுவிலுைகு வைலொம ்
்
உனகமயொய?
She is coming to Uduvil they say. Is it true? Oh …

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