P. de S. Kularatne

Patrick de Silva Kularatne (born 31 March 1893 -16 November 1976) BA(Hon), BSc(Hon), LLB(London) was a educationists and politician of Sri Lanka. He established Nalanda College, Ananda Balika, Moratuwa Vidyalaya and Pannipitiya Vidyalaya. His wife Hilda, a brilliant scholar was the principal of Ananda Balika and she founded the Sri Sumangala Girls' School at Panadura and Maliyadewa Girls' School at Kurunegala.

Early life & education

Born in Ambalangoda, he had his early education at Richmond College Galle, Wesley College, Colombo and proceeded to England for further studies at the University of London.

Teaching career

Principal of Ananda College

Kularatne was the Principal of Ananda College from 1923 to 1932 and raised the standard of the school to a premier institution of learning during his tenure. Under his stewardship Ananda came to be registered as a Collegiate School with a separate Primary School. Students were coached to sit the University of London intermediate, Pre. Medical and Entrance examinations. Teaching in the mother tongue in the Kindergarten was introduced by him well before it was introduced by the Department of Education. He instilled a national consciousness in students and laid emphasis on a Buddhist education and parents who would otherwise have admitted their sons to missionary schools were now keen to admit them to Ananda College.

While promoting Buddhist education he also promoted racial unity and co-existence and the Teachers in his schools included Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Indians. He had a brilliant staff including C. Sundaralingam, a great mathematician, Dr. G.P. Malalasekera, Dr. T.B. Jayah and J.N. Jinendradasa. Jayah and Jinendradasa later took over the administration of Zahira College, Colombo and Nalanda College Colombo respectively.

Dr. Evans-Wendtz an American Buddhist visited Ceylon on the invitation of Mr. Kularatne and took part in a series of debates on Buddhist topics. It is significant that clergy of the standing of Rev. Highfield of Wesley College and Rev. Father Legoc of St. Joseph's College contributed to this discussion.

His term of office was indeed the most fruitful and he left no stone unturned to set a very high standard in every new venture he launched. It is significant that he was able to win the co-operation of His Excellencies Graeme Thompson and Sir Herbert Stanley and Sir Murchison Fletcher in his determined effort to acquire more space for Ananda College and Nalanda College Colombo.

The Kularatne era was the most significant period in the development of Ananda College and it commenced on 1st January 1918 with the assumption of duties as principal by P. de S. Kularatne. The Dutugemunu fund was inaugurated in 1919 and the first building of the Kularatne era, with nine classrooms was built with the funds raised. In the same year eight classes commenced for Buddhist monks.

In the same month a four acre block of land was made available for the college playground at Campbell Place. On 31st March 1922 British Governor Sir Graeme Thompson laid the foundation stone for a sixteen classroom building at Campbell Place. In August the same year the first stage of the two storied hostel was opened.

One of the most memorable events in the annals of the college was the visit of the colossus of Indian letters, Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on November 10, 1922, as chief guest at the annual prize giving. He declared on that occasion: "I acknowledge that the life of Ananda is its humility and unassuming nature."

One of the greatest men ever born Mahathma Gandhi visited Ananda in 1927. Two singular achievements of the college in 1928 were the winning of the coveted Herman Loos cup for the best cadet platoon and the Stubs challenge shield for boxing. In 1929 Ananda won the CVRA shield for rifle shooting.

He encouraged his staff to write text-books in English on geography, history, botany, science etc. in a novel experiment for that era. With foresight he made the study of science popular. With even great foresight Kularatne started classes for teaching Tamil to Sinhalese students and Sinhala to Tamil Students

The Late Mr. C. Sunderalingam, the distinguished professor of mathematics of the Ceylon University rightfully stated: "Kularatne has helped the people of Ceylon to shed their inferiority complex, at least in the secondary schools. He contributed directly to a Buddhist revival and indirectly to a national revival in this Lanka of ours."

Political career

Kularatne was the first sectary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Family life

On 19 November 1920 Miss Hilda Muriel Westbrook came from England and joined the staff of Ananda College and in December the same year she married Kularatne. They had 3 children, Ananda, Maya and Parakrama, the eldest Pilot Officer Ananda Kularatne an RAF pilot, was killed in world War 2 when his Halifax Bomber didn't return from a raid. A daughter of his Maya, married Stanley Senanayake, who would become the Inspector General of Police. It was Stanley Senanayake who tipped Kularatne off about the attempted military coup in 1962 who it turn tipped the government thus stopping it. P. de Silva Kularatne died on the 16 November 1976.

ee also

* Attempted military coup in Ceylon, 1962