Priyan Dias, Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, presents a detailed assessment of THOMIA from an Old Boy’s point of view….. presentedin FACEBOOK, 9 January 2026 by Sandagomi Coperahewa
“By the time Reginald De Saram became warden, the school needed a “defender” against populist sentiment. With nationalist feeling running high, there were many who felt that British-public-school-style education, as offered at institutions like S. Thomas’, had at least outlived its time – if it was not actually inhibiting the establishment of a more ‘grassroots’ educational system for the country. Much of Volume II (covering the years 1948-2001) is devoted to this fascinating tension, which was heightened by feelings engendered by Ceylon’s independence from British rule. De Saram is portrayed as fulfilling his ‘defender’ role admirably, in some cases even ‘going on the offensive’ (to remain with the metaphor) and stealing a march on other nationalists. In particular, he responded to the official decree that ‘vernacular’ education be made compulsory at all schools by recruiting an enviable staff of Sinhala teachers from the activist “Hela havula” movement (which sought to ‘purify’ the Sinhala language), which thus found a home at the college. The son of one of the Hela teachers is today Professor of Sinhala at the University of Colombo, having studied at S. Thomas’ himself before gaining his doctorate from Cambridge University.
The story of the Hela Havula reminds us that while S. Thomas’ is often identified with an ethos of Westernised education, it has also produced several nationalists of more or less radical hue – among them SWRD Bandaranaike, Anagarika Dharmapala, Ediriweera Sarachchandra and Devar Surya Sena (who provided the musical setting for the Sinhala Anglican liturgy), to name a few. Arisen Ahubudu, one of the Hela havula teachers, is today a household name among Sri Lankan Buddhists. And in passing, the book describes how Thomians were victorious at the All-Island Inter-School Sinhala Debating Championships of 1978 – almost 50 years ago now, to be sure, but then only 30 years after Independence and on the 50th anniversary of the Sinhala Literary and Debating Society.
Today, at the 175th anniversary of the College, various competitions are being held on English essay-writing and oratory, open to students all over the country. That is a certainly a good way to celebrate Thomian contributions to Lankan English-language competence over the years – but maybe the school should follow this with corresponding competitions in Sinhala as well, highlighting her contributions to that language, too.”