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Mylapore Educational Institutes

# 1. SIVASAMI IYER SCHOOL.

Thirukattupalli is a small village in Thanjavur district of Tamilnadu. It boasts of an ancient history, mentoned in Ponniyin Selvan book by Kalki. About 2.5 km from this village is PAZHAMANERI another small village.

In this village there lived one family of Sundaram Iyer and his wife Subbalakshmi Ammal. On 7th February 1864, a son was born to them and was named Sivaswami. He had his early schooling in nearby schools and studied in different colleges and obtained his Law degree.  He was a shining lawyer throughout and finally he became the Advocate General of Madras Presidency .He was elected to the Senate of Madras University and the vice chancellor of the Madras University, then the VC of Banaras Hindu University.He was a Member of the Executive Council of the Governor of Madras.

He was a keen educationist, in particular of Girls' education. He wanted to uplift girls education.He instituted and maintained a school for boys at Tirukkattupalli, and named it as Sivasami High School in 1910s. With liberal donations from him, the school grew from a lower to High School. He made it a co-education school, first of its kind those days.

There was a small school in Mylapore, the National Girls High School. He took it over in 1930. The school had no funds and was struggling. Sivaswami Iyer and his wife were living in a  palatial bungalow "SUDHARMA" in Edward Elliots Road, now Radhakrishnan Salai, in Mylapore. He sold the bungalow to Anantharama Krishnan of Amalgamations Group and donated the entire amount to the School ! They shifted to a small rented house and they lived there till his! (What a noble soul !!). The school grew and was re-named Lady Sivasami Iyer Girls High School first and then to the present name "Lady Sivasami Iyer Girls Higher Secondary School." He passed away in 1946. This school completed 148 years in 2017. These two schools are in Sundareshwarar koil Street, East Maada Veethi, Mylapore.

Later a new school named Sir Sivaswami Kalalaya Senior Secondary School was constructed, on his birth centenary, 1964. My brother Sugavanam's (SS Krishnan) two  daughters studied in this Kalalaya. On 17th July,2000, one more school of the same name was opened in Mandaveli
A noble son of Mylapore, a great school of Mylapore.

# 2.  PENNATHUR SUBRAMANIA IYER (1860-1901) was born in Pennathur in Chittoor of erstwhile Madras Presidency (now Andhra Pradesh). After schooling in Pennathur he shifted to Madras and rose to be the Commissioner for Mylapore till his death. He was a philanthropist and was the founder of PS Charities. Very much interested in youth education, he founded and constructed a school in RK Mutt road, opposite to Sri Ramakrishna Mutt in 1976. P.S. Senior Secondary School. It is considered as one of the Top-5 schools in Chennai today.

# 3. VIDYA MANDIR

The School originally began as a Ladies' Club - hence the name Mylapore Ladies Club (MLC) School Society It first started as a kindergarten for the boys of the area. This was in February 1956. The first president of the society was Sister Subbalakshmi, who was supported by Shri Subbaraya Aiyar, a leading lawyer of his time, and Mrs. Padmini Chari, Educationist. Thus the school was born on the 3rd of February 1956, through the efforts of the three, and Vidya Mandir Matriculation School was formally opened in 1960.

In these 5 decades, Vidya Mandir has taken giant strides as an educational institution. The school's vision was so farsighted that it holds good even today. Although started for boys, it is today a coeducational school with over 2000 students.

It is located on the RK Mutt road near Luz signal.

# 4 VIVEKANANDA COLLEGE.

You walk along the Royapettah High road, a km or so from Luz corner, you come across the Vivekananda college, on Oliver Road. On an auspicious day of 21st June 1946, Swami Kailashanandaji Maharaj, the then President of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai ceremoniously inaugurated the College. On 1st July 1946, the Professor, Philosopher, and President of India-to-be, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan formally inaugurated the College and dedicated it to the cause of quality education. Those public-spirited gentlemen who founded the College turned over to the Ramakrishna Mission and entrusted the College to Mission's loving concern and nurturing care.
Thus, the ideal of Vivekananda College has been education with a difference, admission policy without any prejudice, and administrative procedure without biased preferences. No wonder, the College has blossomed into a Temple of Learning. The close and continuous interaction between the monks of the Mission and the College has steadily helped it mould itself on the lines of Swami Vivekananda's Vision.

What began with just five rooms with an area of 5000sq ft in 1946 can today boast of a Main Block, Brahmananda Block, Shivananda Block, a Mathematics Block, Life Sciences Block, a Sanskrit Block, a Obul Reddy Auditorium Block, a Library Block, and a Sports Complex.

Man-making and character building are the bricks and spiritual and patriotic education are the mortar of this edifice; but it began with a strength of 20 teachers and 339 students. Today the College has on its rolls no less than 3000 students in 11 Graduate and 7 Post Graduate programmes in day college.

# 5. RAMAKRISHNA MISSION STUDENTS HOME is located just opposite to Vivekananda College, on the Oliver road, Mylapore.

Ramakrishna Mission Students Home, Chennai, is serving more than 670 orphan and poor students with free education, food and accommodation. It has three free educational institutions -- a Residential High School, a Residential Polytechnic College and a Primary Day School. Students Home was started in 1905 by Swami Ramakrishnananda, a direct disciple of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna.

Students Home takes care of poor orphan and destitute boys selected mostly from remote rural areas. Students stay in the Orphanage Home and study in High School and Polytechnic College. Currently there are about 670 students in residence. In Primary School, boys and girls from the local community are admitted as day scholars.

Home helps only orphan and poor students who cannot afford education. It combines the ancient Gurukula system with modern technology under the care of monks of the Ramakrishna Order and dedicated teachers. The Orphanage Home inculcates character building and man making education to its students and thus able to produce citizens of high calibre every year.

It functions with the generous donations contributed by charitable people and institutions.

My brother SUGAVANAM (SS Krishnan) and later my sister's son RAMESH (Balakrishnan Srinivasan) studied in this Polytechnic run by Ramakrishna Mission and were staying in this Home. Everything free.

# 6. THE MADRAS SANSKRIT COLLEGE.

It is located on The Royapettah High road, near the Anjaneyar temple, 500 metres from Luz corner.
The Madras Sanskrit College & S.S.V.Patasala was founded in February 1906, by one of the most illustrious personalities and an eminent jurist late Honourable V.Krishnaswami Iyer, Former Judge of Madras High Court and Member of the Executive Council of Government of Madras. Grown rapidly since its inception, the college has completed hundred years of service to the society particularly in the field of Sanskrit and became successful in restoring and rejuvenating the indigenous tradition and culture.

The college is affiliated to the University of Madras and recognized by the Collegiate Education, Governmentt of Tamil Nadu


Rajappa
05-06-2017


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