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Peradeniya University
50 years today The university
students arrived at the newly built campus at Peradeniya on October
6, 1952 and the university started functioning on October 7. Therefore
the actual Golden Jubilee of the University of Ceylon, transferred
to Peradeniya (now re-designated University of Peradeniya) falls
on October 7. The University
of Peradeniya has already announced a programme of activities to
celebrate this important event. This brief paper is intended to
recollect the memories of the university at Peradeniya on October
6 and 7, 1952. The vivid verbal
picture of the University of Peradeniya springing into action for
the first time on these two days in 1952, in the words of its first
Vice-Chancellor Dr. (later Sir) Ivor Jennings is obtainable from
his Diary from October 21, 1951 to September 24, 1953 containing
52 pages. His entry in
the Diary starts as follows: "October
6, 1952 -D Day 12 Noon -The
weather has much improved. There have been a few storms, but most
of the students have arrived getting wet and most often the sun
has shone. Indeed it is shining now. Several hundred students have
already arrived, though we did not expect them until this afternoon.
I called at Hilda Obeysekara at 8.15 a.m. and found students already
there, though the men were still at work. Two blocks at H.O. are
unfurnished, but we are putting in all the surplus furniture (Here
comes the rain) from the old Women's Hostel. We may still be short
of mattresses and / of beds, but I will have a check made this afternoon.
For the moment, there is nothing I can do." "8.45
p.m. - I have spoken to the women at H.O. and been to call to men's
Hall. The men's are all late, and so I have dropped the idea of
talking to them until tomorrow. Marrs now has lights. That I think
ends the entry for D Day, unless something goes wrong." Dr. Ivor Jennings
had to face a multitude of challenges including the difficulties
created by the escalating 2nd World War of 1939-1945, floods in
1947, frustrating delays, bureaucratic hassles and construction
problems when shifting the university from Colombo to Peradeniya.
With unflagging energy, enthusiasm and resourcefulness he carried
out his responsibilities and saw that the transfer of the first
batch of students from Colombo to Peradeniya took place in 1949.
These were students from the Departments of Law and Agriculture
and also the third and fourth year students of the Department of
Veterinary Science, which was at that time attached to the Faculty
of Medicine, Colombo. The major move took place on 6th October 1952
when the staff and students of the Faculties of Arts and Oriental
Studies together with the Main Library and the University Administration
were transferred to Peradeniya. The completion of this major move
marked the formal establishment of the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya. These diary
notes indicate the picture of a Vice-Chancellor on the first day,
when major move took place on October 6, 1952. The staff and students
of the Faculties of Arts and Oriental Studies reported to the new
campus on that day. The student accommodation had been arranged
at Hilda Obeysekara Hall for Women and at Arunachalam, Jayatilake,
Marrs and James Pieris Halls for Men. This important
event of the university becoming fully operative at Peradeniya was
celebrated on a subdued tone by the Vice-Chancellor by planting
a tree opposite the entrance to the Lodge, because the government
was keen to postpone the ceremonial opening arranged for 1952, owing
to the death of King George VI, until Queen Elizabeth II could participate
in the opening ceremony in 1954. The postponed
opening ceremony was held on April 20 1954 with the participation
of Queen Elizabeth II. The Duke of Edinburgh while declaring open
the university said "You have remarked Mr. Chancellor, that
it is not easy to open a university, because once established it
is always open. However, like the shopkeepers of London during the
bombing, I can declare this place to be "more open than usual"....
It is therefore evident that the university moved to Peradeniya
on October 6, 1952, nearly one and a half years before the ceremonial
opening, due to the initiative of Dr. Ivor Jennings, the Vice-Chancellor. Planting the
tree opposite the entrance to the lodge on October 6 1952 is indicated
in the diary notes as follows: "I planted
an Amhersta Noblis opposite the Lodge this morning at 9.45 a.m.
The time had not been mentioned and so only Len, Peeris and the
gardeners were present. That was how I wanted it. In 50 years time,
when it will be a magnificent tree, the students will perhaps ask
themselves why the first Vice-Chancellor planted it on the 6th October
1952. That is all I want." It is on record
that the lectures of the university began at 8.00 a.m.on 7th October
1952. At 9.00 a.m. the Library was opened in the ground floor of
the Arts Building without its Librarian Mr.R.S. Enright who had
passed away few days ago after a brief illness. The diary entry
for October 7 has only 19 lines. It starts with the comment "Nothing
went wrong, but ....". It refers to the matters he had attended
to that day. At the end he says: "On the
whole it has been a full but quiet day. I held a meeting of the
Students Council to elect office bearers. Only two posts were contested. The main environment at present is that the students are wandering about, doing no work, and getting wet in the frequent storms. The weather has, however, improved." When Sir Ivor
Jennings relinquished the post of Vice-Chancellor, University of
Ceylon, Peradeniya in 1955 and left Sri Lanka, he had the satisfaction
of overseeing the transfer of 3 Faculties (Arts, Oriental Studies,
Agriculture & Vet. Science) and two Departments (Law and Dental
Surgery) to the newly created university. It is unfortunate that
some of his genuine hopes have not materialized. So was the tree
he planted on October 6 1952, which he thought would rouse the curiosity
of students when it turns out to be a magnificent tree. Although
many trees he got planted at Peradeniya are blooming as a mark of
respect to his great contribution to higher learning in this country,
the tree he planted opposite the Lodge started decaying and it collapsed
a few years ago. Now the tree has disappeared without any trace.
The stone slab at the foot of the tree bearing the following inscription
also has undergone the same fate. Amhersta Noblis Planted by
the Vice-Chancellor Sir Ivor Jennings |
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