Founder of Bengaluru's first free English school honoured at RBANM's function

Mudaliar established 11 institutions in his lifetime, including Bengaluru's first free English primary school in Commercial Street in 1873.

RBANM's Educational Charities conducted its annual Founder's Day function at the Sabha Institute on Wednesday, May 14, to honour its founder, Dharmarathnakara Rai Bahadur Arcot Narrainsawmy Mudaliar, and look back upon his contributions to education and social reform in 19th-century Bengaluru.

Addressing the gathering, activist and descendant of the family, Arvind Narrain, termed Mudaliar as a pioneer who defied caste and gender conventions through education. Mudaliar established 11 institutions in his lifetime, including Bengaluru's first free English primary school on Commercial Street in 1873.

Arvind separated Mudaliar's life into two periods: 1827–1870 and 1872–1910, and observed that he did most of his institutional work during the latter period, which he called the "high noon of colonialism."

Mudaliar went beyond providing education. He also established charities for the support of orphans and famine-stricken people. His school on Commercial Street provided non-white students in the cantonment town with an English education, going against the colonial-era regulations and encouraging social inclusivity.

A participant in the Brahmo Samaj reform movement, Mudaliar hired Bipin Chandra Pal as the school's head, consistent with the movement's emphasis on women's education, widow remarriage, and reform of caste. He also established the Govindammal Girls School to rebut the prevailing view that women were inferior and incapable of handling public life.

Arvind stated that although Mudaliar's vision set up these institutions, the progress these institutions made in the last 150 years is also because of the continuous efforts of others who propagated his ideals. He pointed out the donation of the Sabha school building in 1936 to RBANM's as just one instance of how philanthropy continued to be at the core of the growth of the institution.

"Such was the manner of his life that it inspires acts of giving whereby the Sabha school was an act of gift presented to RBANM's in 1936, and such a philanthropic history this institution bears is a valuable lesson we derive from the life of the Founder. And the imperative urgency of education with the vision of education for all along with attention to the most marginalized.". With his liberal mindset in which indiscrimination was his guiding principle he foreshadows the values of the Constitution-the notion of dignity, equality and foremost fraternity," Arvind said.

The event featured a performance by folk singer and ex member of Karnataka Janapada Academy Shilpa Mudbi, who gave a feminist and trans reading of Renuka Yellamma's legacy. Mudbi, drawing from her memories of Dussehra plays as a child, talked about how she continues to work towards preserving Karnataka's folk heritage.

The program included poetry recitals in Tamil, Hindi, and English by staff members on topics ranging from Dalit rights to womanhood.