| About the year 1880, Mr. Singarachariar
handed over the Secretaryship to the late M.D. Gopalachariar,
Manager of the High Court, continuing, however, as a Managing
Member. Subsequently on the death of Ramanjoobo Naidu, the
first President of the School, Raja T. Rama Row, Vakil of
the High Court, succeeded him in the office of President.
On the death of M.D. Gopalachariar in 1887, Mr. Singarachariar
resumed the Secretaryship for a brief interval, after which
Mr. M. 0. Parthasarathy Iyengar took up the office. In 1889,
Mr. M. Viraraghavachariar, Proprietor of "The Hindu",
was added on to the Committee, and in 1896, Mr. M. A. Tirunarayanachari,
Vakil of the High Court, was nominated Assistant Secretary.
Last year, on the suggestion of the Director of' Public Instruction,
the name of the school was again changed into the Hindu High
School, Triplicane. The results produced by the schools year
after year have been satisfactory both in the Matriculation
and in the Lower Secondary examinations. Students from this
school have often headed the list in both these examinations
and have kept up their good name and that of the school in
their collegiate as well as post-collegiate career. There
are scattered throughout this Presidency persons in all walks
of life who look back with gratitude to this Institution.
In appointing the teachers, especially the Head-masters, the
Managers have always realized the responsible nature of their
duty and taken particular care in making the selections. The
Managers are glad to say that the successive Headmasters have
invariably been very capable men, the present Headmaster being
a Master of Arts. The Managers may say that the rest of the
teaching staff is also, on the whole, efficient In recent
years, a library has been formed in connection with the school,
which was reported upon by Mr. Marsden, Inspector of Schools,
as "excellent and well used.
The Government grant-in-aid, which the school was getting
for a long time, was stopped in the year 1885, for the reason
that there was not proper building accommodation for the boys.
In 1889 and 1890 the recognition of the school was also withheld
for the same reason, although the school was recognised conditionally
year to year. The Managers hastened to concert measures for
the construction of a proper building, and the first fruits
of their exertions were the purchase of the site of this building
for Rs. 3,000 and of the adjacent building which was till
then rented by them, for Rs. 5,250. The construction of the
present building was next undertaken at an estimated cost
of Rs. 57,627, and through the kind intervention of the Hon'ble
Dr. Duncan, our Director of Public Instruction, whose almost
paternal interest in the school and all that he has done for
it, neither the Committee nor the public can sufficiently
acknowledge, the enlightened and liberal Government of your
Excellency sanctioned the munificent grant of Rs. 19,209 towards
the cost of the building. The Committee had in hand only Rs.
16,000 accumulated by dint of hard saving during many years:
yet, they ventured upon too great, and as it seemed then,
foolhardy enterprise, trusting to the sympathy and generous
help of the public. Mrs. and. the Hon'ble Dr. Duncan were
good enough to lay the foundation stone of this building and
the work was put into the hands of our well-known and highly-esteemed
contractor, Mr. T. Namberumal Chettiar, who has reared a building
which, the Managers feel it would not be too much to say,
has exceeded the most sanguine expectations entertained of
it. Of the grant sanctioned by Government, the Committee have
drawn Rs. 9,000, and this sum, together with Rs. 21,968-12-0
from the School funds the Committee have paid to the contractor,
making in all Rs. 30,968-12-0. The balance of the Government
grant of Rs. 10,209 will shortly be drawn and paid over to
the contractor. To liquidate the deficit, the Committee propose
to appeal for subscriptions to the enlightened and generous
public, and should there still be any deficiency, the Committee
will meet it by issuing debenture loans secured on the building
itself. These loans will be redeemed in course of time out
of the fee receipts of the school, supplemented as it will
be by the usual Government grant which, the Committee hope,
will be renewed, now that the cause for its withholding has
been removed.
In conclusion, the Managers beg to tender their heartiest
thanks to your Excellency for your Excellency's kindness and
condescension in coming here to open this building, as well
as to your Excellency's Government for the munificent grant
sanctioned by them, and assure your Excellency that your Excellency's
kindness and the well-directed liberality of your Excellency's
Government will be gratefully remembered in this part of Madras
as long as this building endures. The Committee beg again
to express their deep indebtedness to the Hon'ble Dr. Duncan
for the keen interest he has taken in the welfare of this
school and for all that he has done for it. And to Mr. Namberwial
Chettiar also the Committee owe a debt of gratitude for his
sympathising with their financial difficulties, as also for
the obliging readiness with which he has complied with the
numerous suggestions for alterations made by them from time
to time during the progress of the building, and above all,
for the excellent way in which he has executed the wok entrusted
to him.
Mr. T. Namberumal Chettiar, B.A., in giving a description
of the building, said: -
MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY,
I feel highly honour ed that the task of giving a description
of $ the buildings has devolved upon me in the absence of
Mr. Irwin the Architect, and I discharge it with the greatest
pleasure
The corner-stone of the Triplicane Hindu High School was
laid by the Hon'ble Dr. Duncan and Mrs. Duncan on 13th August
1895, but the work was not commenced until the middle of the
succeeding year. The plans, as originally designed, were found
to provide insufficient accommodation, and some more land
had to be acquired in 'the south-west corner. The buildings
comprise two distinct blocks, the rear block is of three stories,
and the front one is only of two stories, but capable of another
story being added subsequently, if necessary. The rear block
was first commenced, and when laying the foundations of the
front blocks work had to be suspended on account of the severe
monsoon of 1896. The main building in the lower story contains
six large rooms, each measuring 24 feet X 20 feet X 16 feet
in height, capable of accommodating a class of 40 pupils.
The upper story contains a big hall 75 feet by 42 feet with
Truss roof, the special feature being that very little timber
is used. It has a verandah all round 6i feet wide, with the
exception of the front one which is wider and contains two
staircases at either end. The rear block in each story consists
of two rooms, each measuring 24 feet X 20 feet X 13 feet in
height and a large room 30 feet X 24 feet X 13 feet, intended
for laboratory for the science students; there is a verandah
on either side of these three rooms to afford shelter to students
when changing classes.
The work has been carried out according to standard specifications,
and in accordance with the regulations of the Grant-in-aid
Code, and the building costs Rs. 45,000. On calculating the
cubical contents of the building, I find a cubic foot costing
only 2 annas which is below the proper average for buildings
of this sort, notwithstanding the heavy percentage, viz.,
24 1/2 per cent., paid to Government for bricks purchased
from Government kilns.
In conclusion, I tender my humble thank to Dr. and Mrs. Duncan
for the encouragement they gave me by their frequent visits
while the building was in progress, the rapid completion of
which was in no small measure due to their keen interest.
My thanks are also due to the maistries who devoted their
attention and energy in completing the work without loss of
life or limb. In recognition of their services, I beg your
Excellency will be graciously pleased to hand over these purses.
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