Jaffna College – Vaddukkoddai ’88 Batch Reunion

History and heritage of Jaffna College (Est. 1823)

The crest of the college reads as ‘Jaffna College – Ceylon’ with 1823 on the left and 1872 on the right, clearly proclaiming that the College was not a mere Vaddukoddai or Jaffna school but an all-island college. Jaffna College was the successor of the Batticotta (Vaddukoddai) Seminary. The seminary had been closed in 1855. In 1872 some of the American missionaries, former teachers and alumni took the bold decision to establish Jaffna College, inspired by the illustrious academic achievements of the Batticotta Seminary. In between there existed a Vaddukoddai Mission school run by the American Ceylon Mission as in other parts of Jaffna.

In the early ’70s Jaffna College was taken over by the University of Jaffna to host all their degree programs as the college campus was large enough to accommodate the grad students at that time. Its glory being the oldest school is maintained with funds that are held by Jaffna College Fund in Massachusetts, USA. Currently Jaffna College excels in both education and sports activities under the guidance or Rev. Dr. D.S. Soloman (Principal) and Anton Chandrakumar (Deputy Principal). 

Reunion of ’88 Batch of Jaffna College

The reunions of the 1988 Batch of Jaffna College Boys and Girls were held at the college campus in Vaddukoodai, on 13 and 14 July this year. As most of the members turn 50 this year it was a participation to celebrate and feast to commemorate the birth anniversaries. It took over six years to find the classmates with the vision to celebrate a reunion, as a Facebook Group started in 2012 namely Jaffna College ’88 Batch, to bring all these classmates to one common place. In 2017, with the use of WhatsApp they managed this vast participation despite the prevailing situation in the country. 

In order to add colour to this historical moment, all the teachers who contributed to their wellbeing and those who are living currently were invited. The names are as follows.

1. The Rt. Rev. Dr. S. Jebanesan (Principal Emeritus, and the former Bishop of JDCSI) 

2. Dr. Noel A. Vimalendran (Principal Emeritus) 

3. Rev. Dr. D.S. Soloman (Current Principal) 

4. Selvamani Selvadurai 

5. K. Ponnudurai 

6. N. Balasingham 

7. K. Sathasivam 

8. K. Thangarajah 

9. T. Sivashanmuganathan 

10. Evangeline T. Jeyarajah

The highlight of the event was the scrumptious homemade Jaffna artisan food for lunch which was made to perfection. The menu was a typical Jaffy feast that was usually served for a grand occasion. Then the gala dinner at Jetwing Jaffna was a cream on the cake as most of the mates managed to reminisce their past and their thrilling experiences during their tenure in Jaffna College. It was a very emotional moment for most of the participants as they recalled their past incidents in college, which was one of the best. Blast of four different Asian cuisines and refreshments were served with other accompaniments. 

The members of the organising committee were Jeevananthan Renganathan, Krishnan Yathavan, and Umesh Sivakanthan (AKA Sri Nithiya Omakarananda). They sincerely thank the Principal Dr. D.S. Solaman and Deputy Principal Anton Chandrakumar for giving them the permission to use the college campus and take part in this historic event. “As the alumni of Jaffna College we are all proud to be a product of such an eminent college and we will always remember to ‘Love her name and guard her fame while life and memory last’ (College Hymn)”.