The 125th birth anniversary celebrations of educationist and founder of the Blue Mountains School, Fredrick Gordon Pearce, was held in Udhagamandalam recently.
Mukund Padmanabhan, Editor of The Hindu , an alumnus of the school, was the keynote speaker. He released a book on F.G. Pearce - “The Educationist,” compiled and edited by B.J. Krishnan and Chaitanya Krishnan at the event. The first copy of the book was received by Vikram Pearce, son of F.G. Pearce.
Mr. Padmanabhan spoke about the school, stating that the “intimacy (of the school) was created not by the small number of students who studied there, but by the environment of the school created by the founder to bring people together.” He added that the teachers at the school, through their affection, encouraged the students to deal with situations themselves.
Devmohan Mohunta, an alumnus of the Rishi Valley School where Pearce had been a principal, fondly remembered his days at the school. He spoke about how Pearce nurtured a creative and inquiring mind. “As a man of reason, this resulted in him imbibing a very liberal outlook,” he said, while adding that the presence of J. Krishnamurti, a philosopher, speaker and writer, at the Rishi Valley School gave the students a sense of liberal vision.
Vikram Pearce, chairman of the F.G. Pearce Trust that administers the Blue Mountains School, rededicated the school to the ideals of its founder. “The unique character of the school, namely being small and free from fear, will continue for years to come,” he said.
Mr. B. J. Krishnan, director of the Blue Mountains School, said that Pearce would have been a great teacher in any age and in any country.
He added that Pearce’s spiritual quest brought him to India at a very young age and that he was deeply influenced by the teachings of Buddha. “Considered to be one of the founding fathers of the Indian Public School movement, he started experimenting with J. Krishnamurti’s “learning and freedom” in Rishi Valley and continued the same in the Blue Mountains School in 1961,” he said.
Colonel Bajrang Singh from Netarhat School, Gaminy Jayawardane from Mahinda College, Galle, in Sri Lanka, and Amar Dar from Dune School were also present.
Pearce was associated with these schools. Ms. Sophia Varky, principal of Blue Mountains School, was present at the event.
