Drizzles From My Pen: Uduvil Girls' College

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Uduvil Girls' College

Uduvil Girls' College, the first girls’ boarding school in South Asia was founded on 24th November 1824 by the American Missionaries. There is a miraculous story behind the arrival of the missionaries. In 1806, five students from Williams College America were praying. While they were praying a thunderstorm broke out. The five men went to a haystack for shelter. They saw a spiritual vision. This meeting was referred to as the 'Haystack meeting'. They decided to spread this good news to Asia. In 1819 missionaries arrived in Jaffna. Among the missionaries were Rev Miron Winslow and Harriet Winslow. Harriet Winslow and her husband started their journey in a bullock cart. The vehicle stopped at Uduvil. Suddenly they saw an abandoned building. It was a parsonage. The Winslows decided to live there. They started repairing the house. They thatched the roofs and windows using palmyrah leaves. During that time women were not allowed to study. They were destined to do the household works. Harriet Winslow pleaded the parents to allow their daughters to study. No one agreed to her pleadings. On a rainy day two girls peeped through the windows and looked inside the house. Harriet Winslow started talking with them but they ran away. They couldn't go to their house because of heavy raining. Harriet Winslow gave them meals and allowed them to stay at her house. Next day morning the two girls went to their house. Their father was very angry with them because they ate Non vegetarian meal at the Mission house. He sent his daughters to study under Harriet Winslow. This was the beginning of Uduvil Girls' College. Now more than two thousand students are studying at Uduvil Girls' College. Uduvil's principal chair was adorned by galaxy of women of great calibre

1. Harriet Winslow

2.Eliza Agnew

3.Susan Howland

4.Lulu Bookwalter

5.Hudson Paramasamy

6.Saraswathy Somasundaram

7.C.V.Selliah

8.Shiranee Mills (current principal)