Basel Mission School Tellicherry.

 

 

I was working at Tellicherry General Hospital  about 5 years ago and  astonished the British influence there  in every aspect of life. To me there is a treasure of historic activities which lead eventually Indian colonisation  as well as modernisation I would say. I was sitting the very near  or some same building that itself have a lot of stories, the Fort of Tellicherry. In the evening I explored the surroundingd areas and town and found more and more evidence and remains of the above said colonisation. I was regularly visited this School near to my Hospital, in the evenings., only to enjoy the beautiful creativity.

 

 

 







Mission School Tellicherry photo from 1911. The present building of the school, located in the centre of the town, was built in 1903. The spacious hall of the building, roof made of huge wooden beams, and old-style roof tiles add to its heritage value. 



Mission School Tellicherriy.The school is celebrating its 150th anniversary with various functions. 

 

 

 

Mission station Tellicherry Photo from 1901

 

 

A note on this school:

 

Basel Evangelical Mission Parsi (BEMP) School is arguably as old as the history of modern education in this town, which was once an important trading centre of the East India Company and the British administrative headquarters of the erstwhile Malabar. The school has undergone vast changes since it was started a century-and-a-half ago with just 74 students. 
 

The school is celebrating its 150th anniversary with various functions. The celebration formally began here on Monday though it was on March 1, 1856, that the school was started as Basel German Mission School. It was later re-christened BEMP School as a mark of respect to Kaikose Ruderasha, a Parsi philanthropist who generously donated funds for the development of the school. The school, managed by the North Kerala Diocese of the Church of South India, was upgraded to a high school by Rev. C. Mueller who came here to assist German missionary Hermann Gundert.

The present building of the school, located in the centre of the town, was built in 1903. The spacious hall of the building, roof made of huge wooden beams, and old-style roof tiles add to its heritage value.
 

Those who taught at the school included Dr. Gundert, who compiled the first Malayalam dictionary, and Keeleri Kunhikannan, who served as gymnastic instructor at the school and was considered the father of the Indian circus.

Translator and author Thatha Kanaran who translated the works Walter Scott and Samuel Johnson served as the school headmaster. English scholar R. Mukunda Mallar worked as teacher at the school. P. Sankunni who served as Principal of Victoria College, Palakkad, was a product of the school. Malayalam satirist O. Chandu Menon, short story writer Murkot Kumaran, Communist leader A.K. Gopalan, freedom fighters I.K. Kumaran and Moyyarath Shankaran and socialist leader P.R. Kurup also studied at the school.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed, retired administrator Murkot Ramunny, and the former Calicut University Vice-Chancellor A.N.P. Ummerkutty also studied at the school.