Our Founder Smt. B K Thirumalamma
Malleshwaram Shishu Vihar
Smt. B K Thirumalamma started the school Malleswaram Shishu Vihar. She was an efficient and dedicated educationist, a very pious, kind and compassionate person. She was well qualified and highly principled. Nevertheless, she preferred to remain behind the scenes and worked continuously for the cause of Education.
Even as a child, Thirumalamma would stand out as a serene and peaceful looking child amongst her siblings, cousins and other family members. Her parents were also intellectuals. Her father, Sri. B Krishnaswami Iyengar was a qualified engineer and was actively involved in the construction of a tunnel in a place called Hulikere near Mandya. Even to this day the tunnel is fully operational over the river Kaveri supplying water for irrigation to all the nearby villages. Due to flawless execution as per schedule, he became well known as Hulikere Krishnaswami Iyengar. He was also actively involved in constructing the dam and the park in Krishnaraja Sagar, popularly know as KRS near Mysore.. After this, he served as the principal of Government Engineering college. He was a very spiritually evolved person. Thirumalamma’s mother, Smt. Lakshamma, though had no formal schooling in those days, she was well versed with many Sanskrit hymns and shlokas, traditional songs and was very good in Kannada language. She had studied and become quite proficient in all of Hindu mythologies. She was a very pious, patient and kind lady, very practical and very meticulous. She guided all her children in a subtle manner that she shaped their personalities and impacted their lives without them realizing it. Being one of the children of such special couple, true to the upbringing, Smt. Thirumalamma also was a model of excellence to all those who came in contact with her.
Smt. Thirumalamma’s education was with breaks after every stage from primary level onwards. Despite long breaks in between, she never failed or repeated any class. When their family was in Hulikere, there was no proper school. She did her primary schooling from home, directly took 7th standard exam and passed without any problem. After this, there was a break of four years. Then they moved to Bangalore and she completed her high school without any problem. Again there was break of four years for her to continue with Intermediate course after which she continued and completed graduation in science subjects. Again after a long break of about ten years, she did her B.Ed as well. In the mean time she had also started to work as a teacher at Himamshu Shishu Vihar and was the principal from 1949 to 1953. After that she started her own school.
She started the school in the year 1953 and called it ‘Malleshwaram’ Shishu Vihar as the school was right in the busy location of Malleswaram area in Bangalore. True to her love for Kannada language, she started the school in Kannada medium and with the intention of making it a school for financially under-privileged section of the society, in order to give equal opportunity for quality education to all the children irrespective of caste, creed or the financial status. She achieved this and was well recognized by the Government Education Department as well.
After a couple of years of starting the school, she had to face a big crisis, that a few teachers formed a group and influenced almost all the teachers to resign. But then, thanks to Smt. Thirumalamma’s forbearance and her family members. All available family members took to helping her get over the crisis by taking up the responsibility of teaching in the school. They helped until trained teachers were appointed. The school functioned without much disturbance.
She always had a special place in her heart for tiny tots. She called the school “Shishu Vihar” – ‘Children’s Place of Play’. She got trained in Montessori method of teaching and also took Nursery teachers’ training. She created number of teaching aids to teach these children, literally following – “Learn while you Play” method. She would enjoy each child’s talks, expressions, etc and become one among them.
Smt. Thirumalamma had been to Russia in the year 1956-57 as a delegate from Indo-Soviet Association. She took this opportunity to exchange the teaching techniques and implemented the suitable ones in her school as well.
The school gradually grew up to Primary level, continuing with the same concepts and eventually became a High School as well. But then much against her wish, she had to change the medium of instructions in the school to English as per the popular demand of the society. The strength for Kannada medium started dwindling.
Smt. Thirumalamma was always a learner as well. She did her special Montessori Training from All India Montessori International, New Delhi. She was a multi talented person. She played violin well and was a good singer too. She has composed many meaningful rhymes in Kannada for her little students, she composed nursery rhymes with easy tunes and would sing and play-act those rhymes, to make them understand and would enjoy with them.
Smt. Thirumalamma, a compassionate lady as she was, started a wing for special needs children in the year 1962. She herself took all the interest to develop that section and started a separate school calling it Bala Manovikasa Kendra. The school is doing well bringing up many such children making them able adults.
She got herself completely involved in teaching and promoting education. She has made various types of very useful teaching aids for all levels of education from Nursery onwards. Her deep love for small children drove her further to start Nursery Teacher Training course in her school. She trained many candidates who are now teaching in various schools, including even Government schools and Anganavadi schools. Thirumalamma along with her senior teachers has even gone to rural areas to demonstrate using low cost & no cost teaching aids specially designed by herself, for nursery children activities. Thirumalamma has received many awards for her work.
A few of the awards worth mentioning are –
- Karnataka Rajyotsava Teachers award in 1972,
- In 1973 she was awarded Gold Medal for community development from an organization called Hebbar Sri Vaishnva Sabha.
- Bestowed “Best Social Worker” of her neighbourhood in the year 1978.
- In 1997 she was conferred “Attimabbe Award” by Kannada Lekhakiyara Sangha.
In addition, she also wrote many meaningful, value based songs in Kannada putting melodious tunes and taught those to all the teachers working with her. All those songs are now made into CDs. Her first CD “Bangaari” has been used by many schools.
She was a great enthusiast for Kannada language. All her works are in Kannada. She has also written many books in Kannada for learners to make Kannada learning easy and interesting. Her books – Kanda Akshara Kali, Kannada Oduveya” Part 1 & 2, Namma Manae, Odi Keluva Kathegalu, Putaanigala Vaijnyaanika Kathegalu, Namma Bengaluru and Punyakoti, are being used by many schools. Especially those from overseas who intend learning Kannada language, have found the learning very easy.
All her rhymes, songs and books have been much appreciated by the Department of Education. She would celebrate all the festivals in the school with her children and teachers. She would write dramas and songs for every occasion including the school annual days.
She has been a mother to all her teachers and students. She was also a patient counselor when needed. She would go to any extent for the cause of Learning. She even gave away her treasured violin to one of her teachers as that teacher expressed her wish to pursue learning to play violin.
If a parent came angry, screaming and shouting, she would patiently offer them seat, give them time to vent their anger, and then would start softly reasoning out, to make understand. They would then apologise and return with a smile. Many a time there would be a situation where the parents would not pay even that meagre fees. If a teacher suggested to levy penalty, she would say that the parent would come and pay the full fee amount in one day by end of the year and she joked if we were able to teach one year’s portions in that one day!!!. Such was her feelings for the children. She had developed a very strong bond with all her students as well as her teachers. Many parents would request her to advise their children what they wanted to tell them, as Smt. Thirumalamma’s words would carry more weight and value.
In addition to the normal curriculum, the children are taught the Shlokas and Prayers, sports, dramatics, art work, etc. Another exclusive speciality is that they are taught soft values like self discipline, self confidence, humility, empathy, dedication, loyalty, all these without much effort. All these have helped the children to earn a good name in the society as well as in their work place. With this strong foundation, most of the students who have passed out of the school have established themselves well, holding good qualifications and positions in various parts of the world.
Smt. Thirumalamma trained her senior teachers of the school also to work as Trainers. These Trainers also have trained even Anganavadi teachers and have given demonstrations in rural Anganavadi schools. They have also worked as Resource persons for NCERT & DSERT – Council of Education, Research & Training both at State & National levels. Many candidates have been well trained by them and are working as able teachers in various private as well as Government schools. Further, she was actively involved in NCERT & DSERT – Council of Education, Research & Training as a Resource person and was actively involved in the Text book committee.
In the year 1995 she visited United Arab Emirates and America. She visited a few schools over there to study the teaching techniques there.
Currently the school has classes from pre-primary up to tenth standard, with well qualified and efficient teachers. In addition, it teaches computer skills, a few of the computers have been donated by old students. The school has a very special Audio-Visual class-room which helps to teach, with a clear vision of the subject matter. This also was donated by another old student. The school also has more teaching aids, models, again donated by yet another old student. This shows how the old students remember their childhood spent in the school and are still attached to their school. Quite a few of them have donated furniture, books, writing materials etc.
In addition to the curriculum, the children are well trained to take active part in sports, inter-class as well as inter-school competitions, debates, etc. and have won many prizes. Every year Smt. Thirumalamma made it a point to take school children and the teachers on visits and excursion trips to various places enriching their knowledge and exposing them to different experiences.
She was very particular that the children are taught well and are made good achievers, passing out well in the school final board exams. She gave importance to teach moral values emphasizing on good, responsible and conscientious behaviour. Shlokas and devotional songs always made a part of daily prayers. In fact even now her school has continued on the same principles and concepts.
Further, Smt. Thirumalamma was very particular regarding children’s welfare, cleanliness and hygiene, teaching them to develop healthy habits. Now, the school provides mid-day meal to all the students, which has been sponsored by Sri Sai Mandali, organized by one of the old students.
It is indeed a big loss to the school and the society that such a loveable person has gone, is physically not there. But then she has left her principle, discipline and love for children to be learnt by all the teachers.
I wish the school all the success and pray that many more children join this school and avail of the opportunity to become eminent adults, as desired by Smt. Thirumalamma and make her dream come true continuously.
Lakshmi Sridharan
First student of the school, Number one on the Admissions register of Malleswaram Sishu Vihar.