The American College and the Lady Doak College of Madurai are sister institutions that stand as sentinels of modern education in South India in pursuit of production and dissemination of knowledge that began during the classical age of Sangham.

“Founded in 1881, by the visionary first principal, Rev. G.T. Washburn, the American College began with only four Christian young men. Now the institution has grown to nurture 9,000 students in its graduate, post graduate and doctoral research streams”, Principal Dr. Paul Jayakar told me while on a visit to the 48-ac sylvan campus. 

American College’s iconic red brick edifice and Principal Dr. Paul Jayakar

The American is known for its red-brick buildings in Indo Saracenic style, the main James Hall and the Washburn Hall  blending with the natural surroundings constructed by British architect Henry Irwin.. It was Irvin who designed the sprawling royal palace for King Krishnaraja Wodayar IV of Mysore. 

The college has been ranked 54th among colleges in India by NIRF-National Institutional Ranking Framework in 2024. Dr. Jayakar is the 18th principal. He is the son of the college’s 13th principal Dr. Peter Jayapandian who earned his PhD in Physics from Ohio State University. Jayakar’s wife Dr. Magdalene Virgini is teaching Home Science at Fatima College run by the  St Joseph’s Society of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Jayakar with wife Dr. Magdaline; father Dr. Peter Jayapandian

With a doctorate on a comparative study of Indian and Canadian literatures, Jayakar has made academic visits to universities in Ohio, Melbourne, Hong Kong and Slovakia. The college has entered into collaboration with Ohio’s Oberlin College and an Oberlin Shansi fellowship programme is flourishing. Tie up is also on with Hildesheim University in Germany, Constatine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia, Handong Global University in South Korea and Asia Pacific and Mahasa Universities in Malaysia.    

The college has been running a satellite campus at Chatrappati, 15 km away from the city on the Madurai-Natham Highway. 
I saw a photo of Dr K.E. Nainan(1948-50) among its past principals adorning the college walls. Its history would not be complete without Keralite Professors of English R. Padmanabhan Nair from Harippad and Dr. S. Chandramohan Nair from Kollam, Mathew John of Chemistry and Srikumar of Botany. 

Literati behind Lit in English-Paul Linder Love, Jayant Mahapatra, R.P. Nair, Premila Paul 

Prof. RP Nair did his Masters in the University College, Thiruvananthapuram under poet critic Dr. K. Ayyappa Paniker, who later became a member of the Managing Committee of SCILET-Study Centre for Indian Literature in English and Translation promoted by the American’s Department of English. Nair joined the college as a Tutor in in 1961 at the age of 24 and retired as Dean after 34 years of stellar service. 
As a student he had contributed to the Illustrated Weekly of India and rose to become a regular for the Malayalam weekly Kaumudi edited by K. Balakrishanan, a former chairman of the students’ union of the American. He won the Oberlin Shansi Fellowship for 1967-68 to study the Black Liberation movement.  He was behind the establishment of Pegasus, a literary festival of the Department of English and SCILET. He also edited its poetry journal Kavya Bharati.

Thomas K. Varghese, Stephen Imbanathan, his PhD scholar Joselin Akila; principal Dr. K.E. Nainan (1948-50} 

For three and half decades, the American has been organising Creative Writing Workshop for students in Kodaikanal as an offshoot of SCILET.  Professors Paul Linder Love, R.P Nair and Premila Paul played stellar roles behind it. After the demise of the first two, Dr. Premila took over as Director. 

To honour his memory the American has instituted the R. Padmanabhan Nair Memorial Lecture. Musician and activist TM Krishana made the inaugural address in 2023 on The Spirit of Dissent. Former Foreign Secretary Dr. Nirupama Rao did it in 2024 on Many Worlds, a Diplomatic Journey and author Manu S. Pillai in 2026 on The Canvas as History: Tracing the Past Through Art.

Doak’s English Prof.  Dr. Galina Elcita Davis; Doak’s first principal Dr. Marian Oommen

Dr. Chandra Mohan Nair earned his PhD on a study of the novels of the Varanasi-born writer in English Arun Joshi. Dr. Premila Paul was his guide. He joined the American at 23 to end up as professor and head of the pg dep of English and retire after 36 years of service. He visited the US on a UBCHEA (United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia) Fellowship to teach Indian Culture in Waynesburg University, Pennsylvania. He has had close relationship with writers like Jayant Mahapatra, K. Sachithnandan, Kamaladas, K. Ayyappa Paniker, Nizim Ezekiel and Keki N. Daruwala.  He lives with wife Prof. Radhalakshmi at Pallikeezhu, a suburb of Kollam. 
I was delighted to have the company of Dr. Thomas K. Varghese of the English department who took me around the campus. “I have been in Tamil Nadu for 50 years, did my BA and MA in English in the American and my PhD in Gandhigram Rural Institute, a Deemed University in the adjacent Dindigal district,” he said. 

Tamil Nadu DGP Walter Davaram at the 2003 wedding of his niece Galina with Thomas

I found him a committed Gandhian involved in rural development focusing on the upliftment of tens of thousands of palm tree workers of Tamil Nadu coastal belt. He is also involved in the Association for Integrated Rural Development based in Ramanathapuram. 
His wife Dr. Galina Elcita Davis teaches English at Lady Doak. Her maternal uncle Walter Davaram, former Director General of Police, famous for his involvement in the capture of forest brigand Veerappan, attended their wedding in 2003. Another surprise was that the leading lady of South Indian cinema Nayanthara aka Diana Kurian is related to D. Thomas through his paternal tharavadu, Kodiyat of Tiruvalla. 

Oberlin Shansi Fellows Donnie and Caris (left of back row) with student leaders at the American

I told him of George Mampara my BA classmate in Kottayam’s 215-year old CMS College taught English in the American before migrating to the US in 1973. He has retired to Silver Spring in Maryland, close to Washington DC. Recently I met George again in a conference of India Press Club North America at New Jersey’s Hotel Sheraton at Edison. 

 Maryland’s Mampara who taught at the American; his pal S. Chandramohan Nair with K. Sachithanadan & wife Dr. Radhalakshmi  

Speaking to me from Thiruvananthapuram, Prof. Chandra Mohan Nair told me of his meeting with George while he was in the US. He travelled from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania by train to arrive in New York City’s Penn Station to be received by George’s son Amrit and driven to Teaneck, New Jersey where they lived. Nair stayed overnight with George and wife Helen and has fond memory of enjoying their rice, sambar and pappadam after a long time from home. 

 Thomas Varghese with his PhD guide Dr. G. Baskaran at Gandhigram Institute’s graduation

 American College delegates in Nitra, Slovakia