T. Gopala Rao
Encyclopedia
Rai Bahadur Thandalam Gopala Rao (c. 1832 - d. May 11, 1886) was an Indian educationist who, along with William Archer Porter
, was responsible for the growth of the Government Arts College, Kumbakonam
in its early stages.
, while his father Raghava Punt served as a revenue officer under Serfoji II
.
During Rao's infancy, the family moved to Tiruvadi and from there to Travancore
where Gopala Rao served in the Travancore service. Gopala Rao had little schooling but achieved proficiency in Marathi
, Sanskrit
and English
. At the age of 17, Gopala Rao was employed as a clerk
in the office of the collector
of Tanjore. In 1851, he was promoted Manager of the Department of Public Works.
in 1857 and graduated in arts from the Madras University in first class in 1859.
In 1867, the provincial school at Kumbakonam was elevated to a government arts college. Gopala Rao and William Archer Porter were instrmental for its elevation. They were also credited with having built up the reputation of the college.
From 1870 to 1872, Gopala Rao acted as the Inspector of Schools, the first Indian to be appointed to the post. In reward for his success, Gopala Rao was made a fellow of the Madras University. In the same year, he succeeded William Archer Porter as the Principal of the Kumbakonam College and served till 1874. In 1878, Gopala Rao was appointed Professor of History and Political Economy at the Presidency College, Madras.
William Archer Porter
William Archer Porter was a British lawyer and educationist who served as the Principal of Government Arts College, Kumbakonam and tutor and secretary to the Maharaja of Mysore.- Early life and education :...
, was responsible for the growth of the Government Arts College, Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam , also spelt as Coombaconum in the records of British India , is a town and a special grade municipality in the Thanjavur district in the southeast Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located 40 kilometres from Thanjavur and 272 kilometres from Chennai, it is the headquarters of the Kumbakonam...
in its early stages.
Early life
Gopala Rao was born in a Thanjavur Marathi family in the village of Ganapathi Agraharam near Kumbakonam. His grandfather Thandalam Jeevanna (also known as Ramachandra Pandit) had worked as a Tahsildar in the service of the British East India CompanyBritish East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, while his father Raghava Punt served as a revenue officer under Serfoji II
Serfoji II
Serfoji II was the last ruler of the Maratha principality of Tanjore to exercise absolute sovereignty over his dominions. His descendants, however, have managed to thrive as titular Maharajahs of Thanjavur to the present day...
.
During Rao's infancy, the family moved to Tiruvadi and from there to Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
where Gopala Rao served in the Travancore service. Gopala Rao had little schooling but achieved proficiency in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. At the age of 17, Gopala Rao was employed as a clerk
Clerk
Clerk, the vocational title, commonly refers to a white-collar worker who conducts general office or, in some instances, sales tasks. It is also occasionally used to refer to third-year medical students completing a medical clerkship. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record...
in the office of the collector
District collector
The District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...
of Tanjore. In 1851, he was promoted Manager of the Department of Public Works.
Educational career
In 1854, Gopala Rao entered the educational department as First Assistant in the newly-established provincial school (later Government Arts College) at Kumbakonam. Gopala Rao passed his matriculationMatriculation
Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...
in 1857 and graduated in arts from the Madras University in first class in 1859.
In 1867, the provincial school at Kumbakonam was elevated to a government arts college. Gopala Rao and William Archer Porter were instrmental for its elevation. They were also credited with having built up the reputation of the college.
From 1870 to 1872, Gopala Rao acted as the Inspector of Schools, the first Indian to be appointed to the post. In reward for his success, Gopala Rao was made a fellow of the Madras University. In the same year, he succeeded William Archer Porter as the Principal of the Kumbakonam College and served till 1874. In 1878, Gopala Rao was appointed Professor of History and Political Economy at the Presidency College, Madras.