Sastri family reconnects with heritage: Plans AI Lab and Literary Prize for Sastri College's centenary
South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, Professor Anil Sooklal (second row, seated third from left), had the privilege of meeting the family of Srinivasa Sastri, who was responsible for establishing the first high school for Indian pupils in South Africa, Sastri College, in 1929.
Image: Supplied
TO strengthen historical ties and foster educational collaboration, South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, Professor Anil Sooklal, recently met with the Sastri family, who are eager to reconnect with their ancestral roots at Sastri College.
Durban’s Sastri College and New Delhi’s Bluebells School International finalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in August last year. This agreement facilitates cooperation in various areas, including curriculum sharing and student/teacher exchanges.
In 1926, Srinivasa Sastri, who was sent by British India as agent general to South Africa, observed that the indentured Indians lacked a high school, despite having built their own schools. To address this, he raised funds and established Sastri College, the first Indian high school in South Africa, which formally opened in 1929 before his return to India.
Bluebells School International has a strong historical connection with the anti-apartheid movement and the ANC, having provided support and free education to children of ANC exiles in India.
“They are now in regular contact, both the schools, and I think they have started some initiatives of cooperation as well,” Sooklal said about the twinning of the schools.
Following a virtual introduction, the Sastri family hosted the High Commissioner earlier this week during his visit to Tamil Nadu.
“They hosted a reception for us and invited all the family members to meet us. And they were very excited to make physical contact with the embassy and the ambassador,” Sooklal.
“They are now in touch with Sastri College as well. They are very keen to do several things in terms of working with the school and to assist the school as well,” he added.
Sooklal noted the excitement among the descendants of Srinivasa Sastri—nearly 20 family members, including his great-granddaughter—regarding the re-establishment of ties with both South Africa and Sastri College. He mentioned that the family expressed a strong desire for the school to celebrate its centenary in 2029, and they intend to attend with a delegation.
“They’re also keen to see how they could work with the school in setting up an AI lab. They are quite advanced in that sector in India, and they also want to see what they can do. They would also like to initiate an annual literary prize and trophy at the school under the name of Sastri,” Sooklal said.
“They also have a lot of archival material, letters of Sastri when he was living in South Africa, and they say they want, in 2029 as part of the centenary year, to hand over all those archival documents through the school or to an appropriate history museum in South Africa, which I think is also a great contribution in terms of the recorded history of Sastri’s time in South Africa.”
“I think it’s a very good initiative and the family is very keen to continue supporting the school, strengthening links, and that way also helping strengthen educational ties between India and South Africa. Very positively disposed to South Africa,” Sooklal added