Elizabeth Sornam Cornelius Appasamy (1878 – 1963), known professionally as Mrs. Paul Appasamy or E. S. Appasamy, was an Indian social worker and educator, working in Madras with the YWCA, and as national secretary of the National Missionary Society in India in the 1920s. She founded the Vidyodaya School for girls in 1924.
E. S. Appasamy | |
|---|---|
 E. S. Appasamy, from a 1922 publication. | |
| Born | Elizabeth Sornam Cornelius 1878 |
| Died | 1963 Nangamangalam, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | Swarnam Appasamy, E. Sornam Appasamy |
| Occupation(s) | educator, social worker |
| Years active | 1920s–1940s |
Early life
editElizabeth Sornam (or Swarnam) Cornelius was born in 1878, one of the ten children of Solomon Duraisamy Cornelius and Esther Rajanayagam. Her parents were Christians; her father was employed in the Public Works Department. She attended Epiphany High School in Poona,[1] and was the fifth woman to enroll at Presidency College of Madras, and earned a bachelor's degree there.[2]
Career
editAppasamy was the All-India Woman's Secretary for the National Missionary Society, and vice-president of the Madras YWCA. Her colleagues in Madras included politician Mona Hensman and physician Muthulakshmi Reddy.[3] She traveled all over India in her work, speaking, organizing, and raising funds.[2] She traveled to the United States and Great Britain in 1914 with her brother J. J. Cornelius, giving lectures.[4][5] She founded the Vidyodaya School at Pallavaram, a Christian boarding school for girls, in 1924. Her daughter Vimala was one of the school's first students.[6]
In 1924 she represented India at the world committee meeting of the YWCA, in Washington, D.C. In 1926, she visited Singapore, to speak on "Ideals of Women's Education."[7][8] In 1928 she wrote a biography of Pandita Ramabai,[9] and traveled in the United States[10][11] as she attended an international meeting in Detroit, Michigan.
Personal life and family
editSwarnam Cornelius married lawyer and judge Paul Appasamy. They had four children: Mary Vimala, John Bhasker, Esther Jaya, and Shanth Paul.[2] Swarnam Appasamy died in her eighties in 1963, in Nangamangalam.
Economist J. C. Kumarappa was her younger brother. Bishop A. J. Appasamy, a prominent Indian Christian theologian, was her brother-in-law. Several of her children became educators. Her daughter Vimala Appasamy graduated from Mount Holyoke College,[12] was headmistress of the Vidyodaya School from 1936 to 1965,[6] and wrote a songbook for the school.[13] Daughter Jaya Appasamy became an artist, writer, college professor, and Fulbright Scholar.[14] Son S. Paul Appasamy was an educator and representative of the YMCA of India and Ceylon in the 1960s.[15] Her granddaughter Dr. Satya Brink[16] is a sociologist and policy consultant in Canada.[17][18]
References
edit- ^ R. B. K. (30 April 1926). "Mrs. P. Appasamy's Visit; Her Life and Work". The Singapore Free Press. p. 7. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ a b c Doren, Alice Boucher Van (1922). Lighted to Lighten the Hope of India: A Study of Conditions Among Women in India. Central Committee on the United Study of Foreign Missions. pp. 135-138.
Mrs. Paul Appasamy.
- ^ Sita Anantha Raman, ''Crossing Cultural Boundaries: Indian Matriarchs and Sisters in Service,'' Journal of Third World Studies 18, no. 2 (Fall 2001): 131–48. via ProQuest
- ^ "Reception for Mrs. Appasamy". The Morning News. 28 October 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Among the Clubs". The Pittsburgh Post. 12 November 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "About Us". Vidyodaya Schools. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "Mrs. P. Appasamy's Visit". The Straits Times. 29 April 1926. p. 10. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ "Indian Lady's Lecture". Malaya Tribune. 1 May 1926. p. 6. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ Appasamy, Mrs Paul (1928). Pandita Ramabai. Christian Literature Society for India.
- ^ "Speaks at Missionary Meeting". Reading Times. 14 March 1928. p. 16. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Missionary Society Hears Talk on India at Jubilee Meeting". Reading Times. 14 March 1928. p. 16. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Indian Women Making Fight for Progress". Democrat and Chronicle. 18 September 1931. p. 28. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Appasamy, Vimala (1952). Pujarini for the Pupils of Vidyodaya. Diocesan Press.
- ^ "Foreign Artist at SMS Tonight". Springfield Daily News. 30 April 1963. p. 23. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "County Y Edges Past Half Mark in Fund Drive". Hartford Courant. 6 May 1961. p. 11. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Purdue PhD Candidate Has High Hopes for Helping Indian Women". Journal and Courier. 6 January 1971. p. 18. Retrieved 23 November 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sbertoli, Graciela (15 January 2019). "Potential ways to support basic skills policies - interview with Satya Brink". EPALE - European Commission. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ Housing older people : an international perspective. Brink, S. (Satya), International Federation on Ageing. New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.A.: Transaction Publishers. 1998. ISBN 0-7658-0416-6. OCLC 37024895.
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