Basel Evangelical Mission Parsi High School, Thalassery

Basel Evangelical Mission Parsi (BEMP) School, Thalassery, India, started a century-and-a-half ago with 74 students. Thalassery was once an important trading centre of the East India Company and the British administrative headquarters of the erstwhile Malabar district. The school has 1150 students.

History

In 1856 the school was started as Basel German Mission School. It was later re-christened BEMP School as a mark of respect to Kaikose Ruderasha, a Parsi philanthropist who donated funds for the development of the school. The school, managed by the North Kerala Diocese of the Church of South India, was upgraded to a high school by Rev. C. Mueller who came here to assist German missionary Hermann Gundert.

The present building of the school, located in the centre of the town, was built in 1903. The spacious hall of the building, roof made of huge wooden beams, and old-style roof tiles add to its heritage value.

Those who taught at the school included Dr. Gundert, who compiled the first Malayalam dictionary, and Keeleri Kunhikannan, who served as gymnastic instructor at the school and was considered the father of the Indian circus.

Translator and author Thatha Kanaran who translated the works Walter Scott and Samuel Johnson served as the school headmaster. English scholar R. Mukunda Mallar worked as teacher at the school.

Notable alumni

• P. Sankunni is principal of Victoria College, Palakkad
• Malayalam satirist Oyyarathu Chandumenon
• Short story writer Murkot Kumaran
• Communist leader A. K. Gopalan
• Freedom fighters Nettur. P. Damodaran, I. K. Kumaran and Moyyarath Shankaran
• Socialist leader P.R. Kurup
• Union Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahammed
• Reserve Bank of India deputy governor Vittal Das Leeladhar
• Retired administrator Murkot Ramunny
• former Calicut University Vice-Chancellor A.N.P. Ummerkutty

See also

• Educational Institutions in Thalassery